Tonsillitis-Related Arthritis: Advanced Understandings of Tonsillitis and Sterile Inflammatory Arthritis.

A 49-year-old man developed acute aseptic arthritis of the nonmigratory and asymmetrical type in his knee, ankle, and bilateral metatarsal joints 13 days after treatment with antibiotics for acute tonsillitis. He was diagnosed with tonsillitis-related arthritis after other rheumatic diseases were ruled out. Treatment with salazosulfapyridine, methotrexate, and methylprednisolone for 3 months did not completely improve.

Assessment of Screening for Nasal Obstruction among Sleep Dentistry Outpatients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Oral appliances (OA), a common treatment modality for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), are not suitable for patients with nasal obstruction. Rhinomanometry, the gold standard technique to assess nasal airway resistance, is not readily available in sleep dentistry clinics. We demonstrate the use of a portable lightweight peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) rate meter to objectively assess nasal airflow and utilized the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale to subjectively assess nasal obstruction in 97 patients with OSA and 105 healthy controls.

Prefrontal modulation during chewing performance in occlusal dysesthesia patients: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Objectives: Neuropsychological associations can be considerable in occlusal dysesthesia (OD) patients who routinely complain of persistent occlusal discomfort, and somatization effects in the superior medial prefrontal cortex and the temporal and parietal regions are also present. However, the relationship between physical activity, i.e.

CIRCINATE PARTITION-LIKE FINDINGS ON CONE MOSAIC IMAGED BY ADAPTIVE OPTICS SCANNING LASER OPHTHALMOSCOPY IN EYES WITH INNER NUCLEAR LAYER MICROCYSTIC CHANGES.

Purpose: To report cases that showed partition-like, dark areas in the cone mosaic on adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO) images in eyes with inner nuclear layer (INL) microcystic changes.

Methods: Eyes with INL microcystic changes were imaged by prototype AO-SLO.

Results: An eye with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, an eye with traumatic optic neuropathy, and an eye with retinitis pigmentosa that showed microcystic lesions in the INL were imaged by AO-SLO.

Post-stroke depression inhibits improvement in activities of daily living in patients in a convalescent rehabilitation ward.

[Purpose] There have been no investigations into the improvement of activities of daily living among patients suffering from post-stroke depression on admission to convalescent rehabilitation wards in Japan. This study aimed to assess the improvement of activities in daily living in patients with or without post-stroke depression at the time of admission to a convalescent rehabilitation ward. [Subjects and Methods] This retrospective study included 108 stroke patients divided into two groups according to their Geriatric Depression Scale 15-item short form scores.

Cone Integrity in Glaucoma: An Adaptive-Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy Study.

Purpose: To investigate photoreceptor changes in eyes with glaucoma.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: The study included 35 eyes of 35 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma who had suffered parafoveal visual field loss at least 3 years previously, as well as 21 eyes of 21 normal subjects.

Next-generation sequencing-based comprehensive molecular analysis of 43 Japanese patients with cone and cone-rod dystrophies.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of targeted exome sequencing for mutational screening of Japanese patients with cone dystrophy (CD) or cone-rod dystrophy (CRD).

Methods: DNA samples from 43 Japanese patients with CD or CRD were sequenced using an exome-sequencing panel targeting all 193 known inherited eye disease genes and next-generation sequencing methodologies. Subsequently, candidate variants were screened using systematic data analyses, and their potential pathogenicity was assessed using distinct filtering approaches, which included the frequency of the variants in normal populations, in silico prediction tools, and cosegregation.

Characteristics of middle-aged and older patients with temporomandibular disorders and burning mouth syndrome.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between pain intensities and psychosocial characteristics in middle-aged and older patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) and burning mouth syndrome (BMS). Subjects were selected according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (n = 705) and International Association for the Study of Pain criteria for BMS (n = 175). Patients were then divided into two age groups: 45-64 years (middle-aged, Group A) and 65-84 years (older, Group B).

Evaluation of Photoreceptors in Bietti Crystalline Dystrophy with CYP4V2 Mutations Using Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy.

Purpose: To evaluate photoreceptors in Bietti crystalline dystrophy patients with CYP4V2 mutations using high-resolution images of the macula obtained with adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO).

Design: Prospective observational case series with comparison to healthy controls.

Methods: Seven eyes of 7 Bietti crystalline dystrophy patients with CYP4V2 mutations and 12 normal eyes of 12 age- and axial length-matched healthy volunteers were studied.

Intra-familial Similarity of Wide-Field Fundus Autofluorescence in Inherited Retinal Dystrophy.

To examine the similarity of wide-field fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging in inherited retinal dystrophy between siblings and between parents and their children. The subjects included 17 siblings (12 with retinitis pigmentosa and 5 with cone rod dystrophy) and 10 parent-child pairs (8 with retinitis pigmentosa and 2 with cone rod dystrophy). We quantified the similarity of wide-field FAF using image processing techniques of cropping, binarization, superimposition, and subtraction.

Comparison of optic disc morphology of optic nerve atrophy between compressive optic neuropathy and glaucomatous optic neuropathy.

Objectives: To compare the optic nerve head (ONH) structure between compressive optic neuropathy (CON) and glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON), and to determine whether selected ONH quantitative parameters effectively discriminate between GON and CON, especially CON cases presenting with a glaucoma-like disc.

Methods: We prospectively assessed 34 patients with CON, 34 age-matched patients with moderate or severe GON, and 34 age-matched healthy control subjects. The quantitative parameters of ONH structure were compared using the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph 2 (HRT2) and Spectralis optical coherence tomography with an enhanced depth imaging method.

Comprehensive molecular diagnosis of a large cohort of Japanese retinitis pigmentosa and Usher syndrome patients by next-generation sequencing.

Purpose: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a major cause of blindness in developed countries, has multiple causative genes; its prevalence differs by ethnicity. Usher syndrome is the most common form of syndromic RP and is accompanied by hearing impairment. Although molecular diagnosis is challenging, recent technological advances such as targeted high-throughput resequencing are efficient screening tools.

Age-related associations between psychological characteristics and pain intensity among Japanese patients with temporomandibular disorder.

We investigated the relationship between pain intensity and psychosocial characteristics in patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Participants with painful TMD, according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (RDC/TMD), were recruited from our clinic and classified into six age groups: 15 to 24, 25 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 54, 55 to 64, and 65 to 85 years (Groups A through F, respectively). Self-reported present pain intensity and worst pain intensity during the past 6 months were ascertained using a numeric rating scale (0 to 10).

High-resolution imaging of photoreceptors in macular microholes.

Purpose: To assess photoreceptor structure in macular microholes by using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and compare with visual acuity.

Methods: Fourteen eyes from 12 patients with macular microholes underwent a full ophthalmologic examination and imaging with a fundus camera, SD-OCT, and an original prototype AO-SLO system at each visit.

Results: All eyes had a cone outer segment tip line disruption and a normal retinal pigment epithelium line on SD-OCT images.

Association of retinal vessel attenuation with visual function in eyes with retinitis pigmentosa.

Purpose: To investigate the association between visual changes and retinal vessel attenuation in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Design: A retrospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study.

Methods: We analyzed 45 eyes from 45 subjects who were followed-up for ≥3 years at our clinic.

Wide-field fundus autofluorescence abnormalities and visual function in patients with cone and cone-rod dystrophies.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical utility of wide-field fundus autofluorescence (FAF) in patients with cone dystrophy and cone-rod dystrophy.

Methods: Sixteen patients with cone dystrophy (CD) and 41 patients with cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) were recruited at one institution. The right eye of each patient was included for analysis.

Prevalence and spatial distribution of cystoid spaces in retinitis pigmentosa: investigation with spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence and spatial distribution of cystoid spaces (CS) in retinitis pigmentosa patients with spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

Methods: A total of 529 eyes of 275 patients with retinitis pigmentosa were examined with spectral domain optical coherence tomography. The presence or absence of CS was judged for each eye.

Tomographic comparison of cone-rod and rod-cone retinal dystrophies.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between impairment of cone/rod photoreceptors and changes in optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 35 patients with cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) and 35 visual acuity-matched patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The presence or absence of the external limiting membrane (ELM), inner segment ellipsoid (ISe), interdigitation zone (IZ), and foveal cavitation (hyporeflective space in the outer retina) were determined using OCT image evaluation.

Macular cone abnormalities in retinitis pigmentosa with preserved central vision using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy.

Purpose: To assess macular photoreceptor abnormalities in eyes with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) with preserved central vision using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO).

Methods: Fourteen eyes of 14 patients with RP (best-corrected visual acuity 20/20 or better) and 12 eyes of 12 volunteers underwent a full ophthalmologic examination, fundus autofluorescence, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and imaging with a prototype AO-SLO system. Cone density and spatial organization of the cone mosaic were assessed using AO-SLO images.

Cone abnormalities in fundus albipunctatus associated with RDH5 mutations assessed using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy.

Purpose: To assess macular photoreceptor abnormalities in eyes with fundus albipunctatus with RDH5 mutation by using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AO-SLO).

Design: Prospective cross-sectional study.

Methods: Ten eyes with fundus albipunctatus and 11 normal eyes underwent a full ophthalmologic examination, microperimetry, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT), and imaging with a prototype AO-SLO system.

Clinical and immunological characterization of paraneoplastic retinopathy.

Purpose: To report the clinical and immunological characterization of paraneoplastic retinopathy (PR) and to investigate the association between spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) findings and the targets of autoantibodies in PR.

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled eight patients (age range, 57-85 years; four men and four women) suspected of having PR. All patients underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examinations, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) measurement, slitlamp examinations, kinetic visual field testing with Goldmann perimetry, electroretinography (ERG), fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, fundus autofluorescence (FAF), SDOCT, and serum sample tests (Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry [IHC]).

Wide-field fundus autofluorescence imaging of retinitis pigmentosa.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of wide-field fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Design: Cross-sectional case series.

Participants: Seventy-five eyes of 75 patients with RP.

Longitudinal analysis of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thinning in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

Purpose: To investigate longitudinal changes in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Methods: We re-examined 103 RP patients whose RNFL thickness was previously examined and reported. RNFL thickness was measured using Stratus optical coherence tomography and was compared with the previous measurements.

Group cognitive-behavioral intervention for patients with burning mouth syndrome.

This study was conducted to assess the psychological characteristics of, and determine the effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral (CB) treatment for, patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS). The baseline characteristics of 24 female patients (age 69.7 ± 5.