Coordinated variation in the immune systems and microbiomes of healthy humans is linked to tonic interferon states.

Human immune systems are highly variable, with most variation attributable to non-genetic sources. The gut microbiome crucially shapes the immune system; however, its relationship with the baseline immune states of healthy humans remains incompletely understood. Therefore, we performed multi-omic profiling of 110 healthy participants through the ImmunoMicrobiome study.

Automated Detection of Central Retinal Artery Occlusion Using OCT Imaging via Explainable Deep Learning.

Objective: To demonstrate the capability of a deep learning model to detect central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), a retinal pathology with significant clinical urgency, using OCT data.

Design: Retrospective, external validation study analyzing OCT and clinical baseline data of 2 institutions via deep learning classification analysis.

Subjects: Patients presenting to the University Medical Center Tübingen and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany.

Early silicone oil opacification in the absence of emulsification is caused by an increased level of silicone dioxide.

Purpose: In October 2023, other cases with early silicone oil opacification within hours after intraocular implantation in the absence of emulsification occurred. While multiple, small series of this phenomenon are now documented during the last decade, the cause was never unmasked. In this study, we analyzed explanted patient samples, unused samples of the affected, and a control batch of the same silicone oil.

T cells Instruct Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy Resistance in Tumors Responsive to IL-1 and TNFα Inflammation.

Resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is common, even in tumors with T cell infiltration. We thus investigated consequences of ICI-induced T cell infiltration in the microenvironment of resistant tumors. T cells and neutrophil numbers increased in ICI-resistant tumors following treatment, in contrast to ICI-responsive tumors.

Examining the clinical outcomes of a soft silicone multilayer foam dressing for exudate management in US hospitals: it is time to optimize dressing change frequency.

Background: Acute and chronic wounds in the acute hospital setting are commonly managed with soft silicone multilayer foam dressings (SSMFDs). While many SSMFDs are indicated for wear time of up to 7 days, they are often changed more frequently.

Objective: To use real-world data on dressing change practices and clinical outcomes to examine whether a built-in indicator on a proprietary SSMFD could reduce unnecessary dressing changes.

A mass cytometry method pairing T cell receptor and differentiation state analysis.

T cell antigen receptor (TCR) recognition followed by clonal expansion is a fundamental feature of adaptive immune responses. Here, we present a mass cytometric (CyTOF) approach to track T cell responses by combining antibodies for specific TCR Vα and Vβ chains with antibodies against T cell activation and differentiation proteins in mice. This strategy identifies expansions of CD8 and CD4 T cells expressing specific Vβ and Vα chains with varying differentiation states in response to Listeria monocytogenes, tumors and respiratory influenza infection.

Pro Re Nata brolucizumab for early onset and treatment-naïve diabetic macular edema: A prospective study.

Objectives: To determine the efficacy and safety of brolucizumab therapy administered on a (PRN) basis without loading dose in treatment naïve patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) for 1 year follow-up.

Methods: Patients with recent DME (<6 months) received a mandatory brolucizumab injection at inclusion and other injections could be given on a PRN basis with an 8-week interval (between injections) at minimum. Rescue therapy with other anti-VEGF was possible in case of incomplete DME resolution after the second brolucizumab with a minimum of 1-month treatment free interval between 2 injections.

Anterior segment optical coherence tomography for the detection of silicone oil emulsification on the iris surface.

Background: To investigate the presence of silicone oil (SO)-emulsification on the anterior iris surface with anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).

Methods: In this single-center cross-sectional study, vitrectomized eyes with SO tamponade that underwent AS-OCT imaging and gonioscopy examination during the postoperative follow-up visits, were reviewed.

Results: 45 eyes of 42 consecutive patients were included.

A jsPsych touchscreen extension for behavioral research on touch-enabled interfaces.

Online experiments are increasingly gaining traction in the behavioral sciences. Despite this, behavioral researchers have largely continued to use keyboards as the primary input devices for such online studies, overlooking the ubiquity of touchscreens in everyday use. This paper presents an open-source touchscreen extension for jsPsych, a JavaScript framework designed for conducting online experiments.

A Wireless, Multicolor Fluorescence Image Sensor Implant for Real-Time Monitoring in Cancer Therapy.

Real-time monitoring of dynamic biological processes in the body is critical to understanding disease progression and treatment response. This data, for instance, can help address the lower than 50% response rates to cancer immunotherapy. However, current clinical imaging modalities lack the molecular contrast, resolution, and chronic usability for rapid and accurate response assessments.

Early REperfusion therapy with intravenous alteplase for recovery of VISION in acute central retinal artery occlusion (REVISION): Study protocol of a phase III trial.

Rationale: Meta-analyses of case series of non-arteritic central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) indicate beneficial effects of intravenous thrombolysis when initiated early after symptom onset. Randomized data are lacking to address this question.

Aims: The REperfusion therapy with intravenous alteplase for recovery of VISION in acute central retinal artery occlusion (REVISION) investigates intravenous alteplase within 4.

Intravitreal Injections: Improving Sustainability by Reducing Clinical Waste.

Background: Intravitreal injections are one of the most commonly performed ophthalmic procedures. It is estimated that over 1 million intravitreal injections are performed in Germany annually. The aim of this study was to quantify the waste and carbon footprint associated with single-use injection sets, and to establish a waste reduction strategy.

The tumor microenvironment of benign and malignant salivary gland tumors.

Background: Treatment of salivary gland tumors (SGTs) remains challenging. Little is known about the immune landscape of SGTs. We aimed to characterize the tumor microenvironment in benign and malignant SGTs.

Disrupting CD38-driven T cell dysfunction restores sensitivity to cancer immunotherapy.

A central problem in cancer immunotherapy with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is the development of resistance, which affects 50% of patients with metastatic melanoma. T cell exhaustion, resulting from chronic antigen exposure in the tumour microenvironment, is a major driver of ICB resistance. Here, we show that CD38, an ecto-enzyme involved in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) catabolism, is highly expressed in exhausted CD8 T cells in melanoma and is associated with ICB resistance.

Enhancing CAR-T cell metabolism to overcome hypoxic conditions in the brain tumor microenvironment.

The efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy has been limited against brain tumors to date. CAR-T cells infiltrating syngeneic intracerebral SB28 EGFRvIII gliomas revealed impaired mitochondrial ATP production and a markedly hypoxic status compared with ones migrating to subcutaneous tumors. Drug screenings to improve metabolic states of T cells under hypoxic conditions led us to evaluate the combination of the AMPK activator metformin and the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin (Met+Rap).

Expert Consensus on Geographic Atrophy in the EU: A Call for Urgent Policy Action.

Geographic atrophy is an eye disease that greatly interferes with the daily lives of patients and their families, posing a serious threat to the aging European demographic. Over the past 30 months, this initiative has assembled leading experts in the field of ophthalmology to share insights on the necessary policy steps that need to be taken to overcome this challenge on an EU-wide scale. Through analyzing best practices in Germany, Italy, France, and Spain, this consensus paper sets out a series of policy recommendations, which, if implemented, could greatly benefit all individuals affected by geographic atrophy.

Clinical Landscape of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy in Germany: Retina.net CSC Registry Report Number 1.

Introduction: The German Registry of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) collects data on CSC patients in a nationwide multicenter approach to analyze epidemiology, risk factors, clinical presentations, as well as diagnosis and treatment patterns.

Methods: In this multicenter cohort study, patients with CSC were enrolled in nine tertiary referral centers in Germany between January 2022 and June 2023. After consenting to the study, demographic data, risk factors, reported symptoms, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), funduscopic findings, disease severity, and diagnostic and treatment decisions were recorded and analyzed.