Efficacy and safety of transscleral cyclophotocoagulation versus cyclocryotherapy in the treatment of intractable glaucoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

To perform a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of diode laser transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (TSCPC) and cyclocryotherapy (CCT) in the treatment of intractable glaucoma. Systemic searches of the Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases yielded experimental and observational comparative studies. TSCPC and CCT efficacy and safety outcomes were compared.

Bilateral optic disc edema and serous retinal detachment as initial ocular manifestations of systemic lymphoma: A case report and literature review.

This report describes a unique case of systemic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with initial ocular manifestations of bilateral optic disc edema and serous retinal detachment (SRD). A 29-year-old man presented with altered color vision in the left eye, mild fever, weakness, and headache, followed by bilaterally reduced visual acuity. Anterior segment and vitreous examinations showed no inflammation with sluggish response of light reflex.

Therapeutic effect of cataract surgery with simultaneous intravitreal injection of aflibercept on diabetic macular edema: An observational study.

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of cataract surgery along with simultaneous intravitreal injection (IVI) of aflibercept on diabetic macular edema (DME). This cohort study enrolled 106 patients aged >40 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus and DME who received cataract surgery from January 1, 2016, to October 31, 2020. The baseline and mean data of the following parameters were collected: age, sex, glycated hemoglobin level, diabetic retinopathy (DR) grading, previous DR treatments including IVI of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and pan-retinal photocoagulation, intraocular pressure, use of intraocular pressure-lowering medication, central subfield thickness (CST), and log MAR visual acuity (VA).

Role of pilocarpine use following laser peripheral iridotomy in eyes with refractory acute angle closure glaucoma: A case report and literature review.

Rationale: Angle closure glaucoma (ACG) is one of the most emergent types of glaucoma in clinical practice. Laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) could minimize pupillary block and prevent ACG from an acute attack. However, recurrent increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) may still occur despite successful LPI.

Case Series: Unusual Presentation of Acanthamoeba Coinfection in the Cornea.

Significance: The cases illustrate Acanthamoeba coinfection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa or microsporidia in the cornea.

Purpose: This case series aimed to alert clinicians toward considering Acanthamoeba coinfection in the cornea when unusual presentation such as perineuritis or epitheliitis was observed in clinical images. Increased suspicion of Acanthamoeba coinfection may facilitate early diagnosis and prompt management, eventually leading to good vision outcomes.

Spontaneous bleeding from orbital haemangioma in drug-induced thrombocytopaenia.

An 81-year-old woman, a drug-induced thrombocytopaenia (DITP) patient, presented with a case of spontaneous bleeding from an orbital haemangioma manifesting as a sudden onset of ocular pain, proptosis and limited eye movement. Image studies revealed an extraconal, cystic lesion with haemorrhage. The ophthalmopathy was caused by the bleeding of the orbital haemangioma and it was resolved after embolisation of the feeding vessels.

Descemetocele and bilateral, severe Pseudomonas keratitis in an intensive care unit patient with Graves' orbitopathy: A case report.

Rationale: Exposure keratopathy (EK) is common among intensive care unit (ICU) patients, especially those under sedation and with incomplete eyelid closure. EK can be mild punctate epithelial erosions exhibiting spontaneous recovery; rarely, severe complications including bacterial ulcers causing corneal perforation or opacity could occur. We describe a patient with pre-existing Graves' orbitopathy (GO) who developed bilateral, rapidly progressing bacterial keratitis due to EK with secondary aerosol inoculation from respiratory pathogens in ICU.

Current screening practice in patients under long-term hydroxychloroquine medication in Taiwan: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), an analog of chloroquine, is widely used in various rheumatologic and dermatologic disorders. However, it may cause severe retinopathy with long-term use. The guidelines proposed by the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggested a baseline fundus examination and an annual screening after 5 years by using automated visual fields (VF) plus spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

Surgical treatment of neovascular glaucoma with Ex-PRESS glaucoma shunt: Case report.

Rationale: Neovascular glaucoma (NVG) is one of the most aggressive types of glaucoma, and its abnormal fibrovascular tissue growth on the iris and trabecular meshwork may create difficulties to control the intraocular pressure (IOP) and perform the operation such as trabeculectomy.

Patient Concerns: Ex-PRESS glaucoma shunt has been introduced to serve as one alternative operation for glaucoma, and is thought to have the potential advantage of being less traumatic than traditional trabeculectomy. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of primary Ex-PRESS implantation in eyes with NVG.

keratitis treated successfully with topical and oral fluconazole.

A 73-year-old male patient presented with ocular pain, redness, and blurred vision in the left eye, which had been ongoing for more than 2 months. An oval-shaped paracentral corneal ulcer with stromal infiltration and a mild anterior chamber reaction were found. Despite treatment with empiric antibiotics, the lesion progressed and corneal thinning in the middle area was noted.

Ocular decompression retinopathy after laser iridotomy in a patient with acute angle closure.

A 65-year-old female developed elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) with angle closure in the right eye. The fundus examination revealed vitreo-retinal hemorrhage that had occurred after neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser iridotomy. The retinal hemorrhage resolved spontaneously.

Subconjunctival Herniated Orbital Fat Mimicking Adipocytic Neoplasm.

Purpose: To describe and discuss rare and benign conditions of subconjunctival orbital fat herniation that may mimic adipocytic neoplasm.

Methods: Sixteen eyes of 13 patients with subconjunctival orbital fat herniation were included. They all underwent transconjunctival excision owing to cosmesis, discomfort, or suspicion of malignancy.

Zoonotic atypical pneumonia due to Chlamydophila psittaci: first reported psittacosis case in Taiwan.

Human psittacosis caused by Chlamydophila psittaci is one of the most common zoonotic atypical pneumonias featuring pulmonary as well as extrapulmonary infections. Most of the cases involve avian contact history especially with psittacine birds. Herein we report a 44-year-old male patient displaying atypical pneumonia symptoms of intermittent fever, dry cough, chest pain, dyspnea, headache, hepatitis, and hyponatremia.

Tracing subsequent dissemination of a cluster of gonococcal infections caused by an ST1407-related clone harbouring mosaic penA alleles in Taiwan.

Objectives: Successful clones of Neisseria gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing sequence type (ST) 1407 and ST1407-related genotypes have been reported to cause cefixime and ceftriaxone treatment failure in many countries. We characterized the 47 isolates of a strain cluster of ST4378, a genotype that differs in the porB sequence by only one nucleotide from ST1407, in Taiwan during April 2006 to June 2012.

Methods: We identified 47 ST4378 isolates among our 2357 total isolates from the Gonococci-National Isolate Collection for Epidemiology.

Coenzyme Q10 rescues ethanol-induced corneal fibroblast apoptosis through the inhibition of caspase-2 activation.

Recent studies indicate that caspase-2 is involved in the early stages of apoptosis, particularly before the occurrence of mitochondrial damage. Here we report the important role of the coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on the activity of caspase-2 upstream of mitochondria in ethanol (EtOH)-treated corneal fibroblasts. After EtOH exposure, cells produce excessive reactive oxygen species formation, p53 expression, and most importantly, caspase-2 activation.

Coenzyme Q10 reduces ethanol-induced apoptosis in corneal fibroblasts.

Dilute ethanol (EtOH) is a widely used agent to remove the corneal epithelium during the modern refractive surgery. The application of EtOH may cause the underlying corneal fibroblasts to undergo apoptosis. This study was designed to investigate the protective effect and potential mechanism of the respiratory chain coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)), an electron transporter of the mitochondrial respiratory chain and a ubiquitous free radical scavenger, against EtOH-induced apoptosis of corneal fibroblasts.

Genome sequence of a dominant, multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strain, TCDC-AB0715.

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a significant nosocomial pathogen worldwide. The increasing trend of carbapenem and fluoroquinolone resistance in A. baumannii severely limits the usage of therapeutic antimicrobial agents.

Draft genome sequence of a dominant, multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain, TCDC-NG08107, from a sexual group at high risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus infection and syphilis.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection is the second major cause of sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. Development of resistance to multiple classes of antimicrobials in N. gonorrhoeae has compromised treatment and disease control.

Iritis and pupillary distortion after periorbital cosmetic alexandrite laser.

Background: To describe a case of ocular complications associated with laser-assisted periorbital cosmetic treatment and to recommend consideration of the ocular damage caused by dermatological laser therapy, including pupillary distortion and anterior uveitis.

Methods: Case report.

Results: A 29-year-old Caucasian woman underwent cosmetic alexandrite laser therapy in the left upper eyelid area without protective eye shields.

PPISearch: a web server for searching homologous protein-protein interactions across multiple species.

As an increasing number of reliable protein-protein interactions (PPIs) become available and high-throughput experimental methods provide systematic identification of PPIs, there is a growing need for fast and accurate methods for discovering homologous PPIs of a newly determined PPI. PPISearch is a web server that rapidly identifies homologous PPIs (called PPI family) and infers transferability of interacting domains and functions of a query protein pair. This server first identifies two homologous families of the query, respectively, by using BLASTP to scan an annotated PPIs database (290 137 PPIs in 576 species), which is a collection of five public databases.