Clinical characteristics and management of orbital apex syndrome: a 10-year multicentre experience.

BACKGROUND: Orbital apex syndrome (OAS) is a condition characterised by lesions within the orbital apex, leading to various ophthalmologic symptoms. This study aimed to analyse the clinical characteristics and treatment strategies of OAS with respect to aetiology. METHODS: This retrospective analysis utilised data from 5 medical institutions between 2013 and 2022. Patients who were diagnosed with OAS were initially enrolled, but patients who failed to follow up at least 1 month were excluded. The prevalence of initial ophthalmologic symptoms and visual improvement after treatment was compared according to aetiology. Factors related to visual improvement were analysed. RESULTS: Among 73 enrolled patients, the leading aetiology was tumours, followed by fungal infections and inflammation. Visual impairment and proptosis were prevalent in tumour-related OAS cases. Inflammation-related OAS exhibited a higher likelihood of painful eye movements and ophthalmoplegia. Ptosis was most frequently observed in fungal infection-related OAS. Notably, fungal infections emerged as the sole significant factor negatively impacting vision progression. In inflammation-related OAS, the time interval between symptom onset and the administration of steroids was longer in patients without visual improvement, even though there was no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Tumours were the predominant cause of OAS. Visual impairment was a common manifestation in tumour-related OAS, while fungal infections were strongly associated with a poor visual prognosis. The timely administration of steroids might be helpful for improving vision in patients with inflammation-related OAS. However, further studies are needed to enhance understanding and management of OAS.

Esculetin exerts anti-proliferative effects against non-small-cell lung carcinoma by suppressing specificity protein 1 in vitro.

Esculetin, a coumarin derivative, is a phenolic compound isolated from Artemisia capillaris, Citrus limonia, and Euphorbia lathyris. Although it has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-proliferative activities in several human cancers, its anti-proliferative activity against non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and the molecular mechanisms involved have not been adequately elucidated. In this study, we used two NSCLC cell lines (NCI-H358 and NCI-H1299) to investigate the anti-proliferative activity and apoptotic effect of esculetin. Our data showed that esculetin-treated cells exhibited reduced proliferation and apoptotic cell morphologies. Intriguingly, the transcription factor specificity protein 1 (Sp1) was significantly suppressed by esculetin in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, the levels of p27 and p21, two key regulators of the cell cycle, were up-regulated by the esculetin-mediated down-regulation of Sp1; the level of a third cell-cycle regulator, survivin, was decreased, resulting in caspase-dependent apoptosis. Therefore, we conclude that esculetin could be a potent anti-proliferative agent in patients with NSCLC.

The impact of dermatological toxicities of anti-cancer therapy on the dermatological quality of life of cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: One of the most common side effects of anti-cancer therapies is treatment-induced skin changes, referred to as dermatological toxicities. These dermatological toxicities are noteworthy since they have a negative association with quality of life (QoL). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of dermatological toxicities on QoL of cancer patients and to identify the relationship between disease-related characteristics and QoL and changes in skin protective behaviours following anti-cancer therapy. METHODS: Cancer patients (n = 80: stage II-IV) in a longitudinal prospective study completed a battery of questionnaires at the time of enrolment and after 3 months of anti-cancer therapy. QoL, skin toxicities, smoking and drinking behaviour, sun-protective and skin care behaviour assessments were performed before and at 3 months after anti-cancer therapy. QoL was measured with the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). RESULTS: A total of 73 patients completed the study. Among them, 48 patients (65.8%) experienced at least grade 1 skin toxicity at 3 months after anti-cancer therapy. Hair loss, hyperpigmentation and dry skin were the most common dermatological toxicities. The mean baseline DLQI score changed from 1.38 to 3.49 at 3 months after anti-cancer therapy. Domain 1 (symptoms and feelings, 1.38 points) was the most greatly impacted among patients by anti-cancer treatment. Patients who experienced at least grade 1 skin toxicity (P = 0.001, 95% CI: 1.939-4.899), employed (P = 0.042, 95% CI: 0.030-1.476), more highly educated (P = 0.030, 95% CI: 0.161-3.132), and diagnosed with gastric cancer (P = 0.001, 95% CI: 2.141-8.250) or renal cell cancer (P = 0.002, 95% CI: 2.731-11.364) showed significantly higher DLQI scores. Patients showed significant change in skin protective behaviour such as use of body moisturizer (P = 0.021) and change in drinking behaviour (P = 0.006) at 3 months following anti-cancer therapy. CONCLUSION: Dermatological toxicities due to anti-cancer therapy affect the QoL of cancer patients. Therefore, health care professionals should pay attention to the psychological effects of skin problems and educate cancer patients to adapt proactive skin protective behaviours to minimize dermatological toxicities of anti-cancer therapy and maximize QoL.

The effect of grain boundaries inside the individual ZnO nanowires in gas sensing.

We present the gas sensing characteristics of the individual ZnO nanowires with single-crystalline and multiple grain boundaries (GBs) fabricated using bottom-up and top-down approaches, respectively. The sensor response of the individual ZnO nanowires with the multiple GBs was enhanced approximately three times as compared to that of single-crystalline ZnO nanowires due to well-known GB modulations. However, the response and recovery times of the individual ZnO nanowires with multiple GBs were much slower than those of the single-crystalline ZnO nanowire, indicating the presence of oxygen diffusion resistance to GBs due to the relatively fast surface kinetic reaction. Simplified kinetic diffusion modeling and experimental results could quantify the significant diffusion resistance of gas molecules into the GBs of the individual ZnO nanowires.

Antisense IL-10 abrogates the inhibitory effects of IL-10 production by transfected tumor cells.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a pleiotropic cytokine that has a variety of downregulatory effects on immunologic and inflammatory processes. Ectopic tumor expression of IL-10 inhibited tumor growth, and local administration of antisense IL-10 significantly reversed the effects of IL-10 transfection in P815 mastocytoma. Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs) have been associated with decreased tumorigenesis and reduced metastasis, and TIMPs were increased in the region surrounding P815/IL-10 tumors and reduced in antisense IL-10-treated mice. In addition, the antisense IL-10 group had the largest tumor volume and poorest survival when compared with the P815/IL-10 control or sense groups. In summary, our data suggest that, in a mouse model, antisense IL-10 has substantive effects in reducing IL-10 translation and inhibiting IL-10-mediated TIMP upregulation, and, by doing so, allows IL-10-transfected mastocytoma to grow unchecked. Thus, ectopic tumor expression of IL-10 inhibits tumor growth, and antisense IL-10 administration in vivo reverses this protective effect.