Efficacy of vitrectomy with air tamponade for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: a prospective study.

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) causes a permanent decrease in visual acuity and visual field. During pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for RRD, long acting gas have been selected for tamponade because gas stays in the eye for a long time. Recently, several studies have showed the efficacy of air tamponade for RRD treatment. Few prospective studies have analyzed the efficacy of air tamponade. We registered 194 eyes from 190 patients who consented to a prospective study of PPV with air tamponade for RRD by a single surgeon from June 2019 to November 2022. These patients were all treated with air tamponade without silicone oil and were followed for > 3 months postoperatively. Primary success rates were 97.9% (190/194) in total cases, with no discernible difference between the uncomplicated (100%:87/87) and complicated (96.3%: 103/107) RRD groups (P = 0.13). There was no considerable difference in primary success rate between upper break (97.9%:143/146) and lower break cases (97.9%:47/48). Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) grade C was associated with initial failure by multivariate analysis (P = 0.00003). Air tamponade has a sufficient therapeutic effect in cases of RRD less than PVR grade C, regardless of the location of the retinal tear.

Reduced childhood social attention in autism model marmosets predicts impaired social skills and inflexible behavior in adulthood.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social and communication impairments and restricted and repetitive behavior. Although there is currently no established cure for ASD, early interventions for deficits of attention to other individuals are expected to reduce the progression of ASD symptoms in later life. To confirm this hypothesis and improve early therapeutic interventions, it is desirable to develop an animal model of ASD in which social attention is impaired in childhood and ASD-like social behavior is observed in adulthood. However, rodent models of ASD have difficulty in recapitulating the deficit of gaze-based social attention. In this study, we examined the direction of gaze toward other conspecifics during childhood and puberty in a three-chamber test setting using an ASD marmoset model produced by maternal exposure to valproic acid (VPA). We also conducted a reversal learning test in adult VPA-exposed marmosets as an indicator of perseveration, a core symptom of ASD that has not previously been investigated in this model. The results showed that time spent gazing at other conspecifics was reduced in VPA-exposed marmosets in childhood, and that mature animals persisted with previous strategies that required long days for acquisition to pass the test. In a longitudinal study using the same animals, deficits in social attention in childhood correlated well with ASD-like social disturbance (inequity aversion and third-party reciprocity) and inflexible behavior in adulthood. Since VPA-exposed marmosets exhibit these diverse ASD-like behaviors that are consistent from childhood to adulthood, VPA-exposed marmosets will provide a valuable means of elucidating mechanisms for early intervention and contribute to the development of early therapies.

Prenatal valproic acid-induced autism marmoset model exhibits higher salivary cortisol levels.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are exposed to a variety of stressors owing to their behavioral traits. Cortisol is a hormone typically associated with stress, and its concentration and response to stress are higher in individuals with ASD than in controls. The mechanisms underlying cortisol dysregulation in ASD have been explored in rodents. Although rodent models have successfully replicated the major symptoms of autism (i.e., impaired vocal communication, social interaction deficits, and restricted/repetitive patterns of behavior), evidence suggests that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis system differs between rodents and primates. We developed an ASD model in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), a New World monkey, utilizing prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA). In this study, we collected the salivary cortisol levels in VPA-exposed and unexposed marmosets in the morning and afternoon. Our results revealed that both VPA-exposed and unexposed marmosets showed similar diurnal changes in cortisol levels, which were lower in the afternoon than in the morning. However, heightened cortisol levels were observed throughout the day in VPA-exposed marmosets. These results are consistent with those of ASD in humans. Our results suggest that VPA-exposed marmosets show similarities not only in their behavioral patterns and brain pathologies, which we have reported previously, but also in hormonal regulation, validating the usefulness of VPA-exposed marmosets also as a tool for ASD stress research.

Selection Criteria for Air Tamponade During Vitrectomy for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment.

Purpose: To compare air tamponade and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas tamponade during vitrectomy for the treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Methods: We reviewed 294 eyes with RRD treated with 25-gauge vitrectomy by a single surgeon between June 2011 and April 2018 retrospectively. The exclusion criteria for the proposed air tamponade selection were more than 2 weeks since onset, giant retinal tears, history of complications following cataract surgery, high myopia, and proliferative vitreoretinopathy classified as grade C or higher. We examined the differences in the therapeutic effect between the air group and SF6 group at 6-month follow-up. Results: A total of 294 eyes were included in the study, 156 eyes in the air group and 138 eyes in the SF6 group. No difference was observed in the primary anatomical success rates between the air group (99.4%; 155/156 eyes) and the SF6 group (96.5%; 135/138 eyes; P = 0.102). Postoperative intraocular gas half-life was shorter in the air group (3.97 ± 0.87 days) compared with the that in the SF6 group (8.67 ± 1.47 days; P = 0.0001). The incidence of postoperative ocular hypertension was lower in the air group (19.9%; 31/156 eyes) than in the SF6 group (62.3% 86 /138 eyes; P = 0.0001). Conclusion: We compared the criteria for proper selection between air and SF6 gas tamponade during vitrectomy for the treatment of RRD. Air tamponade was able to reduce the period of prone position and the risk of ocular hypertension without reducing the therapeutic effect.

Surgical Outcomes of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment with Different Peripheral Vitreous-Shaving Procedures.

PURPOSE: To compare the surgical outcomes of vitreous surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) after two different peripheral vitreous-shaving techniques are performed. METHODS: We reviewed 269 eyes with RRD that were treated with a 25-gauge vitrectomy by a single surgeon between June 2015 and May 2020. The exclusion criteria for the proposed air tamponade selection were as follows: more than two weeks since RRD onset, giant retinal tears, a history of complications following cataract surgery, high myopia, and proliferative vitreoretinopathy classified as grade C or higher. We examined the differences in the therapeutic effect between shaving under slit lamp microscope illumination (group A) and shaving under a wide-angle viewing system (group B). RESULTS: A total of 269 eyes were included in this study, with 146 eyes in group A and 123 eyes in group B. The primary anatomical success rates did not differ between group A (97.3%; 142/146 eyes) and group B (97.6%; 120/123 eyes; P = 0.102). However, the surgical time was significantly longer in group A (60.2 ± 17.1 min) than that in group B (46.9 ± 12.6 min) (P < 0.001). The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that surgical time was significantly correlated with using the wide-angle noncontact viewing system for vitreous shaving (adjusted R 2 = 0.248; beta [standard partial regression coefficient] = -0.447, P < 0.001), the number of retinal breaks (beta = 0.182, P = 0.001), and the quadrant of retinal detachment (beta = 0.205, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The surgical outcomes were similar regardless of the shaving procedure performed, and the surgical time was shortened by using the wide-angle noncontact viewing system for vitreous shaving.

Enantioselective Bromolactonization of Trisubstituted Olefinic Acids Catalyzed by Chiral Pyridyl Phosphoramides.

Enantioselective bromolactonization of trisubstituted olefinic acids producing synthetically useful chiral lactones with two contiguous asymmetric centers has remained mainly unexplored except for the 6-exo cyclization mode. In this work, the 5-exo- and 6-endo modes of bromocyclization of trisubstituted olefinic acids were enabled for the first time using N-bromosuccinimide and a pyridyl phosphoramide catalyst. The utility of the resulting bromolactones was demonstrated by transformations harnessing reactive alkyl bromide moieties without losing stereochemical information. Optimization studies and control experiments revealed that the basicity of pyridine moieties and presence of N-H protons in the phosphoramide species strongly affected both the reactivity and enantioselectivity parameters.

Controlled Terahertz Birefringence in Stretched Poly(lactic acid) Films Investigated by Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering.

We report a correlation between the dielectric property and structure of stretched poly(lactic acid) (PLA) films, revealed by polarization-sensitive terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and two-dimensional (2D) wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). The experiments evidence that the dielectric function of the PLA film becomes more anisotropic with increasing draw ratio (DR). This behavior is explained by a classical Lorentz oscillator model assuming polarization-dependent absorption. The birefringence can be systematically altered from 0 to 0.13 by controlling DR. The combination of terahertz spectroscopy and 2D WAXS measurement reveals a clear correlation between the birefringence in the terahertz frequency domain and the degree of orientation of the PLA molecular chains. These findings imply that the birefringence is a result of the orientation of the PLA chains with anisotropic macromolecular vibration modes. Because of a good controllability of the birefringence, polymer-based materials will provide an attractive materials system for phase retarders in the terahertz frequency range.

Synergetic inhibition of thermochemical formation of chlorinated aromatics by sulfur and nitrogen derived from thiourea: Multielement characterizations.

Nitrogen and sulfur (N/S)-containing compounds inhibit the formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and furans (PCDFs) in thermal processes. However, few studies have examined the inhibition mechanisms of N/S-containing compounds. In the present study, we focused on thiourea [(NH2)2CS] as such a compound and investigated its inhibition effects and mechanisms. The production of PCDD/Fs, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and chlorobenzenes (CBzs) were inhibited by >99% in the model fly ash in the presence of 1.0% thiourea after heating at 300 °C. Experimental results using real fly ash series were indicative of the thermal destruction of these chlorinated aromatics by thiourea. Multielement characterization using K-edge X-ray absorption fine structures of copper, chlorine, sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon revealed three possible inhibition paths, namely, (a) sulfidization of the copper catalyst to CuS, Cu2S, and CuSO4; (b) blocking the chlorination of carbon via the reaction of chlorine with N-containing compounds to generate ammonium chloride and other minor compounds; and (c) changing the carbon frame involved in attacking the carbon matrix by sulfur and nitrogen. Thus, thiourea plays a role as a sulfur and nitrogen donor to achieve multiple and synergistic inhibition of chlorinated aromatics. Our results suggest that other N/S-containing inhibitors function based on similar mechanisms.