New keratoconus staging system based on OCT.

PURPOSE: To establish a numerical spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT)-based keratoconus (KC) staging system and compare it with existing KC staging systems. SETTING: Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China. DESIGNS: Retrospective case-control study. METHODS: Scheimpflug tomography, air-puff tonometry, and SD-OCT were performed on 236 normal and 331 KC eyes. All SD-OCT-derived parameters of the corneal epithelium and stroma were evaluated based on their receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity to discriminate between normal and KC eyes. The best performing parameters were subsequently used to create an OCT-based staging system, which was compared with existing tomographic and biomechanical staging systems. RESULTS: 236 eyes from 236 normal patients and 331 eyes from 331 KC patients of different stages were included. The highest ranked AUC ROC SD-OCT parameters, derived from stroma and epithelium, were stroma overall minimum thickness (ST: AUC 0.836, sensitivity 90%, specificity 67%) and epithelium overall SD (EP: AUC 0.835, sensitivity 75%, specificity 78%). A numerical SD-OCT staging system called STEP including 2 parameters-"ST" and "EP"-with 5 stages was proposed. CONCLUSIONS: The new SD-OCT-based KC staging system is the first to take the epithelium with its sublayer stroma information into account, showing a strong agreement to the existing staging systems. This system could be incorporated into daily practice, potentially leading to an overall improvement in KC treatment and follow-up management.

Combinations of Scheimpflug tomography, ocular coherence tomography and air-puff tonometry improve the detection of keratoconus.

PURPOSE: To determine whether combinations of devices with different measuring principles, supported by artificial intelligence (AI), can improve the diagnosis of keratoconus (KC). METHODS: Scheimpflug tomography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and air-puff tonometry were performed in all eyes. The most relevant machine-derived parameters to diagnose KC were determined using feature selection. The normal and forme fruste KC (FFKC) eyes were divided into training and validation datasets. The selected features from a single device or different combinations of devices were used to develop models based on random forest (RF) or neural networks (NN) trained to distinguish FFKC from normal eyes. The accuracy was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: 271 normal eyes, 84 FFKC eyes, 85 early KC eyes, and 159 advanced KC eyes were included. A total of 14 models were built. Air-puff tonometry had the highest AUC for detecting FFKC using a single device (AUC = 0.801). Among all two-device combinations, the highest AUC was accomplished using RF applied to selected features from SD-OCT and air-puff tonometry (AUC = 0.902), followed by the three-device combination with RF (AUC = 0.871) with the best accuracy. CONCLUSION: Existing parameters can precisely diagnose early and advanced KC, but their diagnostic ability for FFKC could be optimized. Applying an AI algorithm to a combination of air-puff tonometry with Scheimpflug tomography or SD-OCT could improve FFKC diagnostic ability. The improvement in diagnostic ability by combining three devices is modest.

Effect of fluence levels on prophylactic corneal cross-linking for laser in situ keratomileusis and transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of various fluence levels on prophylactic corneal cross-linking (CXL) combined with femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK-Xtra) or transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (TransPRK-Xtra) on biomechanics, demarcation line (DL), and stromal haze. METHODS: Prospective analysis where two prophylactic CXL protocols (lower/higher fluence [LF/HF]: 30 mw/cm2 , 60/80 s, 1.8/2.4 J/cm2 ) were performed as part of either an FS-LASIK-Xtra or TransPRK-Xtra procedure. Data were collected preoperatively and at 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. Main outcome measures were (1) dynamic corneal response parameters and the stress-strain index (SSI) from Corvis, (2) actual DL depth (ADL), and (3) stromal haze on OCT images analysed by a machine learning algorithm. RESULTS: Eighty-six eyes from 86 patients underwent FS-LASIK-Xtra-HF (21 eyes), FS-LASIK-Xtra-LF (21 eyes), TransPRK-Xtra-HF (23 eyes), and TransPRK-Xtra-LF (21 eyes). SSI increased similarly by around 15% in all groups 6 months postoperatively (p = 0.155). All other corneal biomechanical parameters were statistically significant worsening postoperatively, but the change was similar in all groups. At 1 month postoperatively, there was no statistical difference in mean ADL among four groups (p = 0.613), mean stromal haze was similar between the two FS-LASIK-Xtra groups, but higher in the TransPRK-Xtra-HF group compared with the TransPRK-Xtra-LF group. CONCLUSIONS: FS-LASIK-Xtra and TransPRK-Xtra lead to a similar ADL and improve SSI equally. Lower fluence prophylactic CXL might be recommended as it achieves similar mean ADL with potentially less induced stromal haze, especially in TransPRK. The clinical relevance and applicability of such protocols remains to be assessed.

Present situation and prospect of development and vaccination of acellular pertussis vaccine / 中国生物制品学杂志

@#Whooping cough(pertussis)is a highly contagious respiratory disease,which mainly affects infants and young children.Vaccination is an effective measure to prevent pertussis infection.Due to the fewer side effects,acellular pertussis vaccines(aPVs)have replaced whole-cell pertussis vaccine(wPVs)in many countries.Despite vaccination coverage is high,the short immunity induced by aPVs is considered to be significant reason for the re-emergence of pertussis.For improving pertussis vaccine,genetically detoxified vaccine and live attenuated vaccine have showed obvious clinical results and other strategies including using novel adjuvants in aPVs,increasing antigen or packaging aPVs with nanoparticles also have good prospects.This paper reviews the antigen composition and protective effects of aPVs,vaccination programs in different countries,potential candidate components of pertussis vaccine and new strategies for prevention of pertussis.

Present situation and prospect of development and vaccination of acellular pertussis vaccine / 中国生物制品学杂志

@#Whooping cough(pertussis)is a highly contagious respiratory disease,which mainly affects infants and young children.Vaccination is an effective measure to prevent pertussis infection.Due to the fewer side effects,acellular pertussis vaccines(aPVs)have replaced whole-cell pertussis vaccine(wPVs)in many countries.Despite vaccination coverage is high,the short immunity induced by aPVs is considered to be significant reason for the re-emergence of pertussis.For improving pertussis vaccine,genetically detoxified vaccine and live attenuated vaccine have showed obvious clinical results and other strategies including using novel adjuvants in aPVs,increasing antigen or packaging aPVs with nanoparticles also have good prospects.This paper reviews the antigen composition and protective effects of aPVs,vaccination programs in different countries,potential candidate components of pertussis vaccine and new strategies for prevention of pertussis.

Combining Spectral-Domain OCT and Air-Puff Tonometry Analysis to Diagnose Keratoconus.

PURPOSE: To investigate the diagnostic capacity of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) combined with air-puff tonometry using artificial intelligence (AI) in differentiating between normal and keratoconic eyes. METHODS: Patients who had either undergone uneventful laser vision correction with at least 3 years of stable follow-up or those who had forme fruste keratoconus (FFKC), early keratoconus (EKC), or advanced keratoconus (AKC) were included. SD-OCT and biomechanical information from air-puff tonometry was divided into training and validation sets. AI models based on random forest or neural networks were trained to distinguish eyes with FFKC from normal eyes. Model accuracy was independently tested in eyes with FFKC and normal eyes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to determine area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity values. RESULTS: A total of 223 normal eyes from 223 patients, 69 FFKC eyes from 69 patients, 72 EKC eyes from 72 patients, and 258 AKC eyes from 258 patients were included. The top AUC ROC values (normal eyes compared with AKC and EKC) were Pentacam Random Forest Index (AUC = 0.985 and 0.958), Tomographic and Biomechanical Index (AUC = 0.983 and 0.925), and Belin-Ambrósio Enhanced Ectasia Total Deviation Index (AUC = 0.981 and 0.922). When SD-OCT and air-puff tonometry data were combined, the random forest AI model provided the highest accuracy with 99% AUC for FFKC (75% sensitivity; 94.74% specificity). CONCLUSIONS: Currently, AI parameters accurately diagnose AKC and EKC, but have a limited ability to diagnose FFKC. AI-assisted diagnostic technology that uses both SD-OCT and air-puff tonometry may overcome this limitation, leading to improved treatment of patients with keratoconus. [J Refract Surg. 2022;38(6):374-380.].

Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to seeking medical eyecare services by adults with moderate-to-severe visual impairment in rural Yueqing, Wenzhou, China: a cross-sectional survey.

AIM: To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding eye-care seeking practices of visually impaired adults in a rural area Yueqing, and explore factors influencing their behavior. METHODS: A stratified sampling method was used to select 48 villages in Yueqing, from which 2400 people were selected to receive vision screenings conducted by oculists during a household visit. Those presenting visual acuity ≥0.5 logMAR in either eye completed a self-designed questionnaire investigating their knowledge about medical eye-care seeking, attitudes about eye health and eye-care-seeking behavior. RESULTS: Totally 165 people with moderate-to-severe visual impairment were identified (6.9%, 165/2400), and 146 eligible participants were recruited (response rate: 88.4%, mean age: 68.6±15.0y), among which 88 (60.3%) were female. They had 82 (56.2%) and 64 (43.8%) monocular and binocular visual impairments respectively. A total of 67 (45.9%) subjects demonstrated a high knowledge level about medical eye-care seeking and 88 (60.3%) had self-rated poor vision, with 23 (15%) receiving regular vision checks. The 105 (71.9%) subjects had never been to hospital for an eye examination. "No need" and "schedule conflicts" were the main reasons for not seeking eye care. Having extensive knowledge of medical eye-care seeking was positively associated with high education levels (OR=3.73, P=0.045) and negatively correlated with older age (OR=0.97, P=0.043). Both the self-perceived vision condition (OR=2.59, P=0.03) and regular vision check behavior (OR=6.50, P<0.01) were related with seeking eye care services. CONCLUSION: In rural Yueqing, intervention is required to increase public knowledge about seeking medical eye care among people with moderate-to-severe visual impairment, especially for the elderly and poorly education. Regular vision checks may be useful to promote their medical eye-care utilization.

Repeatability of Cornea and Sublayer Thickness Measurements Using Optical Coherence Tomography in Corneas of Anomalous Refractive Status.

PURPOSE: To assess the repeatability of epithelial, stromal, and total corneal thickness measurements with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT; RTVue-XR; Optovue, Inc., Fremont, CA) in patients with myopia, keratoconus, and corneas after transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), and femtosecond laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK). METHODS: A total of 352 eyes of 352 patients (75 myopic, 68 post-transepithelial PRK, 61 post-SMILE, 75 post-FS-LASIK, 20 mild keratoconus, and 53 advanced keratoconus eyes) were included. The epithelial, stromal, and total corneal thickness were recorded from the pachymetric map in the following four zones: (1) central 2-mm region, (2) eight paracentral regions within 2- to 5-mm diameter, (3) eight midperipheral regions within 5- to 7-mm diameter, and (4) eight peripheral regions within 7- to 9-mm diameter. Three successive scans were performed to evaluate the repeatability. RESULTS: For all zones up to 9-mm diameter, the coefficient of variation (CoV) for epithelial thickness measurements ranged from 1.7% to 3.5% for myopia, 2.6% to 6.2% for post-transepithelial PRK, 2.3% to 4.7% for post-SMILE, 4.0% to 6.3% for post-FS-LASIK, 2.5% to 6.2% for mild keratoconus, and 3.5% to 8.0% for advanced keratoconus. The CoV for stromal and total thickness measurements ranged from 0.2% to 2.0% for myopia, 0.7% to 4.2% for post-transepithelial PRK, 0.3% to 2.4% for post-SMILE, 0.3% to 1.9% for post-FS-LASIK, 0.6% to 3.0% for mild keratoconus, and 1.0% to 5.9% for advanced keratoconus. CONCLUSIONS: RTVue-XR SD-OCT showed excellent repeatability when generating the pachymetric map in myopic eyes. Measurements, especially for epithelial thickness, were relatively more variable for corneas with keratoconus and those having undergone keratorefractive surgery. [J Refract Surg. 2019;35(9):600-605.].

Effect of Dandelion Extracts on the Proliferation of Ovarian Granulosa Cells and Expression of Hormone Receptors.

BACKGROUND: In the current society, infertility related to age has become a social problem. The in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rate in women with poor ovarian response (POR) is very low. Dandelion extract T-1 (DE-T1) is an effective component of the extract from the leaves and stems of Taraxacum officinale, which is one of the medicines used in some patients with POR, but its molecular mechanism remains unclear. METHODS: Following IVF, ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) of sixty patients were extracted and divided into normal ovarian response (NOR) and POR groups. GCs were cultured in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner with DE-T1, proliferation of GCs was determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, and mRNA levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R), luteotropic hormone receptor (LHR), follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), LHR, and CYP19A1 (aromatase) were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Progesterone and estradiol (E2) concentrations were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The cell viability gradually increased with the progressive increase in the DE-T1 concentration. Compared with the control group (without DE-T1), the mRNA expressions of FSHR, LHR, IGF-1R, and CYP19A1 were upregulated after the addition of DE-T1, especially in the 2.5% DE-T1 group (P < 0.01). The expression of IGF-1R was upregulated approximately 25 times (24.97 ± 4.02 times) in the POR group with 2.5% DE-T1. E2 and progesterone levels increased with the increasing DE-T1 concentration. There were highly significant differences in the E2 and progesterone secretion between the NOR and POR groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: DE-T1 may promote steroid hormone synthesis by promoting GC proliferation and upregulating GC receptor expression, thereby improving ovarian endocrine function.

[Mechanism of Mitochondria-mediated Pathway in the Platelet Apoptosis Resulted from Immune Bone Marrow Failure].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechamisms of mitochondria-mediated pathway in apoptosis of platelets resulted from in immune induced bone marrow failure. METHODS: Thirty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 3 groups (10 mice in each group): normal group, model group, cyclosporine A(CsA) group. Mouse model of immune bone marrow failure were established. After mouse model was successfully established, the mice in normal group and model group were given saline orally, the mice in CsA group was treated with CsA orally. Blood routine examination of mice in each group was performed by automatic blood cell analyzer; the mitochondrial membrane potential(ΔΨm), cytochrome C(Cyt C), phosphatidylserine (PS), Ca2+ were measured by flow cytometry; expression of BAX, BAK, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9 was detected by using Western blot method, the changes of bone marrow platelet ultrastructure were observed under transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: Compared with normal group, the platelet count of model group decreased significantly, while the level of ΔΨm, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9 significantly decreased, the level of Cyt C, PS, Ca2+, BAX, BAK increased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the platelet count of CsA group increased obviously, while the level of ΔΨm, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9 of CsA group increased significantly, the level of Cyt C, PS, Ca2+, BAX, BAK of CsA group decreased significantly (P<0.05). Electron microscopy showed that compared with the model group, platelet damage in CsA group were alleviated. CONCLUSION: mitochondrial pathway plays an important role in the reduction of platelet resulted from immune bone marrow failure.