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Background: The relationship between ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and glaucoma in the European population remains unclear. In the present study, we applied a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method to investigate their causal relationship., Methods: MR analysis was conducted to validate the causal associations between AS with glaucoma using summary statistics from the genome-wide association studies of AS (9,069 cases and 13,578 control subjects) and glaucoma (8,591 cases and 210,201 control subjects). The inverse variance weighting method was performed to evaluate the causal relationship. The MR-Egger regression approach was applied to assess pleiotropy, while Cochran's Q test was used to analyze heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis was performed according to primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG)., Results: The results of the MR study reveal a risk-increasing causal relationship between AS and glaucoma among European populations (OR = 1.35, 95%CI = 1.16-1.57, P = 8.81 × 10 -5 ). Pleiotropy and heterogeneity were not found in our study. In the subgroup analysis, AS was also causal with POAG (OR = 1.48, 95%CI = 1.17-1.86, P = 8.80 × 10 -4 ) and PACG (OR = 1.91, 95%CI = 1.03-3.51, P = 3.88 × 10 -2 )., Conclusion: The results of the MR analysis suggested a causal relationship between AS and glaucoma in the European population. Further studies are needed to identify the specific mechanism between these two diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Li, Chen, Zhang, Fang, Xiong and Bai.)

Evidence suggests that ion metabolism may be associated with oxidative stress in the ocular tissue in glaucoma patients. This study is aimed at determining whether serum ion levels are associated with the onset and/or visual field (VF) progression of PACG. A total of 265 PACG and 166 healthy subjects were included in the cross-sectional study. Meanwhile, 265 subjects with PACG were followed up every six months for at least two years in the cohort study. All subjects were evaluated for serum concentrations of ions (calcium, phosphorus, potassium (K + ), sodium, and chlorine) and underwent VF examination. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the risk factors for PACG. Cox regression analyses and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed to identify factors associated with VF progression in PACG subjects. In the cross-sectional study, the K + level (4.31 ± 0.39 mmol/L) was significantly higher in the PACG group than in the normal group (4.16 ± 0.35 mmol/L, P < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression showed that the increased K + level was a risk factor of PACG (OR = 2.94, 95%CI = 1.63-5.32, P < 0.001). In the cohort study, there were 105 PACG subjects with progression and 160 PACG subjects without progression. The progression group had significantly higher baseline serum K + levels (4.41 ± 0.37 mmol/L) than the no progression group (4.25 ± 0.39 mmol/L) ( P = 0.002). The increased level of K + at baseline was associated with faster VF progression (HR = 2.07, 95%CI = 1.23-3.46, P = 0.006). PACG subjects with higher baseline K + levels had significantly lower VF nonprogression rates (51.94%) than subjects with lower K + levels (68.38%, log-rank test P = 0.01). This study found that increased serum K + level is a risk factor of PACG and is associated with faster VF progression in PACG, which might result from its influence on the oxidative stress process., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yichao Qiu et al.)

Although vitamins play a major role in health, and their deficiency may be linked to symptoms of optic-nerve dysfunction, the association between serum vitamin levels and glaucoma in humans remains controversial. In this study, articles in the PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases were searched up to 25March 2017. Nine studies on primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), four studies on normal tension glaucoma (NTG), and six studies on exfoliative glaucoma (EXG) were retrieved. The combined results showed no differences in the levels of serum vitamin B₆ between POAG ( p = 0.406) and EXG ( p = 0.139) patients and controls. The weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 2.792 ng/mL (-3.793 to 9.377) and 1.342 ng/mL (-3.120 to 0.436), respectively. There was no difference between POAG ( p = 0.952), NTG ( p = 0.757), or EXG ( p = 0.064) patients and controls in terms of serum vitamin B 12 . The WMDs with 95% CIs were 0.933 pg/mL (-31.116 to 29.249), 6.652 pg/mL (-35.473 to 48.777), and 49.946 pg/mL (-102.892 to 3.001), respectively. The serum vitamin D levels exhibited no differences ( p = 0.064) between POAG patients and controls; the WMD with 95% CI was 2.488 ng/mL (-5.120 to 0.145). In conclusion, there was no association found between serum vitamin B₆, vitamin B 12 , or vitamin D levels and the different types of glaucoma., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Objective: To develop an allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR)/restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay for CYP1B1 gene haplotypes predisposing to primary congenital glaucoma (PCG)., Methods: Twenty Chinese PCG patients and 20 healthy controls were recruited. Peripheral blood sample was subjected to direct sequencing for common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the CYP1B1 gene. Based on the results, CYP1B1 gene haplotypes were constructed by PCR-RFLP and AS-PCR combined with RFLP., Results: Four SNPs loci were identified by sequencing, which included rs10012 G>C (S1 in exon 2), rs1056827 T/G (S2 in exon 2), rs1056836 C/G (S3 in exon 3) and rs1056837T>C (S4 in exon 3). The distribution of such loci showed different characteristics between the two groups. 50% of the PCG patients had rs10012 G>C and rs1056827 T>G, while 25% of PCG patients had rs1056836 C>G and rs1056837T>C. As for the controls, 25% had rs10012 G>C and rs1056827 T>G, 10% had rs1056836 C>G and rs1056837T>C. None of the SNP loci has presented alone. PCR-RFLP was carried out to confirm the results of SNPs typing, but could not confirm the linkage between the SNP loci. By contrast, AS-PCR combined with RFLP has achieved specific amplification for rs10012 G>C and thorough differentiation of 1056827 T>G polymorphism. Similar results have been obtained by the same method for rs1056836 C>G and rs1056837T>C typing and linkage disequilibrium analysis., Conclusion: The AS-PCR/RFLP assay has successfully constructed the haplotypes of the CYP1B1 gene. For its accuracy, efficiency and specificity, the method may be used for constructing haplotypes for hereditary disease studies.

Purpose: To evaluate blood count-derived inflammation indexes as a detection or predictive marker for neovascular glaucoma (NVG) secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and diabetic retinopathy (DR).Methods: This was a retrospective, case-control study design. The level of white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil (N), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR) were evaluated in NVG patients secondary to RVO or DR.Results: A significant difference was found in those biomarkers between control group and NVG secondary to RVO or DR. Logistic regression analysis revealed these indexes were associated with the risk of NVG in DR and RVO patients. Multiple linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation between NLR and visual fields mean deviation in the NVG-RVO group.Conclusions: This study indicated that WBC, N, NLR, and LMR were related to NVG, and NLR may be useful as an potential inflammation biomarker indicating the risk and severity for NVG secondary to RVO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are two major sight-threatening diseases which may lead to neovascular glaucoma (NVG). The aim of this study was to explore the association between platelet parameters and NVG. Methods: A total of 185 subjects were enrolled for the study from January, 2012 to December, 2015 at the Eye-ENT Hospital of Fudan University. Patients include those with NVG secondary to RVO (RVO group, n = 38), patients with NVG secondary to DR (DR group, n = 47), diabetics mellitus without retinopathy (DM group, n = 52), and healthy individuals (control group, n = 48). A complete ophthalmological examination including visual field examination, A-scan ultrasound, Fundus photography, and measurement of platelet parameters were performed for NVG subjects. Results: There was no statistical difference in the mean age and gender among the RVO, DR, and control groups (p>0.05). The mean level of platelet distribution width (PDW) was higher (p<0.001) in the RVO group (15.16±2.13fl) and DR group (16.17±1.66fl) when compared with the control group (13.77±2.99fl). The mean plateletcrit (PCT) value of the RVO group (0.229±0.063%) was also higher (p = 0.049) than the control group (0.199±0.045). In the DR group, mean platelet volume (MPV) value (10.72±1.57fl) was significantly higher (p = 0.002) than the control group (9.75±0.89fl). A similar trend was observed when platelet parameters were compared among the 3 groups with respect to age. The mean level of PDW was significantly higher (p<0.001) in the DR group (16.17±1.66fl) compared with the DM group (13.80±3.32fl). Stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that PDW (OR = 1.44, 95%CI = 1.149–1.805, p = 0.002) and MPV (OR = 1.503, 95%CI = 1.031–2.192, p = 0.034) were associated with the DR group, PDW (OR = 1.207, 95%CI = 1.010–1.443, p = 0.039) and PCT (OR = 1.663, 95%CI = 1.870–2.654, p = 0.036) were associated with the RVO group. Conclusion: Our results suggest that increased PDW and MPV are associated with the NVG secondary to DR group, elevated PDW and PCT are associated with the RVO group. It indicates that platelets might be an important factor in the onset and/or development of NVG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The aim of this meta-analysis was to clarify the association between the plasma endothelin-1 level and the risks of normal tension glaucoma (NTG) and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods. Relevant publications were collected from three databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and the Web of Science through December 31, 2015. In this study, the terms “(endothelin OR ET) AND glaucoma” were searched. Review Manager 5.2 was used to process the data. Results. Seven studies (212 cases, 164 controls) were included for the NTG analysis. The mean plasma endothelin-1 level in the NTG subjects was 0.60 pg/mL (p=0.02, 95% CI: 0.17–1.04) higher than that of the healthy controls. Six studies (160 cases, 174 controls) were included for the POAG analysis, and the endothelin-1 level was 0.63 pg/mL (p=0.007, 95% CI: 0.12–1.15) higher in the POAG subjects than in the healthy controls. Additionally, two studies influenced the meta-analysis results regarding the association of plasma endothelin-1 with POAG by sensitivity analysis, and the probability of publication bias was low. Conclusions. The observation that NTG and POAG subjects showed significantly elevated endothelin-1 plasma concentrations suggests that a higher plasma level of endothelin-1 might increase the risk of NTG and POAG development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]