Plasma Sphingomyelins as Biomarkers for Diabetic Retinal Neurodegeneration: The Maastricht Study.

Objective: Sphingomyelin (SM) may play a role in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. Early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy is crucial for preventing the irreversible vision loss associated with this condition. This study aimed to examine the link between SM and key indicators of diabetic retinopathy, namely retinal neurodegeneration, including corneal nerve measures, retinal layer thickness, and mean retinal sensitivity.

Microvascular dysfunction across organs in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: the PROSE-HFpEF case-control study.

Background: Systemic microvascular dysfunction is proposed as a key pathophysiological process in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). This study compared microvasculature across vascular beds in HFpEF patients and controls.

Methods: This prospective, case-control study included subjects ≥ 60years.

Measurement properties of disease activity instruments in peripheral spondyloarthritis: a post-hoc analysis of the CRESPA trial.

Background: Unravelling the performance of disease activity measures in peripheral spondyloarthritis (pSpA) is crucial for the development of clinical studies. We aimed to evaluate the construct validity and discriminatory capacity of various instruments assessing disease activity and response criteria in patients with pSpA.

Methods: Post-hoc analysis of the CRESPA randomised controlled trial including patients with early active pSpA.

A multicentric study examining a deep-learning-based computer model for classifying bipolar disorder using retinal vascular images.

Objectives: Due to easy accessibility, the retina is considered a window to the brain. Recent studies have reported retinal vascular abnormalities in bipolar disorder. Deep learning analysis, an advanced computational approach, has been implemented in medicine for diagnosis using retinal vascular images.

Potential and value of rescuing dying neurons.

Unwarranted death of neurons is a major cause of neurodegenerative diseases. Since mature neurons are postmitotic and do not replicate, their death usually constitutes an irreversible step in pathology. A logical strategy to prevent neurodegeneration would then be to save all neurons that are still alive, i.