Ocular findings in patients with spastic type cerebral palsy

Abstracts Background Refractive errors, strabismus, nystagmus, amblyopia, and cortical visual impairment are observed in 50 to 90 % of patients with cerebral palsy. Ocular abnormalities are known to differ according to cerebral palsy type, and spastic type has been reported to be more likely to be associated with ocular defects than the athetoid and ataxic types. Methods A retrospective review of medical records was performed on 105 consecutive children with spastic type of cerebral palsy who underwent ophthalmologic examination between July 2003 and March 2006. The complete ophthalmological examination included measurement of visual acuity, ocular motility, stereoacuity, binocular vision, cycloplegic refraction along with the evaluation of the anterior segment and the posterior segment. Results The most common ocular abnormality was strabismus (70.5 %) followed by refractive errors (53.3 %). Exodeviation was more commonly found than esodeviation (46 vs 27 patients), and hyperopia was much more prevalent than myopia. A considerable number of patients with strabismus had abnormal ocular motility wherein 16 patients showed inferior oblique overaction and ten superior oblique overaction. Whereas inferior oblique overaction was accompanied similarly in exotropia and esotropia, superior oblique overaction was accompanied more by exotropia. Conclusions Children with spastic type cerebral palsy have a high prevalence of strabismus and refractive errors. Exotropia and hyperopia are the most common ocular abnormalities. All children with spastic type of cerebral palsy may require a detailed ophthalmologic evaluation

Association between maternal coronavirus disease 2019 and transient tachypnea of the newborn: a single-center study

Background Limited clinical reports have investigated the effects of maternal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on fetuses and neonates. Purpose This retrospective study aimed to assess the impact of maternal COVID-19 on neonates during the perinatal period, including neonatal clinical outcomes, versus the outcomes of neonates of mothers without COVID-19. Methods Neonates born to COVID-19-infected mothers at the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital between February 2021 and March 2022 were included. Those with gestational age (GA) ≥35+0 weeks who were born within 2 weeks of the maternal infection were matched 1:2 with a control group based on GA. The main outcomes were respiratory diseases, including transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN), respiratory distress syndrome, meconium aspiration syndrome, the need for respiratory support, and length of hospital stay. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed and adjusted for relevant covariates, including maternal age, obstetric complications (hypertension and gestational diabetes), delivery mode, birth weight, sex, and small-for-gestational-age status. Results The case group comprised 103 neonates (mean GA, 38.5±1.3 weeks; mean birth weight, 3,121±397 g), while the control group included 206 neonates (mean GA, 38.4±1.2 weeks; mean birth weight, 3088±428 g). In the case and control groups, the proportion of cesarean sections was 91% and 40%, respectively, while the proportion of male infants was 56% and 47%, respectively. After adjusting for covariates, the case group had a higher risk of TTN (adjusted odd ratio [AOR], 3.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.69–8.07), noninvasive respiratory ventilator use (AOR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.05–4.97), and oxygen support (AOR, 4.83; 95% CI, 1.46–15.95). Conclusion Newborns born to COVID-19-infected mothers are at increased risk of TTN and may require respiratory support. Close monitoring of respiratory symptoms is crucial in neonates

Effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy via reactive oxygen species in human cholangiocarcinoma cells

Cancer cells have been reported to exhibit an enhanced capacity for protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) synthesis facilitated by the administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). We investigated the effect of ALA-based photodynamic therapy (PDT) on human cholangiocarcinoma cells (HuCC-T1). Since protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), a metabolite of ALA, can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) under irradiation and then induce phototoxicity, ALA-based PDT is a promising candidate for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma. When various concentrations of ALA (0.05–2 mM) were used to treat HuCC-T1 cells for 6 or 24 hours, the intracellular PpIX level increased according to the ALA concentration and treatment time. Furthermore, an increased amount of PpIX in HuCC-T1 cells induced increased production of ROS by irradiation, resulting in increased phototoxicity

Comparison between a novel core knife and the conventional IT knife 2 for endoscopic submucosal dissection of gastric mucosal lesions

Background/Aims Few studies have compared the performances of endoscopic knives. This study aimed to compare the therapeutic outcomes of a novel core knife and the conventional IT knife 2 for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of gastric mucosal lesions. Methods This prospective, non-inferiority trial included patients diagnosed with gastric adenoma or early-stage adenocarcinoma at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital between June and November 2020. The patients were randomly assigned to either the core knife or the IT knife 2 group. The operators and assistants scored the knives’ grip convenience and cutting abilities. Results A total of 39 patients were enrolled (core knife group, 20 patients; IT knife 2 group, 19 patients). There were no significant between-group differences in operator-assessed grip convenience (9.600 vs. 9.526, p=0.753), cutting ability (9.600 vs. 9.105, p=0.158), or assistant-assessed grip convenience (9.500 vs. 9.368, p=0.574). Conclusions The core knife achieved therapeutic outcomes that were comparable to those of the IT knife 2 for ESD of gastric mucosal lesions

Doxorubicin-incorporated polymeric micelles composed of dextran-b-poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) copolymer

Young-Il Jeong1,*, Do Hyung Kim1,2,*, Chung-Wook Chung1, Jin-Ju Yoo1, Kyung Ha Choi1, Cy Hyun Kim1,2, Seung Hee Ha1, Dae Hwan Kang1,2 1National Research and Development Center for Hepatobiliary Cancer, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea, Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, 2School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea*These authors contributed equally to this work.Background: Polymeric micelles using amphiphilic macromolecules are promising vehicles for antitumor targeting. In this study, we prepared anticancer agent-incorporated polymeric micelles using novel block copolymer.Methods: We synthesized a block copolymer composed of dextran and poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (DexbLG) for antitumor drug delivery. Doxorubicin was selected as the anticancer drug, and was incorporated into polymeric micelles by dialysis. Polymeric micelles were observed by transmission electron microscopy to be spherical and smaller than 100 nm, with a narrow size distribution. The particle size of doxorubicin-incorporated polymeric micelles increased with increasing drug content. Higher initial drug feeding also increased the drug content. Results: During the drug-release study, an initial burst release of doxorubicin was observed for 10 hours, and doxorubicin was continuously released over 4 days. To investigate the in vitro anticancer effects of the polymeric micelles, doxorubicin-resistant HuCC-T1 cells were treated with a very high concentration of doxorubicin. In an antiproliferation study, the polymeric micelles showed higher cytotoxicity to doxorubicin-resistant HuCC-T1 cells than free doxorubicin, indicating that the polymeric micelles were effectively engulfed by tumor cells, while free doxorubicin hardly penetrated the tumor cell membrane. On confocal laser scanning microscopy, free doxorubicin expressed very weak fluorescence intensity, while the polymeric micelles expressed strong red fluorescence. Furthermore, in flow cytometric analysis, fluorescence intensity of polymeric micelles was almost twice as high than with free doxorubicin.Conclusion: DexbLG polymeric micelles incorporating doxorubicin are promising vehicles for antitumor drug targeting.Keywords: dextran, polymeric micelle, block copolymer, poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide