Applications of Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography in Cornea and Ocular Surface Diseases

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noncontact technology that produces high-resolution cross-sectional images of ocular tissues. Anterior segment OCT (AS-OCT) enables the precise visualization of anterior segment structure; thus, it can be used in various corneal and ocular surface disorders. In this review, the authors will discuss the application of AS-OCT for diagnosis and management of various corneal and ocular surface disorders. Use of AS-OCT for anterior segment surgery and postoperative management will also be discussed. In addition, application of the device for research using human data and animal models will be introduced

Postoperative occlusion of visual axis with fibrous membrane in the presence of anterior capsular phimosis in a patient with pseudoexfoliation syndrome: a case report

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.Abstract Background To report a case of postoperative fibrous membrane formation occluding the visual axis in the presence of anterior capsular phimosis in a patient with pseudoexfoliation syndrome. Case presentation A 79-year-old Asian woman with pseudoexfoliation syndrome underwent uneventful phacoemulsification and implantation of one-piece hydrophilic acrylic square-edged intraocular lens (Cristalens) in the right eye. Two months later, she had blurred vision in the right eye with the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/40. Formation of fibrous membrane occluding the capsulorhexis opening with contraction of anterior capsule was observed, which was confirmed by anterior segment optical coherence tomography. Clear visual axis was achieved by lysis of the membrane using Nd:YAG laser. The BCVA improved to 20/20. Conclusions Occlusion of the visual axis with fibrous membrane can develop in the presence of anterior capsular phimosis in a patient with pseudoexfoliation syndrome

Scale-up study for ex-vivo expansion of allogeneic natural killer cells in stirred-tank bioreactor

Natural killer (NK) cells are a type of lymphocyte in the blood that are responsible for innate and adaptive immune response, and they mature in the liver and bone marrow. Being a key role in host defense system with direct and indirect killing of virus-infected cells or cancer cells, NK cell has been considered an attractive candidate for cancer therapy. Peripheral blood shows the low frequency of NK cells, so ex vivo expansion method is important to obtain sufficient NK cells for therapeutic use. Currently, we successfully developed bioreactor process for NK cell expansion on lab-scale. Stirred-tank bioreactor could be considered as optimal alternative system for large-scale NK cell expansion compared with other ones because it is automated, less labor intensive, scalable, well-controlled and cost-effective. In bioreactor process, agitation is one of important parameters for NK cell expansion because it is necessary to provide homogenous culture conditions. So we defined effects of agitation in bioreactor and figured out an optimum condition. After that scale-up studies were carried out with manufacturing-scale bioreactor based on these results. The results in terms of growth rate, viability cytotoxicity and purity, were comparable with lab-scale

Advances and Clinical Applications of Anterior Segment Imaging Techniques

10.1155/2016/8529406Journal of Ophthalmology2016852940

Conjunctival sarcoidosis presenting as limbal conjunctival hypertrophy: a case report

Introduction : To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a case of conjunctival sarcoidosis that presented as limbal conjunctival hypertrophy and was controlled with topical cyclosporine. Case presentation : A 70-year-old Asian woman presented with painless limbal conjunctival hypertrophy. An incisional biopsy of the hypertrophic lesion showed noncaseating granulomas that consisted of multinucleated giant cells and epithelioid cells. The results of a systemic evaluation were normal except for a slight increase in serum angiotensin-converting enzyme to 58.9IU/L (normal range, 8 to 55IU/L). Twice-daily 0.05% topical cyclosporine was prescribed for the treatment of remaining lesions. After two months, the lesions had completely resolved and her serum angiotensin-converting enzyme level had normalized. Conclusions : Sarcoidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of conjunctival hypertrophy. Topical cyclosporine can be useful in conjunctival sarcoidosis.Peer Reviewe

Combination of Dexmedetomidine and Ketamine for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Sedation

Objectives: The use of dexmedetomidine and ketamine (DEX–KET) combination for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sedation has not been evaluated. We investigated the efficacy and safety of DEX–KET for sedation of patients undergoing MRI of the brain.Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted to compare the DEX–KET combination and midazolam for MRI sedation. We included 72 patients undergoing brain MRI following bolus injection of midazolam or DEX–KET. In August 1, 2016 a new MRI sedation protocol was implemented. After protocol implementation, bolus doses of DEX–KET were administered (DEX–KET group). Thirty-six patients from the MIDA group and 36 patients from the DEX–KET group underwent MRI sequences and were compared regarding the MRI scan time and sedation-related complications (desaturation, hypotension, cardiorespiratory arrest, and aspiration pneumonia).Results: All MRI sequences were completed for 30 patients (83.3%) from the MIDA group and for 33 patients (91.7%) from the DEX–KET group (P = 0.476). The median MRI scan time was 100.0 min (interquartile range, 87.0–111.5 min) in the MIDA group and 53.5 min (interquartile range, 45.0–60.5 min) in the DEX–KET group (P < 0.001). Complications occurred in 24 (66.7%) and 8 (22.2%) patients of the MIDA and DEX–KET group, respectively (P < 0.001).Conclusions: The efficacy of DEX–KET sedation was comparable to that of midazolam for MRI examination. DEX–KET was related to shorter scan time and lower occurrence of complications compared to midazolam