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Biological networks are often used to represent complex biological systems, which can contain several types of entities. Analysis and visualization of such networks is supported by the Cytoscape software tool and its many apps. While earlier versions of stringApp focused on providing intraspecies protein-protein interactions from the STRING database, the new stringApp 2.0 greatly improves the support for heterogeneous networks. Here, we highlight new functionality that makes it possible to create networks that contain proteins and interactions from STRING as well as other biological entities and associations from other sources. We exemplify this by complementing a published SARS-CoV-2 interactome with interactions from STRING. We have also extended stringApp with new data and query functionality for protein-protein interactions between eukaryotic parasites and their hosts. We show how this can be used to retrieve and visualize a cross-species network for a malaria parasite, its host, and its vector. Finally, the latest stringApp version has an improved user interface, allows retrieval of both functional associations and physical interactions, and supports group-wise enrichment analysis of different parts of a network to aid biological interpretation. stringApp is freely available at https://apps.cytoscape.org/apps/stringapp.

Background The Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is the largest scavenger in South America. This predatory bird plays a crucial role in their ecological niche by removing carcasses. We report the first metagenomic analysis of the Andean condor gut microbiome. Methods This work analyzed shotgun metagenomics data from a mixture of fifteen captive Chilean Andean condors. To filter eukaryote contamination, we employed BWA-MEM v0.7. Taxonomy assignment was performed using Kraken2 and MetaPhlAn v2.0 and all filtered reads were assembled using IDBA-UD v1.1.3. The two most abundant species were used to perform a genome reference-guided assembly using MetaCompass. Finally, we performed a gene prediction using Prodigal and each gene predicted was functionally annotated. InterproScan v5.31-70.0 was additionally used to detect homology based on protein domains and KEGG mapper software for reconstructing metabolic pathways. Results Our results demonstrate concordance with the other gut microbiome data from New World vultures. In the Andean condor, Firmicutes was the most abundant phylum present, with Clostridium perfringens, a potentially pathogenic bacterium for other animals, as dominating species in the gut microbiome. We assembled all reads corresponding to the top two species found in the condor gut microbiome, finding between 94% to 98% of completeness for Clostridium perfringens and Plesiomonas shigelloides, respectively. Our work highlights the ability of the Andean condor to act as an environmental reservoir and potential vector for critical priority pathogens which contain relevant genetic elements. Among these genetic elements, we found 71 antimicrobial resistance genes and 1,786 virulence factors that we associated with several adaptation processes.

Abstract To develop a novel scoring system aiming at guiding the differential diagnosis between macular neovascularization secondary to pachychoroid disease (pMNV) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in patients aged 50 years and older. In this retrospective study performed at University Vita-Salute San Raffaele (Milan, Italy) and Créteil University Eye Clinic (Créteil, France), we enrolled patients 50 years of age and older, visited between January 2017 and January 2019, who were diagnosed with either treatment-naïve pMNV or neovascular AMD. At the time of diagnosis, all patients underwent a comprehensive ophthalmologic evaluation, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography angiography. Univariate comparison between pMNV and neovascular AMD groups was performed to identify the main clinical predictors for pMNV. The selected predictors were taken into a binomial logistic regression and eventually served as the basis for the development of InCASEOf scoring system. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to study the model performance. Forty-eight right eyes from 48 patients with pMNV and 39 right eyes from 39 patients with neovascular AMD were considered in this study. Age (+ 2 points), sex (+ 2 points), choroidal thickness (+ 2 points), early pachyvessels (+ 2 points), and evidence of MNV at OCTA (+ 3 points) turned out to be predictors for pMNV. Four additional factors significant at univariate analysis were considered: type 2 and type 3 MNVs and presence of intraretinal fluid (− 0.5 points each), and presence of subretinal fluid (+ 0.5 points). InCASEOf scoring system was built with a high score of 11.5 points. The cutoff value of 6.5 showed good accuracy in separating pMNVs from neovascular AMDs. InCASEOf is a straightforward clinical scoring system, accessible to comprehensive ophthalmologists, with the purpose of enabling easy distinction and expert-like diagnosis of pMNV and neovascular AMD in patients aged 50 years or older.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15451.

Biomphalaria snails are instrumental in transmission of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni. With the World Health Organization's goal to eliminate schistosomiasis as a global health problem by 2025, there is now renewed emphasis on snail control. Here, we characterize the genome of Biomphalaria glabrata, a lophotrochozoan protostome, and provide timely and important information on snail biology. We describe aspects of phero-perception, stress responses, immune function and regulation of gene expression that support the persistence of B. glabrata in the field and may define this species as a suitable snail host for S. mansoni. We identify several potential targets for developing novel control measures aimed at reducing snail-mediated transmission of schistosomiasis.

Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) allow the study of regulation of gene expression of whole genomes. Among the most relevant advantages of using networks to depict this key process, there is the visual representation of large amounts of information and the application of graph theory to generate new knowledge. Nonetheless, despite the many uses of GRNs, it is still difficult and expensive to assign Transcription Factors (TFs) to the regulation of specific genes. ChIP-Seq allows the determination of TF Binding Sites (TFBSs) over whole genomes, but it is still an expensive technique that can only be applied one TF at a time and requires replicates to reduce its noise. Once TFBSs are determined, the assignment of each TF and its binding sites to the regulation of specific genes is not trivial, and it is often performed by carrying out site-specific experiments that are unfeasible to perform in all possible binding sites. Here, we addressed these relevant issues with a two-step methodology using Drosophila melanogaster as a case study. First, our protocol starts by gathering all transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) determined with ChIP-Seq experiments available at ENCODE and FlyBase. Then each TFBS is used to assign TFs to the regulation of likely target genes based on the TFBS proximity to the transcription start site of all genes. In the final step, to try to select the most likely regulatory TF from those previously assigned to each gene, we employ GENIE3, a random forest-based method, and more than 9,000 RNA-seq experiments from D. melanogaster. Following, we employed known TF protein-protein interactions to estimate the feasibility of regulatory events in our filtered networks. Finally, we show how known interactions between co-regulatory TFs of each gene increase after the second step of our approach, and thus, the consistency of the TF-gene assignment. Also, we employed our methodology to create a network centered on the Drosophila melanogaster gene Hr96 to demonstrate the role of this transcription factor on mitochondrial gene regulation.

Purpose: To report a case of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to laser injury imaged by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and treated by intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Observations: A 14-year-old boy presented with vision loss and central scotoma in the right eye (RE) in the last month, after having stared at the beam of a laser pointer. At presentation, his best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the RE was 20/40 and spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) showed an interruption of ellipsoid zone and the presence of an hyperrelfective lesion in subfoveal region. OCTA examination revealed the presence of a high-flow lesion on both outer retina to choriocapillaris (ORCC) and choriocapillaris segmentations. The patient was treated by one anti-VEGF injection: at one month follow-up his BCVA in the RE was 15/20. SD-OCT revealed the complete resolution of hyperreflective lesion and no detectable flow on OCTA. Conclusions and Importance: Retinal laser injury may be complicated by CNV. OCTA may non-invasively assess the presence of CNV, as well as treatment-response.

Staphylococcus aureus represent a serious threat to public health due to food safety, antibiotic resistance, and the potential zoonotic transmission of strains between dairy cattle and humans. Biofilm formation by S. aureus results in chronicity of the infections which confers protection against the immune response and antibiotics. Likewise, biofilm allows the exchange of mobile genetic material among different strains through microbial interactions inside the matrix. In Colombia, where S. aureus continues to be one of the main pathogens isolated from bovine intramammary infections and where milking by hand is highly frequent, there are knowledge gaps on the zoonotic potential of the strains. Therefore, the aim of this work was to characterize genotypically and phenotypically the S. aureus Sa1FB strain with strong biofilm production and to perform genomic and phenotypic comparisons with other relevant S. aureus strains (native and references strains). These results show a highly productive strain of biofilm and a low ability of cell invasion compared to the other two native strains. In addition, high genomic similarity between S. aureus Sa1FB and the reference strains was observed, despite of the differences reported at the clinical level. However, Sa1FB exhibited special features in terms of mobile genetic elements, highlighting its ability to accept foreign genetic material. Indeed, this could increase mutation, pathogenesis, and adaptability to new hosts, representing a risk for people in contact with the milk obtained from animals infected with these strains. These results present the relevance of surveillance for early detection of emergent clones with zoonotic potential, which reduces the risk of occupational exposure and their spread in the community.

Biomphalaria glabrata is a fresh water snail that acts as a host for trematode Schistosoma mansoni that causes intestinal infection in human. This work describes the genome and transcriptome analyses from 12 different tissues of B glabrata, and identify genes for snail behavior and evolution.

The study of molecular host–parasite interactions is essential to understand parasitic infection and adaptation within the host system. As well, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases require a clear understanding of the molecular crosstalk between parasites and their hosts. Yet, large-scale experimental identification of host–parasite molecular interactions remains challenging, and the use of computational predictions becomes then necessary. Here, we propose a computational integrative approach to predict host—parasite protein—protein interaction (PPI) networks resulting from the human infection by 15 different eukaryotic parasites. We used an orthology-based approach to transfer high-confidence intraspecies interactions obtained from the STRING database to the corresponding interspecies homolog protein pairs in the host–parasite system. Our approach uses either the parasites predicted secretome and membrane proteins, or only the secretome, depending on whether they are uni- or multi-cellular, respectively, to reduce the number of false predictions. Moreover, the host proteome is filtered for proteins expressed in selected cellular localizations and tissues supporting the parasite growth. We evaluated the inferred interactions by analyzing the enriched biological processes and pathways in the predicted networks and their association with known parasitic invasion and evasion mechanisms. The resulting PPI networks were compared across parasites to identify common mechanisms that may define a global pathogenic hallmark. We also provided a study case focusing on a closer examination of the human–S. mansoni predicted interactome, detecting central proteins that have relevant roles in the human–S. mansoni network, and identifying tissue-specific interactions with key roles in the life cycle of the parasite. The predicted PPI networks can be visualized and downloaded at http://orthohpi.jensenlab.org.

Purpose. To compare the qualitative and quantitative choroidal neovascularization (CNV) changes after antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy in treatment-naïve and treated eyes with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Methods. Consecutive patients with neovascular AMD underwent multimodal imaging, including OCTA (AngioPlex, CIRRUS HD-OCT model 5000; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, OH) at baseline and at three monthly follow-up visits. Treatment-naive AMD patients undergoing anti-VEGF loading phase were included in group A, while treated patients were included in group B. Qualitative and quantitative OCTA analyses were performed on outer retina to choriocapillaris (ORCC) slab. CNV size was measured using a free image analysis software (ImageJ, open-source imaging processing software, 2.0.0). Results. Twenty-five eyes of 25 patients were enrolled in our study (mean age 78.32 ± 6.8 years): 13 treatment-naïve eyes in group A and 12 treated eyes in group B. While qualitative analysis revealed no significant differences from baseline to follow-up in the two groups, quantitative analysis showed in group A a significant decrease in lesion area (P=0.023); in group B, no significant change in the lesion area was observed during anti-VEGF therapy (P=0.93). Conclusion. Treatment-naïve and treated eyes with CNV secondary to neovascular AMD respond differently to anti-VEGF therapy. This should be taken into account when using OCTA for CNV follow-up or planning therapeutic strategies.

Introducción. A pesar de los esfuerzos para controlar la malaria, esta sigue siendo un problema de salud pública. Plasmodium falciparum es responsable de la mayoría de los casos graves y de las muertes. Los programas de control de la malaria han sido cuestionados debido al fracaso del tratamiento y a la resistencia del parásito a los antipalúdicos de primera línea, por lo que se requieren nuevas y mejores alternativas. El análisis proteómico permite identificar y determinar los niveles de expresión de las proteínas bajo la presión de los medicamentos, lo que posibilita la identificación de nuevos blancos terapéuticos y mecanismos de acción. Objetivo. Analizar cualitativamente la expresión diferencial de proteínas del citosol del trofozoíto de P. falciparum bajo tratamiento con quinina, mefloquina y el compuesto natural diosgenona mediante una aproximación proteómica. Materiales y métodos. Se trataron trofozoítos sincronizados y cultivados in vitro de P. falciparum (cepa ITG2) con quinina, mefloquina y el compuesto natural diosgenona. Los extractos proteicos se prepararon y analizaron por electroforesis bidimensional. Las proteínas con aparente expresión diferencial se seleccionaron e identificaron mediante espectrometría de masas MALDI-TOF. Resultados. Se encontraron las siguientes proteínas diferencialmente expresadas en el trofozoíto: la enolasa (PF10_0155), la proteína de unión a calcio (PF11_0098), la chaperonina (PFL0740c), la proteína de invasión a la célula del huésped (PF10_0268) y la proteína relacionada con procesos de reducción y oxidación (redox) (MAL8P1.17). Estos hallazgos son congruentes con resultados previos de estudios en los que el parásito fue presionado con otros medicamentos antipalúdicos. Conclusión. Los cambios observados en el perfil de proteínas del trofozoíto de P. falciparum tratado con antipalúdicos involucraron preferencialmente proteínas relacionadas con la respuesta al estrés general.

Using molecular simulation, we studied the influence of Mg2+ ions on the binding mode of HTLV-I Integrase (IN) catalyticdomain (modeled by homology) with the 3,5- Dicaffeoylquinic Acid (DCQA). HTLV-I Integrase homology model was built usingtemplate-like crystallographic data of the IN catalytic domain solved for Avian Sarcoma Virus (VSA, pdb: 1VSD). Materials andmethods. In order to analyze the role of Mg2+ in the interaction or coupling between 3,5-DCQA and Integrase, three models were created:i) in the absence of Mg2+ ions, ii) with a Mg2+ ion coordinated at Asp15 and Asp72 and iii) model with two Mg2+ ions coordinated atAsp15-Asp72 and Asp72-Glu108. Coupling force and binding free energy between 3,5-DCQA and HTLV-I IN were assessed in the threemodels. Results. The lowest docking score and free energy binding were obtained for the second model. Mg2+ ion strongly affected thecoupling of the inhibitor 3,5-DCQA with HTLV-I catalytic domain of Integrase, thus revealing a strong interaction in the ligand-proteincomplex regardless of the ligand-catalytic interaction sites for all three models. Conclusion. Altogether, these results strengthen thehypothesis that the presence of one Mg2+ ion could enhance the interaction in the complex by decreasing free energy, therefore increasing the affinity. Moreover, we propose 3, 5-DCQA as an important pharmacophore in the rational design of new antiretroviral drugs.

Introducción. Aunque la integración del virus linfotrópico humano tipo I no es al azar, se desconocen muchos de los detalles de este proceso. Objetivo. Evaluar las características de la cromatina celular adyacente a secuencias provirales en pacientes con leucemia/linfoma de células T en adultos asociada al virus. Materiales y métodos. Se extrajo el ADN de biopsias de siete pacientes colombianos con leucemia/linfoma de células T en adultos y positivos para el virus linfotrópico humano tipo I. Éste se amplificó mediante reacción inversa en cadena de la polimerasa, para determinar el grado de expansión clónica y su composición de nucleótidos. A partir de 61 secuencias de ADN humano adyacentes a provirus, provenientes de pacientes leucémicos colombianos y japoneses, se efectuó un análisis in silico para obtener datos sobre su integración, las características de la cromatina y sus funciones asociadas. Resultados. La expansión de clones celulares fue predominantemente oligoclónica. De las 61 secuencias de ADN adyacente a provirus, se seleccionaron 155 alineamientos que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión (homologías≥95%, e-value≤0,05). De éstos, 74,84% fueron secuencias no codificantes repetidas y no repetidas. El 45,95% de las integraciones provirales se localizó en los cromosomas de los grupos A y B. Se observaron tendencias de integración hacia exones de genes que se replican tempranamente, regulan el ciclo celular y participan en la transducción de señales. Conclusiones. Los resultados permiten postular que la integración del virus linfotrópico humano tipo I se dirigiría hacia un ambiente genómico caracterizado por elevado contenido de C:G, genes de replicación temprana que regularían el ciclo celular y la transducción de señales.

Objetivo: Analizar las características moleculares y de variación de secuencias de las integrasas del HTLV-I y del VIH-1 y sus variantes poblacionales. Metodología: Análisis de secuencias y estructuras obtenidas de diferentes bases de datos; para ello se utilizaron programas computacionales de modelación de estructuras proteicas e identificación de sustituciones polimórficas en secuencias de aminoácidos de integrasas del HTLV-I y VIH-1 previamente reportadas. Materiales y métodos: Tanto la integrasa del HTLV-I como la del VIH-1 son proteínas compuestas por 288 residuos de aminoácidos. Se encontró un parecido de estructuras terciarias entre los dominios catalíticos de las IN de VIH-1, ASV y RSV con la del HTLVI. A partir de 103 secuencias completas de la integrasa del VIH-1 se registraron, en 46 codones, un total de 53 sustituciones que se localizaron en diferentes posiciones de la proteína nativa; las más frecuentes fueron: N27G (32,1%), A265V (30,1%), L101I (31,1%) y T123A (27,0%). Ninguna de las sustituciones más frecuentemente encontradas generó un cambio en el plegamiento nativo de la correspondiente región. Conclusión: La estructura tridimensional del dominio central catalítico de la integrasa condicionaría su actividad y su relación con moléculas potencialmente inhibidoras. Las sustituciones observadas fueron neutrales sin alterar la estructura nativa. Los resultados obtenidos confirman que la integrasa es un nuevo y promisorio blanco para el desarrollo de terapias antirretrovirales más efectivas en el siglo xxi.

Nature Communications 8: Article number: 15451 (2017); Published 16 May 2017; Updated 23 August 2017 The original version of this Article contained an error in the spelling of the author Leon Di Stefano, which was incorrectly given as Leon di Stephano. This has now been corrected in both the PDF andHTML versions of the Article.

The cystatin family comprises cysteine protease inhibitors distributed in 3 subfamilies (I25A-C). Family members lacking cystatin activity are currently unclassified. Little is known about the evolution of Schistosoma cystatins, their physiological roles, and expression patterns in the parasite life cycle. The present study aimed at identifying cystatin homologs in the predicted proteome of three Schistosoma species and other Platyhelminthes. We analyzed the amino acid sequence diversity focused in the identification of protein signatures and to establish evolutionary relationships among Schistosoma and experimentally validated human cystatins. Gene expression patterns were obtained from different development stages in S. mansoni using microarray data. In Schistosoma, only I25A and I25B proteins were identified, reflecting little functional diversification. I25C and unclassified subfamily members were not identified in Platyhelminthes species here analyzed. The resulting phylogeny placed cystatins in different clades, reflecting their molecular diversity. Our findings suggest that Schistosoma cystatins are very divergent from their human homologs, especially regarding the I25B subfamily. Schistosoma cystatins also differ significantly from other Platyhelminthes homologs. Finally, transcriptome data publicly available indicated that I25A and I25B genes are constitutively expressed thus could be essential for schistosome life cycle progression. In summary, this study provides insights into the evolution, classification, and functional diversification of cystatins in Schistosoma and other Platyhelminthes, improving our understanding of parasite biology and opening new frontiers in the identification of novel therapeutic targets against helminthiases.

La malaria es una de las enfermedades parasitarias que causa mayor impacto en la salud pública en países en desarrollo. La secuenciación del genoma de Plasmodium falciparum y el desarrollo de la proteómica han permitido un gran avance en el conocimiento de la biología del parasito. La proteómica ha permitido caracterizar cualitativa y cuantitativamente la expresión de proteínas del parásito y ha proveído información de la expresión relativa de proteínas bajo condiciones de stress como presión por antimaláricos. Dada la complejidad de su ciclo de vida, el cual se lleva a cabo en el hospedero vertebrado y el mosquito, se ha caracterizado la expresión de proteínas para cada estadio del parásito; con el fin de determinar el proteoma que media diversos procesos metabólicos, fisiológicos, energéticos. Técnicas de electroforesis bidimensional, cromatografía liquida y espectrometría de masas, han sido útiles para evaluar los efectos de antimaláricos sobre la expresión de proteínas del parasito y caracterizar el proteoma de diferentes formas y organelas de P.falciparum. El propósito de esta revisión es presentar el estado del arte de los avances en proteómica aplicada al estudio de la malaria, y exponer las diferentes estrategias experimentales empleadas para el estudio del proteoma del parásito con el fin de exponer las ventajas y desventajas de cada una de estas metodologías a partir de los resultados obtenidos en los artículos revisados en este manuscrito.

A 25-year-old woman presented with a juxtafoveal, pigmented lesion in the left eye. Multimodal imaging, including optical coherence tomography angiography, allowed the diagnosis of retinal astrocytic hamartoma. The patient has been followed for 2 years without any modifications of the morphology of the lesion and of visual acuity. Purpose: To report a case of retinal astrocytic hamartoma imaged by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), followed for 2 years. Methods: Observational case report. Results: A 25-year-old woman was referred for an incidental retinal lesion in the left eye (LE). At baseline, the best-corrected visual acuity in the LE was 20/32, and fundus examination showed the presence of a round, pigmented lesion in juxtafoveal region, corresponding, on spectral domain OCT, to a hyperreflective lesion within nerve fiber layer. Optical coherence tomography angiography revealed the presence of a high-flow lesion in the superficial capillary plexus segmentation. The patient was followed up for 2 years: best-corrected visual acuity remained stable and multimodal imaging, including OCTA, confirmed the benign and stable nature of the lesion. At baseline, the total lesion area on OCTA (superficial capillary plexus) was 0.181 mm2, whereas vascular density was 52.080%; the total area was 0.204 mm2, and vascular density was 53.740% at 2-year follow-up. Conclusion: Optical coherence tomography angiography is helpful not only for the diagnosis and follow-up of such rare tumors, but also it gives insights as to how these tumors develop and how they affect surrounding structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe optical coherence tomography angiography findings at baseline and during the follow-up of choroidal neovascularization secondary to choroidal rupture (CR) in a patient with kidney transplant treated by a single intravitreal injection of ranibizumab. Methods: The clinical course, conventional multimodal imaging findings including ultra-widefield fundus color photography and fundus autofluorescence (Optos California, Marlborough, MA), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT Spectralis; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany), fluorescein angiography (FA; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany), indocyanine green angiography ,and optical coherence tomography angiography (Plex-Elite, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc, Dublin, CA) findings at baseline and during the follow-up of a patient with choroidal neovascularization secondary to CR. Results: A 19-year-old young man with a history of blunt trauma presented with acute visual decline of the right eye. He had a systemic history of kidney transplant. His best-corrected visual acuity was 20/200 in the right eye and 20/20 in the left eye at baseline. Funduscopic examination and ultra-widefield fundus autofluorescence imaging revealed a double vertical macular lesion corresponding to a CR in the right eye. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography, and indocyanine green angiography revealed active Type 2 choroidal neovascularization secondary to the CR. Optical coherence tomography angiography showed a high-flow neovascular network consistent with conventional multimodal imaging. One month after intravitreal injection of ranibizumab, bestcorrected visual acuity was 20/100, optical coherence tomography angiography showed a contraction and remodeling of the neovascular flow, and exudative signs disappeared on multimodal imaging. No side effect was detected. Conclusion: Optical coherence tomography angiography is able to detect choroidal neovascularization secondary to CR at baseline and during the follow-up after a single intravitreal injection of ranibizumab. Ranibizumab was effective in the treatment of this sight-threatening lesion in a patient with a history of kidney transplant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) findings in retinal arterial macroaneurysm (RAM) associated with macular edema and to correlate OCTA findings with conventional multimodal imaging. Methods: The clinical course, conventional multimodal imaging findings including fundus color photography, spectral domain optical coherence tomography (Spectralis; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany), fluorescein angiography (Heidelberg Engineering), and OCTA (Optovue, Inc, Freemont, CA) findings at baseline and during the follow-up of two eyes (two patients) with symptomatic RAM associated with macular edema were documented. Results: Two eyes of 2 patients, both women, aged 82 and 46 years, which presented with progressive visual decline, were included. On conventional multimodal imaging, exudative RAM with macular edema and lipid exudation were visible in both included eyes. On OCTA, the flow in the two RAM was detected at baseline. Case 1 was treated by focal laser photocoagulation. One month after treatment, fluorescein angiography showed RAM occlusion. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography showed a RAM and retinal thinning and a decreased central foveal thickness, resulting in visual acuity improvement. On OCTA, no flow was detectable in the RAM at 1-month follow-up. Case 2 was not treated at baseline. In this eye, no flow was detected on OCTA at 2-month follow-up. This suggests a spontaneous occlusion, which was confirmed by fluorescein angiography. Conclusion: Optical coherence tomography angiography is able to detect the presence or absence of flow signal within RAMs, which may both decrease the need for dye angiography in selected cases with exudative RAM and help in treatment decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To report the pathogenic factors that account for cystoid macular edema and cystoid macular degeneration in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). Methods: The clinical course and multimodal imaging findings, including fundus color photography, fundus autofluorescence, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography, of one eye with cystoid macular edema due to chronic CSC was documented. Results: A 44-year old woman with a history of chronic CSC presented with progressive visual decline in the right eye. Best-corrected visual acuity was 20/40. Funduscopic examination revealed diffuse retinal pigment epithelial changes and macular edema. Fluorescein angiography demonstrated perifoveal microaneurysms and leakage in a petaloid configuration. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography demonstrated cysts at the level of the inner nuclear layer, an epiretinal membrane, vitreomacular traction, and an attenuated retinal pigment epithelial band. Central subfield thickness was 486 ²m. Three intravitreal injections of aflibercept were administered over 16 weeks following which there was resolution of leakage, release of vitreomacular traction, and resolution of microaneurysms. Central subfield thickness reduced to 379 ²m, but persistent intraretinal cysts were observed. There was subjective improvement in visual symptoms, but Snellen acuity remained at 20/40. Conclusion: Intraretinal cystic changes in chronic CSC may be the result of multifactorial pathogenic factors and may represent the coexistence of cystoid macular edema and cystoid macular degeneration. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor may play an important role in the treatment of cystoid macular edema caused by CSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biomédica: Revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud is the property of Instituto Nacional de Salud of Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Biomédica: Revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud is the property of Instituto Nacional de Salud of Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Changes in light wavelength can alter the phycobiliprotein content in photosynthetic organisms. These molecules are involved in harvesting light energy for photosynthesis and are interesting microalgal products. Furthermore, increasing or modifying phycobiliprotein content in eukaryotic microalgae is possible. Specifically, exposure to different wavelengths triggers their ability to switch their metabolism using light. Moreover, molecular findings support light modulation of phycobiliproteins in the microalgae Porphyridium cruentum. Therefore, this research aimed to describe how two light spectra affects the transcriptome in P. cruentum cultures. Notably, blue and white wavelengths did not significantly modify the phycobiliprotein and macromolecules content by biomass unit. Nevertheless, a differential expression profile was found in the transcriptome; a PHO80-like cyclin PC3933011 was up-regulated, likely connected to the higher cell number obtained under the white wavelength. Finally, we established the viability of manipulating light for phycobiliprotein production in this P. cruentum and confirmed that light acts as a cell cycle regulator. • P. cruentum phycobiliprotein gene pathway expression was not affected by light. • Narrow white-light induced the overexpression of the PHO80-like cyclin PC3933011. • Cultures of P. cruentum grown under white light showed increased cell concentration. • Modulation of light can be effectively used for P. cruentum growth manipulation. • Macromolecular cell content is not affected by light changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomphalaria snails are instrumental in transmission of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni. With the World Health Organization's goal to eliminate schistosomiasis as a global health problem by 2025, there is now renewed emphasis on snail control. Here, we characterize the genome of Biomphalaria glabrata, a lophotrochozoan protostome, and provide timely and important information on snail biology. We describe aspects of phero-perception, stress responses, immune function and regulation of gene expression that support the persistence of B. glabrata in the field and may define this species as a suitable snail host for S. mansoni. We identify several potential targets for developing novel control measures aimed at reducing snail-mediated transmission of schistosomiasis.

Copyright of Biomédica: Revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud is the property of Instituto Nacional de Salud of Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Salud Uninorte is the property of Fundacion Universidad del Norte and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background . In recent years, deep learning has been increasingly applied to a vast array of ophthalmological diseases. Inherited retinal diseases (IRD) are rare genetic conditions with a distinctive phenotype on fundus autofluorescence imaging (FAF). Our purpose was to automatically classify different IRDs by means of FAF images using a deep learning algorithm. Methods. In this study, FAF images of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Best disease (BD), Stargardt disease (STGD), as well as a healthy comparable group were used to train a multilayer deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to differentiate FAF images between each type of IRD and normal FAF. The CNN was trained and validated with 389 FAF images. Established augmentation techniques were used. An Adam optimizer was used for training. For subsequent testing, the built classifiers were then tested with 94 untrained FAF images. Results . For the inherited retinal disease classifiers, global accuracy was 0.95. The precision-recall area under the curve (PRC-AUC) averaged 0.988 for BD, 0.999 for RP, 0.996 for STGD, and 0.989 for healthy controls. Conclusions. This study describes the use of a deep learning-based algorithm to automatically detect and classify inherited retinal disease in FAF. Hereby, the created classifiers showed excellent results. With further developments, this model may be a diagnostic tool and may give relevant information for future therapeutic approaches.

Purpose: To compare the qualitative and quantitative choroidal neovascularization (CNV) changes after antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy in treatment-naïve and treated eyes with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA)., Methods: Consecutive patients with neovascular AMD underwent multimodal imaging, including OCTA (AngioPlex, CIRRUS HD-OCT model 5000; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, OH) at baseline and at three monthly follow-up visits. Treatment-naive AMD patients undergoing anti-VEGF loading phase were included in group A, while treated patients were included in group B. Qualitative and quantitative OCTA analyses were performed on outer retina to choriocapillaris (ORCC) slab. CNV size was measured using a free image analysis software (ImageJ, open-source imaging processing software, 2.0.0)., Results: Twenty-five eyes of 25 patients were enrolled in our study (mean age 78.32 ± 6.8 years): 13 treatment-naïve eyes in group A and 12 treated eyes in group B. While qualitative analysis revealed no significant differences from baseline to follow-up in the two groups, quantitative analysis showed in group A a significant decrease in lesion area ( P = 0.023); in group B, no significant change in the lesion area was observed during anti-VEGF therapy ( P = 0.93)., Conclusion: Treatment-naïve and treated eyes with CNV secondary to neovascular AMD respond differently to anti-VEGF therapy. This should be taken into account when using OCTA for CNV follow-up or planning therapeutic strategies.

Purpose: To characterize the macular lesions in multifocal choroiditis using multimodal imaging (MMI) and to evaluate optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in distinguishing neovascular from inflammatory lesions., Methods: Retrospective review of medical records of consecutive patients diagnosed with multifocal choroiditis and macular involvement, between September 2014 and May 2016, were included. All patients underwent standard examination and MMI, including fundus color photography, fundus autofluorescence, fluorescein angiography, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography. They also underwent OCTA examination. Multimodal imaging and OCTA characteristics of inflammatory lesions and choroidal neovascularization (CNV) were compared., Results: Eighteen eyes of 13 patients (11 females) were analyzed. The mean age was 42.9 ± 13.4 years. The lesions were first categorized as active or inactive CNV and active or inactive inflammatory lesions through conventional MMI. Using OCTA, an abnormal blood flow was observed in all active CNV (9/9) and most inactive CNV (5/6), but also in 2 of 14 lesions previously classified as active inflammatory lesions. On the contrary, no case of inactive inflammatory lesions showed abnormal blood flow. Therefore, the use of OCTA allowed a diagnosis of CNV that was not made through conventional MMI in 14% of cases of active inflammatory lesions., Conclusion: The combined findings of conventional imaging and OCTA demonstrate distinctive features of inflammatory lesions and CNV in multifocal choroiditis, allowing an appropriate management of these sight-threatening lesions. However, OCTA alone did not distinguish between active and inactive CNVs and should be integrated into an MMI approach.

Purpose: To determine the rate of macular holes (MH) occurring in the fellow eyes of eyes with MH depending on the vitreomacular interface at baseline., Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients operated on for idiopathic MH, with persistent vitreofoveal attachment in the fellow eye assessed by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Follow-up lasted 6 months or more, and the main outcome was the occurrence of an MH., Results: The 77 fellow eyes included had a mean follow-up of 34.11 ± 22.3 months (6-78.4). At baseline, 31 eyes had vitreomacular traction (VMT), 35 vitreomacular adhesion, and 11 no posterior vitreous detachment. MH occurred in 19.5% of the cases (15/77). The rate of MH was significantly higher among the eyes with VMT than among the eyes without VMT at baseline (35.5 vs. 8.7%; p = 0.009)., Conclusion: One-third of eyes with VMT at baseline identified by SD-OCT will develop an MH in the following 5 years., (© 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.)