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Renata García-Franco,1 Dalia Méndez-Marín,1 Marlon García-Roa,1 Paulina Ramirez-Neria,1 Diego Valera-Cornejo,1 Van Charles Lansingh1,2 1Retina department, Instituto Mexicano de Oftalmología I.A.P., Santiago De Querétaro, Querétaro, México; 2HelpMeSee Inc, NY, New York, USACorrespondence: Diego Valera-CornejoInstituto Mexicano de Oftalmología I.A.P., Colinas de Cimatario, Avenida Estadio Sn, Centro Sur, Santiago De Querétaro 76090, Querétaro, MexicoTel +52 1 442 229 0776Email diegoavalera@gmail.comObjective: To determine normal macular thickness values in a healthy Mexican population and its variation by age and gender using Huvitz spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (HOCT-1F).Methods: This cross-sectional study included 211 consecutive eyes from clinically normal subjects (66 men, 145 women) between October 2018 and December 2018, with best-corrected visual acuities better than 20/30. One eye was selected for the macular scan using the Huvitz OCT (Huvitz OCT-1F, HOCT-1F, Huvitz Co., Ltd., Republic of Korea) with an automated segmentation algorithm. Three vertical and horizontal scans, centered on the fovea with an area of 9 mm, and a color 45° fundus photograph were obtained using Huvitz OCT-1F. Macular measurements were presented as means with standard deviations values for each of the nine regions defined by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS).Results: The mean age was 34.3± 11.9 years. Using the ETDRS map, the mean central subfield thickness (CST) was 227.4± 18.9 μm. Male gender was associated with greater CST (P< 0.001) compared to females. There was no association between mean macular CST (r2=0.011; P=0.11) and age. Macular thickness was thicker in the inner ring than in the outer ring, and there were no significant differences in mean CST among age groups (P=0.70).Conclusion: Normal macular thickness values using the Huvitz OCT in a Mexican healthy population aged from 18– 70 years were thinner in the foveal macular region than values reported in other populations. Female patients had a thinner CST, and age was not correlated with macular thickness.Keywords: retina, tomography, optical coherence, diagnostic imaging, Mexico

Fernando Munayco-Guillén,1,2 Miguel Angel Vazquez-Membrillo,1,2 Marlon Rafael Garcia-Roa,1,2 Jhony Alberto De La Cruz-Vargas,3 Herney Andrés García-Perdomo,4 Rafael Pichardo-Rodriguez3 1Department of Retina and Vitreous Surgery, Instituto Mexicano de Oftalmología (IMO), Querétaro, México; 2Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), México City, México; 3Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Biomédicas (INICIB), Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Perú; 4Division of Urology/Urooncology, Deparment of Surgery, School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, ColombiaCorrespondence: Fernando Munayco-Guillén, Fray Servando Teresa de Mier 202, Quintas del Marqués, Querétaro, México, Tel +51 985-558886, Email fernando.munayco.guillen@gmail.comPurpose: It has been reported that intravitreal Ziv-aflibercept is a safe and effective drug for the treatment of diabetes macular edema (DME). The objective of this study was to evaluate in a real-life setting, the efficacy of intravitreal Ziv-aflibercept in the treatment of DME after the administration of three consecutive monthly doses.Methods: A single arm, prospective cohort study. We included patients with DME who received three doses of intravitreal Ziv-aflibercept. Data such as best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and tomographic biomarkers before treatment and a month after the third dose were collected. DME was staged using the Panozzo classification.Results: Thirty-eight patients participated for a total of 53 eyes. The mean age was 59 ± 8.1 years. We observed significant changes after the third dose in the parameters studied (BCVA in LogMAR pre-treatment (0.6 ± 0.33) and post-treatment (0.4 ± 0.29) [p< 0.001], macular thickness pre-treatment (501 ± 167 μm) and post-treatment (324 ± 114 μm) [p< 0.001], macular volume pre-treatment 10.8 (7.5– 17.8) mm3 and post-treatment 9.3 (0– 13.6) mm3 [p< 0.005]). And 73.6% of the patients presented an advanced severe stage during their pre-treatment evaluation and after post-treatment, 64.2% of the patients no longer presented edema. No systemic or ocular adverse events occurred.Conclusion: The use of three consecutive monthly doses of intravitreal Ziv-aflibercept in a real-life setting is effective and safe in the management of diabetic macular edema.Keywords: antiangiogenic, diabetes mellitus, intravitreal injection, macular edema, optical coherence tomography, Ziv-aflibercept

Analysis of bone marrow aspirates (BMAs) is an essential step in the diagnosis of hematological disorders. This analysis is usually performed based on a visual examination of samples under a conventional optical microscope, which involves a labor-intensive process, limited by clinical experience and subject to high observer variability. In this work, we present a comprehensive digital microscopy system that enables BMA analysis for cell type counting and differentiation in an efficient and objective manner. This system not only provides an accessible and simple method to digitize, store, and analyze BMA samples remotely but is also supported by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) pipeline that accelerates the differential cell counting process and reduces interobserver variability. It has been designed to integrate AI algorithms with the daily clinical routine and can be used in any regular hospital workflow., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest D.B.-P., S.R.C., A.M.U., E.A., L.L., E.D., DC, M.P., A.V., J.G.-V., M.J.L.-C., A.S., M.L., and M.L.-O. hold shares or phantom shares of Spotlab. The rest of the authors declare that they have no competing interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Microscopy Society of America.)

Background/objective: The prokinetic levosulpiride elevates vasoinhibin levels in the vitreous of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) suggesting clinical benefits due to the anti-vasopermeability and anti-angiogenic properties of vasoinhibin. We investigated the biological activity of levosulpiride in centre-involving diabetic macular oedema (DME)., Patients/methods: Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, dual-centre, phase 2 trial in patients with centre-involving DME orally treated with placebo (n = 17) or levosulpiride (n = 17) for 8 weeks or in patients with PDR undergoing elective pars plana vitrectomy and receiving placebo (n = 18) or levosulpiride (n = 18) orally for the 1 week before vitrectomy., Results: Levosulpiride improved changes from baseline in best-corrected visual acuity (p ≤ 0.037), central foveal thickness (CFT, p ≤ 0.013), and mean macular volume (MMV, p ≤ 0.002) at weeks 4, 6, and 8 compared to placebo. At 8 weeks, the proportion of eyes gaining ≥5 ETDRS letters at 4 m (41% vs. 28%), losing ≥21 μm in CFT (55% vs. 28%), and dropping ≥0.06 mm 3 in MMV (65% vs. 29%) was higher after levosulpiride than placebo. The overall grading of visual and structural parameters improved with levosulpiride (p = 0.029). Levosulpiride reduced VEGF (p = 0.025) and PlGF (p = 0.008) levels in the vitreous of PDR patients. No significant adverse side-effects were detected., Conclusions: Oral levosulpiride for 8 weeks improved visual and structural outcomes in patients with centre-involving DME by mechanisms that may include intraocular upregulation of vasoinhibin and downregulation of VEGF and PlGF. Larger clinical trials evaluating long-term efficacy and safety are warranted., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Mortality rates for COVID-19 have declined over time in the general population, but data in patients with hematologic malignancies are contradictory. We identified independent prognostic factors for COVID-19 severity and survival in unvaccinated patients with hematologic malignancies, compared mortality rates over time and versus non-cancer inpatients, and investigated post COVID-19 condition. Data were analyzed from 1166 consecutive, eligible patients with hematologic malignancies from the population-based HEMATO-MADRID registry, Spain, with COVID-19 prior to vaccination roll-out, stratified into early (February-June 2020; n = 769 (66%)) and later (July 2020-February 2021; n = 397 (34%)) cohorts. Propensity-score matched non-cancer patients were identified from the SEMI-COVID registry. A lower proportion of patients were hospitalized in the later waves (54.2%) compared to the earlier (88.6%), OR 0.15, 95%CI 0.11-0.20. The proportion of hospitalized patients admitted to the ICU was higher in the later cohort (103/215, 47.9%) compared with the early cohort (170/681, 25.0%, 2.77; 2.01-3.82). The reduced 30-day mortality between early and later cohorts of non-cancer inpatients (29.6% vs. 12.6%, OR 0.34; 0.22-0.53) was not paralleled in inpatients with hematologic malignancies (32.3% vs. 34.8%, OR 1.12; 0.81-1.5). Among evaluable patients, 27.3% had post COVID-19 condition. These findings will help inform evidence-based preventive and therapeutic strategies for patients with hematologic malignancies and COVID-19 diagnosis.

Given the ever-increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes and obesity, the pressure on global healthcare is expected to be colossal, especially in terms of blindness. Electroretinogram (ERG) has long been perceived as a first-use technique for diagnosing eye diseases, and some studies suggested its use for preventable risk factors of type 2 diabetes and thereby diabetic retinopathy (DR). Here, we show that in a non-evoked mode, ERG signals contain spontaneous oscillations that predict disease cases in rodent models of obesity and in people with overweight, obesity, and metabolic syndrome but not yet diabetes, using one single random forest-based model. Classification performance was both internally and externally validated, and correlation analysis showed that the spontaneous oscillations of the non-evoked ERG are altered before oscillatory potentials, which are the current gold-standard for early DR. Principal component and discriminant analysis suggested that the slow frequency (0.4-0.7 Hz) components are the main discriminators for our predictive model. In addition, we established that the optimal conditions to record these informative signals, are 5-minute duration recordings under daylight conditions, using any ERG sensors, including ones working with portative, non-mydriatic devices. Our study provides an early warning system with promising applications for prevention, monitoring and even the development of new therapies against type 2 diabetes., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Noguez Imm et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Purpose: We present a case of a hemorrhagic choroidal detachment associated with a surgical induced diffuse scleritis (SIDS) following phacoemulsification surgery., Case Report: A-49-year-old healthy male with history of high myopia and pars-plana vitrectomy associated with 360° encircling buckle surgery years ago, who underwent phacoemulsification surgery with in-the-bag intraocular lens implantation on the right eye and developed an important 360° hemorrhagic choroidal detachment on the first-day post-surgery, 10 days later, presented SIDS. First day after surgery, best-corrected visual acuity was hands movement in the affected eye. Ten days later, the patient presented with severe ocular pain and redness on the right eye, the right sclera showed active diffuse inflammation without thinning. A normal collagen vascular profile was found and systemic vasculitic disorders were discarded. The patient responded well to systemic therapy (oral prednisone, 0.5 mg/kg/day at the beginning and then 1 mg/kg/day when scleritis appeared) and 8 weeks later, fundus examination revealed complete resolution of the hemorrhagic choroidal detachment and inflammation., Conclusion: A rare presentation of a surgical induced diffuse scleritis associated with choroidal detachment as an acute complication due to phacoemulsification cataract surgery was presented. Early recognition and treatment led to visual improvement and resolution of the scleritis and choroidal detachment.

Introduction: There is no consensus on the management of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in patients with secondary immunosuppression due to either an underlying hematological disease or to the effects of immunochemotherapy (ICT). Some of them may present persistent infection with multiple relapses of COVID-19, requiring several admissions. This study evaluated the clinical characteristics and outcomes after treatment of 5 patients with follicular lymphoma (FL), previously treated with ICT, who developed several episodes of COVID-19., Methods: We analyzed the clinical evolution and response to treatment with antiviral agent, steroids, and convalescent plasma in 5 patients with FL and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) persistent infection. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction tests and peripheral blood immunophenotype were performed for all patients., Results: All patients required hospitalization due to pneumonia with severity criteria and were re-admitted after a median of 22 days (13-42) from the previous discharge. They all showed B-cell depletion by immunophenotyping, and no traces of immunoglobulin antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected in any of the cases. The survival rate was 80%., Conclusion: The combination therapy evidenced clinical benefits, demonstrating its capacity to control infection in immunosuppressed FL patients treated with ICT., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: To analyze the macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform and retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses after vitrectomy with the inverted flap technique for idiopathic macular holes., Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 28 eyes treated with surgery for idiopathic macular holes. The inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique assisted with Brilliant Blue staining (0.05%) was performed. Ophthalmologic examinations and quantitative analysis of the macular ganglion cell complex thickness were performed at baseline,1 and 3 months after surgery., Results: The preoperative mean thicknesses of the ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer + retinal nerve fiber layer were 88.9 and 124.8 µm, respectively. The mean ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thicknesses at 1 and 3 months after surgery were reduced to 72.8 and 65.2 µm, respectively (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). The mean postoperative ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer + retinal nerve fiber layer thickness was also reduced at 1 and 3 months (108.8 and 99.3 µm, respectively; p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). No significant difference was found between the preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuities at 1 and 3 months (p<0.73 and p<0.14, respectively)., Conclusion: The macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer + retinal nerve fiber layer thicknesses were significantly reduced after vitrectomy with the inverted flap technique assisted with Brilliant Blue staining (0.05%) for idiopathic macular holes.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to describe visual and anatomic outcomes of 5774nm micropulse laser photocoagulation in eyes with either treatment-naïve or refractory diabetic macular edema (DME) at 3 months., Methods: This was a prospective case series that recruited 23 consecutive patients (33 eyes) with center-involved DME that was either treatment-naïve or had not responded to prior treatment. Micropulse therapy was performed with the Easy Ret 577 (Quantel Medical, Cournon d'Auvergne, France) diode laser in a high-density manner in eyes with treatment-naïve or refractory DME. The primary outcome was the change of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA; logMAR) at 1 and 3 months. Secondary outcomes were changes in the central macular thickness (CMT), thickness area, macular volume, and macular capillary leakage at 1 and 3 months., Results: There were no significant changes in BCVA at 3 months, with mean ± standard deviation (SD) of -0.08 ± 0.01 ( p  = 0.228) and + 0.01 ± 0.01 ( p  = 0.969) for treatment-naïve and refractory groups, respectively. The change in CMT at 3 months was statistically but not clinically significant in the treatment-naïve group only (mean ± SD; -30 ± 130 µm; p  = 0.011). The macular volume and area thickness change were not statistically significant ( p  = 0.173 and p  = 0.148 for macular volume and area thickness, respectively) in the treatment-naïve group. There was no difference concerning the leakage area in both groups. No adverse events were reported., Conclusion: We concluded that micropulse 577nm laser therapy maintained the visual acuity and macular thickness at 3 months in both treatment-naïve and refractory DME., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement: The authors declared no conflicts of interest. All authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship., (© The Author(s), 2021.)

Purpose: This work examines the relationship between first- and third-month anatomical and visual response with antivascular endothelial growth factor for diabetic macular edema., Methods: We prospectively evaluated 58 eyes with center-involved diabetic macular edema. Response was categorized upon the anatomical status after 3 monthly doses based on the reduction of central macular thickness (CMT) from baseline (≥20% or not). Correlation analysis between the anatomical response status, gained letters, optical coherence tomography morphological features, and other baseline characteristics were obtained., Results: Twenty-five eyes (43.1%) achieved an anatomical reduction of ≥20% at the third month. Those with a reduction of ≥20% of CMT had subretinal fluid ( P < .01), lower hemoglobin A 1c values ( P < .01), lower proportion of intraretinal cysts ( P < .01), a greater anatomical reduction, and visual improvement at the first month of treatment. Multiple logistic regression analysis, showed that the change of CMT after the first injection was an independent predictor for the anatomical reduction of ≥20% after the loading phase ( P < .05). Best corrected visual acuity gain after the first dose showed a significant association with an improvement of ≥10 letters after the loading phase ( P < .05), but not for macular thickness reduction., Conclusions: First month anatomical reduction was associated with the anatomical response at 3 months ( P = .042) after monthly ranibizumab therapy. Visual improvement at the first month was predictive only for the visual outcome after the 3 monthly doses ( P = .032)., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Introduction: Macular hemorrhages result in a sudden and profound loss of vision. The primary treatment modalities include observation, intravitreal injection of antiangiogenic drugs, neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet hialoidotomy, intravitreal injection of gas with or without tissue plasminogen activator, as monotherapy or combined with surgery. In this paper, we report four cases of macular hemorrhages of different causes treated with different approaches, and we review the literature in this regard., Case Presentation: All four patients presented different causes of macular hemorrhage. The first case had a preretinal hemorrhage due to a Valsalva retinopathy and was treated with surgery. Case 2 had a multilevel macular hemorrhage due to a rupture of a retinal arteriolar macroaneurysm and was treated with pneumatic displacement, laser, and intravitreal ranibizumab. Case 3 presented an extensive subretinal hemorrhage due to a choroidal rupture after high-energy ocular trauma that was also successfully treated with surgery. The last case was a preretinal hemorrhage due to diabetic retinopathy managed with neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser. Different treatment approaches were successfully performed in all cases with good outcomes., Conclusion: There is an extensive range of options available for the management of macular hemorrhages, and the best option depends on the characteristics of each particular case. Proper and timely management of these diseases can achieve an excellent visual outcome, especially if the location of the hemorrhage is preretinal.

Background: Determining the precise location of intraocular foreign bodies is crucial for the management of patients with open-globe injury. Computed tomography is the most common method for detecting intraocular foreign bodies in the posterior segment. In this article, we describe three cases of open-globe injury with different types of intraocular foreign bodies in the posterior segment that were accurately located using computed tomography scans and B-scan ultrasonography., Case Presentation: Each of the three cases of open-globe injury described in this report had different types of ocular trauma, clinical symptoms, and intraocular foreign bodies. Computed tomography scans showed the exact location of the intraocular foreign bodies in the posterior segment in two of the three cases. A B-scan ultrasound was used to determine the location of a non-metallic intraocular foreign body in the third case. All three patients had intraocular foreign bodies, and one of them had an additional orbital foreign body. Case 1 had a perforating eye injury with the additional intraorbital foreign body; Cases 2 and Case 3 had different types of intraocular foreign bodies and prognoses. Various treatment approaches were used, ranging from observation to surgery, depending on the location of the intraocular foreign bodies, and all cases were successfully managed. These three cases show that proper use of various types of imaging tests is indispensable in the context of an intraocular foreign body related to open-globe injury., Conclusion: Imaging techniques are crucial for the detection of an intraocular foreign body, and computed tomography is one of the simplest and most useful, especially in cases of open-globe injury.

We present a case of multiple lymphangiohemangiomas (hematolymphangiomas, hemangiolymphangiomas, or combined lymphatic venous malformation) with thoracic and abdominal involvement in an asymptomatic patient. We describe and illustrate the imaging findings in this disease, which are quite characteristic and can enable an accurate diagnosis. To our knowledge, there are no other reports of similar cases in the scientific literature., (Copyright © 2018 SERAM. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Red blood cells (RBCs) units are the most requested transfusion product worldwide. Indications for transfusion include symptomatic anaemia, acute sickle cell crisis, and acute blood loss of more than 30% of the blood volume, with the aim of restoring tissue oxygen delivery. However, stored RBCs from donors are not a qualitative equal product, and, in many ways, this is a matter of concern in the transfusion practice. Besides donor-to-donor variation, the storage time influences the RBC unit at the qualitative level, as RBCs age in the storage bag and are exposed to the so-called storage lesion. Several studies have shown that the storage lesion leads to post-transfusion enhanced clearance, plasma transferrin saturation, nitric oxide scavenging and/or immunomodulation with potential unwanted transfusion-related clinical outcomes, such as acute lung injury or higher mortality rate. While, to date, several studies have claimed the risk or deleterious effects of "old" vs "young" RBC transfusion regimes, it is still a matter of debate, and consideration should be taken of the clinical context. Transfusion-dependent patients may benefit from transfusion with "young" RBC units, as it assures longer inter-transfusion periods, while transfusion with "old" RBC units is not itself harmful. Unbiased Omics approaches are being applied to the characterisation of RBC through storage, to better understand the (patho)physiological role of microparticles (MPs) that are found naturally, and also on stored RBC units. Perhaps RBC storage time is not an accurate surrogate for RBC quality and there is a need to establish which parameters do indeed reflect optimal efficacy and safety. A better Omics characterisation of components of "young" and "old" RBC units, including MPs, donor and recipient, might lead to the development of new therapies, including the use of engineered RBCs or MPs as cell-based drug delivering tools, or cost-effective personalised transfusion strategies.