Purpose: To describe the concordance of keratoconus (KC) expression in 2 pairs of monozygotic twins before and after a combined corneal crosslinking (CXL)/photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) procedure.
Setting: Private ambulatory eye surgery unit.
Design: Retrospective interventional twin study.
Methods: Two pairs of male monozygotic twins with KC were studied retrospectively. Improvement of flattest (K1) and steepest (K2) keratometry, index of height decentration (IHD), and corneal thickness at the thinnest point and corneal epithelial thickness measured by anterior segment optical coherence tomography and Scheimpflug tomography was compared between respective eyes of monozygotic twin siblings 1 to 5 years after the application of combined CXL and topography-guided PRK of part of the refractive error (the Athens Protocol).
Results: Significant improvement was noted in all the keratometric indices of all 8 eyes after the combined CXL/PRK procedure. The difference in K1, K2, IHD, corneal thickness at the thinnest point, and corneal epithelial thickness percentage improvement between the right eyes of each pair of twins was statistically significant 1 year and 5 years postoperatively (P < .05). Statistically significant discordance in the aforementioned parameters percentage improvement was similarly observed between the left eyes of each pair of twins (P < .05).
Conclusions: Although a genetic predisposition in KC is well documented, the discordance in keratometric indices improvement after a CXL/PRK procedure between respective eyes of monozygotic twins suggests that environmental influences may contribute to the disease expression as well. Variable degree of synergy in a combined CXL/PRK procedure may also explain the aforementioned discordant improvement.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/j.jcrs.0000000000000691 | DOI Listing |
Alzheimers Dement
December 2024
Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), University of New South Wales, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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December 2024
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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December 2024
Department of Psychology, City St George, University of London, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address:
Anxiety and fear are emotions often intertwined in response to aversive stimuli, complicating efforts to differentiate them and understand their distinct consequences. This study explores the common genetic and environmental factors contributing to the co-occurrence of anxiety disorders and dimensions of the revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (rRST). A sample of 356 monozygotic (22.
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Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
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December 2024
Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Gerontology Research Center, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland; The Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland, 40620 Jyväskylä, Finland. Electronic address:
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