Nigrospora oryzae causing human corneal keratitis: A case report.

Purpose: We report a rare case of microbial keratitis caused by .

Observations: A 72-year-old Japanese woman was injured by plant debris and developed oval corneal ulcers and hypopyon in the anterior chamber. After 5 days, she complained of pain, redness, and vision loss in her left eye and was treated with antibacterial eye drops and an ointment (1.

Predicting central choroidal thickness from colour fundus photographs using deep learning.

The estimation of central choroidal thickness from colour fundus images can improve disease detection. We developed a deep learning method to estimate central choroidal thickness from colour fundus images at a single institution, using independent datasets from other institutions for validation. A total of 2,548 images from patients who underwent same-day optical coherence tomography examination and colour fundus imaging at the outpatient clinic of Jichi Medical University Hospital were retrospectively analysed.

Scleritis following intravitreal brolucizumab injection: a case series.

Background: This study reports the first cases of scleritis following intravitreal brolucizumab (IVBr) injection for nAMD, emphasizing the need to be aware of the possibility of scleritis following IVBr injections.

Case Presentation: Case 1. A 74-year-old Japanese man with nAMD complained of conjunctivitis and decreased vision in the right eye 8 days after his eighth IVBr injection.

Advanced technical tips and recent insights in ERCP using balloon-assisted endoscopy.

Pancreatobiliary endoscopic interventions using balloon-assisted endoscopes have been widely acknowledged as the first-line therapy for pancreatobiliary diseases in postoperative patients with reconstructed gastrointestinal anatomy (excluding the Billroth I procedure). However, there are many technical difficulties, and the procedural completion rates vary in a wide range among institutions, indicating the procedural technique is yet to be standardized. This article aims to provide technical tips of procedures and insights into the advanced aspects, including the management of extremely difficult cases and troubleshooting of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography using balloon endoscopy, along with a review of recent advancements in this field.

Visual and Anatomical Outcomes After Initial Intravitreal Faricimab Injection for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Patients with Prior Treatment History.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of a single injection of intravitreal faricimab (IVF) in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) who had a prior treatment history.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on a consecutive cohort of 80 eyes of 75 patients with nAMD who had a prior history of treatment with an injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central subfield thickness (CST), and central choroidal thickness (CCT) were compared before the initial IVF injection and after a treatment interval matching the previous duration.

Development of Severe Acute Pancreatitis Following Uncovered Metallic Stent Placement: A Rare Case Report.

Self-expandable metallic stents (SEMSs) are widely used for malignant biliary stricture (MBS). Acute pancreatitis is an early complication following SEMS placement. In the present case, the patient developed severe acute pancreatitis after SEMS placement for MBS because of metastatic lymph nodes.

Changing trends in lymphoid neoplasm distribution in South Korea: analysis of 8615 cases from a single institute, 1997-2016: An observational study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in the proportion of lymphoid neoplasm subtypes in South Korea. A total of 8615 cases of lymphoid neoplasms diagnosed in 1997-2016 at Samsung Medical Center in South Korea were classified according to the 2008 World Health Organization system. The total number and proportion of lymphoid neoplasms were compared between these two decades, with data from nationwide studies, and with other countries.

Identification of T-cell receptor expression in EBV-positive neoplastic cells in extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal-type, and comparison with T-cell receptor gene rearrangement by BIOMED-2 assay.

The cellular lineage of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal-type (ENKTL), is determined by expression of T-cell receptor (TR) or TR gene rearrangement. In ENKTL, from TR immunohistochemistry, it may often be difficult to decide whether TR-positive cells are tumor cells or not, especially when TR is expressed in a subset of tumor cells. To analyze TR expression pattern and TR rearrangement in T-lineage ENKTL, we performed double immunofluorescence staining for Epstein-Barr virus-encoded small RNAs (EBER)/T-cell receptor (TCR) βF1 and CD56/TCR βF1 in 12 cases of ENKTL that showed TCR βF1 expression in immunohistochemistry.

Dendritic cell-based cancer immunotherapies.

Because of their unique role in linking the innate and adaptive immune systems, dendritic cells (DCs) have been a logical focus for novel immunotherapies. However, strategies employing active immunization with ex vivo generated and antigen-pulsed DCs have shown limited efficacy in clinical trials. These past approaches did not take into account the complex interactions between cells of the innate immune system and DCs during DC maturation, antigen processing, and presentation to naïve T cells.

Combined mobilization and stimulation of tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells and natural killer cells with Flt3 ligand and IL-18 in vivo induces systemic antitumor immunity.

It was hypothesized that if dendritic cells (DC) could be efficiently manipulated in vivo, this might enable functional maturation and retention of their potent functions and might represent a more promising approach in DC immunotherapy. The present study focused on the modulation of DC in tumor microenvironment using Fms-like thyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) combined with interferon-gamma-inducing factor (IL-18). Tumor-inoculated mice were treated with in vivo electroporation (IVE) of expression plasmids carrying complementary DNA of Flt3L.

Cancer gene therapy using in vivo electroporation of Flt3-ligand.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells which play pivotal roles in immunological response. The clinical application of DCs induced from peripheral monocytes in vitro has been initiated as a promising immuno-logical therapy against cancer. If the same type of immuno-stimulator could be achieved without in vitro manipulation, it might be very convenient in clinical settings.

Effect of imatinib (STI571) on metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors: report of a case.

The prognosis for advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is poor. However, recent reports from Europe have described the effects of imatinib against metastatic GIST. We herein report the case of a Japanese patient treated with imatinib for advanced GIST.

Generation of mature dendritic cells fully capable of T helper type 1 polarization using OK-432 combined with prostaglandin E(2).

Dendritic cell (DC) administration appears to be a very promising approach for the immunotherapy of cancer. The results of clinical studies have suggested that the nature and the magnitude of antitumor immune responses are critically affected by DC functions, including production of T helper type 1 (Th1)-inducing cytokines, activation of T cell subsets and natural killer (NK) cells, and migration from peripheral tissues to the T cell area of the draining lymph nodes. Administration of immature DCs could fail to fully stimulate antigen-specific immune responses and might induce tolerance under some conditions.

Normal donor bone marrow is superior to Flt3 ligand-mobilized bone marrow in prolonging heart allograft survival when combined with anti-CD40L (CD154).

Flt3 ligand (FL) administration markedly increases bone marrow (BM) stem cells and immature dendritic cells. We investigated the influence of CD40-CD40Ligand (CD154) pathway blockade on antidonor immunity, cytokine production, microchimerism and heart graft survival in BALB/c (H2d) recipients of fully allogeneic C57BL/10 (H2b) FL-mobilized BM (FL-BM) or normal BM. Anti-CD40L mAb strongly suppressed anti-donor T-cell proliferative responses in recipients of either normal or FL-BM, but was less efficient in inhibiting antidonor cytolytic T-cell (CTL) activity, especially in recipients of FL-BM.

Retroviral delivery of transforming growth factor-beta1 to myeloid dendritic cells: inhibition of T-cell priming ability and influence on allograft survival.

Background: Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta inhibits the maturation and function of antigen-presenting cells. Our purpose was to evaluate the impact of retroviral delivery of human TGF-beta1 to murine myeloid dendritic cell (DC) progenitors on (i) their in vitro properties, (ii) their in vivo function, and (iii) their influence on organ allograft survival.

Methods: C57BL10 (B10; H2b) bone marrow cells were lineage depleted and stimulated with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor for 6 days.