Clinical Course before and after Cataract and Glaucoma Surgery under Systemic Infliximab Therapy in Patients with Behçet's Disease

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The properties of bioengineered chondrocyte sheets for cartilage regeneration

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although the clinical results of autologous chondrocyte implantation for articular cartilage defects have recently improved as a result of advanced techniques based on tissue engineering procedures, problems with cell handling and scaffold imperfections remain to be solved. A new cell-sheet technique has been developed, and is potentially able to overcome these obstacles. Chondrocyte sheets applicable to cartilage regeneration can be prepared with this cell-sheet technique using temperature-responsive culture dishes. However, for clinical application, it is necessary to evaluate the characteristics of the cells in these sheets and to identify their similarities to naive cartilage.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The expression of SOX 9, collagen type 2, 27, integrin α10, and fibronectin genes in triple-layered chondrocyte sheets was significantly increased in comparison to those in conventional monolayer culture and in a single chondrocyte sheet, implying a nature similar to ordinary cartilage. In addition, immunohistochemistry demonstrated that collagen type II, fibronectin, and integrin α10 were present in the triple-layered chondrocyte sheets.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of this study indicate that these chondrocyte sheets with a consistent cartilaginous phenotype and adhesive properties may lead to a new strategy for cartilage regeneration.</p

Sarcoid uveitis in a patient with multiple neurological lesions: a case report and review of the literature

Abstract Background Neurosarcoidosis is a rare complication, and cranial neuropathy is the most frequent manifestation of this disease. However, few cohesive reports have discussed multiple cranial neuropathies in Japanese patients with sarcoidosis. The present report discusses the case of a patient with sarcoid uveitis and multiple neurological findings. We further review relevant literature regarding Japanese patients with multiple cranial nerve palsies published within the past 34 years (from January 1982 to December 2016). Case presentation We report findings associated with the case of a 56-year-old Japanese woman with granulomatous pan-uveitis who was later diagnosed as having sarcoidosis by skin and transbronchial lung biopsies. She presented right-sided Bell’s palsy and was treated with orally administered prednisolone. However, while prednisolone was tapered, she developed facial (VII) and vagus (X) nerve palsies, followed by brain parenchyma lesions, which were not associated with any additional neurological symptoms. Furthermore, she exhibited increased intraocular pressure in her right eye, and she underwent trabeculectomy. Our review of the literature revealed that 64 Japanese patients with sarcoidosis experienced multiple cranial nerve palsies between 1982 and 2016. The most commonly affected cranial nerves were the facial (VII) (73.4%) and glossopharyngeal/vagus (IX/X) nerves (48.4%). Palsies of two distinct cranial nerves were found in 40.6% of the patients, followed by palsies of three (23.4%) and four (18.8%) nerves. Almost all patients (98.3%) received systemic steroid therapy, and total or partial remission was achieved in almost all patients (96.5%). Conclusions According to the literature, patients with multiple cranial nerve palsies associated with sarcoidosis respond well to orally administered steroid therapy. However, our findings suggest that careful follow-up is necessary for patients with neurosarcoidosis due to potential aggravation of neuropathy

Study on the Fatigue Crack Initiation and Growth Behavior in Bismuth- and Lead-Based Free-Cutting Brasses

Several studies have been conducted on the fatigue behavior of copper and 7-3, and 6-4 brasses. However, there have been fewer studies on the fatigue behavior and fatigue crack growth (FCG) properties of free-cutting brass, primarily because emphasis has been placed on the development of lead-free free-cutting brass. In this study, fatigue experiments were performed in the atmosphere at room temperature using three types of free-cutting, two types of bismuth (Bi)-based (with different grain sizes), and lead (Pb)-based brasses. It was found that lead-free Bi-based free-cutting brass had approximately the same fatigue performance as that of Pb-based free-cutting brass. It was also clarified that the addition of Bi or Pb initiated fatigue cracks, and that the crack growth period occupied most of the fatigue life. Differences in the FCG behavior of the three free-cutting brasses were observed in the low ΔK range. The modified linear fracture mechanics parameter M was used to quantitatively analyze the fatigue life and FCG behavior (short surface cracks). A comparison between the calculated and experimental results showed that M was useful

Evaluation of Dynamic Tumor-tracking Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is now regarded as an important treatment option for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). To reduce the underlying tumor motions and dosimetric errors during IMRT as well as the burden of respiratory management for patients, we started to apply a new treatment platform of the dynamic tumor dynamic tumor-tracking intensity-modulated radiotherapy (DTT-IMRT) using the gimbaled linac, which can swing IMRT toward the real-time tumor position under patients’ voluntary breathing. Between June 2013 and March 2015, ten patients were treated, and the tumor-tracking accuracy and the practical benefits were evaluated. The mean PTV size in DTT-IMRT was 18% smaller than a conventional ITV-based PTV. The root-mean-squared errors between the predicted and the detected tumor positions were 1.3, 1.2, and 1.5 mm in left-right, anterior-posterior, and cranio-caudal directions, respectively. The mean in-room time was 24.5 min. This high-accuracy of tumor-tracking with reasonable treatment time are promising and beneficial to patients with LAPC

HLA-DRB1*04:05 is involved in the development of Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease-like immune-related adverse events in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors

Abstract Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) activate anti-tumor activity by inhibiting immune checkpoint molecules that suppress inflammatory T-cell activity. However, ICIs can initiate excessive immune responses, thereby causing immune-related adverse events (irAEs). ICI-associated uveitis (ICIU) is an irAE that affects the eyes. Although Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease (VKH)-like uveitis is a common form of ICIU, it is unclear which factors determine the ICIU form. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of nine ICIU cases treated with ICIs for malignancies. We also performed HLA typing in seven cases to investigate the association between HLA and disease type. Fisher's exact test was used for the statistical analysis. Five of the ICIU cases were VKH-like ICIUs, and four were non-VKH-like ICIUs. No association was found between mean age, sex, primary disease, ICI, time to onset, and disease type. Four patients with VKH-like uveitis underwent HLA genotyping and were all positive for HLA-DRB1*04:05. All 3 patients with non-VKH-like uveitis were negative for HLA-DRB1*04:05. Statistical analysis showed that HLA-DRB1*04:05 was significantly associated with developing VKH-like ICIU (P = 0.029). In ICIU, HLA-DRB1*04:05 was associated with the pathogenesis of VKH-like uveitis, suggesting that ICI-associated VKH-like uveitis has a similar pathogenesis to VKH

A feasibility study on reduction of the entrance-surface dose to neonates by use of a new digital mobile X-ray system.

We investigated the neonatal entrance-surface dose (ESD) and doses of scattered radiation emitted by a digital mobile X-ray system. The system is equipped with a novel flat-panel detector and is used in the neonatal intensive care unit. In the present study, the following three experiments were performed on frequently used X-ray-imaging condition: (1) the digital characteristics of the FPD were evaluated; (2) the ESD to a water-equivalent phantom was measured with a patient skin dosimeter (PSD); and (3) the scattered radiation around the incubator was measured with an ionization chamber survey meter. The digital characteristic curve showed that the system had excellent linearity and that the contrast characteristics were not affected by the tube voltage in the range of 50-110 kV. The ESD was 51-52 μGy with an 8-cm-thick phantom and 33-34 μGy with a 4.5-cm phantom, for one exposure. The doses measured around the incubator were 0.1-0.6 μSv or below measurable limits. Use of the new device demonstrates the potential of reducing the ESD to the patient and operator