Changed trends of major causes of visual impairment in Sichuan,China from 1987 to 2006

AIM: To study the trends of major causes of visual impairment(VI) in adults in Sichuan,China and evaluate the effect of aging on the trends. ·METHODS: We used data from the National Sample Survey on Disabilities(NSSD) in Sichuan province conducted in 1987 and 2006. The age-adjusted prevalence of major causes of VI and the prevalence stratified by age in each cause were calculated and compared. The association between age and each cause of VI was also analyzed.·RESULTS: Retinal disease increased and became the second leading cause of VI in 2006 while blinding trachoma decreased markedly. Cataract and non-trachomatous corneal diseases were among the leading causes of VI in both years. We found associations between age and causes of VI,with age showing the strongest association with cataract and relatively lower associations with other causes. · CONCLUSION: In the last two decades,dramatic changes occurred in the major causes of VI with significantly increased retinal disease and decreased blinding trachoma. Aging of the population might be an important factor accounting for the changed trends of VI. Understanding the prevalence of VI,its major causes and trends over time can assist in prioritizing and developing effective interventional strategies and monitoring their impact.

Effects of dexamethasone and HA1077 on actin cytoskeleton and β-catenin in cultured human trabecular meshwork cells

AIM：To investigate the effects of dexamethasone（DEX） and 1-（5-isoquinolinesulfonyl）-homopiperazine（HA1077） on actin cytoskeleton and β-catenin in cultured human trabecular meshwork（HTM） cells.METHODS： The HTM cells were separated from human eyeball and cultured in vitro.They were divided into control group,DEX（1×10^-6mol/L） group,HA1077（3×10^-5mol/L）group,and DEX（1×10^-6mol/L） and HA1077（3×10^-5mol/L）group.Actin cytoskeleton and β-catenin in HTM cells of the four groups were examined by immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses.RESULTS： In DEX group,there were reorganization of actin cytoskeleton and formation of cross linked actin networks（CLANs）,which were partially reversed in DEX and HA1077 group.DEX treatment also induced an increased expression of β-catenin,which was obviously reduced in DEX and HA1077 group.Meanwhile,the cultured HTM cells in HA1077 group had lower expression of β-catenin than that in the control group. CONCLUSION： Our results show that HA1077 can reverse the changes of actin organization and expression of β-catenin induced by DEX in cultured HTM cells,suggesting that HA1077 may play an important role in increasing outflow and reducing intraocular pressure.