Choroidal biomarkers in age-related macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of central visual impairment in the elderly. The exact pathophysiological mechanisms for AMD remain uncertain. Several studies suggest that choroidal abnormalities and alterations are critical in AMD progression.

Association of serum leptin and resistin levels among obese Saudi patients with acute myocardial infarction in Asir region.

In the current scenario, the importance of cardiac biomarkers in diagnosing, assessing, and managing people with cardiovascular discomfort is required. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between serum leptin and resistin levels among obese people with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with varying body mass index (BMI). The cardio and diabetic biomarkers among the 77 Saudi patients with hypoxia who lived in the Asir region were analyzed in the study.

Multi-locus genome-wide association studies reveal genomic regions and putative candidate genes associated with leaf spot diseases in African groundnut ( L.) germplasm.

Early leaf spot (ELS) and late leaf spot (LLS) diseases are the two most destructive groundnut diseases in Ghana resulting in ≤ 70% yield losses which is controlled largely by chemical method. To develop leaf spot resistant varieties, the present study was undertaken to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and putative candidate genes underlying both ELS and LLS. In this study, six multi-locus models of genome-wide association study were conducted with the best linear unbiased predictor obtained from 294 African groundnut germplasm screened for ELS and LLS as well as image-based indices of leaf spot diseases severity in 2020 and 2021 and 8,772 high-quality SNPs from a 48 K SNP array Axiom platform.

En Face Choroidal Vascularity in Both Eyes of Patients with Unilateral Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the choroidal vascularity analyzing en face optical coherence tomography (OCT) images in patients with unilateral central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). We retrospectively evaluated 40 eyes of 20 CSC patients and 20 eyes of 10 gender- and age-matched healthy individuals. The sample consisted of: (1) CSC affected eyes; (2) unaffected fellow eyes; (3) healthy eyes.

Choroidal vascularity profile in diabetic eyes using wide field optical coherence tomography.

Purpose: To report the wide-field choroidal vascularity up to the mid-equator area in diabetic retinopathy (DR) subjects using wide-field optical coherence tomography (WF-OCT).

Design: Prospective, Cross-sectional study.

Participants: Forty-seven eyes of 25 DR subjects.

Wide-field optical coherence tomography imaging in diabetic retinopathy.

Purpose: To report the individual retinal layer thicknesses up to mid-equator in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) using Spectralis (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) wide-field optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Methods: Retinal layers were segmented using a custom designed semi-automated algorithm, where reference points were marked by the examiner to enable software to automatically compute the thickness values of each retinal sublayer at an interval of 1 mm from reference points. The values of individual retinal thicknesses in eyes with varying severity of DR were compared with the values of healthy subjects.

Long-term retinal changes in progressive geographic atrophy.

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness with loss of retinal layers over long term. We aim to evaluate these changes in eyes with progressive non-exudative AMD with geographic atrophy (GA).

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with GA with a minimum of 4 years follow up.

Evaluation of Explainable Deep Learning Methods for Ophthalmic Diagnosis.

Background: The lack of explanations for the decisions made by deep learning algorithms has hampered their acceptance by the clinical community despite highly accurate results on multiple problems. Attribution methods explaining deep learning models have been tested on medical imaging problems. The performance of various attribution methods has been compared for models trained on standard machine learning datasets but not on medical images.

Water-Drinking Test in Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: To evaluate choroidal changes in central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) patients after water-drinking test (WDT).

Methods: This prospective study included treatment-naïve acute and chronic CSCR eyes and healthy controls. Intraocular pressure and optical coherence tomography measurements with choroidal vascular index (CVI) measurements were done at baseline.

Choroidal Vascularity Map in Unilateral Central Serous Chorioretinopathy: A Comparison with Fellow and Healthy Eyes.

Background: To map the choroidal vascularity index and compare two eyes in patients with unilateral central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR).

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study performed in patients with unilateral CSCR. Choroidal thickness (CT) and Choroidal vascularity index (CVI) were measured and mapped in various zones according to the early treatment diabetic retinopathy (ETDRS) grid.

Correlation of sectoral choroidal vascularity with angiographic leakage in central serous chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: To correlate sectoral choroidal vascularity with angiographic leakage in eyes with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR).

Methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study including patients with active CSCR. Multimodal imaging including fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed to identify leakage site and obtain choroidal measurements, respectively.

Imaging in inherited retinal disorders.

Inherited retinal diseases, which results from mutations in over 260 identified genes, affect more than 2 million people globally. The diseases mostly cause severe vision loss in young working population and have severe impact on social economic status of the population. Advances in retinal imaging techniques along with developments in gene identification and cell biology techniques have yielded to a better understanding of the genetic and biochemical mechanisms causing these diseases.

Wide-field choroidal vascular analysis in central serous chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: To report the wide-field choroidal vessel analysis in central serous chrorioretinopathy (CSCR) and their fellow eyes.

Methods: Wide-field optical coherence tomography (WF-OCT) images (55°) were obtained using Spectralis HRA + OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Germany) in extremes of gazes in all quadrants and manual montages were created to obtain wide field images up to equator. Choroidal thickness (CT), large choroidal vessel layer thickness (LCVT), and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) were calculated in macular segment (twice the disc to fovea distance) and all four quadrants.

Biomarkers for central serous chorioretinopathy.

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is a common chorioretinal disease characterized by serous retinal detachment that most commonly involves the macular region. Although the natural history of the acute form shows a self-limiting course, a significant number of patients suffer from recurrent episodes leading to chronic disease, often leaving patients with residual visual impairment. Visual morbidity is often worsened by a delay in the diagnosis due to the incorrect understanding of the particular biomarkers of the disease.

Peripapillary choroidal vascularity quantification and characterization in healthy individuals.

Introduction: To characterize the peripapillary choroidal vasculature in healthy individuals using the choroidal vascular index (CVI), a previously established more robust tool of measurement of choroidal vascularity than choroidal thickness.

Methods: The peripapillary choroid in healthy individuals was analyzed using optical coherence tomography. OCT B-scan were analyzed using automated binarization, a previously established technique.

Wide-field individual retinal layer thickness in healthy eyes.

Purpose: To report the individual retinal layer thickness in healthy subjects using wide-field optical coherence tomography.

Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study involving healthy subjects. A custom-designed semiautomated segmentation algorithm was used to split the retinal layers in seven bands, and individual retinal layer thicknesses were measured in horizontal (nasal, macular, and temporal segments) and vertical meridians (superior, macular, and inferior segments).

Effects of different mydriatics on the choroidal vascularity in healthy subjects.

Purpose: To evaluate choroidal vasculature changes after the instillation of mydriatic parasympatholytic and sympathomimetic agents in healthy subjects.

Methods: A total of 95 healthy subjects were enrolled in this prospective, randomized comparative study. Study participants were divided into three different groups depending on the drug to be administered: tropicamide (1%) group (n = 31), tropicamide (0.

Choroidal Anatomic Alterations After Photodynamic Therapy for Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy: A Multicenter Study.

Purpose: To study the early anatomic choroidal alterations in eyes with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) undergoing photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Design: Multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Methods: A total of 77 patients and 81 eyes with chronic CSCR treated with PDT and 64 untreated fellow eyes were evaluated.

En-face choroidal vascularity in central serous chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: To evaluate the choroidal vascularity index of eyes for acute and chronic central serous chorioretinopathy patients using swept-source optical coherence tomography generated en-face scans.

Methods: This was a retrospective study, in which slabs of en-face optical coherence tomography scans, at 5 μm intervals, spanning from the retina to choroid, were binarized using a validated algorithm to calculate choroidal vascularity index. The choroidal vascularity index was defined as the ratio between the choroidal vascular luminal area and the total choroidal area.

Analysis of Choroidal Vascularity Index in Keratoconus Patients Using Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography-Based Binarization Techniques.

Purpose: To analyse the vascular density of the choroid in a keratoconus (KC) population using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).

Methods: Prospective, noninterventional study that analysed 97 eyes from 52 KC patients and 145 eyes from 89 healthy controls. The sample was divided in four different age groups.

Association of reduced inner retinal thicknesses with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Tissue derived biomarkers may offer utility as indicators of accumulated damage. Reduced thickness of retinal neuronal tissue and the vascular choroid have previously been associated with vascular damage and diabetes. We evaluated associations between retinal thickness, retinal microvascular and choroidal measures, and renal function in a population with a high burden of comorbidity.

Classification and Quantification of Retinal Cysts in OCT B-Scans: Efficacy of Machine Learning Methods.

The automatic segmentation of fluid spaces in optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging facilitates clinically relevant quantification and monitoring of eye disorders over time. Eyes with florid disease are particularly challenging to segment, as the anatomy is often highly distorted from normal. In this context, we propose an end-to-end machine learning method consisting of near perfect detection of retinal fluid using random forest classifier and an efficient DeepLab algorithm for quantification and labeling of the target fluid compartments.

Choroidal hyper-reflective foci and vascularity in retinal dystrophy.

Purpose: To investigate choroidal hyper-reflective foci (HRF) in subjects with retinal dystrophy [Stargardt's disease (SGD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP)] and their association with demographics, visual acuity, choroidal thickness (CT), and choroidal vascularity index (CVI).

Methods: Single center retrospective study of subjects with previously diagnosed SGD or RP. Swept-source optical coherence tomography images were analyzed for the presence of choroidal HRFs and CVI using previously validated automated algorithm.