Taiwan ocular inflammation society consensus recommendations for the management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis.

We presented the development of a consensus guideline for managing juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis (JIAU) in Taiwan, considering regional differences in manifestation and epidemiology. The Taiwan Ocular Inflammation Society (TOIS) committee formulated this guideline using a modified Delphi approach with two panel meetings. Recommendations were based on a comprehensive evidence-based literature review and expert clinical experiences, and were graded according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine's "Levels of Evidence" guideline (March 2009). The TOIS consensus guideline consists of 10 recommendations in four categories: screening and diagnosis, treatment, complications, and monitoring, covering a total of 27 items. These recommendations received over 75% agreement from the panelists. Early diagnosis and a coordinated referral system between ophthalmologists and pediatric rheumatologists are crucial to prevent irreversible visual impairment in children with JIAU. However, achieving a balance between disease activity and medication use remains a key challenge in JIAU management, necessitating further clinical studies.

Functional and Anatomical Outcomes of Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Treatment for Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration with or without Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

(1) To investigate the functional and anatomical outcomes of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with or without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); (2) In total, 65 patients with AMD with or without OSA who received three consecutive doses of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections were enrolled. The primary outcomes-best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT)-were assessed at 1 and 3 months. Moreover, morphological changes observed through optical coherence tomography were analyzed; (3) In total, 15 of the 65 patients had OSA and were included in the OSA group; the remaining 50 patients were included in the non-OSA (control) group. At 1 and 3 months after treatment, BCVA and CMT had improved but did not differ significantly between the groups. More patients in the OSA group demonstrated subretinal fluid (SRF) resorption at 3 months after treatment than in the non-OSA group (p = 0.009). Changes in other imaging biomarkers, such as intraretinal cysts, retinal pigment epithelium detachment, hyperreflective dots, and ellipsoid zone disruptions, did not differ significantly between the groups; (4) Our results suggest that the BCVA and CMT outcomes 3 months after anti-VEGF treatment are similar between patients with and without OSA. Moreover, patients with OSA may exhibit superior SRF resorption. A large-scale prospective study is mandatory to evaluate the association between SRF resorption and visual outcomes in AMD patients with OSA.

Epidemiology, Treatment, and Outcomes of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-Associated Uveitis: A Multi-Institutional Study in Taiwan.

PURPOSE: To assess the epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated uveitis (JIA-U) in Taiwan. METHODS: Retrospective, multicenter database. RESULTS: Totally, 44 (6.1%) of the 722 JIA patients had uveitis. The mean ages of JIA and JIA-U diagnosis were 10.7 and 11.1 years, respectively. JIA-U patients had more antinuclear antibody presence. Among JIA-U patients, 25 (56.8%) were male, 11 (25.0%) experienced any ocular complication, and 8 (18.2%) received ocular surgery. Inactivity lasting ≥6 months was achieved in 17 (38.6%) patients; however, 11 (25.0%) of those experienced reactivation with a mean of 624.7 days after achieving inactivity. Female had more ocular complications and surgeries. CONCLUSION: Late age at JIA-U diagnosis and male predominance were distinctive in Taiwan. For patients with inactivity lasting ≥ 6 months was achieved, they still required close follow-up due to the high reactivation rate within 2 years. Female had poorer ocular outcomes.

Using A modified quickert procedure combined with prolapsed fat and preseptal orbicularis muscle removal to correct involutional lower eyelid entropion in Asians.

PURPOSE: To propose a modified Quickert procedure combined with prolapsed fat and preseptal orbicularis muscle removal which corrects involutional lower eyelid entropion, and to validate the procedure as an adequate surgical management according to anatomical deformities and pathogenesis of Asian patients. METHODS: Ninety-five patients (45 men, 50 women; 108 eyelids [55 right eyes, 53 left eyes]) who underwent this modified surgical procedure with a minimum follow-up period of 2 months were examined. All pre- and post-operative evaluations and surgical procedure were performed exclusively from the same oculoplastic surgeon. Postoperative results, recurrence rate, and complications were assessed. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 13.33 months (range, 2-67 months). Of the 108 eyelids, 4 developed recurrent entropion with trichiasis, corresponding to an overall recurrence rate of 3.70%. No major complications, such as overcorrection (ectropion), symblepharon, infection, or wound dehiscence, occurred during the follow-up period after surgery. Of these 4 eyelids exhibiting recurrence, 3 occurred within 10 months and 1 occurred 49 months after surgery. Three recurrent patients received secondary surgery for re-correction with successful results. CONCLUSION: The modified Quickert procedure combined with prolapsed fat and preseptal orbicularis muscle removal not only demonstrated safety and effectiveness, but also led to low rate of recurrence and complications. It could be a strategy for correction of involutional entropion in Asian patients.

Difficulty in articulation following left progressive blurred vision.

PURPOSE: To report a case of Paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) caused by severe internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis and discuss the correlation between PAMM and ICA stenosis. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 67-year-old male patient presented with left acute blurred vision for 1 week. The best-corrected visual acuity of the left eye was 0.01. Funduscopic examination showed multiple grayish patches around the left macula. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) demonstrated train-track hyperreflective lesions over the inner nuclear layer of the left eye. Afterwards, he experienced sudden slurred speech with fair comprehension. Magnetic resonance imaging and angiography of the brain demonstrated left lacunar infarction with severe left ICA stenosis. After anticoagulant therapy, his dysarthria and left visual acuity were improved significantly. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, PAMM in coincidence with lacunar infarction induced by ICA stenosis is firstly described in the literature. PAMM could be a critical warning of ICA stenosis, and this case can alert ophthalmologists to survey ICA stenosis in patients with PAMM.

Is Obesity a Risk or Protective Factor for Open-Angle Glaucoma in Adults? A Two-Database, Asian, Matched-Cohort Study.

Obesity contributes to multiple systemic disorders; however, extensive discussion regarding obesity and open-angle glaucoma (OAG) remains limited, and conclusions in the existing literature diverge. This study aims to analyze the risk of OAG among obese adults in Taiwan. In this study, adults (aged ≥18 years) with a diagnostic code of obesity or morbid obesity registered in the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) 2000 and LHID2005 from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2010 were included. All adults were traced until the diagnosis of OAG, the occurrence of death, or 31 December 2013. Risk of OAG was significantly higher in obese adults than in non-obese adults after multivariable adjustment (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.43 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11-1.84)/aHR: 1.54 (95% CI 1.23-1.94) in the LHID2000/LHID2005). Both databases demonstrated that young obese adults (aged ≤40 years) had a remarkably increased risk of OAG compared with young non-obese adults (aHR 3.08 (95% CI 1.82-5.21)/aHR 3.81 (95% CI 2.26-6.42) in the LHID2000/LHID2005). This two-database matched-cohort study suggests that obese adults have an increased risk of OAG. In young adults, in particular, obesity could be a potential risk factor of OAG.

Optical Coherence Tomographic Patterns as Predictors of Structural Outcome After Intravitreal Ranibizumab in Diabetic Macula Edema.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to present an association between the treatment response of diabetic macular edema (DME) to intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) injections and different morphology patterns using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). SUBJECTS/METHODS: This retrospective study included 216 eyes of 142 subjects who received IVR for DME and were observed for at least 2 years. Medical charts and SD-OCT images of consecutive patients were reviewed at baseline, 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after first IVR treatment. The OCT patterns were characterized as diffuse retinal thickening (DRT), cystoid macular edema (CME), serous retinal detachment (SRD), and vitreomacular interface abnormalities (VMIAs). All patients were classified into four groups based on the OCT findings. RESULTS: For a total of 216 eyes, 36 eyes were classified into the DRT group, 76 in the CME group, 42 in the SRD group, and 62 in the VMIA group. There were significant central macula thickness (CMT) improvements in all groups at the 1st month and the 2nd year, except for the DRT group at the 2nd year. Patients with OCT findings of hyperreflective dots (HRDs), metabolic parameters of hyperlipidemia, and coronary artery disease (CAD) had significantly less improvements in CMT at 2-year follow-up (P=0.029, 0.007, <0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: A trend toward decreased effectiveness after long-term IVR treatment was observed in the DRT group. Consistent IVR treatment could still achieve favorable improvement in the reduction of CMT in 2-year follow-up in the VMIA group. Different OCT patterns in DME may affect the therapeutic role of anti-VEGF agents and predict the structure outcome.

Vibrio cholerae non-O1 - the first reported case of keratitis in a healthy patient.

BACKGROUND: Vibrio cholerae non-O1 is a virulent pathogen that causes significant morbidity and mortality in humans. Herein, we report a case of corneal ulcer caused by this pathogen. CASE PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old fisherman with no systemic history was struck in the right eye by a marine shrimp and developed keratitis. Corneal scrapping culture revealed the presence of the V. cholerae non-O1, and its identification was confirmed by Analytical Profile Index 20E system and polymerase chain reaction. He was successfully treated with topical levofloxacin (0.3%) and fortified amikacin (12.5 mg/mL) for 2 weeks. The visual acuity recovered to 20/25 after treatment without complications. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first case report of keratitis caused by V. cholerae non-O1 strain. Ocular injury by marine creatures and contaminated seawater can contribute to severe corneal ulcer. Early diagnosis can be achieved by meticulous history taking and a comprehensive laboratory workup. Simultaneously, an effective antibiotic therapy can lead to a positive outcome.

Pre-eclampsia/Eclampsia as a Risk Factor of Noninfectious Uveitis Among Postdelivery Women.

PURPOSE: We sought to analyze the incidence and risk of noninfectious uveitis (NIU) among postdelivery women with a history of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PEE). DESIGN: Population-based retrospective matched cohort study. METHODS: All participant data were retrieved from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. Two thousand seventy-three postdelivery women ≥20 years of age were diagnosed with PEE between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2012 and were included in the study. We traced the occurrence of NIU during 5 years of follow-up. The primary outcome measure was the occurrence of NIU with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and adjudication by an ophthalmologist. RESULTS: NIU occurred in 14 of 2073 (0.7%) postdelivery women with PEE. The incidence rate of NIU was 1.5 and 0.5 per 1000 person-years among postdelivery women with and without PEE, respectively (incidence rate ratio 2.96 [95% confidence interval 1.48-5.90]; P = .002). Postdelivery women with PEE demonstrated a significant increase in the cumulative incidence of NIU compared with those without PEE (P = .001). The risk of the occurrence of NIU was significantly higher in the PEE group than in the non-PEE group (adjusted hazard ratio 2.96 [95% CI 1.48-5.92]; P = .002) after adjusting for age, income, urbanization, and comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to substantiate an association between PEE and NIU. Our results suggest that PEE could be a potential risk factor for the occurrence of NIU among postdelivery women.

Circadian CLOCK Mediates Activation of Transforming Growth Factor-ß Signaling and Renal Fibrosis through Cyclooxygenase 2.

The circadian rhythm regulates blood pressure and maintains fluid and electrolyte homeostasis with central and peripheral clock. However, the role of circadian rhythm in the pathogenesis of tubulointerstitial fibrosis remains unclear. Here, we found that the amplitudes of circadian rhythm oscillation in kidneys significantly increased after unilateral ureteral obstruction. In mice that are deficient in the circadian gene Clock, renal fibrosis and renal parenchymal damage were significantly worse after ureteral obstruction. CLOCK-deficient mice showed increased synthesis of collagen, increased oxidative stress, and greater transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) expression. TGF-ß mRNA expression oscillated with the circadian rhythms under the control of CLOCK-BMAL1 heterodimers. The expression of cyclooxygenase 2 was significantly higher in kidneys from CLOCK-deficient mice with ureteral obstruction. Treatment with a cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor celecoxib significantly improved renal fibrosis in CLOCK-deficient mice. Taken together, these data establish the importance of the circadian rhythm in tubulointerstitial fibrosis and suggest CLOCK/TGF-ß signaling as a novel therapeutic target of cyclooxygenase inhibition.

The circadian rhythm controls telomeres and telomerase activity.

Circadian clocks are fundamental machinery in organisms ranging from archaea to humans. Disruption of the circadian system is associated with premature aging in mice, but the molecular basis underlying this phenomenon is still unclear. In this study, we found that telomerase activity exhibits endogenous circadian rhythmicity in humans and mice. Human and mouse TERT mRNA expression oscillates with circadian rhythms and are under the control of CLOCK-BMAL1 heterodimers. CLOCK deficiency in mice causes loss of rhythmic telomerase activities, TERT mRNA oscillation, and shortened telomere length. Physicians with regular work schedules have circadian oscillation of telomerase activity while emergency physicians working in shifts lose the circadian rhythms of telomerase activity. These findings identify the circadian rhythm as a mechanism underlying telomere and telomerase activity control that serve as interconnections between circadian systems and aging.