Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) analysis of cohort with peripapillary choroidal neovascularization.

Purpose: While many studies have analyzed macular choroidal neovascularization (CNV) using OCTA, few have focused on peripapillary CNV, which comprises approximately 10% of CNV cases. This study examines OCTA vessel changes in treated and untreated peripapillary CNV patients to better understand disease progression.

Methods: Nineteen eyes with peripapillary CNV secondary to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) were retrospectively analyzed.

AI-Enhanced OCT Analysis for Detecting ILM Removal in ERM Surgery.

Purpose: This study evaluates how accurately humans and artificial intelligence (AI) can identify the type of surgery performed for epiretinal membrane (ERM) removal by analyzing postoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans.

Methods: A retrospective analysis at the University of California San Diego included 250 eyes from 239 patients who underwent vitrectomy for idiopathic ERM between January 2013 and October 2024. Eyes were categorized into two groups: one with both the internal limiting membrane (ILM) and ERM removed using indocyanine green (ICG) staining, and another with only ERM removal, guided by triamcinolone.

Th9-endothelial cell crosstalk promotes inflammatory atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Unlabelled: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a leading cause of death, and understanding its pathogenic drivers is critical for effective prevention and treatment. Inflammation has a critical role in ASCVD, and patients with inflammatory diseases are at increased risk. However, the key inflammatory mediator promoting ASCVD are incompletely understood, a major barrier when targeting inflammation to prevent ASCVD.

Faricimab for treatment-resistant choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD): seven-months results using artificial intelligence and OCTA.

Background: To analyze the therapeutic response to faricimab 6 mg/0.05 ml in eyes with neovascular AMD (nAMD) with refractory intra- and/or subretinal fluid due to choroidal neovascularization (CNV), previously unresponsive to 4 mg monthly aflibercept and combination therapy with anti-VEGF and long-acting steroids.

Methods: A retrospective case series study of 22 eyes with unresponsive CNV, despite monthly intravitreal treatment (mean number of pre-faricimab injections: 35.

Residual Inflammation in Patients with Psoriasis Treated with Biologic Therapy: Findings from 3 Prospective Observational Cohorts.

Psoriasis is associated with a higher cardiovascular disease burden, with systemic inflammation being the root cause of this association. The concept of residual inflammation (RI) was defined in patients with features of high-risk atherosclerosis who had increased inflammatory markers in blood, as characterized by high-sensitivity CRP, despite receiving optimal medical therapy. This study aims to assess RI in patients with psoriasis undergoing biologic therapy, specifically defined as high-sensitivity CRP ≥ 2 mg/l despite achieving a PASI ≤ 2.

Anti-VEGF injections and macular atrophy progression in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration in remission.

Aims: To determine the effect of continuing anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections on the progression of macular atrophy (MA) during remission of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 59 eyes with nAMD with at least 6-month remission (disease inactivity) were analysed and were grouped into two. In group 1, anti-VEGF injections were stopped after remission (holiday).

Dry eye disease treatment improves subjective quality-of-life responses in patients with AMD, independent of disease stage.

Purpose: To determine the impact of severity of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on subjective treatment response in patients treated for dry eye disease.

Methods: A total of 203 eyes diagnosed with evaporative dry eye disease (DED) due to meibomian gland dysfunction were treated using the LipiFlow or MiBoFlo systems. From this cohort, 40 eyes with stable dry AMD (early, intermediate, or late stages) were included.

IL-6 and Cardiovascular Risk: A Narrative Review.

Purpose Of Review: The objective of this narrative review is to summarize data from recently published prospective observational studies that analyze the association between circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels and cardiovascular clinical or imaging endpoints.

Recent Findings: Higher levels of IL-6 are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular death, major adverse cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral artery disease, and heart failure. Imaging studies have also shown an association between IL-6 and carotid intima-media thickness progression, carotid plaque progression, severity, and vulnerability.

Cross-instrument optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCTA)-based prediction of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) disease activity using artificial intelligence.

This study investigates the efficacy of predicting age-related macular degeneration (AMD) activity through deep neural networks (DNN) using a cross-instrument training dataset composed of Optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCTA) images from two different manufacturers. A retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed 2D vascular en-face OCTA images from Heidelberg Spectralis (1478 samples: 1102 training, 276 validation, 100 testing) and Optovue Solix (1003 samples: 754 training, 189 validation, 60 testing). OCTA scans were labeled based on clinical diagnoses and adjacent B-scan OCT fluid information, categorizing activity into normal, dry AMD, active wet AMD, and wet AMD in remission.

Monocyte-to-High-Density Lipoprotein Ratio Is Associated with Systemic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, and Coronary Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Psoriasis: Results from 2 Observational Cohorts.

Systemic inflammation or insulin resistance drive atherosclerosis. However, they are difficult to capture for assessing cardiovascular risk in clinical settings. The monocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) is an accessible biomarker that integrates inflammatory and metabolic information and has been associated with poorer cardiovascular outcomes.

Relationship of Soluble Lectin-Like Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-1 (sLOX-1) With Inflammation and Coronary Plaque Progression in Psoriasis.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory condition associated with coronary artery disease risk. Uptake of oxidized low-density lipoprotein by the lectin-like low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 triggers release of the soluble extracellular domain of the receptor (sLOX-1). We sought to characterize the relationship between sLOX-1, inflammation, and coronary plaque progression in psoriasis.

Longitudinal association of epicardial and thoracic adipose tissues with coronary and cardiac characteristics in psoriasis.

Background: s: Psoriasis is a disease of systemic inflammation associated with increased cardiometabolic risk. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and thoracic adipose tissue (TAT) are contributing factors for atherosclerosis and cardiac dysfunction. We strove to assess the longitudinal impact of the EAT and TAT on coronary and cardiac characteristics in psoriasis.

Early Detection and Progression of Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Psoriasis (EDSAP): protocol for an observational, single-centre, prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Life expectancy of patients with psoriasis is reduced by 4-5 years due to cardiovascular disease with an increased risk of myocardial infarction at an earlier age compared with the general population. This increased risk is independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and higher in moderate-to-severe forms of psoriasis. Inflammation may play a key role in the development of atherosclerosis in these patients.

Boosting NAD preferentially blunts Th17 inflammation via arginine biosynthesis and redox control in healthy and psoriasis subjects.

To evaluate whether nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-positive (NAD) boosting modulates adaptive immunity, primary CD4 T cells from healthy control and psoriasis subjects were exposed to vehicle or nicotinamide riboside (NR) supplementation. NR blunts interferon γ (IFNγ) and interleukin (IL)-17 secretion with greater effects on T helper (Th) 17 polarization. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis implicates NR blunting of sequestosome 1 (sqstm1/p62)-coupled oxidative stress.

Cell-free, high-density lipoprotein-specific phospholipid efflux assay predicts incident cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUNDCellular cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) is a better predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events than HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) but is not suitable as a routine clinical assay.METHODSWe developed an HDL-specific phospholipid efflux (HDL-SPE) assay to assess HDL functionality based on whole plasma HDL apolipoprotein-mediated solubilization of fluorescent phosphatidylethanolamine from artificial lipid donor particles. We first assessed the association of HDL-SPE with prevalent coronary artery disease (CAD): study I included NIH severe-CAD (n = 50) and non-CAD (n = 50) participants, who were frequency matched for sex, BMI, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and smoking; study II included Japanese CAD (n = 70) and non-CAD (n = 154) participants.

Estimated sdLDL-C for predicting high-risk coronary plaque features in psoriasis: a prospective observational study.

Background: Psoriasis (PSO) is a skin disorder with systemic inflammation and high coronary artery disease risk. A distinct lipid phenotype occurs in psoriasis, which is characterized by high plasma triglycerides (TGs) with typically normal or even low LDL-C. The extent to which cholesterol on LDL subfractions, such as small dense LDL-C (sdLDL-C), are associated with vulnerable coronary plaque characteristics in PSO remains elusive.