During the application of spontaneous or genetically engineered mouse models for retinal diseases,some phenotypes of the models might not be related to the gene (s) of interest or intentional manipulation.This problem often arises from founder effect of inbreed mouse strains.The most impact experiences in vision research community are mouse models incorporated with mutations in Crb1 (rd8),phosphodiesterase 6 beta (Pde6b) (rd1),Gnat2 and RPE65 genes.This paper reviewed the most relevant articles on this matter.We encourage that vision researchers who apply or develop mouse lines to study retinal diseases should carefully track and check the genetic background of their stains and/or choose proper controls in the study design.

INTRODUCTIONWorldwide, there are approximately 8 million new cases and 3 million deaths from tuberculosis (TB) each year. TB affects the entire body and the eye. Although ocular TB is considered rare, its incidence has varied widely across time, patient populations, and geography. We report 2 patients with unique presentations of ocular TB and detail the treatment and outcome of the disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODSTwo cases of ocular inflammation, one with a medical history of systemic TB and the other, with that of presumed systemic TB, were examined. Choroidal granuloma developed in one, and scleritis developed in the other. The literature on ocular TB was comprehensively reviewed.

RESULTSBoth patients were diagnosed with ocular TB. The histology of the systemic TB lesions was also illustrated. They responded to aggressive anti- TB and anti-inflammatory therapies.

CONCLUSIONSThe diagnosis and management of ocular TB can pose a significant challenge. Physicians and ophthalmologists must include TB among the differential diagnoses of patients with ocular inflammatory diseases and treat ocular TB with a combination of anti-TB and immunosuppressive medications as needed. Immunosuppressive medications applied in this setting must be cautioned and only prescribed by ophthalmologists who are familiar with these agents.

Adult ; Aged ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Tuberculosis, Ocular ; diagnosis ; drug therapy

Purpose: To investigate the effect of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Asian men with all stages of prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: READT (real-life evaluation of the effect of ADT in prostate cancer patients in Asia) was a multi-center, prospective observational study involving six sites across four Asian populations. We enrolled eligible prostate cancer patients, who opted for ADT alone or in combination without prior neoadjuvant or adjuvant ADT within 12 months. The EuroQoL-5 dimensions, 5 level scale (EQ-5D-5L) utility index scores and visual analog scale (VAS) were evaluated at baseline, month 6 and month 12. Results: A total of 504 patients were recruited into READT between September 2016 and May 2020 with 52.9% diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. The EQ-5D-5L was evaluable in 442/504 (87.7%) of patients. Overall baseline EQ-5D-5L utility index score was 0.924 (interquartile range [IQR] 0.876–1.000). We observed a statistically significant difference in baseline EQ-5D-5L utility index score among different populations with a median EQ-5D-5L utility index score of 1 for Taiwan & Hong Kong, 0.897 for China and 0.838 for Malaysia. Similar trend was observed throughout multiple treatment time-points. Stage IV prostate cancer were significantly associated with a lower baseline EQ-5D-5L utility index score compared to stage I–III prostate cancer, producing a median disutility value of -0.080. Participants had a high median VAS (80, IQR 70–90), indicating good overall health on average during ADT initiation. Conclusions The study highlights the differences in health state utility index scores among various Asian prostate cancer patients receiving ADT at real-world setting. Our findings will be informative and useful in cost-effectiveness evaluation and policy decision making.

INTRODUCTIONPatients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) may require total hip replacement (THR) or total knee replacement (TKR). The present study aimed to compare the demographic characteristics and medical costs of RA and OA patients from Taiwan who underwent either THR or TKR.

METHODSThe medical records of patients who had undergone THR or TKR from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2010 were obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). In all, we found 49 and 146 RA patients who received THR and TKR, respectively, and 1,191 and 6,574 OA patients who received THR and TKR, respectively. The gender, age, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), hospital grade, age at registration in the catastrophic illness dataset, and medical utilisation costs of the different groups were compared.

RESULTSThere were statistically significant differences in age, CCI score, drug costs and surgery costs between RA and OA patients. Joint replacement incidence was lower in RA patients than in OA patients, and among patients who underwent THR, total medical costs incurred were higher for RA patients than OA patients. RA patients who underwent THR incurred a significantly greater total medical utilisation cost in the outpatient department (3 months before surgery and 12 months after surgery) than OA patients who underwent THR.

CONCLUSIONAnalysis of Taiwan NHIRD with regard to patients who had undergone either THR or TKR indicated that RA patients were younger than OA patients, and that significantly more medical resources were used for RA patients before, during and after hospitalisation for these procedures.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; surgery ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; economics ; methods ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; economics ; methods ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Health Care Costs ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis ; surgery ; Sex Factors ; Taiwan ; Treatment Outcome