Biogenic Synthesis of Photosensitive Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles Using Citron Waste Peel Extract and Evaluation of Their Antibacterial and Anticarcinogenic Potential.

Background: Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgONPs) have been fabricated by several approaches, including green chemistry approach due to diverse application and versatile features. Objectives: The current study aimed to prepare a convenient, biocompatible, and economically viable MgONPs using waste citron peel extract (CP-MgONPs) to evaluate their biological applications. Methods: The CP-MgONPs were synthesized by a sustainable approach from extract of waste citron peel both as capping and reducing agents without use of any hazardous material. The physicochemical features of formed CP-MgONPs were determined by sophisticated analytical and microscopic techniques. The biogenic CP-MgONPs were examined for their antibacterial, anticarcinogenic, and photocatalytic attributes. Results: A prominent absorption peak in the UV-Vis spectra at 284 nm was the distinguishing characteristic of the CP-MgONPs. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals polyhedral morphology of nanoparticles with slight agglomeration of CP-MgONPs. The CP-MgONPs exerted excellent antibacterial potencies against six bacterial strains. The CP-MgONPs displayed significant susceptibility towards E. coli (20.72 ± 0.33 mm) and S. aureus (19.52 ± 0.05 mm) with the highest inhibition zones. The anticancer effect of CP-MgONPs was evaluated against HepG2 (IC50 : 15.3 µg·mL-1) cancer cells and exhibited potential anticancer activity. A prompt inversion of cellular injury manifested as impairment of the integrity of the cell membrane, apoptosis, and oxidative stress was observed in treated cells with CP-MgONPs. The biosynthesized CP-MgONPs also conducted successful photocatalytic potential as much as MgO powder under the UV-light using acid orange 8 (AO-8) dye. The degradation performance of CP-MgONPs showed over 94% photocatalytic degradation efficiency of acid orange 8 (AO-8) dyes within a short time. Conclusions: Outcomes of this research signify that biogenic CP-MgONPs may be advantageous at low concentrations, with positive environmental impacts.

Effect of curfew from the COVID-19 pandemic on amblyopia treatment in children in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Amblyopia was defined as a reduction in the best-corrected visual acuity in one or both eyes with the presence of amblyogenic factors. Objective: The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of curfews resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic on amblyopia treatment in children. Design: A prospective longitudinal study. Methods: The study was conducted in pediatric ophthalmology clinics at a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Children aged 3-9 years who underwent amblyopia treatment from September 2020 to May 2021 were recruited. Visual acuity data were collected from the subjects' record files for the first visits prior to the curfew and from the clinics for the second visits after the curfew had ended. Results: A total of 97 children with amblyopia (strabismic, anisometropic, mixed, and visual deprivation) were included. In all, 15 children did not attend the clinic for follow-up visits after the outbreak of COVID-19. The follow-up visits for most of the participants took place 4-5 months after the first visit. No significant difference in visual acuity in the amblyopic eye was found between the first and second visits (p > 0.05). No significant correlation was noted between the baseline difference in visual acuity at the first and second visits and the duration of the amblyopia treatment between the two visits. The adjusted model shows a variation of 0.18% according to the duration between the two visits. Conclusion: The findings showed no significant difference in visual acuity in amblyopic eyes between the first and second visits (before and after the COVID-19 curfew), although visual acuity was clinically improved.

Validation of the Arabic version of the quality of life impact of refractive correction questionnaire.

PURPOSE: To validate the Arabic version of the quality of life impact of refractive correction (QIRC) questionnaire. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study included participants with refractive errors (myopia, hypermetropia, or astigmatism) aged between 19 and 40 years who were pre or postrefractive surgeries. Uncorrected distance visual acuity, refraction, and corneal topography were collected. The 20-item QIRC questionnaire was translated to the Arabic language and then back translated to the English language. Participants were asked to answer all items of the Arabic QIRC. The validity and reliability of the translated questionnaire were tested using Rasch analysis. RESULTS: A total of 145 participants with refractive errors participated in this study. The mean age ± standard deviation of participants was 26.29 ± 5.1 years. Person separation (2.01) and reliability (0.80) indicates good precision and stability of the Arabic QIRC questionnaire. Item infit was ranged between 0.82 and 1.23; and item outfit was range between 0.76 and 1.32. The items were well targeted to the persons with a mean difference of 0.30. Skew and kurtosis values were within the normal limits (-2.00 to + 2.00). Cronbach's α for the scale was 0.79, which indicates good reliability of the Arabic 20-item QIRC. CONCLUSION: The Arabic 20-item QIRC questionnaire is a valid tool to assess the impact of refractive correction on Arabian participants' quality of life.

Grapefruit Extract-Mediated Fabrication of Photosensitive Aluminum Oxide Nanoparticle and Their Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Potential.

Aluminum oxide nanoparticles (Al2O3 NPs) were synthesized using a simple, eco-friendly green synthesis approach in an alkaline medium from the extract of grapefruit peel waste. The pre-synthesized, nano-crystalline Al2O3 NPs were characterized by using spectroscopic (UV-vis, FTIR, XRD, and EDX) and microscopic (SEM and TEM) techniques. The formed Al2O3 NPs exhibited a pronounced absorption peak at 278 nm in the UV-vis spectrum. The average particle size of the as-prepared Al2O3 NPs was evaluated to be 57.34 nm, and the atomic percentages of O and Al were found to be 54.58 and 45.54, respectively. The fabricated Al2O3 NPs were evaluated for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. The Al2O3 NPs showed strong antioxidant potential towards all the four tested assays. The anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory potential of Al2O3 NPs was investigated by measuring the production of nitric oxide and superoxide anion (O2•-), as well as proinflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α, IL-6) and inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B (NF- κB). The results revealed that Al2O3 NPs inhibited the production of O2•- (99.4%) at 100 µg mL-1 concentrations and intracellular NO•- (55%), proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 (83.3%), and TNF-α (87.9%) at 50 µg mL-1 concentrations, respectively. Additionally, the Al2O3 NPs inhibited 41.8% of nuclear factor kappa B at 20 µg mL-1 concentrations. Overall, the outcomes of current research studies indicated that Al2O3 NPs possess anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties and could be used to treat chronic and acute anti-inflammatory conditions.

Association of Vitamin D deficiency with primary glaucoma among Saudi population - A pilot study.

PURPOSE: Glaucoma is a complex multifactorial disorder that is influenced by various systemic conditions. Several studies investigated the association between systemic factors such as Vitamin D deficiency for glaucoma development and reported contradicted findings. The aim of this study was to assess Vitamin D levels in glaucomatous Saudi subjects and its association with cup/disc ratio in primary open- and closed-angle glaucoma. METHODS: This was a pilot study that included subjects aged 41-78 years from both genders recruited from a tertiary hospital, Riyadh city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Subjects were divided into three groups: Group 1: subjects with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), Group 2: subjects with primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG), and Group 3: control subjects. All participants underwent detailed ophthalmic examinations including visual acuity, intraocular pressure measurement (IOP), gonioscopy, and fundus examinations. In addition, blood samples were collected from glaucoma patients and controls to measure the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. RESULTS: A total of 75 subjects were included in this study. Measurement of IOP was within the range of 9-27 for all subjects. Mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were 72.58 ± 31.79, 69.20 ± 24.24, and 67.14 ± 29.02 in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. There were insignificant differences in Vitamin D levels among the three groups (P > 0.05). Moreover, no significant correlation was noted between Vitamin D levels and cup/disc ratio in Groups 1 and 2. CONCLUSION: No association was found between Vitamin D deficiency and both POAG and PACG among Saudi population despite low serum level of Vitamin D in glaucomatous and control subjects. This study suggested that Vitamin D level may not contribute in augmenting the severity and progression of glaucoma.

Measurement of anterior segment parameters in Saudi adults with myopia.

PURPOSE: To measure anterior segment parameters of the eye in myopic Saudi population using Pentacam. METHOD: This is retrospective cross-sectional study. Subjects were divided into three groups: low, moderate and high myopia groups. Anterior segment parameters including: central corneal thickness (CCT), thinnest corneal thickness (TCT), apex corneal thickness (Apex CT), corneal volume (CV), anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior chamber volume (ACV) and corneal astigmatism (CA) were measured by Pentacam. RESULTS: A total of 504 eyes of 252 Saudi subjects with myopia were included in this study. The mean age ±â€¯standard deviation (SD) of subjects was 28.73 ±â€¯6.18 years. The mean CCT, TCT, Apex CT, CV, ACD, ACV and CA for all myopic subjects were 557.21 ±â€¯29.36, 554.09 ±â€¯29.28, 556.10 ±â€¯37.06, 61.30 ±â€¯3.23 µm, 3.31 ±â€¯0.27 mm, 211.15 ±â€¯34.22 mm3 and 0.89 ±â€¯0.52 D, respectively. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were found between right and left eyes in all anterior segment parameters of all myopic eyes. However, a significant difference (P < 0.05) was found in ACD between low (3.27 ±â€¯0.26 mm) and moderate (3.35 ±â€¯0.30 mm) myopic groups. Within low myopia group, significant differences (P < 0.05) were found in ACD, ACV and CA between different genders. Anterior chamber depth and ACV values were lower in females while CA was lower in males. In addition, significant positive correlation was found between ACV and ACD in all myopic groups. CONCLUSION: This study provided valuable measurements of the anterior segments parameters of the eye in myopic Saudi population. These parameters could be useful for ophthalmic practitioners in the clinic.

Assessment of visual function and Vision-related Quality of Life in female contact lens wearers with Dry Eye Syndrome.

PURPOSE: To assess visual function and Vision-related Quality of Life (VRQOL) in female contact lens wearers with Dry Eye Syndrome in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study. Saudi Females subjects with and without DES (contact lens wearer [CLW] and Non-contact lens wearers [NCLW]) aged between 16 and 35 years were included in this study. Subjects were recruited from female campus at King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, KSA. Measurements include corneal topography, visual acuity (VA), autorefraction, contrast sensitivity (CS), Schirmer's test and Tear breakup test (TBUT) were performed on all subjects. In addition, corneal thickness was measured using Pentacam HR to compare between the total corneal thickness (TCT) in DES and Non-DES groups. Contact Lens Impact on Quality of Life (CLIQ) Questionnaire was used to assess VRQOL. Visual functions and VRQOL were compared between groups (contact lens (CL) and NCLW) using SPSS program version 23 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Illinois, USA). RESULTS: A total of 100 subjects with DES (n = 44 including 25 CLW and 19 NCLW), and non-DES (n = 56 including 17 CLW and 39 NCLW) were included in this study. The mean age of participants with DES was 21.39 years and was 20.96 years of participants Non-DES. There were no significant different in VA, CS, and TCT between subjects DES and Non-DES (P > 0.05), which indicates that dryness have no effect on the visual function and TCT. Contact lens wearers had higher score on convince, economic and psychological items than NCLW. Within CL group, subjects with DES had higher score on convince and psychological items. Similarly, within DES group, subjects who wore CL had higher score on convince and psychological items. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that dryness may has no effect on visual function in both CLW and NCLW. Psychological and convenience domains of VRQOL were negatively affect in Saudi female patients with DES specially who wear CL.

Development and validation of the 21-item children's vision for living scale (CVLS) by Rasch analysis.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to develop and validate an instrument called the 'Children's Vision for Living Scale' (CVLS) for the assessment of vision-related quality of life in Saudi Arabian children with and without amblyopia. METHODS: A 43-item child self-report questionnaire was initially developed based on interviews with children with amblyopia, their parents and eye-care professionals, and a literature review. Following a process that involved the removal of redundant items, 28 items remained and were piloted on children aged five to 12 years with and without amblyopia (n = 48 amblyopic, n = 53 non-amblyopic) living in Saudi Arabia. Rasch analysis was applied to determine whether the 28-item questionnaire fitted the Rasch model. Rasch analysis was used to assess the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to check dimensionality. A 21-item questionnaire resulting from this process was administered in children with (n = 81) and without (n = 82) amblyopia in Saudi Arabia for further validation. RESULTS: The final 21-item questionnaire had good validity and reliability as demonstrated by person separation of 2.02, person reliability of 0.80 (mean square and standard deviation: infit = 1.01 ± 0.39; outfit = 1.01 ± 0.40) and item reliability of 0.93 (item infit range = 1.33 to 0.78; item outfit range = 0.78 to 1.30). The mean difference between person and item scores of 0.33 ± 0.53 logits (scale range, 2 to -2) indicates that the items are well targeted to the populations. The PCA (dimensionality measures) shows the percentage of variance explained by measures equal to 26.4 per cent (modelled 26.9 per cent) and an eigenvalue of the first contrast of 2.5, which demonstrated good stability. CONCLUSION: The 21-item CVLS is a valid uni-dimensional child self-report instrument for the assessment of the impact of amblyopia on vision-related quality of life in children with and without amblyopia living in Saudi Arabia.