A Case of Group A Streptococcus Bacteremia and Infective Endocarditis Caused by Right Ovarian Tube Endometriosis Where the Patient's Perspective Was Key to the Diagnostic Process.

(GAS) is a common organism that can cause upper respiratory infections. We encountered a case where GAS caused infective endocarditis (IE) due to an entry from the vagina. In this case, although echocardiography was negative, we were able to make a diagnosis of IE based on the 2023 Duke International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases Criteria, and we started antimicrobial therapy for IE.

Short-term outcomes of switching to brolucizumab in japanese patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of a 6-month follow-up after switching to brolucizumab from aflibercept to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Japanese patients.

Study Design: Retrospective observational study.

Methods: We studied 45 consecutive eyes of 42 patients diagnosed with neovascular AMD, who were switched to intravitreal brolucizumab injection (IVBr) after receiving intravitreal aflibercept injection (IVA) using a treat-and-extend (TAE) regimen.

Rare presentation of emphysematous pyelonephritis due to faulty catheter insertion.

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a severe necrotizing infection that occurs predominately among individuals with diabetes mellitus. The mortality rate is >10% only medical therapy. We report a case of emphysematous pyelonephritis caused by , precipitated by faulty catheter insertion.

One-year outcomes of intravitreal brolucizumab injections in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.

To evaluate the 1-year visual outcomes and anatomic responses of Japanese patients who received intravitreal brolucizumab (IVBr) injections for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). This was a retrospective study of 17 treatment-naïve eyes with PCV that were treated with IVBr. We evaluated the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), central choroidal thickness (CCT) and number of injections for 1 year.

Endophthalmitis outbreak caused by Fusarium oxysporum after cataract surgery.

Purpose: To evaluate an outbreak of endophthalmitis caused by after cataract surgery.

Methods: In the present study, we conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of cases of endophthalmitis that developed after cataract surgery. All eyes underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation (PEA + IOL) at a single eye clinic on the same date.

Incidence of elevated intraocular pressure after intravitreal injection in Japanese patients with age-related macular degeneration.

The purpose of this study was to report the incidence of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) after intravitreal injection (IVI) of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in Japanese patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A retrospective study of chart review of patients who underwent ≥ 10 intravitreal anti-VEGF injections between April 2009 and December 2019 was conducted. Elevated IOP was defined as IOP ≥ 25 mmHg at one visit.

Correlation between choroidal structure and smoking in eyes with central serous chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: A smoking habit can cause various health problems encompassing retinal diseases including central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of smoking on the choroidal structure in patients with CSC.

Methods: The choroidal vascular index (CVI) was calculated using the binarized OCT images.

Efficient and robust induction of retinal pigment epithelium cells by tankyrase inhibition regardless of the differentiation propensity of human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Transplantation of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) hold great promise as a new therapeutic modality for age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt disease. The development of hESC/hiPSC-derived RPE cells as cell-based therapeutic products requires a robust, scalable production for every hiPSC line congruent for patients. However, individual hESC/hiPSC lines show bias in differentiation.

The effect of simulated gestational weight gain on balance, gait, and fear of falling.

The effects of pregnancy on balance with the eyes closed and maximum walking speed remain unclarified. The present study aimed to examine the effect of simulated gestational weight gain on balance, gait, and fear of falling in nulligravid women to enhance understanding of the impact of gestational weight gain. We prospectively evaluated the following outcomes in 24 healthy nulligravid women with and without a maternity-simulation jacket that simulated third-trimester pregnancy.

Flanged fixation: Yamane technique and its application.

Purpose Of Review: To review variations of flanged intraocular lens fixation (Yamane technique) and their outcomes.

Recent Findings: Sutureless intrascleral IOL fixation has become popular, and many techniques have been reported. Among them, the Yamane technique has been widely used in recent years, and there are many variations.

Reproducible production and image-based quality evaluation of retinal pigment epithelium sheets from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Transplantation of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) sheets derived from human induced pluripotent cells (hiPSC) is a promising cell therapy for RPE degeneration, such as in age-related macular degeneration. Current RPE replacement therapies, however, face major challenges. They require a tedious manual process of selecting differentiated RPE from hiPSC-derived cells, and despite wide variation in quality of RPE sheets, there exists no efficient process for distinguishing functional RPE sheets from those unsuitable for transplantation.

Sensitivity and specificity of high-resolution wide field fundus imaging for detecting neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: Early detection and treatment are important management strategies for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity in detecting neovascular AMD using two wide-field imaging systems: ClarusTM (CLARUS 500™, Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany) and Optos®(Optos California®, Optos PLC, Dunfermline, United Kingdom), compared to conventional digital fundus photographs.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 109 eyes of 73 consecutive patients with neovascular AMD, who underwent standard examination and multimodal imaging, including fundus photography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Comparison of one-year results of photodynamic therapy combined with ranibizumab or aflibercept for treating polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.

Purpose: To compare the 1-year visual outcomes and anatomical responses of patients who received photodynamic therapy (PDT) combined with intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) injections with those of patients who received PDT combined with intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) injections for treating polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).

Methods: We retrospectively studied all treatment-naïve patients with PCV who received PDT combined with either IVR or IVA. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), central choroidal thickness (CCT), the number of additional injections, and the presence of polypoidal lesions, as indicated by indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), during 1 year were evaluated.

One-year outcome of combination therapy with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and photodynamic therapy in patients with pachychoroid neovasculopathy.

Purpose: To identify the functional outcome and evaluate the morphologic changes of patients with pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV) undergoing intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) combined with photodynamic therapy (PDT) at the 1-year follow-up.

Methods: We retrospectively studied all the treatment-naïve PNV patients who were scheduled to undergo combination therapy between September 2017 and November 2018. All the patients received three consecutive monthly injections of 0.

Treat-and-Extend Regimen with Aflibercept for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Efficacy and Macular Atrophy Development.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of intravitreal injection of aflibercept using a treat-and-extend dosing regimen on treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and the development of macular atrophy.

Design: Retrospective, interventional case series.

Participants: Eyes (n = 137) with treatment-naïve neovascular AMD, including 18 eyes with typical AMD with classic choroidal neovascularization (CNV), 44 eyes with typical AMD with occult CNV, 58 eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, and 17 eyes with retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP).

Assessment of endothelial function during the loading phase of infliximab in psoriasis: a potential predictor of its drug survival.

Background: Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors decrease the risk of cardiovascular events in moderate to severe psoriasis, but the association between their effects on endothelial function and those on skin lesions has not been well studied. We investigated the association between infliximab effects on endothelial function during the loading phase and those on skin lesions in patients with psoriasis.

Methods: We evaluated endothelial function with reactive hyperemia-peripheral arterial tonometry index (RHI) in 15 patients with psoriasis before the first and third infusions of infliximab.

Efficacy of treat-and-extend regimen with aflibercept for pachychoroid neovasculopathy and Type 1 neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal aflibercept therapy using a treat-and-extend regimen on treatment-naïve pachychoroid neovasculopathy (PNV) and Type 1 neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: We retrospectively studied 42 eyes with PNV and 60 eyes with Type 1 neovascular AMD. We assessed best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), central choroidal thickness (CCT), and total number of injections over 2 years.

Two-Year Outcomes of a Treat-and-Extend Regimen Using Intravitreal Aflibercept Injections for Typical Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a treat-and-extend (TAE) regimen using intravitreal injection of aflibercept (IVA) for typical age-related macular degeneration (tAMD).

Methods: We retrospectively studied 61 treatment-naïve eyes with tAMD. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), central choroidal thickness (CCT), number of injections, and complications during 2 years were evaluated.

Dependence of damage within 10min to myocardial cells by a photodynamic reaction with a high concentration of talaporfin sodium outside cells in vitro on parameters of laser irradiation.

Background: To investigate the immediate occurrence of irreparable severe damage to myocardial cells up to 10min after a photodynamic reaction with a high concentration of photosensitizer outside cells, we measured the damage response time and the parameters that govern the response time via rat myocardial Ca(2+) concentration. In our proposed method for catheter ablation of tachyarrhythmia by photodynamic reaction, there are two components to the electrical conduction block: an immediate electrical conduction block of several tens of seconds to several minutes, and a permanent electrical conduction block.

Methods: Rat myocardial intracellular Ca(2+) concentration changes before, during and after the photodynamic reaction with a high concentration of photosensitizer outside myocardial cells were continuously observed using a Fluo-4 AM Ca(2+) probe.

Comparison of myocardial cell survival 2 h and 24 h after extracellular talaporfin sodium-induced photodynamic reaction.

Background: We have proposed an application of photodynamic reaction for less-heated myocardial ablation which employs talaporfin sodium. Intracellular photodynamic reactions with ongoing uptake have the ability to induce apoptosis over time, raising the possibility of extending the lesion depth. The objective of this study was to understand how, in myocardial cells, the late cell survival levels change by incubation time with talaporfin sodium, and what dependence talaporfin sodium uptake has on the duration of incubation with talaporfin sodium in vitro.

Effects of albumin binding on photocytotoxicity of extracellular photosensitization reaction using talaporfin sodium to rat myocardial cells.

Background: We previously proposed a new treatment for tachyarrhythmia using an extracellular photosensitization reaction occurring in the interstitial space of myocardia shortly after the injection of talaporfin sodium. Using myocardial cells, we studied the photocytotoxicity of this extracellular photosensitization reaction between talaporfin sodium and albumin.

Methods: The albumin concentrations tested spanned the physiological range found in the interstitial space (0-15 mg/ml) while the talaporfin sodium concentration were varied from 0 to 40 μg/ml.

Detailed in vitro study of the photosensitization reaction of extracellular Talaporfin sodium in rat myocardial cells.

Background And Objective: We proposed a new non-thermal treatment for tachyarrhythmia that employs an extracellular photosensitization reaction. Oxygen depletion may easily occur in in vitro studies of this reaction because the photosensitizing agent is often highly concentrated in such studies. The aim of the current study was to examine the progress of the extracellular photosensitization reaction and the photocytotoxicity of extracellular Talaporfin sodium on myocardial cells for application in tachyarrhythmia therapy.