Alterations in Peripheral B Cell Subsets Correlate with the Disease Severity of Human Glaucoma

Th1 cells contribute to retinal ganglion cell loss in glaucoma in a VCAM-1-dependent manner

Glaucoma is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) and optic nerve axons, leading to irreversible visual impairment. Despite its clinical significance, the underlying mechanisms of glaucoma pathogenesis remain poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to unravel the multifaceted nature of glaucoma by investigating the interaction between T cells and retinas. By utilizing clinical samples, murine glaucoma models, and T cell transfer models, we made several key findings. Firstly, we observed that CD4+ T cells from glaucoma patients displayed enhanced activation and a bias towards T helper (Th) 1 responses, which correlated with visual impairment. Secondly, we identified the infiltration of Th1 cells into the retina, where they targeted RGC and integrated into the pro-inflammatory glial network, contributing to progressive RGC loss. Thirdly, we discovered that circulating Th1 cells upregulated vascular cell adhesion protein 1 (VCAM-1) on retinal microvessels, facilitating their entry into the neural retina. Lastly, we found that Th1 cells underwent functional reprogramming before reaching the retina, acquiring a phenotype associated with lymphocyte migration and neurodegenerative diseases. Our study provides novel insights into the role of peripheral CD4+ T cells in glaucoma pathogenesis, shedding light on the mechanisms underlying their infiltration into the retina and offering potential avenues for innovative therapeutic interventions in this sight-threatening disease.

B cells in human lymphoid structures

Most B cells in the human body are present in tissues where they support immune responses to pathogens, vaccines, autoantigens, and tumours. Despite their clear importance, they are very difficult to study and there are many areas of uncertainty that are difficult to resolve because of limited tissue access. In this review, we consider the zonal structure of lymphoid tissues, the B cell subsets they contain, and how these are regulated. We also discuss the impact that methods of deep interrogation have made on our current knowledge base, especially with respect to studies of cells from dissociated tissues. We discuss in some detail the controversial B cells with marginal zone distribution that some consider being archived memory B cells. We anticipate that more we understand of B cells in tissues and the niches they create, the more opportunities will be identified to harness their potential for therapeutic benefit.

Body shape and risk of glaucoma: A Mendelian randomization

Background

Body size (BS) is one of the risk factors for the development of many clinical diseases, but the relationship between BS and glaucoma is controversial. Herein, we try to use Mendelian randomization (MR) method to study BS causal association with glaucoma risk from the genetic level.

Methods

The Body Size was determined through anthropometric traits (ATs), such as body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio adjusted by body mass index (WHRadjBMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist circumference (WC). Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with each AT and glaucoma were determined individually from the aggregated data of the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium and the FinnGen study summary data (8,591 cases with glaucoma and 210,201 controls). To explore the role of BS and glaucoma, a two-sample MR analysis was performed on genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Besides, three MR methods [inverse variance weighted (IVW), Weighted median, and MR-Egger regression] were used to get the whole causal estimate for multiple instrumental SNPs.

Results

BMI (OR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.02-1.41; P = 0.03) and WC (OR = 1.32; 95% CI =1.04-1.69; P = 0.03) were associated with a risk of glaucoma. Besides, genetically predicted WHRadjBMI (OR = 1.10; 95% CI = 0.88-1.35; P = 0.43) and WHR (OR = 1.22; 95% CI = 0.93-1,572; P = 0.14) were not associated with glaucoma. No heterogeneity and directional pleiotropy were detected.

Conclusion

The data of this study revealed that increased BMI and WC are potential risk factors for glaucoma, and WHRadjBMI and WHR are not associated with the occurrence of glaucoma.

Clinical Significance of Albumin- and Bilirubin-Based Biomarkers in Glaucoma: A Retrospective Case-Control Study

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of global blindness. The etiology of glaucoma is complicated. In addition to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), several other mechanisms have been implicated in pathogenesis, such as oxidative stress and systemic inflammation. Serum albumin (ALB) and bilirubin (BIL) have been reported to have potent antioxidant properties and contribute to maintain redox homeostasis in various diseases. However, associations between these parameters and glaucoma remain mostly unknown. Here, we conducted a retrospective case-control study, revealing that serum ALB, total BIL (TBIL), and indirect BIL (IBIL) levels were markedly lower in glaucoma patients than those in healthy controls. Furthermore, the neutrophil-to-ALB (NAR), neutrophil-to-TBIL (NTBR), and neutrophil-to-IBIL (NIBR) ratios were greatly higher in glaucoma. Additionally, interestingly, lower ALB and BIL levels and higher NAR, NTBR, and NIBR were associated with severer glaucomatous visual impairment, and NAR, NTBR, and NIBR showed good accuracy as diagnostic tests for glaucoma severity, suggesting these indices might be useful as discriminative biomarkers for disease severity. Our current findings demonstrate associations between ALB, BIL, NAR, NTBR, NIBL, and glaucoma. It might be useful to use NAR, NTBR, and NIBR as predictive markers for disease severity and employ ALB/BIL as alternative therapy or adjuvant medicines in glaucoma patients.