Plasma Metabonomic Profiling of Diabetic Retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes and the leading cause of visual impairment in working-age adults. Patients with diabetes often develop DR despite appropriate control of systemic risk factors, suggesting the involvement of other pathogenic factors. We hypothesize that the plasma metabolic signature of DR is distinct and resolvable from that of diabetes alone.

Joint Effects of Intraocular Pressure and Myopia on Risk of Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: The Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases Study.

We examined the joint effects of intraocular pressure (IOP) and myopia on the risk of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in a multi-ethnic Asian population. A total of 9,422 participants (18,469 eyes) in the Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases Study were included. Of them, 213 subjects (273 eyes) had POAG.

Genome-wide association analysis identifies TXNRD2, ATXN2 and FOXC1 as susceptibility loci for primary open-angle glaucoma.

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. To identify new susceptibility loci, we performed meta-analysis on genome-wide association study (GWAS) results from eight independent studies from the United States (3,853 cases and 33,480 controls) and investigated the most significantly associated SNPs in two Australian studies (1,252 cases and 2,592 controls), three European studies (875 cases and 4,107 controls) and a Singaporean Chinese study (1,037 cases and 2,543 controls). A meta-analysis of the top SNPs identified three new associated loci: rs35934224[T] in TXNRD2 (odds ratio (OR) = 0.

Retinal Vein Occlusion in a Multi-Ethnic Asian Population: The Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Disease Study.

Purpose: To describe the prevalence of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and its risk factors in a multi-ethnic Asian population.

Methods: This population-based study of 10,033 participants (75.7% response rate) included Chinese, Indian and Malay persons aged 40 years and older.

Linking a genome-wide association study signal to a LRRK2 coding variant in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Genome-wide association studies have identified several loci associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Whole-exome sequencing detects rare coding variants, but their links with PD genome-wide association study loci are unknown. Our objective was to investigate whether nonsynonymous variants in LRRK2 can explain associations at the PD-associated locus tagged by rs1994090.

Novel Genetic Loci Associated With Retinal Microvascular Diameter.

Background: There is increasing evidence that retinal microvascular diameters are associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions. The shared genetic effects of these associations are currently unknown. The aim of this study was to increase our understanding of the genetic factors that mediate retinal vessel size.

Composite Measures of Individual and Area-Level Socio-Economic Status Are Associated with Visual Impairment in Singapore.

Purpose: To investigate the independent relationship of individual- and area-level socio-economic status (SES) with the presence and severity of visual impairment (VI) in an Asian population.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from 9993 Chinese, Malay and Indian adults aged 40-80 years who participated in the Singapore Epidemiology of eye Diseases (2004-2011) in Singapore. Based on the presenting visual acuity (PVA) in the better-seeing eye, VI was categorized into normal vision (logMAR≤0.

Impact of Visual Impairment and Eye diseases on Mortality: the Singapore Malay Eye Study (SiMES).

We investigated the relationship of visual impairment (VI) and age-related eye diseases with mortality in a prospective, population-based cohort study of 3,280 Malay adults aged 40-80 years between 2004-2006. Participants underwent a full ophthalmic examination and standardized lens and fundus photographic grading. Visual acuity was measured using logMAR chart.

The development and psychometric testing of a theory-based instrument to evaluate nurses' perception of clinical reasoning competence.

Aim: The purpose of the study was to develop and psychometrically test the Nurses Clinical Reasoning Scale.

Background: Clinical reasoning is an essential skill for providing safe and quality patient care. Identifying pre-graduates' and nurses' needs and designing training courses to improve their clinical reasoning competence becomes a critical task.

Assessment of the psychometric properties of the Chinese Impact of Vision Impairment questionnaire in a population-based study: findings from the Singapore Chinese Eye Study.

Purpose: We investigated whether the Chinese impact of vision impairment (IVI) questionnaire is valid to generate reliable person estimates in a population-based sample.

Methods: VRQoL was measured using the 32-item Chinese version of the IVI questionnaire in the Singapore Chinese Eye Study (2009-2011), a population-based study of the prevalence and risk factors for VI and eye diseases in Chinese Singaporeans. Rasch analysis was used to assess the Chinese IVI's response category functioning, precision, unidimensionality, targeting and differential item functioning.

Trans-ancestry genome-wide association study identifies 12 genetic loci influencing blood pressure and implicates a role for DNA methylation.

We carried out a trans-ancestry genome-wide association and replication study of blood pressure phenotypes among up to 320,251 individuals of East Asian, European and South Asian ancestry. We find genetic variants at 12 new loci to be associated with blood pressure (P = 3.9 × 10(-11) to 5.

Relationship Between Peripapillary Choroid and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in a Population-Based Sample of Nonglaucomatous Eyes.

Purpose: To describe the relationship between peripapillary choroidal thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in a population-based sample of nonglaucomatous eyes.

Design: Population-based, cross-sectional study.

Methods: A total of 478 nonglaucomatous subjects aged over 40 years were recruited from the Singapore Malay Eye Study (SiMES-2).

A Genetic Variant in TGFBR3-CDC7 Is Associated with Visual Field Progression in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Patients from Singapore.

Purpose: To investigate whether known genetic loci for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) are associated with visual field (VF) progression in patients from a Singaporean Chinese population.

Design: Retrospective study.

Participants: Patients with 5 or more reliable VF measurements who were being followed up at a Singapore hospital.

MMP20 and ARMS2/HTRA1 Are Associated with Neovascular Lesion Size in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe visual impairment. Despite treatment, a central scotoma often remains. The size of the scotoma depends on the lesion size of the choroidal neovascular membrane and significantly affects the patient's quality of life, and the lesion size of neovascularization also affects response to treatments.

Ancestry, Socioeconomic Status, and Age-Related Cataract in Asians: The Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases Study.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of age-related cataract and its ancestral and socioeconomic risk factors in a multi-ethnic Asian population.

Design: Population-based, cross-sectional study.

Participants: A total of 10 033 adults (3353 Chinese, 3280 Malays, and 3400 Indians) aged >40 years in the Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases Study.

Evaluation of transethnic fine mapping with population-specific and cosmopolitan imputation reference panels in diverse Asian populations.

There has been limited success in identifying causal variants underlying association signals observed in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The use of 1000 Genomes Project (1KGP) allows the imputation to estimate the genetic information at untyped variants. However, long stretches of high linkage disequilibrium within the genome prevent us from differentiating between causal variants and perfect surrogates, thus limiting our ability to identify causal variants.

Glaucoma in Asia: regional prevalence variations and future projections.

Purpose: To evaluate glaucoma prevalence and disease burden across Asian subregions from 2013 to 2040.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 population-based studies of 1318 primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) cases in 66,800 individuals and 691 primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) cases in 72,767 individuals in Asia. Regions in Asia were defined based on United Nations' (UN) classification of macro-geographic regions.

Relationship of ocular and systemic factors to the visibility of choroidal-scleral interface using spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

Purpose: To assess the visibility of the choroidal-scleral interface (CSI) from spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and evaluate the ocular and systemic factors influencing the visibility of CSI in healthy eyes from population-based Malay sample.

Methods: Participants were consecutively recruited from the population-based Singapore Malay Eye Study-2 (SiMES-2). SD-OCT images were obtained by Spectralis OCT with enhanced depth imaging (EDI) mode.

A Global Shape Index to Characterize Anterior Lamina Cribrosa Morphology and Its Determinants in Healthy Indian Eyes.

Purpose: Lamina cribrosa (LC) morphology could be implicated in the progression of glaucoma. To date, no established, quantifiable parameter to assess LC shape in vivo exists. We aim to introduce a new global shape index for the anterior LC (LC-GSI) and to identify associations with ocular factors in a healthy Indian population.

Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Visual Features of Undiagnosed Glaucoma: The Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases Study.

Importance: Glaucoma can remain asymptomatic until a severe stage, resulting in a high prevalence of undiagnosed glaucoma worldwide. Asia accounts for 60% of the world's total glaucoma cases. To our knowledge, no epidemiological studies have assessed ethnic differences in undiagnosed glaucoma among various Asian subgroups.

Identification of new susceptibility loci for IgA nephropathy in Han Chinese.

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is one of the most common primary glomerulonephritis. Previously identified genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci explain only a fraction of disease risk. To identify novel susceptibility loci in Han Chinese, we conduct a four-stage GWAS comprising 8,313 cases and 19,680 controls.

Determinants of optical coherence tomography-derived minimum neuroretinal rim width in a normal Chinese population.

Purpose: To characterize an optical coherence tomography (OCT)-derived parameter, Bruch's membrane opening-minimum rim width (BMO-MRW), and its association with demographic and clinical parameters in normal Chinese subjects.

Methods: Right eyes of 466 consecutive healthy subjects from a population-based study of Singaporean Chinese underwent Cirrus OCT imaging. The retinal internal limiting membrane (ILM) and BMO were automatically delineated using the built-in Cirrus algorithm.

The Prevalence and Types of Glaucoma in an Urban Chinese Population: The Singapore Chinese Eye Study.

Importance: Glaucoma represents a major public health challenge in an aging population. The Tanjong Pagar Eye Study reported the prevalence and risk factors of glaucoma in a Singapore Chinese population in 1997, which established the higher rates of blindness in this population.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and associated risk factors for glaucoma among Chinese adults in Singapore and to compare the results with those of the 1997 study.