The TG mice established herein will be valuable as a novel model of severe insulin-dependent diabetes accompanied by an early progression of diabetic micro-vascular complications.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in vitreous and serum samples, analyze the ratio, and compare among proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) subgroups. Patients and Methods: This study included 17 eyes of patients with PDR, identified as the PDR group which was divided into three subgroups (vitreous hemorrhage [VH], VH with fibrotic tissues, and tractional retinal detachment), and five control eyes (nucleus and intraocular lens drop). Vitreous and serum samples were obtained on the same day. The VEGF-A and PDGF-AB concentrations were calculated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results: The VEGF-A and PDGF-AB concentrations in vitreous samples were significantly higher in the PDR group (630.72 ± 342.81 pg/mL) compared with those in the control group (153.58 ± 145.85 pg/mL); however, they were not detected in serum samples. The vitreous/ serum ratio of the VEGF-A concentration in the PDR group (2.1 ± 1.8) was significantly higher compared with that in the control group (0.31 ± 0.33). The VEGF-A concentrations in vitreous samples were highest in the VH group and lowest in the VH with fibrotic tissue subgroup (mean difference 536.16 pg/mL). The vitreous VEGF-A/PDGF-AB concentration ratios were also significantly different among the PDR subgroups. Conclusion: High concentrations of VEGF and PDGF in vitreous samples of PDR eyes indicate its local related activity in PDR pathology. There is a possibility of PDGF involvement in the pathogenesis of PDR. The VEGF/PDGF concentration ratios possibly play a significant role in the formation of fibrotic tissue in PDR.

Since coronavirus disease 2019 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, it has become a challenging situation to continue medical education, including in Indonesia. The situation prohibited face-to-face (direct) educational activities in clinical settings, therefore also postponing examinations involving especially procedural skills. Adaptations were urgently needed to maintain the delivery of high-stake examinations to sustain the number of ophthalmology graduates and the continuation of eye health service. Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has been one of our widely used method to assess clinical competencies for ophthalmology residents, and is the one method that involves gatherings, close contact of examiners, examinees and patients, therefore the most difficult to adjust. Pandemic challenges brought technical changes in our delivering the OSCE to online, maximizing digital platforms of meetings, while still concerned to guarding the safety of candidates, patients and staffs. OSCE scenarios were also made as timely efficient as possible by changing continuous station models to a cascade one. The purpose of this article is to document our experience in conducting a feasible and reproducible OSCE in this pandemic era filled with limitations.

Background: Myopia is a condition in which the visual images come to a focus in front of the retina of the eye. This disease is a major cause of visual disability, which presents in 108 million persons globally. Purpose: This study aims to determine the relationship between the degree of myopia, the axial length, and the choroidal thickness (CT). Methods: This is an observational analytical study that made use of a cross-sectional design. A total of 59 participants with refractive errors underwent treatment at Hasanuddin University Hospital and 116 eyes were measured and analyzed. The choroidal thickness was measured using the Enhance Depth Imaging OCT (EDI-OCT) tool, which is divided into nine observational areas. Furthermore, all data obtained were compared using statistical analysis, such as the one-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation test (p < 0.05). Results: There was a significant relationship between the choroidal thickness with axial length (p < 0.05) and myopia degrees (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The thickness of the choroid decreases with an increase in the axial length and degree of myopia, which further indicates that the higher the myopia degree, the thinner the choroidal vasculature.

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Introduction. This study aimed to assess vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) levels within vitreous and blood serum samples of patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and their relationship to the development of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). Methods. Seventeen eyes of patients with RRD were included in the RRD group and divided into three subgroups: RRD without PVR, RRD with PVR grades A and B, and RRD with PVR grade C. Five control eyes (nucleus and intraocular lens drop) were included in this study. Blood serum and vitreous samples were collected during vitrectomy. VEGF-A and PDGF-AA levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. The mean vitreous VEGF-A level in the RRD group was 131.71 ± 58.25 pg/mL, and the mean vitreous PDGF-AA level was 174.62 ± 65.17 pg/mL. Both levels were significantly higher in the RRD group compared with the control group ( p < 0.05 ). Vitreous VEGF-A and PDGF-AA levels were the highest in RRD with PVR grade C subgroup, with mean levels of 179.87 ± 21.02 pg/mL and 229.44 ± 14.09 pg/mL, respectively ( p < 0.05 ). The vitreous VEGF-A/PDGF-AA ratios in the RRD subgroups were completely different. Conclusion. Based on the tendency of VEGF-A and PDGF-AA levels, RRD surgery has to be performed as soon as possible prior to retinal cell death and membrane proliferative formation.

Objectives Pterygium is a fibrovascular external ocular mass that grows from the conjunctiva into the cornea. The effect of subconjunctival injection of triamcinolone and bevacizumab has been inadequately investigated worldwide. This study aims to analyse the expression of IL-1 after the injection of triamcinolone and bevacizumab subconjunctiva. Methods All patients are randomized into three groups: the triamcinolone, bevacizumab group, and placebo groups, with 5 patients in each in group. All subjects are injected subconjunctivally one week before surgery, and then surgery is performed with the autograft technique. The main outcome measures include changes in the IL-1 mRNA expression between the triamcinolone, bevacizumab, and placebo groups. Results All samples are completed after one month of follow-up. The changes in blood levels of mRNA IL-1 expression are as follows: 4.81 ± 0.52 in the bevacizumab group, 3.40 ± 2.63 in the triamcinolone group, and 1.08 ± 1.48 in the placebo group ( p = 0.04). In the comparison between groups, there is a significant effect between the bevacizumab and placebo groups, 3.73 ± 1.12 ( p = 0.00), with no significant effect in the triamcinolone group, 1.40 ± 1.12 ( p = 0.06). Conclusion The subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab and triamcinolone before surgery is effective in suppressing inflammation in pterygium .

Introduction: A long-term diabetic retinopathy will cause an increase in several growth factors expression like Transforming Growth Factor β (TGF-β). This multipotent cytokine is involved in the process of endothelial cell proliferation. Therefore, this study aims to observe the relationship between TGF-β1 levels in serum and vitreous fluid of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR) patients given Pan Retinal Photocoagulation (PRP) laser therapy. Method: This was a cross-sectional study involving 14 patients with PDR. TGF-β1 levels of vitreous and peripheral blood were measured using Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS software for Windows ver. 23.0 for Mann-Whitney and the Spearman correlation test. Results: Our subjects consisted of 57.1% males with a mean age of 51.8 years, where dyslipidemia was the most common comorbid disease. Mean serum TGF-β1 level was 12,821.43 ± 5,253.16 pg/ml, while the mean value in vitreous was 3,692.86 ± 333.89 pg/ml. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in serum and vitreous TGF-β1 levels between subjects with and without PRP laser therapy (p>0.05). Conclusion: There was no significant correlation between TGF-β1 levels in proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients with and without panretinal photocoagulation laser therapy. However, there was a decreasing trend in TGF-β1 levels in the vitreous fluid, indicating that PRP laser therapy has a positive effect on preventing the formation of neovascularization in the eye.