Detection of cardiac amyloidosis using machine learning on routine echocardiographic measurements.

Background: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an underdiagnosed, progressive and lethal disease. Machine learning applied to common measurements derived from routine echocardiogram studies can inform suspicion of CA.

Objectives: Our objectives were to test a random forest (RF) model in detecting CA.

Pleural Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma: An Ultrarare Cause for Recurrent Pleural Effusion Managed With Trametinib and Pazopanib.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an extremely rare sarcoma of vascular origin. Primary pleural involvement is extremely under-reported and tends to have a more aggressive course. We report a case of pleural EHE in a Caucasian female in her 50s with a two-month history of dyspnea and chest pain.

Prognostic value of left ventricular global longitudinal strain in transcatheter edge-to-edge repair for chronic primary mitral regurgitation.

Aims: Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) is a known outcome predictor in transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) for functional mitral regurgitation (MR). We aimed to assess its prognostic yield in the setting of TEER for chronic primary MR.

Methods And Results: We conducted a single-centre, retrospective analysis of 323 consecutive patients undergoing isolated, first-time procedures.

Preprocedural transthoracic echocardiography for predicting outcomes of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair for chronic primary mitral regurgitation.

Introduction And Objectives: Limited data exist on the prognostic usefulness of transthoracic echocardiography preceding MitraClip for chronic primary mitral regurgitation (MR). We evaluated the predictive ability of transthoracic echocardiography in this setting.

Methods: A total of 410 patients (median age, 83 years, 60.

Implications of Mitral Annular Disjunction in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair for Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation.

Background: Little is known about mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) in patients with mitral annular disjunction (MAD).

Objectives: The authors sought to explore TEER for degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR) according to MAD status.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 271 consecutive patients (median age 82 [Q1-Q3: 75-88] years, 60.

Computer versus human-expert ranking of posterior pole vascular tortuosity and dilation using retinal vessel maps generated from bedside optical coherence tomography: a proof-of-concept study.

Semiautomated computer software (ie, ROPtool) can trace and analyze optical coherence tomography (OCT)-generated retinal vessel maps for plus/pre-plus disease with high reliability and accuracy. This proof-of-concept study found that ROPtool can reliably rank OCT-generated vessel maps for tortuosity and combined tortuosity/dilation, which correlated well with human-expert rankings and clinical examination.

The Evolving Role of Echocardiography During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with a wide spectrum of cardiovascular manifestations. Since the beginning of the pandemic, echocardiography has served as a valuable tool for triaging, diagnosing and managing patients with COVID-19. More recently, speckle-tracking echocardiography has been shown to be effective in demonstrating subclinical myocardial dysfunction that is often not detected in standard echocardiography.

Quantitative comparison of blood vessel changes after treatment of retinopathy of prematurity with laser versus bevacizumab.

Current therapies for treatment-indicated (type 1) retinopathy of prematurity mainly consist of laser photocoagulation and intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (eg, bevacizumab) injection. The first visible signs of acute-phase regression are typically vascular, including decreased plus disease. Using a semiautomated computer program, we quantitatively compared posterior pole vascular changes following treatment with laser versus bevacizumab and found that in the first month following treatment, vascular dilation and tortuosity significantly decreased following either treatment modality, but tortuosity decreased earlier and faster after bevacizumab.

Rank correlation inferences for clustered data with small sample size.

This paper develops methods to test for associations between two variables with clustered data using a -Statistic approach with a second-order approximation to the variance of the parameter estimate for the test statistic. The tests that are presented are for clustered versions of: Pearsons test, the Spearman rank correlation and Kendall's for continuous data or ordinal data and for alternative measures of Kendall's that allow for ties in the data. Shih and Fay use the -Statistic approach but only consider a first-order approximation.

Semi-automated vessel analysis of en face posterior pole vessel maps generated from optical coherence tomography for diagnosis of plus or pre-plus disease.

En face retinal vessel maps generated from bedside optical coherence tomography (OCT) can show posterior pole vascular tortuosity and dilation (ie, plus/pre-plus disease). In this proof-of-concept study, we found that ROPtool could trace OCT-generated retinal vessel maps with high reliability and accuracy for detecting plus or pre-plus disease.

Bortezomib treatment for refractory nontuberculous mycobacterial infection in the setting of interferon gamma autoantibodies.

Interferon-γ autoantibodies increase the risk of disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial infections. Addition of rituximab to antibiotics accelerates and improves outcomes, but refractory infections can occur due to persistent production of autoantibodies. We combined bortezomib with rituximab to reduce autoantibodies leading to clinical and radiographic improvement in infection.

Prophylactic laser versus continued surveillance after initial bevacizumab treatment for retinopathy of prematurity.

Guidelines on managing infants after initial anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment (eg, bevacizumab) for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) are limited. We found that following initial bevacizumab treatment for ROP, prophylactically lasering infant eyes before hospital discharge reduced the number and duration of outpatient ROP screening examinations compared with following infants, per current United States (US) ROP screening guidelines.

Quantitatively comparing weekly changes in retinal vascular characteristics of eyes eventually treated versus not treated for retinopathy of prematurity.

Purpose: To quantitatively compare retinal vascular characteristics over time in eyes eventually treated versus not treated for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), using ROPtool analysis of narrow-field retinal images.

Methods: This longitudinal study used prospectively collected narrow-field retinal images of infants screened for ROP, prior to treatment, if needed. Images were analyzed using a methodology that combines quadrant-level measures from several images of the same eye.

A Brief History of OLEDs-Emitter Development and Industry Milestones.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have come a long way ever since their first introduction in 1987 at Eastman Kodak. Today, OLEDs are especially valued in the display and lighting industry for their promising features. As one of the research fields that equally inspires and drives development in academia and industry, OLED device technology has continuously evolved over more than 30 years.

Disease Relapse After Drug-Free Remission in Ocular Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid.

Purpose: To quantitate the risk of relapse of ocular and extraocular disease among patients with mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) who had undergone drug-free remission.

Design: Retrospective, comparative, interventional case series.

Methods: There were 167 patients with biopsy-proven MMP who were seen at the Wilmer Eye Institute between November 1984 and December 2019.

Natural History and Evolution of Anti-Interferon-γ Autoantibody-Associated Immunodeficiency Syndrome in Thailand and the United States.

Background: The natural history of anti-interferon-γ (IFN-γ) autoantibody-associated immunodeficiency syndrome is not well understood.

Methods: Data of 74 patients with anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies at Srinagarind Hospital, Thailand, were collected annually (median follow-up duration, 7.5 years).

Comparison of Access to Eye Care Appointments Between Patients With Medicaid and Those With Private Health Care Insurance.

Importance: Although low-income populations have more eye problems, whether they face greater difficulty obtaining eye care appointments is unknown.

Objective: To compare rates of obtaining eye care appointments and appointment wait times for those with Medicaid vs those with private insurance.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this prospective, cohort study conducted from January 1, 2017, to July 1, 2017, researchers made telephone calls to a randomly selected sample of vision care professionals in Michigan and Maryland stratified by neighborhood (urban vs rural) and professional type (ophthalmologist vs optometrist) to request the first available appointment.

Incidence and Clinical Characteristics of Ocular Involvement in Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid.

: To describe the risk of developing ocular mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) or a new extraocular site of MMP, and to identify risk factors for new involvement. : Retrospective chart review of 162 biopsy-proven MMP patients. : At presentation, 109 of 162 MMP patients (67.

Production of Stealthin C Involves an S-N-Type Smiles Rearrangement.

The kinamycin family of aromatic polyketide natural products contains an atypical angucycline ring system substituted with a diazo group. The enzymatic chemistry involved in constructing both of these structural features has been largely unexplored. Here we report the in vivo and in vitro production of seongomycin, a shunt product from this pathway, and stealthin C, a proposed biosynthetic precursor to the kinamycins.

Near-infrared lipophilic fluorophores for tracing tissue growth.

Longitudinal monitoring of cell migration, division and differentiation is of paramount importance in cell-based medical treatment. However, currently available optical techniques for tracing cell growth and tissue development are limited in applications due to genetic modification, toxicity and inaccurate detection when utilizing the visible spectrum. We have developed lipophilic near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores with high optical properties and a low background signal that allows longitudinal monitoring of cell proliferation and differentiation.

Highly charged cyanine fluorophores for trafficking scaffold degradation.

Biodegradable scaffolds have been extensively used in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, noninvasive monitoring of in vivo scaffold degradation is still lacking. In order to develop a real-time trafficking technique, a series of meso-brominated near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores were synthesized and conjugated to biodegradable gelatin scaffolds.

Design considerations for targeted optical contrast agents.

Optical fluorescence imaging with the right combination of imaging modality and targeted contrast agents offers tremendous improvement in intraoperative imaging and clinical output (i.e., image-guided cancer surgery).