Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35050307›Full record

ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2022

Autofluorescent Organelles Within the Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Human Donor Eyes With and Without Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Katharina Bermond, Leon von der Emde, Ioana-Sandra Tarau, Leonie Bourauel, Rainer Heintzmann, Frank G Holz, Christine A Curcio, Kenneth R Sloan, Thomas Ach

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Lack of Pnpla2 Accelerates Progression of AMD-Like Features in Mice.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Multispectral label-freeJournal of biomedical optics · 2024
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Age-Related Macular Degeneration, a Mathematically Tractable Disease.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2024
    Review
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Katharina BermondDepartment of Ophthalmology, Ludwigshafen Hospital, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Leon von der EmdeDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Ioana-Sandra TarauDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Leonie BourauelDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Rainer HeintzmannLeibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany.
Frank G HolzDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Christine A CurcioDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, AL, United States.
Kenneth R SloanDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, AL, United States.
Thomas AchDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
University Hospital Bonn · DEUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham · USFriedrich Schiller University Jena · DEKlinikum Ludwigshafen · DEUniversitätsklinikum Würzburg · DE

Funding

Visual Phenotyping CoreP30EY003039 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI Paul Douglas Gamlin · 1985 to 2026
$16.9M
A hyperspectral approach to RPE fluorophores in AMDR01EY027948 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI ACH, THOMAS, CURCIO, CHRISTINE A · 2017 to 2025
$3.8M
QUANTITATIVE ANAYLSIS OF AGING RETINAR01EY006109 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI CURCIO, CHRISTINE A · 1986 to 2012
$3.5M
NEI NIH HHS P30 EY003039NEI NIH HHS R01 EY006109NEI NIH HHS R01 EY027948
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells contain lipofuscin, melanolipofuscin, and melanosome organelles that impact clinical autofluorescence (AF) imaging. Here, we quantified the effect of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) on granule count and histologic AF of RPE cell bodies. Methods: Seven AMD-affected human RPE-Bruch's membrane flatmounts (early and intermediate = 3, late dry = 1, and neovascular = 3) were imaged at fovea, perifovea, and near periphery using structured illumination and confocal AF microscopy (excitation 488 nm) and compared to RPE-flatmounts with unremarkable macula (n = 7, >80 years). Subsequently, granules were marked with computer assistance, and classified by their AF properties. The AF/cell was calculated from confocal images. The total number of granules and AF/cell was analyzed implementing a mixed effect analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: A total of 152 AMD-affected RPE cells were analyzed (fovea = 22, perifovea = 60, and near-periphery = 70). AMD-affected RPE cells showed increased variability in size and a significantly increased granule load independent of the retinal location (fovea: P = 0.02, perifovea: P = 0.04, and near periphery: P < 0.01). The lipofuscin fraction of total organelles decreased and the melanolipofuscin fraction increased in AMD, at all locations (especially the fovea). AF was significantly lower in AMD-affected cells (fovea: <0.01, perifovea: <0.01, and near periphery: 0.02). Conclusions: In AMD RPE, lipofuscin was proportionately lowest in the fovea, a location also known to be affected by accumulation of soft drusen and preservation of cone-mediated visual acuity. Enlarged RPE cell bodies displayed increased net granule count but diminished total AF. Future studies should also assess the impact on AF imaging of RPE apical processes containing melanosomes.

Indexed as

Tissue DonorsAged, 80 and overBruch MembraneFemaleFovea CentralisHumansMacular DegenerationMaleMicroscopy, ConfocalOptical ImagingOrganellesRetinal Pigment EpitheliumVisual Acuity

Identifiers

PMID35050307
PMCPMC8787573
OpenAlexW4205801760

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.