ABSTRACT
Purpose@#To investigate the impact of uncomplicated cataract surgery on the measurement of Bruch’s membrane opening-minimum rim width (BMO-MRW) and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. @*Methods@#This retrospective study included 63 eyes of 63 patients, including 32 POAG eyes and 31 normal eyes who underwent uneventful cataract surgery and follow-up for at least 6 months. Using SD-OCT, BMO-MRW and RNFLT were measured preoperatively and postoperatively at 6 months. Paired t-test was used to compare intraocular pressure (IOP), BMO-MRW, RNFLT, and image quality before and after surgery. These parameters and their changes were compared between POAG and normal groups. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with the postoperative change (Δ) in RNFLT and BMO-MRW. @*Results@#BMO-MRW and RNFLT were significantly increased and IOP was decreased after phacoemulsification in both groups (p < 0.001, respectively). The ΔRNFLT was significantly greater in POAG eyes compared with the normal eyes (p < 0.001). The ΔRNFLT was associated with the postoperative IOP reduction and glaucoma diagnosis (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). In the normal group, only the ΔIOP had a significant influence on the ΔRNFLT (p = 0.003), but in the POAG group, not only the ΔIOP (p = 0.044) but also preoperative visual field mean deviation (p = 0.029) showed a significant influence. The ΔBMO-MRW showed no difference between POAG and normal eyes. @*Conclusions@#The postoperative increase of RNFLT was significantly greater in the POAG group, and the postoperative increase of RNFLT was associated with the preoperative visual field mean deviation and ΔIOP in POAG eyes and with the ΔIOP in normal eyes. Our results imply that RNFLT is more affected than BMO-MRW in POAG eyes compared to normal eyes by cataract surgery.
ABSTRACT
Methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a homocysteine metabolism-related enzyme and defects of MTHFR is a risk factor for hyperhomocysteinemia and related various neurological disease. Among them, 665C>T polymorphism is the most common form. We report a 48 years old man presenting with progressive psychiatric problems along with severe demyelinating polyneuropathy due to homozygous c.665C>T homozygote polymorphism superimposed by compound heterozygous mutation (c.1417C>T, p.Arg473Trp) in the MTHFR gene, without thromboembolic changes.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder. Since polysomnography is essential for the diagnosis of sleep apnea, patient screening or selection is an important issue in the sleep clinic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical risk factors of sleep apnea in a representative sleep clinic in South Korea. METHODS: The medical records of the 7,559 adult patients who visited the sleep clinic from 2009 to 2018 were reviewed. We investigated the demographic data and the results of the sleep questionnaires and polysomnography to determine clinical risk factors of sleep apnea for patients at the sleep clinic. Apnea-hypopnea index over 15 was regarded as clinically significant sleep apnea. RESULTS: A total of 4,581 patients were finally analyzed. In order of significance, age (odds ratio [OR]=1.224 from 50 to 64, p=0.027; OR=1.858 in 65 or more, p<0.001), sex (male) (OR=5.900, p<0.001), body mass index (OR=2.833 from 25 to 29.9 kg/m², p<0.001; OR=9.388 over 30 kg/m², p<0.001) and hypertension (OR=1.537, p<0.001) were independent risk factors of sleep apnea. CONCLUSIONS: In South Korea, it is necessary to specify the risk factors of sleep apnea according to the health related characteristics of Koreans. Further research to develop new instruments for screening sleep apnea in Korean sleep clinics is needed.