Transcriptomic analysis of cellular senescence induced by ectopic expression of ATF6α in human breast cancer cells.

Background: The transcriptomic profile of cellular senescence is strongly associated with distinct cell types, the specific stressors triggering senescence, and temporal progression through senescence stages. This implies the potential necessity of conducting separate investigations for each cell type and a stressor inducing senescence. To elucidate the molecular mechanism that drives endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced cellular senescence in MCF-7 breast cancer cells, with a particular emphasis on the ATF6α branch of the unfolded protein response.

Unraveling the hypoxia modulating potential of VEGF family genes in pan-cancer.

Tumor hypoxia, oxygen deprivation state, occurs in most cancers and promotes angiogenesis, enhancing the potential for metastasis. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family genes play crucial roles in tumorigenesis by promoting angiogenesis. To investigate the malignant processes triggered by hypoxia-induced angiogenesis across pan-cancers, we comprehensively analyzed the relationships between the expression of VEGF family genes and hypoxic microenvironment based on integrated bioinformatics methods.

Effect of Alternate Treatment with Intravitreal Corticosteroid and Anti-VEGF for Macular Edema Secondary to Retinal Vein Occlusion.

Purpose: To evaluate whether treatment with intravitreal corticosteroid and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections alternately can improve treatment outcomes of macular edema (ME) caused by retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Methods: This dual-center retrospective study included 112 eyes with treatment-naïve ME secondary to RVO that were alternately treated with intravitreal corticosteroid and anti-VEGF injections (33 eyes, alternate group) or treated only with intravitreal anti-VEGF injections (79 eyes, anti-VEGF group) on a pro re nata basis.

Results: During the 12-month follow-up period, the alternate group achieved a visual acuity gain of 0.

Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy and Declining Renal Function in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Background: At a university hospital in Korea, we conducted a retrospective study to determine the association of the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR) with declining renal function in type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We included a total of 1527 patients with type 2 diabetes who followed up in our diabetes clinic and underwent fundus photographic examinations from August 2006 to February 2014. DR was assessed by retinal ophthalmologists using comprehensive ophthalmologic examinations.

New Strategy of Visual Acuity Assessment by Consecutively-sized Landolt Ring Symbol.

In this paper, novel visual acuity test strategy is proposed. Unlike conventional way, an instructor shows a subject the magnifying image of Landolt ring through the monitor. By adapting multiple reliability verification system using feedback, instructor can get the vision acuity data with higher accuracy and resolution.

Comparison of systemic conditions at diagnosis between central retinal vein occlusion and branch retinal vein occlusion.

Objective: To compare systemic conditions at the time of diagnosis between patients with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).

Design: This study included patients diagnosed with CRVO or BRVO between February 2009 and August 2017 at three branch hospitals of Hallym University Medical Center. Demographic and anthropometric variables, systemic comorbidity profiles, and laboratory findings at diagnosis were collected from a clinical data warehouse system, and were compared between the CRVO and BRVO groups.

Diabetic retinopathy is a prognostic factor for progression of chronic kidney disease in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Since both retinopathy and nephropathy are major diabetic microvascular complications, we investigated whether severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) has adverse effects on renal function and albuminuria in the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). We screened 2,197 adult patients with type 2 DM who had undergone fundus exam between August 2006 and February 2014. Among them, 1,592 subjects with available serial renal function and albuminuria measurement were included in the analysis.

Optical Quality Assessment in Patients with Macular Diseases Using Optical Quality Analysis System.

Macular diseases cause vision loss, as the macula is the functional center for vision. In this study we assessed optical quality in eyes with macular diseases and evaluated the effectiveness of the Optical Quality Analysis System (OQAS) to detect macular diseases. We analyzed 88 eyes of 88 patients with macular diseases (51 men and 37 women; mean age: 65.

Effect of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract on hard exudates in patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of orally administered grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) in patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR).

Methods: In this randomized (1:2:2), multicentre, double-blind trial, patients (n = 124; age: 40-78 years) were administered placebo, calcium dobesilate (CD; 750 mg/d), or GSPE (150 mg/d) orally for up to 12 months. All patients had retinal thickening with hard exudates (HEs) that met predefined criteria; the median best-corrected visual acuity was 0.

Development and validation of a simple, fast, and sensitive LC/MS/MS method for the quantification of oxfendazole in human plasma and its application to clinical pharmacokinetic study.

The most popular standard treatments for soil transmitted helminths in humans including mebendazole, albendazole, levamisole, and pyrantel pamoate, show greatly variable efficacy against different species of parasites and have unfavorable pharmacokinetic characteristics, such as short half-life. The transition of oxfendazole, a potent broad-spectrum anthelmintic with long half-life, from veterinary medicine to human use has been considered as a promising approach. However, analytical methods for the quantitative detection of oxfendazole in human matrix are very limited and lack sensitivity.

Investigation of Surgical Techniques for Optimization of Long-Term Outcomes of LCP-Based Retinal Prosthesis Implantation.

Purpose: To investigate reproducible surgical techniques to optimize the long-term safety of liquid crystal polymer (LCP)-based retinal prosthesis implantation.

Methods: An LCP-based retinal prosthesis is fabricated monolithically on a single-body LCP substrate with all components, including the package and electrode array. We implanted the electrode array into the suprachoroidal space and anchored the package and transition part to the sclera in rabbits ( = 11).

Risk factors for retinal microvascular impairment in type 2 diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy.

Objectives: To determine the risk factors for retinal microvascular impairment on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) in type 2 diabetic patients without clinical diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Methods: This retrospective and cross-sectional study enrolled 74 diabetic patients without clinically evident DR for the study group and 34 healthy subjects for the control group. OCT-A parameters were measured to determine vascular density (VD) and the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) size in the superficial and deep capillary plexuses (SCP/DCP) of the retina.

Potential Influence of Centrally Acting Herbal Drugs on Transporters at the Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier and Blood-Brain Barrier.

Complementary and alternative medications (CAM) with known or suspected pharmacologic activity in the central nervous system (CNS) are common. These herbal preparations may cause clinically significant drug-drug interactions (DDIs) when coadministered with medications that act in the CNS. This can result in negative outcomes such as toxicity or loss of efficacy.

Effect of 5,7-dimethoxyflavone on Bcrp1-mediated transport of sorafenib in vitro and in vivo in mice.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are a novel and target-specific class of anticancer drugs. One drawback of TKI therapy is cancer resistance to TKI. An important TKI resistance mechanism is enhanced efflux of TKI by efflux transporters, such as Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP), in cancer cells.

Foveal microvasculature features of surgically closed macular hole using optical coherence tomography angiography.

Background: To describe the features of foveal microvasculature using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and to determine the related clinical factors in eyes with surgically closed macular hole (MH).

Methods: A retrospective case series of 18 patients with unilateral MH was reviewed. The patients maintained complete hole closure after vitrectomy with inner limiting membrane (ILM) peeling for at least 12 months.

TKI combination therapy: strategy to enhance dasatinib uptake by inhibiting Pgp- and BCRP-mediated efflux.

The overexpression of efflux transporters, especially P-glycoprotein (Pgp, MDR1, ABCB1) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP, ABCG2), represents an important mechanism of multidrug resistance (MDR). Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), a novel group of target-specific anticancer drugs, have recently been found to interact with Pgp and BCRP and to serve as both substrates and inhibitors. Considering their dual role, we anticipate that combination TKI therapy may represent a promising strategy to reverse efflux transporter mediated TKI resistance.

Long-term evaluation of a liquid crystal polymer (LCP)-based retinal prosthesis.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term reliability of a recently presented liquid crystal polymer (LCP) -based retinal prosthesis in vitro as well as in vivo. Because an all-polymer implant introduces another intrinsic leak type due to gas permeation, for which the traditional helium leak test for metallic packages was not designed to quantify, a new method to investigate its durability is required.

Approach: We designed and carried out a series of reliability tests specifically for all-polymer implants by quantitatively investigating moisture ingress through various pathways of the polymer surface, and the polymer-polymer and polymer-metal adhesions.

Clinical parameters related to metamorphopsia outcome in patients with resolved central serous chorioretinopathy using M-CHARTS: retrospective cohort study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical parameters related to metamorphopsia outcome in patients with resolved central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR).

Methods: The charts of 36 eyes with resolved CSCR were retrospectively reviewed. We measured metamorphopsia using M-CHARTS after resolution of serous retinal detachment.

Klebsiella Endophthalmitis as Retinal Vasculitis with Prostatic Abscess.

Purpose: To describe an unusual case of endogenous Klebsiella endophthalmitis associated with prostatic abscess in an immunocompetent patient.

Case Report: A 59-year-old previously healthy man presented with rapidly progressive retinal vasculitis in the left eye. He received an empirical antibiotic and antiviral agent intravenously followed by oral prednisolone until the etiology was identified; however, intraocular inflammation in the left eye continued to worsen, followed by the development of subretinal abscess in the contralateral eye.

Neurosyphilis initially presenting as hemorrhagic exudative optic neuropathy in an immunocompetent patient.

We describe an unusual case of hemorrhagic exudative optic neuropathy as an initial presentation of neurosyphilis in an immunocompetent patient. The clinicians have to be alert to consider a diagnosis of syphilitic optic neuropathy in cases with hemorrhagic exudative optic neuropathy.

A miniaturized, eye-conformable, and long-term reliable retinal prosthesis using monolithic fabrication of liquid crystal polymer (LCP).

A novel retinal prosthetic device was developed using biocompatible liquid crystal polymer (LCP) to address the problems associated with conventional metal- and polymer-based devices: the hermetic metal package is bulky, heavy, and labor-intensive, whereas a thin, flexible, and MEMS-compatible polymer-based system is not durable enough for chronic implantation. Exploiting the advantageous properties of LCP such as a low moisture absorption rate, thermobonding, and thermoforming, we fabricate a small, light-weight, long-term reliable retinal prosthesis that can be conformally attached on the eye-surface. A LCP fabrication process using monolithic integration and conformal deformation was established enabling miniaturization and a batch manufacturing process as well as eliminating the need for feed-through technology.

Toxicity profile of temozolomide in the treatment of 300 malignant glioma patients in Korea.

This study evaluated the toxicity profiles of temozolomide in the treatment of malignant glioma as either concurrent or adjuvant chemotherapy. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 300 malignant glioma patients treated with temozolomide in two medical institutions in Korea between 2004 and 2010. Two hundred nine patients experienced a total of 618 toxicities during temozolomide therapy.

Low-fluence photodynamic therapy versus ranibizumab for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy: one-year results of a randomized trial.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety between low-fluence photodynamic therapy (PDT) and the intravitreal ranibizumab in the treatment of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).

Design: Prospective, randomized, single-center, parallel-arm, controlled trial.

Participants: Thirty-four eyes of 32 patients with chronic CSC with >6 months' duration of symptoms or recurrent CSC were randomly placed into the low-fluence PDT group (n = 18) or the ranibizumab group (n = 16).

Levetiracetam compared with valproic acid for the prevention of postoperative seizures after supratentorial tumor surgery: a retrospective chart review.

Introduction: Antiepileptic drugs are commonly given for perioperative prophylaxis after brain tumor surgery, and there has been growing interest in levetiracetam, a second-generation antiepileptic drug. This retrospective study compared the seizure outcomes, side effects and durability of levetiracetam with valproic acid after a craniotomy for supratentorial brain tumors.

Methods: Between 2009 and 2012, 282 consecutive patients with a supratentorial brain tumor underwent a craniotomy at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.

Cytomegalovirus retinitis after intravitreal bevacizumab injection in an immunocompetent patient.

We report a case of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis after intravitreal bevacizumab injection. A 61-year-old woman with diabetic macular edema developed dense vitritis and necrotizing retinitis 3 weeks after intravitreal bevacizumab injection. A diagnostic vitrectomy was performed.