Congenital Retinal Macrovessel and the Association of Retinal Venous Malformations With Venous Malformations of the Brain

none17Importance: Congenital retinal macrovessel (CRM) is a rarely reported venous malformation of the retina that is associated with venous anomalies of the brain. Objective: To study the multimodal imaging findings of a series of eyes with congenital retinal macrovessel and describe the systemic associations. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this cross-sectional multicenter study, medical records were retrospectively reviewed from 7 different retina clinics worldwide over a 10-year period (2007-2017). Patients with CRM, defined as an abnormal, large, macular vessel with a vascular distribution above and below the horizontal raphe, were identified. Data were analyzed from December 2016 to August 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Clinical information and multimodal retinal imaging findings were collected and studied. Pertinent systemic information, including brain magnetic resonance imaging findings, was also noted if available. Results: Of the 49 included patients, 32 (65%) were female, and the mean (SD) age at onset was 44.0 (20.9) years. A total of 49 eyes from 49 patients were studied. Macrovessel was unilateral in all patients. Color fundus photography illustrated a large aberrant dilated and tortuous retinal vein in all patients. Early-phase frames of fluorescein angiography further confirmed the venous nature of the macrovessel in 40 of 40 eyes. Optical coherence tomography angiography, available in 17 eyes (35%), displayed microvascular capillary abnormalities around the CRM, which were more evident in the deep capillary plexus. Of the 49 patients with CRM, 39 (80%) did not illustrate any evidence of ophthalmic complications. Ten patients (20%) presented with retinal complications, typically an incidental association with CRM. Twelve patients (24%) were noted to have venous malformations of the brain with associated magnetic resonance imaging. Of these, location of the venous anomaly in the brain was ipsilateral to the CRM in 10 patients (83%) and contralateral in 2 patients (17%), mainly located in the frontal lobe in 9 patients (75%). Conclusions and Relevance: Our study has identified an association between macrovessels in the retina and venous anomalies of the brain (24% compared with 0.2% to 6.0% in the normal population). Thus, we recommend new guidelines for the systemic workup of patients with CRM to include brain magnetic resonance imaging with contrast. These lesions may be more accurately referred to as retinal venous malformations, which may raise awareness regarding potential cerebral associations.nonePichi, Francesco; Freund, K Bailey; Ciardella, Antonio; Morara, Mariachiara; Abboud, Emad B; Ghazi, Nicola; Dackiw, Christine; Choudhry, Netan; Souza, Eduardo Cunha; Cunha, Leonardo Provetti; Arevalo, J Fernando; Liu, T Y Alvin; Wenick, Adam; He, Lingmin; Villarreal, Guadalupe; Neri, Piergiorgio; Sarraf, DavidPichi, Francesco; Freund, K Bailey; Ciardella, Antonio; Morara, Mariachiara; Abboud, Emad B; Ghazi, Nicola; Dackiw, Christine; Choudhry, Netan; Souza, Eduardo Cunha; Cunha, Leonardo Provetti; Arevalo, J Fernando; Liu, T Y Alvin; Wenick, Adam; He, Lingmin; Villarreal, Guadalupe; Neri, Piergiorgio; Sarraf, Davi

Exome capture reveals ZNF423 and CEP164 mutations, linking renal ciliopathies to DNA damage response signaling

Item does not contain fulltextNephronophthisis-related ciliopathies (NPHP-RC) are degenerative recessive diseases that affect kidney, retina, and brain. Genetic defects in NPHP gene products that localize to cilia and centrosomes defined them as "ciliopathies." However, disease mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we identify by whole-exome resequencing, mutations of MRE11, ZNF423, and CEP164 as causing NPHP-RC. All three genes function within the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway. We demonstrate that, upon induced DNA damage, the NPHP-RC proteins ZNF423, CEP164, and NPHP10 colocalize to nuclear foci positive for TIP60, known to activate ATM at sites of DNA damage. We show that knockdown of CEP164 or ZNF423 causes sensitivity to DNA damaging agents and that cep164 knockdown in zebrafish results in dysregulated DDR and an NPHP-RC phenotype. Our findings link degenerative diseases of the kidney and retina, disorders of increasing prevalence, to mechanisms of DDR

Pancreatic surgery outcomes: multicentre prospective snapshot study in 67 countries

Background: Pancreatic surgery remains associated with high morbidity rates. Although postoperative mortality appears to have improved with specialization, the outcomes reported in the literature reflect the activity of highly specialized centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following pancreatic surgery worldwide.Methods: This was an international, prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional snapshot study of consecutive patients undergoing pancreatic operations worldwide in a 3-month interval in 2021. The primary outcome was postoperative mortality within 90 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore relationships with Human Development Index (HDI) and other parameters.Results: A total of 4223 patients from 67 countries were analysed. A complication of any severity was detected in 68.7 percent of patients (2901 of 4223). Major complication rates (Clavien-Dindo grade at least IIIa) were 24, 18, and 27 percent, and mortality rates were 10, 5, and 5 per cent in low-to-middle-, high-, and very high-HDI countries respectively. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate was 5.4 per cent (229 of 4223) overall, but was significantly higher in the low-to-middle-HDI group (adjusted OR 2.88, 95 per cent c.i. 1.80 to 4.48). The overall failure-to-rescue rate was 21 percent; however, it was 41 per cent in low-to-middle-compared with 19 per cent in very high-HDI countries.Conclusion: Excess mortality in low-to-middle-HDI countries could be attributable to failure to rescue of patients from severe complications. The authors call for a collaborative response from international and regional associations of pancreatic surgeons to address management related to death from postoperative complications to tackle the global disparities in the outcomes of pancreatic surgery (NCT04652271; ISRCTN95140761)