Values of macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer and 10-2 visual field measurements in detecting and evaluating glaucoma.

AIM: To assess the performance of macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness (mGCIPLT) and 10-2 visual field (VF) parameters in detecting early glaucoma and evaluating the severity of advanced glaucoma. METHODS: Totally 127 eyes from 89 participants (36 eyes of 19 healthy participants, 45 eyes of 31 early glaucoma patients and 46 eyes of 39 advanced glaucoma patients) were included. The relationships between the optical coherence tomography (OCT)-derived parameters and VF sensitivity were determined. Patients with early glaucoma were divided into eyes with or without central 10° of the VF damages (CVFDs), and the diagnostic performances of OCT-derived parameters were assessed. RESULTS: In early glaucoma, the mGCIPLT was significantly correlated with 10-2 VF pattern standard deviation (PSD; with average mGCIPLT: ß=-0.046, 95%CI, -0.067 to -0.024, P<0.001). In advanced glaucoma, the mGCIPLT was related to the 24-2 VF mean deviation (MD; with average mGCIPLT: ß=0.397, 95%CI, 0.199 to 0.595, P<0.001), 10-2 VF MD (with average mGCIPLT: ß=0.762, 95%CI, 0.485 to 1.038, P<0.001) and 24-2 VF PSD (with average mGCIPLT: ß=0.244, 95%CI, 0.124 to 0.364, P<0.001). Except for the minimum and superotemporal mGCIPLT, the decrease of mGCIPLT in early glaucomatous eyes with CVFDs was more severe than that of early glaucomatous eyes without CVFDs. The area under the curve (AUC) of the average mGCIPLT (AUC=0.949, 95%CI, 0.868 to 0.982) was greater than that of the average circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (cpRNFLT; AUC=0.827, 95%CI, 0.674 to 0.918) and rim area (AUC=0.799, 95%CI, 0.610 to 0.907) in early glaucomatous eyes with CVFDs versus normal eyes. CONCLUSION: The 10-2 VF and mGCIPLT parameters are complementary to 24-2 VF, cpRNFLT and ONH parameters, especially in detecting early glaucoma with CVFDs and evaluating the severity of advanced glaucoma in group level.

The association of bisphenol A and paraben exposure with sensorineural hearing loss in children.

Bisphenol A (BPA) and parabens (PBs) are chemicals that are extensively used in personal care products (PCPs). In early childhood development, hearing is critical to speech and language development, communication, and learning. In vitro and in vivo, BPA/PBs exhibited neurotoxicity through elevated levels of oxidative stress. BPA also has the potential to be an ototoxicant. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the association of exposure to BPA/PBs with sensorineural hearing loss in children. A cross-sectional study based on hearing tests was conducted. This study enrolled 320 children aged 6-12 years from elementary school. Urinary BPA and PB concentrations were analyzed by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Logistic regression models were employed to determine the association of BPA/PB exposure with sensorineural hearing loss. Children with sensorineural hearing loss had higher BPA concentrations than normal-hearing children (0.22 ng/ml vs. 0.10 ng/ml, p = 0.05). After adjustment for covariates, the risk of hearing loss at middle frequencies reached 1.83-fold (95% CI: 1.12-2.99) when BPA concentrations increased by 1 log10. The risk of slight hearing loss reached 2.24-fold (95% CI: 1.05-4.78) when children had a tenfold increase in ethyl paraben (EP) concentration. This study clarifies the role of exposure to BPA/PBs in hearing loss in children. Future research needs to be expanded to include cohort designs and nationwide studies to identify causality.

Magnetic resonance imaging assessment of the lateral geniculate nucleus volume and height in patients with glaucoma: a Meta-analysis.

AIM: To evaluate the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) volume and height using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in glaucoma patients. METHODS: Literatures retrieval was carried out through PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Studies that compared the volume and height of LGN in glaucoma patients with that in control subjects were included. The volume and height of LGN were extracted from the included studies. The Review Manager 5.4.1 software was used for the Meta-analysis. RESULTS: This Meta-analysis included 10 cross-sectional studies, including the eyes of 223 glaucoma patients and 185 healthy controls. Compared with the control subjects, the volume and height of LGN in glaucoma patients measured by MRI were significantly reduced {-29.13 mm3, 95% [confidence interval (CI): -44.82 to -13.43, P=0.0003; -0.61 mm, 95%CI: -0.78 to -0.44, P<0.00001, respectively]}. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the differences of LGN volume and height between glaucoma patients and control subjects in the older group were smaller than that in the younger group, and LGN volume decreased with the increase of glaucoma severity. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that the volume and height of LGN are decreased in glaucoma patients, and LGN volume can be considered a parameter of glaucoma severity.

Transition of carbon-nitrogen coupling under different anthropogenic disturbances in subtropical small mountainous rivers.

The commonly observed inverse relationship between dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrate (NO3-) concentrations in aquatic systems can be explained by stoichiometric and thermodynamic principles regulating microbial assimilation and dissimilation processes. However, the interactive effects of human activities and dissolved oxygen (DO) on the DOC and DIN (dissolved inorganic nitrogen, mainly composed of NO3--N and NH4+-N) relations are not well identified, particularly in subtropical small mountainous rivers (SMRs). Here, we investigated the exports and relations of DOC-DIN in 42 Taiwan SMRs under different anthropogenic disturbances. Results showed that the island-wide mean concentrations of the three solutes in streams are generally low, yet the abundant rainfall and persistent supply contrarily lead to disproportional high DOC and DIN yields. The inverse DOC-NO3--N relation does not appear under well­oxygenated conditions, regardless of low or high human disturbance. However, a significant inverse relationship between DOC-NO3--N would emerge in highly-disturbed watersheds under low-oxygenated conditions (mean annual DO <6.5 mg L-1), where excess N accumulates as NH4+-N rather than NO3--N. The controlling mechanism of DOC-DIN relations would shift from energetic constraints to redox constraints in low-oxygenated conditions. Although riverine concentrations of DOC, NO3--N, and NH4+-N could be elevated by human activities, the transition of DOC-DIN relation pattern is directly linked to DO availability. Understanding the mechanism that drives CN coupling is critical for assessing the ecosystem function in the delivery and retention of DOC and DIN in aquatic ecosystems.