Plasma homocysteine is associated with nonproliferative retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes without renal disease

Dynamic observation and analysis of factors influencing the progression of diabetic retinopathy

OBJECTIVE

To actively monitor and analyze the factors that affect the advancement of diabetic retinopathy (DR).

METHOD

In this study, we prospectively recruited patients diagnosed with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) for concurrent monitoring. A total of 75 patients who transitioned from NPDR to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) comprised the progression group, while 112 NPDR patients who did not develop PDR formed the stable group in a prospective cohort study. Follow-up assessments occurred every six months, and patients were observed continuously over an eight-year period. Clinical parameters from both NPDR and PDR groups were collected to assess the stability of these indicators (with a coefficient of variation [CV] > 5 % indicating instability and CV < 5 % indicating stability).

RESULTS

In the NPDR cohort, 80.4 % Control the stability ratio regulation of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), whereas in the PDR cohort, 80.0 % Control the proportion of instability (P = 0.001); for blood creatinine (Cr), 64.3 % of NPDR patients maintained stable levels, contrasting with 77.3 % of PDR patients with fluctuating levels (P = 0.001). Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and homocysteine (HCY) control demonstrated instability in both NPDR and PDR groups. Instability in regulating HbA1c, Cr, BUN, and HCY served as independent risk factors for DR progression, with significant associations found between HbA1c CV (HR: 15.586; 95 % CI: 14.205-15.988; p = 0.001), Cr CV (HR: 9.231; 95 % CI: 9.088-10.235; p = 0.005), BUN CV (HR: 3.568; 95 % CI: 3.183-4.367; p = 0.01), and HCY CV (HR: 8.678; 95 % CI: 7.754-8.998；p = 0.003).

CONCLUSION

Inadequate regulation of HbA1c, Cr, BUN, and HCY independently impact the advancement of DR.

The Impact of Laboratory Findings and Optical Coherence Tomography Biomarkers on Response to Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Treatment in Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema

PURPOSE

To investigate potential laboratory and imaging biomarkers as treatment response predictors to intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).

METHODS

The study included 36 treatment naïve patients with DME, treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF agents and followed-up for 12 months. At baseline, all participants underwent best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) measurement, dilated fundoscopy, optical coherence tomography, color fundus photography and fluorescein angiography, while full blood count and biochemical analysis of various parameters was also performed. At month 12, treatment response was examined and classified as "favorable" or "non-response". Potential associations between laboratory/imaging biomarkers and treatment response were assessed.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis showed that favorable response at month 12 after initiation of anti-VEGF treatment was correlated with baseline central subfield thickness (CST)≤405 μm (p < .001), absence of subretinal fluid (p = .034), absence of exudates (p = .041), absence of disorganization of the inner retinal layers (p = .037), intact ellipsoid zone (EZ) and external limiting membrane (ELM) (p < .001 and p = .002, respectively), absence of epiretinal membrane (ERM) (p = .040) and absence of macular ischemia (p = .042), while increased lipoprotein(a) was associated with no treatment response (p = .025). At the multivariate analysis, CST was found to be independent predictor of treatment response, while EZ, ELM and ERM were found to predict treatment response perfectly and they could not be entered in the model.

CONCLUSION

Intact EZ and ELM, absence of ERM and CST≤405 μm at baseline can predict favorable treatment response in patients with treatment naïve DME, while no correlation with baseline laboratory parameters was found.

Vitamin D and Ocular Diseases: A Systematic Review

The contributory roles of vitamin D in ocular and visual health have long been discussed, with numerous studies pointing to the adverse effects of vitamin D deficiency. In this paper, we provide a systematic review of recent findings on the association between vitamin D and different ocular diseases, including myopia, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy (DR), dry eye syndrome (DES), thyroid eye disease (TED), uveitis, retinoblastoma (RB), cataract, and others, from epidemiological, clinical and basic studies, and briefly discuss vitamin D metabolism in the eye. We searched two research databases for articles examining the association between vitamin D deficiency and different ocular diseases. One hundred and sixty-two studies were found. There is evidence on the association between vitamin D and myopia, AMD, DR, and DES. Overall, 17 out of 27 studies reported an association between vitamin D and AMD, while 48 out of 54 studies reported that vitamin D was associated with DR, and 25 out of 27 studies reported an association between vitamin D and DES. However, the available evidence for the association with other ocular diseases, such as glaucoma, TED, and RB, remains limited.