Ocular candidiasis in a tertiary hospital in Japan: A 10-year single-center retrospective study.

Ocular candidiasis is a major complication of candidemia that is sometimes sight-threatening. Although prompt ophthalmologic consultation and antifungal medication have been emphasized, recent changes in the causative species and drug susceptibilities make the picture unclear. This study aimed to determine whether there are trends among patients with ocular candidiasis and included 80 patients with candidemia who underwent ophthalmological screening at our hospital between 2010 and 2020. Data on the clinical characteristics, comorbidities, biochemical test results, causative Candida species, treatment, outcomes, visual acuity, and antifungal susceptibility were collected and analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed by comparing two groups, namely, the ocular candidiasis (n = 29) and non-ocular candidiasis (n = 51) groups. In the ocular candidiasis group, there were significantly more cases of central venous catheter insertion (82.8%, p = 0.026) and Candida albicans candidemia (72.4%, p < 0.001). Regarding ocular involvement, the majority of patients were asymptomatic. Most cases improved with antifungal therapy, but one case underwent vitrectomy. Between 2016 and 2020, there was a diversification of species, with a decrease in Candida parapsilosis and the emergence of Candida glabrata and Candida tropicalis. Regarding drug susceptibility, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of echinocandin and 5-fluorocytosine against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida glabrata were slightly increased. In conclusion, in addition to appropriately performing ophthalmologic examinations, it is beneficial to select antifungal agents according to the diversity of species and drug susceptibilities.

1270 nm near-infrared light as a novel vaccine adjuvant acts on mitochondrial photoreception in intradermal vaccines.

With the development of laser technology in the 1960s, a technique was developed to inject intradermal vaccines immediately after irradiating the skin with laser light to elicit an adjuvant effect, referred to as "laser adjuvant." We have been investigating the mechanism of laser adjuvant in influenza mouse models using noninvasive continuous-wave (CW) near-infrared (NIR) light mainly at a wavelength of 1064 nm, and have shown that the production of reactive-oxygen-species (ROS) in the skin and mast cells in the skin tissue plays an important role in the laser adjuvant effect. The new wavelength of 1270 nm NIR light is characterized by its ability to elicit the same vaccine adjuvant effect as other wavelengths at a lower energy, and may be suitable for clinical applications. In this study, we investigated the physiological activity of CW1270 nm NIR light in mast cells, its biological activity on mouse skin, and the durability of the vaccine adjuvant effect in influenza vaccine mouse models. We show that irradiation of mast cells with 1270 nm NIR light produced ROS and ATP, and irradiation of isolated mitochondria also produced ATP. In mouse skin, the relative expression levels of chemokine mRNAs, such as Ccl2 and Ccl20, were increased by irradiation with 1270 and 1064 nm NIR light at minimum safe irradiance. However, the relative expression of Nfkb1 was increased at 1064 nm, but not at 1270 nm. Serum anti-influenza IgG antibody titers increased early after immunization with 1064 nm, whereas with 1270 nm, there was not only an early response of antibody production but also persistence of antibody titers over the medium- to long-term. Thus, to our knowledge, we show for the first time that 1270 nm NIR light induces ROS and ATP production in mitochondria as photoreceptors, initiating a cascade of laser adjuvant effects for intradermal vaccines. Additionally, we demonstrate that there are wavelength-specific variations in the mechanisms and effects of laser adjuvants. In conclusion, CW1270 nm NIR light is expected to be clinically applicable as a novel laser adjuvant that is equivalent or superior to 1064 nm NIR light, because it can be operated at low energy and has a wavelength-specific adjuvant effect with medium- to long-lasting antibody titer.

Primary Palatoplasty for Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Using Mucosal Grafts and Flaps.

The mucosal graft and flaps method (MG method) is a palatoplasty technique that was developed for the purpose of improving maxillary growth in patients with cleft palate. In the MG method, full-thickness buccal mucosa is grafted onto the raw surface created by pushback palatoplasty. The method is unlikely to result in severe scarring and has a favorable effect on maxillary growth. In addition, it is unlikely to result in oronasal fistula and provides good speech results. Overall, postive long-term treatment results have been obtained. Although the MG method is technically difficult and requires a lengthy surgery, the technique is considered to be effective for palate closure in terms of speech and maxillary growth.

Effects of embryonic hypoxia on lip formation.

The upper lip is formed by the fusion of facial processes, a process in which many genetic and environmental factors are involved. Embryonic hypoxia is induced by uterine anemia and the administration of vasoconstrictors during pregnancy. To define the relationship between hypoxia and upper lip formation, hypoxic conditions were created in a whole embryo culture system. Hypoxic embryos showed a high frequency of impaired fusion, reflecting failure in the growth of the lateral nasal process (LNP). In hypoxic embryos, cell proliferation activity in the LNP mesenchyme was decreased following downregulation of genes that are involved in lip formation. We also observed upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor expression along with the induction of apoptosis in the LNP. These results suggest that embryonic hypoxia during lip formation induces apoptosis in physiologically hypoxic regions, hypoxia-induced gene expression and downregulation of the genes involved in maxillofacial morphogenesis as immediate responses, followed by reduction of mesenchymal cell proliferation activity, resulting in insufficient growth of the facial processes.