Assessment of microvascular involvement in lupus nephritis patients by retinal OCT-angiography and kidney biopsies.

OBJECTIVES: Ocular and renal microvascular damage in lupus nephritis (LN) share similar physiopathological pathways that have investigated using traditional fundus examination and high-resolution colour electroretinography. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a recent, non-invasive technique for imaging the microvasculature of retina and choroid. Aim of the study was to investigate through OCTA analysis the relationship between retinal microvascular alterations and renal functional and histologic features. METHODS: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with LN, SLE without renal involvement and healthy controls were recruited and accomplished an ophthalmological evaluation, including OCTA. SLE-LN patients underwent a rheumatological evaluation, including disease-related clinical and laboratory features collection and kidney biopsy examination. RESULTS: This cross-sectional study enrolled forty-six eyes of 23 LN patients, thirty-two eyes of 16 SLE patients and forty-two eyes of 21 controls. Thirteen SLE-LN patients (56.5%) displayed lupus retinopathy, 10 at moderate (77%) and 3 at severe stage (23%) by fundus oculi examination. Analysis of OCTA data showed with high/moderate accuracy a reduction of retinal capillary vessel density in both SLE and SLE-LN patients compared to controls in superficial and deep plexi. A reduction in fovea thickness and an increase in foveal avascular zone were also detected. OCTA data of LN patients correlated with LN duration, disease activity, kidney function and the presence of LN-vascular lesions at kidney biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest the role of OCTA in early detection of systemic vascular involvement in SLE-LN patients and related kidney functional-histological impairment.

Lax eyelid condition (LEC) and floppy eyelid syndrome (FES) prevalence in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Lax eyelid condition (LEC) and floppy eyelid syndrome (FES) represent two distinct conditions which have been associated with several ocular and systemic comorbidities. The main aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to explore the available literature to estimate the prevalence rate of LEC and FES in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS: The protocol of this systematic review and meta-analysis has been registered in PROSPERO. Four electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, Web of Science) were searched from inception to December 24, 2021. A random intercept logistic regression model was carried out for the analysis of overall proportions. Odds ratio and mean difference were reported as measures of the effect size in the presence of binary and continuous outcomes, respectively. The estimated numbers of LEC/FES patients in OSA were calculated by multiplying the prevalence rate determined by our random-effects model and the corresponding Benjafield et al.'s population prospect. RESULTS: We included 11 studies comprising 1225 OSA patients of whom 431 and 153 affected by LEC and FES, respectively. Our model estimated a pooled prevalence rate for LEC and FES in OSA patients of 40.2% (95%CI: 28.6-53.1%) and of 22.4% (95%CI: 13.8-34.2%), respectively. The number of LEC/FES affected individuals among OSA patients is expected to peak up to 376 and to 210 million, respectively. OSA patients appeared to have a 3.4 (95%CI: 2.2-5.2) and a 3.0 (95%CI: 1.7-5.5) increased risk of developing LEC and FES than the healthy counterpart. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of LEC and FES is higher in OSA-affected patients compared to controls. More studies are warranted to investigate the mechanisms leading to the development of LEC and/or FES in OSA patients, as well as the feasibility of the adoption of these clinical findings as screening tools for OSA.

The effectiveness of nudging interventions to promote healthy eating choices: A systematic review and an intervention among Italian university students.

Nudges are changes in choice architecture (i.e., the environment in which people make decisions) aiming to steer a person's decision to a particular choice, without restricting alternative options or changing financial incentives. These strategies have been extensively used to promote healthy eating, above all among youths, whose behaviors can still be easily shaped compared to older people's. The current paper describes two studies aiming to investigate the effectiveness of nudging interventions in promoting healthy eating among university students. The first study consisted of a systematic review mapping all the published studies which describe the effectiveness of this kind of intervention worldwide. Twelve eligible records were selected after a search of three different databases. Information about the publication of the record, the adopted research methods and the described intervention was retrieved from each selected record. Based on this review's results, a new nudging intervention was developed to promote healthy food choice among Italian university students. The intervention aimed to modify students' choice for each of the Italian meal courses: first course (pasta, rice or soup), second course (meat, fish, cheese or cured meat), side dish, bread, and fruit. An Italian university cafeteria was observed in two phases: a pre-intervention phase (baseline) and a post-intervention phase (nudging strategies were implemented in the cafeteria's architecture). The applied nudging intervention was effective in promoting healthy choices in relation to the second course, the side dish, and the bread, but it did not significantly affect choices related to the first course or the fruit. Implications of these results and suggestions for future interventions are discussed.

Evidence for the Detection of Subclinical Retinal Involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Sjögren Syndrome: A Potential Association with Therapies.

BACKGROUND: Retinal involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjögren syndrome (SS) may be subclinical and thus underdiagnosed. OBJECTIVES: We aimed at evaluating morphological and functional visual abnormalities in a cohort of SLE and SS patients in the absence of an overt clinical visual impairment. We also investigated potential associations between retinal disorders and disease activity, organ involvement, and treatment with steroid and/or hydroxychloroquine. METHODS: The study comprised 42 SLE and 36 primary SS patients and 76 healthy controls (HC). Ophthalmological examination, standard automated perimetry, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and fundus perimetry were performed. RESULTS: Retinal thickness of the posterior pole was not different between SLE and HC groups, but it was reduced in the SS group compared with both the HC and the SLE group. In SLE and SS patients, mean defect and pattern standard deviation by standard automated perimetry were higher than in HC. Visual field index values were lower in both SLE and SS patients than in HC. SLE patients with nephritis displayed increased mean defect and pattern standard deviation and reduced visual field index values compared to patients without nephritis. In SLE and SS patients, fundus perimetry differential sensitivity was reduced, and mean defect values were higher than in HC. Disturbances in fundus perimetry in the SLE group were more prevalent in steroid-naïve patients and in SS patients who received a cumulative hydroxychloroquine dose > 1,000 g. CONCLUSIONS: Functional eye impairment was demonstrated in SLE patients, possibly associated with kidney involvement. In SLE, corticosteroids might exert a protective role. Morphological alterations and functional impairment were detected in SS patients, which may be linked to hydroxychloroquine toxicity.

Evaluation of pupillary response to light in patients with glaucoma: a study using computerized pupillometry.

The aim of this study was to evaluate pupillary response to light stimulation in patients with different stages of glaucoma using computerized pupillometry. We conducted a retrospective study on a group of 44 glaucoma patients who had undergone complete ophthalmological examination, visual field test (Humphrey SITA Standard 24-2) and monocular dynamic pupillometry (MonCV3 Metrovision). Eyes were classified into stages of glaucoma according to visual field damage using the Glaucoma Staging System 2. A group of 18 healthy subjects, homogeneous for age and sex with glaucoma patients, was used as a control. The following parameters were considered-latency and duration of contraction and dilatation; initial, minimum, maximum, and mean pupil diameter; amplitude of contraction; contraction and dilatation speed; and percent pupil contraction (PPC). PPC and pupil contraction speed and minimum diameter showed covariate correlation with the stages of glaucoma. The control group significantly differed from the stage 3 group in terms of PPC and from the stage 4 group in terms of minimum diameter. There were significant differences between the stage 5 group and stage 1, 2, 3 and control groups. Ordinal logistic regression showed a correlation between pupil contraction speed, minimum diameter, PPC, initial diameter and the stage of glaucoma. The study showed that glaucoma damage is associated with altered values of pupillary response to light. This event may be the consequence of the progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells and their axons induced by glaucoma.

Non-Invasive High-Resolution Imaging of In Vivo Human Myelinated Axons.

This work aims to reveal the microscopic (2-3 micrometer resolution) appearance of human myelinated nerve fibers in vivo for the first time. We analyzed the myelinated retinal nerve fibers of a male patient without other neurological disorders in a non-invasive way using the transscleral optical phase imaging method with adaptive optics. We also analyzed the fellow eye with non-myelinated nerve fibers and compared the results with traditional ocular imaging methods such as optical coherence tomography. We documented the microscopic appearance of human myelin and myelinated axons in vivo. This method allowed us to obtain better details than through traditional ocular imaging methods. We hope these findings will be useful to the scientific community to evaluate neuro-retinal structures through new imaging techniques and more accurately document nerve anatomy and the pathophysiology of this disease.

Short Wavelength Automated Perimetry, Standard Automated Perimetry, and Optical Coherence Tomography in Dominant Optic Atrophy.

Background: Blue-yellow axis dyschromatopsia is well-known in Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADOA) patients, but there were no data on the correlation between retinal structure and short-wavelength automated perimetry (SWAP) values in this pathology. Methods: In this cross-sectional case-control study, we assessed the correlation between best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), standard automated perimetry (SAP), SWAP, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters of 9 ADOA patients compared with healthy controls. Correlation analysis was performed between BCVA, mean deviation, pattern standard deviation (PSD), and fovea sensitivity (FS) values and the OCT thickness of each retinal layer and the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL). Results: The following significant and strong correlations were found: between BCVA and ganglion cell layer (GCL) and the global (G) pRNFL thicknesses; between SAP FS and GCL and the G-pRNFL thicknesses; between SWAP PSD and total retina, GCL, inner plexiform layer, inner nuclear layer, inner retinal layer and the temporal pRNFL thicknesses. We found a constant shorter duration of the SITA-SWAP compared with the SITA-STANDARD strategy. Conclusions: SWAP, SAP, and BCVA values provided relevant clinical information about retinal involvement in our ADOA patients. The perimetric functional parameters that seemed to correlate better with structure involvement were FS on SAP and PSD on SWAP.

Framing Effects on Willingness and Perceptions towards COVID-19 Vaccination among University Students in Italy: An Exploratory Study.

Vaccine hesitancy is a diffused psychological phenomenon that has been increasingly addressed in several studies since the COVID-19 pandemic. Communication campaigns play a pivotal role influencing recipients' perceptions and may affect the likelihood to vaccinate or to show hesitancy. In the context of communicating risks during the COVID-19 pandemic, we hypothesized that highlighting different aspects of data on the effectiveness of vaccines would influence people's willingness and attitudes to vaccinate. In this exploratory study, we administered two versions of a survey to a convenience sample of students from three universities in Italy. In the first version, salience was placed on the effectiveness of the vaccine in terms of reducing the probability of infection. In the second version, salience was placed on the effectiveness of the vaccine in terms of reducing the probability of hospitalization after being infected by COVID-19. The results confirmed our hypothesis: participants reported that they were more willing to become vaccinated when exposed to the hospitalization frame (main dimension). Conversely, we found mixed effects of the frame on the following sub-dimensions: reliability, trust, protection, safety, and confidence. Taken together, we show that it is possible to influence, to some extent, university students' attitudes and perceptions toward COVID-19 vaccination by acting on how information is framed. We discuss the implications of these findings for the development of behaviorally informed policies.

EBEI: A new index of eye bank efficiency.

PURPOSE: To describe a new proxy of the Eye Bank (EB) activity named "Eye Bank Efficiency Index" (EBEI), calculated as the ratio between the number of corneal tissues distributed by an EB within a certain time period, and the difference between the number of procured and discarded tissues. METHODS: To demonstrate the effectiveness of the new metric as compared to traditional statistics, an analysis was conducted using data from the largest Italian Eye Bank (Fondazione Banca degli Occhi del Veneto Venice, Italy). Collected data included: the number of corneas retrieved, the number of discarded grafts, and the number of distributed tissues. The analysis focused on three defined timeframes: January to December, March to May (the "Italian Lockdown period"), and June to December (the "Italian post-lockdown period"). RESULTS: In 2020, the annual variation of the EBEI showed a significant increase of up to 3.4% compared to the previous year (0.986 in 2019; 1.020 in 2020), but then gradually decreased to 0.993 in 2022. However, during the months of lockdown in 2020, there was a significant decline of -13.8% in the EBEI compared to the same period in the previous year. The variation in the EBEI during the post-lockdown months was minimal in 2020 and 2021, with the lowest EBEI value of 0.976 being reached in 2022 (-7.8% compared to 2019). CONCLUSION: The EBEI is a simple and reliable new measure of the EB activity. Its widespread adoption could ensure a more accurate and reliable analysis of EB data for academic, political, and economic purposes.

Relationship between retinal microvascular impairment and subclinical atherosclerosis in SLE.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with SLE have higher cardiovascular (CV) risk compared with healthy controls (HC) and are characterised by accelerated atherosclerosis; intima media thickness (IMT), marker of subclinical atherosclerosis, is higher in patients with SLE than in HCs. Retinal microvascular impairment detected through optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was investigated as a marker of systemic vascular involvement in SLE.The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between retinal vascular impairment and IMT in SLE. METHODS: Cross-sectional study recruiting patients with SLE and HCs. Data of the study population were collected. CV risk was evaluated through the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines, Framingham and QRESEARCH risk estimator V.3 (QRISK3) scores. Both groups underwent OCTA and carotid ultrasound with IMT assessment.Statistical analysis was accomplished using Pearson/Spearman, t-test/Mann-Whitney or χ2 test. Variables statistically significant at univariate regression analysis were tested in an age-corrected and sex-corrected multivariate regression model. RESULTS: 43 patients with SLE and 34 HCs were recruited. Patients with SLE showed higher triglycerides (p=0.019), Triglycerides-Glucose (TyG) Index (p=0.035), ACC/AHA guidelines (p=0.001), Framingham Risk Scores (p=0.008) and a reduced superficial (p<0.001) and deep (p=0.005) whole retinal vessel density (VD) compared with HCs.In SLE univariate analysis, deep whole VD showed a negative correlation with IMT (p=0.027), age (p=0.001), systolic blood pressure (p=0.011), QRISK3 Score (p<0.001), Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Damage Index (p=0.006) and apolipoprotein B (p=0.021), while a positive correlation was found with female sex (p=0.029). Age-adjusted and sex-adjusted multivariate analysis confirmed QRISK3 Score (p=0.049) and IMT (p=0.039) to be independent risk factors for reduced retinal VD. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with SLE showed lower retinal VD and higher CV risk indicators compared with HCs. Among patients with SLE, QRISK3 Score and IMT were found to be independent risk factors for retinal vascular impairment, suggesting a role of OCTA in evaluating preclinical CV involvement in SLE. Moreover, TyG Index could represent a biomarker of CV risk in patients with SLE compared with HCs.

Primary Open Angle Glaucoma Prevalence in Europe: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of POAG in Europe. METHODS: Two authors independently conducted a systematic literature search on PubMed/MedLine, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify papers analyzing the prevalence of POAG in European countries. After removal of duplicates, title and abstract screening, and full-text analysis, data from selected articles were entered in an Excel spreadsheet. We performed risk of bias assessment using the Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal Tool and conducted a meta-analysis using the R software (version 1.4.1106). RESULTS: We retrieved 9348 eligible papers from the initial electronic search and included 10 of them in the qualitative and quantitative analyses. A total of 26,993 patients were included in this meta-analysis (11,927 male and 14,556 female). We identified 755 POAG cases (397 male and 348 female), with a pooled prevalence estimate in Europe of 2.60% (95% confidence interval: 1.90%-3.56%). Increasing odds for POAG were related to increasing age and some geographic differences in the disease distribution in the continent were identified. Statistically significant sex-related differences in the prevalence rate of POAG were not observed in this cohort. CONCLUSION: POAG is a neurodegenerative disease that affects a large proportion of the older European population. In the future, the prevalence of POAG is expected to grow in Europe because of the progressive aging populations of Western countries. Future high-quality epidemiological studies for the evaluation of POAG prevalence rates are warranted.

Global Prevalence of Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD) in Adult Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: To evaluate the global prevalence of Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD). Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A systematic electronic literature search was conducted on PubMed/MedLine, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, in order to select papers analysing the prevalence rate of FECD. Two authors independently conducted the electronic search. After removal of duplicates, title and abstract screening, and full-text analysis, data from selected articles were archived in a customized Excel spreadsheet. Risk of bias assessment was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal Tool. Meta-analysis was conducted using R (version 1.4.1106, package "meta"). Results: A total of 6660 eligible articles were retrieved from the initial electronic search. Only 4 original works were included in the qualitative and quantitative analysis. Of the 4746 patients included in this meta-analysis (i.e., 2232 male (M) and 2322 female (F)), we retrieved 269 FECD cases (81 M; 188 F), with a pooled prevalence estimates of 7.33% (95% CI: 4.08-12.8%). Statistically significant gender-related differences in the prevalence of FECD emerged by the analysis (OR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.66-2.96, p=0.0016). While the total number of people aged >30 years with FECD is nowadays estimated at nearly 300 million, an increase of 41.7% in the number of FECD-affected patients is expected by 2050, when the overall figure is supposed to rise up to 415 million. Conclusion: This study provides a reliable figure of the present and future epidemiological burden of FECD globally, which might be useful for the design of FECD screening, treatment, rehabilitation, and related public health strategies.

Combined use of coenzyme Q10 and citicoline: A new possibility for patients with glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Several risk factors have been involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. By now, the main treatable risk factor is elevated intraocular pressure. Nevertheless, some patients, whose intraocular pressure is considered in the target level, still experience a progression of the disease. Glaucoma is a form of multifactorial ocular neurodegeneration with complex etiology, pathogenesis, and pathology. New evidence strongly suggests brain involvement in all aspects of this disease. This hypothesis and the need to prevent glaucomatous progression led to a growing interest in the pharmacological research of new neuroprotective, non-IOP-lowering, agents. The aim of this paper is to report evidence of the usefulness of Coenzyme Q10 and Citicoline, eventually combined, in the prevention of glaucomatous neurodegeneration.

Optical coherence tomography angiography in the multimodal assessment of the retinal posterior pole in autosomal dominant optic atrophy.

PURPOSE: To assess retinal vascular involvement in patients with autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) genetically confirmed by the presence of the OPA1 (Optic Atrophy 1) gene mutation using a multimodal protocol of investigation of retinal posterior pole. METHODS: In this cross-sectional, case-control, observational study, both eyes of 13 patients with a genetic diagnosis of ADOA were compared with both eyes of 13 healthy controls (HCs). All subjects underwent full ophthalmological examination, spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), fundus perimetry (FP) and OCT angiography (OCTA). RESULTS: Vessel density (VD) of the superficial and deep macular vascular plexi and of the radial peripapillary capillary plexus were significantly decreased (p ≤ 0.001) in ADOA patients compared with HCs. The area under the receiver operating characteristics analysis also revealed high values of sensitivity and specificity of OCTA parameters in distinguish between patients and HCs. A strong correlation (Pearson Coefficient, r = 0.91) emerged between OCTA VD of the superficial retinal plexus and the average Ganglion Cell Layer (GCL) thickness as measured by SD-OCT; a slightly lower correlation (Pearson Coefficient, r = 0.89) was also found between VD of the deep plexus and the average GCL thickness of the same eyes in patients with ADOA. The correlation among values of differential light sensitivity (DLS) measured by FP with VD and GCL thickness parameters was also investigated. The correlation analysis among DLS and the VD parameters showed from low-to-moderate correlation (ranging from r = 0.29 for the deep fovea VD to r = 0.59 for the deep whole image VD). The correlation coefficient between the mean DLS and the average thickness of GCL was more significant (Pearson Coefficient, r = 0.75). A significant correlation emerged also between the VD and the visual acuity, in terms of LogMAR BCVA (best-corrected visual acuity), especially for the VD of the deep capillary plexus (Pearson Coefficient for the Deep whole Image VD and LogMAR BCVA r = -0.75; for the Deep parafovea VD and LogMAR BCVA r = -0.78). CONCLUSION: Retinal microvascular assessment by OCTA angiography can provide relevant clinical information on retinal involvement in ADOA patients. In patients with genetically confirmed OPA1-related ADOA, there is a decrease in retinal vessel density associated with GCL thinning and DLS reduction.

Combined Low-Level Light Therapy and Intense Pulsed Light Therapy for the Treatment of Dry Eye in Patients with Sjögren's Syndrome.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of combined intense pulsed light therapy (IPL) and low-level light therapy (LLLT) in dry eye disease (DED) in patients affected by Sjögren's syndrome. Patients and Methods. This is a monocentric, prospective, interventional study. At baseline, all the study patients (n = 20) were on tear substitute therapy and underwent Schirmer type-1 test and breakup time (BUT) test. After baseline measurements, tear substitute therapy was suspended, and patients underwent IPL and LLLT. The same investigations were carried out at one (T1) and at three (T3) months after treatment. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) survey was used to measure the severity of DED. RESULTS: BUT test showed an increase in tear film breakup time in patients with DED 1 month after the beginning of the treatment (T0 vs T1: p=0,01). This increase was even more statistically significant after 3 months of the IPL and LLLT treatment (T0 vs T3: p < 0.0001). Schirmer test values increased too, but there was not statistically significance between values at T0 and T1 or T3. The patients perceived an improvement in their condition, which resulted in a lower score on the OSDI survey. The OSDI score was lower at T1 than T0 (T0 vs T1: p=0.0003), while it tended to increase again after 3 months although it was still lower than baseline (T0 vs T3: p=0.02). No facial or ocular side effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The use of combined IPL/LLLT for the treatment of DED in patients affected by Sjögren's syndrome appears to be beneficial.

Subclinical Signs of Retinal Involvement in Hereditary Angioedema.

To explore retinal abnormalities using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and OCT-angiography (OCT-A) in a highly selective cohort of patients with type I hereditary angioedema (HAE). This prospective case-control study included 40 type I HAE patients and 40 age-/sex-matched healthy subjects (HC). All participants underwent SD-OCT-scanning of retinal posterior pole (PP), peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL), and optic nerve head (ONH). Superficial/deep capillary density was analyzed by OCT-A. A total of 80 eyes from 40 HAE and 40 eyes from HC were evaluated. The pRNFL was thicker in HAE than in HC in nasal superior (p < 0.0001) and temporal quadrants (p = 0.0005 left, p = 0.003 right). The ONH thickness in HAE patients was greater than in HC in the nasal (p = 0.008 left, p = 0.01 right), temporal (p = 0.0005 left, p = 0.003 right), temporal inferior (p = 0.007 left, p = 0.0008 right), and global (p = 0.005 left, p = 0.007 right) scans. Compared to HC, HAE showed a lower capillary density in both superficial (p = 0.001 left, p = 0.006 right) and deep (p = 0.008 left, p = 0.004 right) whole images, and superficial (p = 0.03 left) and deep parafoveal (p = 0.007 left, p = 0.005 right) areas. Our findings documented subclinical retinal abnormalities in type I HAE, supporting a potential role of the retinal assessment by SD-OCT/OCT-A as a useful tool in the comprehensive care of HAE patients.