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Yuki Mawatari,1 Hirohiko Kakizaki,2 Yasuhiro Takahashi2 1Mawatari Oculoplastic Clinic, Kumamoto, Japan; 2Department of Oculoplastic, Orbital & Lacrimal Surgery, Aichi Medical University Hospital, Aichi, JapanCorrespondence: Yuki Mawatari, Mawatari Oculoplastic Clinic, 8-2 Suido-cho, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-0844, Japan, Tel +81 96 273 7571, Fax +81 96 273 7572, Email mawatari@mawatari-clinic.jpPurpose: To investigate the usefulness of diathermy thermocoagulation in chalazion surgery.Methods: This prospective, observational study included 30 sides from 24 patients who underwent chalazion surgery using diathermy thermocoagulation. The eyelid was fixed with a chalazion clamp under local anesthesia. The skin or palpebral conjunctiva was incised, and the chalazion was partially curetted. The residual chalazion contents were coagulated with diathermy and detached from the surrounding tissues using forceps and scissors. Then, the residual chalazion contents were completely removed.Results: The chalazion was not palpable in all cases 1 week postoperatively. A small chalazion redeveloped close to the primary lesion 2 weeks postoperatively in one patient; however, it spontaneously improved. No other cases experienced recurrence or complication during the follow-up periods.Conclusion: Thermocoagulation of chalazion contents using diathermy facilitates grasp, dissection, and excision of chalazion contents.Keywords: chalazion, surgery, thermocoagulation, diathermy

This study ventures into the exploration of potential poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) degradation in alpine environments. PHB-degrading bacteria were identified in both campus soil, representing a residential area, and Mt. Kurodake soil, an alpine region in Hokkaido, Japan. Next-generation sequencing analysis indicated that the campus soil exhibited higher microbial diversity, while Ralstonia insidiosa C1, isolated from Mt. Kurodake soil, displayed the highest proficiency in PHB degradation. R. insidiosa C1 efficiently degraded up to 3% (w/v) of PHB and various films composed of other biopolymers at 14 °C. This bacterium synthesized homopolymers using substrates such as 3-hydroxybutyric acid, sugars, and acetic acid, while also produced copolymers using a mixture of fatty acids. The analysis results confirmed that the biopolymer synthesized by strain C1 using glucose was PHB, with physical properties comparable to commercial products. The unique capabilities of R. insidiosa C1, encompassing both the production and degradation of bioplastics, highlight its potential to establish a novel material circulation model., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Recently, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have been produced using raw sewage in our laboratory; however, the production concentrations are low. Therefore, this study aimed to enhance PHA production by applying different strategies. PHA production was higher in sewage-containing medium than in mineral salt medium and was enhanced 22-fold after glucose supplementation. A relatively high degree of glucose consumption (83.6 ± 1.59 %) was also achieved. Bacteria incubated with cheese whey diluted with sewage showed higher PHA production than bacteria incubated with cheese whey diluted with distilled water did. The expression of the PHA synthase gene ( phaC ) was evaluated via real-time polymerase chain reaction using low- and high-carbon-containing sewage. Relatively higher phaC expression levels were observed in high-carbon-containing sewage but at lower nitrogen concentrations. The characteristics of the produced PHA were comparable to those of standard PHA. Therefore, this study revealed that the bacterium Bacillus sp. CYR1 can produce PHA from low- or high-carbon-containing wastewater., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)