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EFFECT OF RETINAL THICKNESS VARIABILITY ON VISUAL OUTCOMES AND FLUID PERSISTENCE IN NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: A Post Hoc Analysis of the HAWK and HARRIER Studies.
Dugel, PU, Jhaveri, CD, Chakravarthy, U, Wykoff, CC, Singh, RP, Hamilton, R, Weissgerber, G, Mulyukov, Z, Holz, FG
Retina (Philadelphia, Pa.). 2022;(3):511-518
Abstract
PURPOSE To determine the association between central subfield thickness (CST) variability and visual outcomes in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapies. METHODS In this post hoc, treatment-agnostic analysis, patients (N = 1,752) were grouped into quartiles of increasing CST variation. The association between CST variability and best-corrected visual acuity was measured from baseline, or from the end of the loading phase, until the end of the study using a multilevel modeling for repeated-measures model. The association between CST variability and the presence of retinal fluid was also assessed. RESULTS Increased CST variability was associated with worse best-corrected visual acuity outcomes at the end of study, with a least-square mean difference in best-corrected visual acuity of 8.9 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters between the quartiles with the lowest and highest CST variability at the final visit. Increased variability was also associated with a higher mean fraction of visits with the presence of fluid. CONCLUSION More stable CST was associated with better visual outcomes at the end of treatment suggesting that CST variability may provide a more reliable prognostic marker of visual outcomes than the presence of fluid alone, with the potential to enhance the clinical care of neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients.
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A phase Ib/IIa clinical trial of dantrolene sodium in patients with Wolfram syndrome.
Abreu, D, Stone, SI, Pearson, TS, Bucelli, RC, Simpson, AN, Hurst, S, Brown, CM, Kries, K, Onwumere, C, Gu, H, et al
JCI insight. 2021;(15)
Abstract
BACKGROUNDWolfram syndrome is a rare ER disorder characterized by insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, optic nerve atrophy, and progressive neurodegeneration. Although there is no treatment for Wolfram syndrome, preclinical studies in cell and rodent models suggest that therapeutic strategies targeting ER calcium homeostasis, including dantrolene sodium, may be beneficial.METHODSBased on results from preclinical studies on dantrolene sodium and ongoing longitudinal studies, we assembled what we believe is the first-ever clinical trial in pediatric and adult Wolfram syndrome patients with an open-label phase Ib/IIa trial design. The primary objective was to assess the safety and tolerability of dantrolene sodium in adult and pediatric Wolfram syndrome patients. Secondary objectives were to evaluate the efficacy of dantrolene sodium on residual pancreatic β cell functions, visual acuity, quality-of-life measures related to vision, and neurological functions.RESULTSDantrolene sodium was well tolerated by Wolfram syndrome patients. Overall, β cell functions were not significantly improved, but there was a significant correlation between baseline β cell functions and change in β cell responsiveness (R2, P = 0.004) after 6-month dantrolene therapy. Visual acuity and neurological functions were not improved by 6-month dantrolene sodium. Markers of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress, such as IFN-γ, IL-1β, TNF-α, and isoprostane, were elevated in subjects.CONCLUSIONThis study justifies further investigation into using dantrolene sodium and other small molecules targeting the ER for treatment of Wolfram syndrome.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02829268FUNDINGNIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) (DK112921, DK113487, DK020579), NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) (TR002065, TR000448), NIH training grant (F30DK111070), Silberman Fund, Ellie White Foundation, Snow Foundation, Unravel Wolfram Syndrome Fund, Stowe Fund, Eye Hope Foundation, Feiock Fund, Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences grant UL1TR002345 from NIH/NCATS, Bursky Center for Human Immunology & Immunotherapy Programs.
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Prospective phase II study of children affected by bilateral intraocular retinoblastoma with macular involvement of both eyes or in the only preserved eye. Macular tumor control, eye preservation rate, and visual outcome.
Russo, I, Levy-Gabriel, C, Dupont, A, Lumbroso-Le Rouic, L, Cassoux, N, Desjardins, L, Bertozzi, AI, Coze, C, Doz, F, Savignoni, A, et al
Pediatric blood & cancer. 2021;(1):e28721
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conservative treatments of intraocular retinoblastoma often consist of chemotherapy and focal treatments. The protocols vary and currently may combine two or three drugs, with different number of cycles, associated to the ocular treatments. In case of macular/paramacular involvement, tumor location and retinal scars induced by focal treatments often have a major negative impact on final visual outcome. METHODS This study aimed to include children affected by bilateral intraocular macular/paramacular retinoblastoma in a prospective phase II study. The protocol consisted of six cycles of a three-drug combination (vincristine, etoposide, carboplatin), and the addition of macula-sparing transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) to the third cycle. The primary endpoint was the local control rate without external beam radiotherapy (EBR) and/or enucleation. RESULTS Nineteen patients (26 eyes) were included from July 2004 to November 2009. Thirteen eyes belonged to group V of the Reese-Ellsworth classification and 10 to group D of the International Intraocular Retinoblastoma Classification. Macular/paramacular tumors were treated with chemotherapy alone in nine eyes, and with chemotherapy associated with macula-sparing TTT in 17 eyes. Four eyes experienced macular relapse. At a median follow up of 77 months, 23 eyes (88.5%) were saved without EBR, two were enucleated and one received EBR. The median visual acuity of the 24 saved eyes was 20/50. No severe adverse effect was observed. CONCLUSION Six cycles of a three-drug combination associated with macula-sparing TTT achieved good tumor control, improved eye preservation rates without EBR, and decreased macular damage, often providing satisfactory visual results with long-term follow up.
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Retinal Fluid Volatility Associated With Interval Tolerance and Visual Outcomes in Diabetic Macular Edema in the VISTA Phase III Trial.
Ehlers, JP, Uchida, A, Sevgi, DD, Hu, M, Reed, K, Berliner, A, Vitti, R, Chu, K, Srivastava, SK
American journal of ophthalmology. 2021;:217-227
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PURPOSE To describe longitudinal retinal fluid dynamics on spectral domain OCT and to identify imaging biomarkers that predict the worsening of DME with interval extension during anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. DESIGN A post hoc sub-analysis of phase III, VISTA-DME study. METHODS Eyes received either intravitreal aflibercept injection 2 mg every 4 weeks (2q4) or every 8 weeks after 5 initial monthly injections (2q8), and eyes imaged with the Cirrus HD-OCT system were included. The macular cube was analyzed for 10 time-points from baseline through week 100. Retinal OCT images were evaluated using a novel software platform to extract retinal fluid features for calculation of volumetric fluid parameters, including the retinal fluid index (RFI): the percentage of retinal volume that was occupied by intraretinal fluid. RESULTS Fifty-five eyes were included in the 2q4 group, and 58 eyes were included in the 2q8 group. Early RFI volatility with a central macular RFI increase by ≥5 points from week 4 to 8 (P = .004, odds ratio [OR] 31.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0 to 329) and cumulative RFI volatility with an aggregate increase in macular RFI by ≥10 points from those timepoints with increased RFI between baseline to week 20, P = .005, OR 10.2, 95% CI 2.1 to 51.3) were both significant predictors for the worsening of DME and visual acuity when the treatment interval was extended to 8 weeks in the 2q8 group. CONCLUSIONS Early fluid dynamics as measured by (1) early RFI volatility and (2) cumulative RFI instability with aggregate increased RFI were associated with intolerance of interval extension.
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Oral N-acetylcysteine improves cone function in retinitis pigmentosa patients in phase I trial.
Campochiaro, PA, Iftikhar, M, Hafiz, G, Akhlaq, A, Tsai, G, Wehling, D, Lu, L, Wall, GM, Singh, MS, Kong, X
The Journal of clinical investigation. 2020;(3):1527-1541
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BACKGROUNDIn retinitis pigmentosa (RP), rod photoreceptors degenerate from 1 of many mutations, after which cones are compromised by oxidative stress. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reduces oxidative damage and increases cone function/survival in RP models. We tested the safety, tolerability, and visual function effects of oral NAC in RP patients.METHODSSubjects (n = 10 per cohort) received 600 mg (cohort 1), 1200 mg (cohort 2), or 1800 mg (cohort 3) NAC bid for 12 weeks and then tid for 12 weeks. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), macular sensitivity, ellipsoid zone (EZ) width, and aqueous NAC were measured. Linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate the rates of changes during the treatment period.RESULTSThere were 9 drug-related gastrointestinal adverse events that resolved spontaneously or with dose reduction (maximum tolerated dose 1800 mg bid). During the 24-week treatment period, mean BCVA significantly improved at 0.4 (95% CI: 0.2-0.6, P < 0.001), 0.5 (95% CI: 0.3-0.7, P < 0.001), and 0.2 (95% CI: 0.02-0.4, P = 0.03) letters/month in cohorts 1, 2, and 3, respectively. There was no significant improvement in mean sensitivity over time in cohorts 1 and 2, but there was in cohort 3 (0.15 dB/month, 95% CI: 0.04-0.26). There was no significant change in mean EZ width in any cohort.CONCLUSIONOral NAC is safe and well tolerated in patients with moderately advanced RP and may improve suboptimally functioning macular cones. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial is needed to determine if oral NAC can provide long-term stabilization and/or improvement in visual function in patients with RP.TRIAL REGISTRATIONNCT03063021.FUNDINGMr. and Mrs. Robert Wallace, Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Wallace, Rami and Eitan Armon, Marc Sumerlin, Cassandra Hanley, and Nacuity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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Timing of Peak Vision Gains in Patients with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treated with Ranibizumab.
Khurana, RN, Chang, L, Day, BM, Ghanekar, A, Stoilov, I
Ophthalmology. Retina. 2020;(8):760-766
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate whether time to peak best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was predictive of magnitude of BCVA changes at study end in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) who received ranibizumab and assess whether patient baseline characteristics and on-study events were predictive of time to peak BCVA. DESIGN Exploratory analysis of data from HARBOR (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT00891735). PARTICIPANTS Treatment-naïve patients 50 years of age or older with subfoveal nAMD. METHODS Data by ranibizumab dose were pooled; data by dosing schedule (pro re nata [PRN] and monthly) were evaluated separately. Time to peak BCVA was the monthly evaluation at which the patient's greatest gain in Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters from baseline was achieved. Early peakers achieved peak BCVA between day 7 and month 6; late peakers achieved peak BCVA between months 7 and 12, months 13 and 18, and months 19 and 24. Variables evaluated for effect of time to peak BCVA included baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, presence of persistent subretinal fluid (SRF) or intraretinal fluid (IRF), and on-study events (atrophy status, fibrosis, retinal pigment epithelium tears). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Time to peak BCVA and its predictive value for magnitude of BCVA changes and BCVA at month 24 (study end). RESULTS Most patients reached peak BCVA after more than 6 months of treatment: 64% in the PRN group (301/474) and 70% in the monthly groups (327/469). Thirty-six percent and 30% of patients, respectively, peaked early, and 64% and 70%, respectively, peaked late. At month 24, early peakers on average lost vision (PRN, -1.6 ETDRS letters; monthly, -1.9 ETDRS letters). By contrast, late peakers achieved significantly better vision gains from baseline (PRN, 8.5-17.7 ETDRS letters; monthly, 10.1-18.7 ETDRS letters). No differences were found in patient characteristics, persistent SRF or IRF, or on-study events to account for the observed different outcomes between early and late peakers. CONCLUSIONS In most treatment-naïve patients with nAMD, vision gains were achieved at a slower rate (>6 months), and a slower response was associated with better vision outcomes after 24 months of ranibizumab. These findings suggest that continued treatment may result in greater vision improvements when consistent anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy is maintained over a longer period.
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Impact of baseline Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale scores on visual outcomes in the VIVID-DME and VISTA-DME studies.
Staurenghi, G, Feltgen, N, Arnold, JJ, Katz, TA, Metzig, C, Lu, C, Holz, FG, ,
The British journal of ophthalmology. 2018;(7):954-958
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BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate intravitreal aflibercept versus laser in subgroups of patients with baseline Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale (DRSS) scores ≤43, 47, and ≥53 in VIVID-DME and VISTA-DME. METHODS Patients with diabetic macular oedema were randomised to receive intravitreal aflibercept 2 mg every 4 weeks (2q4), intravitreal aflibercept 2 mg every 8 weeks after five initial monthly doses (2q8), or macular laser photocoagulation at baseline with sham injections at every visit. These post hoc analyses evaluate outcomes based on baseline DRSS scores in patients in the integrated dataset. The 2q4 and 2q8 treatment groups were also pooled. RESULTS 748 patients had a baseline DRSS score based on fundus photographs (≤43, n=301; 47, n=153; ≥53, n=294). At week 100, the least squares mean difference between treatment groups (effect of intravitreal aflibercept above that of laser, adjusting for baseline best-corrected visual acuity) was 8.9 (95% CI 5.99 to 11.81), 9.7 (95% CI 5.54 to 13.91), and 11.0 (95% CI 7.96 to 14.1) letters in those with baseline DRSS scores ≤43, 47, and ≥53, respectively. The proportions of patients with ≥2 step DRSS score improvement were greater in the intravitreal aflibercept group versus laser, respectively, for those with baseline DRSS scores of ≤43 (13% vs 5.9%), 47 (25.8% vs 4.5%), and ≥53 (64.5% vs 28.4%). CONCLUSIONS Regardless of baseline DRSS score, functional outcomes were superior in intravitreal aflibercept-treated patients, demonstrating consistent treatment benefit across various baseline levels of retinopathy. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS NCT01331681 and NCT01363440, Post-results.
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Visual and Anatomic Outcomes in Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema with Limited Initial Anatomic Response to Ranibizumab in RIDE and RISE.
Pieramici, DJ, Wang, PW, Ding, B, Gune, S
Ophthalmology. 2016;(6):1345-50
Abstract
PURPOSE To explore the visual acuity and anatomic outcomes over 24 months of patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) who showed a delayed anatomic response after 3 ranibizumab injections in the RIDE and RISE trials. DESIGN Analysis of data from RIDE and RISE, 2 phase III, parallel, randomized, multicenter, double-masked trials (ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers, NCT00473382 and NCT00473330). PARTICIPANTS Patients with DME (n = 681) who received monthly intravitreal ranibizumab 0.3-mg injections, ranibizumab 0.5-mg injections, or sham injections. METHODS Patients were separated into 3 groups: delayed responders (ranibizumab-treated patients with ≤10% central foveal thickness [CFT] reduction after 3 injections), immediate responders (ranibizumab-treated patients with >10% CFT reduction after 3 injections), and sham recipients. Central foveal thickness was measured by time-domain optical coherence tomography, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was measured by Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letter scores, and diabetic retinopathy (DR) was measured by the standardized ETDRS severity scale (using fundus photographs). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Month-24 CFT, BCVA, and DR severity levels. RESULTS In RIDE and RISE, 9% to 10% of ranibizumab-treated eyes were delayed responders. At month 24, delayed responders had less CFT reduction (median, -102 μm) from baseline compared with immediate responders (median, -274 μm; P < 0.0001). Delayed responders gained a median of 10 letters at 24 months, similar to immediate responders (14 letters; P = 0.15). At month 24, DR improvement among the delayed responders (31% and 22% of patients with ≥2- or ≥3-step DR improvement, respectively) was comparable with that among immediate responders (42% and 17%, respectively; P = 0.21 and P = 0.48, respectively). CONCLUSIONS With continued treatment, at month 24, patients with DME with delayed anatomic response (≤10% CFT reduction) after 3 ranibizumab injections had visual acuity gains and DR improvement similar to those of patients with DME who had immediate anatomic response.
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Effect of Ranibizumab on the Decision to Drive and Vision Function Relevant to Driving in Patients With Diabetic Macular Edema: Report From RESTORE, RIDE, and RISE Trials.
Bressler, NM, Varma, R, Mitchell, P, Suñer, IJ, Dolan, C, Ward, J, Ferreira, A, Ehrlich, JS, Turpcu, A
JAMA ophthalmology. 2016;(2):160-6
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The potential effect of treatments for diabetic macular edema (DME) on driving should be of value to patients and clinicians, such as ophthalmologists and other physicians, who treat patients with diabetes mellitus. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of ranibizumab on driving and patient-reported vision function relevant to driving among patients with DME. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This exploratory post hoc analysis was conducted between October 1, 2011, and July 25, 2015, based on deidentified data from phase 3, multicenter, randomized clinical trials (RIDE, RISE, and RESTORE trials). Individuals assigned randomly to monthly sham, 0.3-mg ranibizumab, or 0.5-mg ranibizumab in RIDE and RISE or to macular laser, macular laser plus 0.5-mg ranibizumab (3-monthly doses, then as needed), or 0.5-mg (3-monthly doses, then as needed) in RESTORE. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Driving items from the National Eye Institute (NEI) Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25) at baseline through 24 months in RIDE/RISE (pooled) and through 12 months in RESTORE. RESULTS A total of 71.2% of 753 patients in RIDE/RISE and 50.4% of 345 patients in RESTORE reported driving at baseline; at least 55% reported still driving at follow-up. Among those not driving at baseline in RIDE/RISE, at 12 months, 7.0% (95% CI, -5.0 to 19.0) more in the 0.3-mg group and 14.4% (95% CI, 1.1 to 27.7) more in the 0.5-mg group vs the sham group reported driving. Among those not driving at baseline in RESTORE, at 12 months, 4.2% (95% CI, -7.7 to 16.1) more in the laser plus 0.5-mg group and 0.9% (95% CI, -10.3 to 12.1) more in the 0.5-mg group vs the laser group reported driving. Although balanced at baseline across treatment groups for RESTORE and RIDE/RISE, the proportion of patients with best-corrected visual acuity typically required for an unrestricted license (20/40 or better in at least 1 eye) appeared greater at month 12 in the ranibizumab groups (77 of 80 [96.3%] for 0.5 mg + laser and 91 of 93 [97.8%] for 0.5 mg) vs laser (71 of 79 [89.9%]) in RESTORE, and at months 12 (112 of 123 [91.1%] and 136 of 137 [99.3%] in 0.3- and 0.5-mg groups, respectively) and 24 (113 of 123 [91.9%] and 135 of 137 [98.5%] in the 0.3- and 0.5-mg groups, respectively) vs sham (121 of 147 [82.3%] and 122 of 147 [83.0%]) in RIDE/RISE. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These results suggest that 12 months after initiating ranibizumab for vision impairment from center-involved DME, patients not driving at initiation of treatment are more likely to report driving and have driving-eligible visual acuity of 20/40 or better in the better-seeing eye than those treated with sham or laser. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: RESTORE NCT00687804; RIDE NCT00473382; and RISE NCT00473330.
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Macular atrophy progression and 7-year vision outcomes in subjects from the ANCHOR, MARINA, and HORIZON studies: the SEVEN-UP study.
Bhisitkul, RB, Mendes, TS, Rofagha, S, Enanoria, W, Boyer, DS, Sadda, SR, Zhang, K
American journal of ophthalmology. 2015;(5):915-24.e2
Abstract
PURPOSE To assess the incidence and progression of macular atrophy and other key anatomic outcomes over 7 to 8 years in an early cohort of ranibizumab-treated exudative age-related macular degeneration patients. DESIGN Follow-up analysis of long-term outcomes in a multicenter treatment cohort. METHODS Fourteen study sites enrolled 65 previous subjects from the ranibizumab treatment arms of the ANCHOR, MARINA, and HORIZON trials. In a single update visit, clinical assessment and retinal imaging studies were performed, with comparison with each subject's prior results from the previous trials. Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study visual acuity was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes, including area of macular atrophy and selected anatomic factors, were analyzed for associations with long-term vision outcomes. RESULTS At a mean 7.3 years after ANCHOR or MARINA enrollment, mean visual acuity was 54 letters, study eyes having received a mean 1.6 injections per year since the HORIZON study. Macular atrophy was present in 98% of study eyes, the mean area increasing from 0.83 ± 0.96 mm(2) at the ANCHOR or MARINA year 2 exit to 2.22 ± 1.6 mm(2) at the SEVEN-UP visit, a growth rate of 0.28 mm(2)/year. Progression of macular atrophy was associated significantly with visual decline over this 5-year period (P < .001), and final macular atrophy lesion size was related significantly to final vision (P < .001). Other key anatomic outcomes (macular thickening, thinning, or fluid and submacular fibrosis) did not have significant effects on vision outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Seven years after initiation of intensive ranibizumab therapy for exudative age-related macular degeneration, macular atrophy progression and severity were the primary anatomic determinants of visual outcomes.