Neovascular age-related macular degeneration: disease pathogenesis and current state of molecular biomarkers predicting treatment response-a scoping review.

Age-related macular degeneration is a major cause of blindness, and the development of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) intravitreal treatments has revolutionised the management of the disease. At the same time, new challenges and unmet needs arose due to the limitations of the current therapeutic options. Neovascularisation development during the course of the disease has a complex pathogenetic mechanism, and several biomarkers and their association with treatment outcomes have been investigated. We reviewed the relevant literature about neovascularisation development and biomarkers related to response to treatment. Improving our knowledge on the field can improve patient outcomes and offer personalised care.

Topographic patterns of retinal lesions in multiple evanescent white dot syndrome.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate different topographic distributions of multiple-evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) and secondary MEWDS disease and to describe possible associations. METHODS: Clinical evaluation and multimodal retinal imaging in 27 subjects with MEWDS (29 discrete episodes of MEWDS). Ophthalmic assessment included best-corrected visual acuity testing and multimodal retinal imaging with OCT, blue-light autofluorescence, fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, fundus photography, and widefield pseudocolor and autofluorescence fundus imaging. RESULTS: The topographic distribution of MEWDS lesions was centered on or around the optic disc (n = 17, 59%), centered on the macula (n = 7, 24%), sectoral (n = 2, 7%), or was indeterminate (n = 3, 10%). The MEWDS episodes either occurred in the absence ('primary MEWDS'; n = 14, 48%) or presence of concurrent chorioretinal pathology ('secondary MEWDS'; n = 15, 52%). In patients with the latter, MEWDS lesions were often centered around a coexisting chorioretinal lesion. The majority of patients in both groups experienced resolution of their symptoms and retinal changes on multimodal imaging by 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: Distinct distributions of MEWDS lesions were identified. MEWDS may occur in tandem with other chorioretinal pathology, which may impact the topography of MEWDS lesions.

Lessons of the month 2: Retinal vasculitis: a first presentation of Takayasu's arteritis.

Takayasu's arteritis is a chronic, systemic, large-vessel vasculitis affecting the aorta and its primary branches. However, coronary, renal and pulmonary arteries and small vessel involvement has been documented. We describe a rare case of Takayasu's arteritis with extensive supra-aortic arch disease, manifesting with bilateral occlusive retinal vasculitis as a first presentation. This is elicited by fundus findings of vascular sheathing and fundus fluoresceine angiography evidence of retinal vessel occlusion and peripheral capillary non-perfusion.

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: a review of current practice in diagnosis and management.

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a common condition with an increasing incidence, related to the ageing demographics of many populations and the rising global prevalence of myopia, both well known risk factors. Previously untreatable, RRD now achieves primary surgical success rates of over 80%-90% with complex cases also amenable to treatment. The optimal management for RRD attracts much debate with the main options of pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckling and vitrectomy all having their proponents based on surgeon experience and preference, case mix and equipment availability. The aim of this review is to provide an overview for the non-retina specialist that will aid and inform their understanding and discussions with patients. We review the incidence and pathogenesis of RRD, present a systematic approach to diagnosis and treatment with special consideration to managing the fellow eye and summarise surgical success and visual recovery following different surgical options.

Clinical outcomes in Caucasian patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.

PURPOSE: To describe treatment outcomes in a cohort of Caucasian patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). METHODS: Clinical charts from 48 eyes of 45 Caucasian patients with PCV were retrospectively reviewed. All cases were diagnosed with indocyanine green angiography. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging were analyzed at baseline and final follow-up. RESULTS: Eyes were treated with a combination of verteporfin photodynamic therapy (PDT) and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (n = 24), or PDT monotherapy (n = 9), or anti-VEGF monotherapy (n = 8), or no treatment (n = 7). Aflibercept was the anti-VEGF agent in 30 out of 32 eyes. Sixteen out of 24 eyes in the combination treatment group received initial PDT at diagnosis. All treatments led to stabilization of BCVA at final visit with a trend for better visual acuity in the anti-VEGF monotherapy group. There was a substantial reduction in central retinal thickness associated with resolution of subfoveal fluid and improvement in retinal pigment epithelial detachment in all treatment groups. BCVA and OCT findings remained stable in eyes which received no treatment. The use of PDT was associated with 0.5 fewer intravitreal injections per annum, which was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In the largest series of Caucasian patients with PCV presented to date, anti-VEGF monotherapy, PDT, or their combination preserved visual acuity and improved subfoveal exudative changes. Combination treatment was not superior to anti-VEGF monotherapy.

Generation of anti-inflammatory adenosine by leukocytes is regulated by TGF-ß.

Levels of anti-inflammatory extracellular adenosine are controlled by the sequential action of the ectonucleotidases CD39 and CD73, whose expression in CD4(+) T cells has been associated with natural regulatory T cells (nTregs). We here show that CD73 expression on activated murine CD4(+) T cells is induced by TGF-ß independently of Foxp3 expression, operates at the transcriptional level and translates into gain of functional capacity to generate adenosine. In the presence of AMP, CD73 induced by TGF-ß generates adenosine able to suppress proliferation of activated CD4(+) T cells in vitro. These effects are contextual and opposed by proinflammatory cytokines. CD73 is also upregulated by TGF-ß in CD8(+) T cells, DCs and macrophages, so providing an amplification mechanism for adenosine generation in tissue microenvironments. Together, these findings expose a novel anti-inflammatory role for TGF-ß.

Sleep-disordered breathing in 3,680 Greek children.

The goal of the present investigation was to describe the prevalence of and clinical factors associated with sleep-disordered breathing in children and adolescents. Children and adolescents (3,680 in all, 1-18 years old) attending schools in central Greece were surveyed by questionnaires distributed to parents. We found a similar prevalence of habitual snoring (present every night) among three different age groups (5.3%, 4%, and 3.8% in 1-6-, 7-12-, and 13-18-year-old subjects, P = NS). Several children with an adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy were snoring every night (6.1%), whereas sleepiness at school was more common in habitual snorers than in nonhabitual snorers (4.6 vs. 2%, P = 0.03). Seventy randomly selected subjects among 307 snorers without adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy underwent polysomnography. The estimated frequency of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea among children without adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy was 4.3%. Factors associated with snoring were: male gender (odds ratio 1.5 (confidence interval, 1.2-1.9)); chronic rhinitis (2.1 (1.6-2.7)); snoring in father (1.5 (1.2-1.9)), mother (1.5 (1.1-2.0)), or siblings (1.7 (1.2-2.4)); adenoidectomy in mother (1.5 (1.0-2.2)); and passive smoking (1.4 (1.1-1.8)). In conclusion, snoring every night was equally prevalent in younger and older ages, more frequent in males, and present even in some children with a history of adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy. Chronic rhinitis, family history of snoring, and exposure to cigarette smoke were associated with an increased frequency of habitual snoring.