Effects of endostatin on expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptors and neovascularization in colonic carcinoma implanted in nude mice

AIM:To investigate the antiangiogenic effects of endostatin on colonic carcinoma cell line implanted in nude mice and its mechanism. METHODS:Nude mice underwent subcutaneous injection with LS-174t colonic carcinoma cell line to generate carcinoma and were randomly separated into two groups.Mice received injection of vehicle or endostatin every day for two weeks. After the tumor was harvested,the tumor volumes were determined,and the expressions of CD34,VEGF and FIk-1 were examined by immunohistochemical method. RESULTS:Tumor volume was significantly inhibited in the endostatin group(84.17%)and tumor weight was significantly inhibited in the endostatin group(0.197±0.049) compared to the control group(1.198±0.105)(F=22.56, P=0.001),microvessel density(MVD)was significantly decreased in the treated group(31.857±3.515)compared to the control group(100.143±4.290)(F=151.62,P<0.001). Furthermore,the expression of FIk-1 was significantly inhibited in the treated group(34.29%) ompared to the control group(8.57%)(X^2=13.745,P=0.001).However no significant decrease was observed in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)between these two groups(X^2=0.119,P=0.730). CONCLUSION:Endostatin can inhibit tumor growth and angiogenesis by blocking Vegf/FIk-1 pathway.This experiment provides the theory basis for developing a new anti-carcinoma drug through studying the properties of anti-angiogenesis inhibitors.

Application of real-time shear wave elastography to Achilles tendon hardness evaluation in older adults

BACKGROUND Real-time shear wave elastography(SWE)is a non-invasive imaging technique used to measure tissue stiffness by generating and tracking shear waves in real time.This advanced ultrasound-based method provides quantitative information regarding tissue elasticity,offering valuable insights into the mechanical properties of biological tissues.However,the application of real-time SWE in the musculoskeletal system and sports medicine has not been extensively studied.AIM To explore the practical value of real-time SWE for assessing Achilles tendon hardness in older adults.METHODS A total of 60 participants were enrolled in the present study,and differences in the elastic moduli of the bilateral Achilles tendons were compared among the following categories:(1)Age:55-60,60-65,and 65-70-years-old;(2)Sex:Male and female;(3)Laterality:Left and right sides;(4)Tendon state:Relaxed and tense state;and(5)Tendon segment:Proximal,middle,and distal.RESULTS There were no significant differences in the elastic moduli of the bilateral Achilles tendons when comparing by age or sex(P>0.05).There were,however,significant differences when comparing by tendon side,state,or segment(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Real-time SWE plays a significant role compared to other examination methods in the evaluation of Achilles tendon hardness in older adults.

AN ANATOMICAL STUDY OF VASCULARIZED PLANTARIS TENDON GRAFT

Objective To find out a new vascularized donor tendon for grafting. Methods A detailed anatomical study olplantaris tendon and its vascular connection with the posterior tibial artery was carried out in 16 legs of 8 fresh adult cadavers, and histological examination of the vascular pattern was also performed. Results There exists a close vascular connection between the crural las cial - linked part of the plantaris tendon and the posterior tibial artery. The blood supply of the plantaris tendon is provided by 2~4 transfasctal branches of the posterior tibial artery in the lower- middle part of leg. Out of these branches, one or two anastomosable arteries (more than 1.0cm) together with veins constantly emerge 5~8cm from the insertion of the plantaris tendon. A strip of Achilles tendon can be a substitute in case of plantaris missing tendon. The histotwical observation demonstrates the reliable vascularity of the paratenon and crural fascial. Conclusion The plantaris tendon is a better option of donor vascularized tendon. A composite tendofascial flap with vascularized pedicle from the posterior tibial artery or its branches is supposed to be an advisable method for vascularized tendon gralt clinically. In the case of the plantaris missing, a strip of Achilles tendon should be the second choice.

Prognostic significance of S100A4 and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in pancreatic cancer

AIM: To investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and calcium-binding protein S100A4 in pancreatic cancer and their relationship to the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Expression status of VEGF and S100A4 was examined in 62 surgical specimens of primary pancreatic cancer by immunohistochemistry. Correlation between the expression of VEGF and S100A4 and clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-eight of 62 (61.3%) specimens of primary pancreatic cancer were positive for S100A4. Thirty-seven (59.7%) specimens showed positive expression of VEGF. The positive correlation between S100A4 and VEGF expression was significant in cancer tissues (P < 0.001). S100A4 expression was significantly correlated with tumor size, TNM stage and poorer prognosis. VEGF expression had a significant correlation with poorer prognosis. The prognosis of 17 S100A4-and VEGF-negative cancer patients was significantly better than that of other patients (P < 0.05). Distant metastasis (P = 0.001), S100A4-(P = 0.008) and VEGF-positive expression (P = 0.016) were significantly independent prognostic predictors (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Over-expression of S100A4 and VEGF plays an important role in the development of pancreatic cancer. Combined examination of the two molecules might be useful in evaluating the outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Molecular signal transduction in vascular cell apoptosis

Apoptosis is a form of genetically programmed cell death, which plays a key role in regulation of cellularity in a variety of tissue and cell types including the cardiovascular tissues. Under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions, various biophysiological and biochemical factors, including mechanical forces, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, cytokines, growth factors, oxidized lipoproteins, etc., may influence apoptosis of vascular cells. The Fas/Fas ligand/caspase death-signaling pathway, Bcl-2 protein family/mitochondria, the tumor suppressive gene p53, and the proto-oncogene c-myc may be activated in atherosclerotic lesions, and mediates vascular apoptosis during the development of atherosclerosis. Abnormal expression and dysfunction of these apoptosis-regulating genes may attenuate or accelerate vascular cell apoptosis and affect the integrity and stability of atherosclerotic plaques. Clarification of the molecular mechanism that regulates apoptosis may help design a new strategy for treatment of atherosclerosis and its major complication, the acute vascular syndromes.

Angiogenesis and vascular malformations:Antiangiogenic drugs for treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding

Treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with angiodysplasias and Osler’s disease (hereditary hemorrhagic teleangiectasia) is clinically challenging. Frequently, vascular malformations occur as multiple disseminated lesions, making local treatment an unfavorable choice or impossible. After local therapy, lesions often recur at other sites of the intestine. However, as there are few therapeutic alternatives, repeated endoscopic coagulations or surgical resections are still performed to prevent recurrent bleeding. Hormonal therapy has been employed for more than 50 years but has recently been shown to be ineffective. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies are required. Understanding of the pathophysiology of angiogenesis and vascular malformations has recently substantially increased. Currently, multiple inhibitors of angiogenesis are under development for treatment of malignant diseases. Experimental and clinical data suggest that antiangiogenic substances, which were originally developed for treatment of malignant diseases, may also represent long-awaited specif ic drugs for the treatment of vascular malformations. However, antiangiogenics display significantly different actions and side-effects. Although antiangiogenics like thalidomide seem to inhibit gastrointestinal bleeding, other substances like bevacizumab can cause mucosal bleeding. Therefore differential and cautious evaluation of this therapeutic strategy is necessary.

Reduction of tumorigenicity of SMMC-7721 hepatoma cells by vascular endothelial growth factor antisense gene therapy

AIM: To test the hypothesis to block VEGF expression of SMMC-7721 hepatoma cells may inhibit tumor growth using the rat hepatoma model. METHODS: Amplify the 200 VEGF cDNA fragment and insert it into human U6 gene cassette in the reverse orientation transcribing small antisense RNA which could specifically interact with VEGF165, and VEGF121 mRNA. Construct the retroviral vector containing this antisense VEGF U6 cassette and package the replication-deficient recombinant retrovirus. SMMC-7721 cells were transduced with these virus and positive clones were selected with G418. PCR and Southern blot analysis were performed to determine if U6 cassette integrated into the genomic DNA of positive clone. Transfected tumor cells were evaluated for RNA expression by ribonuclease protection assays. The VEGF protein in the supernatant of parental tumor cells and genetically modified tumor cells was determined with ELISA. In vitro and in vivo growth properties of antisense VEGF cell clone in nude mice were analyzed. RESULTS: Restriction enzyme digestion and PCR sequencing verified that the antisense VEGF RNA retroviral vector was successfully constructed.After G418 selection, resistant SMMC-7721 cell clone was picked up. PCR and Southern blot analysis suggested that U6 cassette was integrated into the cell genomic DNA. Stable SMMC-7721 cell clone transduced with U6 antisense RNA cassette could express 200 bp small antisense VEGF RNA and secrete reduced levels of VEGF in culture condition. Production of VEGF by antisense transgene-expressing cells was 65+/-10 ng/L per 10(6) cells, 42045 ng/L per 10(6) cells in sense group and 485+/-30 ng/L per 10(6) cells in the negative control group, (P【 0.05). The antisense-VEGF cell clone appeared phenotypically indistinguishable from SMMC-7721 cells and SMMC-7721 cells transfected sense VEGF. The growth rate of the antisense-VEGF cell clone was the same as the control cells. When S.C. was implanted into nude mice, growth of antisense-VEGF cell lines was greatly inhibited compared with control cells. CONCLUSION: Expression of antisense VEGF RNA in SMMC-7721 cells could decrease the tumorigenicity, and antisense-VEGF gene therapy may be an adjuvant treatment for hepatoma.

Vascular protection by high-density lipoprotein-associated sphingosine-1- phosphate

Epidemiological studies and animal experiments have consistently demonstrated cardiovascular protection by high-density lipoprotein （HDL）. Findings from a growing number of studies further indicate that sphingosine-l-phosphate （S1P） mediates many of the beneficial effects of HDL on the cardiovascular system, including vasodilatation, angiogenesis, maintenance of endothelial barrier function, and protec- tion against atherosclerosis and ischemiaJreperfusion injury. In this review, we summarize the most recent literature investigating the effects of HDL-S 1 P on cardiovascular health and highlight potential opportunities for clinical translation of these findings.

Effects of electroacupuncture on the expression of p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase and ribosomal protein S6 in the hippocampus of rats with vascular dementia

This study investigated the mechanism underlying electroacupuncture therapy for vascular dementia through electroacupuncture at the acupoints of Baihui （DU20）, Dazhui （DU14）, and bilateral Shenshu （BL23） in a rat model of vascular dementia produced by bilateral middle cerebral artery occlusion. Morris water maze test showed that electroacupuncture improved the learning ability of vascular dementia rats. Western blot assay revealed that the expression of p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase and ribosomal protein S6 in vascular dementia rats was significantly increased after electroacupuncture, compared with the model group that was not treated with acupuncture. The average escape latency was also shortened after electroacupuncture, and escape strategies in the spatial probe test improved from edge and random searches, to linear and trending swim pathways. The experimental findings indicate that electroacupuncture improves learning and memory ability by up-regulating expression of p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase and ribosomal protein S6 in the hippocampus of vascular dementia rats.

Intrastriatal Gene Transfer of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Rescues Dopaminergic Neurons in a Rat Parkinson's Disease Model

To examine the ability of intrastriatal gene transfer of vascular endothelial growth factor 165 mediated by adenoviral vector to rescue dopaminergic neurons in a rat model of Parkinson＇s disease （PD）, we constructed recombinant replication-deficent adenoviral vectors carrying the gene of VEGF165 （Ad-VEGF）, and injected Ad-VEGF （or Ad-LacZ and PBS as controls） into the striatum of rats 7 days after the lesion by 6-hydroxydopamine. The rat rotational behavior analysis and tyrosine hydroxylase （TH） immunohistochemistry were performed to assess the change of dopaminergic neurons. Our results showed that the rats receiving Ad-VEGF injection displayed a significant improvement in apomorphine-induced rotational behavior and a significant preservation of TH-positive neurons and fibers compared with control animals, It is concluded that intrastriatal gene transfer by Ad-VEGF may rescue the dopaminergic neurons from degeneration in a rat model of PD.

Depressive Symptom Endorsement among Alzheimer’s Disease, Vascular Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background: The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is widely used to assess depressive symptoms in clinical and research settings. This study utilized a 4 factor solution for the 30-item GDS to explore differences in the presentation of depressive symptoms in various types of cognitive impairment. Method: Retrospective chart review was conducted on 254 consecutive cases of community dwelling elderly newly diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s Dementia (AD) n = 122, mild Vascular Dementia (VaD) n = 71 or Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) n = 32 and Non-Amnestic MCI (nMCI) n = 29. Results: Analysis revealed no significant differences (p 05). No statistically significant differences were found between VaD and nMCI or between the MCI groups. Conclusions: Support is provided for the use of GDS subscales in a wide range of cognitively impaired elderly. This study suggests in mild dementia the number and type of depressive symptoms vary significantly between AD and VaD. There are indications that aMCI patients are similar in their symptom endorsement to AD and nMCI are similar to VaD which is consistent with some of the notions regarding likely trajectories of the respective MCI groups.

Fung’s Theories on Vascular Mechanobiology

Mechanobiology is the study of how stress and strain are generated by cells and how these mechanical factors regulate cell morphology and function.The vascular system is subject to tensile and compressive stress and strain in the blood vessel wal that are generated by blood pressure and play a pivotal role in regulating vascular cell activities including proliferation,differentiation,apoptosis,and migration.These cellular processes are essential to vascular development,performance,and pathogenic alterations.Dr.Y.C.Fung has made significant contributions to vascular mechanobiology—establishing the uniform stress theory,addressing the generation and significance of uniform stress and strain across the blood vessel wall,and proposing the stress-growth theory,addressing the role of mechanical stress in regulating cell proliferative ac-tivities(Fung 1984,Fung 1990).These theories have exerted a profound impact on the development of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology in the vascular as well as other systems.

Vascular factors in Alzheimer’s disease

The vascular factor in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), affecting its development and progression, is one of the most urgent problems of modern neuroangiology. The research investigates the characteristics of cerebral angioarchitectonics identified at different stages of AD. The research included 106 patients: 1) The Test Group—47 patients suffering from various stages of AD;2) The Control Group—59 patients suffering from the most common lesions of the brain accompanied by neurodegenerative changes, the development of dementia and cognitive impairment, but not having AD. All the patients underwent: the testing of cognitive functions (MMSE), the determination of severity of dementia (CDR) and AD stages (TDR), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), scintigraphy of the brain (SG), rheoencephalography (REG), and cerebral multigated angiography (MUGA). Patients with AD different stages showed the following changes in angioarchitectonics and microcirculation: Absence of pronounced atherosclerotic lesions of intracranial vessels, reduction of the capillary bed in the temporal and temporo-parietal regions, development of multiple arteriovenous shunts in the same areas, early venous discharge, abnormal expansion of venous trunks that receive blood from arteriovenous shunts, venous congestion at the border of the frontal and parietal region, increased looping of intracranial arteries. Control Group patients had no combination of the abovementioned changes. These vascular changes are specific for AD and are in fact the vascular factor of this disease;they may also be called dyscirculatory angiopathy of Alzheimer’s type (DAAT). Patients suffering from other diseases that are accompanied by neurodegenerative changes in the brain, dementia and cognitive impairment do not have them.

Arterial hypertension,cerebrovascular diseases and dementia

Arterial hypertension(AH)is the most relevant risk factor for acute cerebrovascular disease in general.However,the prevalence of AH is not the same for the different stroke subtypes and is particularly high in lacunar infarcts and atherothrombotic stroke,low in infarcts of unusual cause and undetermined origin,and intermediate in cardioembolic stroke.This risk factor has also been related to vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and their pathological manifestations(senile plaques,neurofibrillary tangles,hippocampal atrophy).The mechanisms linking AH to Alzheimer’s disease remain to be elucidated but some recent studies showed that white matter lesions seen on cerebral magnetic resonance imaging appear to be a good marker of this association.Hypertension-associated pathological changes in the brain and its vasculature include vascular remodelling and impaired cerebral autoregulation like hypoperfusion,ischemia and hypoxia,which may initiate the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease and the expression of dementia.Therefore,prompt diagnosis and adequate control of hypertension and different vascular risk factors are the rational basis for a more effective strategy in the secondary prevention of cerebrovascular disease and dementia.

食管鳞状细胞癌组织中CST4、VEGF-A表达与病理特征及预后的关系

目的 探讨食管鳞状细胞癌(esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, ESCC)中半胱氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂S(cysteine protease inhibitor S,CST4)和血管内皮生长因子-A(vascular endothelial growth factor-A,VEGF-A)的表达情况与临床病理参数的相关性。方法 采用免疫组化法检测50例ESCC患者组织中CST4与VEGF-A的表达,并与病理参数进行相关性分析;结合Enrichr、GEO数据库结果确认两者富集情况及相关性。结果 CST4、VEGF-A在ESCC组织中的阳性表达率明显高于癌旁组织,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。不同的淋巴结转移、浸润深度、神经脉管侵犯的ESCC组织中,CST4阳性表达率差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。不同的淋巴结转移、浸润深度、神经脉管侵犯、病理分期的ESCC组织中,VEGF-A阳性表达率差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。Kaplan-Meier生存分析结果显示,患者术后生存率与CST4、VEGF-A表达情况、浸润深度、TNM分期及淋巴结转移情况有关(P<0.05)。Spearman相关性分析结果显示,CST4和VEGF-A在ESCC组织中的表达呈正相关(r=0.601,P<0.05)。COX回归分析结果显示,VEGF-A表达水平、CST4表达水平、淋巴结转移、侵犯深度和病理分期是影响患者生存的危险因素(P<0.05);富集分析结果显示,CST4、VEGF-A在细胞迁移和侵袭方面起到协同作用。结论 在ESCC组织中,CST4、VEGF-A的表达高于正常组织,可能共同参与了ESCC的发生、发展及转移的过程,有望成为ESCC治疗及判断预后的重要指标。

Collagen vascular disease-associated interstitial lung disease

Interstitial lung disease(ILD) is an important mani-festation of collagen vascular diseases. It is a common feature of scleroderma, and also occurs in dermatomyositis and polymyositis, mixed connective tissue disease, Sjogren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. When present, it is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, thus making early diagnosis important. In fact, in many patients, ILD may be the first manifestation of a collagen vascular disease. The most common symptoms are cough and dyspnea. The diagnosis is made based on pulmonary function tests showing restrictive lung disease and impaired oxygen diffusion and chest imaging showing ground glass infiltrates, interstitial thickening, and/or fibrosis. The most common histologic finding on lung biopsy is non-specific interstitial pneumonia, though organizing pneumonia and usual interstitial pneumonia may also be seen. Treatment is focused on addressing the underlying collagen vascular disease with immunosuppression, either with corticosteroids or a steroid-sparing agent such as cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, or mycophenolate, although the optimal agent and duration of therapy is not known. There are few clinical trials to guide therapy that focus specifically on the progression of ILD. The exception is in the case of scleroderma-associated ILD, where cyclophosphamide has been shown to be effective.

Recommendation for and comparison of three types of dementia： Alzheimer’s disease, subcortical ischemic vascular dementia, and mixed dementia

With the progress in global demography of aging, dementia has become a great world health-care issue that require urgent attention and settlement. Demen-tia can arise from a variety of factors, such as neuronal degeneration for Alzheimer’s disease （AD）, vascular risk factors and multiple infarcts for vascular dementia （VaD）, and both degeneration and vascular factors for mixed de-mentia （MD）. Pathophysiology of AD includes the amy-loid and tau protein hypothesis, and infammation-related mechanisms are also widespread mentioned. Subcortical ischemic vascular dementia （SIVD）, a subtype of VaD, is commonly caused by complete or incomplete lacunar infarction of VaD pathology. MD involves both degenera-tion and vascular factors, and the interaction between the two results in the complication of the pathological mech-anism and clinical phenotype. The clinical manifestationsof AD are often divided into four stages according to the progress of the disease, while the phenotypes of SIVD usually has two categories. As for MD, the phenotypes are complex and diverse. Several clinical studies showedthat its symptoms and signs are more similar to SIVD than AD. This article aims to analyze and compare the differ-ent aspects of the three kinds of dementia.

Late Life Vascular Risk Factors and Their Association with Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Background:Epidemiological studies have demonstrated associations between higher levels of vascular risk factors in midlife and later development of dementia,particularly Alzheimer’s disease(AD).However,in elderly subjects with dementia,some studies have shown that these associations may decrease or even reverse.Therefore,the study aimed to find the association between late life cardiovascular risk factors and neurodegenerative dementia in general and AD in particular.Methods:It is a retrospective case control study using electronic medical records that included elderly patients that were reviewed in Ahmadi hospital geriatric clinic,Kuwait,from the period of 1/7/2019 to 1/2/2020.Two hundred and three(203)elderly patients with neurodegenerative dementia(study group)were recruited for this retrospective study and compared to two hundred and one(201)controls with normal cognition for the presence of vascular risk factors.Results:The study included 404 subjects.Age ranged from 60 to 107 years(mean age 78.79,±8.13 SD).AD was found to be the most prevalent type of dementia in the study group,as 49.3%(100/203)of the demented patients were diagnosed with AD.No significant statistical association was found between vascular risk factors and dementia(P>0.05),except for obesity which showed a negative association(P<0.001).Regarding AD,no statistical significance was found between AD and diabetes,hyperlipidemia,smoking nor atrial fibrillation.On the other hand,the authors found obesity and hypertension more prevalent in the normal cognition group(negative association with P value<0.001,0.05 respectively).Conclusions:The results of the study support an emerging concept that,while elevated levels of vascular risk factors in midlife increase the risk of development of dementia and AD later in life,once dementia begins,these associations may be diminished or reversed in the elderly.

Causal relationships between gut microbiota and dementia:A twosample,bidirectional,Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND Existing evidence suggests that gut microbiota represent a significant environmental risk factor for various forms of dementia,including Alzheimer's dementia,vascular dementia,and dementia in other diseases classified elsewhere.However,the exact causal relationships between gut microbiota and the different forms of dementia or their subtypes remain unclear.AIM To investigate putative causal relationships between gut microbiota and dementia or its subtypes using Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis.METHODS A bidirectional,two-sample,MR analysis was conducted utilizing publicly available gut microbiota-related genome-wide association study(GWAS)summary data from the MiBioGen consortium alongside GWAS summary statistics for dementia and its subtypes from the FinnGen consortium.Instrumental variables were selected according to the fundamental tenets of MR and their strengths were evaluated using the F-statistic.Five MR methods were employed,and the robustness of our findings was validated.To account for multiple comparisons,we applied the Bonferroni method for P-value adjustment.RESULTS We identified several gut microbiota taxa exhibiting putative causal relationships with dementia or its subtypes,potentially serving as risk or protective factors for the disease.In addition,reverse MR analysis indicated that the relative abundance of several gut microbiota taxa might be influenced by dementia or its subtypes.An exhaustive sensitivity analysis confirmed the absence of heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy.After applying correction for multiple testing,we observed that the order Bacillales(odds ratio:0.830,95%confidence interval:0.740-0.932,P=0.00155,Padjust=0.0311)exhibited a strong association with Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia.CONCLUSION The results suggest that gut microbiota is causally associated with dementia.Our findings provide novel insights into the pathophysiology of dementia and have important implications for its treatment and prevention.

Retinal capillary plexus in Parkinson’s disease using optical coherence tomography angiography

AIM:To evaluate the alterations of the retinal microvasculature and foveal avascular zone in patients with Parkinson’s disease(PD)using optical coherence tomography angiography(OCT-A).METHODS:A retrospective study of PD patients examined in the Ophthalmology Department of the General Hospital of Athens,“Georgios Gennimatas”from March 2021 to March 2022 was conducted.Totally 44 patients with PD were included and 18 healthy controls were examined,hence a total of 124 eyes were enrolled in the study.The foveal and parafoveal superficial and deep capillary plexus vascular density(fSCP-VD,fDCP-VD,pSCP-VD,pDCP-CD)and foveal avascular zone(FAZ)were quantified with OCTA.Optical coherence tomography(OCT)was used to measure macular thickness.Our statistical analysis was conducted by using a mixed effect linear regression model.RESULTS:After adjustment for age and gender,the mean parafoveal superficial capillary plexus vascular density(pSCP-VD)and mean parafoveal deep capillary plexus vascular density(pDCP-VD)were significantly decreased in individuals with PD(P<0.001 in both)by-2.35(95%CI-3.3,-1.45)and-7.5(95%CI-10.4,-4.6)respectively.fSCP-VD and fDCP-VD didn’t approach statistical significance.The FAZ area and perimeter were significantly decreased(P<0.001 in both)by-0.1 mm^(2)(95%CI-0.13,-0.07)and-0.49 mm^(2)(95%CI-0.66,-0.32)respectively.Circularity didn’t approach statistical significance.Central retinal thickness(CRT)was significantly decreased in individuals with PD(P<0.001)by-23.1μm(95%CI-30.2,-16)and temporal retinal thickness(TRT)was decreased(P=0.025)by-11μm(95%CI-22,-1.5)while nasal retinal thickness(NRT)only approached statistical significance(P=0.066).CONCLUSION:The mean pSCP-VD,pDCP-VD,CRT and TRT are significantly decreased and FAZ is altered in individuals with PD.These findings can be potentially used as biomarkers for the diagnosis and evaluation of early PD.