Smoking and environmental tobacco smoke exposure: implications in ocular disorders.

PURPOSE: This article aims to gather and review the available knowledge on several implications of smoking and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in ocular disorders and provides pathomechanistic insights where applicable. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed and Scopus databases were searched for relevant studies on the association of smoking and ETS exposure with various ocular disorders. Studies with different evidence levels, e.g., in-vivo, case-control, cohort, and meta-analysis, were included. RESULTS: Smoking is an established, modifiable risk factor in several ocular diseases, including cataract, age-related macular degeneration, and Graves' ophthalmopathy; smokers are subject to more severe disease courses and less favorable treatment outcomes. Uveitis is twice as likely in smokers; smoking may also delay its resolution. Smoking and ETS exposure are major risk factors for diseases of other organs, with associated ocular complications as well, such as diabetes mellitus. ETS exposure is also associated with ocular surface pathologies, including dry eye syndrome. In children, early-life ETS exposure and maternal smoking during pregnancy are strongly associated with refractive errors and strabismus. Currently, available data on potential risks attributable to ETS exposure regarding ocular diseases are scarce and, in some instances, controversial. CONCLUSION: In addition to smoking, ETS exposure is also a significant public health concern with possible links to several ocular diseases. However, the level of education of at-risk populations in this regard does not match the strength of the evidence.

Central Serous Chorioretinopathy Risk Factors in An Iranian Cohort: A Case-control Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the possible risk factors of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) in an Iranian cohort. Methods: We recruited 39 consecutive CSCR cases and 80 age-matched controls with no ocular pathology from the same medical center from March 2019 to March 2021. Enrolled patients underwent complete ophthalmological examination and extensive history taking in a referral setting. Logistic regression analysis was performed to detect any possible association of potential risk factors with CSCR. Results: The mean age of CSCR patients was 40.69±7.71 years. The male-to-female ratio in cases and controls was 1:1.79 and 1.22:1, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that alcohol consumption (odds ratio, OR: 62.0, P<0.001), smoking (OR: 4.0, 95% CI: 1.47-10.85, P<0.006), corticosteroid use (OR: 6.95, 95% CI: 2.64-18.28, P<0.001), and high psychological stress (OR: 13.34, 95% CI: 4.68-38.02, P<0.01) were significant risk factors for developing CSCR. Ischemic heart disease (P=0.550), hypertension (P=0.750), and hyperopia (P=0.467) were not associated with the risk of CSCR. The most common form of steroid use was oral in both groups. No pregnant female was present in the study sample, precluding the assessment of its potential association with CSCR. Conclusion: CSCR often affects individuals of productive working ages; thus, identifying its preventable risk factors is highly encouraged. Our results suggested that alcohol consumption, smoking, and high levels of psychological stress are independent, preventable risk factors for CSCR.

Explosive tandem and segmental duplications of multigenic families in Eucalyptus grandis.

Plant organisms contain a large number of genes belonging to numerous multigenic families whose evolution size reflects some functional constraints. Sequences from eight multigenic families, involved in biotic and abiotic responses, have been analyzed in Eucalyptus grandis and compared with Arabidopsis thaliana. Two transcription factor families APETALA 2 (AP2)/ethylene responsive factor and GRAS, two auxin transporter families PIN-FORMED and AUX/LAX, two oxidoreductase families (ascorbate peroxidases [APx] and Class III peroxidases [CIII Prx]), and two families of protective molecules late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) and DNAj were annotated in expert and exhaustive manner. Many recent tandem duplications leading to the emergence of species-specific gene clusters and the explosion of the gene numbers have been observed for the AP2, GRAS, LEA, PIN, and CIII Prx in E. grandis, while the APx, the AUX/LAX and DNAj are conserved between species. Although no direct evidence has yet demonstrated the roles of these recent duplicated genes observed in E. grandis, this could indicate their putative implications in the morphological and physiological characteristics of E. grandis, and be the key factor for the survival of this nondormant species. Global analysis of key families would be a good criterion to evaluate the capabilities of some organisms to adapt to environmental variations.