scholarly journals MicroRNA and vascular pathology of the eye

Author(s):  
LK Moshetova ◽  
SA Usharova ◽  
KI Turkina ◽  
DA Sychev ◽  
IN Saburina

Since the discovery of microRNAs just a few decades ago, our knowledge of these molecules and their potential as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets has significantly expanded. There is an ongoing discussion in the scientific community about the possibility of using microRNA for the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. It has been shown recently that levels of some microRNAs vary in vascular eye disorders, such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. However, despite serious advances in our understanding of microRNA’s role in eye pathology, we still do not know whether it is possible to use microRNA as a biomarker for central retinal vein occlusion. Perhaps, the discovery of such candidate microRNAs will help in making the timely diagnosis and improve the quality of medical care in patients with retinal vein occlusion.

2021 ◽  
pp. 145-152
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Vilares-Morgado ◽  
Carolina Madeira ◽  
Ana Maria Cunha ◽  
Manuel Falcão ◽  
João Beato ◽  
...  

<b><i>Purpose:</i></b> The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in undertreatment and subsequent loss of visual acuity (VA) in patients with macular neovascularization (MNV) or retinal vein occlusion (RVO) regularly treated with intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor injections. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Single-center, retrospective study of patients scheduled for treatment between March 19 and June 1, 2020, the national mandatory quarantine period. Patients’ demographics, VA, and scheduled treatment during this period were reviewed via medical records. All patients were analyzed regarding treatment attendance rates. The visual impact of COVID-19 was assessed in patients who had been treated and presented a stable VA for &#x3e;6 months before the beginning of the quarantine. <b><i>Results:</i></b> This study included 927 eyes from 769 patients. The attendance rate increased throughout the study timeframe (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001) and correlated negatively with higher patient’s age (<i>r</i> = −0.142; <i>p</i> = 0.005). Patients with age-related macular degeneration (67.6%) had lower attendance rates (<i>p</i> = 0.007) and were older (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). The visual impact analysis included 400 eyes from 325 patients. The average VA variation throughout this period was −1.7 ± 8.4 ETDRS letters and was similar in different retinal pathologies (<i>p</i> = 0.334). VA variation did not correlate with the number of missed treatments per patient (<i>r</i> = 0.100; <i>p</i> = 0.150). The prevalence of subretinal fluid and intraretinal fluid, as well as central retinal thickness decreased significantly throughout the study period (<i>p</i> values of &#x3c;0.001, &#x3c;0.001, and 0.032, respectively). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the attendance rate of patients with MNV or RVO to their scheduled treatments, which was higher in the first week of mandatory quarantine. Nevertheless, VA did not decrease significantly during this period, with a limited VA variation regardless of primary retinal disorder and morphological parameters even improved in the eyes included in the visual impact analysis.


Retina ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1099-1108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy L. Jackson ◽  
Elena Nicod ◽  
Aris Angelis ◽  
Federico Grimaccia ◽  
A. Toby Prevost ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
pp. bjophthalmol-2020-317337
Author(s):  
Thomas Ciulla ◽  
John S Pollack ◽  
David F Williams

Background/AimsTo assess visual acuity (VA) outcomes and antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy intensity in retinal vein occlusion (RVO)-related macular oedema (ME).MethodsA retrospective study was completed in treatment-naïve patients with RVO-related ME from 2013 to 2019, using the Vestrum Health Retina Database.ResultsMean baseline age was 72.4 years and 54% were women. In 6 months, in 8876 eyes with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO)-related ME, after a mean of 4.5 anti-VEGF injections, VA increased by 9.4 letters (95% confidence interval (CI) for change in VA +8.94 to +9.78, p<0.001) from a baseline of 55.1 letters. In 6737 eyes with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO)-related ME, after a mean of 4.6 anti-VEGF injections over 6 months, VA improved by 9.2 letters (95% CI +8.50 to +9.87, p<0.001) from a baseline of 37.2 letters. In 1 year, VA gain was similar (BRVO: 7.4 injections, +8.1 letters, 95% CI +7.55 to +8.57, p<0.001; CRVO: 7.6 injections, +7.1 letters, 95% CI +6.31 to +7.95, p<0.001). In 6 months and 1 year, mean letters gain increased with number of anti-VEGF injections. Patient eyes with baseline VA of 20/40 or better tended to lose VA in 1 year.ConclusionMean change in VA correlates with treatment intensity, but patients with better VA at presentation are susceptible to vision loss, reflecting a ceiling effect. Assessed with the same database, VA gains compare favourably with 1-year VA gains in neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic ME, but exhibit a larger gap when compared with corresponding randomised controlled trials.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-21
Author(s):  
Ismail Ersan ◽  
Aydin Yildiz ◽  
Ismail Ersan ◽  
Aydin Yildiz

Purpose: To investigate the intraocular pressure and conjunctival thickness changes following the intravitreal injection Methods: Sixty eyes of 60 patients having intravitreal injection for age-related macular degeneration, macular edema associated with diabetes, central retinal vein occlusion, and branch retinal vein occlusion were enrolled. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured by Tonopen-Avia (Reichert Inc., NY, USA) in sitting position and five superior-temporal conjunctival images were obtained using the Anterior Segment 5 Line Raster scanning protocol of Cirrus HD-OCT 4000 (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA, USA) just before the intravitreal injection. 0.05 ml bevacizumab with 27-gauge needle, 0.05 ml ranibizumab with 30-gauge needle, or dexamethasone implant with 23-gauge needle was injected into the vitreous cavity. The second IOP measurements and OCT measurements were taken within 5 mins of injection. Results: The ranibizumab group included 25 subjects, the bevacizumab group included 23 subjects, and the dexamethasone group included 12 subjects. IOP increases following intravitreal injection were significantly higher in ranibizumab and bevacizumab groups compared with Dexamethasone implant group (p<0.001 and p=0.007, respectively). Although, the increase of conjunctival thickness following the intravitreal injection was highest in Dexamethasone implant group, the differences between the groups did not reach statistically significance (p=0.153). Conclusion: A higher IOP elevation is observed if a small-gauge needle is used for intravitreal injection. The conjunctival thickness changes following the intravitreal injection did not differ between the groups


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