Wide field swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) was compared with ultra wide field (UWF) fluorescein angiography (FA) for evaluating neovascularization (NV) before and after panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) in eyes with treatment-naive proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Design: Prospective, observational, consecutive case series Participants: Patients with treatment-naive PDR Methods: Patients were imaged using the SS-OCTA 12×12mm field of view (PLEX® Elite 9000; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc, Dublin, CA) at baseline and at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after PRP. Select eyes were imaged with five SS-OCTA 12×12mm scans to create posterior pole montages. UWF fundus photography and UWF FA were obtained at baseline and 3 months after PRP. Main Outcome Measures: NV visualized using wide field SS-OCTA and UWF FA Results: From January through May 2018, wide field SS-OCTA was performed on 20 eyes with treatment-naive PDR from 15 patients. The en face SS-OCTA 12×12mm vitreoretinal interface (VRI) slab images showed NV at baseline in 18 of 20 eyes (90%). Of the remaining 2 eyes, the posterior pole montage captured peripheral NV in one eye, and in the other eye, no evidence of NV was detected with either UWF FA or SS-OCTA. After PRP, both SS-OCTA and FA †

BackgroundAccurately monitoring and collecting drug adherence data can allow for better understanding and interpretation of the outcomes of clinical trials. Most clinical trials use a combination of pill counts and self-reported data to measure drug adherence, despite the drawbacks of relying on these types of indirect measures. It is assumed that doses are taken, but the exact timing of these events is often incomplete and imprecise.ObjectiveThe objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the use of a novel artificial intelligence (AI) platform (AiCure) on mobile devices for measuring medication adherence, compared with modified directly observed therapy (mDOT) in a substudy of a Phase 2 trial of the α7 nicotinic receptor agonist (ABT-126) in subjects with schizophrenia.MethodsAI platform generated adherence measures were compared with adherence inferred from drug concentration measurements.ResultsThe mean cumulative pharmacokinetic adherence over 24 weeks was 89.7% (standard deviation [SD] 24.92) for subjects receiving ABT-126 who were monitored using the AI platform, compared with 71.9% (SD 39.81) for subjects receiving ABT-126 who were monitored by mDOT. The difference was 17.9% (95% CI -2 to 37.7; P=.08).ConclusionsUsing drug levels, this substudy demonstrates the potential of AI platforms to increase adherence, rapidly detect nonadherence, and predict future nonadherence. Subjects monitored using the AI platform demonstrated a percentage change in adherence of 25% over the mDOT group. Subjects were able to use the technology successfully for up to 6 months in an ambulatory setting with early termination rates that are comparable to subjects outside of the substudy.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01655680 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01655680?term=NCT01655680

Purpose To investigate bacterial dispersion with patient face mask use during simulated intravitreal injections. Design Prospective cross-sectional study MethodsSetting Single-center Study Population Fifteen healthy subjects were recruited Intervention Each participant was instructed not to speak for 2-minutes, simulating a “no-talking” policy, while in an ophthalmic examination chair with an blood agar plate secured to the forehead and wearing various face masks (no mask, loose fitting surgical mask, tight-fitting surgical mask without tape, tight-fitting surgical mask with adhesive tape securing the superior portion of the mask, N95 mask, and cloth mask). Each scenario was then repeated while reading a 2-minute script, simulating a talking patient. Main Outcome Measures Number of colony-forming units (CFU) and microbial species. Results During the “no-talking” scenario, subjects wearing a tight-fitting surgical mask with tape developed fewer CFUs compared to subjects wearing the same mask without tape (difference, 0.93CFU; 95%CI, 0.32–1.55; P =.003). During the speech scenarios, subjects wearing a tight-fitting surgical mask with tape had significantly fewer CFUs compared to subjects without a face mask (difference, 1.07CFU; P =.001), subjects with a loose face mask (difference, 0.67; P =.034), and subjects with a tight face mask without tape (difference, 1.13; P <.001). There was no difference between those with a tight-fitting surgical mask with tape and an N95 mask in the “no-talking” ( P >.99) and “speech” ( P =.831) scenarios. No oral flora was isolated in “no-talking” scenarios, but was isolated in 8/75 (11%) cultures in speech scenarios ( P =.02). Conclusion Addition of tape to the superior portion of a patient’s face mask reduced bacterial dispersion during simulated intravitreal injections, and had no difference in bacterial dispersion compared to wearing N95 masks.

No abstract