Objective:To assess the diagnostic performance of serum anti-toxocara immunoglobulin G (anti-T-IgG) in ocular toxocariasis (OT) patients.Methods:A diagnostic tests. A total of 109 patients (109 eyes) with clinically-suspected OT who treated in Department of Ophthalmology of Xuzhou First People’s Hospital from June 2015 to December 2022 were included. Patients were divided into two groups, 76 with OT and 33 with non-OT, according to the clinical manifestations and Goldmann-Witmer coefficient. Paired serum and intraocular fluid samples from each patient were collected and analyzed for specific anti-T-IgG using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Mann-Whitney test was performed for comparison between groups. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to assess the diagnostic performance of serum anti-T-IgG. Kappa analysis was performed to examine the consistency of serum or intraocular fluid anti-T-IgG positive rate with OT diagnostic result. Spearman’s rank correlation test was performed to assess the association.Results:Compared with the non-OT group, the proportions of children and history of exposure to cats and dogs ( χ2=9.785, 12.026) were significantly higher in OT group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.01). The positive rate ( χ2=24.551) and U value ( Z=-4.379) of serum anti-T-IgG in OT group were higher than those in non-OT group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.000 1). The recommended serum anti-T-IgG cut-off value of 11 U had 0.72 sensitivity, 0.79 specificity, 0.89 positive predictive value, 0.55 negative predictive value, and 0.77 area under the ROC with 95% confidence interval ( CI) 0.669-0.860. Correlation analysis showed that serum anti-T-IgG was positively correlated with intraocular fluid anti-T-IgG ( r s=0.520, 95% CI 0.363-0.648, P<0.000 1). The Kappa values of serum and intraocular fluid anti-T-IgG positive rate with OT diagnosis were 0.457 (95% CI 0.292-0.622) and 0.711 (95% CI 0.582-0.840), respectively. The Kappa value of serum anti-T-IgG positive rate with OT diagnosis was lower than that of intraocular fluid. Conclusion:The sensitivity and specificity of serum anti-T-IgG and the consistency between serum anti-T-IgG positive rate and OT diagnosis are low, suggesting that serum anti-T-IgG level cannot be used as a basis for OT diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum adipokine expression and insulin resistance in individuals with different degrees of glucose intolerance, and to assess the value of these adipokines in predicting the risk of progression in prediabetes. Methods A total of 114 participants with oral glucose tolerance test were enrolled and divided into three groups based on diagnostic and classification criteria for diabetes: normal glucose tolerance (NGT, n=32), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT, n=46), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, n=36). Serum levels of adiponectin (APN), leptin (LEP) and preadipocyte factor-1 (Pref-1) as well as homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and homeostasis model assessment for pancreatic β-cell function (HOMA-β) were compared among the three groups. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to explore the correlations of serum APN, LEP and Pref-1 levels with HOMA-IR and HOMA-β. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive values of serum APN, LEP and Pref-1 levels for the progression of prediabetes. Results Serum APN levels were significantly lower in the T2DM and IGT groups compared to the NGT group, with further significant reduction observed in the T2DM group compared to the IGT group (P < 0.05); conversely, serum LEP, Pref-1, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postprandial glucose (2 hPG), fasting insulin (FINS), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), triglycerides (TG) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly higher in the T2DM and IGT groups than in the NGT group, with additional significant increases observed in the T2DM group compared to the IGT group (P < 0.05). HOMA-IR was significantly lower in both the T2DM and IGT groups than in the NGT group, with a further significant decrease in the T2DM group compared to the IGT group (P < 0.05). HOMA-β was significantly higher in both the T2DM and IGT groups compared to the NGT group, with a further significant increase in the T2DM group versus the IGT group (P < 0.05). Serum APN level was positively correlated with HOMA-IR (r=0.547, P < 0.05) and negatively correlated with HOMA-β (r=-0.506, P < 0.05); serum LEP and Pref-1 levels were negatively correlated with HOMA-IR (r=-0.325, -0.459, P < 0.05) and positively correlated with HOMA-β (r=0.317, 0.428, P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis revealed optimal cut-off values for serum APN, LEP and Pref-1 levels in predicting the progression of prediabetes were 15.98 mg/L, 4.23 mg/L and 18.85 μg/L, respectively. The combination of these three biomarkers showed a sensitivity of 80.43%, a specificity of 96.87%, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.925. Conclusion Serum levels of APN, LEP and Pref-1 abnormally change in patients with impaired glucose tolerance and are associated with insulin resistance. These adipokines can serve as sensitive indicators for predicting the progression of prediabetes, with higher predictive value when used in combination.

Macular edema(ME)is a typical non-specific complication of uveitis, one of the common causes of visual impairment in patients with non-infectious uveitis(NIU). The treatment of uveitis related ME is still challenging in clinic. Various agents, such as corticosteroids, anti-vascular endothelial growth factors, and immune-modulators, have been used for combating uveitis related ME. However, there is not enough evidence to support the efficacy of any of these agents. Intravitreal dexamethasone implant(IDI, Ozurdex©; Allergan Inc, Irvine, CA)is a widely administered corticosteroid for the long-term management of uveitic ME in certain cases. Recent studies have demonstrated that IDI effectively improves uveitis related ME, and this effect could be sustained for at least six months with close monitoring and retreatment, as needed. Currently, we reviewed major clinical studies about IDI in eyes with NIU and briefly overviewed their results.