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Purpose: To investigate the longitudinal changes in myopia from onset to stabilization in school‐aged children with single‐vison lenses (SVLs). Methods: The medical records of patients wearing SVLs with long‐term follow‐up data between 2006 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients who were 6–10 years old at the initial visit and 16 years old at the last assessment were included and analysed. The periods of progression and stabilization of myopia were evaluated by plotting fitted curves of the changes in spherical equivalent (SE). Results: Seven hundred and seventy‐three patients (median initial age 9 years) were accessed over an average of 7 years (IQR, 6–7 years). The initial mean SE was −1.92 ± 1.57 D and increased to −6.05 ± 2.14 D at 16 years old. The average age at myopia stabilization was 14.6 years, and girls slightly stabilized earlier than boys. 73.7% of the 6‐year‐olds and 85.7% of the 7‐year‐olds had high myopia at 16 years old, and the risk decreased each year from 7 to 10 years old. Children who had SE greater than −4 D up to 10 years had 89.0% risk of high myopia at 16 years old. Children with SE between −0.5 D and −2 D still had 34% risk of developing high myopia at 16 years old. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive picture of myopia progression from onset to stabilization in school‐aged children with SVLs in China. All children who have myopia onset below 10 years of age were at risk for high myopia, and children who have myopia onset below 8 years of age require more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To study the longitudinal rehabilitation of binocular visual function in adolescent intermittent exotropia (IXT) after successful surgery and compare the results with those of a normal population. The role of binocular function in ocular alignment stability was also evaluated postoperatively. Methods: In this prospective study, 30 adolescents with IXT successfully corrected after 1 month were followed for 12 months, and 30 children with normal vision were enrolled as controls. Stereopsis, the fusional vergence amplitude, sensory fusion, and accommodative flexibility were measured to assess binocular function at baseline and 6 and 12 months postoperatively. The controls were tested once when they were enrolled in the study. Results: The deviation was −32.00 ± 8.60 prism diopters (PD) at distance fixation and −36.0 ± 9.10 PD at near fixation preoperatively with an average correction of 28.53 ± 3.79 PD and 30.67 ± 1.34 PD at 1 month postoperatively. Distance stereoacuity and near stereoacuity improved from 1 to 12 months postoperatively (p = 0.025 and p = 0.041, respectively). Compared with the controls, the fusional convergence reserve at distance (p = 0.025) and near (p = 0.033) fixations and fusion reserve ratio at distance (p = 0.000) and near (p = 0.000) fixations remained subnormal, whereas sensory fusion (p = 0.237), distance stereopsis (p = 0.120), and the fusional divergence amplitude at a distance (p = 0.168) were normal. However, no significant correlations were found between binocular functions at 1 month postoperatively and the postoperative drift. Conclusion: Binocular function significantly improved from before to after successful corrective surgery and continued to improve from 1 to 12 months postoperatively in adolescents with IXT. No significant correlations were found between binocular functions at 1 month postoperatively and ocular alignment stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To determine if the abnormal macular microvasculature in hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia changes after occlusion therapy, and to discover if the macular microvasculature influences the efficacy of amblyopic treatment. Materials and Methods. Twenty-two children with hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia (median, 8 years old) were enrolled along with 66 healthy controls of similar age and gender distribution. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was determined, and macular vessel density in the superficial and deep capillary plexuses (SCPs and DCPs, respectively) was measured by optical coherence tomography angiography before and after refractive correction and occlusion therapy. Changes in BCVA and macular SCP and DCP vessel density were measured after amblyopia treatment of 7.5 ± 4.4 months. Results. The amblyopic baseline BCVA, logMAR 0.42 ± 0.27, improved to logMAR 0.18 ± 0.18 in 14 patients (64%) after amblyopia treatment (P < 0.001). In 8 patients (36%), there was no improvement in the BCVA. In amblyopic eyes with improved BCVA, the SCP density tended to increase in each parafoveal quadrant, while it tended to decrease in all quadrants of the fellow eyes. For patients in whom BCVA did not improve, the macular SCP vessel density tended to decrease in all quadrants of the amblyopic and fellow eyes. The posttreatment difference in SCP vessel density between amblyopic and fellow eyes was not significant. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that older age and greater foveal SCP vessel density were negatively correlated with BCVA improvement (P < 0.018 and P < 0.036 , respectively). Conclusions. Macular vessel density tends to increase in anisometropic amblyopic eyes after successful treatment. Younger age and lower SCP macular density are predictive of a greater therapeutic effect of occlusion therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To create a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of ocular anterior segment for primary angle closure diseases (PACD) and assess the aqueous humour (AH) dynamics in different angle closure ranges (ACRs)., Methods: The ocular anterior segment geometry was obtained from an optical coherence tomography image by SOLIDWORKS. Three different angle opening distance at 750 µm from the scleral spur (AOD750) values were established to mimic three widths of anterior chamber angle. The AH dynamics were modelled using the Navier-Stokes equation. The 3D CFD model of the ocular anterior segment was created in COMSOL Multiphysics. The major outcome was the maximum flow velocity (MFV) and pressure in the ocular anterior segment. An in vitro simulation model was used to validate the computational results of the pressure and ACRs., Results: The MFV and pressure both showed a non-linear association with ACR in the CFD models of PACD. The MFV and pressure started to elevate when ACR was larger than 180°, and increased dramatically when the ACR was larger than 270°. The in vitro experiment of the pressure changes was consistent with the CFD model. No significant differences of the MFV and pressure among the three AOD750 models., Conclusions: The association among the ACR, MFV and pressure is an ascending curve in PACD, and ACR of 180° and 270° are two critical turning points. Our results are consistent with clinical phenomenon and may be used to provide better guidances for the clinical management of PACD in different stages., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Purpose: We have demonstrated that the depth of unbalanced interocular suppression can be quantified by balancing the interocular luminance differences required when both eyes are viewing simultaneously. In this study, we aimed to investigate the applicability of this method in children with intermittent exotropia (IXT), offering a quantitative assessment of interocular suppression in individuals with binocular imbalance. Additionally, we evaluated its association with the clinical characteristics of IXT., Methods: Interocular suppression in IXT was quantitatively measured using a polarizer and neutral-density (ND) filters. The density of the ND filter was adjusted incrementally from 0.3ND to 3ND, with a step size of 0.3ND (a total of 10 levels). Our prospective study involved 46 patients with IXT (mean age: 10.12 ± 4.89 years; mean ± SD) and 24 normal observers (mean age: 7.88 ± 1.83 years)., Results: The suppression test exhibited good test-retest reliability, supported by statistical analysis. We observed more pronounced interocular suppression in individuals with IXT compared to controls. Notably, the magnitude of suppression during distant and near viewing significantly differed in IXT (1.55 ± 0.93 vs. 0.57 ± 0.64; Z  = 4.764, p  < 0.001). Furthermore, we identified a positive correlation between interocular suppression and data obtained from the Worth-4-Dot test. Additionally, interocular suppression showed a significant association with distance control scores., Conclusion: Our novel test offers a convenient and reliable means to quantify interocular suppression in patients with IXT. The quantitative assessment of interocular suppression provides a sensitive tool to evaluate the clinical characteristics of IXT., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors JZ and XY declared that they were editorial board members of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2023 Chen, Jiang, Liu, Zhou, Chen, Sun, Liang, Lou, Yu and Qu.)

Purpose: To identify the relationship between the increase in axial length (AL) and height in school-age children and explore the influence of refractive status on such a relationship., Methods: In this 5-year cohort study, 414 Chinese children (237 boys) aged 6-9 years (mean 7.12) underwent measurements annually. AL was measured using the Lenstar; height with the children standing, without shoes; and refraction using subjective refraction without cycloplegia. Participants were divided according to the refractive status: persistent emmetropia, persistent myopia, and newly developed myopia. The measurement time points of the persistent emmetropia and persistent myopia groups were marked as T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 , and T 5 . The time of myopia onset in the newly developed myopia group was marked as t 0 ; the preceding time points were marked as t -1 , t -2 , and so on, and the succeeding as t 1 , t 2 , and so on. The association between increase in AL and height was analyzed using simple correlation analysis., Results: The mean changes in AL, height, and refraction were 1.39 mm, 23.60 cm, and -1.69 D, respectively, over 5 years in all children. The increase in AL and height were positively correlated for T 1 ~T 2 , T 1 ~T 3 , T 1 ~T 4 , and T 1 ~T 5 ( r = 0.262, P < 0.001; r = 0.108, P = 0.034; r = 0.165, P = 0.001; r = 0.174, P = 0.001, respectively). The changes in AL and height in the newly developed myopia group were significantly correlated ( r = 0.289, P = 0.009) after myopia onset ( t 0 ~ t 2 )., Conclusion: The increase in AL and height were positively correlated, especially in the newly developed myopia group after myopia onset. Thus, when children grow quickly, AL elongation should be monitored., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Tao, Wang, Peng, Xu, Wan, Lou and Yu.)

Purpose: To quantify retinal vascular density in amblyopic children and to investigate the relationship between superficial and deep retinal vessel density and retinal thickness., Method: In this prospective cross-sectional study, 85 amblyopic children (5-12 years) and 66 age-matched control subjects participated at a pediatric ophthalmology clinic. Macular vessel densities of the superficial and deep capillary plexuses (SCP, DCP, respectively) and retinal thickness were measured by clinical optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA). Vessel density and retinal thickness were compared between amblyopic groups and the control group, and correlations among these two variables were analyzed., Results: Of the 85 amblyopic children, 52 children had anisometropic amblyopia, 16 had strabismic amblyopia, and 17 had bilateral amblyopia. The foveal and parafoveal macular vessel density in the SCP was lower in amblyopic than control children (P ≤ 0.008). Compared to strabismic and bilateral amblyopias, anisometropic amblyopia SCP differed the most from controls (P ≤ 0.005). Macular vessel density in the DCP of amblyopic children was similar to controls. Multiple linear regression analyses showed SCP vessel density was positively correlated with inner retinal thickness in the fovea (P < 0.001) and in the temporal, nasal, and inferior quadrants of the parafovea (P ≤ 0.008)., Conclusions: Macular vessel density is decreased in anisometropic amblyopia, and to a lesser extent, the other amblyopias. Retinal small vessel density was correlated with the thickness of the macular inner retina. The causality of retinal change (i.e., whether it is primary or secondary to the onset of amblyopia) has not yet been determined.

Sperm morphology displays a potential impact on sperm function and may ultimately impact reproductive function. Current studies have investigated the correlation between sperm morphology with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) but have shown inconsistent results. Hence, we systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI databases, as well as the Cochrane Library for studies that examined the association between sperm morphology and unexplained RSA. Fifteen studies were identified, including 883 cases and 530 controls. Our meta-analysis results indicated that the percentage of normal sperm morphology from men with RSA partners was significantly lower than those from normal controls(SMD [95% CI]: - 0.60 [-0.81, -0.40]; P<0.00001) and the percentage of sperm morphologic alterations was significantly higher in patients with RSA compared with the control group (SMD [95% CI]: 0.92 [0.42, 1.43]; P=0.0004). The present study suggested that the percentage of normal sperm morphology may indeed decrease in men from RSA group compared with controls. However, there were some limitations in the study such as the differences in stain techniques and classification criteria. Further evidences are needed to better elucidate the relationship between sperm morphology and unexplained RSA., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Aim of the Study: We measured the impact of changing KLK6 expression levels on the pathological grade of gliomas and on proliferation rate, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis in the U251 glioblastoma cell line., Material and Methods: The expression of KLK6 in 35 brain glioma tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues was measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the relationship between KLK6 expression and pathological grades was analysed., Results: The KLK6 expression in U251 cells was silenced by a specific siRNA, and the effects on proliferation, the cell cycle, and apoptosis were compared to wild type cells. Expression of KLK6 was downregulated in gliomas relative to matched noncancerous tissue. There was no obvious relationship between patient sex, pathological grade, or tumour classification and the expression of KLK6. In the U251 cell line, cell proliferation was enhanced and the fractions of cells in the G2 and S phases were increased by siRNA-mediated KLK6 silencing., Conclusions: Expression of KLK6 inhibits tumour growth. Decreased KLK6 expression may be a possible risk factor for glioma.