Publications by authors named "Dennis Akrobetu"
Topic: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of anti-VEGF and panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) for the treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). The outcomes examined are changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), neovascularization (NV), central macular thickness (CMT), and adverse outcomes.
Clinical Relevance: Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-aged adults globally.
Purpose: To compare operative time and case characteristics of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repairs between academic and community vitreoretinal surgeons.
Design: A retrospective, observational clinical study.
Subjects: Patients who underwent primary RRD repair surgeries at Massachusetts Eye and Ear between 2019 and 2021.
Background Out-of-pocket costs have significant implications for patients with heart failure and should ideally be incorporated into shared decision-making for clinical care. High out-of-pocket cost is one potential reason for the slow uptake of newer guideline-directed medical therapies for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. This study aims to characterize patient-cardiologist discussions involving out-of-pocket costs associated with sacubitril/valsartan during the early postapproval period.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate the repeatability of macular OCT angiography (OCTA) parameters among patients with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson's disease, and individuals with normal cognition.
- Using high-resolution imaging equipment, researchers measured metrics like perfusion density and vessel density from both 3 mm and 6 mm scans centered on the fovea.
- Results indicated that OCTA metrics showed moderate to good repeatability across all groups, with no significant differences in repeatability between normal cognition and neurodegenerative disease participants.
Background: Web-based crowdfunding has become a popular method to raise money for medical expenses, and there is growing research interest in this topic. However, crowdfunding data are largely composed of unstructured text, thereby posing many challenges for researchers hoping to answer questions about specific medical conditions. Previous studies have used methods that either failed to address major challenges or were poorly scalable to large sample sizes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To assess retinal microvascular alterations in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and nonamnestic MCI.
Methods: One hundred twelve eyes of 59 amnestic MCI participants, 32 eyes of 17 nonamnestic MCI participants, and 111 eyes of 56 controls with normal cognition were included. Optical coherence tomography angiography vessel density and perfusion density in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study 3-mm circle and ring were assessed.
Prcis: Using an intracanalicular dexamethasone insert or topical prednisolone following iStent and Hydrus surgery provided similar short-term control of postoperative inflammation.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare postoperative inflammation in patients who received an intracanalicular dexamethasone insert or topical prednisolone after iStent or Hydrus insertion during cataract surgery.
Patients And Methods: Patients receiving a dexamethasone insert after iStent or Hydrus insertion were included and compared with age-matched controls who received topical prednisolone.
Importance: The perception of being treated with respect by clinicians may be a driver of disparities in individuals in racial and ethnic minoritie groups with eye diseases. Understanding these drivers may help identify potential interventions to reduce eye health disparities to prevent vision loss and blindness.
Objective: To evaluate the association between racial and ethnic minority status and the perception of being treated with respect by clinicians.
Article Synopsis
- The study explores how obesity during adolescence affects breast development and cancer risk, focusing on the molecular level in breast tissue of young women undergoing surgery.* -
- Using RNA sequencing on 62 breast tissue samples, the researchers found significant differences in gene expression between overweight/obese and non-overweight/non-obese groups, indicating increased inflammation in obese participants.* -
- The findings suggest that while there’s a strong overlap in the gene expression of adolescent and adult women, obesity seems to alter specific inflammatory pathways that could impact breast cancer risk later in life.*
Purpose: As medical schools adapt their curricula to prepare future physicians for the opioid crisis and for treating patients with substance use disorders (SUDs), educators should refer to courses described in the literature. This scoping review aimed to (1) provide a comprehensive evaluation and summation of peer-reviewed literature reporting on SUD education in medical schools globally and (2) appraise the research quality and educational outcomes reported in SUD education studies in medical schools.
Method: The authors searched 6 databases (3 Ovid MEDLINE databases, Embase, ERIC, and Web of Science) from inception through May 25, 2018.
Background: In Drosophila early post-meiotic spermatids, mitochondria undergo dramatic shaping into the Nebenkern, a spherical body with complex internal structure that contains two interwrapped giant mitochondrial derivatives. The purpose of this study was to elucidate genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying the shaping of this structure.
Results: The knotted onions (knon) gene encodes an unconventionally large testis-specific paralog of ATP synthase subunit d and is required for internal structure of the Nebenkern as well as its subsequent disassembly and elongation.