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3.
NPJ Genom Med ; 9(1): 31, 2024 May 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38802398

ABSTRACT

Advances in gene sequencing technologies have accelerated the identification of genetic variants, but better tools are needed to understand which are causal of disease. This would be particularly useful in fields where gene therapy is a potential therapeutic modality for a disease-causing variant such as inherited retinal disease (IRD). Here, we apply structure-based network analysis (SBNA), which has been successfully utilized to identify variant-constrained amino acid residues in viral proteins, to identify residues that may cause IRD if subject to missense mutation. SBNA is based entirely on structural first principles and is not fit to specific outcome data, which makes it distinct from other contemporary missense prediction tools. In 4 well-studied human disease-associated proteins (BRCA1, HRAS, PTEN, and ERK2) with high-quality structural data, we find that SBNA scores correlate strongly with deep mutagenesis data. When applied to 47 IRD genes with available high-quality crystal structure data, SBNA scores reliably identified disease-causing variants according to phenotype definitions from the ClinVar database. Finally, we applied this approach to 63 patients at Massachusetts Eye and Ear (MEE) with IRD but for whom no genetic cause had been identified. Untrained models built using SBNA scores and BLOSUM62 scores for IRD-associated genes successfully predicted the pathogenicity of novel variants (AUC = 0.851), allowing us to identify likely causative disease variants in 40 IRD patients. Model performance was further augmented by incorporating orthogonal data from EVE scores (AUC = 0.927), which are based on evolutionary multiple sequence alignments. In conclusion, SBNA can used to successfully identify variants as causal of disease in human proteins and may help predict variants causative of IRD in an unbiased fashion.

4.
Sci Rep ; 13(1): 9430, 2023 06 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37296124

ABSTRACT

Myopia is a known risk factor for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Given global trends of increasing myopia, we aimed to determine the absolute risk (incidence rate) of RRD in non-myopes, myopes and high myopes in the United States over ten years. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 85,476,781 commercially insured patients enrolled in the Merative™ Marketscan® Research Database. The incidence rate of RRD in phakic patients in the United States was 39-fold higher in high myopes than non-myopes (868.83 per 100,000 person-years versus 22.44 per 100,000 person-years) and three-fold higher in myopes than non-myopes (67.51 per 100,000 person-years versus 22.44 per 100,000 person-years). The incidence rate was significantly higher in males in each category (P < 0.01). Combined, the incidence rate of RRD in phakic patients in the United States from 2007 to 2016 was 25.27 RRDs per 100,000 person-years, a rate higher than those in prior published studies in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The absolute risk of myopia and high myopia increased from 2007 to 2016. The risk of RRD in phakic high myopes rose with increasing age. Notably, the magnitude of increased risk of RRD in myopes varied substantially according to the minimum follow-up period in our models and should be accounted for when interpreting data analyses.


Subject(s)
Myopia , Retinal Detachment , Male , Humans , United States/epidemiology , Retinal Detachment/epidemiology , Retinal Detachment/etiology , Retrospective Studies , Myopia/epidemiology , Myopia/complications , Incidence , Asia
5.
Can J Ophthalmol ; 58(1): 11-17, 2023 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34419423

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Vision changes can precipitate falls in the elderly resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that pseudophakic monovision and ensuing anisometropia and aniseikonia impact elderly fall risk. This study assessed fall risk in patients with pseudophakic monovision, pseudophakic single vision distance (classic cataract surgery), and cataracts with no surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective single-institution cohort study PARTICIPANTS: Patients with bilateral cataracts diagnosed at 60 years of age or older who underwent bilateral cataract surgery (monovision or single vision distance) or did not undergo any cataract surgery (n = 13 385). Patients with unilateral surgery or a fall prior to cataract diagnosis were excluded. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Stanford Research Repository. Time-to-fall analysis was performed across all 3 groups. Primary outcome was hazard ratio (HR) for fall after second eye cataract surgery or after bilateral cataract diagnosis. RESULTS: Of 13 385 patients (241 pseudophakic monovision, 2809 pseudophakic single vision, 10 335 no surgery), 850 fell after cataract diagnosis. Pseudophakic monovision was not associated with fall risk after controlling for age, sex, and myopia. Pseudophakic single-vision patients had a decreased time to fall compared with no-surgery patients (log rank, p < 0.001). Older age at cataract diagnosis (HR =1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.06, p < 0.001) or at time of surgery (HR = 1.05, 95% CI 1.03-1.07, p < 0.001) increased fall risk, as did female sex (HR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.10-1.51, p = 0.002) and preexisting myopia (HR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.01-1.71, p = 0.046) among nonsurgical patients. CONCLUSIONS: Pseudophakic monovision did not impact fall risk, but pseudophakic single vision may increase falls compared with patients without cataract surgery.


Subject(s)
Cataract Extraction , Cataract , Myopia , Humans , Female , Aged , Pseudophakia , Lens Implantation, Intraocular , Retrospective Studies , Visual Acuity , Cataract Extraction/adverse effects
6.
Ophthalmol Retina ; 7(3): 221-226, 2023 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36002094

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To characterize delays in diagnosis and treatment of retinal detachments (RDs) in a pediatric population. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using insurance claims data. SUBJECTS: Pediatric patients with RD who underwent repair in the outpatient setting. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of commercially insured patients from a national cohort (IBM MarketScan Research Databases) aged ≤ 18 years with an incident diagnosis of RD between 2007 and 2016. Patients with preceding eye-related visits, time to diagnosis, and time to repair were calculated and compared between patients with pre-existing ocular diagnosis and those without. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The time from diagnosis to specialist consultation, time from diagnosis to repair, time from specialist consultation to repair, number of preceding visits, and presence of previous eye-related diagnosis. RESULTS: Our sample consisted of 826 patients, the majority (77%) of whom were diagnosed with rhegmatogenous RD. Only 40% of patients had at least 1 preceding eye-related visit, and 33% had at least 2 visits before RD diagnosis, with a median time from the last eye-related visit of 32 days (4-197 days) and median time from the second to last visit of 118 days (24-437 days). The median time from RD diagnosis to repair was 2 days (0-9 days). The 323 (37.9%) patients with pre-existing ocular diagnoses more frequently had at least 1 (44% vs. 37%; P = 0.079) or 2 preceding eye-related visits (40% vs. 29%; P = 0.002) compared with those without and also had a shorter time to RD diagnosis (median, 14.5 days vs. 44.5 days; P = 0.011) and repair (1 day vs. 3 days; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Retinal detachment is an important cause of morbidity in children. This work highlighted how pediatric patients without previous ocular diagnoses and visits with eye care professional may have a delayed diagnosis and repair of their RD. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.


Subject(s)
Retinal Detachment , Humans , Child , Retinal Detachment/surgery , Retrospective Studies , Time-to-Treatment , Visual Acuity , Scleral Buckling
7.
J Vitreoretin Dis ; 6(5): 399-404, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36380820

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This index study highlights the efficacy and safety of a combined surgical and medical therapy (with intraocular and systemic methotrexate) of pediatric rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RRD) complicated by proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). Methods: Three pediatric patients with RRD complicated by PVR in the setting of underlying atopic dermatitis and/or uveitis who were treated with a combination of vitreoretinal surgery and intraoperative intravitreal methotrexate (MTX) (40mg) infusion, followed by at least one injection of 200 µg of MTX into the silicone oil-filled vitreous cavity, are reported. In addition, the patients received short-term systemic immunosuppression with systemic (oral or subcutaneous 20 mg weekly MTX for 12 weeks) and/or steroids. Results: Retinal reattachment with improvement in visual acuity was achieved in all eyes following a single surgery and remained to the final follow-up examination after oil removal. There were no observed side effects of intraocular or systemic MTX. Conclusions: The safety and efficacy of this combination therapy suggests that it could be a successful strategy for treating pediatric patients with RRD with or without PVR in the presence or absence of underlying inflammatory diseases.

8.
Ophthalmol Sci ; 2(2)2022 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35529077

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To identify vitreous molecular biomarkers associated with autoimmune retinopathy (AIR). Design: Case-control study. Participants: We analyzed six eyes from four patients diagnosed with AIR and eight comparative controls diagnosed with idiopathic macular holes and epiretinal membranes. Methods: Vitreous biopsies were collected from the participants and analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) or multiplex ELISA. Outcome Measures: Protein expression changes were evaluated by 1-way ANOVA (significant p-value <0.05), hierarchical clustering, and pathway analysis to identify candidate protein biomarkers. Results: There were 16 significantly upregulated and 17 significantly downregulated proteins in the vitreous of three AIR patients compared to controls. The most significantly upregulated proteins included lysozyme C (LYSC), zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein (ZA2G), complement factor D (CFAD), transforming growth factor-beta induced protein (BGH3), beta-crystallin B2, and alpha-crystallin A chain. The most significantly downregulated proteins included disco-interacting protein 2 homolog (DIP2C), retbindin (RTBDN), and amyloid beta precursor like protein 2 (APLP2). Pathway analysis revealed that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling was a top represented pathway in the vitreous of AIR patients compared to controls. In comparison to a different cohort of three AIR patients analyzed by multiplex ELISA, a commonly differentially expressed protein was neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NrCAM) with p-values of 0.027 in the LC-MS/MS dataset and 0.035 in the ELISA dataset. Conclusion: Protein biomarkers such as NrCAM in the vitreous may eventually help diagnose AIR.

9.
Sci Rep ; 12(1): 4717, 2022 03 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35304549

ABSTRACT

Treatment outcomes in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) are closely correlated with the location (i.e. zone) of disease, with more posterior zones having poorer outcomes. The most posterior zone, Zone I, is defined as a circle centered on the optic nerve with radius twice the distance from nerve to fovea, or subtending an angle of 30 degrees. Because the eye enlarges and undergoes refractive changes during the period of ROP screening, the absolute area of Zone I according to these definitions may likewise change. It is possible that these differences may confound accurate assessment of risk in patients with ROP. In this study, we estimated the area of Zone I in relation to different ocular parameters to determine how variability in the size and refractive power of the eye may affect zoning. Using Gaussian optics, a model was constructed to calculate the absolute area of Zone I as a function of corneal power, anterior chamber depth, lens power, lens thickness, and axial length (AL), with Zone I defined as a circle with radius set by a 30-degree visual angle. Our model predicted Zone I area to be most sensitive to changes in AL; for example, an increase of AL from 14.20 to 16.58 mm at postmenstrual age 32 weeks was calculated to expand the area of Zone I by up to 72%. These findings motivate several hypotheses which upon future testing may help optimize treatment decisions for ROP.


Subject(s)
Lens, Crystalline , Retinopathy of Prematurity , Cornea , Fovea Centralis , Gestational Age , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Refraction, Ocular
11.
Retina ; 42(4): 824-830, 2022 04 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35174798

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report the clinicopathologic correlation of a case of bilateral serpiginous-like chorioretinitis (SLC) associated with unilateral ciliochoroidal melanoma. METHODS: A 71-year-old white woman was diagnosed with progressive SLC in both eyes associated with ciliochoroidal melanoma in the right eye. Clinical findings and imaging before and after enucleation in the right eye were correlated to histologic and immunohistochemistry sections. RESULTS: Examination and imaging identified a peripheral bilobed amelanotic lesion with low reflectivity on B-scan ultrasound with an associated exudative detachment in the right eye. Additionally, multiple areas of new SLC lesions in the macula and peripapillary region in the right eye and along the inferior arcade in the left eye were observed. Oncologic evaluation confirmed a Class 2, ciliochoroidal melanoma, and the eye was enucleated. Autoimmune and infectious laboratory evaluations for the etiology of the SLC lesions were negative. Histopathology of the enucleated eye confirmed the diagnosis of uveal melanoma with lymphocytic inflammation at the edges of the tumor itself and in the areas of discrete SLC lesions. Immunohistochemistry identified similar predominantly CD3 and CD8 T cells and fewer CD20 B cells in both regions. CONCLUSION: Serpiginous-like chorioretinitis may present as a paraneoplastic, predominantly T-lymphocyte inflammation associated with intraocular tumor such as uveal melanoma.


Subject(s)
Chorioretinitis , Melanoma , Uveal Neoplasms , Aged , Chorioretinitis/complications , Chorioretinitis/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Inflammation/complications , Melanoma/complications , Melanoma/diagnosis , Melanoma/pathology , Uveal Neoplasms/complications , Uveal Neoplasms/diagnosis , Uveal Neoplasms/pathology
12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34982005

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To examine whether new cases of retinal artery occlusion (RAO) or retinal vein occlusion (RVO) increased during the coronavirus 209 (COVID-19) pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients visiting retina clinics with a new diagnosis in two time periods: between January 1, 2019, and February 29, 2020 (the pre-COVID-19 period), and between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020 (the COVID-19 period). The key outcome was the percentage of newly diagnosed central RAO (CRAO), branch RAO (BRAO), central RVO (CRVO), and branch RVO (BRVO) seen in each period. RESULTS: The study population included 285,759 new patients in the pre-COVID-19 period and 156,427 new patients in the COVID-19 period. The overall number of new patients dropped dramatically during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic (24%, 66%, and 51% less new patients in March, April, and May 2020 than in the same months in 2019; P < .0001 for all 3 months). However, the decrease in the number of newly diagnosed patients with CRAO, CRVO, and BRAO during these months was less dramatic. As most states reopened in June and the number of patients in retina clinics started to increase, the newly diagnosed patients with these conditions as a percentage of all new diagnoses returned to similar trends as seen in the pre-COVID-19 period. CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of new cases of RAO and RVO with respect to all new diagnoses in retina clinics remained stable for the majority of the COVID-19 period. There was an increase in these percentages during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for CRAO, CRVO, and BRAO, which may have led to the presumption that more patients presented with these conditions during the COVID-19 period evaluated in this study. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2022;53:22-30.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Retinal Artery , Retinal Vein Occlusion , Humans , Incidence , Pandemics , Retinal Vein Occlusion/diagnosis , Retinal Vein Occlusion/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2
13.
Br J Ophthalmol ; 106(5): 676-680, 2022 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33514529

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To determine whether timing of ophthalmic screening influences prevalence of neonatal fundus haemorrhages. We compared the prevalence of fundus haemorrhages in two populations: term newborns screened early (less than 72 hours) and preterm newborns screened late (4-11 weeks). Additionally, we reviewed the literature on timing and prevalence of newborn haemorrhages. METHODS: Retrospective observational cohort study. Infants who underwent wide-angle ophthalmic digital imaging over one overlapping year in the Newborn Eye Screen Testing (NEST) or Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP) programme were included. The PubMed database was filtered to include English-language articles dating back to 1950. Nine articles were selected for review based on inclusion of the prevalence of newborn fundus haemorrhages at multiple time points. RESULTS: A total of 202 patients received early imaging in the NEST cohort and 73 patients received late imaging in the SUNDROP cohort. In the NEST cohort, 20.2% of newborns had haemorrhages. In contrast, we found haemorrhages in only one case or 1.4% of the SUNDROP cohort. Using prevalence data from nine additional studies, we developed a predicted probabilities model of newborn haemorrhages. Per this model, the probability of seeing a haemorrhage if you screen an infant at 1 hour is 18.8%, at 2 weeks is 2.9% and at 1 month is 0.28%. CONCLUSION: We found a significant difference in the prevalence of fundus haemorrhages between the early-screened NEST cohort and the late-screened, preterm SUNDROP cohort. Likely, this difference is due to the transient nature of most newborn haemorrhages.


Subject(s)
Retinopathy of Prematurity , Telemedicine , Gestational Age , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Neonatal Screening/methods , Observational Studies as Topic , Prevalence , Retinopathy of Prematurity/diagnosis , Retinopathy of Prematurity/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , Telemedicine/methods , Universities
14.
Eur J Ophthalmol ; 32(1): 429-435, 2022 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33781106

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Whether intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) cause retinal atrophy is still a subject of debate. We reported 13 eyes that received several injections of anti-VEGF for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with good visual acuity despite geographic atrophy on imaging. METHODS: This is a case series study conducted at Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University. Patients of three retina specialists with wet AMD who received six or more intravitreal injection of anti-VEGFs with visual acuity of 20/60 or better and incomplete RPE and outer retina atrophy (iRORA) or complete RPE and outer retinal atrophy (cRORA) were enrolled in this case series. Different imaging modalities were reviewed by three retina specialists comparing the baseline with the most recent exam. RESULTS: About 13 eyes of 10 patients met the selection criteria. Eleven eyes were classified as iRORA and 2 as cRORA. Despite the development of macular atrophy on imaging after an average of 38.1 injections, eyes maintained stable visual acuity. CONCLUSION: The discrepancy between structural and functional findings in this cohort suggests that patients treated by anti-VEGF drugs exhibit divergent clinical outcomes for currently unknown reasons. The authors propose anti-VEGF may affect melanosomes within RPE without disrupting RPE and photoreceptors function completely. This requires further investigation.


Subject(s)
Tomography, Optical Coherence , Wet Macular Degeneration , Angiogenesis Inhibitors/adverse effects , Atrophy , Humans , Intravitreal Injections , Ranibizumab/therapeutic use , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors/therapeutic use , Visual Acuity , Wet Macular Degeneration/diagnosis , Wet Macular Degeneration/drug therapy
15.
Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol ; 260(1): 93-100, 2022 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34415363

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Clinical trials are often designed to include homogenous, highly specific patient populations with many resources to reduce patient dropout. Results may not translate to real-world settings. We evaluated discontinuation and loss to follow-up (LTFU) rates in clinical trials of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections for diabetic macular edema (DME), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). METHODS: Retrospective meta-epidemiological study. The authors queried ClinicalTrials.gov for all completed trials of anti-VEGF injections for DME, AMD, or RVO. Of 658 trials identified, 582 were excluded for being non-interventional, <100 patients, terminating early, or missing study results. The remaining 76 trials of 27,823 patients were analyzed for discontinuation and LTFU rates. RESULTS: Mean discontinuation rate was 12.44% (SD 8.12%, range 0-54.12%), with higher rates among control (18.87%) than treatment arms (10.78%, p = .006). Mean LTFU rate was 1.84% (SD 1.78%, range 0-7.76%), with no differences by disease, treatment type, or treatment frequency. CONCLUSION: Discontinuation rates of major intravitreal anti-VEGF clinical trials were highly variable, suggesting even trials struggle with overall patient retention. Though trial LTFU rates were low, real-world outcomes may differ due to higher reported LTFU rates, which should be considered when extrapolating trial results to clinical practice.


Subject(s)
Diabetic Retinopathy , Macular Edema , Retinal Vein Occlusion , Angiogenesis Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Bevacizumab/therapeutic use , Diabetic Retinopathy/diagnosis , Diabetic Retinopathy/drug therapy , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Intravitreal Injections , Macular Edema/diagnosis , Macular Edema/drug therapy , Ranibizumab/therapeutic use , Retinal Vein Occlusion/diagnosis , Retinal Vein Occlusion/drug therapy , Retrospective Studies , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
16.
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina ; 52(S2): S6-S16, 2021 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34908491

ABSTRACT

Universal newborn eye screening can identify ocular abnormalities early and help mitigate long-term visual impairment. Traditional neonatal and infant eye screening is administered by neonatologists and pediatricians using the red reflex test. If this test identifies an ocular abnormality, then the patient is examined by an ophthalmologist. Notably, the red reflex test may be unable to detect amblyogenic posterior segment pathology. Recent studies using fundus imaging and telemedicine show reduced cost of human resources and increased sensitivity compared with traditional approaches. In this review, the authors discuss universal newborn eye screening pilot programs with regard to disease prevalence, referral-warranted disease, and cost-effectiveness. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2021;52:S6-S16.].


Subject(s)
Neonatal Screening , Physical Examination , Fundus Oculi , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Neonatal Screening/methods , Prevalence
17.
BMC Public Health ; 21(1): 2117, 2021 11 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34789229

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 continues to spread globally and in the absence of an effective treatment, the vaccine remains the best hope for controlling this disease. In this study, we seek to find out the extent to which people in Syria accept the Corona vaccine and what are the factors that affect their decision. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Syria during the period from January 3 to March 17, 2021. A structured self-administered questionnaire was distributed in two phases: The first phase included distributing the questionnaire as a Google Form on social media platforms. In the second phase, a paper version of the questionnaire was handed to patients, their companions, and workers in public hospitals. SPSS v.25 and R v.4.1.1 were used to analyze the data. Pearson Chi-square test and Logistic Regression were used to study the associations between categorical groups. RESULTS: Of 7531 respondents, 3505 (46.5%) were males and 4026 (53.5%) were females. 3124 (41.5%) were 18-24 years old. Healthcare workers were participants' main sources of information (50.9%), followed by Social Media users (46.3%). 2790 (37%) of the participant are willing to be vaccinated, and 2334 (31%) were uncertain about it. Fear of possible side effects was the main reason for the reluctance to take the vaccine 1615 (62.4%), followed by mistrust of the vaccine formula 1522 (58.8%). 2218 (29.5%) participants think COVID-19 poses a major risk to them personally. Vaccination intention was significantly associated with gender, residence, financial status, educational level, and geographic origin. CONCLUSION: This study showed very negatively important results. The study participants Vaccination acceptance rate is almost the lowest when compared to its peers. A Lot of efforts should be made to correct misinformation about the vaccine and answer all questions about it, especially with a health system that has been ravaged by war for 10 years.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Adolescent , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , SARS-CoV-2 , Syria , Vaccination , Young Adult
18.
Avicenna J Med ; 11(3): 132-138, 2021 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34646789

ABSTRACT

Background Antibiotic resistance is a serious public health threat that results mainly secondary to antibiotics misuse. The present study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice toward antibiotic use among the Syrian population. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at the outpatient clinics of two major hospitals in Damascus, Syria. Applying a random convenience sampling, data were collected in a 1-week period by interviewing participants using a structured questionnaire, which targeted demographics, practice, knowledge, and attitude. Data were used to assess the relationship between the knowledge level and attitudes and demographics. Results Most respondents had a moderate level of knowledge (187, 74.8%) and a moderate attitude score (148, 59.2%). In addition, most respondents (149, 59.6%) stated that they take antibiotics based on pharmacist advice only and do not complete the full antibiotic course (200, 80%). A significant association was found between the knowledge level and financial status ( p -value = 0.003), education level ( p -value = 0.001), and having relatives working in the health care sector ( p -value = 0.021). In addition, a significant association was found between the attitude and having health insurance. Conclusion This study provides baseline evidence about the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding antibiotics among the Syrian population, that will help in designing targeted interventions to solve the inappropriate use of antibiotics.

19.
PLoS One ; 16(8): e0252878, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34347799

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To study the effect of statin exposure on the progression from non-exudative to exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of commercially insured patients diagnosed with non-exudative AMD (n = 231,888) from 2007 to 2015. Time-to-event analysis of the association between exposure to lipid-lowering medications and time from non-exudative AMD to exudative AMD diagnosis was conducted. Outcome measures included progression to exudative AMD, indicated by diagnosis codes for exudative AMD or procedural codes for intravitreal injections. RESULTS: In the year before and after first AMD diagnosis, 11,330 patients were continuously prescribed lipid-lowering medications and 31,627 patients did not take any lipid-lowering medication. Of those taking statins, 21 (1.6%) patients were on very-high-dose lipophilic statins, 644 (47.6%) on high-dose lipophilic statins, and 689 (50.9%) on low-dose lipophilic statins. We found no statistically significant relationship between exposure to low (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.38) or high-dose lipophilic statins (HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.45) and progression to exudative AMD. No patients taking very-high-dose lipophilic statins converted from non-exudative to exudative AMD, though this difference was not statistically significant due to the subgroup size (p = .23, log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant relationship was found between statin exposure and risk of AMD progression. Interestingly, no patients taking very-high-dose lipophilic statins progressed to exudative AMD, a finding that warrants further exploration.


Subject(s)
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors/administration & dosage , Macular Degeneration/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors/adverse effects , Macular Degeneration/chemically induced , Macular Degeneration/drug therapy , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment , United States/epidemiology
20.
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina ; 52(4): 208-217, 2021 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34039186

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study assessed racial and ethnic differences in receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) intravitreal injections among commercially insured patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 104,430 patients diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) in the Optum Research Database between 2011 and 2016. Main outcomes included receiving an intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment; the first type of treatment received, if any; and subsequent treatment with ranibizumab or aflibercept among patients who were first treated with bevacizumab. RESULTS: In a logistic regression model in all 104,430 patients, Asian patients were significantly less likely to receive an anti-VEGF treatment compared to white patients (odds ratio [OR] = 0.725; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.667-0.789; P < .001), but Black and Hispanic patients were not. Overall, 19.9% (n = 20,753) of all included patients received treatment with intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF or steroids. In multinomial logistic models of treatment type among all patients who received intravitreal injections, Hispanic patients were less likely than white patients to initially be treated with ranibizumab (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 0.776; 95% CI, 0.647-0.929; P = .006) or aflibercept (RRR = 0.794; 95% CI, 0.654-0.964; P = .020). Black and Asian patients were not significantly more or less likely to receive different types of first-line injections compared to white patients. Among 17,092 patients who received bevacizumab as first-line therapy, Hispanic patients were less likely to subsequently transition to aflibercept than their white counterparts (RRR = 0.756; 95% CI, 0.634-0.903; P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: The authors found minimal racial and ethnic differences in receiving anti-VEGF treatment among commercially insured patients with wet AMD, diabetic retinopathy, CRVO, and BRVO. These results are limited by the fact that all of the patients included were commercially insured, and there are limited data on the socioeconomic status of the patients in their sample. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2021;52:208-217.].


Subject(s)
Angiogenesis Inhibitors , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A , Angiogenesis Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Bevacizumab , Humans , Intravitreal Injections , Race Factors , Ranibizumab , Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor , Recombinant Fusion Proteins , Retrospective Studies
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