Parafoveal Microperimetric Retinal Sensitivity as a Key Parameter Associated with Vision Loss in Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Although optical coherence tomography (OCT) is useful in determining outer retinal architecture, it may be suboptimal when monitoring subtle changes in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients. The aim of this study is to investigate precise microperimetric parameters for disease severity identification in RP patients. A cross-sectional and retrospective study.

Incidence trends for common subtypes of T-cell lymphoma in Taiwan and the United States from 2008-2020.

The incidence of T-cell lymphoma (TCL) has been continually increasing in Taiwan and the United States (US) in recent years. This epidemiological study using population-based registry data aimed to determine the incidence patterns of common subtypes of TCL in Taiwan from 2008-2020 and compare them with those in the US and the Asian/Pacific Islander (API) population. Subtypes included angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL); extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal or other type (ENKTL); peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS); and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

Monitoring the transition from corneal ulceration to healed scar using a Scheimpflug tomography-based densitometry.

Purpose: To compare corneal haze between active ulcer and healed scarring using a Scheimpflug densitometry.

Materials And Methods: A prospective longitudinal study enrolled 30 patients (30 eyes) with ulcerative keratitis (UK). Each subject's corneal optical density (COD) was measured with a Scheimpflug corneal densitometry, Pentacam® AXL (Oculus GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany), at the active ulcerative and complete scarring stage.

Monitoring the Progression of Clinically Suspected Microbial Keratitis Using Convolutional Neural Networks.

Purpose: For this study, we aimed to determine whether a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based method (based on a feature extractor and an identifier) can be applied to monitor the progression of keratitis while managing suspected microbial keratitis (MK).

Methods: This multicenter longitudinal cohort study included patients with suspected MK undergoing serial external eye photography at the 5 branches of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from August 20, 2000, to August 19, 2020. Data were primarily analyzed from January 1 to March 25, 2022.

Validation of ICD-10-CM Diagnostic Codes for Identifying Patients with ST-Elevation and Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in a National Health Insurance Claims Database.

Purpose: Distinguishing ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is crucial in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) research due to their distinct characteristics. However, the accuracy of International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes for STEMI and NSTEMI in Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) database remains unvalidated. Therefore, we developed and validated case definition algorithms for STEMI and NSTEMI using ICD-10-CM and NHI billing codes.

The Impact of Emergency Department Arrival Time on Door-to-Balloon Time in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Receiving Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Door-to-balloon (DTB) time significantly affects the prognosis of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The effects of temporal differences in emergency department (ED) arrival time on DTB time and on different segments of DTB time remain inconclusive. Therefore, we performed a retrospective study in a tertiary hospital between January 2013 and December 2021 and investigated the relationship between a patient's arrival time and both their DTB time and different segments of their DTB time.

Deep Learning Approach in Image Diagnosis of Keratitis.

This investigation aimed to explore deep learning (DL) models' potential for diagnosing keratitis using external eye images. In the retrospective research, the images of bacterial keratitis (BK, = 929), classified as ( = 618) and non- ( = 311) keratitis, were collected. Eight DL algorithms, including ResNet50, DenseNet121, ResNeXt50, SE-ResNet50, and EfficientNets B0 to B3, were adopted as backbone models to train and obtain the best ensemble 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-DL models.

Ultraviolet A at levels experienced outdoors suppresses transforming growth factor-beta signaling and collagen production in human scleral fibroblasts.

Previous studies have highlighted the importance of outdoor time in reducing the risk of myopia progression. Although ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation dominates in terms of energy with respect to the UV radiation reaching the Earth's surface, its effects on the exposed anterior sclera have not been well studied. This study was designed to investigate the UVA-induced biological effects at peak sunlight levels in human scleral fibroblasts (HSFs).

Tear Proteomics Approach to Distinguishing Primary from Secondary Sjögren's Syndrome for Dry Eye Patients with Long-Term Instillation of Eyedrops.

The diagnosis and monitoring of Sjögren syndrome (SS) is often difficult, requiring a multidisciplinary approach with invasive procedures. Our aim is to elucidate the tear protein alterations of dry eye disease (DED) with primary SS (pSS) and secondary SS (sSS) with the long-term instillation of eyedrops. We collected clinical demographics and tear fluid (TF) samples from DED patients with no autoimmune diseases (non-SS-DED), pSS-DED, and sSS-DED patients, followed by TF screening with tandem mass tagging-labeling gel-free proteomics assay.

Steroid-Induced Ocular Hypertension in a Pediatric Patient with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Case Report.

Glucocorticoids play a pivotal role in therapeutic protocols in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment. Systemic steroids are known to be less likely to elevate the intraocular pressure when compared to topical administration, and reports addressing hypertensive ocular response in the Asian pediatric ALL population are currently limited. We report a case of a nine-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who was found to have highly elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) during maintenance treatment when taking oral dexamethasone (6 mg/m/day).

5-Lipoxygenase Inhibition Protects Retinal Pigment Epithelium from Sodium Iodate-Induced Ferroptosis and Prevents Retinal Degeneration.

Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to damage of retinal cells and the development of retinal diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). ROS result in increased metabolites of lipoxygenases (LOXs), which react with ROS to induce lipid peroxidation and may lead to ferroptosis. In this study, the effect of 5-LOX inhibition on alleviating ROS-induced cell death was evaluated using sodium iodate (NaIO) in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell line ARPE-19 and a mouse model investigating oxidative stress in AMD.

Acute Transverse Myelitis after COVID-19 Vaccination.

The adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccine have been discovered as the rapid application of the vaccines continues. Neurological complications such as transverse myelitis raise concerns as cases were observed in clinical trials. Transverse myelitis is a rare immune-mediated disease with spinal cord neural injury, resulting in neurological deficits in the motor, sensory, and autonomic system.

Simultaneously Monitoring Whole Corneal Injury with Corneal Optical Density and Thickness in Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery.

To pursue the least corneal implication during cataract surgery, this study aimed to monitor corneal wound injury after cataract surgery with a novel method. The prospective cohort study involved thirty-two patients, who were assessed by a Scheimpflug tomography AxL (Oculus GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany) via the following two kinds of indices: whole corneal optical density (COD) and corneal thickness (CT), two weeks before and one month after cataract surgery. The results of the COD revealed that corneal annuli 0.

Triamcinolone acetonide modulates TGF‑β2‑induced angiogenic and tissue‑remodeling effects in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Transforming growth factor‑β2 (TGF‑β2) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), due to its ability to stimulate the overproduction of pro‑angiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Although intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (TA) is clinically useful in the treatment of PVR and PDR, its molecular mechanism has yet to be fully elucidated. The present study investigated whether TA treatment altered TGF‑β2‑driven biological effects on the behavior of cultured human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, in order to determine which signaling pathway may be essential for the pharmacological action of TA.

Decarboxylative Radical Addition to Methylideneoxazolidinones for Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Selectively Protected Diamino Diacids.

Syntheses of stereochemically pure and selectively protected diamino diacids can be achieved by redox decarboxylation of distal -hydroxyphthalimide esters of protected aspartic, glutamic or α-aminoadipic acids via radical addition to methylideneoxazolidinones. The products are useful for solid-supported syntheses of robust bioactive carbocyclic peptide analogs. Yields of reactive primary radical addition are superior to those of more stabilized radicals, and the reaction fails if the alkylideneoxazolidinone has a methyl substituent on its terminus (i.

Bsi(OTf)-mediated tandem annulation of 1-aryl isochroman-3-ones with oxygenated arenes: one-pot synthesis of polyoxygenated homotriptycenes.

Bi(OTf)3 (bismuth triflate)-mediated one-pot tandem annulation of oxygenated 1-aryl isochroman-3-ones with oxygenated arenes provides polyoxygenated homotriptycenes in moderate to good yields in MeNO2 at reflux (101 °C) for 10 h under an air atmosphere and easy-operational conditions via intermolecular and intramolecular Friedel-Crafts type procedures. A plausible mechanism is proposed and discussed. This protocol provides a highly effective ring-closure via three carbon-carbon (C-C) bond formations.

Pneumomediastinum, Pneumoretroperitoneum, Pneumoperitoneum and Subcutaneous Emphysema Secondary to a Penetrating Anal Injury.

Simultaneous occurrence of pneumoperitoneum, pneumoretroperitoneum, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema is rare. The most reported mechanisms are barotrauma, thermal injury and instrument puncture caused by colonoscopy. Ectopic air may travel into different body compartments through distinct anatomical fascial planes.

Axial length of cataract eyes: a comparison of two cohorts over a span of 10 years apart.

Background: To assess the associations of axial length with age-related cataract within a span of 10 years in an Asian population in southern Taiwan.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study examined 960 adults who underwent cataract surgery at the Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in year 2008 and year 2018. Axial length was assessed with the ultrasound biometry and/or the Zeiss IOLMaster.

Development of a Novel Interactive Multimedia E-Learning Model to Enhance Clinical Competency Training and Quality of Care among Medical Students.

Clinical competencies consisting of skills, knowledge, and communication techniques should be acquired by all medical graduates to optimize healthcare quality. However, transitioning from observation to hands-on learning in clinical competencies poses a challenge to medical students. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of a novel interactive multimedia eBook curriculum in clinical competency training.

Determination of Tear Lipid Film Thickness Based on a Reflected Placido Disk Tear Film Analyzer.

This study aims at determining the thickness of the tear lipid layer (LL) observed from a placido-disc-based tear film analyzer. We prospectively collected reflections of placido-disk LL images using a tear film analyzer (Keratograph 5M, Oculus) from subjects with dry eye symptoms. The LL thickness (LLT) over the inferior half of the cornea was estimated with the use of interference color analysis and the preprocessing of images with and without ring segmentation were obtained and analyzed.

AcO-Mediated Dearylacetylative Dimerization of 2-Arylacetyl-1-naphthols: Synthesis of Naphtho[1,2-]furan-3-ones.

A novel and efficient route for the synthesis of 2-aryl-2-naphthyl naphtho[1,2-]furan-3-ones is described via NaH/AcO-mediated dearylacetylative dimerization of 2-arylacetyl-1-naphthols in refluxing THF under open-flask conditions. A plausible mechanism is also proposed and discussed. Various reaction conditions are investigated for one-pot transformation.

Systematic Analysis of Transcriptomic Profile of the Effects of Low Dose Atropine Treatment on Scleral Fibroblasts using Next-Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics.

This study has two novel findings: it is not only the first to deduct potential genes involved in scleral growth repression upon atropine instillation from a prevention point of view, but also the first to demonstrate that only slight changes in scleral gene expression were found after atropine treatment as side effects and safety reasons of the eye drops are of concern. The sclera determines the final ocular shape and size, constituting of scleral fibroblasts as the principal cell type and the major regulator of extracellular matrix. The aim of our study was to identify differentially expressed genes and microRNA regulations in atropine-treated scleral fibroblasts that are potentially involved in preventing the onset of excessive ocular growth using next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics approaches.