Purpose: To assess the diagnostic value of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), and the factors affecting the diagnosis of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) by OCTA and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA). Methods: The numbers and area of polyps, and the presence and area of a branched vascular network (BVN) as revealed by ICGA and OCTA, were retrospectively analyzed in 43 patients with active PCV. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether the number of polyps matched between the two methods: group 1, equal number of polyps revealed by ICGA and OCTA; group 2, different number of polyps revealed by ICGA and OCTA. Results: In 43 PCV patients, the total number of polyps was 1.47 ± 0.83 in ICGA and 1.07 ± 0.91 in OCTA (p < 0.001), and the polyp area was 0.27 ± 0.42 mm2 in ICGA and 0.17 ± 0.15 mm2 in OCTA (p = 0.023). BVN was found in 33 eyes (76.7%) by ICGA and 29 eyes (67.4%) by OCTA (p < 0.001). The BVN area was 3.61 ± 2.59 mm2 in ICGA and 2.74 ± 2.76 mm2 in OCTA (p = 0.002). Central retinal thickness and central choroidal thickness were significantly greater in group 2 than group 1 (p < 0.001, respectively). Subretinal fluid (SRF) (p = 0.009) and subretinal hemorrhage (SRH) (p = 0.005) were significantly more prevalent in group 2 than group 1. Polyp height (p = 0.022) and diameter (p = 0.042) were significantly greater in group 2 than group 1. Conclusions OCTA is a supplementary diagnostic technique for detecting PCV. The presence of SRF and SHR, and large polyp height and diameter, were associated with the polyp detection rate of OCTA for PCV.

Purpose: To assess the diagnostic value of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), and the factors affecting the diagnosis of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) by OCTA and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA). Methods: The numbers and area of polyps, and the presence and area of a branched vascular network (BVN) as revealed by ICGA and OCTA, were retrospectively analyzed in 43 patients with active PCV. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether the number of polyps matched between the two methods: group 1, equal number of polyps revealed by ICGA and OCTA; group 2, different number of polyps revealed by ICGA and OCTA. Results: In 43 PCV patients, the total number of polyps was 1.47 ± 0.83 in ICGA and 1.07 ± 0.91 in OCTA (p < 0.001), and the polyp area was 0.27 ± 0.42 mm2 in ICGA and 0.17 ± 0.15 mm2 in OCTA (p = 0.023). BVN was found in 33 eyes (76.7%) by ICGA and 29 eyes (67.4%) by OCTA (p < 0.001). The BVN area was 3.61 ± 2.59 mm2 in ICGA and 2.74 ± 2.76 mm2 in OCTA (p = 0.002). Central retinal thickness and central choroidal thickness were significantly greater in group 2 than group 1 (p < 0.001, respectively). Subretinal fluid (SRF) (p = 0.009) and subretinal hemorrhage (SRH) (p = 0.005) were significantly more prevalent in group 2 than group 1. Polyp height (p = 0.022) and diameter (p = 0.042) were significantly greater in group 2 than group 1. Conclusions OCTA is a supplementary diagnostic technique for detecting PCV. The presence of SRF and SHR, and large polyp height and diameter, were associated with the polyp detection rate of OCTA for PCV.

PURPOSE: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. To understand the role of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in pulmonary fibrosis, we evaluated the sequential dynamic change and different cellular sources of the 2 MMPs along the time course and their differential expression in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and in the lung parenchyma of the bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis models in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The level of MMPs in BAL fluid of 54 bleomycin-treated rats was assessed by zymography from 1 to 28 days after intratracheal bleomycin instillation. The level of MMPs in lung parenchyma was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: MMP-2 and MMP-9 were markedly increased in both the BAL fluid and in the lung parenchyma of the bleomycin-treated rats, especially in the early phase with the peak on the 4th day. The levels of both MMPs in the BAL fluid correlated generally well to those in lung parenchyma, although the level of MMP-9 in BAL fluid was higher than MMP-2. In the lung parenchyma, the 2 MMPs, in early stage, were predominantly expressed in the inflammatory cells. In late stage, type II pneumocytes and alveolar epithelial cells at the periphery of the fibrotic foci retained MMP expression, which was more prominent in the cells showing features of cellular injury and/or repair. CONCLUSION: In bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, MMP-2 and MMP-9 may play important roles, especially in the early phase. In the late stage, the MMP-2 and MMP-9 may play a role in the process of repair.
Animals ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic/toxicity ; Bleomycin/toxicity ; Bronchioles/*enzymology/pathology ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/cytology/immunology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Enzyme Activation ; Gelatin ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2/*metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9/*metabolism ; Neutrophils/pathology ; Pulmonary Fibrosis/chemically induced/*metabolism/*pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Since genetic models for retinal degeneration (RD) in animals larger than rodents have not been firmly established to date, we sought in the present study to develop a new rabbit model of drug-induced RD. First, intravitreal injection of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) without vitrectomy in rabbits was performed with different doses. One month after injection, morphological changes in the retinas were identified with ultra-wide-field color fundus photography (FP) and fundus autofluorescence (AF) imaging as well as spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Notably, the degree of RD was not consistently correlated with MNU dose. Then, to check the effects of vitrectomy on MNU-induced RD, the intravitreal injection of MNU after vitrectomy in rabbits was also performed with different doses. In OCT, while there were no significant changes in the retinas for injections up to 0.1 mg (i.e., sham, 0.05 mg, and 0.1 mg), outer retinal atrophy and retinal atrophy of the whole layer were observed with MNU injections of 0.3 mg and 0.5 mg, respectively. With this outcome, 0.2 mg MNU was chosen to be injected into rabbit eyes (n=10) at two weeks after vitrectomy for further study. Six weeks after injection, morphological identification with FP, AF, OCT, and histology clearly showed localized outer RD - clearly bordered non-degenerated and degenerated outer retinal area - in all rabbits. We suggest our post-vitrectomy MNU-induced RD rabbit model could be used as an interim animal model for visual prosthetics before the transition to larger animal models.
Animals ; Atrophy ; Intravitreal Injections ; Methylnitrosourea ; Models, Animal ; Models, Genetic ; Photography ; Rabbits ; Retina ; Retinal Degeneration ; Retinaldehyde ; Rodentia ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Vitrectomy