Ocular biometry characteristics in cataract surgery candidates: A cross-sectional study

Background: This study was conducted to investigate ocular biometry parameters in cataract surgery candidates in northern Tehran, Iran using OA-2000 biometry device. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, values of ocular biometry parameters, including axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), mean corneal curvature (mean K), lens thickness (LT), corneal astigmatism (CA), and white-to-white (WTW) of 818 eyes with cataracts, were measured using the OA-2000 biometry device (Tomey, Nagoya, Japan). The participants were divided into six age subgroups, in 10-year intervals. Finally, the values of the biometry parameters were calculated, and the trend of changes was examined for both age and sex subgroups. Results: The mean± standard deviation (SD) of age of the participants was 63.82 ± 13.25 years. Mean ± SD of biometry parameters were as follows: AL, 23.36 ± 1.55 mm; ACD, 3.09 ± 0.40 mm; LT, 4.45 ± 0.55 mm; mean K, 44.51 ± 1.72 D; CA, 1.06 ± 0.94 D; and WTW, 11.81 ± 0.45 mm. Most of the parameters showed significant age-related changes in the total population. There was an increase in LT (P < 0.001) and mean K (P = 0.001), as well as a decrease in AL (P < 0.001) and ACD (P < 0.001) with age. Moreover, AL had a negative negligible correlation with LT (r = -0.24, P < 0.001) and mean K (r = -026, P < 0.001), as well as a weak positive correlation with ACD (r = 0.44, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study revealed that the mean values of most biometric parameters varied across age and sex subgroups. Moreover, most of the parameters showed significant age-related changes in the total population

Corneal topography and higher-order aberrations in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Changes in blood sugar levels cause alterations in the anterior segment and retina of the eye. This study was aimed at evaluating corneal topography, aberrometry, and corneal asphericity in patients with treatment-naive type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Participants with treatment-naive T2DM were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The inclusion criteria were glycated hemoglobin A1c (Hb A1c) greater than or equal to 7.5% and absence of other ocular or systemic diseases. Patients who refused to participate or had a history of topical or systemic steroid use, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, anemia, prior ocular disorder or surgery, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataract, active ocular inflammatory or infectious disease, or contact lens use were excluded. All participants underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination. The Pentacam HR Scheimpflug tomography system (Pentacam High Resolution; Oculus, Wetzlar, Germany) was used to measure the anterior-segment parameters. Results: Sixty eyes of 30 patients with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1 were included; the mean (standard deviation [SD]) age and Hb A1c were 51.63 (6.73) years and 8.82% (1.31%), respectively. The mean (SD) values of central corneal thickness, root mean square (RMS) of total aberration, RMS of lower-order aberrations, RMS of higher-order aberrations, spherical aberration, 0° coma, 90° coma, flat anterior keratometry (K), steep anterior K, mean anterior K, anterior topographic astigmatism, flat posterior K, steep posterior K, mean posterior K, posterior topographic astigmatism, anterior corneal asphericity, and posterior corneal asphericity were 540.22 (24.47) µm, 1.72 (0.73) µm, 1.63 (0.73) µm, 0.51 (0.17) µm, + 0.31 (0.09) µm, - 0.06 (0.15) diopters (D), 0.003 (0.21) D, 43.87 (1.49) D, 44.69 (1.50) D, 44.28 (1.44) D, + 0.82 (0.83) D, - 6.25 (0.27) D, - 6.55 (0.31) D, - 6.40 (0.28) D, - 0.30 (0.15) D, - 0.32 (0.12) Q-value, and - 0.47 (0.17) Q-value, respectively. Conclusions: We presented the mean values of Pentacam parameters for aberrometry, keratometry, and corneal asphericity in patients with treatment-naive T2DM. These values could serve as a baseline for prospective monitoring of the ocular health status of this cohort and for comparison with future cohorts of patients with well-controlled T2DM. Further studies are required to assess the presence and applicability of ocular changes following intensive blood glucose control in T2DM and further understand the related pathophysiology

Assessment of Culture Condition and In Vitro Colonization Ability of Human Spermatogonial Stem Cells: A Review Article

Spermatogenesis is a highly complex and regulated process in which germ stem cells differentiate into spermatozoa. These stem cells, called spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), are in the base of seminiferous tubules and have the ability of self-renewal and differentiation into functional germ cells. Due to this ability, SSCs can restore spermatogenesis after testicular damage caused by cytotoxic materials or following transplantation into an infertile recipient. Therefore, self-renewal of these cells is critical for the preservation of SSC populations and restoration of fertility. While previous studies have shown that the SSCs of mice and other species can survive and proliferate for long periods of time, little information is available about suitable culture media for the growth of human SSCs. Identification of SSC markers allows for the isolation of these populations of cells. The isolated cell can be expanded in culture and transplanted into infertile recipients. Consequently, the recognition of markers and the establishment of long-term culture systems for human SSCs will be essential for using the potential of these cells in a clinical setting. In this article, we focus on the markers that have been identified for human SSCs and in vitro culture techniques used for human SSCs proliferation

Corneal Biomechanical Characteristics and Their Correlation in an Iranian Adult Myopic Population

Background and Objective: Corneal biomechanics is a branch of science that studies deformation and equilibrium of corneal tissue under the application of any force. The objective of the study was to determine the normal values of corneal biomechanical characteristics including corneal resistant factor (CRF) and corneal hysteresis (CH) in an Iranian adult myopic population and their associations with age, gender and ocular biometrical components. Methods: The number of 480 eyes of 480 patients (mean age: 26.73 ± 4.9) with myopia and myopic astigmatism were included in this study. Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) was used to measure corneal biomechanical metrics of CH and CRF. Corneal topographic and pachymetric measurements were obtained using Pentacam Scheimflug topographer.  Results: The means of CH and CRF were 10.28 ± 1.49 and 10.49 ± 1.61, respectively. Females showed higher CH and CRF values compared to males (CH: 10.55 ± 1.36 vs. 9.72 ± 1.57, CRF: 10.73 ± 1.46 vs. 9.94 ± 1.74). The CH was significantly positively correlated with central corneal thickness (CCT) and corneal volume (CV) and significantly negatively correlated with horizontal and vertical radius of curvatures of the back corneal surface and horizontal radius of curvature of the front corneal surface. The CRF had a significant positive correlation with CCT and CV, whereas significant negative correlations were found between CRF and horizontal and vertical radius of curvatures of the back corneal surface. In the linear multiple regression model, CH was only significantly associated with CV; likewise, CRF showed significant association only with CCT. Conclusion: The mean values of CH and CRF in Iranian population were higher than values reported in East Asian countries, comparable to or higher than values in USA and UK populations. From various ocular dimensions, CH was significantly associated with CV; whereas, CRF was significantly associated with CCT

طراحی و ساخت یک سیستم تعلیق مکشی سوکت جدید برای پروتز زیبایی سیلیکونی انگشت

مقدمه: آمپوتاسیون‌های انگشت یا بخشی از انگشت،رایج‌ترین شکل قطع عضو می‌باشد. قطع انگشتان نه تنها مسایل روان‌شناختی و اجتماعی فرد را تحت تأثیر قرار می‌دهد، بلکه می‌تواند روی مسایل اقتصادی فرد و خانواده‌اش نیز تأثیر منفی گذارد. و استفاده از پروتز نیز روی مسایل اجتماعی، روان‌شناختی و اقتصادی فرد و خانواده‌اش تاثیرگذاراست. زیبایی ظاهری و تعلیق مطمئن دو عامل مهم در عملکرد و استفاده از پروتز انگشت می‌باشند. هدف از این مطالعه، طراحی و اصلاح یک سیستم ساکشن سوکت جدید برای پروتزهای زیبایی سیلیکونی انگشت بود. مواد و روش‌ها: در مطالعه حاضر پروتز زیبایی سیلیکونی شیاردار انگشت و پروتز زیبایی سیلیکونی معمولی انگشت برای 30 نفر آمپوته (7 زن و 23 مرد، میانگین سنی 4/29 سال) انگشت طراحی و ساخته شد و قدرت تعلیق در هر دو نوع سیستم تعلیق با استفاده از نیروسنج با دقت 01/0نیوتن اندازه‌گیری شد. یافته‌ها:حداکثر نیروی تعلیق ساکشن سوکت در پروتز جدید و پروتز معمولی به ترتیب 27/1 و 8/0 نیوتن می‌باشد (001/0 > P) که بیانگر عملکرد بهتر سیستم جدید نسبت به سیستم قبلی می‌باشد و می‌توان این برتری را ناشی از ایجاد حلقه‌هایی در سطح داخلی سوکت سیلیکونی دانست. نتیجه‌گیری: طراحی و ساخت پروتز سیلیکونی انگشت با روش جدید می‌تواند علاوه بر ایجاد تعلیق مطمئن‌تر نسبت به سیستم قبلی، مانع از صرف هزینه مجدد برای ساخت پروتز پس از چند ماه استفاده از پروتز گردد. کلید واژه‌ها: قطع عضو انگشت، پروتز زیبایی سیلیکونی انگشت، تعلیق ساکشن سوکت، نیروی تعلی

<i>In vitro</i> cytotoxicity effects of date palm (<i>Phoenix dactylifera</i> L.) pollen on neonate mouse spermatogonial stem cells

<div><p>There is a fast growing tendency in the use of herbal remedies in developing countries. One of the traditional medicines used for male infertility treatment is date palm (<i>Phoenix dactylifera</i>) pollen (DPP). Isolated spermatogonial stem cells and sertoli cells using enzymatic digestion were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 4% foetal bovine serum in the absence or presence of 0.06, 0.25 and 0.62 mg/mL concentrations of aqueous extract of DPP for 2 weeks. The assessment of mean number of the whole cells and the living cells showed that there were no significant differences between the mean viability percentage and proliferation rate between control and experimental groups (<i>P</i>>0.05). As there are no cytotoxicity effects of DPP in our cultural system, this system can be utilised for the enrichment or differentiation of these cells in clinical applications, cell replacement therapy, tissue regeneration and tissue engineering applications.</p></div

The effect of aqueous extract of Phoenix Dactylifera Pollen on In vitro viability and proliferation rate of neonatal mouse spermatogonial stem cells

Introduction: There is a fast growing tendency in the consumption of herbal remedies in the developing countries. One of the traditional medicines used for male infertility is Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) pollen (DPP). The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of aqueous extract of DPP on In vitro viability and proliferation rate of neonate mouse spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Methods: cell suspension includes sertoli cells and SSCs were isolated from neonatal 6 day-old mice testes by 2 steps enzymatic digestion. The cell suspension was cultured in DMEM and FCS 4% in the absence or presence of 0.06, 0.25 and 0.62 mg/ml of aqueous extract of DPP for 2 weeks. In order to evaluate the rate of SSCs expansion at the end of culture, the mean number of whole cells and living cells were considered as proliferation and survival rates respectively. Data analysis was done with ANOVA test. The significancy of the data was analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey post test. Results: The results showed that there were no significant differences between the mean percent of viability and proliferation rate between control and 0.06, 0.25 and 0.62 mg/ml of DPP-treated groups (P> 0.05). Conclusion: Our study showed that treatment of neonatal mouse testicular cell suspension with DPP had no toxic effects on viability percent and proliferation rate of these cells. Thus, we can use DPP for evaluate the in vitro pattern of SSCs colonization in the future studies