Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on emergency department length of stay and clinical outcomes of patients with severe pneumonia: A single-center observational study.

We examined the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the emergency department length of stay (EDLOS) and clinical outcomes of patients with severe pneumonia admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) through the emergency department (ED). This single-center retrospective observational study included adult patients with pneumonia admitted to the ICU through the ED between January and December 2019 (pre-pandemic) and between March 2020 and February 2021 (during-pandemic). We compared and analyzed the EDLOS by dividing it into pre-, mid-, and post-EDLOS and in-hospital mortality of patients with pneumonia admitted to the ICU according to the time of ED visits before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Risk factors for in-hospital mortality according to the time of ED visits were analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis. In total, 227 patients (73 patients pre-pandemic and 154 patients during the pandemic) with pneumonia admitted to the ICU through the ED were analyzed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-, mid-, and post-EDLOS increased (P < .05), and the in-hospital mortality rate increased by 10.4%; however, this was not significant (P = .155). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed post-EDLOS (ED waiting time after making ICU admission decision) as an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality of patients with pneumonia admitted to the ICU, pre-pandemic (odds ratio [OR] = 2.282, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.367-3.807, P = .002) and during the pandemic (OR = 1.126, 95% CI: 1.002-1.266, P = .047). Mid-EDLOS (ED time to assess, care, and ICU admission decision) was an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality of patients with pneumonia admitted to the ICU during the COVID-19 pandemic (OR = 1.835, 95% CI: 1.089-3.092, P = .023). During the pandemic of emerging respiratory infectious diseases, to reduce in-hospital mortality of severe pneumonia patients, it is necessary to shorten the ED waiting time for admission by increasing the number of isolation ICU beds. It is also necessary to accelerate the assessment and care process in the ED, and make prompt decisions regarding admission to the ICU.

The protective effect of 3% diquafosol on meibomian gland morphology in glaucoma patients treated with prostaglandin analogs: a 12-month follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: To determine if 3% diquafosol (DQS) can preserve the meibomian gland morphology in glaucoma patients treated with prostaglandin analogs (PGA) for a 12-month follow-up period. METHODS: This study included 84 eyes of 46 normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients who were treated with either preservative-containing PGA (PC-PGA; 16 patients, 28 eyes), preservative-free PGA (PF-PGA; 21 patients, 39 eyes), or a combination of PC-PGA and 3% DQS (PC-PGA + DQS; 9 patients, 17 eyes). The meibography of the upper eyelid was acquired using Keratograph® 5 M at baseline and at each follow-up (1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months). Meibomian gland loss (MGL) was quantitatively analyzed by using ImageJ software. RESULTS: In the PC-PGA group, MGL increased significantly from baseline to month 9 and month 12, whereas no significant changes were observed in the PF-PGA and PC-PGA + DQS groups during the entire 12 months. All groups showed similar MGL at each follow-up time from baseline to six months. However, MGL in the PC-PGA group was significantly higher than those in the PF-PGA and PC-PGA + DQS groups at the 9 and 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Combining 3% DQS with PC-PGA was as effective as PF-PGA in preserving the meibomian gland morphology for at least 12 months. Our results suggest that 3% DQS may be a promising strategy for managing glaucoma patients with a high risk of developing meibomian gland dysfunction due to preservative-containing topical medications.

Timing and Pattern of Anthocyanin Accumulation during Grain Filling in Purple Waxy Corn (Zea mays L.) Suggest Optimal Harvest Dates.

Purple-corn kernels contain anthocyanins, a group of antioxidants proposed to be beneficial to human health. This study investigated the concentrations of anthocyanins and amino acids and the composition of fatty acids in the kernels of purple waxy corn (Zea mays L.) "Heukjinjuchal" during grain filling to determine when the grain nutritional value is at its highest. During grain filling, anthocyanin contents increased as the kernel color darkened. Among the anthocyanins measured, cyanidin-3-ß-O-glucoside reached the highest contents, 57.0-409.1 mg kg-1 fresh weight in raw kernels and 1027.6 mg kg-1 in dry seeds. Pelargonidin-3-ß-O-glucoside and malvidin-3-ß-O-glucoside became detectable at 21 days after silking; they occurred in the second- and third-highest amounts, respectively, among anthocyanins in the purple-corn cultivars tested. The anthocyanin accumulation pattern was strongly associated with physicochemical properties and partly associated with amino acid content. Anthocyanin contents increased in a stepwise rather than linear fashion. This study showed that kernels undergo dramatic changes that affect the nutritional value of fresh corn.

Association of macular thickness with parapapillary atrophy in myopic eyes.

BACKGROUND: To investigate whether macular structure could be affected by axial elongation and to determine the association between macular intraretinal thickness and the microstructure of ß-zone parapapillary atrophy (PPA) in myopic eyes. METHODS: The study recruited 113 healthy myopic subjects (113 eyes). Images of the macula, subfoveal choroid, and optic nerve head were acquired using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). An automatic segmentation algorithm was used to segment the macular images into 7 intraretinal layers. PPA widths with and without Bruch's membrane (PPA+BM and PPA-BM, respectively) were evaluated. Linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between macular intraretinal thickness and axial length and the microstructure of PPA. RESULTS: An increase in axial length was associated with a decrease in whole macular thickness of the peripheral region and an increase in whole macular thickness of the central region. Thickness alterations of the macular intraretinal layers were most apparent in the peripheral region. A significant correlation was found between PPA-BM width and macular intraretinal layer thickness, whereas no significant correlation was found between PPA+BM width and macular intraretinal layer thickness. Moreover, both PPA+BM and PPA-BM widths significantly correlated with subfoveal choroidal thickness. CONCLUSIONS: Macular intraretinal layer thickness may be affected by PPA-BM width. These findings indicate that the microstructure of PPA should be considered when evaluating the macula in patient with myopia and glaucoma.

Neuroprotective Effect of Brazilian Green Propolis on Retinal Ganglion Cells in Ischemic Mouse Retina.

PURPOSE: The current study was undertaken to investigate whether Brazilian green propolis (BGP) can increase the viability of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in ischemic mouse retina, and examined the possible mechanisms underlying this neuroprotection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: C57BL/6J mice were subjected to constant elevation of intraocular pressure for 60 min to establish retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury. Mice then received saline or BGP (200 mg/kg) intraperitoneally once daily until sacrifice. The expression of hypoxia-inducing factor (HIF)-1α and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and the level of histone acetylation were assessed at 1, 3, and 7 days after injury. The expression of Bax, Bcl-2, p53, NF-κB, Nrf2, and HO-1 were also analyzed at 3 days after injury. The neuroprotective effect of BGP treatment on RGC survival was evaluated using Brn3a immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: The expression of HIF-1α and GFAP was increased and the level of histone acetylation decreased in saline-treated ischemic retinas within 7 days. BGP treatment effectively attenuated the elevated expression of HIF-1α, GFAP, Bax, NF-κB and p53. The expression of Bcl-2, Nrf2, HO-1 and the level of histone acetylation increased by BGP treatment, resulting in a significant difference between BGP-treated and saline-treated retinas. Immunohistochemical staining for Brn3a also revealed that BGP treatment protected against RGC loss in ischemic retina. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that BGP has a neuroprotective effect on RGCs through the upregulation of histone acetylation, downregulation of apoptotic stimuli, and suppression of NF-κB mediated inflammatory pathway in ischemic retina. These findings suggest that BGP is a potential neuroprotective agent against RGC loss under oxidative stress.

Effects of Preservative on the Meibomian Gland in Glaucoma Patients Treated with Prostaglandin Analogues.

This study compared the effect of preservative-containing (PC) and preservative-free (PF) prostaglandin analogue (PGA) formulations on the ocular surface, especially on the meibomian gland (MG) in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG). This is a retrospective study of treatment-naïve patients with OAG (n=80) and healthy controls (n=40). OAG patients were randomized into groups using either PC-PGA or PF-PGA for 12 months. All participants underwent ocular surface and MG examinations including their meibum score, meiboscore, and lid margin abnormality score (LAS). Eighty OAG patients were randomized into two groups (n=42 in PC, n=38 in PF). All PGA and control groups showed similar ocular surface and MG parameters at the baseline. Both PC- and PF-PGA groups showed increased meibum scores, meiboscores, and LASs at 12 months compared to the baseline (all p<0.05). At the 12-months visit, PC-PGA group showed severe OSDI, shorter TBUT, greater OSS, and worse MG parameters than those of the other two groups (all p<0.05). In addition, PF-PGA group showed worse meiboscores, meibum scores, and severe OSS scores than those of the control group (all p<0.05). Both PC and PF formulations can cause damage to the MG in patients using PGA. However, PC formulations induced more ocular discomfort, poorer ocular surface, and more severe MG loss compared to PF formulations. Therefore, it would be advisable to use PF formulations in patients with a preexisting or concomitant ocular surface disease or MGD.

Trends in the characteristics of acute primary angle closure in Korea over the past 10-years.

PURPOSE: To investigate the changes in the demographic, clinical, and biometric characteristics of APAC patients in South Korea during the last decade. METHODS: Medical records of patients with APAC who visit the emergency department or the glaucoma clinic of Chonnam National University Hospital, a tertiary referral center in Gwangju, South Korea in 2007 and 2017 were analyzed. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and treatment modality were compared between the APAC patients in 2007 and 2017. RESULTS: The number of patients with APAC increased from 54 in 2007 to 68 in 2017. Female patients in their 60s were most common in both groups and there was no significant difference in IOP, cataract grade, gonioscopic grading, PAS, or optic nerve damage between the two groups at baseline visit (all P > 0.05). However, APAC eyes in 2017 had a shallower ACD (1.74 ± 0.28 mm vs 1.87 ± 0.35 mm; P = 0.024) and greater LV (1.05 ± 0.26 mm vs 0.93 ± 0.19 mm; P = 0.001) than those of APAC eyes in 2007. During one year follow-up, 25 patients (51.02%) received LPI only, and 18 patients (36.73%) required LE, and 6 patients (12.24%) required phacotrabeculectomy or sequential LE and trabeculectomy. However, in 2017, LPI alone was sufficient in 23 patients (38.33%), 29 patients (48.33%) required further LE, and 8 patients (13.33%) required phacotrabeculectomy or sequential LE and trabeculectomy for the treatment of APAC (P = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to older cases of APAC, recent cases received LE more frequently, which suggests an increasing trend of LE as a treatment option for APAC. In addition, recent cases had a greater LV and shallower ACD than older cases and these biometric differences may be one of the reasons for increasing rate of LE in this study.

Inner retinal thinning as a biomarker for cognitive impairment in de novo Parkinson's disease.

We investigated the association between retinal changes measured using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and diverse clinical grading scales in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Seventy-four eyes of 74 patients with de novo PD and 53 eyes of age-matched control subjects were included. The thickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) were measured. We analyzed the correlations between the clinical PD grading scales and OCT parameters, and between the OCT parameters and volumetric data in the cerebral cortical and subcortical structures. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was calculated for diagnosing cognitive impairment in patients with PD. Statistically significant reductions in the thickness of average, temporal, and inferior pRNFL and overall mGCIPL were observed in patients with PD. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment score was significantly associated with mGCIPL thinning. The AUC of the mGCIPL parameters for diagnosing cognitive impairment in patients with PD ranged from 0.651 to 0.760. Moreover, thinning of the mGCIPL was significantly associated with the volumetric parameters of associated brain structures. Our findings highlight the clinical implications of OCT measurements as a potential biomarker for early detection of cognitive impairment in patients with PD.

Comparison of the meibomian gland dysfunction in patients with chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease and Sjögren's syndrome.

AIM: To investigate the abnormalities in the meibomian gland in patients with dry eye disease (DED) associated with chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease (coGVHD) in comparison with Sjögren's syndrome (SS), a major form of aqueous deficient DED and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), a common cause of evaporative DED. METHODS: A total 135 eyes of 135 subjects included in this study: patients with DED associated with coGVHD (n=30), patients with SS (n=35), patients with MGD (n=35), and normal controls (n=35). All participants completed the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, ocular surface examination [Schirmer test, tear film breakup time (TFBUT), and ocular surface staining], and meibomian gland assessment [meiboscore (gland dropout detected on meibography using infrared camera of the Keratograph 5M), meibum expressibility score (MES), meibum quality score (MQS), lid margin abnormality]. In addition, correlations of meibomian gland characteristics with ocular surface parameters as well as disease severity score were investigated in coGVHD group. RESULTS: The coGVHD group showed significantly higher meiboscore, MES, and MQS than the other 3 groups (all P<0.05). In the coGVHD group, parameters of meibomian gland showed a significant correlation each other and those of ocular surface. The correlation between meibomian gland parameters and severity score of coGVHD was also established (meiboscore, r=0.62; MES, r=0.47; MQS, r=0.47; lid margin abnormality score, r=0.55; all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with DED associated with coGVHD show poorer gland morphology and worse gland function than other types of DED. In addition, meibomian gland damage is not only associated with ocular surface damage but also disease severity of coGVHD.

Efficacy and Safety of Intracameral Bevacizumab for Treatment of Neovascular Glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of intracameral bevacizumab in patients with neovascular glaucoma. METHODS: This retrospective study included 26 eyes of 26 neovascular glaucoma patients who received intracameral bevacizumab injection between January 2013 and May 2015, and were followed-up for at least 1 year. All patients were treated with topical and/or systemic intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering medications, intracameral bevacizumab, and panretinal photocoagulation (PRP). The main outcome measures were changes in visual acuity, IOP, and neovascularization of the iris (NVI) and the anterior chamber angle (NVA). To assess the safety of intracameral bevacizumab, corneal endothelial changes were also determined using specular microscopy. Patients whose IOP was uncontrolled received IOP-lowering surgery. Clinical factors associated with IOP-lowering surgery were also investigated. RESULTS: In all patients, intracameral bevacizumab resulted in a rapid and marked reduction of IOP, NVI, and NVA within 1 week. At 12 months after initial injection, 19 of 26 eyes (73%) underwent IOP-lowering surgery. The average interval between initial injection and surgical treatment was 33.6 ± 26.9 days. Baseline IOP (p = 0.018), NVA grade (p = 0.029), and incomplete PRP (p = 0.005) were identified as predictive factors for IOP-lowering surgery. During the follow-up period, there were no statistically significant corneal endothelial changes after intracameral bevacizumab injection. CONCLUSIONS: During 1 year of follow-up after intracameral bevacizumab, the procedure was found to be safe for the corneal endothelium. However, the IOP-lowering effect was transient, and 73% of patients eventually required IOP-lowering surgery. Predictive factors for IOP-lowering surgery were high baseline IOP and NVA grade, and incomplete PRP.

Bilateral Corneal Epithelial Lesions Associated with Paclitaxel.

PURPOSE: An antineoplastic drug, paclitaxel, is widely used in small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. We report a case of bilateral, vision-impairing corneal epithelial lesions that developed in a patient receiving paclitaxel monotherapy for breast cancer. CASE REPORT: A 45-year-old woman presented with a 1-month history of bilateral visual disturbances. She had been receiving paclitaxel chemotherapy after modified radical mastectomy for invasive ductal carcinoma in her left breast. Best-corrected visual acuity was 20/100 in the right eye and 20/40 in the left eye. Slit-lamp examination revealed irregular triangular corneal lesions in both eyes. The lesions extended to the center of the cornea involving the visual axis and showed late staining with fluorescein dye. The lesions resolved 5 months after discontinuation of paclitaxel chemotherapy, and best-corrected visual acuity was restored to 20/20 in both eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Microtubule-stabilizing chemotherapeutic drugs such as paclitaxel can cause visually significant corneal lesions, and these lesions appear to be reversible with discontinuation of the drug. This case highlights the need for regular ophthalmologic examinations for the detection of this reversible adverse ocular reaction.