Publications by authors named "Hanako Ohashi Ikeda"
Surgery using skin flaps is essential for soft tissue reconstruction. However, postoperative ischemic injury of the skin flap is a major complication and a top concern after the surgery. Currently, evidence-based drugs to fully prevent ischemic injury are not available.
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- Bietti's crystalline dystrophy (BCD) is a genetic eye condition caused by mutations in the CYP4V2 gene, leading to cholesterol buildup and crystal deposits in the retina.
- Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CyD) can help manage BCD by reducing cell damage but has low retention in the eye, which this study aims to address.
- The research shows that using xanthan gum as a carrier for HP-β-CyD results in better sustained release and reduced toxicity compared to other agents, making it a promising option for eye drops in treating BCD.
Article Synopsis
- Meta-analyses have indicated that patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) exhibit reduced retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, a potential indicator of glaucoma, but earlier studies had small sample sizes and did not clarify the mechanism behind this thinning.
- In a large-scale study of 8,309 community residents, researchers measured nocturnal hypoxemia using two indices: acti-ODI3% and acti-CT90, finding that increased acti-CT90 was significantly linked to RNFL thinning in participants without previous glaucoma diagnoses.
- The study determined that acti-CT90 positively correlated with mean RNFL thickness across both elderly (60 years and older) and nonelderly participants, while acti-OD
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- This study explored factors affecting the progression of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in patients with intraocular pressure (IOP) ≤15 mm Hg.
- Researchers analyzed data from 98 eyes of 68 POAG patients, focusing on factors like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases and their impact on visual field changes.
- The findings indicated that while diabetes and hyperlipidemia were linked to worsening visual fields, this relationship diminished when considering central corneal thickness, suggesting IOP variations play a significant role.
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- Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) results in the degeneration of photoreceptors, causing progressive vision loss, and ongoing trials are seeking effective treatments.
- Residual ellipsoid zone (EZ) measurement via optical coherence tomography has proven more sensitive in tracking disease progression compared to traditional evaluations.
- The study involving 76 RP patients found a strong correlation between the decrease in residual EZ and hyperautofluorescent ring areas, suggesting these measurements are valuable indicators for future clinical trial outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on the epidemiology of angioid streaks (AS) and pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) using a national health claims database in Japan, covering 126 million individuals.
- During a 10-year period (2011-2020), they identified 6,598 cases of AS and 1,020 cases of PXE, with incidence rates of 0.52 and 0.08 per 100,000 person-years, respectively.
- The findings highlight a younger mean age at death for patients with AS (79.3 years) and PXE (77.1 years) compared to the general population, stressing the need for timely diagnosis and management to prevent premature mortality.
Article Synopsis
- The study assessed the impact of trabeculectomy with mitomycin C (Trab MMC) on visual field progression in patients with glaucoma and high myopia.
- The research involved 35 eyes from 32 patients who had undergone Trab MMC, showing a significant reduction in intraocular pressure (IOP) post-surgery across both high myopic and non-highly myopic groups.
- While IOP decreased and visual field deterioration slowed in both groups, the improvement was more pronounced in the non-highly myopic group compared to the highly myopic group, where the changes were not statistically significant.
Importance: There is no widespread effective treatment to halt the progression of retinitis pigmentosa. Consequently, adequate assessment and estimation of residual visual function are important clinically.
Objective: To examine whether deep learning can accurately estimate the visual function of patients with retinitis pigmentosa by using ultra-widefield fundus images obtained on concurrent visits.
Article Synopsis
- The study examines how minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) affects the blood vessels in the eye, specifically focusing on changes in the deep vascular layer post-surgery.
- It was found that the deep vessel density (VD) significantly decreased in patients three months after TM-targeted MIGS, while superficial vessel density remained unchanged.
- The reduction in deep VD was linked to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) and was more pronounced in patients who had successful surgical outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- Previous research indicates that Kyoto University Substances (KUSs) can reduce cell death in glaucoma mouse models by modifying gene expression, particularly affecting retinal ganglion cells.
- The study focused on the genes endothelin-1 (Edn1) and endothelin receptor type B (Ednrb), which were found to be increased by NMDA injury and decreased by KUS treatment.
- Results showed KUSs improved cell viability under stress conditions, and this protective effect was linked to the suppression of endothelin signaling, demonstrating a mechanism through which KUSs may help retinal cells under stress.
Branched Chain Amino Acids Promote ATP Production Via Translocation of Glucose Transporters.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
August 2022
Article Synopsis
- BCAAs have been shown to enhance ATP levels and reduce neuronal cell death, especially in models of retinal degeneration and glaucoma.
- Research involved measuring ATP concentrations and glucose uptake in cells under various stress conditions, finding that BCAAs effectively improve both.
- The study concludes that BCAAs boost ATP production by promoting the movement of glucose transporters to the cell membrane, highlighting their potential for treating retinal neurodegenerative diseases.
Article Synopsis
- Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a critical condition that often leads to chronic kidney disease or other organ dysfunction, and currently, no established treatments exist.
- This study explored the protective effects of a substance called KUS121, targeting the renoprotection of kidney cells under stress conditions, using both lab (in vitro) and animal (in vivo) tests.
- Results showed that KUS121 improved cell survival, reduced apoptosis, and decreased kidney damage from ischemia-reperfusion injury, indicating its potential as a new treatment for AKI.
Article Synopsis
- Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive imaging technique used to assess blood vessels, and this study focused on its application in evaluating the post-surgery changes in filtering blebs after trabeculectomy.
- The study involved 57 eyes from 53 patients treated with mitomycin C, examining complete avascular areas (CAAs) in images taken at 1, 3, and 6 months post-surgery, finding CAAs present in a significant number of cases.
- While CAAs decreased over time following surgery, they did not show a significant correlation with the overall success of the surgical outcome, suggesting that AS-OCTA is more useful for assessing vascular changes rather than predicting surgery success.
Article Synopsis
- * The study included 37 patients, and we found that those with lower deep vascular densities (VDs) had better surgical outcomes and greater reductions in intraocular pressure (IOP).
- * Our findings suggest that assessing intrascleral vasculature prior to MIGS can help predict the success rates and IOP changes after surgery.
Article Synopsis
- A method has been developed to convert induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, known as iPSC-RPE.
- This method focuses on efficiently isolating and purifying high-quality patient-derived iPSC-RPE cells.
- The text outlines the detailed process for differentiating iPSCs into iPSC-RPE.
Article Synopsis
- Purpose of the study was to explore the link between topical β-blockers and asthma attacks in glaucoma patients who have asthma.
- Methods involved a retrospective analysis of health insurance claims, focusing on patients over 20 who were prescribed glaucoma eye drops between 2011 and 2017, comparing β-blocker users with non-users for asthma attack incidence.
- Results showed lower asthma treatment rates in the β-blocker group compared to non-users, but the overall incidence of asthma attacks was not significantly higher among β-blocker users, suggesting that using these medications may be safe for asthma patients undergoing glaucoma treatment.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to compare how well two different methods (automated perimetry and optical coherence tomography) detect the progression of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) by analyzing metrics like mean deviation (MD) and ellipsoid zone (EZ) length.
- Twenty-two patients underwent both tests multiple times, revealing that EZ length correlated strongly with MD and was more effective in indicating disease progression compared to MD and central retinal thickness.
- The findings suggest that measuring EZ length is a reliable way to monitor RP progression and could serve as a useful endpoint for future clinical trials.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on light-induced damage to photoreceptors in patients with EYS-associated retinitis pigmentosa (RP) using advanced imaging techniques.
- Researchers compared the outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness under retinal vessels in RP patients to healthy subjects, finding a higher preservation ratio in RP patients, especially in the inferior retina.
- The findings indicate that RP patients experience more photoreceptor loss in the inferior part of the retina and suggest that prolonged light exposure might be linked to this photoreceptor damage.
Article Synopsis
- Concentric retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a rare form of retinal degeneration where damage is mainly in the peripheral vision, and its characteristics are not well understood.
- A study of 14 patients with concentric RP revealed they had significantly better visual acuity and preserved retinal structures compared to age-matched patients with typical RP.
- Genetic analysis in some patients identified mutations associated with both concentric and typical RP, highlighting the importance of differentiating this from conditions like myotonic dystrophy-associated retinopathy.
Article Synopsis
- Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an incurable eye disease linked to mutations in the MERTK gene, which plays a crucial role in the health of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells.
- Researchers created induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from RP patients and healthy individuals to study RPE cells and their function.
- While there were no major physical differences in RPE cells, diseased cells showed reduced ability to internalize photoreceptor outer segments, highlighting potential avenues for understanding RP and developing treatments.
Glaucoma is a multifactorial optic neuropathy, possibly involving vascular dysfunction, leading to the death of retinal ganglion cells and their axons. Disc hemorrhage (DH) is known to be closely associated with the widening of retinal nerve fiber layer defect (NFLD); however, it has not been well elucidated how DH affects retinal microvasculature. We aimed to investigate the association between DH history and longitudinal changes in superficial retinal microvasculature in NFLD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To investigate the short-term effects of different types of anti-glaucoma eyedrop on sclero-conjunctival vasculatures and their associations with intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction.
Methods: This was a prospective study including 20 healthy subjects. A single instillation of ripasudil or bimatoprost was introduced into the right eyes of the participants.
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has greatly advanced the studies of causative genes and variants of inherited diseases. While it is sometimes challenging to determine the pathogenicity of identified variants in NGS, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics established the guidelines to help the interpretation. However, as to the genetic screenings for patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in Japan, none of the previous studies utilized the guidelines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: The latest evidence in the incidence of central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is needed to support the development of novel treatments as orphan drugs. However, up-to-date information on the incidence of CRAO in the ageing or aged population is limited. We aimed to investigate the nationwide epidemiological and clinical characteristics of CRAO in Japan, using nationwide health insurance claims data.
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