Wongcantu1739
To determine the diagnostic validity of quantitative measures derived from optical coherence tomography (OCT) images in their ability to discriminate between cohorts of eyes unaffected by hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and those with a range of toxicity severities, including mild toxicity.
Prospective, single-centre, case-control study conducted between August 2010 and May 2017. Participants were exposed to HCQ for at least 5 years (mean±SD =14±7.2 years) and classified into affected and unaffected cohorts based on the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2016 recommendations. For affected eyes, severity (groups 1-4) was assigned based on the extent of ellipsoid zone loss. For all eyes, spectral domain-OCT scans were analysed quantitatively to compute inner retinal thickness (IRT), outer retinal thickness (ORT), and minimum signal intensity (MI) and compared across toxicity groups.
Of the 85 participants (mean age 59±12 years, 93% female), 30 had retinal toxicity. Significant differences in ORT and MI were observed between each affected severity group and unaffected eyes. All trans-Retinal Significant differences in IRT were observed for groups 3-4 but not groups 1-2. ORT and MI were each able to discriminate between unaffected and group 1 eyes with the highest discrimination at the inner subfields (areas under the curve, AUC=0.96 for ORT and AUC=0.93 for MI).
Quantitative analysis of OCT scans revealed significant differences between eyes with and without toxicity in two different measures. Each individual metric could discriminate between the unaffected and the lowest severity category, suggesting their potential utility in screening for HCQ toxicity in patients at risk.
Quantitative analysis of OCT scans revealed significant differences between eyes with and without toxicity in two different measures. Each individual metric could discriminate between the unaffected and the lowest severity category, suggesting their potential utility in screening for HCQ toxicity in patients at risk.
To describe the clinical impact of external limiting membrane (ELM) disruption, ellipsoid zone (EZ) disruption and subretinal fluid (SRF) seen on optical coherence tomography (OCT) in eyes with vitreomacular traction (VMT) without macular hole (MH) in the Ocriplasmin for Treatment for Symptomatic Vitreomacular Adhesion Including Macular Hole study.
Phase 3b randomised double-blind sham-controlled multicentre study including 144 eyes with VMT without MH. Eyes were randomised to receive a single intravitreal injection of ocriplasmin or sham injection and were followed for 24 months. Eyes were analysed for presence, course and clinical impact of ELM disruption, EZ disruption and SRF on OCT.
ELM disruption, EZ disruption and SRF were present in 32.6%, 52.2% and 45.8% of ocriplasmin-treated eyes and 39.6%, 42.6% and 37.5% of sham-treated eyes at baseline. VMT resolution was associated with resolution of ELM and EZ disruption and SRF. A small number of eyes had persistent ELM disruption, EZ disruption and/or SRF at the seventh visit or later (17 months or later) following medical or surgical VMT resolution. Resolution of ELM disruption, EZ disruption and/or SRF was associated with an improvement of visual acuity from baseline. Following VMT resolution, ELM recovery usually preceded EZ recovery and SRF resolution.
ELM disruption, EZ disruption and/or SRF are present in a significant percentage of eyes with VMT without MH. Release of VMT is usually associated with outer retinal recovery and an associated improvement in visual acuity. ELM recovery typically precedes EZ recovery and SRF resolution following VMT release.
ELM disruption, EZ disruption and/or SRF are present in a significant percentage of eyes with VMT without MH. Release of VMT is usually associated with outer retinal recovery and an associated improvement in visual acuity. ELM recovery typically precedes EZ recovery and SRF resolution following VMT release.Pathologic myopia is a severe form of myopia that can lead to permanent visual impairment. The recent global increase in the prevalence of myopia has been projected to lead to a higher incidence of pathologic myopia in the future. Thus, imaging myopic eyes to detect early pathological changes, or predict myopia progression to allow for early intervention, has become a key priority. Recent advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) have contributed to the new grading system for myopic maculopathy and myopic traction maculopathy, which may improve phenotyping and thus, clinical management. Widefield fundus and OCT imaging has improved the detection of posterior staphyloma. Non-invasive OCT angiography has enabled depth-resolved imaging for myopic choroidal neovascularisation. Artificial intelligence (AI) has shown great performance in detecting pathologic myopia and the identification of myopia-associated complications. These advances in imaging with adjunctive AI analysis may lead to improvements in monitoring disease progression or guiding treatments. In this review, we provide an update on the classification of pathologic myopia, how imaging has improved clinical evaluation and management of myopia-associated complications, and the recent development of AI algorithms to aid the detection and classification of pathologic myopia.Altruism, defined as costly other-regarding behavior, varies considerably across people and contexts. One prominent context in which people frequently must decide on how to socially act is under stress. How does stress affect altruistic decision-making and through which neurocognitive mechanisms? To address these questions, we assessed neural activity associated with charitable giving under stress. Human participants (males and females) completed a charitable donation task before and after they underwent either a psychosocial stressor or a control manipulation, while their brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging. As the ability to infer other people's mental states (i.e., mentalizing) predicts prosocial giving and may be susceptible to stress, we examined whether stress effects on altruism depend on participants' general capacity to mentalize, as assessed in an independent task. Although our stress manipulation per se had no influence on charitable giving, increases in the stremechanisms stress may impact altruism remains elusive. We observed that the stress hormone cortisol was linked to diminished altruistic behavior. This effect was mediated by reduced value representations in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and critically depended on the individual capacity to infer mental states of others. Our findings provide novel insights into the modulation of human altruism linked to stress-hormone dynamics and into the involved sociocognitive and neural mechanisms, with important implications for future developments of more targeted interventions for stress-related decrements in social behavior and social cognition.A man in his 70s presented with narrowing of his stool calibre and a palpable mass on rectal examination. Colonoscopy revealed a submucosal bulge without a mucosal lesion. CT and MRI demonstrated an 8×5.4×7 cm mass in lower rectum. Biopsy of the mass confirmed a rectal gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST). It was moderately sensitive to neoadjuvant imatinib and radiotherapy, which slightly downsized the tumour. He required abdominal perineal resection with curative intent. Uncommonly found in the rectum, when located here, GISTs are typically aggressive and are a rare cause of stool calibre narrowing. Rectal GISTs should be considered in patients presenting with this symptom.A young man in his late 20s was presented with acute chest pain, concave ST elevation in lateral and inferior leads on ECG and elevated cardiac troponin. A thorough clinical history was notable for clenbuterol abuse. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a small area of hypokinesia in the inferior wall and cardiac magnetic resonance supported the diagnosis of acute myocarditis revealing signs of myocardial oedema and subepicardial delayed enhancement. The patient was managed conservatively and had an uneventful clinical course. Awareness of the possibility of clenbuterol myocardial toxicity in young men admitted due to chest pain is essential to prompt diagnosis and management of this condition.Only 4% of newly diagnosed bladder cancer (BC) patients present with metastatic disease. The most common reported sites of metastases are lymph nodes, bones, lung, liver and peritoneum. Mandibular metastasis is very rare. We report a case of muscle-invasive urothelial cancer metastasised to the mandible and with an incidental finding of high-risk prostate cancer (PC). Incidental finding of PC in BC patients may be suggestive of a common aetiology. Treatment for BC and PC can be delivered in parallel, including platinum-based chemotherapy, cystectomy and androgen depletion therapy. Prognosis of metastatic BC is poor, and high-risk PC may affect progression-free survival of BC. Our case highlights importance of considering BC metastasis to the jaw as well as synchronous PC in the management of patients presenting with BC.Cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with increased rates of malignancy, particularly in lung transplant recipients requiring long-term immunosuppression. We present a unique case of post-bilateral lung transplant (LTx) three-hole oesophagectomy for de-novo oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Preoperative planning and careful fluid management allowed for a successful treatment course. Given the increased risk of de-novo malignancy in LTx recipients for CF, their improved quality of life and survival longevity, consideration of aggressive surgical management is imperative with appropriate patient selection.A woman in her 50s with a three-decade history of biopsy-proven focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and a family history of end-stage kidney disease presented with worsening proteinuria and declining kidney function after three decades of immunosuppressive therapy. While a repeat kidney biopsy did not reveal findings diagnostic of Alport syndrome, genetic testing demonstrated a heterozygous mutation in COL4A5, which confirmed the diagnosis of X-linked Alport syndrome. The heterozygous in-frame deletion mutation may explain her intact hearing and relatively mild symptoms. Genetic testing enables diagnosis of Alport syndrome of various phenotypes, some of which cannot be diagnosed conventionally with clinical course and kidney biopsy. Genetic disorders including collagen IV nephropathy should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, especially when a patient has early-onset proteinuria, a family history of kidney disease, syndromic features or proteinuria refractory to glucocorticoid treatment.Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common acute presentation which may be provoked by multiple factors. We present the unique case of a young man with no underlying health conditions who was diagnosed with bilateral PE which we believe was provoked by chronic use of nitrous oxide (NO), a potentially under-recognised risk factor for PE. NO is a substance that is commonly used recreationally, particularly among young adults in the UK. It has been shown to increase serum homocysteine levels which may create a prothrombotic state.Our patient had raised serum homocysteine levels on admission. He was anticoagulated and discharged with advice to stop nitrous oxide use. We recommend asking patients about recreational drug use when screening for provoking factors for PE so as to offer appropriate treatment and counselling.