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A relationship between ocular sarcoidosis (OcSar) and dry eye (DE) has previously been reported. Here we investigated the tear function in OcSar, and the other uveitis, Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease (VKH), to elucidate the association between OcSar and DE. This study involved 27 eyes of 27 female OcSar patients [mean age: 67.3 ± 13.5 (SD) years], 18 eyes of 18 female VKH patients (53.1 ± 14.1 years), and 17 eyes of 17 female healthy control subjects (59.7 ± 9.6 years). In all examined eyes, tear meniscus height (TMH, mm), fluorescein breakup time (FBUT, s), scoring of keratoconjunctival epithelial damage (ED), and the Schirmer 1 test (ST1, mm/5 min) were analyzed. In the OcSar patients, VKH patients, and control subjects, the respective TMH, FBUT, ED, and ST1 values (mean ± SD) were 0.26 ± 0.10, 0.24 ± 0.09, and 0.24 ± 0.08, 4.3 ± 2.5, 7.3 ± 2.9, and 6.3 ± 3.1, 1.1 ± 1.1, 0.7 ± 0.8, and 0.1 ± 0.3, and 12.9 ± 10.5, 21.5 ± 12.1, and 24.3 ± 10.5. Statistically, the ST1 values were significantly lower in the OcSar patients than in the VKH patients ( P  = 0.004) and control subjects ( P  = 0.001). ST1 findings revealed that the neural reflex arc and lacrimal gland system, which attenuate the vicious cycle between the tear film and ocular surface epithelium in DE, are significantly impaired in OcSar cases, thus indicating a possible association between OcSar and DE.

Purpose To assess the risk factors for intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation during the early period post cataract surgery. Study design Retrospective study. Methods This study involved 1587 eyes that underwent cataract surgery at the Baptist Eye Institute, Kyoto, Japan between April 2020 and May 2021. In all subjects, risk factors for early postoperative IOP elevation (i.e., an increase of IOP of 10 mmHg or more at 1-day postoperative compared with that at baseline, or a postoperative IOP of 28 mmHg or more) were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Of the 1587 treated eyes in this study, 100 (6.3%) experienced early-postoperative IOP elevation. Of those 100 eyes, 78.0% were men, 27.0% had an axial length (AL) of ≥ 26.5 mm, 23.0% had a history of glaucoma treatment, 11.0% had poor mydriasis and 10.0% had intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS). Multivariate analysis findings revealed that male [odds ratio (OR) 4.36; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.63–7.23; P < 0.001], AL of ≥ 26.5 mm (3.11; 1.83–5.30; P < 0.001), a history of glaucoma treatment (2.83; 1.63–4.91; P < 0.001), poorly mydriasis (2.63; 1.16–6.01; P = 0.02), IFIS (4.37; 1.78–10.74; P = 0.001) and baseline high IOP (1.09; 1.01–1.18; P = 0.03) were associated with increased IOP during the early period post cataract surgery. Conclusions The findings in this study reveal that male sex, high myopia, a history of glaucoma treatment, poor mydriasis, IFIS and baseline high IOP are risk factors for IOP elevation during the early period post cataract surgery.

Corynebacterium species are commonly found in the conjunctiva of healthy adults and are recognized as non-pathogenic bacteria. In recent years, however, Corynebacterium species have been reported to be potentially pathogenic in various tissues. We investigated Corynebacterium species on the ocular surface and reviewed various species of Corynebacterium in terms of their antimicrobial susceptibility and the underlying molecular resistance mechanisms. We identified a risk for Corynebacterium-related ocular infections in patients with poor immunity, such as patients with diabetes or long-term users of topical steroids, and in those with corneal epithelial damage due to trauma, contact lens wear, lagophthalmos, and trichiasis. The predominant strain in the conjunctiva was C. macginleyi, and the species associated with keratitis and conjunctivitis were C. macginleyi, C. propinquum, C. mastitidis, C. pseudodiphtheriticum, C. accolens, C. striatum, C. xerosis, and C. bovis. Overall, Corynebacterium species present on the ocular surface were resistant to quinolones, whereas those in the nasal cavity were more susceptible. The prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Corynebacterium has not changed in the past 10 years; however, Corynebacterium species remain susceptible to third-generation cephems. In conclusion, the use of third-generation cephems should be a reasonable and pragmatic approach for treatment of ocular infections caused by Corynebacterium species.

This study investigated corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) in pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome patients and evaluated the clinical factors associated with ECD for 51 eyes of 41 phakic patients with pseudoexfoliation (PEX group) and 201 eyes of 117 patients with age-related cataracts (control group) as an age-matched control to the PEX group. Variable clinical factors, including ECD, central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), number of anti-glaucoma eye drops and severity of PEX, were examined using multivariate analyses. Severity of PEX was as follows: Mild in 28 eyes, Moderate in 16 eyes, and Severe in 7 eyes. The mean ECD was 2,548 ± 409 cells/mm 2 in the PEX group and 2,757 ± 282 cells/mm 2 in the control group, respectively, and ECD in the PEX group was significantly lower than that in the control group ( P  = 0.02). Multivariate analyses revealed that the severity of PEX [−176.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) (−244.5, −109.2), P  < 0.01] was significantly associated with lower ECD. Accumulation of PEX materials contributed to early corneal endothelial decompensation.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

An 84-year-old man presented in 2009 with a sensation of discomfort in his anus, combined with difficulty in urination. He had previously undergone a haemorrhoidectomy in 1964. After examination, he was diagnosed with a rectal mucosal cyst and followed up for observation. In 2015, he presented to our hospital complaining that the cyst was prolapsing from his anus. CT revealed a 48×41 mm cystic mass in the anterior wall of the rectum. Tumour extirpation, via a transanal route, was performed. The postoperative pathological diagnosis confirmed a rectal mucocele. Rectal mucoceles are extremely rare, with no prior report of a mucocele in the anterior wall of the rectum. In this case, we believe the mucocele developed from an invagination of the mucous membrane or obstruction of the anal gland during suturing during the previous haemorrhoid surgery.

Relatively short-term (3-, 6-, and 12-mo) outdoor exposure tests using particleboard specimens of two different sizes to clarify the effect of specimen size and starting time on the deterioration of the mechanical properties (bending and internal bond strength) of the particleboard were conducted. The weathering intensity was determined from the results of the short-term exposure tests, and the effect of the specimen size on the weathering intensity was discussed. The strength retention tended to decrease exponentially with elapsed time. After a 1-year exposure in Shizuoka, Japan, the retained strength was less than 60 percent. Rectangular specimens had less strength retention than the square specimens and are thought to be a more reliable indicator of the true effect of weathering conditions on strength loss. Short- and long-term exposure tests are equally useful for determining the effect of outdoor exposure on particleboard properties.

CT scan and ultrasonography images revealed two small uniformly low-density and hypoechoic lesions in the liver, respectively, 7 years after curative resection of rectal cancer, in a 74-year-old man. The area of the liver including the two lesions was segmentally resected. Two lesions were histopathologically confirmed as early but active stage alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by accidental ingestion of eggs of the fox tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis. This case is very unique and rare, since early stage hepatic AE cases have only accidentally been confirmed from cases in which malignant hepatic tumours were suspected, and because two independent AE lesions were detected. Abdominal MRI showed two isointense tumour lesions with small areas of high-signal intensity in their centres on T2-weighted images. MRI findings appear to reflect the macroscopic view and microscopic findings of early stage AE with active cyst in the centre of each hepatic lesion well.

We investigated the hepatotoxicity induced by AQ using a glutathione (GSH)-depleted mice model. Although sole administration of either AQ or l -buthionine- S , R -sulfoxinine (BSO), a well-known GSH synthesis inhibitor, produced no significant hepatotoxicity, combined administration of AQ with BSO induced hepatotoxicity characterized by centrilobular necrosis of the hepatocytes and an elevation of plasma alanine aminotransferase activity. Pretreatment of aminobenzotriazole, a nonspecific inhibitor for P450s, completely suppressed the above hepatotoxicity caused by AQ co-treatment with BSO. Administration of radiolabeled AQ in combination with BSO exhibited significantly higher covalent binding to mice liver proteins than that observed after sole dosing of radiolabeled AQ. The results obtained in this GSH-depleted animal model suggest that the reactive metabolite of AQ formed by hepatic P450 binds to liver proteins, and then finally leads to hepatotoxicity. These observations may help to understand the risk factors and the mechanism for idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity of AQ in humans.

AimsTo investigate the significance of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in the vitreous of patients with vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) and uveitis.MethodsThis study involved 51 patients with VRL and uveitis, 15 males and 36 females (mean age: 72 years, range: 51–86 years), who underwent vitrectomy at the Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan, from December 2019 to February 2024. All patients underwent lymphocyte surface antigen analysis via flow cytometry, and the proportion of Tregs in CD4+ T lymphocytes and PD-1+ CTLs in CD8+ T lymphocytes was measured.ResultsThis study involved B cell VRL (B-VRL, n=16), sarcoidosis (n=8), human herpesvirus (HHV)-associated uveitis (n=7), human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 associated uveitis (HAU, n=3) and unclassifiable uveitis (n=17) cases. The median proportions of Tregs were significantly lower in B-VRL (2.2%) compared with sarcoidosis (8.5%), HHV-associated uveitis (16.4%) and unclassifiable uveitis (10.1%) (p<0.05). Conversely, a significantly higher proportion of PD-1+ CTLs was found in B-VRL (95.6%) compared with sarcoidosis (61.1%), HHV-associated uveitis (67.1%) and unclassifiable (64.8%) (p<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic analysis of Tregs and PD-1+ CTLs proportions in B-VRL revealed high area under the curve values of 0.913 and 0.940, respectively.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that analysis of the ratio of Tregs and PD-1+ CTLs via flow cytometry is helpful in diagnosing B-VRL.