Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37572202›Full record

ArticleBiogerontology2023

Retinal microvascular complexity as a putative biomarker of biological age: a pilot study.

Natasa Popovic, Maša Ždralević, Stela Vujosevic, Miroslav Radunović, Antoaneta Adžić Zečević, Isidora Rovčanin Dragović, Batrić Vukčević, Tomo Popovic, Ljiljana Radulović, Tijana Vuković and 3 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Biogerontology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 28% 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. 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

13 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Natasa PopovicFaculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro. npopovic@ucg.ac.me.ORCID 0000-0002-9769-1543
Maša ŽdralevićInstitute for Advanced Studies, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.ORCID 0000-0003-2236-7957
Stela VujosevicDepartment of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6773-9967
Miroslav RadunovićFaculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
Antoaneta Adžić ZečevićFaculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.ORCID 0000-0003-2225-0652
Isidora Rovčanin DragovićFaculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.ORCID 0000-0002-8782-4912
Batrić VukčevićClinical Center of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.ORCID 0000-0002-9905-8020
Tomo PopovicFaculty for Information Systems and Technologies, University of Donja Gorica, Podgorica, Montenegro.ORCID 0000-0001-5245-3691
Ljiljana RadulovićFaculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
Tijana VukovićClinical Center of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
Jevto ErakovićClinical Center of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
Ranko LazovićFaculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
Miodrag RadunovićFaculty of Medicine, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
University of Montenegro · MEUniversity of Donja Gorica · MEUniversity of Milan · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Physiological changes associated with aging increase the risk for the development of age-related diseases. This increase is non-specific to the type of age-related disease, although each disease develops through a unique pathophysiologic mechanism. People who age at a faster rate develop age-related diseases earlier in their life. They have an older "biological age" compared to their "chronological age". Early detection of individuals with accelerated aging would allow timely intervention to postpone the onset of age-related diseases. This would increase their life expectancy and their length of good quality life. The goal of this study was to investigate whether retinal microvascular complexity could be used as a biomarker of biological age. Retinal images of 68 participants ages ranging from 19 to 82 years were collected in an observational cross-sectional study. Twenty of the old participants had age-related diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and/or Alzheimer's dementia. The rest of the participants were healthy. Retinal images were captured by a hand-held, non-mydriatic fundus camera and quantification of the microvascular complexity was performed by using Sholl's, box-counting fractal, and lacunarity analysis. In the healthy subjects, increasing chronological age was associated with lower retinal microvascular complexity measured by Sholl's analysis. Decreased box-counting fractal dimension was present in old patients, and this decrease was 2.1 times faster in participants who had age-related diseases (p = 0.047). Retinal microvascular complexity could be a promising new biomarker of biological age. The data from this study is the first of this kind collected in Montenegro. It is freely available for use.

Indexed as

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Retinal VesselsAgingBiomarkersCross-Sectional StudiesHumansPilot ProjectsBiomarkersAge-related diseasesBiological ageChronological ageFractal dimensionRetinal microvascular complexitySholl’s analysis

Identifiers

PMID37572202
OpenAlexW4385782760

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.