In this evaluation of retinal images from multiethnic cohorts of patients with diabetes, the DLS had high sensitivity and specificity for identifying diabetic retinopathy and related eye diseases. Further research is necessary to evaluate the applicability of the DLS in health care settings and the utility of the DLS to improve vision outcomes.

Generally, oaks dominate the broadleaf deciduous forests in Japan. The genetic variation in 6 cpDNA regions (trnT-trnL, trnL-trnF, atpB-rbcL, and trnHpsbA speacers, trnL intron, and matK gene) with regard to the Japanese oak (Quercus mongolica var. crispula) and 3 related species in the section Prinus (Q. serrata, Q. dentata and Q. aliena) was investigated in 598 trees belonging to 44 populations distributed throughout the Japanese archipelago. Additional samples were collected from Korea, China, and Russia (Sakhalin). Thirteen haplotypes (I to XIII) were identified on the bases of 15 nucleotide substitutions and 3 indels. Haplotypes I and II were discovered in northeastern Japan, whereas haplotypes III to IX were distributed in southwestern Japan. The boundary distinguishing these 2 groups was located in central Japan coincident with the Itoigawa-Shzuoka tectonic line. Haplotype I was also found in Sakhalin, whereas haplotypes VI, VII, VIII, X, XI, XII, and XIII were found in Korea and China. Four oak species in the same location shared identical haplotypes, suggesting cpDNA introgression by occasional hybridization. Both the values of total haplotype diversity (H T ) and haplotype diversity within populations (H S ) in Q. mongolica var. crispula were higher in the southwestern populations than in the northeastern populations. A haplotype network indicated that haplotype VI is the ancestral haplotype. The presence of identical haplotypes in Korea, China, and Japan suggested that the haplotypes diversified on the Eurasian continent before the last glacial period. The difference in genetic structure between the northeastern and southwestern regions indicates a difference in the history of migration and recolonization in Japan during the last glacial period.

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Background Clinical trials have shown beneficial effects of blood pressure (BP) control in reducing the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR). However, association between BP control and DR in population-based studies is not clear. We aimed to examine the association of hypertension and BP control with DR. Methods We analysed data from a population-based cross-sectional study of Chinese, Malay and Indians adults with diabetes and hypertension (2004-2011, n = 2189, aged 40-80 years) in Singapore. DR severity was assessed from retinal photographs and graded for any-and vision-threatening DR (VTDR) using the modified Airlie House classification. Hypertension status was classified into (1) good control: on treatment (SBP < 130 and DBP < 80 mm Hg), (2) moderate control: on treatment, with BP levels other than group 1 and 3, (3) poor control: on treatment (SBP �140 and DBP � 90 mm Hg), (4) untreated hypertension, any BP level. SBP, DBP and pulse pressure (PP) were analyzed as categories and as continuous variables. The association between BP and DR was assessed using multivariable logistic regression models. Results The prevalence of any-DR and VTDR in the study population was 33.8% and 9.0% respectively. Both poorly controlled and untreated hypertension were significantly associated with any-DR with odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of 1.