Abstract
Along with ageing of the population, the prevalence of many age related diseases is rising. The
troublesome complications that accompany these diseases have a high impact on patients’ daily
live. To reduce this impact, it is not only important to treat the diseases well, but also to detect the
diseases in an early stage. Especially, diseases that affect the eye, since the cells of the eye have
little or no regenerative capacity. Clinical parameters can help to identify patients at higher risk
of diseases and complications, but they are not sensitive and specific enough. This emphasizes
the need for new biomarkers that could be used (in addition to clinical parameters) to identify
patients at high risk of specific diseases and complications.
This thesis addresses the role of an emerging group of biomarkers, called advanced glycation
endproducts (AGEs), in diabetes mellitus (DM) and in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD).
AGEs are formed during chemical processes in which free amino groups of proteins, lipids, and
nucleic acids become glycated. Elevated levels of AGEs have been shown in tissues of diabetes
patients and in several different cell structures of the eye in distinct ocular disorders. AGEs can be
assessed non-invasively in the skin due to fluorescent properties of several AGEs. This technique, also
referred to as skin autofluorescence (SAF), has been used to assess AGE accumulation in the skin.
troublesome complications that accompany these diseases have a high impact on patients’ daily
live. To reduce this impact, it is not only important to treat the diseases well, but also to detect the
diseases in an early stage. Especially, diseases that affect the eye, since the cells of the eye have
little or no regenerative capacity. Clinical parameters can help to identify patients at higher risk
of diseases and complications, but they are not sensitive and specific enough. This emphasizes
the need for new biomarkers that could be used (in addition to clinical parameters) to identify
patients at high risk of specific diseases and complications.
This thesis addresses the role of an emerging group of biomarkers, called advanced glycation
endproducts (AGEs), in diabetes mellitus (DM) and in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD).
AGEs are formed during chemical processes in which free amino groups of proteins, lipids, and
nucleic acids become glycated. Elevated levels of AGEs have been shown in tissues of diabetes
patients and in several different cell structures of the eye in distinct ocular disorders. AGEs can be
assessed non-invasively in the skin due to fluorescent properties of several AGEs. This technique, also
referred to as skin autofluorescence (SAF), has been used to assess AGE accumulation in the skin.
| Original language | English |
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| Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisors/Advisors |
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| Award date | 13-Nov-2017 |
| Place of Publication | [Groningen] |
| Publisher | |
| Print ISBNs | 978-94-034-0130-0 |
| Electronic ISBNs | 978-94-034-0129-4 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |