Citations

ABSTRACT Cataract is a leading cause of visual impairment worldwide, and its prevalence is increasing with population aging. The majority are age‐related cataracts (ARC), clinically classified into nuclear, cortical, and posterior subcapsular cataracts (PSC) by opacity location. Mechanisms of cataractogenesis remain incompletely understood. While cortical and nuclear cataracts are largely attributed to crystallin aggregation, such protein‐centric mechanisms fail to explain the early onset and axial location of PSC. Morphologically, PSC resembles posterior capsule opacification (PCO), a secondary cataract driven by epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of lens epithelial cells (LECs), suggesting LEC‐EMT may also contribute to PSC. Using clinically stratified human lens samples, we confirmed EMT marker expression across PSC subtypes. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that LECs, the lens's sole metabolically active cells, in age‐related PSC (ARC‐PSC), compared with age‐related nuclear cataract (ANC) and clear lenses, exhibit elevated EMT signatures tightly linked to senescence‐associated inflammatory signaling. Aqueous humor (AqH) profiling demonstrated a pro‐inflammatory milieu across PSC subtypes, with IL‐17A uniquely elevated in ARC‐PSC, consistent with transcriptomic findings. Integrated analyses support a model in which senescence functions as an upstream driver, whereby senescent LECs release SASP factors, including IL‐17A, that activate NF‐κB signaling to amplify inflammation, reinforce senescence, and drive EMT. In vitro, senolysis and IL‐17A blockade disrupted this loop, attenuating senescence‐ and EMT‐associated phenotypes. Collectively, our study demonstrates that senescent LECs sustain an IL‐17A–NF‐κB circuit that drives EMT and accelerates ARC‐PSC progression, positioning ARC‐PSC as a unique human context to study senescence‐induced epithelial remodeling in aging tissues.

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a severe complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The purpose of this study was to study the prevalence, risk factors, anticoagulant therapy and sex differences of DVT in patients with COVID-19. The enrolled 121 hospitalized non-ventilator patients were confirmed positive for COVID-19. All suspected patients received color Doppler ultrasound (US) to screen for DVT in both lower extremities. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors related to DVT in COVID-19 patients. DVT was found in 48% of the asymptomatic COVID-19 patients with an increased PADUA or Caprini index using US scanning. The multivariate logistic regression determined that age (OR, 1.05; p = .0306), C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR, 1.02; p = .0040), and baseline D-dimer (OR, 1.42; p = .0010) were risk factors among COVID-19 patients. Although the most common DVT location was infrapopliteal (classes I and II), higher mortality in DVT-COVID-19 patients was confirmed. DVT-COVID-19 patients presented significant increases in CRP, neutrophil count, and D-dimer throughout the whole inpatient period compared to non-DVT-COVID-19 patients. Although anticoagulation therapy accelerated the recovery of lymphocytopenia in DVT patients, men DVT-COVID-19 patients with anticoagulant therapy showed significant higher CRP and neutrophil count vs. lymphocyte count (N/L) ratio, but showed lower lymphocyte counts compared to women DVT-COVID-19 patients. DVT is common in COVID-19 patients with high-risk factors, especially for older age and higher CRP and baseline D-dimer populations. It is important to consider sex differences in anticoagulant therapy among DVT-COVID-19 patients.

Abstract BackgroundDeep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a severe complication of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It may interfere with COVID-19 treatment and delay the recovery, but there is less data about the anticoagulant therapy and sex difference of VTE in patients with COVID-19. The purpose of this study is to study the prevalence, risk factors, anticoagulant therapy and sex difference of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients with COVID-19.MethodsThe enrolled 121 patients were confirmed positive for COVID-19. All suspected patients with a high Caprini index (≥4) or PADUA index (≥4) received color Doppler Ultrasound (US) to screen DVT in both lower extremities. Clinical characteristics of DVT-COVID-19 patients were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors related to DVT in COVID-19 patients. The distribution of DVT locations, anticoagulation therapy with sex difference, and the outcomes were also analyzed.ResultsDVT was found in 48% asymptomatic COVID-19 patients with increased PAUDA index or Caprini index by US scanning. Multivariate logistic regression determined that age, CRP and baseline D-dimer were risk factors among COVDI-19 patients. Although the most common DVT location was infrapopliteal (Class I and Class II), higher mortality in DVT-COVID-19 patients was confirmed. DVT-COVID-19 patients presented significant increases in the CRP, neutrophil count and D-dimer throughout the whole inpatient period compared to non-DVT-COVID-19 patients. Although anticoagulation therapy accelerated the recovery of lymphocytopenia condition in DVT patients, men DVT-COVID-19 patients showed higher CRP and neutrophil count vs. lymphocyte count (N/L) ratio but lower lymphocyte count compared to women DVT-COVID-19 patients. ConclusionsDVT is common in COVID-19 patients with high risk factors, especially for older age, higher CRP and baseline D-dimer populations. It is important to consider sex differences in the anticoagulant therapy among DVT-COVID-19 patients.