Evaluation of the frequency of ABO and Rh-Hr blood-group systems in different acquired cataracts type.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the relationship between acquired cataract's different types and the ABO and Rh blood classes. METHODS: Overall, 520 patients, by randomized sampling method, participated in this retrospective cross-sectional study. After reviewing the patient's medical records and laboratory results, the patient's demographics, ABO group, Rh, and cataract type were documented. RESULTS: A total of 520 patients were included in the research, with a mean age of 67.57 ± 11.85. Most of them were female (n = 286, 55%). Mix (n = 230, 44%) and nuclear sclerotic (NS) (n = 167, 32%) cataracts were the most common types. The posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) prevalence in females was significantly higher than in males (16.1% vs.7.3% p = 0.002). Also, men had more NS cataracts than females (89, 38% vs. 78, 27.3%) (p = 0.009). Patients with PSC were significantly younger than others (all p-values < 0.001). Our results showed that cataract types are independent of blood group types and Rh (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Although our findings showed that cataract types are independent of blood group types and Rh, they can be compared with future studies on the association of other Blood-Group Systems in developing acquired cataracts.

The Upregulation of HLA-G1 and miRNA-34a in Lens Epithelial Cells of Diabetic Retinopathy Patients.

Background: Retinopathy of diabetes is a chronic diabetes mellitus complication affecting retinal vessels, and some ocular complications' molecular mechanisms remain obscure. Objective: To evaluate the expression of HLA-G1, HLA-G5, miRNA-181a, and miRNA-34a in the lens epithelial cells of patients with retinopathy of diabetes. Methods: In a case-control study, 30 diabetic patients with retinopathy, 30 diabetic patients without retinopathy, and 30 cataract patients without diabetes mellitus as the control group were enrolled after a full description with details about the study methods and objectives. The expression of HLA G1, HLA G5, miRNA-181a, and miRNA-34a in lens epithelial cells was assessed by quantitative RT PCR. Moreover, the levels of HLA-G protein in aqueous humor were evaluated by the ELISA method. Results: HLA-G1 expression was significantly upregulated in the retinopathy group (P=0.003). The aqueous humor of diabetic retinopathy patients contained significantly higher levels of HLA-G protein compared with the non-diabetic patients (P=0.001). miRNA-181a was significantly downregulated in the diabetic retinopathy group compared with the patients without diabetes (P=0.001). In addition, miRNA-34a was upregulated in the retinopathy group (P=0.009). Conclusion: Taken together, the present results showed that HLA-G1 and miRNA-34a can be valuable markers for diabetic retinopathy. Our data offers new perspectives for improving the control of inflammation in the lens epithelial cells by considering HLA-G and miRNA.

Aldose reductase (AC)n gene polymorphism in Iranian patients with type 2 diabetic microangiopathy; a case-control study.

AIM: (AC)n promoter region of the aldose reductase (ALR) genes polymorphism has been associated with diabetic microvascular complications (MVCs). The aim of this study was to find the relationship between dinucleotide repeat (AC)n polymorphisms of the ALR gene and the occurrence of MVCs, such as diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy in Iranian type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients. METHODS: This prospective case-control study was performed on T2D patients who were categorized into two groups based on the presence or absence of diabetic microangiopathy. All patients were provided informed consent. After extracting genomic DNA, the (AC)n of the ALR gene was determined using Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: Thirteen alleles of the (AC)n gene polymorphism were detected including Z + 16, Z + 14, Z + 8, Z + 6, Z + 4, Z + 2, Z, Z - 2, Z - 4, Z - 6, Z - 8, Z - 10, and Z - 12. The frequency of the Z - 4 allele was significantly higher in patients with retinopathy, nephropathy, and autonomic neuropathy compared with those with long-term uncomplicated diabetes (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.031, respectively). After controlling for baseline risk factors, we found that the carrier of the Z - 4 allele of ALR (AC)n polymorphism had a higher risk of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic nephropathy (P < 0.001). The homozygosity for the Z - 4 allele was found to be associated with diabetic microangiopathy. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that ALR (AC)n gene polymorphism in Iranian patients with type 2 diabetes independently, predispose retinal, renal and neural microvascular to diabetic complications.

Macular Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Nephropathic Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy in Iran: A Prospective Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic macular ischemia (DMI) is an important category of diabetic retinopathy (DR) which leads to severe visual loss. Clinically, it is defined by an enlargement of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) that can be detected by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Studies have described a relationship between renal disease and these changes in FAZ area. The aim of this study was to compare disturbances in FAZ area in diabetic patients with or without overt nephropathy. METHODS: Following approval of the ethics committee, we examined diabetic patients with retinopathy. Patients were divided into two groups of DR, namely, with overt nephropathy and without overt nephropathy. The FAZ area was measured using OCTA. A P value of < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULT: A total of 46 patients (78 eyes) were enrolled in this study. All eyes with DR showed significant changes in FAZ area, but the sizes of the FAZ area were larger in both the superficial and deep layers in patients with clinical albuminuria than in those with no microalbuminuria (P = 0.007 and P = 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that OCTA provides highly detailed information on retinal microvasculature and that it is a reliable modality to assess DR progression in patients with nephropathy. They also show that renal impairment as a systemic risk factor was associated with enlarged FAZ area in DM.

Agreement between Pentacam and handheld Auto-Refractor/Keratometer for keratometry measurement / Concordancia entre el sistema Pentacam y un auto-refractómetro/queratómetro portátil para la medición de queratometría

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the level of agreement in keratometry measurements between a rotating Scheimpflug imaging-based system (Pentacam) and a handheld auto-refractokeratometer (handheld NIDEK ARK-30). METHOD: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in the right eyes of 579 subjects. Keratometry measurements were conducted with the Pentacam and the handheld NIDEK ARK-30 systems. The SPSS Software version 22 and MedCalc V3 were applied to estimate descriptive statistics using paired t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, 95% limits of agreement (LoA), and Bland-Altman plot. RESULTS: In the total sample, the inter-device difference in the mean flat and steep keratometry values was -0.266 diopter (D) (P-value < 0.001) and 0.052 D (P-value = 0.093), respectively. There was a significant difference in mean flat keratometry between the two devices in all groups of refractive errors (paired difference < 0.5 D and P-value < 0.001). The difference in mean steep keratometry was significant only in myopic subjects (P-value = 0.046). The 95% LoA between the two devices measurements was 2.51 D, 3.98 D, and 6.37 D for flat keratometry and 2.6 D, 3.2 D, and 3.9 D for steep keratometry in emmetropic, myopic, and hyperopic subjects, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study showed relatively wide limits of agreement between handheld NIDEK ARK-30 and Pentacam; therefore, these devices cannot be used interchangeably for measuring corneal curvature

OBJETIVO: Se realizó este estudio para evaluar el nivel de concordancia de las mediciones queratométricas obtenidas mediante un sistema de cámara rotatoria Scheimpflug (Pentacam) y un auto-refractoqueratómetro portátil (NIDEK ARK-30 portátil). MÉTODO: Este estudio analítico transversal fue realizado en los ojos derechos de 579 sujetos. Las mediciones queratométricas se obtuvieron con Pentacam y NIDEK ARK-30 portátil. Se aplicó el software SPSS versión 22 y MedCalc V3 para calcular las estadísticas descriptivas utilizando la prueba t pareada, el coeficiente de correlación de Pearson, los límites de concordancia (LoA) al 95%, y el análisis gráfico de Bland-Altman. RESULTADOS: En la muestra total, la diferencia inter-dispositivo en cuanto a valores queratométricos planos y curvos medios fue de -0,266 dioptrías (D) (valor P < 0,001) y 0,052 D (valor P = 0,093), respectivamente. Se produjo una diferencia significativa en términos de queratometría plana media entre los dos dispositivos para todos los grupos de errores refractivos (diferencia pareada < 0,5 D y valor P < 0,001). La diferencia en cuanto a queratometría curva media fue significativa únicamente en sujetos miopes (valor P = 0,046). Los LoA al 95% entre las mediciones de los dos dispositivos fue de 2,51 D, 3,98 D, y 6,37 D para la queratometría plana, y de 2,6 D, 3,2 D, y 3,9 D para la curva, en los sujetos con emetropía, miopía e hipermetropía, respectivamente. CONCLUSIÓN: Nuestro estudio reflejó unos límites de concordancia relativamente amplios entre NIDEK ARK-30 portátil y Pentacam; por tanto, estos dispositivos no pueden utilizarse indistintamente para medir la curvatura de la córnea

Common causes of red eye presenting in northern Iran.

AIM: This study aimed to determine the causes of red eye disease among patients of Mazandaran-Northern Iran. METHODS: This cross sectional study included 840 patients who referred to eye clinics with ocular complaints. A detailed history of patients was recorded and their eyes were examined. Then, pre designed checklists were completed by the researcher. RESULTS: The most common cause of red eye was conjunctivitis - 30% (252/ 840), foreign bodies 23.2%, trauma including penetrating or blunt 8.6%, respectively. There was a significant relationship between the red eye trauma, with acute onset and duration of less than a week (P=<0.0001). Diagnoses of red eye were conjunctivitis in 31.3% of the cases separately, viral causes (19.5%), allergic (7%) and bacterial (4%), foreign bodies 22.9%, pterygium 7%, and trauma 6.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: In the current study, the most common causes of red eyes were conjunctivitis, foreign bodies, and trauma respectively. Red eye was more common in males than in females. An appropriate and proper training of risky factors of red eyes in the future could reduce the risk of serious visual problems.

Association between diabetic retinopathy and hemoglobin level.

BACKGROUND: Anemia may be considered to be an independent risk factor for the development of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with renal failure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between blood hemoglobin level and retinopathy in diabetic patients with normal renal function tests. METHODS: From 2009 to 2011, 1100 diabetic patients underwent retinal examination. Among them, 159 subjects were diagnosed to have DR and were compared with 318 diabetic subjects with normal retinal examination as the control group. The level of hemoglobin (Hb), Hb A1C, serum iron, ferritin, and total iron binding capacity were compared between these two groups. RESULTS: Among the 159 patients with DR, 112 (70.4%) had mild to moderate no proliferative retinopathy (NPDR) and 47 (29.6%) had advanced retinopathy (severe NPDR or proliferative). The mean hemoglobin level in case and control group was 12.15±1.50 and 12.73±1.38 g/dl, respectively (p<0.001). Anemia was seen in 45.9% and 26.1% in the case and the control groups, respectively (p<0.001). Ferritin <15ng/ml was seen in 7.4% and 6.1% of patients with and without DR, respectively (p=0.8). CONCLUSION: The results show that diabetic patients with retinopathy have lower level of hemoglobin and higher frequency of anemia. It is suggested that the level of hemoglobin should be evaluated periodically in diabetic patients.