Leveraging Organ-on-Chip Models to Investigate Host-Microbiota Dynamics and Targeted Therapies for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic gastrointestinal disease with drastically increasing incidence rates. Due to its multifactorial etiology, a precise investigation of the pathogenesis is extremely difficult. Although reductionist cell culture models and more complex disease models in animals have clarified the understanding of individual disease mechanisms and contributing factors of IBD in the past, it remains challenging to bridge research and clinical practice.

Secondary Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome Following Blunt Trauma.

Purpose: To report a case of secondary unilateral MEWDS following blunt trauma to the eye.

Methods: Observational case report of one patient.

Results: A 25-year-old male initially presented after being hit in the left eye with a football, with visual acuity of 20/50, traumatic iritis, commotio retinae, vitreous hemorrhage, and a large pigment epithelial detachment in the superior macula.

Modeling of intravenous caspofungin administration using an intestine-on-chip reveals altered Candida albicans microcolonies and pathogenicity.

Candida albicans is a commensal yeast of the human intestinal microbiota that, under predisposing conditions, can become pathogenic and cause life-threatening systemic infections (candidiasis). Fungal-host interactions during candidiasis are commonly studied using conventional 2D in vitro models, which have provided critical insights into the pathogenicity. However, microphysiological models with a higher biological complexity may be more suitable to mimic in vivo-like infection processes and antifungal drug efficacy.

Evaluation of drug-induced liver toxicity of trovafloxacin and levofloxacin in a human microphysiological liver model.

Drug-induced liver injury induced by already approved substances is a major threat to human patients, potentially resulting in drug withdrawal and substantial loss of financial resources in the pharmaceutical industry. Trovafloxacin, a broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone, was found to have unexpected side effects of severe hepatotoxicity, which was not detected by preclinical testing. To address the limitations of current drug testing strategies mainly involving 2D cell cultures and animal testing, a three-dimensional microphysiological model of the human liver containing expandable human liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, monocyte-derived macrophages and differentiated HepaRG cells was utilized to investigate the toxicity of trovafloxacin and compared it to the structurally-related non-toxic drug levofloxacin.

Repair of a Tractional Retinal Detachment in the Setting of an Idiopathic Vasoproliferative Tumor.

Vasoproliferative tumors (VPT) are benign retinal lesions that may cause epiretinal membrane proliferation and tractional retinal detachments (TRD). We describe a case of a 71-year-old woman who presented with a macula involving TRD in the setting of a VPT. Given the limited number of publications on the management of these cases, we aim to articulate some principles we believe may be helpful in planning a surgical approach that maximizes postoperative anatomic and functional outcomes.

Generation & characterization of expandable human liver sinusoidal endothelial cells and their application to assess hepatotoxicity in an advanced in vitro liver model.

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) are highly specialized endothelial cells forming the hepatic sinusoidal wall. Besides their high endocytic potential, LSECs have been demonstrated to markedly contribute to liver homeostasis and immunity, and may partially explain unexpected hepatotoxicity of drug candidates. However, their use for in vitro investigations is compromised by poor cell yields and a limited proliferation capacity.

Hyperpigmented epiretinal membrane in macular telangiectasia type 2: imaging characteristics and correlation with transretinal pigment migration.

Objectives: To explore the features of black hyperpigmentation in macular telangiectasia (MacTel) type 2 and correlate these findings with the characteristics of hyperpigmented epiretinal membranes (ERMs) using multimodal imaging.

Methods: A case series of three patients with MacTel type 2 and hyperpigmented ERMs imaged with colour fundus photography, fluorescein angiography (FA), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and swept-source OCT angiography. Registration of different types of imaging was done using ImageJ v1.

MYOPIC PRESENTATION OF CENTRAL SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY.

Purpose: To increase insight into the myopic presentation of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) by comparing a large group of myopic patients with CSC with reference groups with only one of the diagnoses.

Methods: Myopic patients with CSC (spherical equivalent ≤-3D, n = 46), emmetropic patients with CSC (spherical equivalent -0.5 to 0.

What science means to me: Understanding personal identification with (evolutionary) science using the sociology of (non)religion.

Within science and technology studies, there is an established tradition of examining publics' knowledge of, trust in, access to and engagement with science, but less attention has been paid to whether and why publics with science. While this is understandable given the field's interest in bridging gaps between publics and producers of scientific knowledge, it leaves unanswered questions about how science forms part of people's worldviews and fits into cultural politics and conflict. Based on 123 interviews and 16 focus groups with mixed religious and nonreligious publics and scientists in the United Kingdom and Canada, this article utilises approaches from the sociology of (non)religion to delineate varieties of science identification.

The Nature and Frequency of Outer Retinal Disruption in Idiopathic Multifocal Choroiditis Associated With Persistent Fundus Hyperautofluorescence.

Background And Objective: To describe the prevalence and anatomic correlates for hyperautofluorescence related to outer retinal disruption in eyes with multifocal choroiditis (MFC).

Patients And Methods: Retrospective review of MFC patients.

Results: Fifty-nine eyes from 37 patients were analyzed.

OCT En Face Analysis of the Posterior Vitreous Reveals Topographic Relationships among Premacular Bursa, Prevascular Fissures, and Cisterns.

Purpose: To characterize the topographic relationships among vitreous structures, including the premacular bursa, prevascular vitreous fissures, cisterns, and lacunae, in healthy participants using en face and cross-sectional swept-source (SS) OCT.

Design: Prospective, comparative study.

Participants: Sixty eyes of 60 healthy participants (age range, 4-35 years).

A Two Forceps Technique For Approaching Tractional Diabetic Membranes.

Background And Objective: To describe a two-forceps bimanual approach for complex diabetic detachments.

Patients And Methods: Curved scissors were used to create a zone of decreased resistance within a thick fibrovascular membrane in a previously vitrectomized patient. Using two forceps, the linear defect was propagated into the periphery in a direction tangential to the retina.

Long-Term Multimodal Imaging of Solar Retinopathy.

This is a rare, multimodal imaging report spanning a decade of monitoring in a patient with chronic solar retinopathy showing the natural course of the disease. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) showed mild widening of subfoveal loss of ellipsoid and interdigitation zones bilaterally, progressive retinal pigment epithelial thinning in the right eye, and hyperplasia in the left eye. Structural en face OCT showed subfoveal tissue loss bilaterally.

Early hydroxychloroquine retinopathy: optical coherence tomography abnormalities preceding Humphrey visual field defects.

Background/aims: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) retinopathy may result in severe and irreversible vision loss, emphasising the importance of screening and early detection. The purpose of this study is to report the novel finding of early optical coherence tomography (OCT) abnormalities due to HCQ toxicity that may develop in the setting of normal Humphrey visual field (HVF) testing.

Methods: Data from patients with chronic HCQ exposure was obtained from seven tertiary care retina centres.

Long-term Visual Outcomes and Causes of Vision Loss in Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term visual outcomes and causes of vision loss in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).

Design: Retrospective, longitudinal study.

Participants: A total of 133 participants (217 eyes) with chronic CSC.

Cuticular drusen associated with aneurysmal type 1 neovascularization (polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy).

Background: Aneurysmal type 1 neovascularization (AT1) is a term recently introduced to better describe the aneurysmal dilatation that may arise from neovascular lesions, more commonly known as polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. The proposed term, AT1, includes an expanded clinical spectrum of aneurysmal (polypoidal) lesions observed in both different ethnicities and associated with varied clinical phenotypes.

Case Presentation: A 61-year-old woman of European descent was referred for a new, asymptomatic retinal hemorrhage found on routine examination.

A proposed mechanism influencing structural patterns in X-linked retinoschisis and stellate nonhereditary idiopathic foveomacular retinoschisis.

Objective: To explore the structural differences between X-linked retinoschisis (XLR) and stellate nonhereditary idiopathic foveomacular retinoschisis (SNIFR) using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA).

Methods: A case series of two patients, a 9-year-old male with XLR and a 58-year-old woman with SNIFR were imaged with swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA; PLEX Elite 900, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc, Dublin, CA). Automated segmentation was manually adjusted to include the areas of retinoschisis within en face flow and structural slabs.