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Purpose: To study the epidemiological pattern, prevalence, types, and correlates of age?related cataracts in a tertiary care center in central India. Methods: This hospital?based single?center cross?sectional study was conducted on 2,621 patients diagnosed with cataracts for 3 years. Data pertaining to demography, socio?economic profile, cataract grading, cataract types, and associated risk factors were evaluated. Statistical analysis using unadjusted odds ratio (OR) and multivariate logistic regression was performed, with P-value <0.05 considered significant with the power of the study being 95%. Results: The commonest age group affected was 60–79 years, closely followed by the 40–59 years age group. The prevalence of nuclear sclerosis (NS), cortical (CC), and posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) was found to be 65.2% (3,418), 24.6% (1,289), and 43.4% (2,276), respectively. Among mixed cataracts, (NS + PSC) had the highest prevalence of 39.8%. Smokers were found to have 1.17 times higher odds of developing NS than non?smokers. Diabetics had 1.12 times higher odds of developing NS cataracts and 1.04 times higher odds of developing CC. Patients with hypertension showed 1.27 times higher odds of developing NS and 1.32 times higher odds of developing CC. Conclusion: The prevalence of cataracts in the pre?senile age group (<60 years) was found to have increased significantly (35.7%). A higher prevalence of PSC (43.4%) was found in studied subjects, as compared to the data of previous studies. Smoking, diabetes, and hypertension were found to have a positive association with a higher prevalence of cataracts.
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Purpose: The primary objective of the study was to assess the macular retinal vessel density, subfoveal choroidal thickness, and retinal layer metrics by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), enhanced?depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI?OCT), and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD?OCT), respectively, in recovered COVID?19 patients and its comparison with the same in control subjects. The secondary objective was to evaluate differences in OCTA parameters in relation with the severity of COVID?19 disease and administration of corticosteroids. Methods: A case–control study was performed that included patients who had recovered from COVID?19 and age?matched healthy controls. Complete ocular examination including OCTA, SD?OCT, and EDI?OCT were performed three months following the diagnosis. Results: Three hundred sixty eyes of 180 subjects were enrolled between the two groups. A decreased mean foveal avascular zone area in both superficial capillary plexuses (P = 0.03) and deep capillary plexuses (P < 0.01), reduced average ganglion cell layer?inner plexiform layer thickness (P = 0.04), and increased subfoveal choroidal thickness (P < 0.001) were observed among cases in comparison to the control group. A significant correlation was found between sectoral macular vessel density in relation to disease severity and a decrease in vessel density with greater severity of the disease. Conclusion: OCTA detected retinal microvascular alterations following SARS?CoV?2 infection in subjects with the absence of any clinical ocular manifestation or systemic thrombotic events. These parameters could be used to help identify patients with a higher incidence of systemic thromboembolism on longer follow?ups and identify the impact of corticosteroids on retinal architecture.
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Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of human?derived umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HDUMSC) and human?derived umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells expressing erythropoietin (HDUMSC?EPO) to rescue total degenerated retina in a rat model. Methods: The study included four treatment groups, namely negative control using normal saline (HBSS) injection, positive control using sodium iodide 60 mg/kg (SI), SI treated with HDUMSC, and SI treated with HDUMSC?EPO given via subretinal and intravenous routes, to test the efficacy of retinal regeneration following SI?induced retinal degeneration. Retinal function in both phases was tested via electroretinography (ERG) and histological staining examining the outer nuclear layer (ONL). Results: There was a statistically significant result (P < 0.05) in the SI treated with HDUMSC?EPO only when comparing day 11 (mean = 23.6 ?v), day 18 (mean = 25.2 ?v), day 26 (mean = 26.3 ?v), and day 32 (mean = 28.2 ?v) to the b?wave ERG on day 4 rescue injection day (mean = 12.5 ?v). The SI treated with HDUMSC?EPO showed significant improvement in b?wave ERG readings in the Sprague–Dawley (SD) rat but did not restore baseline readings prior to degeneration (day 0). Both treated groups’ ONL thicknesses did not show significant changes compared to the negative control group (HBSS) following rescue therapy. Conclusion: Total retinal degeneration following intravenous SI injection was observed at 60 mg/kg. SI treated with HDUMSC and HDUMSC?EPO showed no regenerative potential compared to baseline in SI?induced total retina degeneration on ERG or histology, whereas SI treated with HDUMSC?EPO group showed a substantial increase in b?wave ERG amplitude over time
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Background: The prevalence of gallstones among different populations is varied, which reflects the role of genetic and environmental factors, besides common factors like age, sex, parity, obesity and diet. Being a commonly treated surgical problem, we attempted to study the epidemiology, risk factors and predisposing factors related to gallbladder disease in our setup- the industrial township of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bhopal, India.Methods: This was an observational study done over a period of 2 years. The patients were analyzed on the basis of age and sex distribution, dietary habits, body mass index, activity level, monthly income, family history, parity, associated illness if any, and abdominal ultrasound findings.Results: Of 104 patients, 44 were males and 60 females, with female to male ratio being 1.36:1. The commonest age group to be affected was 61 to 70 years (35 patients, 33.65%). Better socioeconomic status, lower activity level, higher parity, vegetarian diet and consumption of plant-origin fats were the factors present in most patients. No family history was present in 97.11% patients.Conclusions: As gallstones have multi-factorial etiology, it is difficult to disassociate their influence and to pin point towards the contribution of any one factor. But the results suggest that there is more than what meets the eye. Higher incidence in males and absence of family history point towards a cause not found in genes or at home, but something present in the workplace environment, where men form the major part of workforce.