Monkeypox-Associated Disciform Keratitis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe a case of monkeypox (MPX)-associated disciform keratitis.

Methods: This is a case report.

Results: A 36-year-old male patient presented to the infectious diseases clinic with a 1-week history of disseminated pustular skin lesions, a 4-day history of constitutional symptoms, and redness in the left eye.

Spatial Distribution Analysis of Novel Texture Feature Descriptors for Accurate Breast Density Classification.

Breast density has been recognised as an important biomarker that indicates the risk of developing breast cancer. Accurate classification of breast density plays a crucial role in developing a computer-aided detection (CADe) system for mammogram interpretation. This paper proposes a novel texture descriptor, namely, rotation invariant uniform local quinary patterns (RIU4-LQP), to describe texture patterns in mammograms and to improve the robustness of image features.

Evolving Patterns of Hyperfluorescent Fundus Autofluorescence Accompany Retinal Atrophy in the Rat and Mimic Atrophic Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: Complex two-dimensional (2D) patterns of hyperfluorescent short-wave fundus autofluorescence (FAF) at the border of geographic atrophy (GA) can predict its expansion in patients with late non-exudative "dry" AMD. However, preclinical models do not phenocopy this important feature of disease. We sought to describe the spatiotemporal changes in hyperfluorescent FAF patterns that occur following acute oxidative stress, potentially in association with GA expansion.

Novel Texture Feature Descriptors Based on Multi-Fractal Analysis and LBP for Classifying Breast Density in Mammograms.

This paper investigates the usefulness of multi-fractal analysis and local binary patterns (LBP) as texture descriptors for classifying mammogram images into different breast density categories. Multi-fractal analysis is also used in the pre-processing step to segment the region of interest (ROI). We use four multi-fractal measures and the LBP method to extract texture features, and to compare their classification performance in experiments.

Aqueous Humor Cytokines and Long-Term Response to Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Therapy in Diabetic Macular Edema.

Purpose: To determine the association of aqueous humor cytokine concentrations with long-term treatment response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents in diabetic macular edema (DME).

Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: Pooled data of aqueous humor cytokine concentrations collected at baseline and 2-month follow-up (2 injections) for treatment-naïve eyes with center-involving DME previously enrolled in a prospective study were reviewed.

Aqueous Humor Cytokine Levels and Anatomic Response to Intravitreal Ranibizumab in Diabetic Macular Edema.

Importance: Variability in response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment in diabetic macular edema (DME) remains a significant clinical challenge. Biomarkers could help anticipate responses to anti-VEGF therapy.

Objectives: To investigate aqueous humor cytokine level changes in response to intravitreal ranibizumab therapy for the management of DME, and to determine the association between baseline aqueous levels and anatomic response.

AQUEOUS HUMOR CYTOKINE LEVELS AS BIOMARKERS OF DISEASE SEVERITY IN DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA.

Purpose: To determine whether aqueous cytokine levels correlate with disease severity in diabetic macular edema.

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study of 49 adults with diabetes mellitus, centre-involving diabetic macular edema and central subfield macular thickness ≥310 μm on spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Clinical examination and aqueous sampling were carried out before an initial injection of ranibizumab.

Spontaneously occurring fundus findings observed using confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in wild type Sprague Dawley rats.

Purpose: Non-invasive in vivo imaging is an increasingly used component of pre-clinical research. However, to reliably interpret data, it may be necessary to identify and document pre-existent findings prior to initiating long-term or intensive protocols, particularly where toxicity or efficacy is under investigation. Here we report here spontaneously occurring findings from the Sprague Dawley (SD) rat eye using multi-modal confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO).

Intact endothelial autophagy is required to maintain vascular lipid homeostasis.

The physiological role of autophagic flux within the vascular endothelial layer remains poorly understood. Here, we show that in primary endothelial cells, oxidized and native LDL stimulates autophagosome formation. Moreover, by both confocal and electron microscopy, excess native or modified LDL appears to be engulfed within autophagic structures.

Retinal toxicity of high-dose hydroxychloroquine in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Objective: To evaluate retinal toxicity in patients treated with high-dose hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) (Plaquenil, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals) for chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

Design: Cohort study.

Participants: Twelve patients with chronic GVHD treated with 800 mg/day HCQ between June 2005 and December 2010.

Hydrophobically-modified poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) as a physically-associative, shear-responsive ophthalmic hydrogel.

The potential of hydrophobically-modified poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) as a shear-responsive, self-associative hydrogel for ophthalmic applications is demonstrated. Hydrophobic modification was achieved via random copolymerization of N-vinylpyrrolidone with N-vinylformamide, the latter of which can be hydrolyzed to expose a desired degree of reactive amine groups permitting grafting of alkyl chlorides of varying alkyl chain lengths. The resulting materials formed highly shear-responsive physical hydrogels, exhibiting tunable shear thinning over 4-5 decades of viscosity from infinite shear to zero shear conditions that facilitates lubrication upon blinking and/or facile injection or drop-based delivery to the anterior or posterior segments of the eye.

Maternal anti-platelet β3 integrins impair angiogenesis and cause intracranial hemorrhage.

Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) is a life-threatening disease in which intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is the major risk. Although thrombocytopenia, which is caused by maternal antibodies against β3 integrin and occasionally by maternal antibodies against other platelet antigens, such as glycoprotein GPIbα, has long been assumed to be the cause of bleeding, the mechanism of ICH has not been adequately explored. Utilizing murine models of FNAIT and a high-frequency ultrasound imaging system, we found that ICH only occurred in fetuses and neonates with anti-β3 integrin-mediated, but not anti-GPIbα-mediated, FNAIT, despite similar thrombocytopenia in both groups.

Prostaglandin agonist effect on matrix metalloproteinase aqueous levels in glaucoma patients.

Objective: To determine whether the aqueous levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) differ between patients with glaucoma treated with topical prostaglandin analogues and normal, nonglaucomatous control patients. Also, to note any difference in MMP levels between latanoprost, travoprost, and bimatoprost that might suggest a difference in efficacy or mechanism of action between these drugs.

Design: Prospective, observational study.

Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) non-invasively identifies chorioretinal toxicity in a rat model of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) damage.

Introduction: Traditional methods of pre-clinical ocular toxicology require that multiple cohorts of animals be sacrificed over time for terminal histological analysis. By contrast, in vivo techniques capable of following the same cohort prospectively have the potential to be efficient and cost-saving. We therefore asked if fundus autofluorescence (FAF), a non-invasive imaging technique, could detect damage to the posterior pole.

Delayed near-infrared analysis permits visualization of rodent retinal pigment epithelium layer in vivo.

Patches of atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) have not been described in rodent models of retinal degeneration, as they have the clinical setting using fundus autofluorescence. We hypothesize that prelabeling the RPE would increase contrast and allow for improved visualization of RPE loss in vivo. Here, we demonstrate a new technique termed “delayed near-infrared analysis (DNIRA)” that permits ready detection of rat RPE, using optical imaging in the near-infrared (IR) spectrum with aid of indocyanine green (ICG) dye.

Biphasic effect of danazol on human vascular endothelial cell permeability and f-actin cytoskeleton dynamics.

Breakdown of endothelial barrier function is a hallmark event across a variety of pathologies such as inflammation, cancer, and diabetes. It has also been appreciated that steroid hormones impart direct biological activity on endothelial cells at many levels. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the effect of the androgen-like steroid, danazol, on endothelial cell barrier function in vitro.

Origin-specific epigenetic program correlates with vascular bed-specific differences in Rgs5 expression.

Cells from multiple origins contribute to vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) development. Phenotypic heterogeneity of VSMCs is associated with their point of developmental origin; however, the mechanisms driving such differences are unknown. We here examined the mechanisms controlling vascular bed-specific differences in Rgs5 expression during development.

Effectiveness at 1 year of monthly versus variable-dosing intravitreal ranibizumab in the treatment of choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: To evaluate the visual acuity results of monthly ranibizumab injections compared with a variable-dosing schedule for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: A retrospective study that compared two cohorts of consecutive patients. All patients were treatment naive, with baseline visual acuity of 20/400 or better, and completed 12 months of therapy.

The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway mediates retinal progenitor cell survival under hypoxic and superoxide stress.

Oxygen (O₂) tension has emerged as a major regulator of stem cell (SC) biology. Low O₂ concentrations that are toxic to mature cells can confer advantage to stem and early progenitors, while superoxide stress remains a constant threat in aerobic biology and may be partially avoided through sequestration of SCs in the relatively hypoxic stem or regenerative niche. Using primary retina-derived retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) and the R28 progenitor cell line in vitro, we show that RPCs are sensitive to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) induced damage and resistant to moderate levels of low oxygen stress (1% O₂).

Combined optical coherence tomography and electroretinography system for in vivo simultaneous morphological and functional imaging of the rodent retina.

A combined ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography (UHROCT) and a electroretinography (ERG) system is presented for simultaneous imaging of the retinal structure and physiological response to light stimulation in the rodent eye. The 1060-nm UHROCT system provides approximately 3x5 microm (axialxlateral) resolution in the rat retina and time resolution of 22 micros. A custom-designed light stimulator integrated into the UHROCT imaging probe provides light stimuli with user-selected color, duration, and intensity.

Limiting factors to the OCT axial resolution for in-vivo imaging of human and rodent retina in the 1060 nm wavelength range.

A computational model was developed to evaluate the limitations to the highest axial resolution, achievable with ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography (UHROCT) in the 1060 nm wavelength region for in-vivo imaging of the human and rodent retina. The model considers parameters such as the wavelength dependent water absorption, the average length of the human and rodent eyes, and the power limitations for the imaging beam as defined in the ANSI standard. A custom-built light source with re-shaped spectrum was used to verify experimentally the results from the computational model.

High-speed, high-resolution Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography system for retinal imaging in the 1060 nm wavelength region.

A high-speed (47,000 A-scans/s), ultrahigh axial resolution Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) system for retinal imaging at approximately 1060 nm, based on a 1024 pixel linear array, 47 kHz readout rate InGaAs camera is presented. When interfaced with a custom superluminescent diode (lambda(c) = 1020 nm, Deltalambda = 108 nm, Pout = 9 mW), the system provides 3.3 microm axial OCT resolution at the surface of biological tissue, approximately 4.

Angiopoietin modulation of vascular endothelial growth factor: Effects on retinal endothelial cell permeability.

Purpose: Vascular permeability is important at many sites, but particularly so in diabetic retinopathy where macular oedema is the major cause of blindness. Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are important factors involved in neovascularization and vascular leakage, but there is little data on their interaction to promote increased vascular permeability.

Methods: Porcine retinal endothelial cells (PREC) were seeded into permeable inserts and cultured in 24-well plates that permit measurement of permeability using fluorescent dextrans.