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Marcelo Ayala,1–3 Filip Cuklev41Eye Department, Skaraborg Hospital, Skövde, Sweden; 2Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden; 3Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden; 4TATAA Biocenter, Gothenburg, SwedenBackground: Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy associated with visual field loss. There are different types of glaucoma, among them exfoliative glaucoma. Glaucoma can present as unilateral or bilateral. The present study aimed to show the association between gene expression and exfoliation in unilateral glaucoma cases.Methods: Included patients were suffering from exfoliative glaucoma in one eye, meanwhile the other eye was healthy and used as a control. Lens capsule and conjunctival biopsies were taken from both eyes. Gene expression was analyzed.Results: Both groups were completely different at baseline regarding intraocular pressure, visual acuity before the operation, visual field damage, optic nerve damage, etc. As for gene expression, the only significant difference was found in CYP1B1 from lens capsules. None of the other genes studied showed differential expression in either lens capsules or conjunctival biopsies.Conclusion: No difference in gene expression was found between eyes with and without exfoliative glaucoma. Exfoliative glaucoma seems to be a bilateral disease, though the phenotype is not always clinically present.Keywords: exfoliation, glaucoma, gene expression, unilateral

Marcelo Ayala,1 Johanna Karlsson2 1Eye Department, Skaraborg Hospital, Skövde, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University and Karolinska Institute, 2Faculty of Medicine, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden Introduction: Measurements of intraocular pressure (IOP) with Goldmann applanation tonometry are affected by central corneal thickness (CCT), as thinner corneas underestimate and thicker corneas overestimate the true IOP value. The literature is controversial regarding CCT values in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and exfoliation glaucoma (XFG). The aim of this study was to evaluate CCT in patients with XFG and POAG.Methods: CCT was evaluated with optical coherence tomography (OCT). All participants who were previously diagnosed with either POAG or XFG underwent ophthalmological examinations. Contact lens users and patients with corneal diseases were excluded.Results: Totally, 145 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean CCT was 535±30.4 µm in patients with POAG and was 536±33.7 µm in patients with XFG. The result was not statistically significant (P=0.98). The mean age for all participants was 73.8±7.7 years. The study included totally 61 women and 84 men. The two groups were similar in their demographic data, and mean deviation was the only parameter that differed statistically when comparing POAG with XFG (P=0.02).Conclusion: Our data indicate that patients with XFG do not have thinner corneas than those with POAG, and therefore, CCT can not explain why they progress differently. Keywords: primary open-angle glaucoma, exfoliative glaucoma, central corneal thickness, optical coherence tomography

Marcelo Ayala, Enping ChenGlaucoma Department, St Erik Eye Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SwedenBackground and objective: The aim of the present study was to compare intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction and inflammation after selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) treatment in patients suffering from primary open angle (POAG) vs pseudoexfoliative (PXFG) glaucoma.Study design/patients and methods: Sixty patients (60 eyes) participated in the study. Glaucoma patients (POAG or PXFG) scheduled for treatment with SLT were included. Inflammation was measured with a laser flare meter (Kowa FM-500). Measurements were made before SLT and 2 hours, 1 week, and 1 month after SLT treatment. IOP was also checked at the same time intervals.Results: Inflammation after SLT showed no significant difference between the groups (t-test, before: P = 0.16; 2 hours: P = 0.14; 1 week: P = 0.12; and 1 month: P = 0.36). IOP reduction was the same in both groups (t-test, P = 0.27).Conclusion: SLT safely reduces IOP in both POAG and PXFG. Pseudoexfoliation does not seem to be a risk factor for post-laser complications.Keywords: glaucoma, pseudoexfoliation, laser, inflammation, intraocular pressure

Mathematical skills significantly predict students' educational paths. Mathematical achievement varies depending on the student's socioeconomic status (SES). However, the extent of the SES gap for specific mathematical skills remains unclear. In this cross-sectional study, we examined age variations by SES in three mathematical skills, applied problem-solving, arithmetic fluency, and written calculations, among students aged 7–12 in a socioeconomically segregated educational context. The contributions of the home environment and schools on SES gaps were also explored. The analytical sample comprised 10,665 students (49.2% girls, Mage = 10.1, SD = 1.3 years, 13.4% from Indigenous ethnic groups) from the Chilean Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey (Encuesta Longitudinal de Primera Infancia). Linear models revealed SES gaps across the three mathematical tasks at the beginning of primary education. The widest gap was observed in written calculations, which was moderated by the home environment. The findings also showed an exponential increase with age in the SES gap for written calculations and arithmetic fluency. However, for applied problem-solving, the initial gap increased and remained constant. Furthermore, schools accounted for 19%–21% of the variance related to the change of the SES gap in all three mathematical skills. The findings shed some light on the role of the home environment and the schools in maintaining, increasing, or decreasing socioeconomic gaps in specific mathematical skills at different ages. Educational Impact and Implications Statement: This study investigated socioeconomic disparities in student's performance in three mathematical skills across primary education. The findings showed lower mathematical performance for low-socioeconomic status (SES) students than for middle- and high-SES students at the beginning of primary school. The home environment, particularly the verbal and emotional responses of caregivers, and the access to learning materials, significantly reduced the SES gap in mathematics achievement at Age 7. However, the SES gaps in mathematics persisted or increased throughout primary education, underscoring the need for early interventions and increased school involvement to address these disparities effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visible-light photoactive (Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3 (NBT)-based heterojunctions have demonstrated their applicability in environmental remediation. The photocatalytic properties of NBT-based coatings are here reported. NBT-based materials were deposited by oxyacetylene flame spray (FS). The physicochemical properties were analyzed as a function of the spraying parameters: fuel/oxygen ratio (F/O), stand-off distance (SOD), and total gas flow (TF). A flame with reducing characteristics promotes the formation of TiO2 (anatase and rutile) and Bi4Ti3O12, while an oxidizing flame results in coatings rich in NBT and Bi4Ti3O12. The SOD mainly influences the degree of crystallinity, which is higher at shorter distances. Optical properties estimated by UV–VIS diffuse reflectance confirmed an increase in light absorption after the FS process, with an Eg red shift from 3.32 eV of the NBT powder to 2.63-2.96 eV of the coatings. These values are dependent on the F/O, with a significant Eg narrowing under reducing conditions. Photoelectrochemical measurements revealed that faster electron collection is obtained due to the transformations occurring throughout the FS process while still retaining nearly 70 and 88% of the photocurrent density (jph) at UV and visible light, respectively. These results suggest the great potential of the FS methodology to produce multiphase photocatalytic coatings by tuning the processing parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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