Detection of capillary abnormalities in early diabetic retinopathy using scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography combined with adaptive optics

This study tested if a high-resolution, multi-modal, multi-scale retinal imaging instrument can provide novel information about structural abnormalities in vivo. The study examined 11 patients with very mild to moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and 10 healthy subjects using fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT angiography (OCTA), adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO), adaptive optics OCT and OCTA (AO-OCT(A)). Of 21 eyes of 11 patients, 11 had very mild NPDR, 8 had mild NPDR, 2 had moderate NPDR, and 1 had no retinopathy. Using AO-SLO, capillary looping, inflections and dilations were detected in 8 patients with very mild or mild NPDR, and microaneurysms containing hyperreflective granular elements were visible in 9 patients with mild or moderate NPDR. Most of the abnormalities were seen to be perfused in the corresponding OCTA scans while a few capillary loops appeared to be occluded or perfused at a non-detectable flow rate, possibly because of hypoperfusion. In one patient with moderate NPDR, non-perfused capillaries, also called ghost vessels, were identified by alignment of corresponding en face AO-OCT and AO-OCTA images. The combination of multiple non-invasive imaging methods could identify prominent microscopic abnormalities in diabetic retinopathy earlier and more detailed than conventional fundus imaging devices.</p

Solar Total Eclipse of 21 August 2017: Study of the Inner Corona Dynamical Events Leading to a CME

International audienceTotal solar eclipse (TSE) coronal large and small scale events were reported in the historical literature but a definite synoptic coverage was missing for studying a relationship with the more general magnetic context of the solar-disk. We here analyze temporal changes in the solar corona before, during, and after the total solar eclipse on 21 August 2017 from a set of ground-based and of space-borne observations. High-quality ground-based white-light (W-L) observations and a deep image processing allow us to reveal these changes for the first time with a fraction of a one-minute time resolution. Displacements of a number of fine coronal features were measured for the first time at these small radial distances, using a diffraction limited instrument at a single site. The comparison with space-based observations, including observations from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) mission, showed that the features belong to a slow coronal mass ejection (CME) propagating through the corona with the nearly constant speed of 250 km s −1. Our TSE images provide the same typical velocity as measured at a distance of one solar radius from the surface. The event was initiated by coronal dynamics manifested by a prominence eruption that started just before the eclipse observations and an ascent of a U-shaped structure visible in the AIA 171Å channel, which we assume as the lower part of a coronal cavity. The prominence material was observed draining down towards B. Filippov B. Filippov et al. the chromosphere along the prominence arch. While the prominence disappears in the STEREO-A field-of-view at the height of about 6 above the limb, the corresponding flux rope seems to continue towards the outer corona and produces the slow CME with turbulent motion. The overall mass of the moving features is evaluated based on absolute photometrical data extracted from our best W-L eclipse image

Multi-modal and multi-scale clinical retinal imaging system with pupil and retinal tracking

International audienceAbstract We present a compact multi-modal and multi-scale retinal imaging instrument with an angiographic functional extension for clinical use. The system integrates scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) imaging modalities and provides multi-scale fields of view. For high resolution, and high lateral resolution in particular, cellular imaging correction of aberrations by adaptive optics (AO) is employed. The entire instrument has a compact design and the scanning head is mounted on motorized translation stages that enable 3D self-alignment with respect to the subject’s eye by tracking the pupil position. Retinal tracking, based on the information provided by SLO, is incorporated in the instrument to compensate for retinal motion during OCT imaging. The imaging capabilities of the multi-modal and multi-scale instrument were tested by imaging healthy volunteers and patients

Systems medicine disease maps: community-driven comprehensive representation of disease mechanisms.

The development of computational approaches in systems biology has reached a state of maturity that allows their transition to systems medicine. Despite this progress, intuitive visualisation and context-dependent knowledge representation still present a major bottleneck. In this paper, we describe the Disease Maps Project, an effort towards a community-driven computationally readable comprehensive representation of disease mechanisms. We outline the key principles and the framework required for the success of this initiative, including use of best practices, standards and protocols. We apply a modular approach to ensure efficient sharing and reuse of resources for projects dedicated to specific diseases. Community-wide use of disease maps will accelerate the conduct of biomedical research and lead to new disease ontologies defined from mechanism-based disease endotypes rather than phenotypes