Publications by authors named "Rina Leibu"

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a heterogeneous inherited retinal disorder. Mutations in cause autosomal recessive (AR) RP. We aimed to characterize the genotype, expression pattern, and phenotype in a large cohort of cases.

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  • The study aimed to gather nationwide data on the prevalence of 67 inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) in the Israeli population, as existing prevalence information is limited and can vary significantly.
  • Researchers collected data from 9,396 individuals diagnosed with IRDs through 10 clinical centers in Israel during May 2023, using specific diagnostic methods to ensure accuracy.
  • Results revealed that the most common IRD was retinitis pigmentosa (approx. 1 in 2,400), followed by other conditions like cone-rod dystrophy and Stargardt disease, with an overall prevalence of IRDs at about 1 in 1,043 individuals.
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  • The study reviews disease-causing mutations in the BEST1 gene, correlates genotypes with phenotypes, and estimates the prevalence of Best disease in the Israeli population.
  • Over 134 patients from nine medical centers were analyzed, revealing a prevalence of 1 in 127,000, with higher rates among Arab Muslims compared to Jews.
  • Genetic testing is essential for diagnosing Best disease, as many mutations lead to autosomal-dominant inheritance and are concentrated in critical areas of the BEST1 protein that affect its normal function.*
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Unlabelled: - Objective: To explore the clinical validity of elastic deformation of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images for data augmentation in the development of deep-learning model for detection of diabetic macular edema (DME).

Methods: Prospective evaluation of OCT images of DME (n = 320) subject to elastic transformation, with the deformation intensity represented by ([Formula: see text]). Three sets of images, each comprising 100 pairs of scans (100 original & 100 modified), were grouped according to the range of ([Formula: see text]), including low-, medium- and high-degree of augmentation; ([Formula: see text] = 1-6), ([Formula: see text] = 7-12), and ([Formula: see text] = 13-18), respectively.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Data collected from 42 patients revealed that Stargardt disease and nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa were the most common IRDs, with autosomal recessive inheritance being the primary mode of transmission.
  • * The research identified 16 distinct IRD mutations, including nine novel ones, with one likely serving as a founder mutation, contributing valuable insights for future diagnosis and potential treatments for this community.
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Purpose: To describe ocular findings in individuals with primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1), focusing on the correlations between retinal anatomy and retinal function. To characterize the retinal alterations that occur at different disease stages by evaluating individuals with diverse degrees of renal impairment associated with PH1.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

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Purpose: Blue cone monochromacy (BCM) is an X-linked retinopathy caused by mutations in the red and green cone opsin genes. The aim of this study was to establish the clinical, genetic, and electrophysiological characteristics of a specific form of BCM.

Methods: Patients harboring mutations in the genes underwent a full clinical examination, including ocular examination, color vision, full-field electroretinography, color fundus and autofluorescence photography, and optical coherence tomography.

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Cell adhesion molecules are membrane-bound proteins predominantly expressed in the central nervous system along principal axonal pathways with key roles in nervous system development, neural cell differentiation and migration, axonal growth and guidance, myelination, and synapse formation. Here, we describe ten affected individuals with bi-allelic variants in the neuronal cell adhesion molecule NRCAM that lead to a neurodevelopmental syndrome of varying severity; the individuals are from eight families. This syndrome is characterized by developmental delay/intellectual disability, hypotonia, peripheral neuropathy, and/or spasticity.

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The formation of metabolite fibrillar assemblies represents a paradigm shift in the study of human metabolic disorders. Yet, direct clinical relevance has been attributed only to metabolite crystals. A notable example for metabolite crystallization is calcium oxalate crystals observed in various diseases, including primary hyperoxaluria.

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Purpose: To determine the electroretinographical and psychophysical parameters that can help to verify patients' complaints of reduced night vision.

Methods: We tested 275 consecutive patients with normal appearing fundi, complaining of visual difficulties at night, using flash electroretinography (ERG) and dark adaptation (DA) test. Two ERG parameters were used to assess a scotopic retinal function: the amplitude of the response to dim blue flash (the rod response) and the b-wave ratio (measured/expected).

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Article Synopsis
  • Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) lead to vision loss due to photoreceptor issues, and show significant genetic and phenotypic diversity.
  • The Israeli IRD consortium (IIRDC), established in 2013, has recruited over 2,400 families, making it the largest IRD study to date and covering about 40% of Israeli IRD patients.
  • The research reveals that most IRDs in the cohort are autosomal recessive, with retinitis pigmentosa being the most common phenotype, and identifies genetic causes in 56% of families, which aids in diagnosis and potential new treatments.
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Purpose: To identify the genetic basis for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in a cohort of Jewish patients from Caucasia.

Methods: Patients underwent a detailed ophthalmic evaluation, including funduscopic examination, visual field testing, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and electrophysiological tests, electroretinography (ERG) and visual evoked potentials (VEP). Genetic analysis was performed with a combination of whole exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing.

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Introduction: The sense of vision is highly important for humans and its loss markedly affects function and quality of life. Many inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) cause visual loss due to dysfunction or progressive degeneration of photoreceptor cells. These diseases show clinical and genetic heterogeneity.

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Background: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most common form of inherited retinal dystrophy, with a worldwide prevalence of 1 in 4000 persons. While in most cases of RP, the disease is limited to the eye (non-syndromic), over 40 forms of syndromic RP have been described.

Objectives: To identify the genetic basis for syndromic RP in three unrelated families from Israel and Spain.

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Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess potential interactions of light exposure and hyperglycemia upon ocular complications in diabetic rats.

Methods: Streptozotocin-induced (STZ-induced) diabetic rats ( = 39) and non-diabetic rats ( = 9) were distributed into eight groups according to the irradiance and color of the light phase during the 12/12-hour light/dark regime. Follow-up lasted 90 days and included assessment of cataract development and electroretinogram (ERG) recordings.

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Purpose: To investigate the genetic basis for autosomal recessive cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) in a consanguineous Israeli Jewish family.

Methods: Patients underwent a detailed ophthalmic evaluation, including eye examination, visual field testing, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and electrophysiological tests, electroretinography (ERG) and visual evoked potential (VEP). Genome-wide homozygosity mapping using a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array was performed to identify homozygous regions shared among two of the affected individuals.

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Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), the most common form of inherited retinal degeneration, is clinically and genetically heterogeneous and can appear as syndromic or non-syndromic. Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIC (MPS IIIC) is a lethal disorder, caused by mutations in the heparan-alpha-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase (HGSNAT) gene and characterized by progressive neurological deterioration, with retinal degeneration as a prominent feature. We identified HGSNAT mutations in six patients with non-syndromic RP.

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Objective: To evaluate possible functional toxicity of intravitreal Kenalog (commercial triamcinolone acetonide) in patients' retinas.

Design: Observational case series.

Participants: Thirty-two phakic eyes of 16 patients who had nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy and bilateral macular edema refractory to laser therapy, which had no other eye disorder and no previous ophthalmic operation.

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Purpose: To evaluate retinal function in subjects suffering from hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy (HJMD).

Design: Retrospective case-control study.

Participants: Sixteen HJMD patients belonging to 2 genetic groups and 20 control subjects.

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Pattern reversal visual stimuli are used to evoke potentials (VEPs) for assessment of visual acuity and for localizing defects along the visual pathways. Our goal was to assess the importance of attention and defocusing to the recordings of pattern VEP. Forty-one volunteers with normal (6/6) corrected visual acuity participated in this study.

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Hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by abnormal growth of scalp hair during infancy, and by the later occurrence of macular degeneration leading to blindness during the first to third decade of life. Hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy was recently shown to result from mutations in CDH3 encoding P-cadherin. In this study, we assessed 27 individuals, including nine patients, belonging to five families in an attempt to characterize further the CDH3 mutation spectrum and delineate possible phenotype-genotype correlations.

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Hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by early hair loss heralding severe degenerative changes of the retinal macula and culminating in blindness during the second to third decade of life. Recently, we identified a frameshift mutation in the CDH3 gene encoding P-cadherin as the proximal cause of hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy in four families. We report here another consanguineous family in which four members were diagnosed with hypotrichosis with juvenile macular dystrophy.

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