Background. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of impaired vision in patients with diabetes mellitus. An adaptive optics retinal camera (rtx1™; Imagine Eyes, France) was used to capture images of cones and retinal arteries from patients with DR. Objective. Cone parameters (density, interphotoreceptor distance, and regularity) and retinal artery parameters (wall thickness, lumen diameter, WLR, and WCSA) were analyzed in 36 patients with nonproliferative DR (NPDR; 22 with mild NPDR and 14 with moderate NPDR) and in 20 healthy volunteers (the control group). Results. Cone density at 2° eccentricities was significantly lower in the DR compared to the control group (19822±4342 cells/mm2 vs. 24722±3507 cells/mm2, respectively). Cone density and regularity decreased with increasing severity of DR. The artery walls were significantly thicker in the DR group. The WLR and WCSA differed significantly between the DR and the control groups (WLR 0.339±0.06 vs. 0.254±0.04; WCSA 5567±1140 vs. 4178±944, respectively). Conclusions. Decreased cone regularity and density are seen in patients with mild and moderate NPDR. Abnormalities of retinal arterioles show signs of arteriolar dysfunction in DR. Retinal image analysis with the rtx1 offers a novel noninvasive measurement of early changes in the neural cells and retina vasculature in diabetic eyes.

Animal studies using tests and models have demonstrated that magnesium exerts an antidepressant effect. The literature contains few studies in humans involving attempts to augment antidepressant therapy with magnesium ions. The purpose of our study was to assess the efficacy and safety of antidepressant treatment, in combination with magnesium ions. A total of 37 participants with recurrent depressive disorder who developed a depressive episode were included in this study. As part of this double-blind study, treatment with the antidepressant fluoxetine was accompanied with either magnesium ions (120 mg/day as magnesium aspartate) or placebo. During an 8-week treatment period, each patient was monitored for any clinical abnormalities. Moreover, serum fluoxetine and magnesium levels were measured, and pharmaco-electroencephalography was performed. The fluoxetine + magnesium and fluoxetine + placebo groups showed no significant differences in either Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) scores or serum magnesium levels at any stage of treatment. Multivariate statistical analysis of the whole investigated group showed that the following parameters increased the odds of effective treatment: lower baseline HDRS scores, female gender, smoking, and treatment augmentation with magnesium. The parameters that increased the odds of remission were lower baseline HDRS scores, shorter history of disease, the presence of antidepressant-induced changes in the pharmaco-EEG profile at 6 h after treatment, and the fact of receiving treatment augmented with magnesium ions. The limitation of this study is a small sample size.

The anatomic structures of the anterior segment of the eye enable correct reception of stimuli by the retina, which contains receptors that receive light impulses and transmit them to the visual cortex. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the size of the sampling window in an adaptive optics (AO) flood-illumination retinal camera (rtx1) on cone density measurements in the eyes of healthy individuals and to investigate the differences in cone density and spacing in different quadrants of the retina. Thirty-three subjects with no ophthalmic or systemic disease underwent a detailed ophthalmologic examination. Photographs of retinal fragments 3 degrees from the fovea were taken using the rtx1 AO retinal camera. We used sampling windows with 3 sizes (50 × 50, 100 × 100, and 250 × 250 μm). Cone density, spacing, and shape were determined using AOdetect software. The median (interquartile range) cone density was 19,269 (4964) cones/mm2. There were statistically significant differences between measurements taken with the 50/50 and 250/250-m windows. There were no significant differences in the cone spacing results between any of the windows examined, but the measurements differed according to location between the superior and temporal quadrants. The most common cone shape was hexagonal (47.6%) for all window sizes and locations. These findings may help in the development of a normative database for variation in cone density in healthy subjects and to allow the best window to be chosen for obtain the most correct values for eccentricity measurements of 3 degrees. In our study, the optimal sampling window was 100 × 100 μm.

Purpose. Objective assessment of dry eye disease (DED) severity and ocular inflammation using the InflammaDry® test for extracellular matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and the impact of antiglaucoma eye drops in people with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods. Overall, 90 adults (180 eyes) were included: 60 had been diagnosed with POAG and were treated with prostaglandin analogue monotherapy and 30 were suspected of having POAG but did not receive any treatment (control group). Of those treated with prostaglandin eye drops, 30 received a preservative-free formulation (tafluprost) and 30 were treated with a formulation containing the preservative benzalkonium chloride (BAK) (latanoprost). Measurement of extracellular MMP-9 levels (InflammaDry test) provided a marker for ocular surface inflammation. Further assessments of disease severity and inflammation comprised Goldmann applanation tonometry for intraocular pressure (IOP), Schirmer’s test with anesthesia, ocular surface staining with unpreserved fluorescein (Oxford scale index), tear breakup time (TBUT), McMonnies questionnaire, and the Ocular Surface Disease index (OSDI). Results. Clinically significant MMP-9 levels (>40 ng/mL) were detected in tear film from 46.7% of subjects treated with BAK-containing medication. In contrast, only 16.7% of subjects treated with preservative-free medication or untreated individuals demonstrated similar MMP-9 levels. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). MMP-9 results correlated with other indicators of inflammation and disease severity. BAK-containing medication was associated with rapid TBUT (<5 seconds) in 50% of cases, while only 10% of untreated subjects and individuals using preservative-free medication demonstrated comparable TBUT results. Conclusion. Measurement of ocular surface MMP-9 level provides a useful marker for inflammation and DED in POAG. Use of a preservative-free topical prostaglandin formulation results in lower levels of ocular inflammation, compared with BAK-containing medication.

Background Patients with prediabetes are at risk for diabetes, cardiovascular events, and microvascular complications. The rtx1 (Imagine Eyes, France) permits early detection of changes in the retinal photoreceptors and vessels. Objective Cone parameters and retinal microvasculature were analyzed with the rtx1 in 12 prediabetic patients and 22 healthy subjects. The analysis was based on cone density (DM), interphotoreceptor distance (SM), cone packing regularity, and retinal vessel parameters: wall thickness, lumen diameter (LD), wall-to-lumen ratio (WLR), and cross-sectional area of the vascular wall. Results DM in the prediabetic group was not significantly lower than that in the control group (18,935 ± 1713 cells/mm2 and 19,900 ± 2375 cells/mm2, respectively; p = 0.0928). The LD and WLR means differed significantly between the prediabetic and the control groups (LD 94.3 ± 10.9 versus 101.2 ± 15, p = 0.022; WLR 0.29 ± 0.05 versus 0.22 ± 0.03, p < 0.05). A multivariate regression analysis showed that the WLR was significantly correlated with BMI and total cholesterol. Conclusions Abnormalities found in rtx1 examinations indicated early signs of arteriolar dysfunction, prior to impaired glucose tolerance progressing to diabetes. The rtx1 retinal image analysis offers noninvasive measurement of early changes in the vasculature that routine clinical examination cannot detect.

The use of paracetamol in the last 12 months was associated with a significant dose-dependent increase in the risk of rhinitis and skin allergy symptoms, as demonstrated by the odds ratio. Therefore, frequent paracetamol use may be a risk factor for symptoms of asthma, rhinitis, and skin allergy in the Polish population.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be a serious public health concern and one of the major public health priorities. In 2005, it was estimated that there are 185 million anti-HCV positive people in the world, which constitutes 2.8% of the global population. Our study estimates the anti-HCV seroprevalence in the working age population (15–64 years-old), mostly urban and suburban residents, in Poland from 2004 to 2014. The studied group consisted of 61,805 working-age population representatives whose data were obtained from electronic medical records of an outpatient clinic network operating on a countrywide level. Positive anti-HCV test results were obtained in 957 patients, representing 1.5% of the whole population studied throughout the analysed period. The average age of all anti-HCV positive patients was 36.8 years. Analysis of the data suggests that the proportion of anti-HCV positive patients decreased over the study period (mean positive anti-HCV = -0.0017 × year + 3.3715; R2 = 0.7558). In 2004, positive results were noted among 3.2% of patients undergoing HCV antibody tests, but in 2014, the percentage of patients with a positive result stood at 1.1%. The apparent decrease affected men and women similarly. Our study also provides evidence that screening people born before 1965 could be beneficial.

Background. Overweight and obese patients are at risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and microvascular complications. The rtx1TM (Imagine Eyes, France) is a microscope that allows near histological visualizations of cones and retinal microcirculation. Objective. This study analysed the cones and retinal microvascular changes in a group of 47 healthy women with different BMI values. Participants were divided into 2 groups: the BMI group (28 women with BMI >/25) and the control group (19 lean women with BMI <25). Results. The lumen and diameter of retinal arteries were not significantly different between groups. There were significant differences in the thickness of arteriole walls. The WLR and WCSA values differed significantly between the control and BMI groups (for WLR 0.25 ± 0.03 vs. 0.29 ± 0.03, p < 0.001 ; for WCSA 4136.7 ± 1140.0 vs. 5217.3 ± 944.0, respectively, p < 0.001 ). In healthy eyes, cone density and morphology were not affected by weight. Conclusions. Retinal image analysis with rtx1 offers a novel noninvasive measurement of early changes in retinal vasculature that are not detectable during routine clinical examination. Abnormalities of retinal arterioles found by rtx1™examination should be considered as a strong risk factor for cardiovascular changes resulting from overweight and obesity.