Changes in ocular blood flow in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration after intravitreal injection of ranibizumab biosimilar and brolucizumab.

Purpose: To assess ocular blood flow (OBF) changes in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with intravitreal injections of ranibizumab biosimilar (IVRbs) or brolucizumab (IVBr).

Methods: This retrospective longitudinal study included 43 eyes of 43 patients (74.5 ± 9.

Baseline characteristics associated with the incidence of intraocular inflammation after the intravitreous injection of brolucizumab.

Purpose: To investigate baseline characteristics associated with the incidence of intraocular inflammation (IOI) after the intravitreal injection of brolucizumab (IVBr) for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods: This retrospective study included 66 eyes of 62 consecutive patients with nAMD who received IVBr (18 eyes were treatment naïve and 48 eyes had switched from other anti-vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] therapy). Baseline clinical characteristics were compared in non-IOI and IOI groups.

Fractalkine's dual role in inflammation and hard tissue formation in cultured human dental pulp cells.

This study aimed to explore the potential roles of fractalkine/CX3CR1, primarily expressed in vascular endothelial cells and has recently been identified in dental pulp cells at sites of pulp tissue inflammation, not only in inflammation but also in pulp hard tissue formation. To this end, cultured human dental pulp cells were grown in 10% FBS-supplemented α-MEM. Fractalkine was introduced to the culture, and COX-2 and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) expression levels were evaluated via western blotting.

Relationship between nailfold capillaroscopy parameters and the severity of diabetic retinopathy.

Purpose: To determine whether non-invasive measurements of the nailfold capillaries (NCs) are associated with the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Eighty-three eyes of 83 patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled. Sixty-three age-matched non-diabetic subjects served as controls.

Association between aqueous humor cytokines and postoperative corneal endothelial cell loss after Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty.

This study measured the intraoperative anterior aqueous humor concentrations of various cytokines during corneal endothelial transplantation and searched for relationships between these concentrations and postoperative corneal endothelial cell (CEC) depletion. We recruited 30 consecutive patients who underwent corneal endothelial transplantation with Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) at Tohoku University Hospital between February 2014 and July 2017. During surgery, we obtained aqueous humor samples and later measured the concentrations of 27 cytokines with a Multiplex Bead Assay (Bio-Plex Pro).

Carotid artery intima-media thickness, HDL cholesterol levels, and gender associated with poor visual acuity in patients with branch retinal artery occlusion.

Purpose: To investigate factors associated with poor visual acuity (VA) in branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO).

Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of 72 eyes with BRAO of 72 patients. For statistical comparison, we divided the patients into worse-VA (decimal VA < 0.

Bilateral Necrotizing Herpes Simplex Keratitis in an Immunocompetent Patient With Genetic Analysis of Herpes Simplex Virus 1.

Purpose: To report a case of severe bilateral necrotizing herpes simplex keratitis (HSK) in an immunocompetent patient, with genotyping of the underlying herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1).

Methods: Genetic analyses of HSV-1 in tear samples were performed with polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism, targeting the viral genes unique short (US)2, US4 (glycoprotein G), and US7 (glycoprotein I).

Results: A 64-year-old woman with no history of atopy or immune disorders manifested bilateral keratitis with geographic ulcer.

Kallikrein Promotes Inflammation in Human Dental Pulp Cells Via Protease-Activated Receptor-1.

Plasma kallikrein (KLKB1), a serine protease, cleaves high-molecular weight kininogen to produce bradykinin, a potent vasodilator and pro-inflammatory peptide. In addition, KLKB1 activates plasminogen and other leukocyte and blood coagulation factors and processes pro-enkephalin, prorenin, and C3. KLKB1 has also been shown to cleave protease-activated receptors in vascular smooth muscle cells to regulate the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor.

Regulation of ALP activity by TNF-alpha on human dental pulp.

In this study, we examined the effects of TNF-alpha on Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2), Smads (which play intracellular signaling of BMPs) expression and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of human dental pulp (HDP) cells to clarify the mechanism of tertiary dentin formation. The quantity of RT-PCR product for BMP-2 from the HDP cells stimulated by TNF-alpha is increased. However, ALP activity was not increased on the cells incubated with TNF-alpha.

Effects of pH on mineralization ability of human dental pulp cells.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of alkaline pH on calcification in human dental pulp (HDP) cells. HDP cells were cultured in pH 7.8 conditioned medium, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was measured.