Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39968694›Full record

ArticleJournal of diabetes2025

Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Outperforms Brain Atrophy as an Imaging Biomarker in Diabetic Retinopathy.

Xinyi Shen, Wen Zhang, Xin Li, Xin Zhang, Qian Li, Min Wu, Linqing Fu, Jiaming Lu, Zhengyang Zhu, Bing Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of diabetes, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

10 authors.

Xinyi ShenDepartment of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Wen ZhangDepartment of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Xin LiDepartment of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Xin ZhangDepartment of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7592-1195
Qian LiDepartment of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Min WuDepartment of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.
Linqing FuDepartment of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Jiaming LuDepartment of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Zhengyang ZhuDepartment of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Bing ZhangDepartment of Radiology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3953-0290

Funding

Clinical Trials from the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University 2022-LCYJ-MS-03Clinical Trials from the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University 2022-LCYJ-PY-15Jiangsu Funding Program for Excellent Postdoctoral Talent 2022ZB694National Natural Science Foundation of China 82302172National Science and Technology Innovation 2030 2022ZD0211800
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimThis study aimed to examine microvascular lesions and neurodegenerative changes in diabetic retinopathy (DR) compared to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) without DR (NDR) using structural MRI and to explore their associations with DR.

methods243 patients with NDR and 122 patients with DR were included. Participants underwent conventional brain MRI scans, clinical measurements, and fundus examinations. Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) imaging parameters were obtained using AI-based software, manually verified, and corrected for accuracy. Volumes of major cortical and subcortical regions representing neurodegeneration were assessed using automated brain segmentation and quantitative techniques. Statistical analysis included T-test, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, multivariate analysis of variance (MANCOVA), multivariate logistic regression, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and Delong test.

resultsDR group exhibited significant differences in 11 CSVD features. Meanwhile, DR showed an atrophy trend in the frontal cortex, occipital cortex, and subcortical gray matter (GM) compared to NDR. After adjustment, DR patients exhibited greater perivascular spaces (PVS) numbers in the parietal lobe (OR = 1.394) and deep brain regions (OR = 1.066), greater dilated perivascular spaces (DPVS) numbers in the left basal ganglia (OR = 2.006), greater small subcortical infarcts (SSI) numbers in the right hemisphere (OR = 3.104), and decreased left frontal PVS (OR = 0.824), total left DPVS (OR = 0.714), and frontal cortex volume (OR = 0.959) compared to NDR. Further, the CSVD model showed a larger AUC (0.823, 95% CI: 0.781-0.866) than the brain atrophy model (AUC = 0.757, 95% CI: 0.706-0.808).

conclusionMicrovascular and neurodegeneration are significantly associated with DR. CSVD is a better imaging biomarker for DR than brain atrophy.

Indexed as

BrainCerebral Small Vessel DiseasesDiabetes Mellitus, Type 2Diabetic RetinopathyMagnetic Resonance ImagingAgedAtrophyBiomarkersFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedBiomarkersbrain atrophycerebral small vessel diseasediabetic retinopathyneurodegenerationtype 2 diabetes mellitus

Identifiers

PMID39968694
PMCPMC11836613

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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.