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ImportanceThe safety and effectiveness of combining surgical peripheral iridectomy (SPI) with goniosynechialysis (GSL) and goniotomy (GT) vs trabeculectomy for intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction remains unknown.ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and effectiveness at 1 year of SPI + GSL + GT vs trabeculectomy in advanced primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) without cataract.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis noninferiority randomized clinical trial was conducted at 8 tertiary eye centers in China. A total of 88 Chinese patients (88 eyes) with advanced PACG without cataract were enrolled from January 2022 to July 2023. Data were analyzed from August 2024 to September 2024. Mean (SD) patient age was 60.3 (7.3) years, and 52 patients (59.1%) were female. Forty-three patients were randomized to SPI + GSL + GT and 45 were randomized to trabeculectomy; 86 patients (97.7%) completed the 12-month follow-up.InterventionsParticipants were randomized 1:1 to receive SPI + GSL + GT or trabeculectomy.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was IOP at 12 months (noninferior margin: 4 mm Hg). Secondary outcomes included surgical success (IOP: 5-18 mm Hg, ≥20% reduction from baseline, with or without antiglaucoma medications); postoperative complications and interventions, including bleb massage, suture lysis, or releasable sutures; and number of antiglaucomatous medications prescribed.ResultsAt 12 months, the SPI + GSL + GT group had a mean (SD) IOP of 15.6 (4.0) mm Hg vs 14.9 (4.2) mm Hg in the trabeculectomy group (difference, 0.5 mm Hg; 95% CI, −1.2 to 2.2; P = .55), which was within the 4-mm Hg noninferiority margin. Qualified success rates were 38 of 43 participants (88.4%) for SPI + GSL + GT and 42 of 45 participants (93.3%) for trabeculectomy (difference, −5.0%; 95% CI, −19.6% to 8.5%; P = .48). However, complete success rates were lower in the SPI + GSL + GT group (26 participants [60.5%]) vs the trabeculectomy group (37 participants [82.2%]; difference, −21.8%; 95% CI, −40.2% to −2.4%; P = .03). Postoperative complications were present for 8 participants (18.6%) in the SPI + GSL + GT group vs 9 participants (20.0%) in the trabeculectomy group (difference, −1.4%; 95% CI, −17.9% to 15.1%; P = .71). Postoperative interventions were lower in the SPI + GSL + GT group (3 participants [7.0%] vs 25 participants [55.6%]; difference, 48.6%; 95% CI, 32.2%-65.0%; P < .001). Median (IQR) numbers of medications used decreased from 2 (0-3) to 0 (0-1) in the SPI + GSL + GT group and from 2 (2-3) to 0 (0-0) in the trabeculectomy group (difference, −0.81; 95% CI, −1.36 to −0.26; P = .004).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this randomized clinical trial among patients with advanced PACG without cataract, SPI + GSL + GT demonstrated noninferiority (4-mm Hg margin) to trabeculectomy for IOP at 12 months, with fewer interventions (including bleb massage, suture lysis, or releasable sutures) but no difference in postoperative medication use. This suggests SPI + GSL + GT as a potential alternative to trabeculectomy for similar cases, pending validation in larger sample sizes with smaller noninferiority margins.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05163951

ImportanceIntraocular pressure (IOP) reduction with phacogoniotomy (phacoemulsification plus goniosynechialysis plus goniotomy) was not less than that of phacotrabeculectomy for advanced primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) with cataract at 1-year follow-up, but longer-term outcomes are needed.ObjectiveTo investigate if phacogoniotomy is noninferior to phacotrabeculectomy for advanced PACG with cataract at 2 years.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis multicenter, noninferiority, randomized clinical trial took place in 7 ophthalmology centers in China. The trial started May 31, 2021, and 2-year follow-up ended May 31, 2024. Included in this analysis were patients with advanced PACG and cataract. Study data were analyzed from September 2024 to January 2025.InterventionsRandom assignment (1:1) to phacogoniotomy or phacotrabeculectomy.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome measure was reduction in IOP from baseline to the 2-year visit with a noninferiority margin of 4 mm Hg.ResultsA total of 124 participants (124 eyes) were randomized (mean [SD] age, 66.4 [8.6] years; 67 female [54.0%]), 65 (52.4%) to the phacogoniotomy group and 59 (47.6%) to the phacotrabeculectomy group. A total of 59 patients (90.7%) in the phacogoniotomy group and 52 patients (88.1%) in the phacotrabeculectomy group completed 2-year visits. All participants were Chinese. Mean (SD) IOP reduction was −25.6 (10.2) mm Hg and −24.7 (9.4) mm Hg in the phacogoniotomy and phacotrabeculectomy groups, respectively, and the upper boundary of the CI for difference in change between groups was lower than the 4-mm Hg noninferiority margin (mean difference, −0.5 mm Hg; 97.5% CI, −1.7 mm Hg to 0.8 mm Hg; P = .42). The mean difference for complete success for phacogoniotomy vs phacotrabeculectomy was −6.7% (95% CI, −21.4% to 8.8%; P = .47) and for qualified success was 1.4% (95% CI, −11.0% to 14.3%, P = .30). Median (IQR) number of antiglaucomatous medication was 0 (0) vs 0 (0; Hodges-Lehmann estimate of location shift, 0; 95% CI, 0; P =.12) with phacogoniotomy vs phacotrabeculectomy, respectively (mean difference, 0.13; 95% CI, −0.36 to 0.63; P = .60).Conclusions and RelevanceMean IOP reduction with phacogoniotomy was noninferior to phacotrabeculectomy for advanced PACG and cataract at 2-year follow-up with no differences detected in complete or qualified success or mean number of antiglaucomatous medications. These findings support phacogoniotomy as an alternative to phacotrabeculectomy for patients with advanced PACG and cataract.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04878458

ABSTRACT/SUMMARY Purpose Common LOXL1 protein-altering variants are significant genetic risk factors for exfoliation syndrome (XFS) and the related secondary glaucoma (XFG). A rare LOXL1 missense allele was associated with protective effects in a Japanese cohort, suggesting that other rare alleles may also exhibit protective effects. The goal of this study is to assess the contributions of rare LOXL1 variants to XFS/XFG risk in cases and controls from the United States (US). Methods LOXL1 rare variants (minor allele frequency (MAF) < 1%) were identified from Human exome BeadArray (Illumina) data for 1118 XFS/XFG cases and 3661 controls (Mass Eye and Ear (MEE) cohort) and from exome sequence data for 284 cases and 37,499 controls in All of Us (AoU) The distribution of rare variants, haplotypes, and diplotypes was examined using Fisher exact test. Results Four rare LOXL1 missense alleles, more common in controls, were identified in MEE, P= 7.6E-4), and 456 variants identified in AoU were found only in controls (P=0.045). The rare protective alleles were preferentially located (P= 5.8E-45) in a LOXL1 intrinsic disordered region (IDR) potentially involved in LOXL1 aggregation. Haplotypes that included the rare or minor variants were more common in controls compared to cases in both MEE (Odds Ratio (OR)= 0.21 (95% Confidence interval (CI): 0.19-0.24), P=1.7E-173) and AoU (OR=0.28 (95% CI: 0.23-0.34), P=4.4E-41), and heterozygous diplotypes were also significantly associated with reduced risk overall in both MEE (OR= 0.45 (95% CI: 0.52-0.39), P= 1.7E-89) and AoU (OR=0.26 (95% CI: 0.18-0.33, P=7.6E-28). Diplotypes comprised of only homozygous genotypes were associated with increased disease risk in both MEE and AoU (OR= 4.16 (95% CI: 3.60-4.76), P= 4.2E-89 and 5.26 (95% CI: 4.12-6.73), P=1.87E-42, respectively) and excess homozygosity and decreased heterozygosity was correlated with disease risk for common LOXL1 variants across multi-ethnic populations (P=1.0E-6). Conclusions Using exome array and exome sequence data from XFS/XFG cases and controls from the United States, we identified rare protective LOXL1 missense variants and show that the distribution of the corresponding haplotypes and diplotypes was associated with lower risk of XFS/XFG. Diplotype results also demonstrated that LOXL1 allelic heterozygosity was inversely associated, while homozygosity was associated with increased disease risk. These results suggest that LOXL1 MAF variation among populations, with corresponding variation in genotype heterozygosity and homozygosity, determines the XFS/XFG association.

ObjectiveTo compare the diagnostic performance of an artificial intelligence deep learning system with that of expert neuro‐ophthalmologists in classifying optic disc appearance.MethodsThe deep learning system was previously trained and validated on 14,341 ocular fundus photographs from 19 international centers. The performance of the system was evaluated on 800 new fundus photographs (400 normal optic discs, 201 papilledema [disc edema from elevated intracranial pressure], 199 other optic disc abnormalities) and compared with that of 2 expert neuro‐ophthalmologists who independently reviewed the same randomly presented images without clinical information. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated.ResultsThe system correctly classified 678 of 800 (84.7%) photographs, compared with 675 of 800 (84.4%) for Expert 1 and 641 of 800 (80.1%) for Expert 2. The system yielded areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.96–0.98), 0.96 (95% CI = 0.94–0.97), and 0.89 (95% CI = 0.87–0.92) for the detection of normal discs, papilledema, and other disc abnormalities, respectively. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the system's classification of optic discs were similar to or better than the 2 experts. Intergrader agreement at the eye level was 0.71 (95% CI = 0.67–0.76) between Expert 1 and Expert 2, 0.72 (95% CI = 0.68–0.76) between the system and Expert 1, and 0.65 (95% CI = 0.61–0.70) between the system and Expert 2.InterpretationThe performance of this deep learning system at classifying optic disc abnormalities was at least as good as 2 expert neuro‐ophthalmologists. Future prospective studies are needed to validate this system as a diagnostic aid in relevant clinical settings. ANN NEUROL 2020;88:785–795

Background: Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a rare genetic disorder and a major preventable cause of sudden cardiac death in the young. A causal rare genetic variant with large effect size is identified in up to 80% of probands (genotype positive) and cascade family screening shows incomplete penetrance of genetic variants. Furthermore, a proportion of cases meeting diagnostic criteria for LQTS remain genetically elusive despite genetic testing of established genes (genotype negative). These observations raise the possibility that common genetic variants with small effect size contribute to the clinical picture of LQTS. This study aimed to characterize and quantify the contribution of common genetic variation to LQTS disease susceptibility. Methods: We conducted genome-wide association studies followed by transethnic meta-analysis in 1656 unrelated patients with LQTS of European or Japanese ancestry and 9890 controls to identify susceptibility single nucleotide polymorphisms. We estimated the common variant heritability of LQTS and tested the genetic correlation between LQTS susceptibility and other cardiac traits. Furthermore, we tested the aggregate effect of the 68 single nucleotide polymorphisms previously associated with the QT-interval in the general population using a polygenic risk score. Results: Genome-wide association analysis identified 3 loci associated with LQTS at genome-wide statistical significance ( P <5×10 −8 ) near NOS1AP , KCNQ1 , and KLF12 , and 1 missense variant in KCNE1 (p.Asp85Asn) at the suggestive threshold ( P <10 −6 ). Heritability analyses showed that ≈15% of variance in overall LQTS susceptibility was attributable to common genetic variation ( h2SNP 0.148; standard error 0.019). LQTS susceptibility showed a strong genome-wide genetic correlation with the QT-interval in the general population (r g =0.40; P =3.2×10 −3 ). The polygenic risk score comprising common variants previously associated with the QT-interval in the general population was greater in LQTS cases compared with controls ( P <10−13), and it is notable that, among patients with LQTS, this polygenic risk score was greater in patients who were genotype negative compared with those who were genotype positive ( P <0.005). Conclusions: This work establishes an important role for common genetic variation in susceptibility to LQTS. We demonstrate overlap between genetic control of the QT-interval in the general population and genetic factors contributing to LQTS susceptibility. Using polygenic risk score analyses aggregating common genetic variants that modulate the QT-interval in the general population, we provide evidence for a polygenic architecture in genotype negative LQTS.

Despite tremendous research advancements in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), our understanding of sex differences in NAFLD remains insufficient. This review summarizes the current knowledge on sex differences in NAFLD, identifies gaps, and discusses important considerations for future research. The prevalence and severity of NAFLD are higher in men than in women during the reproductive age. However, after menopause, NAFLD occurs at a higher rate in women, suggesting that estrogen is protective. Sex differences also exist for the major risk factors of NAFLD. In general, animal models of NAFLD recapitulate the sex differences observed in patients, with more severe steatosis and steatohepatitis, more proinflammatory/profibrotic cytokines, and a higher incidence of hepatic tumors in male than female subjects. Based on computer modeling, female and male livers are metabolically distinct with unique regulators modulating sex‐specific metabolic outcomes. Analysis of the literature reveals that most published clinical and epidemiological studies fail to examine sex differences appropriately. Considering the paucity of data on sex differences and the knowledge that regulators of pathways relevant to current therapeutic targets for NAFLD differ by sex, clinical trials should be designed to test drug efficacy and safety according to sex, age, reproductive stage (i.e., menopause), and synthetic hormone use. Conclusion: Sex differences do exist in the prevalence, risk factors, fibrosis, and clinical outcomes of NAFLD, suggesting that, while not yet incorporated, sex will probably be considered in future practice guidelines; adequate consideration of sex differences, sex hormones/menopausal status, age, and other reproductive information in clinical investigation and gene association studies of NAFLD are needed to fill current gaps and implement precision medicine for patients with NAFLD.