Soldering Pressure Effect on Lifetime of Thermoelectric Modules under Thermal Cycling.

For practical industrial applications, enhancing the longevity and the reliability of thermoelectric modules (TEMs) is equally as crucial as improving their conversion efficiency. This study proposes a strategy for extending the lifespan and introduces the quality evaluation criteria for the most extensively used commercial bismuth telluride TEM. By varying the soldering pressure during module assembly, its impact on the quality of the module's internal interfacial connections was investigated, via analyzing its contact resistivity, shear modulus, and antifatigue ability through thermal cycling tests. The findings reveal that increasing the soldering pressure leads to a slight reduction in interfacial contact resistivity and has no significant effect on the shear modulus but notably enhances the module's antifatigue ability during thermal cycling tests. According to the SEM results, it can be evidently deduced that the aforementioned phenomena are directly correlated with the size and quantity of voids distributed in the solder layer, which is regarded as the origin of antifatigue ability. Thus, it can be inferred that augmenting the soldering pressure represents an effective approach to prolonging the lifespan of TEMs assembled by using the soldering method. Furthermore, the existence of voids within the solder layer can serve as a criterion for an initial assessment of module longevity. This study provides a reference for both the industrial assembly and lifespan evaluation of commercial bismuth telluride TEMs.

Valley edge states as bound states in the continuum.

Bound states in the continuum (BICs) are spatially localized states with energy embedded in the continuum spectrum of extended states. The combination of BICs physics and nontrivial band topology theory givs rise to topological BICs, which are robust against disorders and meanwhile, the merit of conventional BICs is attracting wide attention recently. Here, we report valley edge states as topological BICs, which appear at the domain wall between two distinct valley topological phases. The robustness of such BICs is demonstrated. The simulations and experiments show great agreement. Our findings of valley related topological BICs shed light on both BICs and valley physics, and may foster innovative applications of topological acoustic devices.

High Thermoelectric Performance in Bismuth Telluride via Constructing MoSe2-2D Heterojunction.

Currently, the only thermoelectric (TE) materials commercially available at room temperature are those based on bismuth telluride. However, their widespread application is limited due to their inferior thermoelectric and mechanical properties. In this study, a strategy of growing a rigid second phase of MoSe2 is employed, in situ within the matrix phase to achieve n-type bismuth telluride-based materials with exceptional mechanical and thermoelectric properties. The in situ grown second phase contributes to both the electronic and lattice thermal conductivities. This is primarily attributed to the strong energy filtering effect, as the second phase forms a semi-common lattice interfacial structure with the matrix phase during growth. Furthermore, for composites containing 2 wt% MoSe2, a maximum zT value of 1.24 at 373 K can be achieved. On this basis, 8-pair TE module is fabricated and 1-pair TE module is optimized using a homemade p-type material. The optimized 1-pair TE module generates a maximum output power of 13.6 µW, which is twice that of the 8-pair TE module and four times more than the 8-pair TE module fabricated by commercial material. This work facilitates the development of the TE module by presenting a novel approach to obtaining bismuth telluride-based thermoelectric materials with superior thermoelectric and mechanical properties.

Infectious complications in pediatric patients undergoing CD19+CD22+ chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for relapsed/refractory B-lymphoblastic leukemia.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy is effective in the treatment of relapsed/refractory acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R B-ALL); however, patients who receive CAR-T therapy are predisposed to infections, with considerable detrimental effects on long-term survival rates and the quality of life of patients. This study retrospectively analyzed infectious complications in 79 pediatric patients with R/R B-ALL treated with CAR-T cells at our institution. Overall, 53 patients developed 88 infections. Nine patients experienced nine infections during lymphodepletion chemotherapy, 35 experienced 41 infections during the early phase (days 0-+ 30 after infusion), and 29 experienced 38 infections during the late phase (day + 31-+ 90 after infusion). Pathogens were identified in 31 infections, including 23 bacteria, seven viruses, and one fungus. Four patients were admitted to the intensive care unit for infection and one died. In a univariate analysis, there were ten factors associated with infection, including tumor load, lymphodepleting chemotherapy, neutrophil deficiency and lymphocyte reduction, cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), etc. In a multivariate analysis, CRS ≥ grade 3 was identified as a risk factor for infection (hazard ratio = 2.41, 95% confidence interval: 1.08-5.36, P = 0.031). Therefore, actively reducing the CRS grade may decrease the risk of infection and improve the long-term quality of life of these patients.

A Novel Grading System for Diffuse Chorioretinal Atrophy in Pathologic Myopia.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to quantitatively assess diffuse chorioretinal atrophy (DCA) in pathologic myopia and establish a standardized classification system utilizing artificial intelligence. METHODS: A total of 202 patients underwent comprehensive examinations, and 338 eyes were included in the study. The methodology involved image preprocessing, sample labeling, employing deep learning segmentation models, measuring and calculating the area and density of DCA lesions. Lesion severity of DCA was graded using statistical methods, and grades were assigned to describe the morphology of corresponding fundus photographs. Hierarchical clustering was employed to categorize diffuse atrophy fundus into three groups based on the area and density of diffuse atrophy (G1, G2, G3), while high myopic fundus without diffuse atrophy was designated as G0. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and nonparametric tests were conducted to assess the statistical association with different grades of DCA. RESULTS: On the basis of the area and density of DCA, the condition was classified into four grades: G0, G1 (0 < density ≤ 0.093), G2 (0.093 < density ≤ 0.245), and G3 (0.245 < density ≤ 0.712). Fundus photographs depicted a progressive enlargement of atrophic lesions, evolving from punctate-shaped to patchy with indistinct boundaries. DCA atrophy lesions exhibited a gradual shift in color from brown-yellow to yellow-white, originating from the temporal side of the optic disc and extending towards the macula, with severe cases exhibiting widespread distribution throughout the posterior pole. Patients with DCA were significantly older [34.00 (27.00, 48.00) vs 29.00 (26.00, 34.00) years], possessed a longer axial length (28.85 ± 1.57 vs 27.11 ± 1.01 mm), and exhibited a more myopic spherical equivalent [- 13.00 (- 16.00, - 10.50) vs - 9.09 ± 2.41 D] compared to those without DCA (G0) (all P < 0.001). In eyes with DCA, a trend emerged as grades increased from G1 to G3, showing associations with older age, longer axial length, deeper myopic spherical equivalent, larger area of parapapillary atrophy, and increased fundus tessellated density (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The novel grading system for DCA, based on assessments of area and density, serves as a reliable measure for evaluating the severity of this condition, making it suitable for widespread application in the screening of pathologic myopia.

Highly Enantioselective Catalysis by Enzyme Encapsulated in Metal Azolate Frameworks with Micelle-Controlled Pore Sizes.

Encapsulating enzymes within metal-organic frameworks has enhanced their structural stability and interface tunability for catalysis. However, the small apertures of the frameworks restrict their effectiveness to small organic molecules. Herein, we present a green strategy directed by visible linker micelles for the aqueous synthesis of MAF-6 that enables enzymes for the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of chiral molecules. Due to the large pore aperture (7.6 Å), double the aperture size of benchmark ZIF-8 (3.4 Å), MAF-6 allows encapsulated enzyme BCL to access larger substrates and do so faster. Through the optimization of surfactants' effect during synthesis, BCL@MAF-6-SDS (SDS = sodium dodecyl sulfate) displayed a catalytic efficiency (Kcat/Km) that was 420 times greater than that of BCL@ZIF-8. This biocomposite efficiently catalyzed the synthesis of drug precursor molecules with 94-99% enantioselectivity and nearly quantitative yields. These findings represent a deeper understanding of de novo synthetic encapsulation of enzyme in MOFs, thereby unfolding the great potential of enzyme@MAF catalysts for asymmetric synthesis of organics and pharmaceuticals.

Non-invasive measurements of blood glucose levels by time-gating mid-infrared optoacoustic signals.

Non-invasive glucose monitoring (NIGM) represents an attractive alternative to finger pricking for blood glucose assessment and management of diabetes. Nevertheless, current NIGM techniques do not measure glucose concentrations in blood but rely on indirect bulk measurement of glucose in interstitial fluid, where glucose is diluted and glucose dynamics are different from those in the blood, which impairs NIGM accuracy. Here we introduce a new biosensor, termed depth-gated mid-infrared optoacoustic sensor (DIROS), which allows, for the first time, non-invasive glucose detection in blood-rich volumes in the skin. DIROS minimizes interference caused by the stratum corneum and other superficial skin layers by time-gating mid-infrared optoacoustic signals to enable depth-selective localization of glucose readings in skin. In measurements on the ears of (female) mice, DIROS displays improved accuracy over bulk-tissue glucose measurements. Our work demonstrates how signal localization can improve NIGM accuracy and positions DIROS as a holistic approach, with high translational potential, that addresses a key limitation of current NIGM methods.

[Clinical Analysis of Philadelphia Chromosome-Like Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Children].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical characteristics, molecular characteristics, treatment and prognosis of pediatric Philadelphia chromosome-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-like ALL) with a therapeutic target. METHODS: A total of 27 patients of Ph-like ALL with targeted drug target were initially diagnosed in Children's Hospital of Soochow University from December 2017 to June 2021. The data of age, gender, white blood cell (WBC) count at initial diagnosis, genetic characteristics, molecular biological changes, chemotherapy regimen, different targeted drugs were given, and minimal residual disease (MRD) on day 19, MRD on day 46, whether hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) were retrospective analyed, and the clinical characteristics and treatment effect were summarized. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The intensity of chemotherapy was adjusted according to the MRD level during induced remission therapy in 27 patients, 10 patients were treated with targeted drugs during treatment, and 3 patients were bridged with HSCT, 1 patient died and 2 patients survived. Among the 24 patients who did not receive HSCT, 1 patient developed relapse, and achieved complete remission (CR) after treatment with chimeric antigen receptors T cells (CAR-T). The 3-year overall survival, 3-year relapse-free survival and 3-year event-free survival rate of 27 patients were (95.5±4.4)%, (95.0±4.9)% and (90.7±6.3)% respectively. CONCLUSION: Risk stratification chemotherapy based on MRD monitoring can improve the prognosis of Ph-like ALL in children, combined with targeted drugs can achieve complete remission as soon as possible in children whose chemotherapy response is poor, and sequential CAR-T and HSCT can significantly improve the therapeutic effect of Ph-like ALL in children whose MRD is continuously positive during induced remission therapy.

Observation of Higher-Order Nodal-Line Semimetal in Phononic Crystals.

Higher-order topological insulators and semimetals, which generalize the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence, have attracted extensive research interest. Among them, higher-order Weyl semimetals feature twofold linear crossing points in three-dimensional momentum space, 2D Fermi-arc surface states, and 1D hinge states. Higher-order nodal-point semimetals possessing Weyl points or Dirac points have been implemented. However, higher-order nodal-line or nodal-surface semimetals remain to be further explored in experiments in spite of many previous theoretical efforts. In this work, we realize a second-order nodal-line semimetal in 3D phononic crystals. The bulk nodal lines, 2D drumhead surface states guaranteed by Zak phases, and 1D flat hinge states attributed to k_{z}-dependent quadrupole moments are observed in simulations and experiments. Our findings of nondispersive surface and hinge states may promote applications in acoustic sensing and energy harvesting.

Quality control in clinical raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy.

Optoacoustic (photoacoustic) mesoscopy bridges the gap between optoacoustic microscopy and macroscopy and enables high-resolution visualization deeper than optical microscopy. Nevertheless, as images may be affected by motion and noise, it is critical to develop methodologies that offer standardization and quality control to ensure that high-quality datasets are reproducibly obtained from patient scans. Such development is particularly important for ensuring reliability in applying machine learning methods or for reliably measuring disease biomarkers. We propose herein a quality control scheme to assess the quality of data collected. A reference scan of a suture phantom is performed to characterize the system noise level before each raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM) measurement. Using the recorded RSOM data, we develop a method that estimates the amount of motion in the raw data. These motion metrics are employed to classify the quality of raw data collected and derive a quality assessment index (QASIN) for each raw measurement. Using simulations, we propose a selection criterion of images with sufficient QASIN, leading to the compilation of RSOM datasets with consistent quality. Using 160 RSOM measurements from healthy volunteers, we show that RSOM images that were selected using QASIN were of higher quality and fidelity compared to non-selected images. We discuss how this quality control scheme can enable the standardization of RSOM images for clinical and biomedical applications.

Machine learning analysis of human skin by optoacoustic mesoscopy for automated extraction of psoriasis and aging biomarkers.

Ultra-wideband raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM) is a novel modality that has demonstrated unprecedented ability to visualize epidermal and dermal structures in-vivo. However, an automatic and quantitative analysis of three-dimensional RSOM datasets remains unexplored. In this work we present our framework: Deep Learning RSOM Analysis Pipeline (DeepRAP), to analyze and quantify morphological skin features recorded by RSOM and extract imaging biomarkers for disease characterization. DeepRAP uses a multi-network segmentation strategy based on convolutional neural networks with transfer learning. This strategy enabled the automatic recognition of skin layers and subsequent segmentation of dermal microvasculature with an accuracy equivalent to human assessment. DeepRAP was validated against manual segmentation on 25 psoriasis patients under treatment and our biomarker extraction was shown to characterize disease severity and progression well with a strong correlation to physician evaluation and histology. In a unique validation experiment, we applied DeepRAP in a time series sequence of occlusion-induced hyperemia from 10 healthy volunteers. We observe how the biomarkers decrease and recover during the occlusion and release process, demonstrating accurate performance and reproducibility of DeepRAP. Furthermore, we analyzed a cohort of 75 volunteers and defined a relationship between aging and microvascular features in-vivo. More precisely, this study revealed that fine microvascular features in the dermal layer have the strongest correlation to age. The ability of our newly developed framework to enable the rapid study of human skin morphology and microvasculature in-vivo promises to replace biopsy studies, increasing the translational potential of RSOM.

Acute onset of decreased vision after violently vomiting: A case report.

PURPOSE: Reported cases of central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) associated with violent vomiting are scarce all over the world. In this case, we reported a male patient with an acute decreased vision right after violently vomiting. METHODS: A 55-year-old male patient found himself with a sudden, painless decline in visual acuity in his left eye (LE) after violently vomiting due to alcohol consumption for 1 day. His best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/2000 in the LE. He has a history of moderate myopia in both eyes and well-controlled hypertension. After evaluating multimodal images, non-ischemic CRVO retinopathy was diagnosed. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, the patient's BCVA in the LE improved to 20/40 and the ocular examination data confirmed that the previous abnormal performances were nearly back to normal without any treatment. CONCLUSION: Non-ischemic CRVO retinopathy following violent vomiting suggests that vomiting-related mechanisms like Valsalva maneuvers and dehydration may contribute to CRVO through effects on ocular blood flow and thrombosis.

Interfacial Crack Growth-Based Fatigue Lifetime Prediction of Thermoelectric Modules under Thermal Cycling.

As a result of the complexity and difficulty of the lifetime assessment of the thermoelectric (TE) module, the related research is still immature. In this work, to predict the lifetime of the Bi2Te3-based TE module from the perspective of cyclic thermal stress leading to interface cracking, the viscoplastic behavior of the solder layer is first described by the Anand material ontology model, and then the sprouting and expansion of interface cracking of the module are simulated by combining the Darveaux model and the viscoplastic dissipation energy accumulated during the thermal stress cyclic loading. After that, the complete lifetime prediction model of the TE module is established on the basis of the thermal cycling experiments and the finite element simulation calculation data, which can simply and efficiently predict the cycle number of the module resistance rise and its rise rate. The prediction deviations are 6.1 and 6.7%, respectively, verifying the feasibility of the model. The work in this paper can provide a reference for the life evaluation of TE modules.

Dermal features derived from optoacoustic tomograms via machine learning correlate microangiopathy phenotypes with diabetes stage.

Skin microangiopathy has been associated with diabetes. Here we show that skin-microangiopathy phenotypes in humans can be correlated with diabetes stage via morphophysiological cutaneous features extracted from raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM) images of skin on the leg. We obtained 199 RSOM images from 115 participants (40 healthy and 75 with diabetes), and used machine learning to segment skin layers and microvasculature to identify clinically explainable features pertaining to different depths and scales of detail that provided the highest predictive power. Features in the dermal layer at the scale of detail of 0.1-1 mm (such as the number of junction-to-junction branches) were highly sensitive to diabetes stage. A 'microangiopathy score' compiling the 32 most-relevant features predicted the presence of diabetes with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.84. The analysis of morphophysiological cutaneous features via RSOM may allow for the discovery of diabetes biomarkers in the skin and for the monitoring of diabetes status.

[Safety and the Short-Term Efficacy of Venetoclax Combined with Azacitidine Followed by Cladribine in Children with Refractory/Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and the short-term efficacy of venetoclax combined with azacitidine followed by cladribine (VAC regimen) in children with refractory/ relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: The clinical data, treatment outcomes, complications, and blood product consumption of 6 children with refractory/relapsed AML treated with VAC regimen in the Children's Hospital of Soochow University from August 2021 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 6 children, there were 1 male and 5 females. 5 cases were refractory AML, and 1 case was relapsed AML, which recurred again 16 months after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. 4 children were accompanied by chromosomes or genes that predicted poor prognosis, such as RUNX1, FLT3-ITD, KMT2A exon 2-exon 8 dup, MLL-AF6, 7q-, KMT2A exon 2-exon 10 dup, etc. After received VAC regimen, 4 cases achieved CR+CRi, 1 case achieved PR (only MRD did not relieve, MRD was 0.59%), and 1 case was NR (but the proportion of bone marrow blasts decreased). All 6 patients had grade Ⅳ neutropenia, and 4 patients had grade Ⅳ thrombocytopenia. During the period of neutropenia, none of the 6 children developed symptoms of infection such as fever, cough, and diarrhea. No treatment-related death occurred. CONCLUSION: Venetoclax combined with azacitidine followed by cladribine provides a new treatment option for patients with relapsed/refractory AML who have poor efficacy in early induction remission theragy, showing good efficacy and safety.

Fundus Tessellated Density of Pathologic Myopia.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the fundus tessellated density (FTD) in different categories of pathologic myopia (PM) using fundus photographs with the application of artificial intelligence. METHODS: A retrospective review of 407 PM (META-PM, Category 2-Category 4) eyes was conducted, employing a biomimetic mechanism of human vision and integrated image processing technologies for FTD extraction and calculation. Different regions of interest were analyzed, including circle O4.5 (optic disc centered, diameter of 4.5 mm) and circle M1.0, M3.0, M6.0 (macular centered, diameter of 1.0, 3.0, and 6.0 mm), using 2 partitioning methods ("X" and "+"). The density of patchy (Category 3) or macular atrophy (Category 4) areas was quantified. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to assess the association with FTD. RESULTS: The mean FTD of total PM eyes was 0.283, ranging from 0.002 to 0.500, and demonstrating a negative correlation with the PM category. In multivariate analysis, age was found to be significantly associated with FTD ( P <0.05), while axial length did not show a significant association. Fundus tessellation of circle O4.5 and circle M6.0 displayed associations with the FTD across different PM categories. The "X" partitioning method better fit the circle M6.0 region, while both methods were suitable for the circle O4.5 region. After excluding the patchy and macular atrophic areas, the mean FTD values were 0.346 in Category 2, 0.261 in Category 3, and 0.186 in Category 4. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed a decreasing trend in FTD values across different categories of PM, regardless of the presence or absence of patchy or macular atrophic areas. Quantifying FTD in PM could be a valuable tool for improving the existing PM classification system and gaining insights into the origin of posterior staphyloma and visual field defects in high myopia.

Initiation of China Alliance of Research in High Myopia (CHARM): protocol for an AI-based multimodal high myopia research biobank.

INTRODUCTION: High myopia is a pressing public health concern due to its increasing prevalence, younger trend and the high risk of blindness, particularly in East Asian countries, including China. The China Alliance of Research in High Myopia (CHARM) is a newly established consortium that includes more than 100 hospitals and institutions participating across the nation, aiming to promote collaboration and data sharing in the field of high myopia screening, classification, diagnosis and therapeutic development. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The CHARM project is an ongoing study, and its initiation is distinguished by its unprecedented scale, encompassing plans to involve over 100 000 Chinese patients. This initiative stands out not only for its extensive scope but also for its innovative application of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in diagnosis and treatment decisions. The CHARM project has been carried out using a 'three-step' strategy. The first step involves the collection of basic information, refraction, axial length and fundus photographs from participants with high myopia. In the second step, we will collect multimodal imaging data to expand the scope of clinical information, for example, optical coherence tomography and ultra-widefield fundus images. In the final step, genetic testing will be conducted by incorporating patient family histories and blood samples. The majority of data collected by CHARM is in the form of images that will be used to detect and predict the progression of high myopia through the identification and quantification of biomarkers such as fundus tessellation, optic nerve head and vascular parameters. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has received approval from the Ethics Committee of Beijing Tongren Hospital (TREC2022-KY045). The establishment of CHARM represents an opportunity to create a collaborative platform for myopia experts and facilitate the dissemination of research findings to the global community through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. These insights can inform clinical decision-making and contribute to the development of new treatment modalities that may benefit patients worldwide. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2300071219.

Opening a window to skin biomarkers for diabetes stage with optoacoustic mesoscopy.

Being the largest and most accessible organ of the human body, the skin could offer a window to diabetes-related complications on the microvasculature. However, skin microvasculature is typically assessed by histological analysis, which is not suited for applications to large populations or longitudinal studies. We introduce ultra-wideband raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM) for precise, non-invasive assessment of diabetes-related changes in the dermal microvasculature and skin micro-anatomy, resolved with unprecedented sensitivity and detail without the need for contrast agents. Providing unique imaging contrast, we explored a possible role for RSOM as an investigational tool in diabetes healthcare and offer the first comprehensive study investigating the relationship between different diabetes complications and microvascular features in vivo. We applied RSOM to scan the pretibial area of 95 participants with diabetes mellitus and 48 age-matched volunteers without diabetes, grouped according to disease complications, and extracted six label-free optoacoustic biomarkers of human skin, including dermal microvasculature density and epidermal parameters, based on a novel image-processing pipeline. We then correlated these biomarkers to disease severity and found statistically significant effects on microvasculature parameters as a function of diabetes complications. We discuss how label-free RSOM biomarkers can lead to a quantitative assessment of the systemic effects of diabetes and its complications, complementing the qualitative assessment allowed by current clinical metrics, possibly leading to a precise scoring system that captures the gradual evolution of the disease.

Clinical Features of Fundus Tessellation and Its Relationship with Myopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to assess the existing literature on fundus tessellation (FT), focusing on its prevalence, associated factors, distribution, and progression. METHODS: Systemic methods were employed to search and gather published literature on FT from databases such as the National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Web of Science (WOS), and Elsevier on July 1, 2023. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and the Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) criteria. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare tessellated and normal fundus with respect to age, gender, axial length, and spherical equivalent. RESULTS: The systematic review included 23 articles, encompassing a total of 3053 eyes in the meta-analysis. The prevalence of FT varied from 43.00 to 94.35%. The severity of FT was significantly associated with older age, male sex, lower body weight index, longer axial length, larger peripapillary atrophy, thinner choroid, thinner sclera, and larger corneal radius of curvature, suggesting a potential progression pattern. Notably, FT was observed predominantly in the macular and peripapillary regions. The meta-analysis revealed that tessellated fundus tended to be associated with older age (mean difference [MD] 4.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.71-7.80, P < 0.01), longer axial length (MD 0.86, 95% CI 0.70-1.02, P < 0.01), and a lower spherical equivalent (MD - 1.16, 95% CI - 1.68 to 0.65, P < 0.01) compared to normal fundus. However, there was no significant difference in the proportion of males between individuals with tessellated and normal fundus (odds ratio [OR] 1.12, 95% CI 0.89-1.42, P = 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this systematic review and meta-analysis shed light on the prevalence, characteristics, and factors associated with FT, offering valuable insights for clinicians and researchers in the field of ophthalmology. STUDY REGISTRATION: The study protocol was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (CRD42023442486).