Ultra widefield fundus imaging for diabetic retinopathy.

For decades, the standard method for screening and grading severity of diabetic retinal disease has relied upon a montage of photographs using normal angle fundus cameras. With the development of ultrawide field (UWF) fundus imaging, more of the retina can be imaged with fewer pictures, less dependence on photographer skill, and, often, greater ease on the patient. Recent studies have shown comparability between traditional and UWF imaging for standard grading of diabetic retinopathy.

The association between drusen extent and foveolar choroidal blood flow in age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between drusen extent and foveolar choroidal blood flow in nonexudative age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: Total drusen area, average druse area, and total drusen number were determined using a computer program developed to quantify the extent of manually outlined drusen from fundus photographs of 157 patients (239 eyes) with nonexudative age-related macular degeneration. Laser Doppler flowmetry was used to assess relative choroidal blood velocity (ChBVel), volume (ChB Vol), and flow (ChBF low) in the center of the fovea.

Enhancement of DNA tumor vaccine efficacy by gene gun-mediated codelivery of threshold amounts of plasmid-encoded helper antigen.

Nucleic acid-based vaccines are effective in infectious disease models but have yielded disappointing results in tumor models when tumor-associated self-antigens are used. Incorporation of helper epitopes from foreign antigens into tumor vaccines might enhance the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines without increasing toxicity. However, generation of fusion constructs encoding both tumor and helper antigens may be difficult, and resulting proteins have unpredictable physical and immunologic properties.