Comparison of Eyelid Heating Efficacy of Warm Compress Products Commercially Available in Korea

Purpose@#To compare eyelid heating efficacy according to the type and the method of use of eyelid warm compress products commercially available in South Korea. @*Methods@#For six healthy adults, three types of eyelid warm compresses were worn for 10 minutes and the temperature of the product surface, external upper lid, external lower lid, and internal lower lid were measured every 2 minutes. The average of the measured values was divided into four groups according to the type of product (Moist Heat Eye Compress®, Megrythm Steam Eye Mask®, Nurieye-5900®-High Temperature Mode [H], Nurieye-5900®-Low Temperature Mode [L]) and were compared. @*Results@#Eyelid temperature showed a significant difference between each group after the first 2 minutes of treatment (p < 0.000). In the Moist Heat Eye Compress® group, the temperature of the external upper lid was maintained above 38°C until 6 minutes and the remaining groups did not exceed 38°C. The temperature of the inner lower lid was maintained at 37°C or higher for 10 minutes in the Moist Heat Eye Compress® use group and exceeded 37°C at 6 minutes in the Megrythm Steam Eye Mask® use group. The remaining groups did not exceed 37°C. @*Conclusions@#For the external eyelid, only the Moist Heat Eye Compress® group were heated above 38°C. For the inner lower lid, Moist Heat Eye Compress® and Megrythm Steam Eye Mask® groups were heated above 37°C, showing a higher heating effect. Further studies are required on the effects of the three warm compress products in patients with Meibomian gland dysfunction.

Endophthalmitis after Removal of an Intralenticular Foreign Body in Place without Symptoms for 20 Years

PURPOSE: We report a case of postoperative endophthalmitis in the cataract patient, associated with removal of an intralenticular foreign body that had remained in place without symptoms for 20 years. CASE SUMMARY: A 45-year-old male visited our outpatient clinic complaining of gradual visual loss in his right eye over the past 3 months. In slit-lamp examinations, anterior capsular opacification, nuclear sclerosis, and posterior subcapsular opacity were observed in the right eye. Twenty years before, a tiny metallic projectile had hit his right eye, but slit-lamp examination at the time of injury did not reveal any intraocular foreign body. We decided to undergo cataract surgery. During phacoemulsification, a metallic foreign body was found in the lens and safely removed; then an intraocular lens was implanted. As hypopyon was evident 3 days later, we injected intravitreal antibiotics and applied fortified antibiotic eye drops to the right eye. The anterior chamber inflammation improved and the best-corrected visual acuity recovered to 1.0. CONCLUSIONS: Surgeon should be aware of that endophthalmitis could develop after cataract surgery with removal of an intralenticular foreign body that had been in place for 20 years. But did not trigger inflammation or cause any symptoms as the cataract progressed.

Fine dust and eye health

This paper aims to make recommendations for the management of eye health related to fine dust exposure. Fine dust is one of the biggest problems related to air pollution in Korea and is becoming a social issue. Fine dust can be classified into fine dust, ultrafine dust, and nanoparticles according to the size of the constituent particles. Although studies evaluating the harmful effects of particulate matter (PM) have been conducted mainly on cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, the ocular surface is a tissue that is continuously exposed to the atmosphere. Eye symptoms caused by PM exposure include eye redness, irritation, and sensation of a foreign body. Typical eye diseases caused by PM exposure include conjunctivitis, dry eye disease, and blepharitis. PM is thought to induce and exacerbate ocular surface diseases and lead to damage through oxidative stress, toxicity, and immune and inflammatory reactions on the ocular surface. For eye health management related to PM exposure, it is necessary to reduce the chance of exposure to PM in advance according to the PM forecast, avoid additional repeated exposure after PM exposure, and remove PM through eye washing and eyelid cleaning. In addition, eye drops, such as artificial tears, diquafosol, and cyclosporin A, can be used to prevent and treat ocular surface disease and deterioration of the damage. In patients who already have ocular surface disease, the harmful effects of PM exposure may be greater and more attention should be paid to eye health management.

Fine dust and eye health

This paper aims to make recommendations for the management of eye health related to fine dust exposure. Fine dust is one of the biggest problems related to air pollution in Korea and is becoming a social issue. Fine dust can be classified into fine dust, ultrafine dust, and nanoparticles according to the size of the constituent particles. Although studies evaluating the harmful effects of particulate matter (PM) have been conducted mainly on cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, the ocular surface is a tissue that is continuously exposed to the atmosphere. Eye symptoms caused by PM exposure include eye redness, irritation, and sensation of a foreign body. Typical eye diseases caused by PM exposure include conjunctivitis, dry eye disease, and blepharitis. PM is thought to induce and exacerbate ocular surface diseases and lead to damage through oxidative stress, toxicity, and immune and inflammatory reactions on the ocular surface. For eye health management related to PM exposure, it is necessary to reduce the chance of exposure to PM in advance according to the PM forecast, avoid additional repeated exposure after PM exposure, and remove PM through eye washing and eyelid cleaning. In addition, eye drops, such as artificial tears, diquafosol, and cyclosporin A, can be used to prevent and treat ocular surface disease and deterioration of the damage. In patients who already have ocular surface disease, the harmful effects of PM exposure may be greater and more attention should be paid to eye health management.

Long-term Changes of Endothelial Cell Density after Pars Plana Vitrectomy with Fragmentation

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term changes in cornea endothelial cell density (ECD) after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with fragmentation. METHODS: Twenty patients (20 eyes) who underwent PPV with fragmentation and who were followed up for 2 years were enrolled in this retrospective study. The cornea ECD, coefficient of variation (CV), and hexagonality (HA) were calculated using a specular microscopy at 1, 3, 6, 12 months, and 2 years after surgery. RESULTS: The preoperative mean ECD was 1,782 ± 623 cells/mm², and the postoperative mean ECD did not significantly change at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Additionally, there were no significant changes in CV or HA. At 2 years after surgery, the mean ECD was 1,722 ± 532 cells/mm², the mean CV was 35.50 ± 3.03%, and the mean HA was 53.00 ± 4.91%. There were no significant changes in ECD, CV, or HA preoperatively and postoperatively at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the mean ECD did not significantly decrease after PPV with fragmentation at 2 years after surgery. A PPV with fragmentation was an appropriate surgical procedure for patients with low cornea endothelial cell density.

Reactive oxygen species regulate context-dependent inhibition of NFAT5 target genes

The activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5), a well-known osmoprotective factor, can be induced by isotonic stimuli, such as activated Toll-like receptors (TLRs). It is unclear, however, how NFAT5 discriminates between isotonic and hypertonic stimuli. In this study we identified a novel context-dependent suppression of NFAT5 target gene expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or a high salt (NaCl) concentration. Although LPS and NaCl both used NFAT5 as a core transcription factor, these stimuli mutually inhibited distinct sets of NFAT5 targets within the cells. Although reactive oxygen species (ROS) are essential for this inhibition, the source of ROS differed depending on the context: mitochondria for high salt and xanthine oxidase for TLRs. Specifically, the high salt-induced suppression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) production was mediated through the ROS-induced inhibition of NFAT5 binding to the IL-6 promoter. The context-dependent inhibition of NFAT5 target gene expression was also confirmed in mouse spleen and kidney tissues that were cotreated with LPS and high salt. Taken together, our data suggest that ROS function as molecular sensors to discriminate between TLR ligation and osmotic stimuli in RAW 264.7 macrophages, directing NFAT5 activity toward proinflammatory or hypertonic responses in a context-dependent manner.

The Bone Mineral Density and Bone Metabolism of Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma and who are Receiving Long-term TSH Suppressive Therapy / 대한내분비외과학회지

PURPOSE: The clinical implications of long-term suppressive thyroxine (TSH) therapy on the skeletal system are critical, largely because of the favorable prognosis of differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTC). However, the potentialdeleterious effects of TSH suppressive therapy on the bone metabolism remain controversial. The aim of this prospective study was to assess the effects of chronic L-thyroxine (LT4) treatment with supraphysiologic doses of TSH on the bone mineral density (BMD) and biochemical bone remodeling markers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was designed to compare patients with DTC and who were treated with LT4 for more than 2 years after thyroidectomy with an age-matched and gender-matched healthy control group. A total of 100 female outpatients (mean age: 47.5±13.8; 38 pre and 62 post-menopausal) who were on LT4 for between 2 and 10 yearswere enrolled. One hundred and three age-matched healthy volunteers were recruited as a control group. Laboratory tests were performed to exclude other possible factors for secondary osteoporosis. We measured the BMD by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and bone turnover was assessed by several biochemical parameters. RESULTS: Our data showed no significant difference between the bone markers for the study group and the control group that had a premenopausal status. However, for the patients with a postmenopausal status, the serum levels of bone alkaline phosphatase were significant higher in the study group than that in the control group (P=0.038). We also found no significant difference between the study patients and the age- and weight-matched controls for the BMD at any site of measurement. CONCLUSION: This preliminary report suggests that bone turnover and accelerated bone loss might be related to the long-standing TSH suppression in postmenopausal women. Future prospective studies with an increased number of studied patients and a prolonged time of observation will be necessary in order to better assess the relative risk of osteoporosis in patients who are undergoing TSH suppressive treatment.