Impact of Brightness on Choroidal Vascularity Index

The use of choroidal vascularization to diagnose and follow-up ocular and systemic pathologies has been consolidated in recent research. Unfortunately, the choroidal parameters can be different depending on the lighting settings of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the brightness of OCT images could influence the measurements of choroidal parameters obtained by processing and analyzing scientific images with the ImageJ program. In this observational, prospective, non-randomized study, 148 eyes of 74 patients with a mean age of 30.7 ± 8.5 years (ranging from 23 to 61 years) were assessed. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination including slit lamp, fundus oculi, ocular biometry, corneal tomography and spectral domain (SD) OCT evaluations of the foveal region in the enhanced depth imaging (EDI) mode. OCT images at two different brightness levels were obtained. The total choroidal area (TCA), choroidal vascularity index (CVI), stromal choroidal area (SCA) and luminal choroidal area (LCA) at both lower and higher brightness levels were measured. To avoid the bias of operator-dependent error, the lower and higher brightness TCAs were obtained using two methods: the manual tracking mode and fixed area. At the two different brightness levels, LCA, SCA and CVI measurements showed statistically significant changes (p p > 0.05). According to the results of this study, highlighting that brightness could affect LCA, SCA and CVI parameters, care should be taken during OCT image acquisition

HSP70 expression in blood cells in diploid and triploid rainbow trouts as short-term stress thermal and welfare statement model

En la fisiología de los peces triploides, falta información sobre sus respuestas moleculares bajo estrés y cómo cuantificar los niveles o la intensidad del estrés. Por lo tanto, los objetivos de este ensayo fueron evaluar el patrón de HSP70 en las branquias, el corazón y los músculos de truchas arco iris diploides y triploides no estresadas, y en las células sanguíneas después de la exposición al estrés por calor para evaluar sus niveles de estrés. Se observó una detección inmunohistoquímica de HSP70 similar en las muestras de branquias, corazón y músculos en ambas ploidías. Sin embargo, la expresión de HSP70 en sangre varió entre ploidías durante el tiempo experimental. Las truchas diploides de control y estresadas mostraron niveles análogos de HSP70, pero las truchas triploides estresadas por calor mostraron niveles más bajos de HSP70 durante todo el experimento con diferencias observadas después de 12 h y 24 h. Se esperaba una mayor expresión de HSP70 en ambas ploidías una vez que esta proteína protege a las células contra una amplia gama de agentes perturbadores. Evidencias recientes mostraron que los peces triploides tienen una menor expresión génica y este hecho debe ser explorado en futuras investigaciones en truchas arcoíris. En conclusión, las comparaciones a lo largo del tiempo entre los niveles diploides y triploides de HSP70 en truchas podrían usarse en la evaluación del estrés y de bienestar.  In triploid fish physiology there is a lack of information about its molecular responses under stress and how to quantify the stress levels or intensity. Thus, the goals of this trial were to evaluate the pattern of HSP70 in the gills, heart and muscles of non-stressed diploid and triploid rainbow trouts, and in the blood cells after the exposure to heat stress in order to assess their stress levels. Similar HSP70 immunohistochemical detection in the gills, heart and muscles samples was seen in both ploidies. However, HSP70 expression in blood varied between ploidies over the experimental time. Control and stressed diploid trouts showed analogous HSP70 levels, but heat stressed triploid trouts showed lower HSP70 levels throughout the experiment with differences observable after 12h and 24h. It was expected higher HSP70 expression in both ploidies once this protein protects the cells against a wide range of disturbing agents. Recent evidences showed that triploid fishes have lower gene expression and this fact must be explored in future investigation in rainbow trouts. In conclusion, comparisons over time between diploid and triploid HSP70 levels in trouts could be used in stress evaluation and welfare statement

Association between plasma triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and microvascular kidney disease and retinopathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a global case-control study in 13 countries

BACKGROUND: Microvascular renal and retinal diseases are common major complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The relation between plasma lipids and microvascular disease is not well established. METHODS AND RESULTS: The case subjects were 2535 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with an average duration of 14 years, 1891 of whom had kidney disease and 1218 with retinopathy. The case subjects were matched for diabetes mellitus duration, age, sex, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to 3683 control subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus who did not have kidney disease or retinopathy. The study was conducted in 24 sites in 13 countries. The primary analysis included kidney disease and retinopathy cases. Matched analysis was performed by use of site-specific conditional logistic regression in multivariable models that adjusted for hemoglobin A1c, hypertension, and statin treatment. Mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration was 2.3 mmol/L. The microvascular disease odds ratio increased by a factor of 1.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.22) for every 0.5 mmol/L (≈1 quintile) increase in triglycerides or decreased by a factor of 0.92 (0.88-0.96) for every 0.2 mmol/L (≈1 quintile) increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. For kidney disease, the odds ratio increased by 1.23 (1.16-1.31) with triglycerides and decreased by 0.86 (0.82-0.91) with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Retinopathy was associated with triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in matched analysis but not significantly after additional adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic kidney disease is associated worldwide with higher levels of plasma triglycerides and lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol among patients with good control of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Retinopathy was less robustly associated with these lipids. These results strengthen the rationale for studying dyslipidemia treatment to prevent diabetic microvascular disease