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High thermal stress responses of Echinolittorina snails at their range edge predict population vulnerability to future warming

Han GD, Cartwright SR, Ganmanee M, Chan BKK, Adzis KAA, Hutchinson N, et al.

Sci Total Environ, 2019 Jan 10;647:763-771.
PMID: 30092533 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.005

Populations at the edge of their species' distribution ranges are typically living at the physiological extreme of the environmental conditions they can tolerate. As a species' response to global change is likely to be largely determined by its physiological performance, subsequent changes in environmental conditions can profoundly influence populations at range edges, resulting in range extensions or retractions. To understand the differential physiological performance among populations at their distribution range edge and center, we measured levels of mRNA for heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) as an indicator of temperature sensitivity in two high-shore littorinid snails, Echinolittorina malaccana and E. radiata, between 1°N to 36°N along the NW Pacific coast. These Echinolittorina snails are extremely heat-tolerant and frequently experience environmental temperatures in excess of 55 °C when emersed. It was assumed that animals exhibiting high temperature sensitivity will synthesize higher levels of mRNA, which will thus lead to higher energetic costs for thermal defense. Populations showed significant geographic variation in temperature sensitivity along their range. Snails at the northern range edge of E. malaccana and southern range edge of E. radiata exhibited higher levels of hsp70 expression than individuals collected from populations at the center of their respective ranges. The high levels of hsp70 mRNA in populations at the edge of a species' distribution range may serve as an adaptive response to locally stressful thermal environments, suggesting populations at the edge of their distribution range are potentially more sensitive to future global warming.
Fulltext Comparison of two different optical coherence tomography angiography devices in detecting healthy versus glaucomatous eyes - an observational cross-sectional study

Kee AR, Yip VCH, Tay ELT, Lim CW, Cheng J, Teo HY, et al.

BMC Ophthalmol, 2020 Nov 10;20(1):440.
PMID: 33167902 DOI: 10.1186/s12886-020-01701-9

BACKGROUND: To understand the differences between two different optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) devices in detecting glaucomatous from healthy eyes by comparing their vascular parameters, diagnostic accuracy and test-retest reliability.
METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was performed on healthy and glaucoma subjects, on whom two sets of OCTA images of optic disc and macula were acquired using both AngioVue (Optovue, USA) and Swept Source (Topcon, Japan) OCTA devices during one visit. A novel in-house software was used to calculate the vessel densities. Diagnostic accuracy of the machines in differentiating healthy versus glaucomatous eyes was determined using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and test-retest repeatability of the machines was also evaluated.
RESULTS: A total of 80 healthy and 38 glaucomatous eyes were evaluated. Glaucomatous eyes had reduced mean vessel density compared to healthy controls in all segmented layers of the optic disc and macula using AngioVue (p ≤ 0.001). However, glaucomatous eyes had higher mean vessel density on optic disc scans using Swept Source, with lack of statistically significant difference between healthy and glaucomatous eyes. The AUROC showed better diagnostic accuracy of AngioVue (0.761-1.000) compared to Swept Source (0.113-0.644). The test-retest reliability indices were generally better using AngioVue than Swept Source.
CONCLUSIONS: AngioVue showed better diagnostic capability and test-retest reliability compared to Swept Source. Further studies need to be undertaken to evaluate if there is any significant difference between the various machines in diagnosing and monitoring glaucoma.
Standardization of Nomenclature for Ocular Tuberculosis - Results of Collaborative Ocular Tuberculosis Study (COTS) Workshop

Agrawal R, Agarwal A, Jabs DA, Kee A, Testi I, Mahajan S, et al.

Ocul Immunol Inflamm, 2019 Dec 10.
PMID: 31821096 DOI: 10.1080/09273948.2019.1653933

Purpose: To standardize a nomenclature system for defining clinical phenotypes, and outcome measures for reporting clinical and research data in patients with ocular tuberculosis (OTB).Methods: Uveitis experts initially administered and further deliberated the survey in an open meeting to determine and propose the preferred nomenclature for terms related to the OTB, terms describing the clinical phenotypes and treatment and reporting outcomes.Results: The group of experts reached a consensus on terming uveitis attributable to tuberculosis (TB) as tubercular uveitis. The working group introduced a SUN-compatible nomenclature that also defines disease "remission" and "cure", both of which are relevant for reporting treatment outcomes.Conclusion: A consensus nomenclature system has been adopted by a large group of international uveitis experts for OTB. The working group recommends the use of standardized nomenclature to prevent ambiguity in communication and to achieve the goal of spreading awareness of this blinding uveitis entity.

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