Bilateral Frosted Branch Angiitis in Anti-phospholipid Antibody Syndrome

Purpose@#We report a case of bilateral frosted branch angiitis caused by anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome.Case summary: A 60-year-old female complained of worsening vitreous floaters and decreased visual acuity in both eyes. The initial best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.8 in the right eye and 0.05 in the left. On slit-lamp examination, inflammatory findings were observed in the anterior chamber and vitreous body of both eyes. On fundus examination, vascular sheathing in the shape of a frosted branch was observed in the posterior pole and peripheral retina in both eyes. Optical coherence tomography indicated macular edema in the left eye. Staining and leakage of dye along the vascular sheathing were observed in both eyes with fluorescein angiography. On suspicion of panuveitis, we conducted a blood test and started eye drops and oral steroid therapy. However, vitreous inflammation, macular edema, and vascular sheathing increased; thus, we proceeded with systemic steroid therapy. We conducted blood tests at 8-week intervals; lupus anticoagulant was negative but anticardiolipin antibody and anti- ß2 glycoprotein-I antibody were positive. We diagnosed the patient with bilateral frosted branch angiitis caused by anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome. During the follow-up period, the BCVA remained steady at 0.5 in the right eye and 0.3 in the left eye, without symptom recurrence. @*Conclusions@#Bilateral frosted branch angiitis, a rare disease, is known to respond well to systemic steroid treatment. However, if accompanied by primary anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome, as in the case presented, it may have an atypical prognosis.

Repeatability of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Measurements in Patients with Retinal Vein Occlusion

Purpose@#To analyze the repeatability of vessel density (VD) measurements and manual foveal avascular zone (FAZ) measurements using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) without macular edema. @*Methods@#The study population consisted of patients with RVO and central macular thickness @*Results@#A total of 48 eyes were included in the study. The ICCs of the VDs in superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and the deep capillary plexus (DCP) were 0.748 and 0.665, respectively, and the CVs of the VDs in SCP and DCP were 9.1% and 12.6%, respectively. The ICCs associated with the FAZ of the superficial layer (SFAZ) and that of the deep layer (DFAZ) were 0.965 and 0.956, respectively, and the CV of the SFAZ and DFAZ were 8.8% and 9.7%, respectively. From Pearson correlation analyses, OCTA quality was significantly correlated with the CV of the VDs of SCP and DCP. However, there were no variables that were significantly correlated with the CV of SFAZ and DFAZ, including OCTA quality. @*Conclusions@#VD measurements in the SCP layer using OCTA exhibited good repeatability, and VD measurements in the DCP layer exhibited relatively low repeatability compared to that of SCP layer measurements in patients with RVO without macular edema after treatment with bevacizumab. Manual measurement of the FAZ area in both SCP and DCP layers resulted in good repeatability. In addition, the repeatability of VD measurements in SCP and DCP layers was correlated with OCTA image quality.

Patients at High Risk for Failure of Penetrating Keratoplasty

Purpose@#We report the clinical characteristics and the primary underlying diseases of patients at high risk for failure of penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) in Korea. @*Methods@#Patients at high risk of PKP failure among those who visited the ophthalmological clinics of tertiary care hospitals in Korea from April 2019 to April 2020 and who were indicated for PKP were retrospectively enrolled. We epidemiologically investigated 119 eyes of 104 patients via medical chart review. @*Results@#Herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis was the most common primary underlying disease (26.1%). The most common primary cause of poor bilateral visual acuity was Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) (41.7%) followed by chemical burns (19.4%). Of the 119 eyes, 40.3% had a history of previous PKP and 20.2% had undergone three or more PKP. The average number of prior PKPs was 1.02 ± 1.46. Corneal neovascularization and corneal opacity were reported in 82.4 and 92.4% of cases, respectively. As the severity of these conditions increased, the eye distributions became larger. Of all patients, 47.9 and 31.9%, respectively, received the highest corneal neovascularization and corneal opacity scores. @*Conclusions@#Our study of patients at high risk of PKP failure improves our understanding of the relevant clinical characteristics and primary underlying diseases. Such patients require careful observation and aggressive treatment. Possible alternatives to PKP should be considered if PKP consistently fails. This study will aid clinicians in deciding whether to proceed to surgery if a poor postoperative prognosis is predictable.

Repeatability of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Measurements in Patients with Retinal Vein Occlusion

Purpose@#To analyze the repeatability of vessel density (VD) measurements and manual foveal avascular zone (FAZ) measurements using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) without macular edema. @*Methods@#The study population consisted of patients with RVO and central macular thickness @*Results@#A total of 48 eyes were included in the study. The ICCs of the VDs in superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and the deep capillary plexus (DCP) were 0.748 and 0.665, respectively, and the CVs of the VDs in SCP and DCP were 9.1% and 12.6%, respectively. The ICCs associated with the FAZ of the superficial layer (SFAZ) and that of the deep layer (DFAZ) were 0.965 and 0.956, respectively, and the CV of the SFAZ and DFAZ were 8.8% and 9.7%, respectively. From Pearson correlation analyses, OCTA quality was significantly correlated with the CV of the VDs of SCP and DCP. However, there were no variables that were significantly correlated with the CV of SFAZ and DFAZ, including OCTA quality. @*Conclusions@#VD measurements in the SCP layer using OCTA exhibited good repeatability, and VD measurements in the DCP layer exhibited relatively low repeatability compared to that of SCP layer measurements in patients with RVO without macular edema after treatment with bevacizumab. Manual measurement of the FAZ area in both SCP and DCP layers resulted in good repeatability. In addition, the repeatability of VD measurements in SCP and DCP layers was correlated with OCTA image quality.

Adult-Onset Primary Focal Foot Dystonia Improved with Custom Made Ankle-Foot Orthosis

The foot or lower extremity is rarely the initial site in adult-onset dystonia, whereas dystonia in children often begins in the foot. Isolated lower extremity dystonia in adults is rarely on a primary basis. Oral anti-dystonic medications have been found unsatisfactory in providing adequate symptomatic relief. On the other hand, botulinum toxin injections have been reported as beneficial. It is also known that personalized orthosis can be an effective solution for patients of dystonia. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate a case of primary focal foot dystonia that was effectively treated with botulinum toxin injection and the custom-made ankle-foot orthosis.

Adult-Onset Primary Focal Foot Dystonia Improved with Custom Made Ankle-Foot Orthosis

The foot or lower extremity is rarely the initial site in adult-onset dystonia, whereas dystonia in children often begins in the foot. Isolated lower extremity dystonia in adults is rarely on a primary basis. Oral anti-dystonic medications have been found unsatisfactory in providing adequate symptomatic relief. On the other hand, botulinum toxin injections have been reported as beneficial. It is also known that personalized orthosis can be an effective solution for patients of dystonia. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate a case of primary focal foot dystonia that was effectively treated with botulinum toxin injection and the custom-made ankle-foot orthosis.

Suggested Assessments for Sarcopenia in Patients With Stroke Who Can Walk Independently

Objective@#To investigate variables for assessment of stroke-related sarcopenia that are alternative options to the current assessment for sarcopenia, which focuses on age-related sarcopenia and also has limitations in addressing sarcopenia due to weakness resulting from stroke. @*Methods@#Forty patients (17 men, 23 women; mean age, 66.9±15.4 years) with first-ever stroke who can walk independently were included. Muscle mass was determined by measuring ultrasonographic muscle thickness of vastus intermedius, rectus femoris, tibialis anterior, medial gastrocnemius, and biceps brachii muscles in addition to using the skeletal muscle index (SMI) with bioelectrical impedance analysis. Muscle strength was assessed with the Medical Research Council (MRC) sum score as well as handgrip (HG) strength. Physical performance was measured by the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) along with 4-meter gait speed (4MGS). Correlations between each assessment in the three categories were analyzed and adjusted by stroke severity, comorbidity, and nutritional status. @*Results@#For muscle mass, SMI showed the highest correlation with the tibialis anterior muscle (r=0.783, p<0.001) among the other muscles. Regarding muscle strength, the MRC sum score correlated with the HG (r=0.660, p<0.001). For physical performance, the BBS correlated with the 4MGS (r=0.834, p<0.001). The same result was obtained after adjusting for factors of stroke severity, comorbidity, and nutritional status. @*Conclusion@#These results suggest that ultrasonographic muscle thickness of the tibialis anterior, the MRC sum score, and BBS might be alternatives to SMI, HG, and usual gait speed for sarcopenia in stroke patients.

Health policy for the people

After the 19th South Korean presidential election was scheduled to be held on May 9, 2017, a number of presidential candidates have rushed to announce their health policies. Regardless of the presidential candidate, almost all health policies have tended to focus on fragmentary pledges. Thus, the Research Institute for Healthcare Policy (RIHP), which is part of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), has selected 5 key policy issues among the 25 health policies that were developed through the planning group for health policy development: the development and passage of the Special Act on Supporting Primary Care, the establishment of a health care delivery system, the independence of the Ministry of Healthcare from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the implementation of the right to choose prescription drugs, and progress toward addressing the problems faced by the National Health Insurance program. In addition, the KMA has launched a presidential engagement campaign in order to reinforce its political status, as well as to encourage KMA members to participate in politics. I hope that this paper provides guidance in making correct decisions from a public health perspective, and am confident that this election will help medicine to develop in the right direction.

A debate about telemedicine in South Korea

In 2002 the introduction of a telemedicine clause into the Medical Law allowed telemedicine consults between physicians and health care providers. The Korean government decided to launch a pilot program to provide online health services for people who resided in rural or remote areas such as island dwellers, prisoners, soldiers, and the crew of a pelagic trawler in 2014. However, since the accessibility to medical facilities has been well-established in South Korea, it was hard to determine whether the pilot programs, in terms of safety, were successful or not. The majority of people argue that telemedicine should be performed by medical professionals only for achieving accessibility. Nonetheless, if telemedicine were proven to be useful with respect to safety and validity, then broadening the application of telemedicine between physicians and patients may need reconsideration.

Effects of Fluoxetine on Tyrosine Hydroxylase Expression in Schedule-Induced Polydipsia Rats / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVE: It has been suggested that fluoxetine inhibits the dopaminergic neurotransmission by serotonergic mediation. And also, it has been shown to inhibit synthesis of DOPA in dopamine-rich areas of the rat forebrain. These dopamine-antagonistic capacity of fluoxetine is only supported by anecdotal report that the increased amount of motor disability in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease after exposure to fluoxetine. However, there is still no evidence of the direct effect of fluoxetine on dopaminergic neuronal cell body in the substantia nigra, VTA, caudate & putamen. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of fluoxetine in rat brain which showed decreased numbers of dopaminergic neuronal cell body induced by schedule-induced polydipsia(SIP). METHODS: We incidentally found that 4 weeks of schedule-induced polydipsic rats revealed the suppression of tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the substantia nigra, VTA, caudate & putamen with the immunohistochemistric measures. After 3 weeks of intraperitoneal injection of 10mg/kg of fluoxetine to the schedule induced polydipsic rats, the tyrosine hydroxylase expression was also measured with immunohistochemistry. We compared the tyrosine hydroxylase expression among the normal control, the polydipsic rats, and the rats with fluoxetine treatment. RESULTS: 1) By contrast with the control, the polydipsic rats revealed the evidence of decreased tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the substantia nigra, VTA, caudate & putamen. 2) After daily injection of fluoxetine for 3 weeks, the polydipsic rats showed increment of tyrosine hydroxylase expression in those areas. CONCLULSION: In previous studies, a great deal of results suggest that fluoxetine negatively influence the dopaminergic systems indirectly via serotonergic activation such as inhibition of dopamine synthesis or transport system. Although our results are obtained from rodents, we suggest that fluoxetine directly and positively enhance the dopamine system in the substantia nigra, VTA, caudate & putamen. The chronic adminstration of fluoxetine may be helpful to dopamine-depleted condition in clinical situations. We anticipate the replication studies of our findings and well-controlled clinical trial.

Two Cases of Pilomatricoma Occurring on Upper Eyelid

Pilomatricoma(calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe) is a rare benign turner of the skin which develops from immature hair matrix cells. The diagnosis of the calcifying epithelioma of Malherbe is only rarely made on clinical ground but is, as a rule, easily made by histologic examination. We briefly report 2 cases of pilomatricoma occurring on upper eyelid with review of the literature.

A Case of Unsuspected Malignant Melanoma of the Choroid

A 36-year-old female patient had suffered from left sided decreasing visual acuity, ocular pain and headache since 6 months before admission. We performed enucleation of the left eyeball under the clinical diagnosis of the secondary glaucoma and obtained the histopathological diagnosis of malignant melanoma of the choroid(epitheloid type).