Impact of microorganism virulence on endophthalmitis outcomes.

Aims: To determine the impact of microorganism virulence on visual outcomes in endophthalmitis.

Methods: Retrospective, multicentre cohort study of patients presenting with endophthalmitis between 2006 and 2021. A literature review was conducted to divide cultured microorganisms into low and high virulence subcategories.

Validation of a Major and Clinically Relevant Nonmajor Bleeding Phenotyping Algorithm on Electronic Health Records.

Purpose: Bleeding is an important health outcome of interest in epidemiological studies. We aimed to develop and validate rule-based algorithms to identify (1) major bleeding and (2) all clinically relevant bleeding (CRB) (composite of major and all clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding) within real-world electronic healthcare data.

Methods: We took a random sample (n = 1630) of inpatient admissions to Singapore public healthcare institutions in 2019 and 2020, stratifying by hospital and year.

Visual outcomes and prognostic factors in ischaemic retinal vasculitis.

Purpose: Our aim was to describe the visual outcomes and determine the clinical factors in ischaemic retinal vasculitis (IRV) that were predictive of a poor visual prognosis or infectious aetiology.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of consecutive presentations of IRV to Auckland District Health Board from 2009 to 2022.

Results: The median age at presentation was 39.

Epiretinal membrane in uveitis: Rate, visual prognosis, complications and surgical outcomes.

Background: Epiretinal membrane (ERM) is a common finding in patients with uveitis that contributes to visual impairment. We describe the long-term visual acuity (VA) and morphometric progression in patients with uveitis and epiretinal membrane (ERM).

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients with uveitic ERM from a tertiary centre database.

Role of Antimicrobial Resistance in Outcomes of Acute Endophthalmitis.

Background: This study explores local trends in antimicrobial resistance and its influence on long-term visual outcomes following treatment with broad-spectrum empiric intravitreal antibiotics.

Methods: All patients undergoing intraocular sampling for endophthalmitis from Auckland between January 2006-May 2023 were included. The impact of antimicrobial resistance on the final visual outcome was analysed using logistic regression models.

A multi-centre prospective evaluation of THEIA™ to detect diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular oedema (DMO) in the New Zealand screening program.

Purpose: To validate the potential application of THEIA™ as clinical decision making assistant in a national screening program.

Methods: A total of 900 patients were recruited from either an urban large eye hospital, or a semi-rural optometrist led screening provider, as they were attending their appointment as part of New Zealand Diabetic Eye Screening Programme. The de-identified images were independently graded by three senior specialists, and final results were aggregated using New Zealand grading scheme, which was then converted to referable/non-referable and Healthy/mild/more than mild/sight threatening categories.

Ethnic differences on long term outcomes of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy after predominantly bevacizumab monotherapy.

Background: A 3-year single-centre, retrospective, comparative, non-randomized cohort study to describe the long-term outcomes of treatment-naïve, Caucasian and non-Caucasian eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) after treatment with predominantly Bevacizumab monotherapy or in combination with rescue photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Methods: Demographics, visual outcomes, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and treatment data were collected up to 3 years after the first visit. Stratified analysis according to ethnicity and baseline vision was performed to identify factors predictive of long-term visual improvement and maintenance.

Patients Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence in Diabetic Eye Screening.

Purpose: Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is poised to revolutionize modern delivery of health care services. We set to evaluate the patient perspective of AI use in diabetic retinal screening.

Design: Survey.

The outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed exudative age-related macular degeneration in Palmerston North.

Aim: To describe the outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated in Palmerston North over the past two years.

Method: A large prospective database was developed to capture the treatment and visual outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed nAMD. Data were subsequently extracted and analysed according to the result-based accountability (RBA) framework.

Think about cats in acute vision loss.

Cat-scratch disease (CSD) is a systemic illness caused by the gram-negative bacteria Bartonella henselae (B. henselae). Cats serve as the primary host reservoir for B.

Editing of Chloroplast by PPR Editing Factor EMB2261 Is Essential for Development.

RNA editing in plastids is known to be required for embryogenesis, but no single editing event had been shown to be essential. We show that the mutation is lethal through a failure to express an editing factor that specifically recognizes the site. EMB2261 was predicted to bind the -element upstream of the site and genetic complementation with promoters of different strength followed by RNA-seq analysis was conducted to test the correlation between editing and expression.

Predictable alteration of sequence recognition by RNA editing factors from Arabidopsis.

RNA editing factors of the pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) family show a very high degree of sequence specificity in the recognition of their target sites. A molecular basis for target recognition by editing factors has been proposed based on statistical correlations but has not been tested experimentally. To achieve this, we systematically mutated the pentatricopeptide motifs in the Arabidopsis thaliana RNA editing factor CLB19 to investigate their individual contribution to RNA recognition.

AEF1/MPR25 is implicated in RNA editing of plastid atpF and mitochondrial nad5, and also promotes atpF splicing in Arabidopsis and rice.

RNA editing is an essential mechanism that modifies target cytidines to uridine in both mitochondrial and plastid mRNA. Target sites are recognized by pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins. Using bioinformatics predictions based on the code describing sequence recognition by PPR proteins, we have identified an Arabidopsis editing factor required for editing of atpF in plastids.

A combinatorial amino acid code for RNA recognition by pentatricopeptide repeat proteins.

The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) is a helical repeat motif found in an exceptionally large family of RNA-binding proteins that functions in mitochondrial and chloroplast gene expression. PPR proteins harbor between 2 and 30 repeats and typically bind single-stranded RNA in a sequence-specific fashion. However, the basis for sequence-specific RNA recognition by PPR tracts has been unknown.

The Arabidopsis gene YS1 encoding a DYW protein is required for editing of rpoB transcripts and the rapid development of chloroplasts during early growth.

Virescence, a phenotype in which leaves green more slowly than usual, is recognized to play a role in protection from photo-oxidative damage before healthy chloroplasts are developed. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying virescence will provide insights into how the development of chloroplasts is controlled. In this study, we find that knockout alleles of Yellow Seedlings 1 (YS1) in Arabidopsis lead to a virescent phenotype, which disappears by 3 weeks after germination.