Increased risk of cataract surgery in patients with allergic disease: a population based cohort study.

We investigated the association between cataract and allergic diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic rhinitis (AR), and asthma using 2,631,015 subjects' data from the 2009 National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort in Korea. Each allergic disease was defined as three or more occasions of diagnosis within 1 year with dedicated ICD-10 codes. The primary endpoint was newly received cataract surgery during the follow-up period. In total, 447,883 subjects had at least one allergic disease. During the mean follow-up of 7.8 ± 1.7 years, newly developed cataract surgery was observed in 301,693 subjects (allergic group, n = 69,321; non-allergic group, n = 232,372). After adjusting for demographic characteristics (age, sex), systemic and ocular comorbidities, socioeconomic status, and lifestyle factors (smoking, drinking, regular exercise), the allergic group had a higher hazard ratio (HR) for cataract development compared with the non-allergic group. We further performed a subgroup analysis for patients regarding sex and age. In the subgroup analysis of subjects with AD, men aged < 50 years had a higher HR compared to women of the same age group. In conclusion, subjects with allergic diseases had a higher risk of cataract surgery than their counterparts, and the combination of AD and AR resulted in the highest risk. Particularly, the association was more evident in male than female patients with AD aged < 50 years.

Association of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction with Oral Statin Use.

This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to determine the association of oral statin use, dry eye disease (DED), and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). A total of 93 subjects were included and divided into two groups: statin users (n = 45) and nonstatin users (n = 47). Significant differences were observed in the total cholesterol (p = 0.013), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (p = 0.005), and meiboscore (p = 0.000) levels between the two groups. For stratified analysis, the statin group was divided into subgroups according to the type or dose of statin and total duration of statin use. However, there were no differences in clinical features between the subgroups. In multiple regression analysis, meiboscore was significantly associated with age (slope = 0.05, p = 0.00) and statin use (slope = -1.19, p = 0.00), with an R2 of 0.44. Thus, older adults and participants who do not use statin appeared to have higher scores. In conclusion, although the mechanism is unclear, statins may exert a protective effect on the meibomian gland. Further lipidomic studies are required to determine the pharmacological effects of statins on the meibomian gland and other meibum components.

Association of Serum Lipid Level with Meibum Biosynthesis and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Review.

The primary role of meibomian glands (MGs) is to actively synthesize and secret lipids and proteins spread onto the tear film, and the glandular lipids promote tear stability, prevent evaporation, and reduce friction. Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is the leading cause of dry eye disease and one of the most common ophthalmic problems worldwide. MGs are densely innervated and regulated by hormones and growth factors. However, since the polar and nonpolar lipids are produced through processes in MGs that are not completely understood, a relevant question has been raised: Would the altered systemic lipids metabolism affect the physiology and structure of MGs? This review introduces the recent update regarding the relationships between serum lipid and MGD in clinical and basic research while providing answers to this question. A causal relationship remains to be established; however, serum lipid level or dyslipidemia may be related to MGD directly or indirectly, or both. Further studies are warranted to establish the role of serum lipid level and meibocyte differentiation/maturation and lipid synthesis.

In vivo biocompatibility evaluation of in situ-forming polyethylene glycol-collagen hydrogels in corneal defects.

The available treatment options include corneal transplantation for significant corneal defects and opacity. However, shortage of donor corneas and safety issues in performing corneal transplantation are the main limitations. Accordingly, we adopted the injectable in situ-forming hydrogels of collagen type I crosslinked via multifunctional polyethylene glycol (PEG)-N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) for treatment and evaluated in vivo biocompatibility. The New Zealand White rabbits (N = 20) were randomly grouped into the keratectomy-only and keratectomy with PEG-collagen hydrogel-treated groups. Samples were processed for immunohistochemical evaluation. In both clinical and histologic observations, epithelial cells were able to migrate and form multilayers over the PEG-collagen hydrogels at the site of the corneal stromal defect. There was no evidence of inflammatory or immunological reactions or increased IOP for PEG-collagen hydrogel-treated corneas during the four weeks of observation. Immunohistochemistry revealed the presence of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the superior corneal stroma of the keratectomy-only group (indicative of fibrotic healing), whereas low stromal α-SMA expression was detected in the keratectomy with PEG-collagen hydrogel-treated group. Taken together, we suggest that PEG-collagen may be used as a safe and effective alternative in treating corneal defect in clinical setting.

Relationship between serum lipid level and meibomian gland dysfunction subtype in Korea using propensity score matching.

To analyze the relationship between systemic lipid profile levels and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) subtype in Korea. The ophthalmic data of 95 eyes and the serum lipid profiles of 95 patients were reviewed. These factors were compared with those of the general population using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), which evaluated 2,917 subjects. Of these, the comparison group (1:5 ratio; n = 475) was selected using propensity score matching according to age and sex. In addition, we analyzed the relationship between serum lipid profile levels and MGD subtypes in MGD patients. The mean high-density lipoprotein (HDL) value of the MGD patients was significantly higher than that of the general population (P < 0.0001). Moreover, the mean low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels of the MGD patients was significantly lower than that of the general population (P = 0.0002). However, the mean total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) levels of the MGD patients were not significantly different from those of the general population (TC: P = 0.4282, TG: P = 0.5613). In addition, no serum lipid levels statistically differed among the MGD subtypes (TC: P = 0.7650, HDL: P = 0.2480, LDL: P = 0.3430, TG: P = 0.7030). A statistically significant increase in HDL and decrease in LDL concentration were observed in the MGD group, although there was no difference in any serum lipid level among the MGD subtypes.

Protective role of metabolism by intestinal microflora in butyl paraben-induced toxicity in HepG2 cell cultures.

Parabens are alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (BA), including methyl paraben (MP), ethyl paraben, propyl paraben (PP), and butyl paraben (BP). In the present study, possible role of metabolism by fecalase in BP-induced cytotoxicity was investigated in HepG2 cell cultures. As an intestinal bacterial metabolic system, a human fecalase prepared from human fecal specimen was employed. Among the parabens tested, cytotoxicity of BP was most severe. BA, the de-esterified metabolite, did not induce cytotoxicity when compared to other parabens. When BP was incubated with fecalase, it rapidly disappeared, in association with reduced cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells. In addition, BP incubated with fecalase significantly caused an increase in Bcl-2 expression together with a decrease in Bax expression and cleaved caspase-3. Moreover, anti-apoptotic effect by the incubation of BP with fecalase was also confirmed by the TUNEL assay. Furthermore, BP induced a sustained activation of the phosphorylation of JNK only when it was treated alone. Meanwhile, BP-induced cell death was reversed by the pre-incubation of BP with either fecalase or SP600125. Taken together, the findings suggested that metabolism of BP by human fecalase might have protective effects against BP-induced toxicity in HepG2 cells.

Characterization of spatially homogeneous regions based on temporal patterns of fine particulate matter in the continental United States.

Statistical analyses of time-series or spatial data have been widely used to investigate the behavior of ambient air pollutants. Because air pollution data are generally collected in a wide area of interest over a relatively long period, such analyses should take into account both spatial and temporal characteristics. The objective of this study is 2-fold: (1) to identify an efficient way to characterize the spatial variations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations based solely upon their temporal patterns, and (2) to analyze the temporal and seasonal patterns of PM2.5 concentrations in spatially homogenous regions. This study used 24-hr average PM2.5 concentrations measured every third day during a period between 2001 and 2005 at 522 monitoring sites in the continental United States. A k-means clustering algorithm using the correlation distance was used to investigate the similarity in patterns between temporal profiles observed at the monitoring sites. A k-means clustering analysis produced six clusters of sites with distinct temporal patterns that were able to identify and characterize spatially homogeneous regions of the United States. The study also presents a rotated principal component analysis (RPCA) that has been used for characterizing spatial patterns of air pollution and discusses the difference between the clustering algorithm and RPCA.

New synthetic thiocolchicine derivatives as lowtoxic anticancer agents.

New thiocolchicine derivatives (1-8) were designed as less toxic anticancer agents possessing the power full anticancer activity of colchicine. The synthesis and biological evaluation of these compounds were described. As a preliminary result of biological in vitro investigation, compounds 1, 6, and 7 showed lower toxicities than that of colchicine in combination with potent anticancer activities.