Harmonizing the Generation and Pre-publication Stewardship of FAIR bioimage data.

Together with the molecular knowledge of genes and proteins, biological images promise to significantly enhance the scientific understanding of complex cellular systems and to advance predictive and personalized therapeutic products for human health. For this potential to be realized, quality-assured bioimage data must be shared among labs at a global scale to be compared, pooled, and reanalyzed, thus unleashing untold potential beyond the original purpose for which the data was generated. There are two broad sets of requirements to enable bioimage data sharing in the life sciences.

Spatial transcriptomics reveals novel genes during the remodelling of the embryonic human arterial valves.

Abnormalities of the arterial valves, including bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) are amongst the most common congenital defects and are a significant cause of morbidity as well as predisposition to disease in later life. Despite this, and compounded by their small size and relative inaccessibility, there is still much to understand about how the arterial valves form and remodel during embryogenesis, both at the morphological and genetic level. Here we set out to address this in human embryos, using Spatial Transcriptomics (ST).

KESTREL and KITE Phase 3 Studies: 100-Week Results With Brolucizumab in Patients With Diabetic Macular Edema.

Purpose: To report the 100-week outcomes from the KESTREL and KITE trials.

Design: Two phase 3, double-masked, active-controlled, randomized trials.

Methods: Patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) were randomized 1:1:1 to brolucizumab 3 mg/6 mg (BRO3/BRO6) or aflibercept 2 mg (AFL) in KESTREL (N = 566) or 1:1 to BRO6 or AFL in KITE (N = 360).

IMPACT OF RETINAL FLUID-FREE MONTHS ON OUTCOMES IN NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: A Treatment Agnostic Analysis of the HAWK and HARRIER Studies.

Purpose: To assess the effect of the total number of fluid-free months after loading on visual and anatomical outcomes in neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy.

Methods: This post hoc analysis pooled patient-level data from the brolucizumab 6 mg (n = 718) and aflibercept 2 mg (n = 715) arms of the HAWK and HARRIER randomized clinical trials. Based on data from Weeks 12 to 96, patients were assigned to one of five categories based on fluid-free visits (FFVs; the total number of monthly visits at which they were observed to be without retinal fluid).

Associations between age-related macular degeneration and sleep dysfunction: A systematic review.

Background: Age-related macular degeneration, a prevalent degenerative retinal disease, is associated with non-visual and psychosocial impairments that may affect sleep. In this systematic review, we evaluated associations between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and sleep, highlighted knowledge gaps and provided evidence-based recommendations to clinicians to enable holistic management of AMD patients.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Central registries for papers published before May 2022.

Detecting respiratory chain defects in osteoblasts from osteoarthritic patients using imaging mass cytometry.

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease which is characterised by reduced bone mass and microarchitecture, with a subsequent loss of strength that predisposes to fragility and risk of fractures. The pathogenesis of falling bone mineral density, ultimately leading to a diagnosis of osteoporosis is incompletely understood but the disease is currently thought to be multifactorial. Humans are known to accumulate mitochondrial mutations and respiratory chain deficiency with age and mounting evidence suggests that this may indeed be the overarching cause intrinsic to the changing phenotype in advancing age and age-related disease.

Selecting a multiplex PCR panel for accurate molecular diagnosis of intestinal protists: a comparative study of Allplex (Seegene), G-DiaParaTrio (Diagenode), and RIDAGENE (R-Biopharm) assays and microscopic examination.

Commercial multiplex PCR assay panels were developed to overcome the limitations of microscopic examination for parasitological diagnosis on stool samples. However, given the increased supply of this diagnostic approach, these assays must be evaluated to position them in a diagnostic algorithm. Analytical performances of the multiplex PCR assay G-DiaParaTrio, Allplex GI parasite and RIDAGENE parasitic stool panel for detecting Blastocystis sp.

Micro-Meta App: an interactive tool for collecting microscopy metadata based on community specifications.

For quality, interpretation, reproducibility and sharing value, microscopy images should be accompanied by detailed descriptions of the conditions that were used to produce them. Micro-Meta App is an intuitive, highly interoperable, open-source software tool that was developed in the context of the 4D Nucleome (4DN) consortium and is designed to facilitate the extraction and collection of relevant microscopy metadata as specified by the recent 4DN-BINA-OME tiered-system of Microscopy Metadata specifications. In addition to substantially lowering the burden of quality assurance, the visual nature of Micro-Meta App makes it particularly suited for training purposes.

Towards community-driven metadata standards for light microscopy: tiered specifications extending the OME model.

Rigorous record-keeping and quality control are required to ensure the quality, reproducibility and value of imaging data. The 4DN Initiative and BINA here propose light Microscopy Metadata specifications that extend the OME data model, scale with experimental intent and complexity, and make it possible for scientists to create comprehensive records of imaging experiments.

QUAREP-LiMi: A community-driven initiative to establish guidelines for quality assessment and reproducibility for instruments and images in light microscopy.

A modern day light microscope has evolved from a tool devoted to making primarily empirical observations to what is now a sophisticated , quantitative device that is an integral part of both physical and life science research. Nowadays, microscopes are found in nearly every experimental laboratory. However, despite their prevalent use in capturing and quantifying scientific phenomena, neither a thorough understanding of the principles underlying quantitative imaging techniques nor appropriate knowledge of how to calibrate, operate and maintain microscopes can be taken for granted.

QUAREP-LiMi: a community endeavor to advance quality assessment and reproducibility in light microscopy.

The community-driven initiative ‘ality ssessment and roducibility for Instruments & Images in ght croscopy’ (QUAREP-LiMi) wants to improve reproducibility for light microscopy image data through quality control (QC) management of instruments and images. It aims for a common set of QC guidelines for hardware calibration, image acquisition, management and analysis.

Diabetic Macular Edema Management in Asian Population: Expert Panel Consensus Guidelines.

Purpose: The aim of this consensus article was to provide comprehensive recommendations in the management of diabetic macular edema (DME) by reviewing recent clinical evidence.

Design: A questionnaire containing 47 questions was developed which encompassed clinical scenarios such as treatment response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and steroid, treatment side effects, as well as cost and compliance/reimbursement in the management of DME using a Dephi questionnaire as guide.

Methods: An expert panel of 12 retinal specialists from Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, India and Vietnam responded to this questionnaire on two separate occasions.

Effects of primary glaucoma on sleep quality and daytime sleepiness of patients residing at an equatorial latitude.

Aim: To investigate the impact of primary glaucoma on sleep quality and daytime sleepiness of patients.

Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study with consecutive sampling in South-East Asian population was performed. Validated questionnaires: the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were administered prospectively.

Mitochondrial dysfunction impairs osteogenesis, increases osteoclast activity, and accelerates age related bone loss.

The pathogenesis of declining bone mineral density, a universal feature of ageing, is not fully understood. Somatic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations accumulate with age in human tissues and mounting evidence suggests that they may be integral to the ageing process. To explore the potential effects of mtDNA mutations on bone biology, we compared bone microarchitecture and turnover in an ageing series of wild type mice with that of the PolgA mitochondrial DNA 'mutator' mouse.

Seeding hESCs to achieve optimal colony clonality.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have promising clinical applications which often rely on clonally-homogeneous cell populations. To achieve this, it is important to ensure that each colony originates from a single founding cell and to avoid subsequent merging of colonies during their growth. Clonal homogeneity can be obtained with low seeding densities; however, this leads to low yield and viability.

Photo-isomerization of the Cyanine Dye Alexa-Fluor 647 (AF-647) in the Context of dSTORM Super-Resolution Microscopy.

Cyanine dyes, as used in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, undergo light-induced "blinking", enabling localization of fluorophores with spatial resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit. Despite a plethora of studies, the molecular origins of this blinking are not well understood. Here, we examine the photophysical properties of a bio-conjugate cyanine dye (AF-647), used extensively in dSTORM imaging.

Assessment of the first commercial multiplex PCR kit (ParaGENIE Crypto-Micro Real-Time PCR) for the detection of Cryptosporidium spp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi, and Encephalitozoon intestinalis from fecal samples.

Cryptosporidium spp. Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon intestinalis are opportunistic pathogens responsible for gastrointestinal diseases. We evaluated the ParaGENIE Crypto-Micro Real-Time PCR kit (Ademtech, France), the first CE-IVD compliant PCR assay available for these pathogens.

A longitudinal study of choroidal changes following cataract surgery in patients with diabetes.

Objective: To study the structural changes in the choroid of diabetic patients following cataract surgery, using choroidal vascularity index and choroidal thickness.

Methods: A prospective case-control study was conducted in 18 diabetic and 18 non-diabetic patients undergoing cataract surgery (phacoemulsification) in one eye. Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography images were obtained before and after surgery.

Automatic Detection of Preferred Retinal Locus (PRL) for Low Vision Rehabilitation using Oculometrics Analysis.

Low vision rehabilitation is an important step towards individuals with Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) regaining useful functional vision and quality of life. One of the key steps in low vision rehabilitation is the determination of the preferred retinal locus (PRL). Currently, localization of PRL is performed manually though the guidance of a low vision therapist and the process is highly time-consuming, labour-intensive and subjective.

Computer-aided diagnosis of glaucoma using fundus images: A review.

Background And Objectives: Glaucoma is an eye condition which leads to permanent blindness when the disease progresses to an advanced stage. It occurs due to inappropriate intraocular pressure within the eye, resulting in damage to the optic nerve. Glaucoma does not exhibit any symptoms in its nascent stage and thus, it is important to diagnose early to prevent blindness.