Efficacy of bimatoprost for the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Bimatoprost has been reported to treat primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) effectively. However, up-to-date, no systematic review has specifically addressed the efficacy and safety of bimatoprost for the treatment of POAG. Therefore, this study will propose to appraise the efficacy and safety of bimatoprost for the treatment of POAG. METHODS: We will perform a systematic search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHI, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from inception up to the March 1, 2020. We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for evaluating the efficacy and safety of bimatoprost for the treatment of POAG. Primary outcome is the mean intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction from baseline to the endpoint, and change in best corrected visual acuity. Secondary outcomes are contrast sensitivity, rate of progression of glaucoma, quality of life, and incidence of adverse events. Study quality will be examined by Cochrane Collaboration tool, and strength of evidence will be evaluated by Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation tool. RESULTS: This proposed study will outline the current RCTs to assess the efficacy and safety of bimatoprost for the treatment of POAG. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study will confirm whether bimatoprost is beneficial to patients with POAG. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: INPLASY202040118.

Th17 cells in glaucoma patients promote Ig production in IL-17A and IL-21-dependent manner.

Elevated expression of autoantibodies is a hallmark of immune dysregulation in glaucoma and may cause retinal ganglion cell apoptosis and immune-mediated nerve damage, thus contributing to the development of blindness. The cause of autoantibody upregulation remains unclear. Th17 cells are shown to promote autoimmunity and Ig production. Here, we demonstrate that the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-21 are comparable between glaucoma patients and non-glaucoma controls. However, the levels of Th17-promoting cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF) IL-6, are higher in glaucoma patients than in controls. Subsequently, we demonstrate that glaucoma patients present upregulated levels of Th17 cells that are quiescent directly ex vivo. Interestingly, compared to the Th17 cells from non-glaucoma subjects, the Th17 cells from glaucoma patients present similar IL-17A production capacity but significantly higher IL-21 production capacity. Given that IL-21 is also described as a specific cytokine of follicular helper T cells, the Ig production by B cells following co-incubation with circulating Th17 cells is investigated. Th17 cells from glaucoma patients present significantly enhanced potential to promote Ig production than the Th17 cells from controls. Both glaucoma patient Th17 cells and control Th17 cells require IL-17A and IL-21 for Ig production. Overall, results from this study suggest that Th17 cells from glaucoma patients present elevated capacity to stimulate Ig production.

Therapeutic effect of lutein supplement on non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy: A retrospective study.

This study retrospectively evaluated the effect of lutein supplement (LS) on patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR).A total of 72 patients with NPDR were included in this study. All patients received Zeaxanthin during the study period. In addition, 36 patients also received LS and were assigned to the treatment group, while the other 36 patients did not receive LS and were assigned to the control group. All patients were treated for a total of 4 months. The endpoints included visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity (CS), and glare sensitivity (GS). In addition, any adverse events were also assessed. All endpoints were measured before and after 4-month treatment.Before treatment, there were no significant differences in VA (P = .75), CS (P = .71), and GS (P = .73) between two groups. After 4-month treatment, there were still no significant differences in all endpoints of VA (P = .66), CS (P = .58), and GS (P = .61) between two groups. No adverse events were recorded in either group.The results of this retrospective study showed that LS may not benefit for patients with NPDR after 4-month treatment. More high quality randomized controlled trials should still be needed to warrant the results of this study.

Efficacy of ranibizumab for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy: A protocol for systematic review of randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Previous clinical trials have reported that ranibizumab can be used to treat diabetic retinopathy (DR) effectively. However, no study has been conducted to evaluate its efficacy for patients with DR systematically. Thus, this study will specifically and systematically assess the efficacy and safety of ranibizumab for DR. METHODS: Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PUBMED, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database will be searched from inceptions to the March 20, 2019 for studies related to the topic. This study will only consider publicly released randomized controlled trials for evaluating the effect and safety of ranibizumab for DR. No language restrictions will be imposed for all databases search. Methodological quality of each included trial will be assessed by Cochrane risk of bias tool. Statistical analysis will be performed by Stata 12.0 software. RESULTS: This study will provide recent summary evidence of ranibizumab for DR. Primary outcomes include percentages with retinopathy improvement, and cumulative probabilities for retinopathy worsening. Secondary outcome consist of visual function, best-corrected visual acuities, central subfield thickness, total macular volume, peripheral visual field loss, retinal neovascularization, and adverse events. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may provide theoretical basis for clinical practice refer and may benefit more patients with DR.