Incidence of retinal detachment associated with atopic dermatitis in Japan: review of cases from 1992 to 2011

Mikio Sasoh,1,2 Hitoshi Mizutani,3 Hisashi Matsubara,1 Motoyasu Furuta,4 Yoshitsugu Matsui,1 Kei-ichi Yamanaka,3 Mineo Kondo11Department of Ophthalmology, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu, 2Local Independent Administrative Institution, Mie Prefectural General Medical Center, Yokkaichi, 3Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu, 4Japanese Red Cross Ise Hospital, Ise, Mie, JapanPurpose: The present study aims to investigate the number and characteristics of retinal detachment with atopic dermatitis (AD) in these 20 years, and the number of the first visit AD outpatients in almost the same period.Methods: A retrospective review of 101 consecutive surgically treated retinal detachments with AD patients from 1992 to 2011 was conducted. Retinal detachments were divided into two groups: eyes operated on from 1992 to 2001 (former AD group, n=63) and eyes operated on from 2002 to 2011 (recent AD group, n=38). We also reviewed the records of the first visit AD outpatients from 1993 to 2011 except 1998.Results: The percentage of bilateral detachment was significantly higher in the former AD group (14/63) than that in the recent AD group (0/38) (P=0.0002). In addition, patients in the recent AD group were significantly older than those in the former AD group (P=0.0084). The annual cases with non-AD retinal detachment remained invariant for 20 years. The ratio of the retinal detachment with AD for the total retinal detachment was significantly lower in the recent (38/847) AD group than that in the former (63/796) AD group (P=0.0038). The number of the first visit AD outpatients linearly decreased in these 19 years (153 cases in 1993 and 65 cases in 2011).Conclusion: Our study indicates an apparent decrease in retinal detachment with AD in the recent 10 years, and might suggest the importance of dermatitis control for prevention of retinal detachment with AD.Keywords: atopic dermatitis, incidence, ocular complication, retinal detachmen

Application of laser energy deposition to improve performance for high speed intakes

Research interest has been growing in recent years in supersonic transport, particularly supersonic propulsion systems. A key component of a commonly studied propulsion system, ramjets, is the air intake. For supersonic propulsion systems a major factor in the overall efficiency is the intake pressure recovery. This refers to the ratio of the average total pressure after the intake to that of the freestream. One phenomenon that can have a large effect on this performance index is flow separation at the inlet. The aim of this work is to examine how pulsed laser energy deposition can be used to improve pressure recovery performance by reducing flow separation at the inlet. This research examines the effects of pulsed laser energy deposition upstream of an intake with an axisymmetric centrebody in a Mach 1.92 indraft wind tunnel. Laser frequency was varied between 1 and 60 kHz with an energy per pulse of 5.6 mJ. Schlieren photography was used to examine the fundamental fluid dynamics while total and static pressure downstream of the intake diffuser were measured to examine the resulting effect on the performance. Schlieren imaging shows that the interaction between the laser generated thermal bubble and the leading edge shock produced by the centrebody results in a significant reduction in separation along the intake cone. Analysis of the schlieren results and the pressure results in tandem illustrate that the average separation location along the length of the centrebody directly correlates to the pressure recovery observed in the intake. At the optimal laser frequency, found for this Mach number to be 10 kHz, the pressure recovery is found to increase by up to 4.7%. When the laser power added to the system is considered, this results in an overall increase in propulsive power of 2.47%

Immunoreactivity of Glutamate in Mouse Retina Inner Segment of Photoreceptors With In Vivo Cryotechnique

The purpose of this study was to clarify a previously controversial issue concerning glutamate (Glu) immunoreactivity (IR) in the inner segment (IS) of photoreceptors by using in vivo cryotechnique (IVCT) followed by freeze substitution (FS), which enabled us to analyze the cells and tissues reflecting living states. Eyeballs from anesthetized mice were directly frozen using IVCT. The frozen tissues were processed for FS fixation in acetone containing chemical fixatives, and embedded in paraffin. Deparaffinized sections were immunostained with an anti-Glu antibody. The strongest Glu-IR was obtained in the specimens prepared by FS with paraformaldehyde or a low concentration of glutaraldehyde, whereas no Glu-IR was obtained without the chemical fixatives. The Glu was immunolocalized in the IS, outer and inner plexiform and ganglion cell layers. Thus, the immunolocalization of Glu in the IS was clearly demonstrated using IVCT. (J Histochem Cytochem 57:883–888, 2009

Application of laser energy deposition to improve performance for high speed intakes

Research interest has been growing in recent years in supersonic transport, particularly supersonic propulsion systems. A key component of a commonly studied propulsion system, ramjets, is the air intake. For supersonic propulsion systems a major factor in the overall efficiency is the intake pressure recovery. This refers to the ratio of the average total pressure after the intake to that of the freestream. One phenomenon that can have a large effect on this performance index is flow separation at the inlet. The aim of this work is to examine how pulsed laser energy deposition can be used to improve pressure recovery performance by reducing flow separation at the inlet. This research examines the effects of pulsed laser energy deposition upstream of an intake with an axisymmetric centrebody in a Mach 1.92 indraft wind tunnel. Laser frequency was varied between 1 and 60 kHz with an energy per pulse of 5.6 mJ. Schlieren photography was used to examine the fundamental fluid dynamics while total and static pressure downstream of the intake diffuser were measured to examine the resulting effect on the performance. Schlieren imaging shows that the interaction between the laser generated thermal bubble and the leading edge shock produced by the centrebody results in a significant reduction in separation along the intake cone. Analysis of the schlieren results and the pressure results in tandem illustrate that the average separation location along the length of the centrebody directly correlates to the pressure recovery observed in the intake. At the optimal laser frequency, found for this Mach number to be 10 kHz, the pressure recovery is found to increase by up to 4.7%. When the laser power added to the system is considered, this results in an overall increase in propulsive power of 2.47%