ObjectiveTo explore the predictive effect of intraocular fluid testing in the assessment of retinal detachment (RD) occurring in acute retinal necrosis syndrome (ARN). MethodsA retrospective study. From January 2019 to October 2023, 40 patients with 40 eyes diagnosed as ARN in Nanjing Medical University Eye Hospital were collected for this study. According to whether RD occurred during the follow-up period, the patients were divided into RD group (group A) and no RD group (group B), with 18 patients 18 eyes and 22 patients 22 eyes, respectively. All patients were given intravitreal 20 mg/ml ganciclovir 0.1 ml (ganciclovir 2 mg), 2 to 3 times per week after diagnosis. The concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (BFGF), vascular cell adhesion factor (VCAM), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-10 in the preaqueous solution were measured before the first injection of ganciclovir. The loads of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella-herpes zoster virus (VZV) were detected by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) calculated and analyzed the area under ROC curve (AUC) of inflammatory cytokines in aqueous humor and HSV-DNA and VZV-DNA loads in predicting RD in ARN patients to evaluate their predictive value. ResultsIn 18 eyes in group A and 22 eyes in group B, VZV and HSV was infected in 16 and 2 eyes and 21 and 1 eyes, respectively. The VZV-DNA and HSV-DNA load were compared between the two groups, the difference was statistically significant (Z=－3.762, P＜0.001); compared with group B, the concentrations of VEGF in humor (Z=－3.996), BFGF (Z=－2.430), IL-6 (Z=－3.303), IL-8 (Z=－3.480), and IL-10 (Z=－3.409) increased significantly in group A, the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05); there was no statistically significant difference in VCAM between the two groups (Z=－0.054, P=0.957). The ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of VEGF, nucleic acid copies, IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, and bFGF for predicting RD in ARN was 0.871, 0.848, 0.828, 0.823, 0.806, 0.737, respectively. The AUC of combination of VEGF, IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, and BFGF predicted the RD in ARN was 0.924. The optimal cut-off value of nucleic acid copies was 0.40×106, and IL-10, IL-8 and IL-6 were 50.65, 1 695.50 and 6 634.0 pg/ml, respectively. ConclusionAqueous humor viral load as well as cytokines alone or in combination have a reference value for predicting RD secondary to ARN.
ObjectiveTo study the changes the changes of cytokine expression the aqueous humor of patients with macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO-ME) before and after intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR). MethodsA prospective clinical study. From June 2018 to June 2021, 31 eyes of 31 patients with non-ischemic BRVO-ME diagnosed by ophthalmic examination in Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Hepingli Hospital were included in the study. Among them, 15 males had 15 eyes, and 16 females had 16 eyes. Age was 70 (65, 72) years; the course of disease was 10 (9, 15) days. All of them were first-time patients. All eyes were treated with IVR once a month for 3 consecutive months. At the end of each IVR treatment, 0.1 ml aqueous humor was extracted immediately. The concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in aqueous humor were detected by flow cytometry. The concentrations of cytokines in aqueous humor before and after treatment were compared by Kruskal-Wallis or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Spearman correlation analysis was performed on the correlation between VEGF and MCP-1 expression level in aqueous humor before treatment. ResultsThe concentrations of VEGF and ICAM-1 in aqueous humor were significantly lower at 1 month after treatment compared with that before treatment, and at 2 months after treatment compared with that at 1 month after treatment (Z=4.03, 3.25, 2.50, 3.48; P＜0.05); the concentrations of IL-6 and VCAM-1 increased and the concentration of MCP-1 decreased, but there was no significant difference (Z=－0.21, 1.42, 0.86, －0.53, 0.92, －1.57; P＞0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a strong positive correlation between VEGF and MCP-1 in aqueous humor before treatment (r=0.78, P＜0.001). ConclusionThe concentrations of VEGF and ICAM-1 in aqueous humor significantly decrease after IVR treatment in BRVO-ME; the concentrations of IL-6, MCP-1 and VCAM-1 do not obviously change.
The fundus lesions caused by high myopia (HM) often lead to irreversible visual impairment or even blindness. However, the pathogenesis of HM and its fundus lesions is still unclear, the intraocular fluid detection technology of micro samples has brought new prospects for the early diagnosis, monitoring and intervention of the fundus lesions. The molecules associated with HM are various and functionally diverse, intermolecular interactions are staggered and the specific mechanism is complex. With the development of intraocular fluid detection technology, while gradually revealing the role of each molecule in the pathogenesis of HM, it is expected to successfully assist clinical work in the future, providing outpost markers for the progress of myopia and targets for early intervention, or providing a new therapy choice for HM fundus lesions at the molecular level targeting pathogenesis, which is expected to provide more accurate and effective treatment for HM patients in the future.
Objective To detect the levels of vascular endoth elial growth factor (VEGF) in aqueous humor and vitreous of patients with neovascular glaucoma (NVG) and infer their possible effect on the development of neovascularization of iris. Methods The concentration of VEGF in 22 samples of ocular fluid of aqueous humor and vitreous respectively obtained from 11 patients with NVG undergone intraocular surgery were measured by using enzyme linked immunosobent assay (ELISA) for quantitative analysis. As control, 12 samples of ocular fluid of 6 patients with macular hole were detected by the same methods. Results The mean [AKx-]plusmn;s VEGF concentrations in aqueous humor and vitreous from patients with NVG were [(1.451plusmn;0.247)、(1.610plusmn;0.125) ng/ml] higher than those in the cotrol group [(0.189plusmn;0.038)、(0.201plusmn;0.055) ng/ml], there was a significant difference between the two groups statistically (t=12.007，Plt;0001；t=26.0 57，Plt;0.001). Conclusion The patients with NVG have significantly increased level of VEGF in ocular fluid, and VEGF might fill the role in mediating active iris neovascularization. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2001,17:305-306)
There are many types of fundus diseases and their causes are complex. They can be caused by metabolic factors or inflammatory factors. Fundus examination and imaging examination tools are the main methods for diagnosing fundus diseases. However, in terms of determining the cause and early diagnosis, if the intraocular fluid detection technology can be reasonably combined, the advantages will be greater. Intraocular fluid is the general term for fluid in the eyeball, including aqueous humor, vitreous humor, etc. The molecular components that can be tested include DNA, RNA, antigens, antibodies, and cytokines. With the advancement of molecular testing technology and equipment, intraocular fluid testing as an evidence-based method has gradually been incorporated into the consensus and guidelines of more fundus disease experts, and is mainly used for infectious fundus diseases and camouflage syndromes. Reasonable use of intraocular fluid testing can help improve the personalized diagnosis and treatment of fundus diseases and reduce unnecessary drug overuse. However, it is worth noting that intraocular fluid detection is only one of many tools and cannot replace other examinations and clinical experience. Excessive intraocular fluid testing not only increases the risk of clinical infections because of invasiveness, but also increases the burden on patients.
ObjectiveTo observe and preliminarily explore the relationship between the area of active fundus lesions and aqueous cytomegalovirus (CMV)-DNA in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) with cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR).MethodsA retrospective study. From November 2019 to December 2020, the study population consisted of 22 AIDS patients (31 eyes) with active CMVR at the Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University. All the patients were male. The age of the patients was 38.0±8.7 years. In total, 13 patients accepted highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The median duration of treatment was 4 months. There were 9 cases that did not receive HAART. Ultra-wide-angle fundus imaging examination was performed using Optos P200T laser scanning ophthalmoscope. The software was used that comes with the device to measure the area of active lesions. Anterior chamber puncture was performed in all the affected eyes, 100 μl of aqueous humor was extracted, and the CMV-DNA load was quantitatively detected by polymerase chain reaction. At the same time, 19 cases of peripheral blood CD4+T lymphocytes and CMV-DNA load were tested; 17 cases of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-RNA load were tested. The area of active lesions was used as the independent variable, and the CMV-DNA load of aqueous humor was used as the dependent variable to construct a linear regression function.ResultsAll eyes were active CMVR, with lesions ranging from 1 to 264 optic disc diameters, with a median of 43 optic disc diameters. Among 31 eyes, 30 eyes (96.8%, 30/31) had a median aqueous CMV-DNA load of 1.3×104 copies/ml, and one eye was negative for CMV-DNA in aqueous humor. In 19 patients who underwent peripheral blood CD4+ T lymphocyte detection, the median CD4+T lymphocytes were 18 cells/μl; 4 cases (21.1%, 4/19) were detected with CMV-DNA load. In the 17 patients who underwent HIV-RNA load testing, the median HIV-RNA load was 4.1×104 copies/ml. The results of correlation analysis showed that the amount of CMV-DNA in aqueous humor was significantly correlated with the size of active fundus lesions (r=0.601, P＜0.001), and was correlated with CD4+ T lymphocytes, CMV-DNA load in blood, and HIV-RNA load. There was no significant correlation between the amounts (r=0.125, 0.202, －0.096; P＞0.05). The regression equation was CMV-DNA load in aqueous humor = 3.38 + 0.01 × active lesion area.ConclusionThe amount of CMV-DNA in the aqueous humor is significantly correlated with the area of fundus active lesions, which can reflect the activity of fundus lesions.
ObjectiveTo compare the clinical manifestations of ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) in adult and children, and to preliminarily explore the role of intraocular fluid detection in the early diagnosis of OT.MethodsA retrospective study. From January 2018 to October 2019, 60 cases of OT patients with 60 eyes diagnosed in the Department of Ophthalmology of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital Affiliated of Capital Medical University were included in the study. The medical history information of patients was collected in parallel with slit-lamp microscopy, indirect ophthalmoscope examination, and canine toxoplasma antibody detection in aqueous or vitreous fluid. Fifty-eight cases underwent visual inspection; 2 cases did not underwent visual inspection, who were children. The visual acuity examination was carried out using the new version of the standard logarithmic visual acuity chart, which was converted into the logarithmic minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity during statistics. According to age, the patients were divided into adult group and child group, with 12 eyes in 12 cases and 48 eyes in 48 cases, respectively. The clinical characteristics and main points of diagnosis and treatment of the two groups of patients were compared and observed. The comparison among the measurement data groups conforming and the normal distribution was performed by the independent t test. The comparison between the measurement data groups of the skewed distribution was performed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. The qualitative data were compared with χ2 test.ResultsAmong the adult group and the child group, 7 (58.3%, 7/12) and 34 (70.8%, 34/48) patients with a clear history of contact with dogs and cats were in the adult group and the child group, respectively. The adult group was significantly lower than the child group, however, there was no different statistical significance (χ2=0.236, P=0.627). At the first visit, the self-reported blurred vision of the adult group and the child group was 10 (83.3%, 10/12) and 22 (45.8%, 22/48) cases, respectively. In the adult group and the child group, 3 (25.0%, 3/12) and 20 (43.5%, 20/46) eyes with logMAR visual acuity greater than 1.85, 8 (66.7%, 8/12) and 22 (45.8%, 22/46) eyes with logMAR visual acuity less than 0.3. The visual acuity of the adult group was better than that of the child group, and the difference was statistically significant (Z=2.162, P=0.031). There was no statistically significant difference in the composition ratio of different clinical types of the two groups of eyes (χ2=1.908, P=0.385). The incidence of inflammation in the anterior segment of the eye in the adult group and the child group were 25.0% (3/12) and 56.3% (27/48), respectively; there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (χ2=3.750, P=0.053). The concentration of antibodies in the vitreous humor of the affected eye in the adult group and the child group was greater than that of aqueous humor. The antibody concentrations of vitreous humor and aqueous humor were 36.51 (22.58) and 19.94 (21.78) U/ml in the children group; 45.95 (56.44) and 32.20 (38.64) U/ml in the adult group. Comparison of antibody concentrations in the vitreous humor and aqueous humor of the affected eyes in the child group showed statistically significant differences (Z=−1.984, P=0.047).ConclusionsCompared with children with OT, adult patients with OT have better vision and mild inflammation or hyperplasia of the vitreous cavity. The detection of antibodies related to toxoplasma in the intraocular fluid is helpful for early diagnosis.
ObjectiveTo study the changes and correlation of cytokines in aqueous humor before and after intravitreal injection of conbercept (IVC) treatment in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).MethodsA prospective clinical study. From March to December 2019, 36 patients (42 eyes) of PDR patients treated with IVC combined with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) (the observation group) and 27 patients (31 eyes) underwent cataract surgery in the same period (control group) in Department of Ophthalmology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine were included in this study. Before PPV 5-7 days, IVC treatment was performed, and the aqueous humor were extracted during IVC and second-stage PPV in the observation group. The aqueous humor was extracted during cataract surgery in the control group. Luminex assay was used to detect VEGF-A, placental growth factor (PLGF), platelet-derived growth factor-AA (PDGF-AA), platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4), IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) cytokine expression. For normally distributed data, the independent sample t test was used for comparison between two independent samples; for non-normally distributed data, the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for comparison between two independent samples. The correlation analysis used Spearman rank correlation test.ResultsBefore IVC treatment, the concentrations of VEGF-A, PLGF, PDGF-AA, ANGPTL4, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1 and ICAM-1 in the aqueous humor of PDR patients were significantly higher than those in the control group (P＜0.05). After IVC treatment, the concentration of VEGF-A in the aqueous humor was significantly lower than that before treatment, and the concentrations of ANGPTL4 and IL-8 were significantly higher than those before treatment (P＜0.05). There were no significant differences in the concentrations of PLGF, PDGF-AA, PDGF-BB, IL-6, IL-1β, MCP-1, ICAM-1 and TNF-α before and after IVC treatment (P＞0.05). Before IVC treatment, the concentration of VEGF-A was positively correlated with PLGF, PDGF-AA, PDGF-BB, ANGPTL4, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1 and TNF-α (P＜0.05).ConclusionsIVC treatment can reduce the concentration of VEGF-A and increase the concentrations of ANGPTL4 and IL-8 in aqueous humor in PDR patients before PPV.
ObjectiveTo analyze the sensitivity and specificity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests in the detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the diagnosis of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), using aqueous humor samples. Methods25 AIDS patients (including 21 men and 4 women) were studied. The age of the patients varied from 24 to 59 years, with an average of (39.2±9.3) years. The CD4+ T cell count was from 1 to 523 cells/μl, with a medium of 40 cells/μl. They were infected with human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)for a period from 15 days to 9 years with a median of 10 months. They were divided into three groups according to the fundus and treatment, including untreated cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR), treated CMVR and control group. There were 10 patients without anti-CMV treatment and 7 patients treated previously with foscarnet or ganciclovir whose eyes were diagnosed CMVR. Control group has 8 patients who had normal fundus or minor retinopathy excluded from CMVR. Approximately 100 μl of aqueous humor was obtained by anterior-chamber paracentesis and PCR was performed in all cases. ResultsThere were CMV DNA in 9 of 10 eyes with untreated CMVR (90.0% sensitivity). Of 7 specimens from eyes with treated CMVR, 3 were CMV PCR positive (42.9% sensitivity). All 8 samples of the control group were negative for CMV DNA, indicating the clinical specificity of our PCR was greater than 99.9% for CMVR. The anterior chamber paracentesis did not cause any complications in our patients except for a patient with subconjunctival hemorrhage. ConclusionsThe assay had an estimated sensitivity of 90.0% in detecting untreated CMVR and a sensitivity of 42.9% in detecting CMVR that had been treated. The specificity of this assay was greater than 99.9%.
Objective To observe the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in aqueous humor of patients with macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). Methods Forty eyes of 40 consecutive patients with macular edema secondary to CRVO (CRVO group) were enrolled in this study. The patients included 25 males and 15 females. The patient age ranged from 38 to 76 years. The control group was 20 patients with senile cataract who underwent phacoemulsification, including 10 males and 10 females. The levels of VEGF165, VEGF165b, IL-6 and MCP-1 in aqueous humor were determined by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. The correlation of VEGF, and IL-6, and MCP-1 were analyzed. Results The median aqueous level of VEGF165, IL-6 and MCP-1 were 1089.0, 165.6, 1253.0 pg/ml respectively in CRVO group, which were higher than the control group's results (168.2, 4.7, 216.4 pg/ml respectively), the differences were statistically significant (Z=-4.549, -6.008, -5.343;P＜0.001). The VEGF165b in CRVO group and control group were 834.0, 915.9 pg/ml respectively, the difference was not statistically significant (Z=-0.207，P＞0.05). The ratio of VEGF165b to VEGF165 in CRVO group and control group were 2.71, 7.28 respectively, the difference was statistically significant (t=-3.007，P＜0.05). There was a highly positive correlation between IL-6 and VEGF in CRVO group (r=0.526,P=0.001) and also mild positive correlation in control group (r=0.425，P=0.070). No correlation between MCP-1 and VEGF was observed in both groups (CRVO group: r=0.211,P＞0.05. Control group: r=-0.019,P＞0.05). Conclusions VEGF165, IL-6 and MCP-1 levels were increased in CRVO patients while the VEGF165b was normal. The ratio between VEGF165b and VEGF165 in aqueous humor of patients with macular edema secondary to CRVO was decreased.