Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy for the treatment of dry eye with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted for 124 eyes of 62 patients with dry eye with MGD who underwent 3 IPL sessions at 3 week intervals. All patients underwent clinical examination before and during treatment as well as 3 weeks after the last treatment. Measured parameters include Meibomian gland expressibility (MGE), Meibomian gland secretion (MGS) score, tear meniscus height (TMH), noninvasive break-time (NIBUT), corneal staining score (Oxford scale), Ocular Surface Diseases Index (OSDI), and subjective ocular discomfort improvement. Results: Meibomian gland function (MGE, MGS), ocular surface parameters (NIBUT, Oxford scale) and dry eye symptom (OSDI, subjective ocular discomfort improvement) of patients were significantly improved from baseline to after the 1st IPL, and the 3rd IPL weeks (p < 0.05 for all). However, no significant difference in TMH was observed. Conclusions This study showed that IPL was a useful and effective treatment in patients of dry eye with MGD to stabilizes the tear film and improve meibomian gland function and ocular symptoms.

Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy for the treatment of dry eye with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted for 124 eyes of 62 patients with dry eye with MGD who underwent 3 IPL sessions at 3 week intervals. All patients underwent clinical examination before and during treatment as well as 3 weeks after the last treatment. Measured parameters include Meibomian gland expressibility (MGE), Meibomian gland secretion (MGS) score, tear meniscus height (TMH), noninvasive break-time (NIBUT), corneal staining score (Oxford scale), Ocular Surface Diseases Index (OSDI), and subjective ocular discomfort improvement. Results: Meibomian gland function (MGE, MGS), ocular surface parameters (NIBUT, Oxford scale) and dry eye symptom (OSDI, subjective ocular discomfort improvement) of patients were significantly improved from baseline to after the 1st IPL, and the 3rd IPL weeks (p < 0.05 for all). However, no significant difference in TMH was observed. Conclusions This study showed that IPL was a useful and effective treatment in patients of dry eye with MGD to stabilizes the tear film and improve meibomian gland function and ocular symptoms.

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the mediating effect of resilience on the relationship between nurse's character and happiness for nurses in general hospitals. METHODS: Participants were 139 nurses working in general hospitals. A survey was used and data were collected in April 2019. Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS/WIN 22.0 program. RESULTS: The significant predictors for the happiness of nurses were nurse's character (β=.56) and resilience (β=.80). These variables explained 67% of the variance in happiness of nurses. Also, resilience had a total mediating effect on the relationship between nurse's character and happiness. CONCLUSION Findings indicate that nurse's character and resilience are important factors for the happiness of nurses in general hospitals.

PURPOSE: To report a new modified method using a mixture of sodium hyaluronate and indocyanine green solution to facilitate the complete removal of a large conjunctival cyst. CASE SUMMARY: Two patients with a large conjunctival cyst on the bulbar conjunctiva were treated. In order to achieve complete removal, a mixture of 1% sodium hyaluonate and indocyanine green solution was injected through a 27-G needle into the cyst. The procedure provided excellent visualization of the cyst boundaries while maintaining cyst integrity allowing for an easy and complete resection. Apocrine hidrocystoma and a simple retention cyst were confirmed on histopathologic examination, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: During the removal of a large cyst, injecting a mixture of sodium hyaluronate and indocyanine green is effective in delineating the cyst capsule while preserving its integrity, thus aiding in the complete removal of the cyst wall.
Conjunctiva ; Hidrocystoma ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Indocyanine Green ; Needles ; Retention (Psychology) ; Sodium

PURPOSE: We evaluated ocular optical components and their interrelationships in myopic Korean patients. METHODS: In this prospective observational study, 1,011 consecutive patients were recruited from a refractive surgery clinic. The best-corrected visual acuity was >20 / 20 in all patients. The refractive error, axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), and vitreous chamber depth (VCD) were measured by an autorefractor and partial coherence laser interferometry (IOL Master). Central corneal thickness (CCT) was measured by ORBscan II topography. RESULTS: The refractive errors had a positive correlation with LT but negative correlations with AL, ACD, VCD, and CCT. As the axial length increased, the ACD, VCD, and CCT increased but the LT decreased. The CCT had a positive correlation with gender, refractive errors, ACD, VCD, and AL but no correlation with age. The mean CCT was increased in proportion to the increase in AL. CONCLUSIONS: In myopic Korean patients, as axial elongation progressed, the VCD and ACD deepened and the CCT thickened but the LT decreased. The CCT had a positive correlation with the degree of myopia and the AL.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myopia/*epidemiology/therapy ; Prospective Studies ; Refractive Errors/*epidemiology/therapy ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To report the treatment results of mass excision and cryotherapy in a case of bilateral conjunctival amyloidosis. CASE SUMMARY: A 72-year-old man with conjunctival mass and foreign body sensations in both eyes visited our clinic. He was previously diagnosed with conjunctival lymphoma after conjunctival biopsy at another hospital. A yellow-pink colored mass was observed in the bulbar conjunctiva. A repeated conjunctival biopsy revealed the mass to be amyloid, consistent with the cervical lymph node biopsy results, and the diagnosis was changed to primary systemic amyloidosis. The patient was treated with melphalan and prednisolone; however, the ocular pain, symblepharon, and conjunctival mass progressed. A 360 degree conjunctivoperiotomy, mass excision, and repeated cryotherapy were performed in the more severely affected left eye. The patient was followed for one year, and there were no complications or progression of the conjunctival lesion. CONCLUSIONS: Conjunctival amyloidosis requires local pathologic confirmation as well as a systemic work-up. If surgical removal is necessary despite systemic treatment, mass excision and cryotherapy may be effective.
Aged ; Amyloid ; Amyloidosis ; Biopsy ; Conjunctiva ; Cryotherapy ; Eye ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma ; Melphalan ; Sensation

PURPOSE: To investigate changes in corneal keratometry and the anterior chamber in intermittent exotropia after lateral rectus recession using Pentacam. METHODS: Corneal keratometry, anterior chamber depth, and anterior chamber volumes were evaluated preoperatively and at 1 week, 1 month, and 2 months postoperatively using Pentacam in 20 patients (40 eyes) who underwent lateral rectus muscle recession. The IOP was measured before and after lateral rectus muscle detachment during the surgery. According to the change in IOP, the patients were divided into 2 groups; Group 1 (DeltaIOP < 3 mm Hg) and Group 2 (DeltaIOP > or = 3 mm Hg), and the results of the 2 groups were compared. RESULTS: The horizontal keratometry and anterior chamber volumes significantly decreased 1 week postoperatively, although there were no significant differences in vertical keratometry, mean keratometry, or anterior chamber depth. Additionally, there were no significant changes in any measurement parameters at 1 month or 2 months postoperatively. In Group 2, horizontal keratometry, mean keratometry, and anterior chamber volumes showed significant reduction compared with those in Group 1. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups at 1 month postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative corneal keratometry and anterior chamber volumes did not change significantly compared to preoperative values in intermittent exotropia after performing lateral rectus muscle recession. However, the higher the ocular muscle tension, the greater were the changes in corneal astigmatism and anterior volumes.
Anterior Chamber ; Astigmatism ; Cornea ; Exotropia ; Humans ; Muscle Tonus ; Muscles

BACKGROUND: We analyzed data for pediatric hematology-oncology patients who had unexpected outcomes after they received alternative medicinal treatment; these outcomes could not be explained by modern medicine.METHODS: The medical history of 7 of the pediatric patients who were treated at Seoul National University Children's Hospital from 1987 to 2011 and had unexpected outcomes was analyzed retrospectively.RESULTS: The first patient had recurrent infantile fibrosarcoma and had more than 10 multiple coin lesions in both the lungs at the time of the third relapse. He received acupuncture twice weekly for 10 years without tumor progression. The second patient had recurrent fibromatosis in the neck and caused compression of the trachea and heart. The third patient had a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor and the fourth patient had inoperable inflammatory myofibromatosis. The second, third, and fourth patients were treated using a herbal medication that contained Phellinus linteus extract and exhibited responses ranging from partial to stable disease. The fifth and sixth patients had multiple focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver and recurrent renal cell cancer. These 2 patients exercised strict dietary control and underwent an exercise program that were adjusted according to their body constitution and were based on Sasang typology. These 2 patients now have stable disease. The seventh patient had unresponsive chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and showed complete recovery of the platelet count after cepharanthine treatment.CONCLUSION: Scientific investigations are required to prove the effectiveness of these alternative medicines and to improve the results of such treatment in pediatric patients.
Acupuncture ; Benzylisoquinolines ; Body Constitution ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Complementary Therapies ; Fibroma ; Fibrosarcoma ; Focal Nodular Hyperplasia ; Heart ; History, Modern 1601- ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Myofibromatosis ; Neck ; Numismatics ; Peripheral Nerves ; Platelet Count ; Polysaccharides ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic ; Recurrence ; Trachea

PURPOSE: Adipose stromal cells (ASCs) play an important regulatory role in cancer progression and metastasis by regulating systemic inflammation and tissue metabolism. This study examined whether visceral and subcutaneous ASCs (V- and S-ASCs) facilitate the growth and migration of ovarian cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CD45– and CD31– double-negative ASCs were isolated from the subcutaneous and visceral fat using magnetic-activated cell sorting. Ovarian cancer cells were cultured in conditioned media (CM) obtained from ASCs to determine the cancer-promoting effects of ASCs. A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, Boyden chamber assay, and western blotting were performed to determine the proliferative activity, migration ability, and activation of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway, respectively. RESULTS: CM from ASCs enhanced the migration of the ovarian cancer line, SKOV3, via activation of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. Interestingly, in response to ASC-CM, the ascites cells derived from an ovarian cancer patient showed an increase in growth and migration. The migration of ovarian cancer cells was suppressed by blocking the activation of JAK2 and STAT3 using a neutralizing antibody against interleukin 6, small molecular inhibitors (e.g., WP1066 and TG101348), and silencing of STAT3 using siRNA. Anatomical differences between S- and V-ASCs did not affect the growth and migration of the ovarian cancer cell line and ascites cells from the ovarian cancer patients. CONCLUSION: ASCs may regulate the progression of ovarian cancer, and possibly provide a potential target for anticancer therapy.
Adipose Tissue ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Ascites ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line ; Cell Movement ; Culture Media, Conditioned ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Metabolism ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Stromal Cells* ; Subcutaneous Fat*

The purpose of this study was to develop effective dental hygiene chews for cats based on the anatomical features of the dentition and patterns of chewing motion. All cats were volunteered for dental prophylaxis followed by dental impressions using yellow stone and alginate under general anesthesia. Twenty parameters related to dentition were defined in order to compare dental impressions using digital caliper. For the chewing motion study, patterns of chewing motion were identified based on recordings made with a digital camera. Ten cats (4 domestic shorthairs, 2 Russian blues, 1 American shorthair, 1 Persian, 1 Turkish Angora, and 1 Devon Rex) were recruited for the study. The parameters related to teeth and oral size were similar among the studied cats. Chewing motion can be described as more of a guillotine-like motion rather than a crushing motion, with cats chewing 3–7 times before swallowing. The chewing pattern of cats involves shearing for a short period of time followed by immediate swallowing. Therefore, the overall size of the dental hygiene chew could be determined based on the measurement of the oral size for inducing chewing. The surface details of the dental hygiene chew could be designed for prevention and removal of dental calculus and plaque in cats considering the anatomical teeth parameters. Dental hygiene chews customized for cats considering the different anatomical features of their teeth might be effective for oral care.
Anesthesia, General ; Animals ; Cats ; Deglutition ; Dental Calculus ; Dental Prophylaxis ; Dentition ; Gingiva ; Mastication ; Oral Hygiene ; Periodontal Diseases ; Tooth