To investigate the change in cytokine microenvironment of the aqueous humor (AH) after surgery in children with congenital or developmental cataracts.

AH samples were obtained from 59 eyes diagnosed with a congenital or developmental cataract. Thirty-three of these eyes were aphakic following previous cataract surgery and were scheduled for secondary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Additionally, AH samples from 26 eyes that had not undergone surgery were taken. AH samples were then analyzed for 16 different inflammatory immune mediators using multiplex bead immunoassays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

The mean interval between secondary IOL implantation and original cataract surgery was 24.85 months (range, 9-60 months). Levels of IL-6, IP-10 (CXCL10), MCP-1 (CCL2), and IL-2 were significantly elevated in the AH of eyes after surgery compared to eyes that did not undergo surgery (

< 0.001,

= 0.047,

= 0.006,

= 0.012, respectively). There was significant correlation betwetial long-term complications after surgery in patients with congenital or developmental cataracts.

The inflammatory cytokine microenvironment of the aqueous humor might help explain potential long-term complications after surgery in patients with congenital or developmental cataracts.

To use multimodal retinal images (including quantitative fundus autofluorescence [QAF]) for spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT)-based image registration and alignment. For each age decade of healthy adults, normative fine-grained QAF retinal maps are generated and advanced methods for QAF image analysis are applied.

Multimodal retinal images were obtained from 103 healthy subjects (age 19-77 years; unremarkable retina/macula, age-appropriate clear optic media). Custom written FIJI plugins enabled (1) determination of the fovea in SD-OCT and the edge of the optic disc in infrared (IR) images; (2) alignment and superimposition of multimodal retinal images based on foveal and optic disc position; (3) plotting of normative QAF retinal maps for each decade; and (4) comparison of individual retinas with normative retinas of different decades using newly introduced analysis patterns (QAF97, freehand tool).

SD-OCT based image registration enables easy image registration, alignment, and analysis of different modalities (QAF, IR, and SD-OCT here reported). In QAF, intensities significantly increase with age with two major inclines between the third/fourth and seventh/eighth decades. With aging, the parafoveal area of maximum QAF intensity slightly shifts from temporal-superior to temporal. Compared with standard QAF analysis, refined QAF analysis patterns reveal a more detailed analysis of QAF, especially in the diseased retina.

Age-related QAF normative retinal maps can be used to directly compare and classify individual’s QAF intensities. Advanced QAF analysis tools will further help to interpret autofluorescence changes in normal aging and in the diseased retina in a multimodal imaging setting.

Advanced methods for QAF analysis link basic findings with clinical observations in normal aging and in the diseased macula.

Advanced methods for QAF analysis link basic findings with clinical observations in normal aging and in the diseased macula.

Accumulation of the long noncoding

element RNA activates the NLRP3 inflammasome and leads to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell death, a key event in the pathogenesis of geographic atrophy during late-stage age-related macular degeneration. Lamivudine (3TC) is a nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor known to inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome. Currently, the intracellular response of the senescence marker p16

to the long noncoding RNA is being actively studied. The present study aimed to assess the efficacy of 3TC against

RNA-induced RPE inflammation and senescence by evaluating changes in expression of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-18 and IL-1β and of p16

in RPE cells.

Cultured human RPE cells and in vivo mouse RPE cells were transfected with an in vitro-transcribed

RNA, and changes in IL-18, IL-1β, and p16

expression measured in the presences of 3TC or 3,4-(M)CA as a negative control.

Treatment with 3TC markedly reduced

RNA-induced expression of IL-18 and IL-1β in human and mouse RPE cells compared with the negative control. Further,

RNA-induced p16

expression was suppressed by 3TC in human RPE cells.

Our data suggest that

RNA accumulation contributes to RPE cell senescence in age-related macular degeneration and that this pathogenic process can be suppressed by 3TC.

Further verifying this study leads to potential targets for age-related macular degeneration therapy.

Further verifying this study leads to potential targets for age-related macular degeneration therapy.

Adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) capillary perfusion images can possess large variations in contrast, intensity, and background signal, thereby limiting the use of global or adaptive thresholding techniques for automatic segmentation. We sought to develop an automated approach to segment perfused capillaries in AOSLO images.

12,979 image patches were extracted from manually segmented AOSLO montages from 14 eyes and used to train a convolutional neural network (CNN) that classified pixels as capillaries, large vessels, background, or image canvas. 1764 patches were extracted from AOSLO montages of four separate subjects, and were segmented manually by two raters (ground truth) and automatically by the CNN, an Otsu’s approach, and a Frangi approach. A modified Dice coefficient was created to account for slight spatial differences between the same manually and CNN-segmented capillaries.

CNN capillary segmentation had an accuracy (0.94), a Dice coefficient (0.67), and a modified Dice coefficient (0.90) that were significantly higher than other automated approaches (

< 0.05). There were no significant differences in capillary density and mean segment length between manual ground-truth and CNN segmentations (

> 0.05).

Close agreement between the CNN and manual segmentations enables robust and objective quantification of perfused capillary metrics. selleck compound The developed CNN is time and computationally efficient, and distinguishes capillaries from areas containing diffuse background signal and larger underlying vessels.

This automatic segmentation algorithm greatly increases the efficiency of quantifying AOSLO capillary perfusion images.

This automatic segmentation algorithm greatly increases the efficiency of quantifying AOSLO capillary perfusion images.