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European Journal of Neurology Mar 2021Retinal pathological changes may precede or accompany the deterioration of brain tissue in Parkinson's disease (PD). The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Retinal pathological changes may precede or accompany the deterioration of brain tissue in Parkinson's disease (PD). The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the usefulness of optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements as potential imaging biomarkers for PD.
METHODS
PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched for observational studies (published prior to 30 May 2020) comparing the OCT measurements between PD patients and healthy controls (HCs). Our main end-points were peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness, macular ganglion cell complex thickness, macular thickness and macular volume. Pooled data were assessed by use of a random-effects model.
RESULTS
A total of 36 observational studies were identified that included 1712 patients with PD (2548 eyes) and 1778 HCs (2646 eyes). Compared with the HC group, the PD group showed a significant reduction in mean pRNFL thickness (weighted mean difference [WMD] -3.51 μm, 95% confidence interval [CI] -4.84, -2.18; p = 0.000), all quadrants at the pRNFL (WMD range -7.65 to -2.44 μm, all p < 0.05), macular fovea thickness (WMD -5.62 μm, 95% CI -7.37, -3.87; p = 0.000), all outer sector thicknesses at the macula (WMD range -4.68 to -4.10 μm, all p < 0.05), macular volume (WMD -0.21 mm , 95% CI -0.36, -0.06; p < 0.05) and macular ganglion cell complex thickness (WMD -4.18 μm, 95% CI -6.07, -2.29; p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Our pooled data confirmed robust associations between retinal OCT measurements and PD, highlighting the usefulness of OCT measurements as potential imaging biomarkers for PD.
Topics: Biomarkers; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Nerve Fibers; Parkinson Disease; Retinal Ganglion Cells; Tomography, Optical Coherence
PubMed: 33107159
DOI: 10.1111/ene.14613 -
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.... Apr 2023There are over 43 million individuals in the world who are blind. As retinal ganglion cells are incapable of regeneration, treatment modalities for this condition are...
UNLABELLED
There are over 43 million individuals in the world who are blind. As retinal ganglion cells are incapable of regeneration, treatment modalities for this condition are limited. Since first incepted in 1885, whole-eye transplantation (WET) has been proposed as the ultimate cure for blindness. As the field evolves, different aspects of the surgery have been individually explored, including allograft viability, retinal survival, and optic nerve regeneration. Due to the paucity in the WET literature, we aimed to systematically review proposed WET surgical techniques to assess surgical feasibility. Additionally, we hope to identify barriers to future clinical application and potential ethical concerns that could be raised with surgery.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus from inception to June 10, 2022, to identify articles pertaining to WET. Data collection included model organisms studied, surgical techniques utilized, and postoperative functional outcomes.
RESULTS
Our results yielded 33 articles, including 14 mammalian and 19 cold-blooded models. In studies performing microvascular anastomosis in mammals, 96% of allografts survived after surgery. With nervous coaptation, 82.9% of retinas had positive electroretinogram signals after surgery, indicating functional retinal cells after transplantation. Results on optic nerve function were inconclusive. Ocular-motor functionality was rarely addressed.
CONCLUSIONS
Regarding allograft survival, WET appears feasible with no complications to the recipient recorded in previous literature. Functional restoration is potentially achievable with a demonstrated positive retinal survival in live models. Nevertheless, the potential of optic nerve regeneration remains undetermined.
PubMed: 37113307
DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000004946 -
Journal of Neuro-ophthalmology : the... Mar 2022Inherited optic neuropathies (IONs) cause progressive irreversible visual loss in children and young adults. There are limited disease-modifying treatments, and most...
BACKGROUND
Inherited optic neuropathies (IONs) cause progressive irreversible visual loss in children and young adults. There are limited disease-modifying treatments, and most patients progress to become severely visually impaired, fulfilling the legal criteria for blind registration. The seminal discovery of the technique for reprogramming somatic nondividing cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has opened several exciting opportunities in the field of ION research and treatment.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
A systematic review of the literature was conducted with PubMed using the following search terms: autosomal dominant optic atrophy, ADOA, dominant optic atrophy, DOA, Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, LHON, optic atrophy, induced pluripotent stem cell, iPSC, iPSC derived, iPS, stem cell, retinal ganglion cell, and RGC. Clinical trials were identified on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.
RESULTS
This review article is focused on disease modeling and the therapeutic strategies being explored with iPSC technologies for the 2 most common IONs, namely, dominant optic atrophy and Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. The rationale and translational advances for cell-based and gene-based therapies are explored, as well as opportunities for neuroprotection and drug screening.
CONCLUSIONS
iPSCs offer an elegant, patient-focused solution to the investigation of the genetic defects and disease mechanisms underpinning IONs. Furthermore, this group of disorders is uniquely amenable to both the disease modeling capability and the therapeutic potential that iPSCs offer. This fast-moving area will remain at the forefront of both basic and translational ION research in the coming years, with the potential to accelerate the development of effective therapies for patients affected with these blinding diseases.
Topics: Child; Humans; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells; Ions; Optic Atrophy, Autosomal Dominant; Optic Atrophy, Hereditary, Leber; Optic Nerve Diseases; Young Adult
PubMed: 34629400
DOI: 10.1097/WNO.0000000000001375 -
Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2024Hereditary optic neuropathies (HONs) such as dominant optic atrophy (DOA) and Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) are mitochondrial diseases characterized by a... (Review)
Review
Hereditary optic neuropathies (HONs) such as dominant optic atrophy (DOA) and Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) are mitochondrial diseases characterized by a degenerative loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and are a cause of blindness worldwide. To date, there are only limited disease-modifying treatments for these disorders. The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology has opened several promising opportunities in the field of HON research and the search for therapeutic approaches. This systematic review is focused on the two most frequent HONs (LHON and DOA) and on the recent studies related to the application of human iPSC technology in combination with biomaterials technology for their potential use in the development of RGC replacement therapies with the final aim of the improvement or even the restoration of the vision of HON patients. To this purpose, the combination of natural and synthetic biomaterials modified with peptides, neurotrophic factors, and other low- to medium-molecular weight compounds, mimicking the ocular extracellular matrices, with human iPSC or iPSC-derived cell retinal progenitors holds enormous potential to be exploited in the near future for the generation of transplantable RGC populations.
PubMed: 38247929
DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11010052 -
Biological Psychiatry Global Open... Jan 2024Inner retinal atrophy has been demonstrated in schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) using optical coherence tomography (OCT). This systematic review and meta-analysis...
BACKGROUND
Inner retinal atrophy has been demonstrated in schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) using optical coherence tomography (OCT). This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the role of contemporary Fourier domain OCT devices in SSD.
METHODS
MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycInfo, PYSNDEX, World Health Organization, and Cochrane databases were searched from inception until May 2022. All peer-reviewed adult SSD case-control studies using Fourier domain OCT were included. Ocular pathologies known to affect retinal OCT scans were excluded. Search, data appraisal, and summary data extraction were independently performed by 2 authors.
RESULTS
The review criteria was met by k = 36 studies, with k = 24 studies (1074 cases, 854 controls) suitable for meta-analysis. The SSD group exhibited a thinner global peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (-3.26 μm, 95% CI, -5.07 to -1.45, = 64%, k = 21), thinner average macular layer (-7.88 μm, 95% CI, -12.73 to -3.04, = 65%, k = 11), and thinner macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform sublayer (-2.44 μm, 95% CI, -4.13 to -0.76, = 30%, k = 8) compared with the control group. Retinal nerve fiber layer findings remained significant after exclusion of metabolic disease, low quality, outlier, and influential studies. Studies involving eye examinations to exclude eye disease were associated with greater atrophy in SSD. Except for cardiometabolic disease, most studies did not report clinically significant covariate data known to influence retinal thickness.
CONCLUSIONS
Individuals with SSD generally exhibited retinal atrophy, possibly paralleling reduced brain volumes documented in clinical imaging. Prospective longitudinal studies that collect clinical data, including various illness phases, and control for confounders will be necessary to evaluate retinal atrophy as a biomarker in SSD.
PubMed: 38021252
DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.08.013 -
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine... Aug 2023To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Xuebijing injection (XBJ) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Xuebijing injection (XBJ) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients.
METHODS
Related studies on multiple biological databases and websites were searched up to December 11, 2021 without language and publication time restrictions. Review Manager V.5.3 and Stata 14 software were used for data analysis.
RESULTS
Seven studies were finally included. The Metaanalysis showed that compared with the routine treatment alone, XBJ combined with the routine treatment can reduce the 28day mortality ( = 0.3, 95% : 0.12, 0.74), Creactive protein ( = -12.8, 95% : -23.13, 3.46), erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( = -9.32, 95% : -14.66, -3.98) and interleukin-6 (S = -0.6, 95% : -1.04, -0.17) levels and increase the leukocyte ( = 0.73, 95% : 0.42, 1.04) and lymphocyte count ( = 0.18, 95% : 0.07, 0.29) in peripheral blood; additionally, it has no obvious side effects ( = 1.11, 95% : 0.65, 1.9). There was no evidence that the XBJ combined therapy can improve the nucleic acid conversion rate and computed tomography improvement rate of COVID19 patients.
CONCLUSIONS
Preliminary evidence suggests that XBJ combined with routine treatment seems to be more effective than routine treatment for patients with COVID19. Limited by the number and quality of included papers, this finding still needs further validation by more studies.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Injections
PubMed: 37454247
DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20230517.002 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2018Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The increasing interest in the involvement of the cortical visual pathway in glaucomatous patients is...
Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The increasing interest in the involvement of the cortical visual pathway in glaucomatous patients is due to the implications in recent therapies, such as neuroprotection and neuroregeneration. In this review, we outline the current understanding of brain structural, functional, and metabolic changes detected with the modern techniques of neuroimaging in glaucomatous subjects. We screened MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, LILACS, Trip Database, and NICE for original contributions published until 31 October 2017. Studies with at least six patients affected by any type of glaucoma were considered. We included studies using the following neuroimaging techniques: functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), voxel- based Morphometry (VBM), surface-based Morphometry (SBM), diffusion tensor MRI (DTI). Over a total of 1,901 studies, 56 case series with a total of 2,381 patients were included. Evidence of neurodegenerative process in glaucomatous patients was found both within and beyond the visual system. Structural alterations in visual cortex (mainly reduced cortex thickness and volume) have been demonstrated with SBM and VBM; these changes were not limited to primary visual cortex but also involved association visual areas. Other brain regions, associated with visual function, demonstrated a certain grade of increased or decreased gray matter volume. Functional and metabolic abnormalities resulted within primary visual cortex in all studies with fMRI and MRS. Studies with rs-fMRI found disrupted connectivity between the primary and higher visual cortex and between visual cortex and associative visual areas in the task-free state of glaucomatous patients. This review contributes to the better understanding of brain abnormalities in glaucoma. It may stimulate further speculation about brain plasticity at a later age and therapeutic strategies, such as the prevention of cortical degeneration in patients with glaucoma. Structural, functional, and metabolic neuroimaging methods provided evidence of changes throughout the visual pathway in glaucomatous patients. Other brain areas, not directly involved in the processing of visual information, also showed alterations.
PubMed: 29896087
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00363 -
PloS One 2021To systematically review the evidence on the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) to detect visual acuity (VA) or... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
PURPOSE
To systematically review the evidence on the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) to detect visual acuity (VA) or visual field (VF) loss in children with a brain tumour.
METHODS
PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception to February 2021. We included studies evaluating retinal OCT and standard visual function parameters (VA and or VF) in children with a brain tumour. Two authors independently extracted data from each included study. They also assessed the methodological quality of the studies using the QUADAS-2 or QUIPS tool. The diagnostic accuracy of OCT was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic analysis, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value. The prognostic value of OCT was evaluated with predictive measures (odds ratio).
RESULTS
We included five diagnostic studies, with a total of 186 patients, all diagnosed with optic pathway glioma. No prognostic studies were eligible for inclusion. Included studies evaluated either retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness or ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer (GCL-IPL) thickness. There was considerable heterogeneity between OCT devices, OCT protocols, visual function parameters and threshold values. Sensitivity and specificity for RNFL thickness measurement ranged from 60.0% to 100.0% and 76.6% to 100%, respectively. For GCL-IPL thickness measurement, area under the curve ranged from 0.91 to 0.98 for different diameters.
CONCLUSION
The literature regarding the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of OCT parameters in children with a brain tumour is scarce. Due to heterogeneity and a considerable risk of bias of included studies, we cannot draw solid conclusions regarding the accuracy of retinal OCT. Future research should investigate the potential of OCT as diagnostic and prognostic tool for the evaluation of the visual function and detection of visual impairment in children with any type of brain tumour.
Topics: Brain Neoplasms; Child; Humans; Optic Nerve Glioma; Prognosis; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Visual Acuity; Visual Field Tests
PubMed: 34941930
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261631 -
World Neurosurgery Jun 2022In this review, we appraised the current literature on the utility of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a diagnostic and predictive factor for postoperative visual... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
In this review, we appraised the current literature on the utility of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a diagnostic and predictive factor for postoperative visual function outcomes in patients with sellar/suprasellar lesions with chiasmal impingement.
METHODS
A systematic search of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane Library was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Included studies described diagnostic or prognostic utility of OCT in patients with sellar/suprasellar lesions with chiasmal impingement. Meta-analysis was represented as mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals. Meta-regression was performed to determine predictive factors of visual outcomes.
RESULTS
Forty-eight articles were identified for final pooled analysis, representing a total of 2435 patients with compressive sellar/suprasellar lesions and 952 healthy controls. Mean age was 43.3 (11.4) years, with 1494 (48.8%) male and 1566 (51.2%) female patients. Mean retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) was significantly different in the study population compared with healthy controls (75.8 μ [13.2] vs. 91.4 μ [10.8], P < 0.00001). The nasal segment of RNFL had the largest mean difference (MD -9.76 [-12.39, -7.13], P < 0.0001). Visual acuity, visual field mean deviation, and visual field pattern standard deviation all showed significant differences between the study population and healthy controls as well (P < 0.0001). Meta-regressions showed significant predictive capability of preoperative RNFL in determining visual function outcome (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings provide promising support for the growing evidence that OCT parameters can be utilized as both a diagnostic and prognostic tool for patients with compression of the optic apparatus. There is a need for further studies to gain a better understanding of OCTs and to improve patient outcomes.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Optic Chiasm; Prognosis; Retinal Ganglion Cells; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Visual Fields
PubMed: 35276393
DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2022.03.011