title: Severity of lens opacity, age, and correlation of the level of silent information regulator T1 expression in age-related cataract.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the correlation between the severity of lens opacity, patient age, and the level of silent information regulator T1 (SirT1) expression in the lens epithelium of age-related cataracts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Ophthalmology, Zuoying Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patient age at the time of cataract surgery and lens opacity severity, classified using the modified version of the Lens Opacities Classification System III (LOCS III), were recorded. Lens epithelium samples were obtained, and the expression level of SirT1 mRNA was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study evaluated 233 eyes with cataract. Older patients had higher nuclear (N), cortical (C), and posterior subcapsular (P) cataract LOCS III scores. The expression of SirT1 in lens opacity was significantly less in patients 51 years and older than in those younger than 51 years. The level of SirT1 expression was significantly negatively associated with patient age (r = -0. 746, P < .001). A significant correlation was also found between a higher N, C, and P cataract score and lower expression of SirT1 in patients with age-related cataract (P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The decreased expression of SirT1 in the lens epithelium was associated with higher cataract scores and patient age. The results suggest that a local SirT1 decrease in cataractous lens could be a risk factor for the initiation of age-related cataract formation.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, and Department of Ophthalmology, Zuoying Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tzu-Jung
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chi-Hsien
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Shih-Hwa
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chiou
authors.forename: Jorn-Hon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.lastname: Lin-Chung-Woung
authors.forename: Ching-Yao
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Jiin-Haur
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Shih-Jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002386:Cataract / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D056564:Sirtuin 1 / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; C447939:SIRT1 protein, human; D056564:Sirtuin 1