Health-related quality of life in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. An italian multicentre observational study

PurposeAs a progressive condition, glaucoma may impair health-related quality of life (HRQoL), due to vision loss and other factors. This study evaluated HRQoL in a cohort of patients treated for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and assessed its association with clinical features. MethodsThis was an Italian, multicentre, cross-sectional, observational study with the subgroup of newly diagnosed patients with POAG prospectively followed up for one year. Patients with previous or new diagnosis (or strong clinical suspicion) of POAG aged >18years were considered eligible. Information was collected on demographic characteristics, medical history, clinical presentation and POAG treatments. HRQoL was measured using the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) and Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS). Subscale and total scores were obtained and a Pearson correlation coefficient between instruments' scores calculated. ResultsA total of 3227 patients were enrolled from 2012 to 2013 and 3169 were analysed. Mean age was 66.9years. A total of 93.8% had a previous diagnosis (median duration: 8.0years). Median values for mean deviation and pattern standard deviation were 3.9 and 3.6 dB, respectively. Mean scores on most subscales of the NEI-VFQ-25 exceeded 75.0 and mean GSS subscale scores ranged between 70.8 and 79.7 (with a total mean score of 74.8). HRQoL scores on both scales were significantly inversely associated with POAG severity. ConclusionIn this large sample of Italians treated for POAG, disease severity was limited and HRQoL scores were high. QoL decreased with advancing disease severity. These findings confirm the role of vision loss in impairing QoL in POAG, underlying the importance of timely detection and appropriate treatment

Visual field loss and vision-related quality of life in the Italian Primary Open Angle Glaucoma Study

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between visual field (VF) loss, vision-related quality of life (QoL) and glaucoma-related symptoms in a large cohort of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. POAG patients with or without VF defects or "glaucoma suspect" patients were considered eligible. QoL was assessed using the validated versions of the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) and glaucoma-related symptoms were assessed using the Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS). Patients were classified as having VF damage in one eye (VFD-1), both eyes (VFD-2), or neither eye (VFD-0). 3227 patients were enrolled and 2940 were eligible for the analysis. 13.4% of patients were classified in the VFD-0, 23.7% in the VFD-1, and 62.9% in the VFD-2 group. GSS visual symptoms domain (Func-4) and GSS non-visual symptoms domain (Symp-6) scores were similar for the VFD-0 and VFD-1 groups (p = 0.133 and p = 0.834 for Func-4 and Symp-6, respectively). VFD-0 group had higher scores than VFD-2 both in Func-4 (p < 0.001) and Symp-6 domains (p = 0.035). Regarding the NEI-VFQ-25, our data demonstrated that bilateral VF defects are associated with vision-related QoL deterioration, irrespective of visual acuity

Vision-related quality of life and symptom perception change over time in newly-diagnosed primary open angle glaucoma patients.

To evaluate the change over time of vision-related quality of life (QoL) and glaucoma symptoms in a population of newly-diagnosed primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. Multicenter, prospective study. Consecutive newly-diagnosed POAG patients were enrolled and followed-up for one year. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 6 and 12 months from baseline. At each visit, vision-related QoL and glaucoma-related symptoms were assessed by the means of the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) and the Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS), respectively. Trends over time for NEI-VFQ-25 and GSS scores were evaluated with longitudinal linear mixed models. One-hundred seventy-eight patients were included in the analysis. At baseline, early to moderate glaucoma stages were associated with higher scores for most GSS and NEI-VFQ-25 items, while lower best-corrected visual acuity was associated with lower scores for 4 of the 12 NEI-VFQ-25 items. During the follow-up, all the GSS scores, the NEI-VFQ-25 total score, and 7 of the 12 NEI-VFQ-25 scores significantly improved (p &lt; 0.05). In multivariate model, higher increases of most GSS and NEI-VFQ-25 scores were modeled in patients with low scores at baseline. Vision-related QoL and glaucoma-related symptom perception significantly improved during the one-year follow-up in this population of newly diagnosed POAG patients

Lernaeopoda undetermined

&lt;i&gt;Lernaeopoda&lt;/i&gt; sp. (X4) &lt;p&gt;Figs. 2D and 6&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Host&lt;/b&gt;: &lt;i&gt;Schroederichthys bivius&lt;/i&gt; M&uuml;ller &amp; Henle, 1838&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Site of infection&lt;/b&gt;: palate inside the mouth.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Locality&lt;/b&gt;: Rawson, Buenos Aires, Argentina (discarded from fisheries)&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Material examined:&lt;/b&gt; 1 ovigerous &female;&female;,&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Voucher material&lt;/b&gt;: One adult (ovigerous) female specimen XXXX deposited in the Invertebrate Collection of Museo de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Description of adult females by optical microscopy (OM)&lt;/b&gt; (measurements in Table 3): Short cephalothorax, dorsoventrally flattened, inclined ventrally to long axis of trunk, conforming to &ldquo; Type A&rdquo; structural plan (Kabata 1979). Dorsal shield of cephalothorax visible (but not distinct) laterally, dorsal margin rounded. Cephalothorax clearly delimited from trunk. Trunk rectangular, posterolateral margins rounded, with median anal slit on posterior margin elevated on tubercle, flanked by uropods (according to Kabata 1979). Uropods fusiform. Egg sacs multiseriate (not measured).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Antennule (Figs. 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A) 4-segmented (3-segmented in X4), basal segment inflated, with long whip (in X1 and X4), or whip on second segment (X2), solus not observed or small solus on third segment (in X3), distal segment armed with seta 1, 4 (in X1, X2, X3, X4), seta 5 trifid (in X1) or bifid (in X2, X3, X4), tubercle 3 (in X1, X2, X3), seta 6 flagelliform and seta 2 flagelliform (in X4).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Antenna (Fig 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B and details) 1-segmented, bulbous, exopod, larger than endopod, without elements or with papillae bearing spines on ventral surface of both segments (only in X2), Endopod reduced, 2-segmented, with proximal segment bearing ventral pad of denticles, distal segment with one robust seta 1, and two spiniform setae (5 and 2), ventrally with elements less clearly discernible, or pad of four denticles (only in X1).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Mandible (Fig. 3C, 4C, 5C, 6C) dental formula: P1, S1, P1, S1, P1, S1, B4 or B5 (only in X3).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Maxillule bilobate (Fig. 3D, 4D, 5D, 6D), palp bearing two short apical setae; endite with three papillae distally, each one bearing seta, and with spinules near base of setae.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Maxillae cylindrical, slightly tapering toward tips, expanded at tips, each maxilla separate, united only at bulla, bulla with short manubrium, anchor not observed.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Abreviattions: NS= not specified; S= solus; W= whip&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Abreviations: seg= segments&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Maxilliped (Fig. 3E, 4E, 5E, 6E and details) with long strong corpus or more slender (only in X4) and short subchela; myxal area with denticulate pad; another denticulate pad (rod denticles) distally at base of subchela; third denticulate pad distally on inner margin (in X1) without spine or, if present, outside pad (pad armed with spine on papilliform process in X2, pad subquadrangular in X3; spine far from pad in X4). Annexed barb tapering, reaching about 1/4 (in X1), 1/3 (in X3 and X4) and 1/2 (in X2) length of claw; latter slightly curved, tapering with blunt tip, two secondary teeth at level of barb (in X1, X3); third tooth on tip of claw (in X2)&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Montes, Martin M., Gómez, Sebastián, Castro, Raúl R., Bovcon, Nelson, Vettorazzi, Renzo I., Serrano, Claudio F., Reig Cardarella, German F., Ferrari, Walter, Cuevas, Juan Martin &amp; Martorelli, Sergio R., 2023, How many species of genus Lernaeopoda Blainville, 1822 (Siphonostomatoida: Lernaeopodidae) are there in the southwestern Atlantic?, pp. 469-488 in Zootaxa 5346 (4)&lt;/i&gt; on pages 475-478, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5346.4.6, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/8390513"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/8390513&lt;/a&gt

How many species of genus Lernaeopoda Blainville, 1822 (Siphonostomatoida: Lernaeopodidae) are there in the southwestern Atlantic?

The family Lernaeopodidae includes 14 genera parasitizing elasmobranchs. Fourteen species of this family have been cited from Argentina, four of which were found on chondrichthyans. Schroederichthys bivius Müller and Henle and Galeorhinus galeus (Linnaeus) from Argentina harbored parasitic copepods of the genus Lernaeopoda. The objective of this study was to identify the species using an integrative approach. The morphology was examined by Optical Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy and the molecular analysis was based on partial sequences of the COI mtDNA gene. Despite differences in the antenna, antennule, mandible, maxilliped and maxillae among the specimens, the morphological and molecular analyses revealed that they belonged to Lernaeopoda bivia Leigh-Sharpe, 1930. The species so far reported for Argentina are L. bivia and L. galei Krøyer, 1837, which are distinguished by the size (less and greater than 7 mm, respectively). Here, we report partial sequences of the COI mtDNA gene of L. bivia for the first time, obtained from eleven specimens attached to the mouth, fins, anal slit and claspers of the two shark hosts. The COI mtDNA gene tree shows that the Lernaeopoda group forms a sister clade with Pseudocharopinus bicaudatus (Krøyer, 1837), while the genus Pseudocharopinus does not appear to be a natural group. We propose that the material described from Argentinean waters as L. galei was misidentified and actually belongs to L. bivia. The wide variability within the specimens of L. bivia emphasizes the importance of using an integrative approach to revise the taxonomy of the Lernaeopoda species from all over the world.Fil: Montes, Martin Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Gómez, Sebastián. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Castro, Raúl R.. Universidad de Antofagasta (uantof);Fil: Bovcon, Nelson Darío. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia Golfo San Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia Golfo San Jorge. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco". Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia Golfo San Jorge; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco". Facultad de Ciencias Naturales - Sede Trelew. Departamento de Biología. Laboratorio de Hidrobiología; ArgentinaFil: Vettorazzi Fernandez, Renzo Israel. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ciencias; UruguayFil: Serrano, Claudio F.. Museo de Historia Natural Patagonia; ArgentinaFil: Reig Cardarella, German F.. Universidad Bernardo O? Higgins;Fil: Ferrari, Walter Antonio Oscar. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales. Instituto de Biotecnologia Ambiental y Salud. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Cordoba. Instituto de Biotecnologia Ambiental y Salud.; ArgentinaFil: Cuevas, Juan Martín. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Martorelli, Sergio Roberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; Argentin

A targeted next-generation sequencing method for identifying clinically relevant mutation profiles in lung adenocarcinoma

Molecular profiling of lung cancer has become essential for prediction of an individual’s response to targeted therapies. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a promising technique for routine diagnostics, but has not been sufficiently evaluated in terms of feasibility, reliability, cost and capacity with routine diagnostic formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) materials. Here, we report the validation and application of a test based on Ion Proton technology for the rapid characterisation of single nucleotide variations (SNVs), short insertions and deletions (InDels), copy number variations (CNVs), and gene rearrangements in 145 genes with FFPE clinical specimens. The validation study, using 61 previously profiled clinical tumour samples, showed a concordance rate of 100% between results obtained by NGS and conventional test platforms. Analysis of tumour cell lines indicated reliable mutation detection in samples with 5% tumour content. Furthermore, application of the panel to 58 clinical cases, identified at least one actionable mutation in 43 cases, 1.4 times the number of actionable alterations detected by current diagnostic tests. We demonstrated that targeted NGS is a cost-effective and rapid platform to detect multiple mutations simultaneously in various genes with high reproducibility and sensitivity