A Pilot Study of a Panel of Ocular Inflammation Biomarkers in Patients with Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome

Ocular diseases have a strong impact on individuals, the effects of which extend from milder visual impairment to blindness. Due to this and to their prevalence, these conditions constitute important health, social and economic challenges. Thus, improvements in their early detection and diagnosis will help dampen the impact of these conditions, both on patients and on healthcare systems alike. In this sense, identifying tear biomarkers could establish better non-invasive approaches to diagnose these diseases and to monitor responses to therapy. With this in mind, we developed a solid phase capture assay, based on antibody microarrays, to quantify S100A6, MMP-9 and CST4 in human tear samples, and we used these arrays to study tear samples from healthy controls and patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome, at times concomitant with rheumatoid arthritis. Our results point out that the detection of S100A6 in tear samples seems to be positively correlated to rheumatoid arthritis, consistent with the systemic nature of this autoinflammatory pathology. Thus, we provide evidence that antibody microarrays may potentially help diagnose certain pathologies, possibly paving the way for significant improvements in the future care of these patients.This research was funded by the Basque Government (BIKAINTEK, grant number 48-AF-W2-2019-00006), by the University of the Basque Country (PIFIND19/02, grant number 201900016247), and by ELKARTEK (KK-2019/00086) and MINECO-Retos (PID2019-111139RB-I00) grants to E.V., as well as by FISS-21-RD21/0002/0041 to A.A

Punctiform and Polychromatic Pre-Descemet Corneal Dystrophy: Clinical Evaluation and Identification of the Genetic Basis

PurposeThis study reports the clinical features and genetic bases of 3 previously unreported families with punctiform and polychromatic pre-Descemet corneal dystrophy (PPPCD).DesignObservational case series.MethodsFull ophthalmic assessment was performed for members of 3 unreported families with PPPCD. Structural and biomechanical alterations of the cornea were screened. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed in the first family. Novel or rare variants that segregated with the affected status were screened in the other 2 families using Sanger sequencing. Identified variants that segregated with the affected status in all families were characterized by using in silico prediction tools and/or in vitro splice assays. Additionally, 2 previously reported PPPCD families were screened for variants identified in the 3 unreported PPPCD families.ResultsPPPCD was diagnosed in 12 of the 21 examined members of the 3 unreported families. The only refractive, topographic, or biomechanical abnormality associated with PPPCD was a significantly increased corneal stiffness. WES and Sanger sequencing identified 2 variants that segregated with the affected status in all 3 families: a rare intronic PDZD8 c.872+10A>T variant and a novel missense PRDX3 c.568G>C (p.Asp190His) variant. The same PRDX3 variant was identified in the previously reported PPPCD family expressing the common PPPCD phenotype and was predicted by in silico prediction tools to be damaging to protein function.ConclusionsPPPCD is associated with an alteration of corneal biomechanics and a novel missense variant in PRDX3. Screening of additional families will determine whether all families demonstrate a PRDX3 variant or whether locus heterogeneity may exist for PPPCD