Upregulation of Mir-21 Levels in the Vitreous Humor Is Associated with Development of Proliferative Vitreoretinal Disease.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by post-transcriptional inhibition of mRNA translation. Dysregulation of miRNAs, including circulating miRNAs, has been reported to play an important role in the development of various diseases, including fibrotic diseases. Aberrant expression of miRNAs in the vitreous humor of vitreoretinal diseased eyes has been reported.

[Effects of vitrectomy as a treatment for proliferative diabetic retinopathy in young patients].

Purpose: To investigate the effects of vitrectomy as a treatment for the proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in patients under 40 years old.

Methods: Sixty eyes of 37 patients under 40 years old with PDR who had undergone vitrectomy for the first time in Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital were included in this study. Preoperative condition, operation methods, visual acuity after operation and complications both during or after operation, especially neovascular glaucoma (NVG), were reviewed retrospectively.

Two cases of severe degeneration of the macula following vitrectomy with indocyanine green-assisted internal limiting membrane peeling for idiopathic macular hole.

We describe three eyes of two cases of severe degeneration of the macula following vitrectomy with indocyanine green-assisted internal limiting membrane peeling for idiopathic macular hole. We need to remember the possibility of these complications and have to select the procedures that are safest to use for macular hole surgery.

Advantages of using newly developed quartz contact lens with slit illumination from operating microscope.

The purpose of this article is to report the characteristics and advantages of using a newly designed quartz contact lens with slit illumination from an operating microscope for intraocular surgery. The new contact lens is made of quartz. The lens is convex-concave and is used in combination with slit illumination from an operating microscope.

Retinal vessel changes in a patient with primary systemic nonfamilial amyloidosis.

A case is described that demonstrates retinal vessel changes and suggests the favorable effects of hemodialysis to treat pathology in a patient with primary systemic nonfamilial amyloidosis. A 47-year-old woman diagnosed as having primary systemic nonfamilial amyloidosis at the age of 30 years had linear and dot hemorrhage, venous dilatation, and tortuosity in the right eye. Fluorescein angiography revealed low-density amorphous areas in the walls of dilated veins near the optic disc.

Penetrating keratoplasty surgery combined with vitrectomy after failing previous corneal surgery.

Purpose: The preoperative and postoperative factors influencing visual outcome were analyzed in 15 eyes of 15 patients with graft opacity after keratoplasty associated with vitreoretinal disease who underwent combined surgery of fresh corneal retransplantation and vitrectomy.

Materials And Methods: The data obtained consisted of diagnosis, preoperative visual acuity, corneal and vitreoretinal findings at the time of surgery, interval between the first visit and surgery, intraocular pressure before surgery, gonioscopic findings, results of bacterial culture of surgical specimens, surgical procedure for vitrectomy, corneal and vitreous findings after surgery, visual acuity 6 months after surgery, intraocular pressure after surgery, and additional surgical techniques.

Results: The cause of corneal opacity was graft rejection in all patients, who had been treated with high-dose administrations of steroids and cyclosporin.

Multifunction vitreous forceps (maculorrhexis forceps).

We developed novel multifunction vitreous forceps to decrease the frequency of forceps insertion and enable the removal of the internal limiting membrane and other intravitreal membranes for better surgical results. The basic forceps were conventional continuous curvelinear capsulorrhexis (CCC) forceps. The size of the shaft is 23G and its pointed end measures 500 microm in diameter.