Observational studyKorean journal of ophthalmology : KJO2026
Tear Film Inflammatory Biomarkers in Keratoconus: Insights into Disease Severity and Diagnostic Potential.
Observational study in Korean journal of ophthalmology : KJO, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- The Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Profile in Keratoconus as a Predictor of Five-Year Corneal Cross-Linking Outcomes.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeKeratoconus (KC) involves a progressive corneal deformation, recognized as having an inflammatory component, despite traditionally being considered noninflammatory. This study investigates the notable tear film cytokines and their correlation with KC disease severity. The objectives of this study were to measure inflammatory tear biomarkers in KC patients and to compare them with healthy controls and to evaluate biomarker levels across different severity stages of KC. This study follows a case-control observational design, comparing inflammatory tear biomarkers in KC patients (cases) and healthy individuals (controls), at a single point in time without intervention.
methodsEighteen KC patients and 25 healthy individuals were enrolled. Tear samples were collected via Schirmer strips and analyzed for interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) using ELISA. Group comparisons were made using nonparametric tests, and Spearman correlation evaluated associations with disease severity.
resultsKC patients showed significantly elevated levels of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, MMP-9, and TNF-α (p < 0.05). IL-1β, MMP-9, and TNF-α demonstrated strong associations with disease severity, while IL-6 and IL-10 exhibited moderate correlations, and IL-4 showed only a weak association with KC progression.
conclusionsThe study emphasizes inflammation's role in KC and identifies tear film inflammatory markers as promising tools for diagnosis, prognosis, early detection, disease monitoring, and personalized treatment.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.