Purpose: To evaluate the association between lamina cribrosa depth (LCD) and the severity of glaucomatous damage in patients with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). Methods: The optic nerve heads (ONHs) of patients with bilateral NTG showing asymmetrical damage were scanned using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. LCDs were measured on ONH horizontal B-scan images at three locations equidistant across the vertical optic disc diameter and compared between the more damaged and contralateral eyes. Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed to identify ocular risk factors associated with more severe damage between the eyes. Results: One hundred and four eyes of 52 patients with bilateral NTG were included. The mean age was 66.0 ± 15.0 years; there were 31 males and 21 females. The more damaged eyes exhibited a higher baseline intraocular pressure (IOP) (p < 0.001), a thinner global retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (p < 0.001), and worse visual field mean deviation (p < 0.001) and a pattern standard deviation (p < 0.001), than the contralateral eyes. In contrast, we found no significant inter-eye difference in either the spherical equivalent or the axial length. The average LCD was significantly larger in the more damaged eyes (529.4 ± 116.7 vs. 482.9 ± 107.5 μm, p < 0.001). On conditional logistic regression analysis, the higher the baseline IOP (p = 0.006) and the larger the LCD (p = 0.003), the higher the risk of having more severe damage compared to the contralateral eye under similar systemic conditions. Conclusions The LCD was significantly larger in the more damaged eyes of patients with bilateral NTG, suggesting that LC deformation might be associated with glaucomatous ONH damage in NTG eyes.

INTRODUCTIONDiabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disorder in humans, and its incidence is increasing rapidly worldwide. Although polyunsaturated fatty acids have beneficial effects on diabetes mellitus, previous data regarding the possible positive effects of n-3 fatty acids on glycaemic indices were inconclusive. We conducted a double-blind randomised clinical trial to determine the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, on overweight patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODSThis double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial was conducted on a total of 67 overweight patients with T2DM for a duration of three months. Of these 67 patients, 32 received 2 g purified EPA daily, while 35 received a placebo of 2 g corn oil daily. The patients' fasting plasma glucose (FPG), serum insulin, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and insulin sensitivity indices were assessed.

RESULTSAfter three months of EPA supplementation, the group that received EPA showed significant decreases in FPG (p < 0.001), HbA1c (p = 0.01) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (p = 0.032), when compared to the placebo group. EPA supplementation resulted in decreased serum insulin levels, with the levels between the EPA and placebo groups showing a significant difference (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONThe results of our study indicate that EPA supplementation could improve insulin sensitivity. It was able to decrease serum insulin, FPG, HbA1c and HOMA-IR. EPA could have beneficial effects on glycaemic indices in patients with T2DM.

Blood Glucose ; drug effects ; Cross-Over Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; drug therapy ; Double-Blind Method ; Eicosapentaenoic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Overweight ; blood ; complications ; Placebos ; Treatment Outcome

Background: and Purpose The association between physical activity and dementia has been shown in various observational studies. We aimed to determine the risk of dementia in the elderly with lower-body fractures. Methods: We reconstructed a population-based matched cohort from the National Health Insurance Service—Senior Cohort data set that covers 511,953 recipients of medical insurance in South Korea. Results: Overall 53,776 subjects with lower-body fractures were identified during 2006–2012, and triplicate control groups were matched randomly by sex, age, and years from the index date for each subject with a fracture. There were 3,573 subjects (6.6%) with and 7,987 subjects (4.9%) without lower-body fractures who developed dementia from 2008 up to 2015. Lowerbody fractures were independently associated with a subsequent dementia diagnosis with a higher adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) (1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.49–1.62) compared with upper-body fractures (aHR=1.19, 95% CI=1.14–1.23). Conclusions These results support the protective role of physical activity against dementia and highlight the importance of promoting fracture prevention in the elderly.