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Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinases (MAPKKKs or MEKKs) are crucial components of the MAPK signaling cascades, which play central roles in the signaling transduction pathways for plant growth, development, and response to abiotic stresses such as drought. The MAPKKK gene families in pepper have not been functionally characterized yet. Here, from the pepper genome, we predicted 27 putative MAPKKK genes belonging to the MEKK subfamily (named CaMEKK1-27), based on in silico analysis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 14 CaMEKK genes were clustered into A5 of the five groups (A1-A5), of which 9 genes are primarily on chromosomes 2 and 7, and are located close to each other. These nine genes showed transcriptional regulation by treatment with abscisic acid (ABA) and drought stress in quantitative reverse-transcription PCR analysis. Among the ABA- and/or drought-induced CaMEKK genes, in a previous study, we isolated CaAIMK1 (Capsicum annuum ABA Induced MAP Kinase 1), which plays a positive role in drought resistance via an ABA-dependent pathway. Our expression analysis and functional characterization of the MEKK subfamily genes will provide a better understanding of the functional roles of pepper MAPK cascades in ABA-mediated drought responses.

Purpose To evaluate multifocal evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) patients with and without overlapping multifocal choroiditis (MFC). Methods Thirty-four patients diagnosed between November 2008 and August 2018 at 2 hospitals were retrospectively reviewed. Multimodal imaging including optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was assessed. Results Twenty-seven (79%) patients were women (overall mean age, 30 years). Five developed MFC lesions in the affected eyes, and one developed MFC in the unaffected fellow eye. Another developed combined MEWDS and MFC in the fellow eye during follow-up. Eyes with MFC had thicker choroids (316.5 and 197.3 µm, respectively; P = .001) at presentation, which became thinner after resolution (P = .043). Those with subfoveal MFC had poor visual prognosis (P = .019). Areas of suspected choriocapillaris flow deficit were identified on OCTA. Conclusion Some MEWDS patients may develop overlapping MFC in the same or fellow eyes, presenting with increased choroidal thickness which decreased after resolution.

This study presents the fabrication and characterization of a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT, radius: 40 &mu, m) using a patterned aluminum nitride (AlN) thin film as the active piezoelectric material. A 20 &times, 20 array of pMUTs using a 1 &mu, m thick AlN thin film was designed and fabricated on a 2 &times, 2 mm2 footprint for a high fill factor. Based on the electrical impedance and phase of the pMUT array, the electromechanical coefficient was ~1.7% at the average resonant frequency of 2.82 MHz in air. Dynamic displacement of the pMUT surface was characterized by scanning laser Doppler vibrometry. The pressure output while immersed in water was 19.79 kPa when calculated based on the peak displacement at the resonant frequency. The proposed AlN pMUT array has potential applications in biomedical sensing for healthcare, medical imaging, and biometrics.

Background This study aimed to assess and compare the clinical value of aqueous humor polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serologic tests in patients diagnosed with suspected infectious uveitis. Methods In this retrospective observational study, data of 358 patients who were diagnosed with suspected infectious uveitis and who underwent aqueous humor PCR testing were analyzed. PCR and serologic test results were compared with the clinical features. Results The rates of initial diagnoses for infectious uveitis were higher with PCR (99 patients, 28%) compared to those with serologic tests (38 pateints, 11%). The diagnostic positivity of PCR was 29% for anterior uveitis, 0% for intermediate uveitis, 5% for posterior uveitis, and 30% for panuveitis. In particular, PCR was useful in confirming the diagnosis of cytomegalovirus and varicella-zoster virus infections and Toxoplasma gondii-associated uveitis. For PCR test, the sensitivity was 0.431, specificity was 0.985, and the negative and positive predictive values were 0.506 and 0.980, respectively. For IgM test, the sensitivity was 0.151, specificity was 0.970, and the negative and positive predictive values were 0.403 and 0.895, respectively. Conclusion Aqueous humor PCR can be a valuable diagnostic tool for confirming the infectious etiology in patients clinically diagnosed with uveitis. PCR had good predictive and diagnostic value for anterior uveitis and panuveitis compared with that for intermediate and posterior uveitis.

Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are important mechanisms that regulate many cellular processes. Protein kinases usually function in the regulation of the stress responses by adjusting activity via phosphorylation of target proteins. Here, we isolated CaAIMK1 (Capsicum annuum ABA Induced MAP Kinase 1) from the pepper leaves that had been subjected to drought stress. CaAIMK1 transcripts were induced by drought, abscisic acid (ABA), high salinity, and H2O2; further, the CaAIMK1-Green fluorescent protein localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm. We performed genetic studies using CaAIMK1-silenced pepper plants and CaAIMK1-overexpressing (OX) Arabidopsis plants. CaAIMK1-silenced pepper plants showed a drought-sensitive phenotype characterized by altered ABA signaling, including low leaf temperatures, and large stomatal apertures. CaAIMK1-OX plants exhibited a contrasting drought-tolerant phenotype characterized by decreased levels of transpirational water loss and increased expression levels of Arabidopsis stress-related genes. In CaAIMK1 K32N-OX transgenic Arabidopsis plants, sensitivity to ABA and drought was restored. Collectively, these results demonstrate that CaAIMK1 positively regulates the drought stress responses via an ABA-dependent pathway.

Online chat is an emerging channel for discussing community problems. It is common practice for communities to assign dedicated moderators to maintain a structured discussion and enhance the problem-solving experience. However, due to the synchronous nature of online chat, moderators face a high managerial overhead in tasks like discussion stage management, opinion summarization, and consensus-building support. To assist moderators with facilitating a structured discussion for community problem-solving, we introduce SolutionChat, a system that (1) visualizes discussion stages and featured opinions and (2) recommends contextually appropriate moderator messages. Results from a controlled lab study (n=55, 12 groups) suggest that participants' perceived discussion trackability was significantly higher with SolutionChat than without. Also, moderators provided better summarization with less effort and better managerial support using system-generated messages with SolutionChat than without. With SolutionChat, we envision untrained moderators to effectively facilitate chat-based discussions of important community matters.

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), an mRNA quality control process, is thought to function in plant immunity. A subset of fully spliced (FS) transcripts of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) resistance (R) genes are upregulated during bacterial infection. Here, we report that 81.2% and 65.1% of FS natural TIR-NBS-LRR (TNL) and CC-NBS-LRR transcripts, respectively, retain characteristics of NMD regulation, as their transcript levels could be controlled posttranscriptionally. Both bacterial infection and the perception of bacteria by pattern recognition receptors initiated the destruction of core NMD factors UP-FRAMESHIFT1 (UPF1), UPF2, and UPF3 in Arabidopsis within 30 min of inoculation via the independent ubiquitination of UPF1 and UPF3 and their degradation via the 26S proteasome pathway. The induction of UPF1 and UPF3 ubiquitination was delayed in mitogen-activated protein kinase3 (mpk3) and mpk6, but not in salicylic acid-signaling mutants, during the early immune response. Finally, previously uncharacterized TNL-type R transcripts accumulated in upf mutants and conferred disease resistance to infection with a virulent Pseudomonas strain in plants. Our findings demonstrate that NMD is one of the main regulatory processes through which PRRs fine-tune R transcript levels to reduce fitness costs and achieve effective immunity.

Purpose To investigate the prevalence of focal lamina cribrosa (LC) defects in patients with unilateral branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) and to compare ocular characteristics between eyes with and without focal LC defect and those eyes with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG). Methods This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 121 patients. Thirty-nine patients had unilateral BRVO (BRVO group), 36 patients had NTG (NTG group), and 36 patients had vitreous floaters, but no other ocular diseases (control group). In addition to baseline characteristics such as age, sex, refractive errors, the ocular characteristics such as peripapillary choroidal thickness (PCT), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and subfoveal choroidal thickness were retrospectively analyzed. Results Focal LC defects were detected in 20 eyes of 14 patients (38.9%) in the BRVO group, 24 eyes of 15 patients (41.7%) in the NTG group, and none in the control group (P

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone that plays a key role in the environmental stress response, especially the induction of ABA-responsive and stress-responsive genes and modulation of the stomatal aperture in response to drought stress. Here, we identified CaDILZ1 (Capsicum annuum Drought-Induced Leucine Zipper 1) belonging to subgroup D of the bZIP protein family; gene functions of this family in response to ABA and drought signaling still remain unknown. CaDILZ1 expression was significantly induced in pepper leaves after exposure to ABA, drought, and NaCl. The CaDILZ1 protein localized in the nucleus of plant cells. In response to drought stress, CaDILZ1-silenced pepper and CaDILZ1-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants exhibited drought-sensitive and drought-tolerant phenotypes, respectively, via altered ABA content, stomatal closure, and expression of ABA-responsive and drought-responsive marker genes. We isolated the RING finger protein CaDSR1 (Capsicum annuum Drought Sensitive RING finger protein 1), which interacted with CaDILZ1 in the nucleus. The CaDSR1 protein exhibited E3 ligase activity and promoted CaDILZ1 degradation via the 26S proteasome pathway. Under drought stress conditions, CaDSR1-silenced pepper and CaDSR1-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants exhibited contrasting phenotypes to those of CaDILZ1-silenced pepper and CaDILZ1-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants. Taken together, our data suggest that CaDSR1 and CaDILZ1 function in ABA-mediated drought stress signaling in pepper plants.

Secondary macular hole(MH) formation after vitrectomy is rare and its risk factors and pathogenesis are not clearly understood. This retrospective study was conducted to identify the risk factors of this complication and assess outcomes at 2 tertiary centres. The primary outcomes were the clinical characteristics associated with development of secondary MH, which included the primary diagnosis for initial vitrectomy, features on optical coherence tomography, and adjuvant surgical techniques used during the initial surgery. Secondary outcomes included the change in best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA), clinical factors associated with the need for re-operations for MH closure and prognostic factors for the visual outcomes. Thirty-eight eyes out of 6,354 cases (incidence 0.60%) developed secondary MH after undergoing vitrectomy for various vitreoretinal disorders over an 11-year period, most frequently after initial surgery for retinal detachment(RD) (9 eyes) and secondary epiretinal membrane (6 eyes). The mean age was 57.1 years (range: 17.8–76.7), and the mean follow-up was 51.1 months (range: 6.8 to 137.6). Prior to secondary MH formation, development of ERM was the most common OCT feature (19 eyes, 50%), and no cases of cystoid macular oedema (CME) were observed. A greater proportion of eyes with secondary MH had long axial lengths (32% ≥26 mm vs 5% of eyes ≤22 mm). MH closure surgery was performed in 36 eyes and closure was achieved in 34 (success rate 94%, final BCVA 20/86), with ≥3-line visual gain in 18 cases. BCVA at MH onset (OR = 0.056, P = 0.036), BCVA at post-MH surgery month 3 (OR = 52.671, P = 0.011), and axial length ≥28 mm (OR = 28.487, P = 0.030) were associated with ≥3-line visual loss; a history of macula-off RD (OR = 27.158, P = 0.025) was associated with the need for multiple surgeries for MH closure. In conclusion, secondary MH occurs rarely but most commonly after vitrectomy for RD. Patients with axial length ≥28 mm and poor BCVA at 3 months post-operation may have limited visual prognosis; those with a history of macula-off RD may require multiple surgeries for hole closure.

Adaptation to drought stress is essential for plant growth and development. Plants often adapt to water deficit conditions by activating the ABA signaling. Here, we report that the pepper CaDIK1 (Capsicum annuum Drought Induced Kinase 1) gene is essential for plant tolerance to drought stress. CaDIK1 contains a serine-threonine kinase domain, which plays a role for attachment of phosphate to the target protein. The expression levels of CaDIK1 are upregulated in pepper leaves by ABA, drought, NaCl and H2O2 treatments suggesting its role in abiotic stress response. We used CaDIK1-silenced pepper and CaDIK1-overexpressing (OX) transgenic Arabidopsis plants to evaluate their responses to ABA and drought. CaDIK1-silenced pepper plants conferred a reduced ABA sensitivity and drought hypersensitivity, which was accompanied by high levels of transpirational water loss. CaDIK1-OX plants displayed opposite phenotypes to CaDIK1-silenced peppers. In contrast, substitution of Lys350 to Asn in the kinase domain of CaDIK1 did not lead to alteration of drought sensitivity. Collectively, these data indicate that CaDIK1 is a positive regulator of the ABA-mediated drought-stress tolerance.

Background Cases of intrapapillary hemorrhage with adjacent peripapillary subretinal hemorrhage usually appear in myopic eyes with tilted optic discs, can improve without any specific treatment, and very rarely recur. But there has been no report of the use of advanced multimodal imaging such as spectral domain optical coherence tomography. We describe two rare cases of intrapapillary hemorrhage with adjacent peripapillary subretinal hemorrhage in an 11-year-old female and a 16-year-old male. Case presentation An 11-year-old female with no past history presented with floaters in her right eye. Her BCVA (best-corrected visual acuity) by the Snellen was 20/20. Fundus examination, optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed intrapapillary hemorrhage, peripapillary subretinal hemorrhage. After 3 weeks, all hemorrhage was resolved. Similarly, a 16-year-old male with no past history presented with blurry vision, black filamentous floaters. His BCVA was 20/20 in both eyes. Fundus examination showed intrapapillary hemorrhage, peripapillary subretinal hemorrhage while OCT revealed peripapillary edema in his right eye. Multimodal imaging did not reveal any presence of optic disc drusen. After 4 weeks of observation, the hemorrhage resolved. Cases of intrapapillary hemorrhage with peripapillary subretinal hemorrhage have rarely been reported. Conclusions This condition generally affects monocularly, in myopic eyes with tilted discs. Despite an unknown cause, the hemorrhages spontaneously resolved without any treatment. Consistent with the good visual prognosis reported previously, the vision, optic nerve function of the two patients were preserved. It should be differentiated from other causes of subretinal hemorrhage.

Plant adaptive responses to environmental stress are coordinated by inhibition of plant growth and development. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a major phytohormone that regulates the stress response, and its sensitivity determines stress tolerance levels. In this study, we report the identification and functional role of a novel F-box protein, CaDIF1 (Capsicum annuum Drought-Induced F-box Protein 1). The expression of CaDIF1 in pepper leaves was induced by ABA, drought, H2O2, and NaCl treatments. In comparison with wild-type pepper plants, CaDIF1-silenced pepper plants exhibited a drought-sensitive phenotype, whereas CaDIF1-overexpressing (OX) plants exhibited ABA-sensitive and drought-tolerant phenotypes. Using a yeast two-hybrid assay, we identified CaDIS1 (C. annuum DIF1-Interacting SKP 1), which interacts with CaDIF1 in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Consistent with CaDIF1-silenced pepper plants, CaDIS1-silenced pepper plants displayed ABA insensitivity and reduced drought tolerance, and these were characterized by larger stomatal apertures and greater transpirational water loss. Taken together, our results indicate that CaDIF1 and its interacting partner CaDIS1 synergistically regulate the ABA-dependent defence signaling response to drought stress.

Protein degradation by the ubiquitin/26S proteasome system is a critical process that modulates many eukaryotic cellular processes. E3 ligase usually modulates stress response by adjusting the stability of transcription factors. Previous studies have shown that a RING-type E3 ligase, CaASRF1, positively modulates abscisic acid (ABA) signalling and ABA-mediated drought response by modulating the stability of CaAIBZ1 and CaATBZ1. In this study, we conducted yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screening with CaATBZ1 to isolate an additional modulator, identified as CaATIR1 (Capsicum annuum ATBZ1 Interacting RING finger protein 1). CaATIR1 has E3 ligase activity and promoted CaATBZ1 degradation using the 26S proteasome system. We investigated the loss-of and gain-of functions of this E3 ligase by using silencing pepper and overexpressing (OX) Arabidopsis plants, respectively. In response to ABA and drought treatments, CaATIR1-silenced pepper plants showed ABA insensitive and drought-sensitive phenotypes, while CaATIR1-OX plants showed the opposite phenotypes. Additionally, CaATBZ1-silencing rescued the ABA insensitive and drought-sensitive phenotypes of CaATIR1-silencing pepper plants. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the stability of CaATBZ1 mediated by CaATIR1 has a crucial role in drought stress signalling in pepper plants.

Purpose To evaluated the changes in choroidal vasculature in patients with ocular ischemic syndrome (OIS) and in the ipsilateral eyes of patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis (CAS) Method A total of 50 patients (15 patients with OIS, 10 patients with symptomatic CAS, 25 patients of age-and sex-matched control group) were included, and the medical records were retrospectively reviewed. The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) of each eye was measured, and binary images of the choroid were evaluated to compare the mean choroidal area and the luminal area. Results The mean SFCT was 170.5±75.3 μm in the eyes with OIS, 154.8±62.9 μm in the ipsilateral eyes with symptomatic CAS, and 277.5±73.2 μm in the right eyes of the control group patients (P

Abscisic acid (ABA) is major plant hormone involved in regulating abiotic stress responses. Several studies have established that an ABA-signalling transduction pathway-from ABA perception to response-functions in plant cells. The group A PP2Cs constitute core components of ABA signalling, and they negatively regulate ABA signalling and stress responses. Recent studies have identified and functionally analysed regulators of PP2C activity; however, the precise regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we used a yeast 2-hybrid (Y2H) screening analysis to identify the DEAD-box RNA helicase RH8, which interacted with PP2CA in the nucleus. rh8 knockout mutants exhibited ABA hyposensitivity and drought-susceptible phenotypes characterized by high levels of transpirational water loss via reduced stomatal closure and decreased leaf temperatures. However, rh8/pp2ca double mutants showed ABA hypersensitivity and drought-tolerant phenotypes, indicating that RH8 and PP2CA function in the same ABA-signalling pathway in the drought stress response; moreover, RH8 functions upstream of PP2CA. In vitro phosphatase and kinase assays revealed that RH8 inhibits PP2CA phosphatase activity. Our data indicate that RH8 and its interacting partner PP2CA modulate the drought stress response via ABA-dependent signalling.

To determine the long-term effect of scleral encircling on the progression of myopia.Retrospective clinical cohort study.Setting: Single-center academic hospital (Severance Hospital).The study included 76 eyes of 38 patients (mean age 37.21 ± 15.76) who had undergone retinal detachment surgery with scleral encircling. Observational Procedures: Axial length was measured preoperatively, at 6 months after surgery, and at the most recent visit. Patients were followed up for at least 12 months.The changes of axial length per month between operated eyes and contralateral eyes (control group).The operated group showed more rapid changes in axial length from 6 months after surgery to the time of the last follow-up than did the control group (0.020 ± 0.033 mm/month vs 0.002 ± 0.002 mm/month, P = .002; mean follow-up, 26.05 ± 11.39 months). Similar trends were observed during the entire follow-up period (0.065 ± 0.062 mm/month vs 0.008 ± 0.020 mm/month, P.001). Subgroup analysis showed that both the myopic and highly myopic group showed no significant difference of change in rate of axial length during the first 6 postoperative months (P = .267), from 6 months after surgery to the final assessment point (P = .144), or over the entire observation period (P = .507).Encircling the sclera may accelerate progression of myopia by significantly increasing axial length. The degree of myopia itself does not contribute to a significant difference in the increased axial length.

Homeobox (HB) genes encode transcription factors that play important regulatory roles in plant growth, development, and plant responses to abiotic stresses, including water deficit. In pepper plant, little is known about HB genes and their functions. Here, we identified 95 putative HB genes within the pepper genome that were classified into 14 classes using phylogenetic analysis. Of the genes responsive to abiotic stresses and ABA treatment, we selected HD ZIP I gene CA08g08650 as a dehydration-responsive homeobox 1 (DRHB1) gene. CaDRHB1-silenced pepper plants exhibited a dehydration-sensitive phenotype, characterized by decreased stomatal closure and high levels of transpirational water loss. CaDRHB1-overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis plants showed a contrasting opposite phenotype to that of CaDRHB1-silenced pepper plants. Outside of the HD-ZIP domain, CaDRHB1 has a serine-rich region (amino acids 8–32) and an AHA motif (amino acids 216–243) which negatively and positively regulate transactivation activity in yeast, respectively. In addition, amino acids 139–190 interact with pepper type 2C protein phosphatases which act as a negative regulator of ABA signaling. Taken together, our findings suggest that CaDRHB1 acts as a positive factor for dehydration tolerance via regulation of ABA-mediated stomatal closure. Moreover, conserved domains may be involved in regulating CaDRHB1 function.

PURPOSE To describe the visual recovery and prognostic factors after macular hole surgery. METHODS A retrospective chart review was conducted. Charts of patients with idiopathic macular holes who underwent surgery by a single surgeon at Severance Hospital between January 1, 2013 and July 31, 2015 were reviewed. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) score was recorded preoperatively and at 1 day and 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after surgery. The variables of age, sex, macular hole size, basal hole diameter, choroidal thickness, and axial length were also noted. RESULTS Twenty-six eyes of 26 patients were evaluated. Twenty-five patients (96.2%) showed successful macular hole closure after the primary operation. The BCVA stabilized 6 months postoperatively. A large basal hole diameter (p = 0.006) and thin choroid (p = 0.005) were related to poor visual outcomes. Poor preoperative BCVA (p < 0.001) and a thick choroid (p = 0.020) were associated with greater improvement in BCVA after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Visual acuity stabilized by 6 months after macular hole surgery. Choroidal thickness was a protective factor for final BCVA and visual improvement after the operation.

Background To evaluate therapeutic outcomes of interferon alpha-2a (IFNα2a) treatment in patients with Behcet’s disease who were refractory to immunosuppressive agents. Methods This retrospective case series reviewed the medical records of 5 patients with refractory Behcet uveitis from January 2011 to February 2017. IFNα2a was administered at a dose of 3 million IU 3 times per week. Clinical response, relapse rate, and change of visual acuity were evaluated. Results The mean age of patients was 39.60 ± 9.21 years, and the median treatment duration was 6 months. Four of the 5 patients (80%) presented with responses to IFNα2a without any uveitis attack during the treatment period. The mean number of uveitis attacks/year per patient during the treatment was 0.40 ± 0.89. The mean log of the Minimum Angle of Resolution visual acuity improved from 1.44 ± 0.38 at baseline to 1.02 ± 0.58 at the final follow up. Conclusions IFNα2a is an effective therapy for Behcet uveitis refractory to conventional immunosuppressants in Korean patients.

To evaluate and compare the effect of silicone oil and gas on the thickness of all retinal layers in eyes with macula-on retinal detachment (RD).Three hundred and sixty-seven eyes of 367 patients who received silicone oil tamponade and 310 eyes of 310 patients who received gas tamponade for the treatment of rhegmatogenous RD were initially reviewed. Automated retinal segmentation method using Spectralis optical coherence tomography was used for analysis. The primary outcome measure was the change in thickness of each retinal layer in the central 1 mm zone (silicone oil vs. gas tamponade). The secondary outcome measure was best-corrected visual acuity at postoperative 6 months and 9 months after primary RD surgery.Eyes in the silicone oil group (n = 33) had a statistically significant decrease in total retinal thickness of 23.61 + 17.01 μm and in the thickness of all retinal layers, except for photoreceptor layer at 6 months after primary RD surgery (P0.001). In the gas group (n = 31), the postoperative change in total retinal thickness was only 0.14 ± 7.26 μm (P = 0.93), with no significant decrease in any of the individual retinal layers. Postoperatively, the best-corrected visual acuity in the silicone oil groups was significantly worse than that in the gas group at 6 months and 9 months after RD surgery (P = 0.003 and P = 0.004, respectively). The postoperative decrease of the ganglion cell layer, outer plexiform layer, and outer nuclear layer thicknesses showed significant correlation with best-corrected visual acuity in the silicone oil group (all P0.05).Silicone oil tamponade had a significant impact on the reduction of retinal thickness and that the reduction of ganglion cell layer, outer plexiform layer, and outer nuclear layer thicknesses showed the strongest correlation with worse visual acuity outcome.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to report clinical outcomes of ruthenium-106 (106Ru) brachytherapy with or without additional local therapy for choroidal melanomas in Korean patients. Materials and Methods A total of 88 patients diagnosed with choroidal melanomas were treated with 106Ru brachytherapy between 2006 and 2012. Patients were divided into two groups according to their tumor height: a large group (≥ 6 mm, n=50) and a small group (< 6 mm, n=38). Most patients in the large group received combined therapy with local excision and/or transpupillary thermotherapy. In general, 85-95 Gy was administered to the apex of the tumor, while 100 Gy was administered to the point 2-6 mm from the outer surface of the sclera for patients undergoing combined therapy. Results The median follow-up duration was 30 months. The 3-year local control rate was significantly higher in the small group than in the large group (94% vs. 70%, p=0.047). The free from distant metastasis (FFDM) rate and the overall survival (OS) rate were also higher in patients in the small group (3-year FFDM, 97% vs. 76%; p=0.031 and 3-year OS, 97% vs. 72%; p=0.036). A total of 13 patients underwent enucleation. The eye-preservation rate was also higher in the small group (3-year eye-preservation rate, 94% vs. 70%; p=0.050), and tumor height was a significant prognostic factor for eye-preservation. Conclusion 106Ru brachytherapy showed favorable outcomes in small choroidal melanomas in Korean patients. Although additional local treatment could improve eye-preservation rate for large tumors, other strategies should be considered for disease control.

PURPOSE To evaluate changes in peripapillary choroidal thickness in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) over 12 months, using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging. METHODS This retrospective, interventional case series included 20 treatment-naive patients with unilateral BRVO with at least 12 months follow-up. The peripapillary choroidal thickness was measured over 12 months. RESULTS In BRVO-affected eyes, the mean peripapillary choroidal thickness was 213.5 ± 51.7 μm (126.1[FIGURE DASH]326.9 μm) at baseline and 129.6 ± 39.3 μm (65.9[FIGURE DASH]197.1 μm) at 12 months. In nonaffected contralateral eyes, the mean peripapillary choroidal thickness was 194.1 ± 39.8 μm (158.5[FIGURE DASH]238.3 μm) at baseline and 156.6 ± 56.2 μm (125.9[FIGURE DASH]213.9 μm) at 12 months. The mean peripapillary choroidal thickness decreased significantly over 12 months in both BRVO-affected and nonaffected eyes (P < 0.001, both eyes). Although the mean peripapillary choroidal thickness was not significantly different between groups at baseline (P = 0.472), it was significantly lower in BRVO-affected eyes than in nonaffected eyes at 12 months (P = 0.036). CONCLUSION Peripapillary choroidal thickness decreased significantly over 12 months in BRVO-affected eyes and nonaffected eyes in patients with unilateral BRVO.

Background The authors report a case of a rare complication that occurred after botulinum toxin injection to the extraocular muscle, which was easily overlooked and successfully corrected by surgery. Case presentation A 34-year-old female patient visited our clinic for diplopia and ocular motility disorder after removal of an epidermoid tumor of the brain. At her initial visit, her best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 for both eyes. An alternate cover test showed 45 prism-diopter esotropia and 3 prism-diopter hypertropia in the right eye. Following 6 months of observation, the deviation of the strabismus did not improve, and botulinum toxin was injected into the right medial rectus (RMR). After 6 days, she visited our clinic with decreased visual acuity of her right eye. The BCVA was found to be 20/50 for her right eye. Funduscopic examination presented a retinal tear inferonasal to the optic disc with preretinal hemorrhage. Subretinal fluid nasal to the fovea was seen on optical coherence tomography (OCT). Barrier laser photocoagulation was done around the retinal tear; however, her visual acuity continued to decrease, and vitreous hemorrhage and subretinal fluid at the lesion did not improve. In addition, a newly developed epiretinal membrane was seen on OCT. An alternate cover test presented 30 prism-diopter right esotropia. 19 weeks after RMR botulinum toxin injection, she received pars plana vitrectomy, membranectomy, endolaser barrier photocoagulation, and intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin®) injection. After 4 months, her visual acuity improved to 20/20, and only 4 prism-diopter of right hypertropia and 3 prism-diopter of exotropia were noted. Vitreous opacity and the epiretinal membrane were completely removed, as confirmed by funduscopic and examination. Conclusions Sudden loss of vision after injection of botulinum toxin into the extraocular muscle may suggest a serious complication, and a prompt, thorough ophthalmic examination should be performed. If improvements are not observed, rapid surgical intervention is recommended to prevent additional complications. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12886-017-0649-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

To identify the clinical features and prognostic factors of uveitis associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).This retrospective, interventional case series study reviewed the medical records of 91 AS patients with uveitis.The characteristics of AS-associated uveitis included male preponderance (70%), average onset in the fourth decade, unilateral manifestation (87.9%), and vitreous involvement or retinal vascular leakage (36.3%). All patients had acute anterior uveitis. The best corrected visual acuity in logMAR improved from 0.8 ± 0.3 to 0.1 ± 0.2. The use of biologic agents was the only significant factor in the multivariate analysis. Patients with vitreous involvement/retinal vascular leakage were more likely to use systemic/peribulbar steroids for inflammation control, and achieved equally favorable visual outcome as in those without vitreous involvement/retinal vascular leakage.The clinical characteristics and profile of visual prognostic factors suggest an association between the severity of ocular inflammation and systemic disease.

Plant adaptive responses to abiotic stress are coordinated by restriction of plant growth and development. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is the key regulator of the response to abiotic stress, and its sensitivity determines abiotic stress tolerance levels. We previously showed that the E3 ubiquitin ligase CaAIRF1 functions as a positive regulator of ABA and drought stress via modulation of transcription and stability of the type 2C protein phosphatase CaADIP1. Here, we report the identification and functional analysis of a novel-type 2C phosphatase, CaAIPP1 (Capsicum annuum CaAIRF1 Interacting Protein Phosphatase 1). CaAIPP1 interacted with and was ubiquitinated by CaAIRF1. CaAIPP1 gene expression in pepper leaves was induced by ABA and drought. CaAIPP1 degradation was faster in crude protein extracts from ABA-treated pepper plants than in those from control plants. CaAIPP1-overexpressing plants displayed an ABA-hyposensitive phenotype during seed germination and seedling growth. Moreover, these plants exhibited a drought-sensitive phenotype characterized by high levels of transpirational water loss via decreased stomatal closure and reduced leaf temperatures. Our data indicate that CaAIPP1 is a negative regulator of the drought stress response via ABA-mediated signalling. Our findings provide a valuable insight into the plant defence mechanism that operates during drought stress.

Background/AimsThe aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of several optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings to estimate choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) activity in pathological myopia using fluorescein angiography (FA) as a reference.MethodsThis was a single-centre, retrospective study. The medical records of patients with active myopic CNV who received intravitreal bevacizumab treatment were reviewed. Parameters to monitor CNV activity were morphological features of CNV on OCT, such as CNV height, central foveal thickness, intraretinal cysts, subretinal fluid, fuzziness of the CNV border, CNV network area on FA, and haemorrhage or exudation on fundus photo.ResultsThere were 46 patients with active CNV enrolled in this study. After intravitreal bevacizumab treatment, all the previously mentioned parameters of CNV were significantly improved. Using logistic regression analyses with backward elimination, the fuzzy border seen on OCT showed the most significant correlation with improvement of leakage on FA, when compared with other variables such as intraretinal cysts, subretinal fluid or central foveal thickness (R2=0.324, p=0.009).ConclusionOur study showed that the fuzziness of the hyper-reflective CNV margin showed the most significant improvement and the strongest correlation with the improvement of CNV leakage on FA after intravitreal bevacizumab injections, suggesting its important role as an OCT parameter for the assessment of myopic CNV activity.

Background To evaluate the incidence and risk factors of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients undergoing fluorescein angiography (FA). Methods One hundred sixty patients who underwent FA as a part of ophthalmic examination and had serum creatinine (SCr) results within 24 h before FA and within 72 h after FA between 2005 and 2013 at a tertiary medical center were included. According to baseline SCr levels, the subjects were divided into low-risk group (2.0 mg/dL) for CIN development. The CIN incidence, and changes in renal function defined by SCr levels and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were evaluated. Demographics and comorbidities were analyzed to investigate an association with CIN development. Results Of 160 patients, 91 were males (56.9%). The mean age was 52.46 ± 17.81 years. Two (1.3%) patients developed CIN after FA, whose SCr levels returned to normal within 10 days without hemodialysis. Overall, there were no changes before and after FA in SCr level (1.52 ± 1.31 mg/dL vs. 1.51 ± 1.28 mg/dL, respectively; p = 0.93) and eGFR (67.02 ± 36.62 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. 66.41 ± 36.54 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively; p = 0.54). SCr level and eGFR remained unchanged after FA in low-risk and intermediate-risk groups. In high-risk group, eGFR remined unchanged, but SCr level decreased after FA (from 3.64 ± 1.59 mg/dL to 3.53 ± 1.60 mg/dL; p = 0.04). Basline SCr and cormorbidities did not predict CIN development. Conclusions Acute renal function deterioration was not evident in patients undergoing FA regardless of baseline renal function and comorbidities.

Despite the physiological importance of aluminum (Al) phytotoxicity for plants, it remained unknown if, and how, calcineurin B-like calcium sensors (CBLs) and CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) are involved in Al resistance. We performed a comparative physiological and whole transcriptome investigation of an Arabidopsis CBL1 mutant (cbl1) and the wild-type (WT). cbl1 plants exudated less Al-chelating malate, accumulated more Al, and displayed a severe root growth reduction in response to Al. Genes involved in metabolism, transport, cell wall modification, transcription and oxidative stress were differentially regulated between the two lines, under both control and Al stress treatments. Exposure to Al resulted in up-regulation of a large set of genes only in WT and not cbl1 shoots, while a different set of genes were down-regulated in cbl1 but not in WT roots. These differences allowed us, for the first time, to define a calcium-regulated/dependent transcriptomic network for Al stress responses. Our analyses reveal not only the fundamental role of CBL1 in the adjustment of central transcriptomic networks involved in maintaining adequate physiological homeostasis processes, but also that a high shoot-root dynamics is required for the proper deployment of Al resistance responses in the root.

In this paper, we propose a stochastic method to project the public pension fund in the public pension system (PPS). For this we introduce the stochastic differential equations for the three parts: the premium revenue, the benefit expenditure, and the fund process. From these we show that the solution of the aggregated fund process is the sum of log-normals, which is approximated as one log-normal for the analytic result. Related to the parameter estimations, we implement the moment matching in the first moment. For the second moment, we apply the extreme value method following Parkinson. In order to follow Parkinson, we take the maximum and the minimum range of the fund amount based on the various sensitivity result as well as the baseline one from the deterministic projection result. In this reason, it is naturally to maintain the close interrelation with the deterministic projection result, which is very important since it is still key result in the actuarial valuation of the PPS.

Single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing allows identification of methylated DNA bases and methylation patterns/motifs at the genome level. Using SMRT sequencing, diverse bacterial methylomes including those of Helicobacter pylori, Lactobacillus spp., and Escherichia coli have been determined, and previously unreported DNA methylation motifs have been identified. However, the methylomes of Xanthomonas species, which belong to the most important plant pathogenic bacterial genus, have not been documented. Here, we report the methylomes of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. glycines (Xag) strain 8ra and X. campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv) strain 85-10. We identified N6-methyladenine (6mA) and N4-methylcytosine (4mC) modification in both genomes. In addition, we assigned putative DNA methylation motifs including previously unreported methylation motifs via REBASE and MotifMaker, and compared methylation patterns in both species. Although Xag and Xcv belong to the same genus, their methylation patterns were dramatically different. The number of 4mC DNA bases in Xag (66,682) was significantly higher (29 fold) than in Xcv (2,321). In contrast, the number of 6mA DNA bases (4,147) in Xag was comparable to the number in Xcv (5,491). Strikingly, there were no common or shared motifs in the 10 most frequently methylated motifs of both strains, indicating they possess unique species- or strain-specific methylation motifs. Among the 20 most frequent motifs from both strains, for 9 motifs at least 1% of the methylated bases were located in putative promoter regions. Methylome analysis by SMRT sequencing technology is the first step toward understanding the biology and functions of DNA methylation in this genus.

To evaluate the risk of stroke after ranibizumab treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.National registry data for 1,025,340 random subjects in the year 2002 were used. The ranibizumab group comprised patients diagnosed with neovascular age-related macular degeneration and treated with ranibizumab between 2009 and 2013 (n = 467). The two types of comparison groups were defined as comorbidity-matched controls (n = 2,330) comprised of randomly selected patients (5 per age-related macular degeneration patient), who were matched to the ranibizumab group according to sociodemographic factors, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and the Charlson comorbidities index, and sociodemographic-matched controls (n = 2,331) matched according to sociodemographic factors only. Each sampled patient was tracked until 2013. The Cox proportional hazard regression was used.Stroke occurred in 6.6% of the ranibizumab group versus 7.0% of the comorbidity-matched controls and 6.7% of the sociodemographic-matched controls; these differences were not statistically significant. The overall incidence of stroke was similar for the ranibizumab group versus the comorbidity-matched controls and sociodemographic-matched controls, based on the multivariable Cox regression (hazard ratio = 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.60-1.30; hazard ratio = 0.95, 95% confidence interval, 0.64-1.41, respectively).Ranibizumab treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration did not increase the overall risk of stroke, compared with comorbidity-matched controls or sociodemographic-matched controls.

The incidence of myopia is increasing worldwide, and the investigation on pathophysiology of myopia is becoming more important. This retrospective study aimed to compare the thicknesses of individual retinal layers between high-myopic and control eyes, and to evaluate the effects of age and sex on each retinal layer thickness. We assessed 164 subjects and divided them into two groups based on axial length (AL) (i.e., high-myopic group (AL ≥ 26 mm) and control group (AL

There is an urgent need for in situ methods for detecting environmental pollution quickly and accurately. With the development of nanotechnology, a huge potential has been created for the design of highly sensitive sensors with low energy consumption and low costs. If a composite material constructed with carbon nanotubes is used as an electrode in contact with a contaminant, this material undergoes an oxidation-reduction reaction with the contaminant that allows the electrode to function as an electrochemical sensor. This study involved the application of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and modified working electrodes constructed with multi-walled carbon nanotube composites (Ag- and ZnO-multi-walled carbon nanotubes) as electrochemical sensors. These electrodes have good response speed and sensitivity at low concentrations, and they are reusable. To lower the price of these sensors, our goal was to maximize their sensitivity by using the low-cost multiwalled carbon nanotubes in conjunction with silver electroless plating of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes and multi-walled carbon nanotube composites.

This paper investigates a novel optimization problem motivated by sparse, sustainable and stable portfolio selection. The existing benchmark portfolio via the Dantzig type optimization is used to construct a sparse, sustainable and stable portfolio. Based on the formulations, this paper proposes two portfolio selection methods, west and north portfolio selection, and investigates their empirical properties. Numerical results presented for 12 datasets and various simulated data show that the west selection can reduce risk, and the north selection may outperform the benchmark as to risk-adjusted returns (based on, e.g., information ratio and Sharpe ratio).

Background To describe the effects of intravitreal bevacizumab injection (IVB) and/or transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) in the treatment of small pigmented choroidal lesions with subfoveal fluid (SFF), and to investigate prognostic value of the therapeutic response in future tumor growth. Methods Retrospective chart review of 19 patients, who were diagnosed with choroidal neovascularization (CNV)-free small pigmented choroidal lesions and treated with IVB and/or TTT, was performed. Results Complete resolution of SFF was achieved in two eyes (2/14; 14.3%) after IVB, and in three eyes (3/4; 75%) after TTT. Best corrected visual acuity was improved in two eyes (2/9; 22%) after IVB, and in three eyes (3/4; 75%) after TTT. Among five patients who underwent TTT after IVB, four patients (4/5; 80%) demonstrated additional advantage. All IVBs could not reduce tumor sizes. Rather, tumor growth was detected in seven out of 14 eyes (7/14; 50%) that underwent IVB. None of the patients who underwent TTT showed tumor growth. The lack of treatment response to IVB was suggestive of malignancy, as most small pigmented lesions that had no response to IVB showed tumor growth (86%, p = 0.010). Conclusion IVB was not effective in reducing tumor size and subfoveal fluid in small pigmented choroidal lesions. Therapeutic response to IVB can be used as an indicator between melanoma and nevus in small pigmented choroidal lesion.

Personal deliberation, the process through which people can form an informed opinion on social issues, serves an important role in helping citizens construct a rational argument in the public deliberation. However, existing information channels for public policies deliver only few stakeholders' voices, thus failing to provide a diverse knowledge base for personal deliberation. This paper presents an initial design of PolicyScape, an online system that supports personal deliberation on public policies by helping citizens explore diverse stakeholders and their perspectives on the policy's effect. Building on literature on crowdsourced policymaking and policy stakeholders, we present several design choices for crowdsourcing stakeholder perspectives. We introduce perspective-taking as an approach for personal deliberation by helping users consider stakeholder perspectives on policy issues. Our initial results suggest that PolicyScape could collect diverse sets of perspectives from the stakeholders of public policies, and help participants discover unexpected viewpoints of various stakeholder groups.

To investigate the incidence of fellow eye (FE) neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in patients with unilateral nAMD according to FE drusen type.Retrospective cohort study.Between January 2013 and June 2016, 434 consecutive patients with naïve nAMD were enrolled. We selected 280 eligible patients with treatment-naïve, unilateral nAMD for analysis (280/280 = 100% patients were followed up at 2 years; 50/280 = 17.9% patients were followed up at 5 years). The incidence and hazard ratios (HR) of FE nAMD according to age, sex, choroidal thickness, nAMD subtype, and drusen type were analyzed.The 5-year incidence of FE nAMD was 20.9%. The incidences of the soft plus subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDD), soft drusen only, and SDD only groups were 76.4%, 46.2%, and 25.7%, respectively; they were significantly higher than the no drusen group (vs 3.6%; P.001, P.001, P.001). There was no significant difference between the pachydrusen and no drusen groups (7.1% vs 3.6%; P = .101). The multivariate Cox regression hazard model revealed older age (HR, 1.053; P = .031) and drusen type were significant (P = .001). Compared with the no drusen group, the soft drusen plus SDD, soft drusen only, and SDD groups showed an HR of 18.460 (P = .001), 8.302 (P = .015), and 5.465 (P = .082), respectively. Pachydrusen was not shown to be a significant risk factor compared to the no drusen group (HR, 2.417; P = .281).The incidence of FE nAMD was significantly different with respect to drusen type. Soft drusen plus SDD had the highest risk of neovascular AMD, followed by soft drusen only and SDD only.

Objective Choroidal hemangioma (CH) is a benign vascular tumor that induces subretinal fluid collection or exudative retinal detachment and consequent visual symptoms. Current standard treatments for CH include cryotherapy, diathermy, photocoagulation, photodynamic therapy, transpupillary thermotherapy, and radiation therapy. Stereotactic radiosurgery has recently been applied to the treatment of CH because of its characteristic stiff dose-fall-off and accuracy. We have adopted gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) to treat CH and have retrospectively assessed tumor volume reductions and improvements to visual acuity achieved thereby. Methods Fourteen patients with CHs were treated with GKRS from November 2006 to December 2017. Eight patients had circumscribed CH, and 6 exhibited diffuse CHs and were diagnosed with Sturge-Weber syndrome. The mean age of patients was 27.1 years (range: 8–68 years) and the mean duration of clinical or radiological follow-up was 40.2 months (range: 5–105 months). The mean volume of the tumors at the time of GKRS was 533.5 mm3 (range: 124–1150 mm3), and the mean prescribed marginal dose was 11.6 Gy (range: 10–16 Gy) with 50% isodose lines. Results The tumor volume decreased by the last follow-up in all patients. The visual acuity improved in 9 patients (64%) and decreased in 1 (7%). Six patients (43%) required trans-pars plana vitrectomy before or after GKRS. There were no symptomatic complications from radiation injury during the follow-up periods. Conclusions GKRS could be an acceptable alternative treatment for symptomatic CH when standard therapy is not feasible.

Purpose: To investigate the long-term incidence and growth rate of chorioretinal atrophy (CRA) in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and determine the associated risk factors. Methods: The medical records of 88 patients with unilateral symptomatic PCV who received anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections with or without photodynamic therapy (PDT) were analyzed retrospectively. Near-infrared fundus imaging and spectral domain optical coherence tomography were used to measure the CRA area and growth rate. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to estimate the CRA incidence. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to investigate risk factors (e.g., age, frequency of abnormal OCT findings, PDT history, total injection number, and choroidal thickness) associated with the CRA incidence and growth rate, respectively. Results: The overall CRA incidence was 40.8% at 5 years. The absence of subretinal fluid, the presence of intraretinal fluid, and a thin choroid were significant risk factors for CRA occurrence with a history of PDT. Overall 5-year CRA growth rate was 0.69 mm2/year. Faster CRA growth was significantly related to the presence of subretinal hyperreflective material and thin choroid. PDT history was not significantly related to CRA growth. Conclusions: Thin choroid may be a significant risk factor for long-term development and growth of CRA in eyes with PCV. Intraretinal fluid seems to promote the development of CRA, while subretinal fluid seems to be associated with CRA prevention. The history of PDT was significantly related to the occurrence of CRA, but not to the growth rate of CRA.

PURPOSE To investigate the prevalence of pachydrusen, soft drusen, and subretinal drusenoid deposits in eyes with different neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) subtypes, determine the relationship between each drusen type and the choroidal thickness, and analyze the distinct features of each nAMD subtype according to the drusen type. METHODS Medical records involving 454 eyes from 454 patients with nAMD were retrospectively reviewed. The prevalence of each drusen type and the choroidal thickness and choroidal characteristics were evaluated according to the nAMD subtype. RESULTS Pachydrusen were prevalent in the typical nAMD (40.4%) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (47.8%) groups and were not detected in the retinal angiomatous proliferation group. No significant drusen were detected in 24.3% of typical nAMD, 43.3% of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, and 0% of retinal angiomatous proliferation groups. Regardless of the nAMD subtype, pachydrusen, soft drusen, and subretinal drusenoid deposits were associated with a thick, moderately thick, and thin choroid, respectively. For eyes with typical nAMD, the prevalence of choroidal vascular hyperpermeability and extrafoveal neovascularization was significantly higher in the pachydrusen group than in the other groups. By contrast, the prevalence of Type 2 neovascularization was significantly lower in the pachydrusen group than in the subretinal drusenoid deposit group (P < 0.001 for all). CONCLUSION The prevalence of various drusen differed according to the nAMD subtypes, and each drusen type was strongly associated with the choroidal thickness. Typical nAMD showed distinct features according to the accompanying drusen type.

Purpose: To describe the clinical features and outcomes of punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) in Korean patientsMethods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with PIC between 2004 and 2015. The main outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), presence of choroidal neovascularization (CNV), and optical coherence tomography findings. Patients with and without CNV were compared.Results: Forty eyes of 26 patients were included. The final BCVA was better than 20/40 in 33 eyes (82.5%). CNV was initially present in 12 eyes (30.0%). The mean initial and final logMAR BCVA was poorer for eyes with CNV than for eyes without CNV. Eyes with CNV exhibited a larger myopic refractive error, inflammatory lesions confined within the posterior pole, and a decreased final subfoveal choroidal thickness compared with eyes without CNV.Conclusion: PIC in the Korean population generally exhibits favorable visual outcomes, and eyes with CNV show more abnormalities and poorer outcomes.