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Ophthalmologica 2021 Jun 24. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021 Jun 21;567:171-176. Epub 2021 Jun 21.

State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510060, China. Electronic address:

N-Methyladenosine (mA) is the most prevalent internal modification in eukaryotic mRNAs that modulates mRNA metabolism and function. Most mA modifications on mRNAs are catalyzed by a core writer complex consisting of a methyltransferase, Mettl3, and two ancillary components, Mettl14 and Wtap. Recent studies have demonstrated important roles of mA in various physiological and pathological processes, such as stem cell multipotency, cell differentiation, and cancer progression. Read More

Prog Retin Eye Res 2021 Jun 21:100972. Epub 2021 Jun 21.

Department of Ophthalmology Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, 1090, Vienna, Austria. Electronic address:

Retinal fluid as the major biomarker in exudative macular disease is accurately visualized by high-resolution three-dimensional optical coherence tomography (OCT), which is used world-wide as a diagnostic gold standard largely replacing clinical examination. Artificial intelligence (AI) with its capability to objectively identify, localize and quantify fluid introduces fully automated tools into OCT imaging for personalized disease management. Deep learning performance has already proven superior to human experts, including physicians and certified readers, in terms of accuracy and speed. Read More

Exp Eye Res 2021 Jun 21:108681. Epub 2021 Jun 21.

Área de Biología Celular, Departamento de Anatomía, Biología Celular y Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain. Electronic address:

Planar cell polarity (PCP) is evolutionary conserved and play a critical role in proper tissue development and function. During central nervous system development, PCP proteins exhibit specific patterns of distribution and are indispensable for axonal growth, dendritogenesis, neuronal migration, and neuronal differentiation. The retina constitutes an excellent model in which to study molecular mechanisms involved in neural development. Read More

Am J Ophthalmol 2021 Jun 21. Epub 2021 Jun 21.

Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA.

Purpose: To identify functionally related genes associated with diabetic retinopathy (DR) risk using gene set enrichment analyses (GSEA) applied to genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analyses.

Methods: We analyzed DR GWAS meta-analyses performed on 3,246 Europeans and 2,611 African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Gene sets relevant to five key DR pathophysiology processes were investigated: tissue injury, vascular events, metabolic events and glial dysregulation, neuronal dysfunction, and inflammation. Read More

Eur J Neurol 2021 Jun 24. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Department of Radiology & Tianjin Key Lab of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, 300052, China.

Background: Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a disease maternally inherited from mitochondria that predominantly impairs the retinal ganglion cells and their axons. To identify whether occult brain white matter (WM) impairment is involved, a voxel-based analysis (VBA) of diffusion metrics was carried out in LHON patients with normal-appearing brain parenchyma.

Methods: Fifty-four symptomatic LHON patients (including 22 acute LHON with vision loss <= 12 months, and 32 chronic LHON) without any visible brain lesions and 36 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled in this study. Read More

FASEB J 2021 Jul;35(7):e21642

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

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a leading cause of blindness. The pathophysiology involves activation of choroidal endothelial cells (CECs) to transmigrate the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) monolayer and form choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in the neural retina. The multidomain GTPase binding protein, IQGAP1, binds active Rac1 and sustains activation of CECs, thereby enabling migration associated with vision-threatening CNV. Read More

PLoS One 2021 24;16(6):e0253323. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States of America.

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of confocal near-infrared reflectance (NIR) to diagnose retrograde microcystic maculopathy (RMM) in eyes with temporal visual field (VF) loss and optic atrophy from chiasmal compression. To compare NIR findings with optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in the same group of patients.

Methods: Thirty-four eyes (26 patients) with temporal VF loss from chiasmal compression and 41 healthy eyes (22 controls) underwent NIR fundus photography, and macular OCT scanning. Read More

Retina 2021 Jul;41(Suppl 2):S1-S12

Int Ophthalmol 2021 Jun 24. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Department of Ophthalmology, Hadassah Medical Center, POB 12000, 91120, Jerusalem, Israel.

Purpose: Neovascularization of the optic disk (NVD) is mainly a complication of ischemic retinal disorders and of uveitis with vascular occlusion. Rarely, NVD may develop in patients with uveitis in the absence of retinal ischemia. This report aims to present our long-term experience of treating refractory uveitic NVD (uNVD) with adalimumab in three patients with active non-infectious posterior or panuveitis. Read More

JAMA Ophthalmol 2021 Jun 24. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Wills Eye Hospital, Mid Atlantic Retina, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

JAMA Ophthalmol 2021 Jun 24. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Importance: Quantifying severity of complications in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) surgical trials is needed. A consensus classification system will help surgeons to more effectively compare harms of different surgical techniques.

Objective: To develop a new consensus-based classification to quantify severity of complications of RRD surgery. Read More

Curr Eye Res 2021 Jun 24. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Institute of Advanced Materials for Nano-Bio Applications, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.

: To assess the neuroprotective effects of methylene blue (MB) in a rat model of acute ocular hypertension (AOH) and explore its possible mechanisms.: Our AOH rat model was obtained with anterior chamber perfusion for 60 min. After that, 100 μM MB was injected into the vitreous cavity immediately after injury. Read More

Cutan Ocul Toxicol 2021 Jun 24:1-6. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakır, Turkey.

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on retinal apoptosis and oxidative stress parameters in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rat model.

Methods: This study included 3 groups; control, STZ, and STZ + CAPE. The rats in STZ, and STZ + CAPE groups were injected with STZ (35 mg/kg, i. Read More

J Clin Sleep Med 2021 May 3. Epub 2021 May 3.

Department of Ophthalmology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - EPM - São Paulo (SP), Brazil.

None: This review's objective was to synthesize the literature on the repercussions of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the retinal vascular system. Two independent investigators conducted a search using the MEDLINE/PubMed database using the following terms: sleep apnea syndrome; obstructive sleep apnea; retina; vascular tortuosity; central serous chorioretinopathy; diabetes mellitus; and subfoveal choroidal thickness. OSA patients present increased vascular tortuosity compared to non-OSA patients, decreased parafoveal and peripapillary vessel density, and increased retinal vein occlusion incidence. Read More

Ophthalmic Genet 2021 Jun 24:1-5. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Strabismus, and Adult Motility, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

: Congenital Stationary Night Blindness (CSNB) is a clinically and genetically heterogenous inherited retinal disorder associated with nystagmus, myopia, strabismus, defective dark adaptation, and decreased vision. Pathogenic variants in at least 17 genes have been associated with CSNB, where a hemizygous variant of causing an X-linked form of the disorder is among the commonest causes.: A retrospective chart review of a single pedigree was performed. Read More

Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2021 Jun 24. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Department of Ophthalmology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.

Purpose: To investigate whether previously reported seasonal variation and winter-dominant prevalence of acute massive submacular hemorrhages (SMHs) caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) disappeared, and those caused by retinal microaneurysms (RMAs) emerged.

Method: The medical charts of 95 patients (95 eyes) with SMH caused by AMD and 76 patients (76 eyes) with SMH caused by RMAs in 2012-2019 were retrospectively reviewed. For each subject, the month of onset, the mean ambient temperature of that month were recorded. Read More

J Public Health (Oxf) 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Vitreous & Retina Service, WVU Eye Institute, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.

Background: Early screening for COVID-19 is needed to limit the spread of the virus. The aim of this study is to test if the sniffer dogs can be successfully trained to identify subjects with COVID-19 for 'proof of concept' and 'non-inferiority' against PCR. We are calling this method, Dognosis (DN). Read More

Ther Adv Ophthalmol 2021 Jan-Dec;13:25158414211022874. Epub 2021 Jun 8.

Department of Ophthalmology, University of Health Sciences, Prof. Dr. Cemil Tascioglu City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

Objective: To compare the anatomical and functional outcomes of intensive and relaxed intravitreal aflibercept regimen in the management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: The medical records of 50 eyes of 50 patients with treatment-naive neovascular age-related macular degeneration, who underwent intravitreal aflibercept therapy in the Retinal Department of University of Health Sciences Okmeydanı Training and Research Hospital (Istanbul, Turkey), were retrospectively reviewed. The demographic features and best-corrected visual acuities at baseline and at 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd-, 4th-, 6th-, 10th- and 12th- months, optical coherence tomography measurements, presence of intraretinal fluid, subretinal fluid and intraocular pressure values were studied. Read More

Ann Transl Med 2021 May;9(10):878

State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Background: The neonatal period, especially postnatal day 10 (P10), is important for mouse retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) development, and an effective labeling technique to track neonatal RGCs is needed. Retrograde fluorogold (FG) labeling is widely used for adult mouse RGCs, but its applicability for the neonatal mouse is still unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficiency of retrograde FG labeling in P10 mice. Read More

Front Med (Lausanne) 2021 7;8:654696. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Complete Genomics Inc., San Jose, CA, United States.

Early detection and treatment of visual impairment diseases are critical and integral to combating avoidable blindness. To enable this, artificial intelligence-based disease identification approaches are vital for visual impairment diseases, especially for people living in areas with a few ophthalmologists. In this study, we demonstrated the identification of a large variety of visual impairment diseases using a coarse-to-fine approach. Read More

Front Cell Dev Biol 2021 7;9:695657. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Although JAM-C is abundantly expressed in the retinae and upregulated in choroidal neovascularization (CNV), it remains thus far poorly understood whether it plays a role in the blood-retinal barrier, which is critical to maintain the normal functions of the eye. Here, we report that JAM-C is highly expressed in retinal capillary endothelial cells (RCECs), and VEGF or PDGF-C treatment induced JAM-C translocation from the cytoplasm to the cytomembrane. Moreover, JAM-C knockdown in RCECs inhibited the adhesion and transmigration of macrophages from wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) patients to and through RCECs, whereas JAM-C overexpression in RCECs increased the adhesion and transmigration of macrophages from both wAMD patients and healthy controls. Read More

J Circadian Rhythms 2021 May 27;19. Epub 2021 May 27.

Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, México.

The progression of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in different brain areas is associated with the effects of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition to cognitive impairment, circadian alterations in locomotor activity have also been detected, but they have not been characterized in a jet lag protocol. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare 3xTg-AD and non-transgenic mice in changes of 24 h cycles of spontaneous locomotor activity in a jet lag protocol, in an environment without a running wheel, at 3 different states of neuronal damage: early, intermediate and advanced (3, 8 and 13 months, respectively). Read More

Front Psychol 2021 7;12:590986. Epub 2021 Jun 7.

Unit of Perceptual Psychology, Dept. Human Science, Research Center for Applied Perceptual Science, Division of Auditory and Visual Perception Research, Research and Development Center for Five-Sense Devices, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.

In the field of psychology, the merge of decision-theory and neuroscientific methods produces an array of scientifically recognized paradigms. For example, by exploring consumer's eye-movement behavior, researchers aim to deepen the understanding of how patterns of retinal activation are being meaningfully transformed into visual experiences and connected with specific reactions (e.g. Read More

Clin Ophthalmol 2021 16;15:2505-2517. Epub 2021 Jun 16.

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.

Purpose: Nesfatin-1 is produced in various tissues of the body including the hypothalamus. Neuroprotective properties of the neuropeptide hormone Nesfatin-1 were recently described. The aim of the study was to analyze the molecule Nesfatin-1 as a possible biomarker in POAG with neuroprotective properties pointing out the retinal-hypothalamic axis as target site in POAG and to obtain a molecular signature of cytokines in POAG as neuroinflammatory processes are a key factor of glaucoma development. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Jun 23;11(1):13184. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Department of Psychology, Applied Face Cognition Lab, University of Fribourg, Rue P.-A. de Faucigny 2, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.

Facial identity matching ability varies widely, ranging from prosopagnosic individuals (who exhibit profound impairments in face cognition/processing) to so-called super-recognizers (SRs), possessing exceptional capacities. Yet, despite the often consequential nature of face matching decisions-such as identity verification in security critical settings-ability assessments tendentially rely on simple performance metrics on a handful of heterogeneously related subprocesses, or in some cases only a single measured subprocess. Unfortunately, methodologies of this ilk leave contributions of stimulus information to observed variations in ability largely un(der)specified. Read More

Nat Commun 2021 Jun 23;12(1):3866. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo-CABD (CSIC/UPO/JA), Seville, Spain.

Sight depends on the tight cooperation between photoreceptors and pigmented cells, which derive from common progenitors through the bifurcation of a single gene regulatory network into the neural retina (NR) and retinal-pigmented epithelium (RPE) programs. Although genetic studies have identified upstream nodes controlling these networks, their regulatory logic remains poorly investigated. Here, we characterize transcriptome dynamics and chromatin accessibility in segregating NR/RPE populations in zebrafish. Read More

Nat Commun 2021 Jun 23;12(1):3906. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder. Although molecular mechanisms remain elusive, deficits in autophagy have been associated with AMD. Here we show that deficiency of calcium and integrin binding protein 2 (CIB2) in mice, leads to age-related pathologies, including sub-retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) deposits, marked accumulation of drusen markers APOE, C3, Aβ, and esterified cholesterol, and impaired visual function, which can be rescued using exogenous retinoids. Read More

Anat Cell Biol 2021 Jun;54(2):249-258

Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.

Acquired or inherited or photoreceptor loss causes retinal ganglion cell loss and ultimately axonal transport alteration. Thus, therapies should be applied early during photoreceptors degeneration before the remodeling process reaches the inner retina. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of metformin on the rat optic nerve following photoreceptors loss induced by N-Ethyl--nitrosourea (ENU). Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 Jun 23;14(6). Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Department of Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Intraocular tuberculosis has protean clinical manifestations and remains an important etiological differential for uveitis in an endemic region. A 27-year-old male presented with visual acuity of counting fingers close to face in right (OD) and 20/25 in left eye (OS). Examination revealed a choroidal granuloma in OS and healed serpiginous-like choroiditis in OD. Read More