Systemic Characteristics Research Articles

Detection of Retinal Microvascular Changes with Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Patients with Acute Leukemia Without Retinopathy.

Acute leukemia often affects microcirculation perfusion. This study aimed to investigate retinal microvascular changes in patients with acute leukemia without retinopathy during clinical remission using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to determine the correlation of these changes with systemic laboratory values. Thirty-eight patients in remission from acute leukemia with no retinopathy (NLR group) and 36 age-matched healthy individuals (control group) were included in this cross-sectional study. OCTA parameters, including the central foveal thickness (CFT), foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, FAZ perimeter, acircularity index (AI), foveal density (FD300), and the vessel densities (VDs) of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and choriocapillaris were analyzed in a 6 × 6 mm2 macular scan. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify potential systemic characteristics associated with these OCTA metrics. AI (P = 0.034) and FD300 (P < 0.001) differed significantly between the NLR and control groups. The VD of SCP in the parafovea (P = 0.001) and of DCP in both the parafovea (P = 0.011) and perifovea (P = 0.001) were significantly lower in the NLR group than in the control group. In a multiple linear regression analysis, the reduced VD of the perifoveal DCP was significantly correlated with the increased international normalized ratio (standardized beta [STD β] = - 0.356; P = 0.047). Macular microvascular changes can be observed during remission from acute leukemia antecedent to clinically visible retinal lesions. Hematological disturbances may be associated with microvascular impairments in preclinical leukemic retinopathy.

Application of the Innovative System for е-Health Care and Prevention by the Evaluation and Analysis of ECG Signals

The study presents a developed and implemented innovative system for electronic health care and prevention, using a complex assessment of momentary disturbances in the electrocardiographic signals, and through reasonable modeling and quantitative digital analyzes to diagnose people after physical, emotional or rehabilitation stress. The priorities of e-health and its main structures are discussed, as well as an analysis of the systemic characteristics of e-health and services. Adapted methods for the evaluation of electrocardiographic signals are proposed, which are statistically studied and applicable in practice for prevention. The developed innovative system for electronic health care and prevention through the analysis of electrocardiographic signals provides quantitative and qualitative assessments of the current state of the heart system in prevention for the purpose of health safety during exercise and training. The electronic health system has been implemented at the University of Ruse in the training of midwives, nurses and electronics engineers.

Aged AβPPswe/PS1ΔE9 mice as a useful animal model for studying the link between immunological senescence and diseases

The APPswe/PS1ΔE9 mouse is a double transgenic murine model that harbors two transgenes for Alzheimer's Disease (AD)-related mutant proteins. We previously discovered that this double transgenic animal had a premature immunosenescence phenotype. However, it is unclear how this phenotype progresses to a later stage. This study aimed to elucidate the changes in systemic characteristics aside from those associated with AD between elderly APPswe/PS1ΔE9 mice and littermate control wild-type mice. Tumors in all organs were considerably more frequent in AD mice aged 24 months than in the control wild-type mice. In addition, the survival rate of aged AD mice was considerably lower than that of wild-type control mice. Further, we discovered that the phenotypic difference was mainly caused by severe immunological aging, as evidenced by a high proportion of exhausted T lymphocytes in AD mice compared to wild-type mice of the same age. Based on our findings, the harm produced by normal aging is not as severe as immunological senescence. Addressing immunological aging, as opposed to anti-aging alone, may be a more crucial target for a long life free of cancer.

Detecting potential cooperative network for tourist attractions in a destination using search data.

This study addresses the critical need for regional tourism integration and sustainable development by identifying cooperation opportunities among tourist attractions within a region. We introduce a novel methodology that combines association rule mining with complex network analysis and utilizes search index data as a dynamic and contemporary data source to reveal cooperative patterns among tourist attractions. Our approach delineates a potential cooperative network within the destination ecosystem, categorizing tourist attractions into three distinct communities: core, intermediary, and periphery. These communities correspond to high, medium, and low tourist demand scales, respectively. The study uncovers a self-organizing network structure, driven by congruences in internal tourist demand and variances in external tourist experiences. Functionally, there is a directed continuum of cooperation prospects among these communities. The core community, characterized by significant tourist demand, acts as a catalyst, boosting demand for other attractions. The intermediary community, central in the network, links the core and periphery, enhancing cooperative ties and influence. Peripheral attractions, representing latent growth areas within the destination matrix, benefit from associations with the core and intermediary communities. Our findings provide vital insights into the dynamics, systemic characteristics, and fundamental mechanisms of potential cooperation networks among tourist attractions. They enable tourism management organizations to employ our analytical framework for real-time monitoring of tourism demand and flow trends. Additionally, the study guides the macro-control of tourism flows based on the tourism network, thereby improving the tourist experience and promoting coordinated development among inter-regional tourist attractions.

The Effect of Systemic Parameters and Baseline Characteristics in Short-Term Response Analysis with Intravitreal Ranibizumab in Treatment-Naive Patients with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs keep being the main therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Possible predictive parameters (demographic, biochemical and/or inflammatory) could anticipate short-term treatment response with ranibizumab. 46 treatment-naive patients were included in a prospective observational study. They underwent three monthly injections of intravitreal ranibizumab for neovascular AMD and the clinical examination was made at baseline and one month after the third injection. Demographic characteristics, co-morbidities and concomitant treatments were recorded at the baseline visit. Biochemical parameters, complete blood count and inflammation biomarkers were also measured at these times. Uric Acid was found to be statistically significant with a one-point difference between good and poor responders in both basal and treated patients, but only in basal parameters was statistical significance reached (p = 0.007 vs. p = 0.071 in treated patients). Cholesterol and inflammatory parameters such as white blood cell count and neutrophils were significantly reduced over time when treated with intravitreal ranibizumab. On the other hand, women seemed to have a worse prognosis for short-term response to intravitreal ranibizumab treatment. Uric acid may help identify possible non-responders before initial treatment with ranibizumab, and cholesterol and white blood cells could be good candidates to monitor short-term response to ranibizumab treatment.

The startling effect of the word race: a glance at racism in Turkey through the eyes of young men who support gender equality

ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the widely ignored racism and racialization in Turkey through the eyes of young men who self-identify as feminist, pro-feminist, or gender-egalitarian. It draws on in-depth interviews with 39 cisgender university students and graduates, aged between 18 and 24, from the ethnoreligious majority (Sunni Muslim Turkish) and minority (Kurdish, Alevi, and Alawite) families. It examines how young men who support gender equality frame, experience, and perpetuate racism. Informed by critical race theory, I argue that rejecting race as a meaningful category and failing to acknowledge racism's systemic characteristics helps the participants from the majority trivialize or justify their racist attitudes. The startling effect of the word race also influences minority participants, hindering them from reflecting on racialization and racism experiences.

A study of the relationship between cytokine levels and the response to anti-VEGF therapy in polypoid choroidal vasculopathy with different choroidal thicknesses.

Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) is an irreversible retinal choroidal disease. Individuals with PCV exhibit diverse baseline characteristics, including systemic characteristics, ocular traits, metabolic factor levels, and different responses to intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy. This study aims to investigate the pathogenesis of PCV by analyzing the systemic characteristics, ocular traits, and cytokine levels at baseline within a cohort of patients who exhibit different responses to anti-VEGF treatment. We conducted a retrospective analysis involving 80 eyes diagnosed with PCV. Patients were categorized into two groups based on responses to suboptimal intravitreal ranibizumab injection therapy: those with suboptimal responses and optimal responses. Aqueous humor samples were collected from the experimental eyes, and cytokine expression levels were assessed using cytometric bead array analysis. All subjects were further stratified into two groups according to the median choroidal thickness. Subsequently, logistic regression analysis and the ROC curve were employed to examine the relationship between cytokine expression levels, choroidal thickness, and anti-VEGF response. The results revealed that compared to the group of optimal anti-VEGF response, the choroid in the suboptimal response group exhibited a significantly greater thickness. Additionally, compared to the suboptimal anti-VEGF response group, the expression levels of VEGF and VCAM-1 were markedly lower observed in the optimal anti-VEGF response group, while TNF-α showed the opposite trend. Logistic regression analysis indicated that VEGF, VCAM-1, and TNF-α in the aqueous humor were independent risk factors for a suboptimal anti-VEGF response. After adjusting other risk factors, the risk of suboptimal anti-VEGF response decreased to 0.998-fold, 0.997-fold, and 1.294-fold. The AUC values for VEGF, VCAM-1, and TNF-α were determined to be 0.805, 0.846, and 0.897, respectively. Furthermore, the risk of VEGF, VCAM-1, and TNF-α were significantly associated with an increased risk of suboptimal anti-VEGF response after correction for risk factors in the thick choroid group. Our study demonstrated that PCV exhibits systemic and ocular characteristics variations based on different anti-VEGF responses. The levels of cytokines in aqueous humor were found to have a significant correlation with the anti-VEGF response in PCV. VEGF, VCAM-1, and TNF-α are potential targets for assessing treatment response in thick choroidal PCV.

Analysing expert advice on political decisions in times of crisis

This article analyses the relationship between expert knowledge and political decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark, Greece and the United States. Due to the swift spread of the COVID-19 virus across the globe, the management of the pandemic required urgent government responses. Our empirical findings enabled us to identify a new typology of different types of advice, from naked power to technocracy, including in-between modes of networking and interactions. We also demonstrate how systemic and governance characteristics affect expert-politics responses in the three countries. The findings demonstrate similar responses in Greece and Denmark, by contrast with the United States. We conclude by proposing a new research agenda for expert-politician relations during crises, which focuses on the role of experts in public sensemaking, which is particularly important in an era of recurring and overlapping crises.

Everything you always wanted to know about systemic sclerosis but were afraid to ask: Part 5. Treatment of patients with systemic sclerosis characteristics and treatment recommendations for interstitial lung disease, cardiac involvement, pulmonary arterial hypertension, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and renal involvement

Everything you always wanted to know about systemic sclerosis but were afraid to ask: Part 5. Treatment of patients with systemic sclerosis characteristics and treatment recommendations for interstitial lung disease, cardiac involvement, pulmonary arterial hypertension, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and renal involvement

Towards a shared re-signification of space: the ethics of care in feminist commoning

By adopting a conception of care that transcends the reproductive and domestic dimensions to invest the public and political ones, the article aims to highlight the relevance of care practices in feminist commoning experiences, in order to demonstrate how they can represent an alternative way of inhabiting public and private space, subverting the capitalist system that increasingly erodes the right to the city. After a critical discussion of the systemic characteristics that define contemporary cities - dominated by visions and logics that increase the complexity of sharing spaces and accessing primary resources - the experiences of commoning are presented. These experiences, conceived as the territorialisation of care practices, allow us to imagine strategies to respond to the current crisis also through the creation of threshold places, in which the private and public dimensions are hybridised. In this context, the experiences of Lucha y Siesta and Plaza Las Pioneras, located in a transformative horizon that appeals to the need and not the demand for space, are taken as models for re-inhabiting the city in alternative ways, based on social and economic equity, as well as interdependence and networking.

Factors Determining the State Behavior of Saudi Arabia as a Regional Power

Classical approaches cannot produce conclusions that can be generalized in order to analyze the state behavior of regional power countries such as Saudi Arabia and to understand the real reason behind the alliance relations. The reasons that determine the position of regional powers in the system and originate from their local positions confront them with internal threats rather than external threats. In this case, internal threats take precedence over external threats. Since most of these countries have monarchical state structure, competing allegiencies and rentier state economic features. Therefore, the security of the regime is more important than the security of the state and the people in these countries. This always causes an internal threat to the regime in Saudi Arabia. The local characteristics of regional powers necessitate them to deal with their internal threats before their external threats. Thus, a regional power like Saudi Arabia combats the threat, primarily by allying with the foreign power interrelated with its internal threat or by improving relations, it balances and sometimes suppresses the internal threat with an external threat and then it can focus on the real threat. To explain this form of balancing, the “omni-balancing” strategy has been used and the systemic and local characteristics of Saudi Arabia has been emphasized.

Limited Response of Curve Safety Level to Friction Factor and Superelevation Variation under Repeated Traffic Loads

Although road horizontal curves are high-risk sections for accidents, current road safety assessments often neglect the dynamic evolution of superelevation and the friction factor. The connotation for road safety level was clarified by examining the significance of road factors in traffic safety through the systemic characteristics of roads. Among these characteristics, curve safety level is determined by the ratio of the supply and demand of the lateral friction factor. On the basis of international standards and specifications, this study clarified the design supply and demand of friction factors for curve by considering the distribution of tangential and lateral friction factors. Expanding on the steady-state bicycle model while accounting for road geometric parameters and vehicle operation characteristics, the lateral friction factor demanded for vehicles was quantified. Meanwhile, the characteristics of the friction factor supplied and the superelevation variation were analyzed by using the road service life as a variable, along with their influence on the actual supply of the friction factor and the curve safety level. The results of the analysis indicate a rapid decrease in curve safety level during the first two years of road utilization, followed by a slower declining trend, with a significant 27% reduction in curve safety level by the end of the second year. Furthermore, the decline in the curve safety level is mainly attributed to variations in the road surface friction factor, whereas the influence of superelevation variation on the curve safety level is restricted. In the absence of maintenance interventions, the curve safety level will decrease by over 30% after three years of operation. Controlling operational speed is one of the effective measures for ensuring traffic safety. Meanwhile, the impact of the friction factor and the superelevation variation on the curve safety level accumulates over time, thus causing drivers to have difficulty perceiving these alterations. Therefore, dynamic safety evaluations that account for the fluctuation in the friction factor and superelevation induced by repetitive vehicle loading must be undertaken.

White matter-based brain network topological properties associated with individual impulsivity

Delay discounting (DD), a parameter derived from the intertemporal choice task, is a representative behavioral indicator of choice impulsivity. Previous research reported not only an association between DD and impulsive control disorders and negative health outcomes but also the neural correlates of DD. However, to date, there are few studies investigating the structural brain network topologies associated with individual differences in DD and whether self-reported measures (BIS-11) of impulsivity associated with DD share the same or distinct neural mechanisms is still unclear. To address these issues, here, we combined graph theoretical analysis with diffusion tensor imaging to investigate the associations between DD and the topological properties of the structural connectivity network and BIS-11 scores. Results revealed that people with a steep DD (greater impatience) had decreased small-worldness (a shift toward weaker small-worldnization) and increased degree centrality in the medial superior prefrontal cortex, associated with subjective value in the task. Though DD was associated with the BIS-11 motor impulsiveness subscale, this subscale was linked to topological properties different from DD; that is, high motor impulsiveness was associated with decreased local efficiency (less segregation) and decreased degree centrality in the precentral gyrus, involved in motor control. These findings provide insights into the systemic brain characteristics underlying individual differences in impulsivity and potential neural markers which could predict susceptibility to impulsive behaviors.

Systemic and structural characteristics of the methods of protection when appealing decisions of subjects of authority in administrative proceedings

The article, from the standpoint of a systemic approach, characterizes the methods of protection when challenging the decisions of subjects of authority in the administrative court of Ukraine. Approaches to classification have been studied. A classification of the methods of protection in case of appeal against the decisions of subjects of power in the administrative court of Ukraine is proposed. The article states that the study of methods of judicial protection when challenging the decisions of subjects of authority from the standpoint of a systemic approach will allow to reveal the entire system of methods of judicial protection of the rights and interests of persons in the field of public-legal relations, to investigate their differentiation according to various criteria, to highlight the interrelationships , as well as find out the content, structure and place in this system of methods of protection when challenging the decisions of subjects of power. It is noted that due attention was not paid to the implementation of the appropriate classification of methods of judicial protection in the science of administrative law. In the article, methods of judicial protection of the rights, freedoms and interests of individuals are divided into general, additional and special methods of protection. According to their target orientation, they are divided into those, the use of which: allows to confirm the right; allows to protect the right; stop violation of right or interest; allows to restore the violated right or interest, and (or) to compensate for the costs associated with their violation. According to the entities authorized to implement them, the methods of protection are divided into universal and other, which are used by the subject of power to protect the rights and interests of the state, society, and an undefined circle of persons in the field of public-legal relations. According to the consequences, the methods of protection are divided into repressive, restorative and compensatory.

Параметризация технологии снижения ущерба от переизмельчения руды при подземной разработке месторождений

In numerous cases, underground mining is characterized with decreasing reserve recovery rates and falling efficiency of the mining technology due to undue pulverization of ores during their extraction. Consequently, justification of technologies to reduce losses from undue pulverization of ores is a topical scientific and engineering task. Based on the use of a systematic approach and the modular principle of designing mining systems, it is proposed to separate such technologies into a geotechnological module within the framework of the ore stoping subsystem. Systemic characteristics of the main source of losses, the place of its formation and the technological methods to counteract it are determined to increase the objectivity in justification of such technologies at the stage of designing the mining technical system. Parameterization of the geotechnological module was carried out, which made it possible to structure the relationship of the technology for reducing losses from undue pulverization of ores with adjacent modules of the ore stoping subsystem, mining-geological, mining-technical, economic, natural-climatic and other conditions of the developed subsurface site.

Emamectin-sodium alginate nano-formulation based on charge attraction with highly improved systemic translocation and photolysis resistance

Nano pesticides offer an effective means of improving the bioavailability of pesticide due to their excellent solubility and wettability, superior foliar adhesion, and permeability to target insects. By using high-speed homogenization and ultrasonic dispersion technology, an emamectin-sodium alginate nano-formulation (EB@SA) with a particle size ranging from 30 to 50 nm was successfully fabricated using electrostatic self-assembly. The microscopic morphology and structure of EB@SA were further analyzed through transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, infrared spectroscopy, and 1H NMR. The photolysis resistance behavior of EB@SA demonstrated an improved anti-photolysis ability more than double that of conventional formulations while also exhibiting good sustained-release properties. Not only does EB@SA maintain the inherent insecticidal toxicity of emamectin benzoate (EB), but it also significantly prolongs its insecticidal duration. At a concentration of 20 mg/L, the lethality rate against Armyworms remains above 70 % over a period of 16 days compared to <50 % for general emamectin emulsifiable concentrate. Furthermore, EB@SA greatly enhances the systemic translocation of EB in corn plants by exhibiting favorable bidirectional systemic translocation characteristics. This research presents an efficient and environmentally friendly pesticide nano-formulation that can be effectively utilized for field pest control.

Abstract 14516: Combined Platelet Morphology and Clinicoradiological Features to Predict Type II Endoleaks Following Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Surgery

Introduction: Persistent endoleak and associated endotension following endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) can compromise successful repair and lead to continued sac expansion and eventual life-threatening rupture event. Hypothesis: A risk-stratification algorithm of the inherent anatomical and systemic cellular characteristics of patients might predict the incidence of type II endoleaks on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients undergoing EVAR or fenestrated endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (FEVAR) procedures. Methods: Single-center retrospective study includes 146 AAA patients undergoing primary elective EVAR and FEVAR procedures between September 2013 and July 2021. A review of institutional medical records was conducted for the analysis. Patients who or who did not developed a type II endoleaks were included in this study. Results: Mean platelet volume (MPV) was significantly increased in patients with type II endoleaks and was associated with lower endoleak-free survival. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that MPV demonstrated satisfactory predictive performance in distinguishing patients who developed type II endoleaks, yielding an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.64. A risk-stratification panel consisting of postoperative MPV, history of type II diabetes, and number of preoperative patent lumbar arteries achieved an AUC value of 0.72 and predicted endoleak-free survival rate with HR of 4.88. We built an easy-to-use nomogram for predicting the risk of postoperative type II endoleak and revealed that MPV had the highest scoring weight of any variable in our model. Conclusions: We refined the anatomical and systemic traits in the blood that identified MPV as a significant predictor for type II endoleaks, which might facilitate post-surgical monitoring using complete blood count (CBC) as a supplement to imaging practice.

Ocular and Systemic Risk Factors for Disease Worsening Among Patients with NPDR: Post Hoc Analysis of the PANORAMA Trial

PurposeIdentify baseline systemic and ocular characteristics associated with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) worsening, and the impact of intravitreal aflibercept injection (IAI) on these associations. DesignPost hoc analysis of PANORAMA. ParticipantsPatients with moderately severe to severe NPDR enrolled in the prospective PANORAMA phase 3 trial. MethodsAssociations between baseline systemic and ocular factors with events indicative of NPDR worsening at Week 100 were evaluated by multivariable analysis in sham-treated eyes. NPDR worsening was defined as development of (1) vision-threatening complications (VTCs; comprising PDR and/or anterior segment neovascularization), (2) center-involved diabetic macular edema (CI-DME), or (3) ≥ 2-step Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale (DRSS) worsening. Impact of IAI on identified baseline factors was evaluated using univariable analysis in combined IAI groups. Main Outcomes MeasuresBaseline systemic and ocular factors associated with events indicative of NPDR worsening at Week 100. The cumulative incidence and risk of developing such events at Week 100 among sham versus IAI-treated eyes. ResultsUsing multivariable analyses among sham-treated eyes, 5 baseline factors associated with increased risk of NPDR worsening were identified: fluorescein leakage, retinal nonperfusion area, thicker central subfield thickness, eosinophil level, and proteinuria. Considering baseline fluorescein leakage area as a prognostic indicator in detail, the risk of developing VTCs alone, VTCs and/or CI-DME, or ≥ 2-step DRSS worsening increased with increasing fluorescein leakage area in the sham group (all P < 0.05). Considering baseline retinal nonperfusion area as a prognostic indicator in detail, the risk of developing VTCs alone, CI-DME alone, or VTCs and/or CI-DME increased with increasing baseline retinal nonperfusion area in the sham group (all P < 0.05). In contrast, among IAI-treated eyes, increasing baseline fluorescein leakage or retinal nonperfusion areas did not increase the risks of NPDR worsening. ConclusionsWithin the PANORAMA trial, increased areas of fluorescein leakage and retinal nonperfusion at baseline were identified as key ocular biomarkers associated with events indicative of NPDR worsening among sham-treated patients. IAI treatment appeared to mitigate the effect of these baseline risk factors and reduced the likelihood of NPDR worsening.

A new approach to quantify visceral fat via bioelectrical impedance analysis and ultrasound compared to MRI

BackgroundVisceral adipose tissue (VAT) has been linked to systemic proinflammatory characteristics, and measuring it accurately usually requires sophisticated instruments. This study aimed to estimate VAT applying a simpler method that uses total subcutaneous fat and total body fat (BF) measurements.MethodAs part of our experimental approach, the subcutaneous fat mass (SFT) was measured via US (SFTtotal), and VAT was quantified by assessing MRI data. Both parameters were added to obtain total body fat (BFcalc). Those results were then compared to values obtained from a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BFBIA). Multiple regression analyses were employed to develop a simplified sex-specific equation for SFT, which was subsequently used in conjunction with BFBIA to determine VAT (VATEq).ResultWe observed excellent reliability between BFBIA and BFcalc, with no significant difference in body fat values (20.98 ± 8.36 kg vs. 21.08 ± 8.81 kg, p = 0.798, ICC 0.948). VATEq_female/male revealed excellent reliability when compared to VATMRI, and no significant difference appeared (women: 0.03 ± 0.66 kg with a 95% CI ranging from −1.26 kg to 1.32 kg, p = 0.815, ICC: 0.955.; men: −0.01 ± 0.85 kg with a 95% CI ranging from −1.69 kg to 1.66 kg, p = 0.925, ICC: 0.952).ConclusionTaking an experimental approach, VAT can be determined without MRI.

Relationship between nailfold capillaroscopy parameters and the severity of diabetic retinopathy

PurposeTo determine whether non-invasive measurements of the nailfold capillaries (NCs) are associated with the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes.MethodsEighty-three eyes of 83 patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled. Sixty-three age-matched non-diabetic subjects served as controls. Diabetic patients were classified by the severity of their DR: non-DR (NDR), non-proliferative DR (NPDR), and proliferative DR (PDR). We used nailfold capillaroscopy to measure NC parameters, including number, length, width, and turbidity.ResultsFour NC parameters in the diabetic patients were significantly lower than in the controls (all P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant decrease in the NC parameters along with the increasing severity of DR (number: P = 0.02; all others: P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that combining the systemic characteristics of age, sex, systolic blood pressure, estimated glomerular filtration rate, hemoglobin A1c level, and history of hypertension and dyslipidemia could indicate the presence of DR and PDR (the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.81, P = 0.006; AUC = 0.87, P = 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, the discriminative power of DR was significantly improved (P = 0.03) by adding NC length to the systemic findings (AUC = 0.89, P < 0.001).ConclusionNC measurement is a simple and non-invasive way to assess the risk of DR and its severity.