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Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are at risk to develop CF related diabetes (CFRD) and subsequently even diabetic neuro- and/or vasculopathy. We sought to determine if there are typical signs of diabetes-related retinal alterations present in CF patients with preserved and impaired glycemic control. During routine annual examination CF patients were offered an additional 7-day period of real time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) and an ophthalmological examination including retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT). Patients were categorized according to the glycemic control, i.e. the results of an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and rtCGM were taken into consideration. OCT data was analyzed by our previously published visual analysis software generating dedicated and spatially resolved deviation maps for visualization and quantification of differences in total retinal thickness and thickness of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) as well as ganglion cell layer (GCL) in comparison to age-matched healthy controls and patients with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Results of the rtCGM and/or OGTT enabled discrimination between patients with normal glycemic control (CFNG; n = 6), with abnormal glycemic control (CFAG; n = 6) and overt CFRD (n = 4). OCT data indicates gradually increasing retinal thinning in all 3 groups, depending on the degree of glucose metabolism disorder compared to healthy controls. At the foveal region total retinal thickness and GCL thickness were significantly thinner in CFRD patients compared to CFNG patients (total retinal thickness: 260.4 µm (239.3–270.8) vs. 275.4 µm (254.3–289.5); GCL: 11.82 µm (11.16–15.25) vs. 17.30 µm (13.95–19.82); each p < 0.05). Although we investigated a rather small number of patients, we obtained evidence that intraretinal neurodegenerative changes occur in each of our subgroups (CFNG, CFAG, CFRD). Beyond this, our results favor the detrimental role of additional diabetes, as the deviations from healthy controls were most pronounced in the CFRD group and are similar to those seen in patients suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To analyze the use of deviation maps (DevMs) to understand thickness changes of inner retinal layers in optical coherence tomography (OCT) data. To test a new visual analytics (VA) method with reduced complexity of OCT data analysis by comparing the layer thickness of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) to matched controls. Methods: OCT was performed on unilateral eyes of 26 children with T1DM without diabetic retinopathy and 29 healthy children to obtain macular volume scans. Subsequently, segmented inner retinal layers were analyzed using VA. Deviation maps were generated to readily visualize thickness differences between both groups and to investigate thickness changes of individual patients in relation to the control group. Results: In DevMs of the patient group, the total retina (TR) demonstrated localized, irregular areas of thinning (mean ± standard deviation) involving foveal center, inner macula, and inferior-nasal outer macula (−9.31 ± 1.73 µm; p < 0.05). Similarly, retinal nerve fiber layer showed continuous and localized areas of thinning in both inner and outer macula, extending nasally (−5.45 ± 4.31 µm; p < 0.05). In DevMs of individual patients, the TR and inner retinal layers revealed remarkable changes in thickness that were present between patients at both late and early stages of diabetes. Conclusion: The VA method simplifies the in-depth analysis of OCT volume data from different groups and is effective in detecting retinal thickness changes in children with diabetes. It can be easily adopted in a clinical set-up and intuitively used in complex multidisciplinary studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables noninvasive high-resolution 3D imaging of the human retina, and thus plays a fundamental role in detecting a wide range of ocular diseases. Despite the diagnostic value of OCT, managing and analyzing resulting data is challenging. We apply two visual analysis strategies for supporting retinal assessment in practice. First, we provide an interface for unifying and structuring data from different sources into a common basis. Fusing that basis with medical records and augmenting it with analytically derived information facilitates thorough investigations. Second, we present a tailored visual analysis tool for presenting, emphasizing, selecting, and comparing different aspects of the attributed data. This enables free exploration, reducing the data to relevant subsets, and focusing on details. By applying both strategies, we effectively enhance the management and the analysis of retinal OCT data for assisting medical diagnoses. Domain experts applied our solution successfully to study early retinal changes in patients suffering from type 1 diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 3D visualization of terrain, occlusion has detrimental impact on discovering, accessing, and spatially relating embedded data. This can lead to significant loss of information. To address this issue, we introduce visibility widgets: compact auxiliary views that visualize occluded data, their locations, and related properties, and thus support users in revealing hidden information. The widgets comprise different occlusion management strategies for detecting and analyzing invisible data inside as well as outside of the field of view. In addition, each widget is designed complementary and transient to facilitate interactive exploration and navigation while not monopolizing the user’s attention. We demonstrate the application of visibility widgets focusing the visual exploration of weather data in 3D terrain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual analysis of unknown data requires the combined use of various functions that are often part of standalone visual analytics (VA) tools. Performing cross-tool visual analysis with standalone VA tools, however, is a challenging and cumbersome endeavor. Some dedicated frameworks address this issue, yet in order to utilize any of them, a visual analytics tool needs to support their required API or architecture. Contrary to most existing frameworks, we present an approach that does not rely on a single predefined interchange mechanism for the entire ensemble of VA tools. Instead, we propose using any available channel for data exchange between two consecutive VA tools. This allows mixing and matching of different data exchange strategies over the course of a cross-tool analysis. In this paper, we identify the challenges associated with establishing such tool chaining platform for data-driven coordination. We further describe the structure and capabilities of data exchange and explain various functionalities of our platform in detail. Based on a demonstrating example, we discuss the limitations of our approach and elaborate new insight for the coordination of the visual output of multiple VA tools. [Display omitted] • We provide an in-depth investigation on different aspects for the coordination of independent Visual Analytics (VA) tools that lead to the development of the the Analytical Process Constructor (AnyProc). • We address issues from related work regarding data exchange, UI integration and analytic process support and propose first solution ideas based on our conceptual preliminary work. • We discuss the idea of pairwise data exchange mechanisms for VA tool coordination in domain workflows and present design principles to deal with persisting challenges. • Our main contribution is the introduction of our platform for the coordination of independent VA tools. We describe its features in detail especially regarding different solutions to the implementation of data exchange mechanisms. • We demonstrate the use of our platform for an example scenario in the healthcare sector and link its video presentation from our original submission at the EuroVA 2021. • We discuss our recent advances regarding UI layouts and conclude by summarizing our findings and suggesting entry points for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical coherence tomography enables high-resolution 3D imaging of retinal layers in the human eye. The thickness of the layers is commonly assessed to understand a variety of retinal and systemic disorders. Yet, the thickness data are complex and currently need to be considerably reduced prior to further processing and analysis. This leads to a loss of information on localized variations in thickness, which is important for early detection of certain retinal diseases. We propose an enhanced grid-based reduction and exploration of retinal thickness data. Alternative grids are computed, their representation quality is rated, and best fitting grids for given thickness data are suggested. Selected grids are then visualized, adapted, and compared at different levels of granularity. A visual analysis tool bundles all computational, visual, and interactive means in a flexible user interface. We demonstrate the utility of our tool in a complementary analysis procedure, which eases the evaluation of ophthalmic study data. Ophthalmologists successfully applied our solution to study localized variations in thickness of retinal layers in patients with diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The study's purpose was to determine whether neurotoxic signs in breast cancer patients receiving taxane (paclitaxel) chemotherapy correlate with retinal or corneal nerve changes in a longitudinal study combining oncological examinations with advanced biophotonic imaging techniques. Recruited breast cancer patients underwent regular monitoring sessions including the clinical assessment of their quality of life and neurological scores, ophthalmological status, retinal optical coherence tomography, and large area confocal laser scanning microscopy of their corneal subbasal nerve plexus (SNP). The study revealed two key breakthroughs: an observable increase in retinal thickness and the examination of identical corneal SNP large-area mosaics over time. Consequently, advanced biophotonic imaging techniques could represent a powerful diagnostic tool for the objective assessment of the severity of adverse events, wherein oncologists and ophthalmologists could benefit from each other, leading to a better outcome for the patient. A common severe neurotoxic side effect of breast cancer (BC) therapy is chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and intervention is highly needed for the detection, prevention, and treatment of CIPN at an early stage. As the eye is susceptible to neurotoxic stimuli, the present study aims to determine whether CIPN signs in paclitaxel-treated BC patients correlate with ocular changes by applying advanced non-invasive biophotonic in vivo imaging. Patients (n = 14, 10 controls) underwent monitoring sessions after diagnosis, during, and after therapy (T0-T3). Monitoring sessions included general anamnesis, assessment of their quality of life, neurological scores, ophthalmological status, macular optical coherence tomography (OCT), and imaging of their subbasal nerve plexus (SNP) by large-area confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM). At T0, no significant differences were detected between patients and controls. During treatment, patients' scores significantly changed while the greatest differences were found between T0 and T3. None of the patients developed severe CIPN but retinal thickenings could be detected. CLSM revealed large SNP mosaics with identical areas while corneal nerves remained stable. The study represents the first longitudinal study combining oncological examinations with advanced biophotonic imaging techniques, demonstrating a powerful tool for the objective assessment of the severity of neurotoxic events with ocular structures acting as potential biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Children with chronic kidney diseases (CKD) are at risk for neurological diseases at early adulthood. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) of the retina is especially suitable for determination of intraretinal layer thickness. We wonder whether retinal thinning is already present in pediatric patients with mild-to-moderate CKD. Patients and Methods: Children (n = 15; 14.9 ± 2.4 years) with mild-to-moderate CKD (median eGFR of 95ml/min/1.73m2; range: 28-187ml/min/1.73m2) due to glomerulopathy, congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT), or haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) underwent a detailed ophthalmologic examination including high-resolution SD-OCT. Three OCT scans were obtained from the right eyes of all patients. Within each scan, retinal layers were separated and the mean thickness was determined at the foveal, parafoveal, and perifoveal area. The results were compared to those we obtained previously from healthy children. Results: At the parafoveal area, thickness (median, range) of the total retina (ALL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), and inner plexiform layer (IPL) were reduced compared to healthy volunteers (339µm, (288-361µm) vs. 348µm, (320-385µm); 49.8µm (30.5-56.6µm) vs. 53.5μm (49.5-60.5µm) and 41.0µm (29.4-43.7µm) vs. 43.46µm (39.5-46.3μm); each p < 0.05). The intraretinal thickness measurements at the foveal and perifoveal areas revealed no statistically significant differences between patients and controls. Conclusion: Distinct changes within the parafoveal area of the total retina, GCL, and IPL are present in children with mild-to-moderate CKD. Prospective studies are required to assess the clinical significance of our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]