Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Tehran province: a population-based study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine the prevalence and characteristics of diabetic retinopathy (DR) among Iranian patients with diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Design: population-based cross-sectional study.</p> <p>Participants: patients with diabetes aged 25 to 64 years in Tehran province, Iran. This survey was conducted from April to October 2007. The study sample was derived from the first national survey of risk factors for non-communicable disease. Diabetes mellitus was defined as a fasting plasma glucose of ≥ 7.0 mmol/l (126 mg/dl) or more, use of diabetic medications, or a physician's diagnosis of diabetes. All patients known to have diabetes underwent an eye examination by bio-microscope and indirect ophthalmoscope to check for any signs of DR through dilated pupils by + 78 lens. Participants were also interviewed and examined to determine their demographic characteristics, medical conditions and the regularity of their eye visits.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 7989 screened patients, 759 (9.5%) had diabetes. Of them, 639 patients (84.2%) underwent eye examination. Five patients (0.7%) with media opacity were excluded. Of 634 examined patients with diabetes, 240 had some degree of diabetic retinopathy, and the overall standardized prevalence of any retinopathy was 37.0% (95% CI: 33.2-40.8), including 27.3% (95% CI: 23.7-30.8) (n = 175) with non-proliferative and 9.6% (95% CI: 7.3-11.9) (n = 65) with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Clinically significant macular edema and vision-threatening retinopathy were detected in 5.8% (95% CI: 4.0-7.7) (n = 38) and 14.0% (95% CI: 11.3-16.7) (n = 95) of patients, respectively. Only 143 patients (22.6%) with diabetes had a history of regular eye examination.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrated a high prevalence and poor control of DR in Tehran province. This suggests the need for adequate prevention and treatment in patients with diabetes.</p

Rate of Post-traumatic Endophthalmitis with or without Injection of Balanced Salt Solution

Purpose: In a study complementing a previous multicenter randomized clinical trial on prophylactic injection of intraocular antibiotics during primary repair of penetrating eye injuries (PEIs), we sought to determine whether needle entrance and injection of balanced salt solution (BSS), per se, could increase the rate of acute post-traumatic bacterial endophthalmitis (APBE). Methods: Patients randomized to the BSS injection arm (n=167) of the Traumatic Endophthalmitis Trial, and eligible patients who had refused enrollment and received no intraocular injections during primary repair (n=111) were compared for the development of APBE. Results: APBE occurred in 8 of 167 (4.8%) eyes in the BSS group and in 5 of 111 (4.5%) eyes in the non-injection group (P=0.91). Retained intraocular foreign bodies were present in 46 eyes including 25 (15%) eyes in the BSS injection group and 21 (18.9%) eyes in the non-injection group (P=0.38). Logistic regression analysis showed no significant difference between BSS injected and non-injected eyes in terms of APBE (P=0.69). However, the presence of intraocular foreign bodies was strongly associated with the risk of endophthalmitis (P<0.001, OR=14.1, 95% CI: 4.1-48.5). Conclusion: Needle entrance and intraocular injection of BSS during primary repair of PEIs does not increase the risk of APBE

Early Results of Autologous Cultivated Limbal Stem Cell Transplantation in Total Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency

&lt;!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;&lt;xml&gt; Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 &lt;/xml&gt;&lt;![endif]--&gt;&lt;!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;&lt;xml&gt; &lt;/xml&gt;&lt;![endif]--&gt; &lt;!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;style&gt;&#13; /* Style Definitions */&#13; table.MsoNormalTable&#13; {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";&#13; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;&#13; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;&#13; mso-style-noshow:yes;&#13; mso-style-parent:"";&#13; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;&#13; mso-para-margin:0cm;&#13; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;&#13; mso-pagination:widow-orphan;&#13; font-size:10.0pt;&#13; font-family:"Times New Roman";&#13; mso-ansi-language:#0400;&#13; mso-fareast-language:#0400;&#13; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}&#13; &lt;/style&gt; &lt;![endif]--&gt; &lt;p&gt;PURPOSE: To report the early results of transplantation of autologous limbal stem cells cultivated on amniotic membrane (AM) in patients with total unilateral limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). METHODS: Four eyes of 4 patients with total unilateral LSCD confirmed with impression cytology underwent transplantation of autologous limbal stem cell cultivated on AM. At each follow up visit, a complete eye examination with special attention to recurrence or regression of vascularization, corneal opacification, and epithelial defect healing was performed. Digital imaging was performed at each follow up visit. Impression cytology was repeated in all cases after surgery. RESULTS: The patients were followed for 5-13 months. Visual acuity improved in all cases. Decrease in corneal opacification and vascularization was obvious in 3 cases with coverage of the cornea with corneal epithelium. Sectoral conjunctivalization was evident in these 3 cases, however the corneas were ready for transplantation. The procedure failed in one case with total corneal conjunctivalization. CONCLUSION: Transplantation of autologous stem cells cultivated on AM seems to be an effective way for total LSCD. More definite judgment needs longer follow up together with long-term results of corneal transplantation in these patients.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;&lt;xml&gt; &lt;w:WordDocument&gt; &lt;w:View&gt;Normal&lt;/w:View&gt; &lt;w:Zoom&gt;0&lt;/w:Zoom&gt; &lt;w:PunctuationKerning /&gt; &lt;w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /&gt; &lt;w:SaveIfXMLInvalid&gt;false&lt;/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid&gt; &lt;w:IgnoreMixedContent&gt;false&lt;/w:IgnoreMixedContent&gt; &lt;w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText&gt;false&lt;/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText&gt; &lt;w:Compatibility&gt; &lt;w:BreakWrappedTables /&gt; &lt;w:SnapToGridInCell /&gt; &lt;w:WrapTextWithPunct /&gt; &lt;w:UseAsianBreakRules /&gt; &lt;w:DontGrowAutofit /&gt; &lt;/w:Compatibility&gt; &lt;w:BrowserLevel&gt;MicrosoftInternetExplorer4&lt;/w:BrowserLevel&gt; &lt;/w:WordDocument&gt; &lt;/xml&gt;&lt;![endif]--&gt;&lt;!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;&lt;xml&gt; &lt;w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"&gt; &lt;/w:LatentStyles&gt; &lt;/xml&gt;&lt;![endif]--&gt; &lt;!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Palatino; mso-font-alt:"Book Antiqua"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:7 0 0 0 147 0;} @font-face {font-family:Nazanin; mso-font-alt:"Courier New"; mso-font-charset:178; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:24577 0 0 0 64 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Nazanin;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --&gt; &lt;!--[if gte mso 10]&gt; &lt;style&gt;&#13; /* Style Definitions */&#13; table.MsoNormalTable&#13; {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";&#13; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;&#13; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;&#13; mso-style-noshow:yes;&#13; mso-style-parent:"";&#13; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;&#13; mso-para-margin:0cm;&#13; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;&#13; mso-pagination:widow-orphan;&#13; font-size:10.0pt;&#13; font-family:"Times New Roman";&#13; mso-ansi-language:#0400;&#13; mso-fareast-language:#0400;&#13; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}&#13; &lt;/style&gt; &lt;![endif]--&gt

Profiling inflammatory response in lesions of cutaneous leishmaniasis patients using a non-invasive sampling method combined with a high-throughput protein detection assay

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink belowBackground: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an infection caused by Leishmania (L.) protozoa transmitted through the bite of infected sand fly. Previously, invasive sampling of blood and skin along with low throughput methods were used for determination of inflammatory response in CL patients. Aims/methodology: We established a novel approach based on a non-invasive adhesive tape-disc sampling combined with a powerful multiplexing technique called proximity extension assay for profiling 92 inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and surface molecules in the lesions of CL patients infected with L. tropica. Sample collection was done non-invasively by using adhesive tape-discs from lesion and normal skin of 33 L. tropica positive patients. Results: Out of 92 inflammatory proteins, the level of 34 proteins was significantly increased in the lesions of CL patients compared to their normal skin. This includes the chemokines CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CXCL1, CXCL5, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11, together with the interleukins IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, LIF and OSM. The remaining significantly changed inflammatory proteins include 7 surface molecules and receptors: CD5, CD40, CDCP1, 4E-BP1, TNFRSF9, IL-18R1 and OPG as well as 16 other cytokines and proteins: MMP-1, CSF-1, VEGFA, uPA, EN-RAGE, LAP TGF-β1, HGF, MMP-10, CASP-8, TNFSF14, STAMPB, ADA, TRAIL and ST1A1. Further, 13 proteins showed an increasing trend, albeit not statistically significant, in the CL lesions, including TGF-α, CCL23, MCP-2, IL-12B, CXCL6, IL-24, FGF-19, TNFβ, CD6, TRANCE, IL10, SIR2 and CCL20. Conclusion: We herein report a novel approach based on a non-invasive sampling method combined with the high-throughput protein assay for profiling inflammatory proteins in CL lesions. Using this approach, we could profile inflammatory proteins in the lesions from CL patients. This new non-invasive approach may have implications for studying skin inflammatory mediators in CL and other skin disorders.European Commission under the VASA SHIGETECVAX consortia Innovative Medicines Initiative European Commission under the VSV-EBOPLUS consortium European Union (EU) Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) Pasteur Institute of Ira

Molecular signatures of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in the lesions of patients infected with Leishmania tropica

Anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by Leishmania tropica (L. tropica) represents a public health challenge in several resource poor settings. We herein employed a systems analysis approach to study molecular signatures of CL caused by L. tropica in the skin lesions of ulcerative CL (UCL) and non-ulcerative CL (NUCL) patients. Results from RNA-seq analysis determined shared and unique functional transcriptional pathways in the lesions of the UCL and NUCL patients. Several transcriptional pathways involved in inflammatory response were positively enriched in the CL lesions. A multiplexed inflammatory protein analysis showed differential profiles of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the UCL and NUCL lesions. Transcriptional pathways for Fcγ receptor dependent phagocytosis were among shared enriched pathways. Using L. tropica specific antibody (Ab)-mediated phagocytosis assays, we could substantiate Ab-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) and Ab-dependent neutrophil phagocytosis (ADNP) activities in the lesions of the UCL and NUCL patients, which correlated with L. tropica specific IgG Abs. Interestingly, a negative correlation was observed between parasite load and L. tropica specific IgG/ADCP/ADNP in the skin lesions of CL patients. These results enhance our understanding of human skin response to CL caused by L. tropica.ISSN:2045-232