Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Semin Ophthalmol 2021 Mar 1:1-6. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Department of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America.

: One of the top ten causes of disability in the United States is vision loss, primarily due to age-related eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. With an aging population, the number of people affected by this condition is expected to rise. Patients increasingly turn to the internet for health-related information, but no standard exists across published websites. Read More

Angiogenesis 2021 Feb 28. Epub 2021 Feb 28.

The John A Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, 65 Mario Capecchi Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.

Oxidized cholesterols and lipids accumulate in Bruch's membrane in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It remains unknown what causal relationship exists between these substances and AMD pathophysiology. We addressed the hypothesis that a prevalent form, 7-ketocholesterol (7KC), promotes choroidal endothelial cell (CEC) migration and macular neovascularization in AMD. Read More

Genet Epidemiol 2021 Mar 1. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Department of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Biomathematics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.

Genetic studies of two related survival outcomes of a pleiotropic gene are commonly encountered but statistical models to analyze them are rarely developed. To analyze sequencing data, we propose mixed effect Cox proportional hazard models by functional regressions to perform gene-based joint association analysis of two survival traits motivated by our ongoing real studies. These models extend fixed effect Cox models of univariate survival traits by incorporating variations and correlation of multivariate survival traits into the models. Read More

Neural Regen Res 2021 Oct;16(10):1911-1920

János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Pécs; Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest; Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary.

Vision altering diseases, such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, myopia, retinal vascular disease, traumatic brain injuries and others cripple many lives and are projected to continue to cause anguish in the foreseeable future. Gap junctions serve as an emerging target for neuromodulation and possible regeneration as they directly connect healthy and/or diseased cells, thereby playing a crucial role in pathophysiology. Since they are permeable for macromolecules, able to cross the cellular barriers, they show duality in illness as a cause and as a therapeutic target. Read More

Ther Deliv 2021 Mar 1. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

California Retina Consultants & Research Foundation, Santa Barbara, CA 93103, USA.

Current treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration involves periodic intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF medication, creating a burden to patients and physicians, resulting in nonadherence to recommended dosing schedules. The Port Delivery System with ranibizumab offers a long-term solution that involves implantation of a device into the pars plana and provides continuous release of anti-VEGF medication into the vitreous, thus requiring fewer office visits. The Port Delivery System has demonstrated comparable visual and anatomic outcomes to monthly injections and shows promise in alleviating the patient burden in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration, making possible better long-term real-world visual outcomes. Read More