Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yasuki Ito, Mari Ito, Takeshi Iwase, Keiko Kataoka, Kazuhisa Yamada, Sayuri Yasuda, Hiroki Ito, Jun Takeuchi, Yuyako Nakano, Ai Fujita, Etsuyo Horiguchi, Yosuke Taki, Hiroshi Yatsuya, Hiroko Terasaki
Summary: The prevalence of pachyvessels in the Japanese population was 9.5%, with younger age, shorter axial length, male sex, and smoking being significant risk factors for their presence. These factors were also associated with greater choroidal thickness. This suggests a potential link between smoking and choroidal circulatory disturbance in the Japanese population.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shuxian Wang, Ziyuan Wang, Srimanasa Vejalla, Anushika Ganegoda, Muneeswar Gupta Nittala, SriniVas Reddy Sadda, Zhihong Jewel Hu
Summary: Age-related macular degeneration is a common cause of blindness, and early intervention relies on identifying baseline features or biomarkers. Optical coherence tomography and fundus fluorescence imaging are commonly used for assessing early AMD, but previous approaches were largely subjective. Deep learning offers an objective artificial intelligence approach to discover true salient AMD features.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ophthalmology
Inhye Kim, Gahyung Ryu, Min Sagong
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the impact of m-PED structure in neovascular age-related macular degeneration, finding that patients with layer 2 in m-PED had a higher risk of visual deterioration and fibrotic scar formation within 12 months.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Rajendra S. Apte
Summary: Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in older persons in industrialized nations. Micronutrient supplementation and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor pharmacotherapy can reduce the risk of progression. Baseline examination by eye care providers and ancillary testing are essential for diagnosis and treatment.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Ophthalmology
Soufiane Ajana, Audrey Cougnard-Gregoire, Johanna M. Colijn, Benedicte M. J. Merle, Timo Verzijden, Paulus T. V. M. de Jong, Albert Hofman, Johannes R. Vingerling, Boris P. Hejblum, Jean-Francois Korobelnik, Magda A. Meester-Smoor, Marius Ueffing, Helene Jacqmin-Gadda, Caroline C. W. Klaver, Cecile Delcourt
Summary: The study aimed to develop a comprehensive AMD prediction model using machine learning algorithm to automatically select the most predictive risk factors. The model showed high predictive performance in two cohort studies, paving the way towards precision medicine for AMD patients in the near future.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yara A. Samra, Yusra Zaidi, Pragya Rajpurohit, Raju Raghavan, Lun Cai, Ismail Kaddour-Djebbar, Amany Tawfik
Summary: HHcy induces a metabolic switch in RPE cells from mitochondrial respiration to glycolysis, leading to excessive lactate production, cellular acidification, activation of angiogenesis, RPE barrier dysfunction, and CNV induction. Inhibition of GLUT-1 or blocking of NMDAR can reduce glycolysis in HHcy-treated RPE and improve albumin leakage and CNV induction in HHcy-injected mice eyes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ophthalmology
Sanjeeb Bhandari, Susan Vitale, Elvira Agron, Traci E. Clemons, Emily Y. Chew
Summary: A prospective cohort study within the AREDS2 trial evaluated the risk of late AMD development after cataract surgery, and found that cataract surgery did not increase the risk of late AMD among participants with up to 10 years of follow-up.
Article
Ophthalmology
Clement K. Chan, Wesley T. Beaulieu, Brandon J. Lujan, Maziar Lalezary, Daniella Lent-Schochet, Therlinder Lo, Glenn Yiu
Summary: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of prophylactic ranibizumab injections on drusen volume, macular thinning, and GA progression in eyes with intermediate AMD. The results showed that prophylactic ranibizumab did not appear to affect these parameters. Additionally, there was no difference in the conversion rate to neovascular AMD between the PR and sham injection groups.
TRANSLATIONAL VISION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Caijiao Yi, Jian Liu, Wen Deng, Chang Luo, Jinyan Qi, Mei Chen, Heping Xu
Summary: This study investigated the effect of ageing on subretinal fibrosis secondary to choroidal neovascularization and the mechanism of action. The results showed that ageing increased the number of circulating fibrocytes and the profibrotic potential of BM-derived macrophages. Additionally, aged mice had significantly more severe subretinal fibrosis compared to young mice. The transplantation of BM from aged mice significantly increased subretinal fibrosis in young mice.
JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Nguyen Dao, Thilini Thrimawithana, Terrence J. Piva, Danilla Grando, Huynh Tien
Summary: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic disease that causes blindness in older adults and has a significant economic impact on the healthcare system. Carotenoids from plants, such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and mesozeaxanthin, accumulate in the macula and protect against light exposure, oxidation, and inflammation, making them a potential preventative and therapeutic treatment for AMD. The dose and duration of treatment with carotenoids are important factors that influence their protective effects and can potentially improve visual outcomes in AMD patients. This review discusses the application of carotenoid supplementation as a non-invasive alternative for the prevention and treatment of AMD.
JOURNAL OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS
(2023)
Article
Ophthalmology
Cheryl N. Fonteh, Alan G. Palestine, Brandie D. Wagner, Jennifer L. Patnaik, Marc T. Mathias, Naresh Mandava, Rebecca Baldermann, Anne M. Lynch
Summary: The study aimed to investigate whether there are sex differences in levels of the chemokine RANTES in patients with intermediate age-related macular degeneration (iAMD) and controls with no AMD. The results showed that plasma levels of RANTES were significantly lower in males compared to females within the iAMD cohort, while there was no significant difference between males and females in the control group. These findings highlight the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in AMD research.
TRANSLATIONAL VISION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ines Lains, Kevin M. Mendez, Joao Q. Gil, John B. Miller, Rachel S. Kelly, Patricia Barreto, Ivana K. Kim, Demetrios G. Vavvas, Joaquim Neto Murta, Liming Liang, Rufino Silva, Joan W. Miller, Jessica Lasky-Su, Deeba Husain
Summary: This study aimed to assess urinary metabolomic profiles of patients with different stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and controls. Results showed no significant differences in urine metabolites when comparing patients with AMD and controls. However, when disease severity was considered as an outcome, six urinary metabolites differed significantly, supporting previous work performed with plasma.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Ophthalmology
Batya Rinsky, Gala Beykin, Michelle Grunin, Radgonde Amer, Samer Khateb, Liran Tiosano, Diego Almeida, Shira Hagbi-Levi, Sarah Elbaz-Hayoun, Itay Chowers
Summary: The study analyzed the aqueous humor proteome of AMD patients, identifying several proteins and functional clusters with altered expression. Clusterin and Serpin A4 showed potential as biomarkers, with further research needed to confirm their role in the disease.
INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Yuan-Yuei Chen, Ying-Jen Chen
Summary: This study investigated the association between dietary micronutrients and age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) in older adults. The data collected from 5227 participants showed a negative association between dietary calcium and ARMD. However, further longitudinal studies are needed to explore these findings.
Review
Cell Biology
Karina Ascunce, Rahul M. M. Dhodapkar, Deven Huang, Brian P. P. Hafler
Summary: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to irreversible vision loss. Recent evidence suggests that the innate immune system, including complement activation, microglial involvement, and blood-retinal-barrier disruption, plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of AMD. This review explores the role of the innate immune system in AMD and discusses the potential therapeutic targets for AMD in the context of innate immune activation.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Annette Peters
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Basant Pradhan, Rohan Jayaratne, Helen Thompson, Giorgio Buonanno, Mandana Mazaheri, Mawutorli Nyarku, Weiwei Lin, Marcelo Luiz Pereira, Josef Cyrys, Annette Peters, Lidia Morawska
Summary: Epidemiological studies often use a single monitoring site in urban areas to investigate the association between particle exposure and health effects. However, for ultrafine particles (PNC), the central site cannot consistently represent personal exposure, as they are affected by different sources.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Mingming Wang, Claudia Flexeder, Anna Kilanowski, Sara Kress, Gunda Herberth, Tamara Schikowski, Annette Peters, Marie Standl
Summary: This study aimed to assess the association of changes in sleep behaviors from adolescence to young adulthood with the risk of overweight/obesity, and the reverse relationship. The results showed that only insufficient sleep during young adulthood was associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity, while long-term sleep difficulties from adolescence to young adulthood were associated with young adult overweight/obesity. Conversely, long-term overweight/obesity from adolescence to young adulthood was associated with insufficient sleep and sleep difficulties in young adulthood.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Mengya Shi, Siyu Han, Kristin Klier, Gisela Fobo, Corinna Montrone, Shixiang Yu, Makoto Harada, Ann-Kristin Henning, Nele Friedrich, Martin Bahls, Marcus Doerr, Matthias Nauck, Henry Voelzke, Georg Homuth, Hans J. Grabe, Cornelia Prehn, Jerzy Adamski, Karsten Suhre, Wolfgang Rathmann, Andreas Ruepp, Johannes Hertel, Annette Peters, Rui Wang-Sattler
Summary: This research aimed to identify candidate metabolite biomarkers of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and its associated risk factors. The study identified 56 specific metabolites related to MetS, with 13 of them being positively associated and 43 being negatively associated. The majority of these metabolites were associated with low HDL-C and hypertension. Additionally, one lipid metabolite, lysoPC a C18:2, was negatively associated with MetS and its five components. The study also revealed impaired metabolism of branched-chain and aromatic amino acids, as well as accelerated Glycine catabolism through metabolic networks.
CARDIOVASCULAR DIABETOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Julia Hoffmann, Sabine Hanss, Monika Kraus, Jens Schaller, Christian Schaefer, Dana Stahl, Stefan D. Anker, Gabriele Anton, Thomas Bahls, Stefan Blankenberg, Arne Blumentritt, Leif-Hendrik Boldt, Steffen Cordes, Steffen Desch, Wolfram Doehner, Marcus Doerr, Frank Edelmann, Ingo Eitel, Matthias Endres, Stefan Engelhardt, Jeanette Erdmann, Katharina Eulenburg, Volkmar Falk, Stephan B. Felix, Derk Frank, Thomas Franke, Norbert Frey, Tim Friede, Lars Geidel, Lisa Germans, Ulrich Grabmaier, Martin Halle, Joerg Hausleiter, Vera Jakobi, Ahmad-Fawad Jebran, Alexander Jobs, Stefan Kaeaeb, Mahir Karakas, Hugo A. Katus, Alexandra Klatt, Christoph Knosalla, Joachim Krebser, Ulf Landmesser, Mahsa Lee, Kristin Lehnert, Stephanie Lesser, Katrin Leyh, Roberto Lorbeer, Stephanie Mach-Kolb, Benjamin Meder, Eike Nagel, Christian H. Nolte, Abdul S. Parwani, Astrid Petersmann, Miriam Puls, Henriette Rau, Maximilian Reiser, Otto Rienhoff, Tabea Scharfe, Mario Schattschneider, Heiko Scheel, Renate B. Schnabel, Andreas Schuster, Boris Schmitt, Tim Seidler, Moritz Seiffert, Barbara-Elisabeth Staehli, Adriane Stas, Thomas J. Stocker, Lukas von Stuelpnagel, Holger Thiele, Rolf Wachter, Reza Wakili, Tanja Weis, Kerstin Weitmann, Heinz-Erich Wichmann, Philipp Wild, Tanja Zeller, Wolfgang Hoffmann, Elisabeth Maria Zeisberg, Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann, Dagmar Krefting, Titus Kuehne, Annette Peters, Gerd Hasenfuss, Steffen Massberg, Thomas Sommer, Stefanie Dimmeler, Thomas Eschenhagen, Matthias Nauck
Summary: The German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) aims to conduct early and guideline-relevant studies to develop new therapies and diagnostics for people with cardiovascular disease. The DZHK designed a research platform to standardize data and sample collections across all studies and ensure compliance with legal regulations and FAIR principles. The platform includes web-based and central units for data management, as well as a Public Open Data strategy to enable interdisciplinary use of data and samples.
CLINICAL RESEARCH IN CARDIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Hong Luo, Alina Bauer, Jana Nano, Agnese Petrera, Wolfgang Rathmann, Christian Herder, Stefanie M. Hauck, Benjamin B. Sun, Annika Hoyer, Annette Peters, Barbara Thorand
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the role of plasma proteins in glucose metabolism and type 2 diabetes development. The study identified several novel proteins associated with glucose metabolism abnormalities and type 2 diabetes, as well as confirming previously reported proteins. These findings highlight the importance of proteins in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and suggest potential targets for diabetes treatment and prevention.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nikolaos Nikolaou, Marco Dallavalle, Massimo Stafoggia, Laurens M. Bouwer, Annette Peters, Kai Chen, Kathrin Wolf, Alexandra Schneider
Summary: This study aims to improve the spatiotemporal coverage of near-surface air temperature in Germany using multi-stage modeling. The models achieved high accuracy and low errors in estimating nationwide temperature at high resolution. The results have important implications for temperature-based epidemiological studies.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tobias Haueise, Fritz Schick, Norbert Stefan, Christopher L. Schlett, Jakob B. Weiss, Johanna Nattenmueller, Katharina Goebel-Gueniot, Tobias Norajitra, Tobias Nonnenmacher, Hans -Ulrich Kauczor, Klaus H. Maier-Hein, Thoralf Niendorf, Tobias Pischon, Karl-Heinz Joeckel, Lale Umutlu, Annette Peters, Susanne Rospleszcz, Thomas Kroencke, Norbert Hosten, Henry Voelzke, Lilian Krist, Stefan N. Willich, Fabian Bamberg, Juergen Machann
Summary: This study demonstrates the feasibility of deep learning-based image segmentation for the assessment of adipose tissue and spatial distribution of visceral and subcutaneous fat in a large population-based cohort in Germany. The results show significant differences in fat distribution between genders and age/body mass index-related displacements. Deep learning-based image segmentation provides a robust and fast quantification of adipose tissue and assessment of its spatial distribution in large cohort studies.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Iain Mathieson, Felix R. Day, Nicola Barban, Felix C. Tropf, David M. Brazel, Ahmad Vaez, Natalie van Zuydam, Barbara D. Bitarello, Eugene J. Gardner, Evelina T. Akimova, Ajuna Azad, Sven Bergmann, Lawrence F. Bielak, Dorret Boomsma, Kristina Bosak, Marco Brumat, Julie E. Buring, David Cesarini, Daniel Chasman, Jorge E. Chavarro, Massimiliano Cocca, Maria Pina Concas, George Davey Smith, Gail Davies, Ian J. Deary, Tonu Esko, Jessica D. Faul, Oscar Franco, Andrea Ganna, Audrey J. Gaskins, Andrea Gelemanovic, Eco J. C. de Geus, Christian Gieger, Giorgia Girotto, Bamini Gopinath, Hans Joergen Grabe, Erica P. Gunderson, Caroline Hayward, Chunyan He, Diana van Heemst, W. David Hill, Eva R. Hoffmann, Georg Homuth, Jouke Jan Hottenga, Hongyang Huang, Elina Hyppoenen, M. Arfan Ikram, Rick Jansen, Magnus Johannesson, Zoha Kamali, Sharon L. R. Kardia, Maryam Kavousi, Annette Kifley, Tuomo Kiiskinen, Peter Kraft, Brigitte Kuehnel, Claudia Langenberg, Gerald Liew, Penelope A. Lind, Jian'an Luan, Reedik Magi, Patrik K. E. Magnusson, Anubha Mahajan, Nicholas G. Martin, Hamdi Mbarek, Mark McCarthy, George McMahon, Sarah E. Medland, Thomas Meitinger, Andres Metspalu, Evelin Mihailov, Lili Milani, Stacey A. Missmer, Paul Mitchell, Stine Mollegaard, Dennis O. Mook-Kanamori, Anna Morgan, Peter van der Most, Renee de Mutsert, Matthias Nauck, Ilja M. Nolte, Raymond Noordam, Brenda W. J. H. Penninx, Annette Peters, Patricia A. Peyser, Ozren Polasek, Chris Power, Ajka Pribisalic, Paul Redmond, Janet W. Rich-Edwards, Paul M. Ridker, Cornelius A. Rietveld, Susan M. Ring, Lynda M. Rose, Rico Rueedi, Vallari Shukla, Jennifer A. Smith, Stasa Stankovic, Kari Stefansson, Doris Stoeckl, Konstantin Strauch, Morris A. Swertz, Alexander Teumer, Gudmar Thorleifsson, Unnur Thorsteinsdottir, A. Roy Thurik, Nicholas J. Timpson, Constance Turman, Andre G. Uitterlinden, Melanie Waldenberger, Nicholas J. Wareham, David R. Weir, Gonneke Willemsen, Jing Hau Zhao, Wei Zhao, Yajie Zhao, Harold Snieder, Marcel den Hoed, Ken K. Ong, Melinda C. Mills, John R. B. Perry
Summary: Identifying genetic determinants of reproductive success can reveal the mechanisms underlying fertility and identify genes that are currently under natural selection. A genome-wide association study on individuals of European ancestry identified 43 genomic loci associated with the number of children ever born or childlessness. These loci are involved in various aspects of reproductive biology, such as puberty timing, age at first birth, sex hormone regulation, endometriosis, and age at menopause. Additionally, missense variants in ARHGAP27 were found to be associated with higher number of children ever born but shorter reproductive lifespan, suggesting a trade-off at this locus. Other genes, including PIK3IP1, ZFP82, and LRP4, were also implicated by coding variants, and a new role for the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) in reproductive biology was suggested. Furthermore, integration with data from historical selection scans revealed an allele in the FADS1/2 gene locus that has been undergoing selection for thousands of years. These findings highlight the diverse biological mechanisms contributing to reproductive success.
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Masna Rai, Susanne Breitner, Veronika Huber, Siqi Zhang, Annette Peters, Alexandra Schneider
Summary: This study examined the association between short-term exposure to air temperature and cause-specific cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in the 15 largest German cities over a 24-year period. The results showed that population susceptibility to cold and heat-related cardiovascular and respiratory mortality risk increased from 1993 to 2016.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Yipeng Cheng, Danni A. Gadd, Christian Gieger, Karla Monterrubio-Gomez, Yufei Zhang, Imrich Berta, Michael J. Stam, Natalia Szlachetka, Evgenii Lobzaev, Nicola Wrobel, Lee Murphy, Archie Campbell, Cliff Nangle, Rosie M. Walker, Chloe Fawns-Ritchie, Annette Peters, Wolfgang Rathmann, David J. Porteous, Kathryn L. Evans, Andrew M. McIntosh, Timothy I. Cannings, Melanie Waldenberger, Andrea Ganna, Daniel L. McCartney, Catalina A. Vallejos, Riccardo E. Marioni
Summary: This study developed 10-year risk prediction models for incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) using blood-based DNA methylation data, showing improved performance beyond standard risk factors typically used for T2D prediction.
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Matthias Jung, Susanne Rospleszcz, Maximilian T. Loeffler, Sven S. Walter, Elke Maurer, Pia M. Jungmann, Annette Peters, Johanna Nattenmueller, Christopher L. Schlett, Fabian Bamberg, Lena S. Kiefer, Thierno D. Diallo
Summary: This study assessed the association between lumbar bone marrow adipose tissue fat fraction (BMAT-FF) and paraspinal muscle proton density fat fraction (PDFF) with intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). The results showed a significant correlation between BMAT-FF and PDFF, and both factors were found to be independent and additive risk factors for IVDD. The findings suggest that quantitative MRI measurements of paraspinal myosteatosis and vertebral bone marrow fatty infiltration can serve as imaging biomarkers to assess the individual risk for IVDD.
EUROPEAN RADIOLOGY
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Elisabeth Lebmeier, Matthias Assenmacher, Christian Heumann
Summary: Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis has been a prominent field in Natural Language Processing over the past decade. Utilizing the transformer architecture behind BERT, significant improvements have been made, yet reproducibility and uncertainty measures are crucial for accurate reporting of results. This research provides a comprehensive comparison of six architectures, highlighting the difficulty in replicating reported performances and the importance of accounting for uncertainty.
MACHINE LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY IN DATABASES, ECML PKDD 2022, PT II
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Maximilian Iglesias Morcillo, Dennis Freuer, Annette Peters, Margit Heier, Christine Meisinger, Jakob Linseisen
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between BMI and waist circumference with plasma concentrations of coagulation factors in the general population. The results showed significant associations between BMI and waist circumference with various coagulation factors, suggesting that the modification of the coagulation profile could be a potential target for primary prevention in obese individuals.
MEDICINA-LITHUANIA
(2023)
Correction
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Seryan Atasoy, Martin Middeke, Hamimatunnisa Johar, Annette Peters, Margit Heier, Karl-Heinz Ladwig
JOURNAL OF HUMAN HYPERTENSION
(2023)