锌和抗氧化剂治疗年龄相关性黄斑变性的临床分析

目的探讨分析锌和抗氧化剂对年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）的影响。方法以城市人群为基础的98例2008～2010年在本院及合作医院确诊为AMD的患者,早期病例70眼,晚期病例30眼。随机分为两组：一组指导其辅助饮食治疗和药物治疗;另一组自然饮食习惯。运用眼底照相及眼底血管造影记录观察、随诊2年。结果早期病例70眼中,实验组32眼有改善,对照组20眼无变化;晚期病例30眼中实验组5眼有改善,对照组3眼无变化。黄斑病变早期改善率显著高于晚期病变（P〈0.05）。结论提高锌及抗氧化剂（维生素C、维生素E、β胡萝卜素及叶黄素）的摄入,可使早期AMD眼的病变进展显著延缓。     

高血压和视网膜动脉硬化与年龄相关性黄斑变性调查

目的 研究高血压、视网膜动脉硬化与年龄相关性黄斑变性发病的相关性.方法 前瞻性系列病例研究.收集296名体检患者的临床资料,包括全身和眼部的诊治详情.按性别不同,分别统计高血压、视网膜动脉硬化、年龄相关性黄斑变性的发病率,分析高血压、视网膜动脉硬化与年龄相关性黄斑变性之间的相关性.结果 高血压患者中并发年龄相关性黄斑变性的发病率明显高于血压正常人年龄相关性黄斑变性的发病率(x2=15.72,P＜ 0.01);视网膜动脉硬化患者中年龄相关性黄斑变性的发病率也显著高于无视网膜动脉硬化者的年龄相关性黄斑变性的发病率(x2=23.74,P＜0.01),两组对照相比差异有统计学意义.高血压的程度与年龄相关性黄斑变性的发病率呈正相关关系(F=0.743,P＜0.05).结论 高血压、视网膜动脉硬化与年龄相关性黄斑变性三者之间关联紧密,高血压、视网膜动脉硬化可能是年龄相关性黄斑变性发病的危险因素之一.     

State-of-the art pharmacotherapy for non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness among the elderly in the industrialized world. While effective treatment is available for neovascular AMD, no therapy is successful for the non-neovascular form. Herein, the authors report the current knowledge on non-neovascular AMD pathogenesis and the promising research on treatments.     

白内障摘除术患者术后5年老年性黄斑变性发病情况研究

目的 研究白内障摘除术患者术后5年手术眼与对侧眼老年性黄斑变性(AMD)发病情况.方法 选取2004-2006年在仙居县人民医住院行单眼白内障摘除术的患者221例,随访60个月以上,比较患者手术眼与对侧眼AMD发病情况.结果 共有132例完成随访,随访率为59.70％.白内障摘除术后3个月患者脱残率为80.30％ (106/132),脱盲率为99.20％ (131/132).术后5年手术眼AMD总发病22例(16.67％),对侧眼总发病20例(15.15％),差异无统计学意义(x2 =0.11,P＞0.05).其中轻度AMD的OR值为1.092,95％ CI 0.479～2.492;中度AMD的OR值为1.187,95％ CI 0.387～3.644;重度AMD的OR值为1.188,95％ CI 0.387～3.647;总AMD的OR值为1.120,95％ CI 0.579 ～2.167.结论 白内障摘除术患者术后5年手术眼与对侧眼AMD发病情况差异无统计学意义,白内障摘除术不是患者术后5年AMD发病的危险因素.     

Investigation of vascular endothelial dysfunction in the patients with age-related macular degeneration

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cardiovascular disease by using the noninvasive flow-mediated dilation (FMD) test to show endothelial dysfunction as an indicator of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Method: Participants in this study included 30?dry AMD patients, 30 wet AMD patients, and 30 healthy controls without any systemic disease, including AMD. FMD and the intima media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery were compared between the groups.

Results: Comparison of FMD between the groups showed a 10.96% brachial artery dilation in the healthy controls, 3.99% in the dry AMD group, and 5.03% in the wet AMD group. While a significant difference was not observed between the wet and dry AMD groups, comparison of the control group to the wet and dry AMD groups yielded a significant difference. When brachial artery dilation below 7% was accepted as an abnormal FMD, 26.7% of the healthy controls, 66.7% of the dry AMD patients and 76.7% of the wet AMD patients were found to be abnormal. Similarly, while no significant difference was observed between the wet and dry AMD groups, comparison of the control group with the wet and dry AMD patients yielded a significant difference. When an IMT below 0.7?mm was accepted as abnormal, 26.7% of the healthy controls, 33.3% of the dry AMD, and 43.3% of the wet AMD were found to have an abnormal IMT. However, differences between the groups did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions: In this study, use of the FMD test showed endothelial dysfunction among AMD patients. No significant differences were found between the dry and wet AMD patient groups.     

An update on photodynamic therapy in age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible loss of central vision in people aged > 50 years in the western world. Until recently, the only proven treatment to reduce the risk of vision loss from its more severe neovascular form was laser photocoagulation, but this treatment was suitable for only 15% of cases. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin was recently proposed to be effective in reducing the risk of visual loss for an estimated 20 – 30% of neovascular AMD patients. This review covers AMD epidemiology, the mechanism of PDT, the 2-year results of the two major clinical studies of PDT with verteporfin, the cost-effectiveness of PDT and the current research status of other drugs for PDT in AMD.     

The association of smokeless tobacco use and pack-years of smokeless tobacco with age-related macular degeneration in Indian population

Aim: To explore the association of use versus no use and the influence of pack-year use of smokeless tobacco with that of early and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in rural and urban south Indian population. We hypothesized that the use and pack-years of use would be significantly associated with both early and late AMD. We therefore sought to examine subjects who gave a history of using smokeless tobacco and we quantified the usage as pack-years, to examine the association with that of early and late AMD.

Materials and methods: This was part of Sankara Nethralaya: Rural–Urban Age-related Macular degeneration study (SN-RAM study), which was conducted between 2007 and 2010. Subjects aged 60 years or older or those turning 60 in the present calendar year, with a history of using smokeless tobacco were noted along with duration and number of packs used per day. Smokeless tobacco was defined as chewed-tobacco (loose leaves) and/or snuff (finely chopped tobacco). Subjects underwent detailed ophthalmic evaluation including cataract grading using the Lens Opacities Classification System (LOCS III), 45° 4-field stereoscopic fundus photography and AMD evaluation. Pack-years of smokeless tobacco use was stratified as <15, 15–34 and ≥35 years; the association of tobacco use and pack-years of use with that of early and late AMD was examined. A p value of Results: The number of smokeless tobacco users was significantly higher in rural (n?=?767) than in urban groups (n?=?281), p?p?=?0.756 or that between AMD and no AMD, p?=?0.562. Use of smokeless tobacco compared with no use was significantly associated with late AMD, OR=?3.178, 95%CI: 1.095, 9.227, p?=?0.033, when adjusted for age, gender, rural-urban differences, presence of diabetes, socioeconomic status, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, low-density and high-density lipoprotein levels. The association was not significant for early AMD, p?=?0.582. The pack-years of use did not show a statistically significant association with early or late AMD. Furthermore, out of the 1048 subjects, 547 reported as using areca nut. Of which, 415 (75.8%) subjects had no AMD, 119 (21.7%) showed evidence of early AMD and 13 (2.4%) had late AMD. There was no significant association between the use of areca nut and early AMD, (X² (1, N?=?930)?=?2.345, p?=?0.126) or with that of late AMD (X² (1, N?=?761)?=?0.075, p?=?0.785).

Conclusions: Smokeless tobacco use compared with no use, is associated with late AMD, regardless of the pack-years of use. Tobacco use is a modifiable risk factor. Efforts to reduce or stop the use of smokeless tobacco is indicated in an effort to prevent vision loss with respect to late AMD.     

Triamcinolone acetonide nanoparticles incorporated in thermoreversible gels for age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness in the US affecting millions yearly. It is characterized by intraocular neovascularization, inflammation and retinal damage which can be ameliorated through intraocular injections of glucocorticoids. However, the complications that arise from repetitive injections as well as the difficulty posed by targeting the posterior segment of the eye make this interesting territory for the development of novel drug delivery systems (DDS). In the present study, we described the development of a DDS composed of triamcinolone acetonide-encapsulated PEGylated PLGA nanoparticles (NP) incorporated into PLGA–PEG–PLGA thermoreversible gel and its use against VEGF expression characteristic of AMD. We found that the NP with mean size of 208?±?1.0?nm showed uniform size distribution and exhibited sustained release of the drug. We also demonstrated that the polymer can be injected as a solution and transition to a gel phase based on the biological temperature of the eye. Additionally, the proposed DDS was non-cytotoxic to ARPE-19 cells and significantly reduced VEGF expression by 43.5?±?3.9% as compared to a 1.53?±?11.1% reduction with triamcinolone. These results suggest the proposed DDS will contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for AMD.     

Anti-VEGF agents for age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of legal blindness in the elderly in the industrialized world and the third major cause of blindness around the globe. Although neovascular AMD is less prevalent than atrophic AMD, it accounts for most cases with severe visual loss from AMD. VEGF seems to be a key contributary factor in the pathophysiology underlying neovascular AMD. Until recently, treatment options for neovascular AMD were limited. With the recent development of anti-VEGF therapies that have demonstrated efficacy in studies with broad eligibility criteria, the repertoire of treatments for neovascular AMD has been significantly expanded to now include the various recognized angiographic lesion subtypes. To discuss recent anti-VEGF agents in the management of AMD. Although therapy with anti-VEGF agents is the gold standard with promising results, many intravitreal injections are often required, and they do not cure all cases of wet AMD. With the recent advances in the medical therapy of exudative AMD, there is reason to be optimistic about future management of AMD as well.     

New therapeutic targets in atrophic age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries. There is no effective treatment for the most prevalent atrophic (dry) form of AMD. Atrophic AMD is triggered by abnormalities in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) that lies beneath the photoreceptor cells and normally provides critical metabolic support to these light-sensing cells. Secondary to RPE dysfunction, macular rods and cones degenerate leading to the irreversible loss of vision. Oxidative stress, formation of drusen, accumulation of lipofuscin, local inflammation and reactive gliosis represent the pathologic processes implicated in pathogenesis of atrophic AMD. This review discusses potential target areas for small-molecule and biologic intervention, which may lead to development of new therapeutic treatments for atrophic AMD.