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Gen Miura, Takayuki Baba, Toshiyuki Oshitari, Shuichi Yamamoto Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the effect of pupil size of eyes with cataracts on the flicker electroretinograms (ERGs) elicited and recorded with the RETeval system.Patients and methods: Forty-one eyes of 41 patients (mean age, 76.5±7.3years) that had grade 2 nuclear or cortical cataract without any other abnormalities were studied. Flicker ERGs were recorded before and after mydriatic drops instillation. The ERGs were elicited by the white light delivered at the frequency of 28.3Hz and intensities of 2, 8, and 32 Td-s. The amplitudes and the implicit times of the flicker ERGs before and after mydriasis were compared.Results: There were no significant differences between the amplitudes before and after mydriasis (P=0.35, 2 Td-s; P=0.31, 8 Td-s; P=0.50, 32 Td-s). There were also no significant differences between the implicit times before and after mydriasis (P=0.86, 2 Td-s; P=0.98, 8 Td-s; P=0.95, 32 Td-s). The mean amplitudes and implicit times of the nuclear and cortical cataracts groups before the mydriasis were also not significantly different from those after mydriasis for all stimulus intensities.Conclusion: The lack of significant differences in the amplitudes and the implicit times of the flicker ERG of cataractous eyes before and after mydriasis indicated that the RETeval flicker ERGs in cataractous eyes is less affected by the pupil diameter. With our earlier study, it was assumed that the effect of cataracts on the RETeval flicker ERGs was due to the opacity of the crystalline lens, and the influence of the cataract would not be reduced or increased by mydriasis. Keywords: electroretinogram, ERG, flicker ERG, cataract, RETeval

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMO-SD) is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder associated with the anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody. Over 90% of NMO-SD patients have poor prognosis, and pregnancy is a disease-worsening factor. The authors report the findings in a case of NMO-SD that recovered spontaneously during pregnancy. A 28-years-old woman developed optic neuritis (ON) of the right eye in the 14th week of pregnancy. Her best-correlated visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.02 OD, the critical flicker frequency (CFF) was not measurable, and the mean deviation (MD) of the Humphrey perimetry 30-2 was −42 dB. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; T2 short-tau inversion recovery [STIR]) showed high-intensity right optic nerve. The patient was diagnosed with NMO-SD by the detection of seropositive anti-AQP4 antibody in her serum. Corticosteroid pulse therapy was considered, but the patient declined any treatment. Two weeks later, her BCVA improved to 1.2 (OD). Nine weeks later, the MD of Humphrey perimetry 30-2 improved to −1.2 dB and the CFF was 39.8 Hz. There have been no signs of recurrence for 6 months. Spontaneously recovered cases of NMO-SD during pregnancy are very rare. Although the factors leading to good outcomes have not been identified, this case suggests that the immunological condition at the early stage of the pregnancy may have different from that at later stages. Further studies are needed to identify the relationship between pregnancy and NMO-SD.

Vascular endothelial growth factor 165b (VEGF165b) is a splice variant of VEGF-A and is an anti-angiogenic form as opposed to a pro-angiogenic form of VEGF. We compared the level of VEGF165b in the aqueous humor of 77 eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and 38 eyes with retinal vein occlusion (RVO).A prospective, interventional case series.The concentration of aqueous VEGF165b was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and its level in the subgroups of AMD, classic and occult choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), was compared. The relationships between the VEGF165b level and the greatest linear dimension (GLD), central foveal thickness (CFT), and the height of the subretinal fluid (SRF) were determined for the AMD and RVO cases.The level of VEGF165b was higher than the lower limit of detection (15 pg/ml) in 57% of the AMD cases (median, 16.4; range,15-98 pg/ml) and 63% of the controls (median, 20.6; range,15-46 pg/ml). The percentage of eyes with15 pg/ml of VEGF165b was significantly lower in eyes with RVO (32%, p = 0.038). The VEGF165b level was not significantly different among the AMD subtypes, and it was not significantly correlated with the GLD, CFT, and SRF. In the RVO cases, the CFT and SRF thickness were greater in eyes with a VEGF level15 pg/ml (p = 0.006, 0.048 respectively).The anti-angiogenic VEGF165b was low in eyes with RVO. Therapy based on balancing the pro- and anti-angiogenic factors might be a new approach to treat ocular vascular disorders.

The inactivation behavior of baker's yeasts during low-temperature hot air drying and freeze drying was investigated. The activity was determined by measuring the fermentative abilities. Inactivation was observed during the falling drying rate period even at low temperature (30°C). As their fermentation activities in suspensions at 30°C are maintained up to a few hours, this decrease was found to be due to dehydration inactivation. Similar dehydration inactivation was also observed during freeze drying. The dehydration inactivation became more significant when the drying rate was increased. The stability of dried yeasts increased with decreasing water content. The addition of sorbitol before drying further improved the stability of dried yeasts.

As a method for surveying efficient separation conditions for the mobile phase, a 96-well micro-plate based monolithic ion-exchange chromatography system was developed. Discontinuous flow was accomplished by a vacuum manifold. Linear salt gradient elution experiments were carried out with this system and the elution curves were compared with those for monolithic disk column IEC. The normalized gradient slope–the peak salt concentration data for the micro-plate system agreed with those for the monolithic disk column IEC. This system is useful as the liquid volume needed for the experiment is highly reduced, and large amounts of data are obtained quickly.

The water diffusion and the water desorption behavior of sugars and pasta-like foods for temperatures between 283 K and 323 K were investigated by isothermal drying experiments and desorption isotherm measurement. The equilibrium water content in low water activity increased with a decrease in temperature for sucrose and maltodextrin whereas the values did not change significantly with temperature for pasta-like foods. The water diffusion coefficient of sucrose was much lower than those of pasta-like foods. Because of these two factors, the drying rates at low temperatures for pasta-like foods were higher than those for sucrose.

We report the case of multiple sclerosis with quadrantanopia revealed by Frequency doubling technology (FDT) version 3.0, which corresponded to the lesion detected by MRI. A 26-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis complained of blurred vision. MRI demonstrated a high-intensity lesion around the trigone of the left lateral ventricle. Humphrey white-on-white and blue-on-yellow perimetry detected few abnormal points in the right quadrant area, but a depression in that area. FDT version 3.0 revealed a markedly right superior homonymous quadrantanopia. FDT was useful for the detection of quadrantanopia in a patient with multiple sclerosis, as compared with conventional automated perimetry.

As the surface properties of the drying materials are very important not only for the drying rate but also for the quality change during drying, the effects of surface concentration on the drying behavior of liquid foods (sugar solutions) were investigated by isothermal drying experiments and by numerical calculation experiments. The isothermal drying experiments with gelled sugar solution systems (sucrose and maltodextrin) were carried out at various relative humidity (RH) values (RH = 0 to 84%). Separate experiments were carried out for determination of the desorption isotherms. The isothermal drying curves of sugar solutions at RH = 0 to 51% were very similar. Numerical simulations also showed that the drying curves of these sugars at the surface concentration = 0 and 0.1 are almost the same, although the concentration distributions are different. When a small amount of gelatin was added to sugar solutions, the drying rate decreased remarkably as the gelatin might form a thin film (skin) near ...

Magnetic measurements have been performed to investigate random-bond effects on a spin-ladder system. We synthesize a random mixture compound Cu 2 (C 5 H 12 N 2 ) 2 (Cl 1− x Br x ) 4 which is expected to form a spin ladder with random-exchange legs and rungs. The magnetic properties of the compound are rather different from those of the pure systems. Paramagnetic divergence is significantly observed for the susceptibility at low temperatures and the magnetization appears even at low fields. The results suggest that the ground state of the random-bond ladder is a Griffiths phase.

A simple method for determining concentration (water or solvent content) dependent diffusivity in liquid foods and polymer solutions from the regular regime drying curve was developed on the basis of the power-law diffusion model. The method was first tested to the drying data generated from numerical solutions of the diffusion equation with various types of concentration dependent diffusivities. The present method was found to be very simple yet accurate compared with the previous methods. Then, the drying rates of various sugar solutions experimentally obtained were analyzed on the basis of the present method to determine the moisture content dependent diffusivities.

Both molecular recognition and transport phenomena play important roles in very high resolution ion-exchange (electrostatic interaction) chromatography (IEC) of proteins. A fast and simple method for obtaining important information on molecular recognition, peak retention (and the number of binding sites), and peak resolution of proteins from linear gradient elution experiments (salt concentration is increased linearly at a fixed mobile phase pH) is described. The proposed method was verified with β-lactoglobulin A and B (LgA, LgB) as model proteins. The gradient elution experimental data were obtained over a wide range of mobile phase pH with various types of IEC media. The number of binding sites involved in the retention (adsorption) decreased as the mobile phase pH approached the isoelectric points pI (= 5.1–5.2). However, even at pH 5.2 both LgA and LgB were retained on anion- and cation-exchange chromatography columns. The separation (resolution) of LgA and LgB became better when the pH approached t...

Silicone oil has been used to fill the vitreous cavity for long-term or permanent internal tamponade in eyes with proliferative vitreoretinopathy or complicated retinal detachment due to ocular trauma, giant retinal tears, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and cytomegalovirus retinitis. Reports from the Silicone Study confirmed its efficacy in the treatment of proliferative vitreoretinopathy and addressed outcome differences in vitrectomized and nonvitrectomized eyes, combined retinotomy, silicone oil removal, and complications associated with silicone oil tamponade, such as intraocular pressure abnormalities and corneal abnormalities. Because silicone oil is lighter than water and not adequate in supporting the inferior quadrants, several heavier-than-water materials have been introduced for intraocular tamponade. Silicone oil can be a potential vehicle for delivering antiproliferative agents to treat proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

There are substantial numbers of reports showing that leukotrienes (LTs) play important roles in adult asthma. No definite evidence has been demonstrated that LTs are involved in asthma attacks in children, although it is highly expected. In this report, we demonstrated that the levels of LTB4 and LTC4 but not thromboxane B2 (TXB2), a stable metabolite of TXA2, were significantly elevated in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, which was obtained from intubated and mechanically ventilated children with severe asthma attacks. This is direct evidence that LTB4 and LTC4 predominantly participate in asthma attacks in pediatric patients.

Separation of acetic acid from palm oil mill effluent (POME) to increase its concentration by an anion exchange resin was examined as a preliminary study for its recovery from POME that had been anaerobically treated by sludge from a palm oil mill. This paper concerns the acetic acid thus separated for producing bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) by Alcaligenes eutrophus. It was found that sludge particles in POME strongly inhibited the adsorption of acetic acid on the anion exchange resin. Removing the sludge particles from the POME facilitated the separation of acetic acid from the POME efficiently. The concentrated acetic acid thus obtained from anaerobically treated POME could be used as a substrate in the fed-batch production of polyhydroxyalkanoate by Alcaligenes eutrophus.

A new method of calculating concentration dependent mutual diffusion coefficients was proposed for the penetration period of adsorption and desorption processes in polymer film. The diffusion equation for a slab based on a dissolved solid coordinate with constant surface concentration was solved numerically for the sorption process, assuming a power function for the concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficient. The solvent concentrations corresponding to the apparent diffusion coefficients, which were calculated easily from the experimental sorption rate curves of the penetration period, were correlated with the surface concentrations using the power value of the concentration dependence as the parameter. Using this correlation, the relation between the diffusion coefficient and the concentration was obtained easily by trial calculation.

Toshiyuki Oshitari, Sakiko Nonomura, Miyuki Arai, Yoko Takatsuna, Eiju Sato, Takayuki Baba, Shuichi Yamamoto Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan Purpose: To compare the effects of sub-Tenon's capsule triamcinolone acetonide (STTA) injection to that of STTA injection combined with microaneurysm photocoagulation (MAPC; STTA + MAPC) on eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME). Patients and methods: The medical records of 138 eyes of 138 patients with DME treated by either STTA or STTA + MAPC were reviewed. The degree of DME was determined by the optical coherence tomographic features: patients with serous retinal detachment (SRD+; 38 eyes) and patients without SRD (non-SRD; 100 eyes). The central macular thickness (CMT) and the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were measured periodically for 6 months after the treatments. Results: The BCVA was significantly improved in the non-SRD group after STTA + MAPC. The CMT was significantly improved in all groups and improved considerably more in the non-SRD group than in the SRD+ group after STTA + MAPC. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that MAPC has an additive effect in the non-SRD type. Keywords: diabetic macular edema, sub-Tenon's triamcinolone acetonide injection, microaneurysm photocoagulation, best-corrected visual acuity, central macular thickness

Drying behavior of a single suspended droplet of various protein and carbohydrate solutions was investigated experimentally. For small molecular weight carbohydrates such as sucrose and glucose, the constant-rate period was observed, which was followed by the falling rate period characterized as the “regular regime”. During the falling rate period. the drying rate was very low due to a sharp decrease of the water diffusion coefficient with decreasing water concentration No remarkable constant rate periods were observed for large-molecular carbohydrates and proteins. This is because the water diffusion coefficient is low even at high water concentrations. The drying curves or bovine serum albumin, skimmilk and model-food liquid solutions were found to be predicted by a computer simulation with the concentration dependent water diffusion coefficient of maltodextrin of dextrose equivalent =11. The experimental investigations on the ethanol and enzyme retention during drying indicated that the ethano...

The effect of a variety of solvents on adhesion between polyethylene moldings and molten polyethylenes has been investigated. The adhesive strengths between the molten polyethylenes heated in the range of 250 to 300°C and the polyethylene moldings, on which organic solvents, such as xylene, decalin, tetralin and o-dichlorobenzene were precoated, sharply increased, and indicated stable high values. This effect was evident for such molten polyethylenes as LDPE, HDPE and HMWPE. This results from the local dissolution of the polyethylene surface and molten polyethylenes, and subsequent recrystallization of polyethylene molecules in both the surface of the molten polyethylene and polyethylene moldings as the solvents evaporate.

A method is developed for predicting the zone-sharpening effect in linear gradient- and stepwise-elution chromatography of proteins. Numerical calculations have shown that the elution curve by different models are almost the same when the values of zone spreading parameters in the model are chosen so that the values of the number of the theoretical plates are equal. A good correlationship curve is established on the basis of the numerical calculations, from which the degree of the zone-sharpening can be easily predicted with a single dimensionless parameter. When the modulator concentration is very high (the desorption is complete), the stepwise-elution chromatography can be regarded as the gradient elution with steep-slope of the gradient. The experimental stepwise elution cation-exchange chromatography of basic proteins from egg white has shown that the purity, the recovery and the concentration factor of the recovered fraction are very high.

For the isothermal desorption of film, the diffusion equation for a slab based on the dissolved solid coordinate is soled numerically with various types of concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficient. Based on the assumption of concentration distribution similarity, the relations between desorption rate and integral average diffusion cuefficient are derived as functions of the ratios of average concentration to center concentration for both the penetration period and the regular regime, regardless of the type of concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficient. By means of these relations, Methods of calculating the diffusion coefficient as a function of solvent concentration are presented for both the initial rate in the penetration period and the rate in the regular regime, which covers the whole concentration range included in the desorption data. The method is usable within an error of 10% in the range of 0.5

Nana Furuya, Toshiyuki Oshitari, Jiro Yotsukura, Takayuki Baba, Shuichi Yamamoto Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Chiba University, Graduate School of Medicine, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan Abstract: We were presented with two cases of relapsing polychondritis (RP) associated with different types of ocular inflammation. The first case was a 35-year-old man who had bilateral hyperemic conjunctiva and ocular pain, and was referred to Chiba University Hospital with a diagnosis of episcleritis refractory. He was treated with dexamethasone eye drops. He developed tinnitus, deafness in both ears, and left auriculitis. A left auricular biopsy showed an infiltration of lymphocytes surrounding the cartilage. He was diagnosed with RP and treated with 30 mg/day oral prednisolone. After tapering the prednisolone, the scleritis in both eyes improved. The second case was a 71-year-old man who was deaf in both ears and had bilateral scleritis. At the first visit to our hospital, his left eyelid and right auricula were reddish and swollen, and he reported some pain. He was treated with intravenous antibiotics, and the left orbital cellulitis quickly improved. However, he developed right scleritis and left gonitis. Magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral posterior scleritis and right auricular perichondritis. Auricular biopsy showed an infiltration of lymphocytes into the periauricular tissue. He was diagnosed with RP, and 40 mg/day oral prednisolone was given and his symptoms improved. Although RP is rare, it is a life-threatening disease. Thus, ophthalmologists should consider RP in patients with both ocular and auricular inflammation. Keywords: relapsing polychondritis, scleritis, oral prednisolone, ocular cellulitis

Galactosylkojic acid, in which the hydroxymethyl group of the kojic acid moiety is β-galactosylated, was synthesized by using a transgalactosidation reaction with an immobilized β-galactosidase from Bacillus circulans. With 5% kojic acid and 20% lactose as the substrates, the yield with respect to the initial amount of kojic acid was around 24% as a maximum. The inhibitory effect of galactosylkojic acid towards the oxidation reaction of L-β-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)alanine (L-DOPA) with tyrosinase was similar to that of kojic acid.

Sakiko Nonomura, Toshiyuki Oshitari, Miyuki Arai, Eiju Sato, Yoko Takatsuna, Takayuki Baba, Shuichi YamamotoDepartment of Ophthalmology andVisual Science, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba,JapanPurpose: To compare the effect of posterior sub-Tenon’s capsule triamcinolone acetonide (STTA) injection to that of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for diabetic macular edema (DME).Patients and methods: The medical records of 50 patients (52 eyes) with DME were reviewed. Twenty-six eyes underwent STTA (20 mg) and the other 26 eyes underwent vitrectomy combined with cataract surgery. The central macular thickness (CMT), measured by optical coherence tomography, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were determined before and 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment.Results: The differences in the BCVA and the CMT between the STTA group and the PPV group were not significant before or at any time after the treatment. In both the STTA and PPV groups, there were significant differences between the pre-treatment CMT and BCVA at any time after treatment.Conclusion: We recommend STTA injection for the treatment of DME.Keywords: diabetic macular edema, posterior sub-Tenon’s capsule triamcinolone acetonide injection, pars plana vitrectomy, central macular thickness

Kazumi Oomachi1, Kazuha Ogata2, Takeshi Sugawara2, Akira Hagiwara2, Akira Hata1, Shuichi Yamamoto21Department of Public Health; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, JapanBackground: The purpose of this study was to determine visual acuity at different contrast levels under photopic and mesopic conditions in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.Methods: Sixty eyes of 31 normal controls, 92 eyes of 52 patients with retinitis pigmentosa without other ocular disorders (RP-1 group), and 20 eyes of 14 patients with retinitis pigmentosa with cataracts and without other ocular disorders (RP-2 group) were studied. Conventional visual acuity was measured using a conventional Landolt ring chart with 100% contrast and luminance of 150 cd/m2. All of the patients with retinitis pigmentosa had a decimal visual acuity better than 1.0. Contrast visual acuity was measured with the same Landolt ring chart with contrasts of 100% and 10% and under photopic (200 cd/m2) and mesopic (10 cd/m2) conditions. Decimal visual acuities were converted to logMAR units for the analyses.Results: The 100% contrast visual acuity and the 10% contrast visual acuity determined under both photopic and mesopic conditions were significantly poorer in both the RP-1 and RP-2 groups than in the controls. The differences between the conventional visual acuity and the 100% contrast visual acuity were significantly greater in the RP-1 and RP-2 groups than in the controls under both photopic and mesopic conditions. The differences between the 100% contrast visual acuity and the 10% contrast visual acuity were not significant among the three groups under photopic and mesopic conditions.Conclusion: Contrast visual acuities were greatly reduced in patients with retinitis pigmentosa with relatively well preserved conventional visual acuity, and the contrast visual acuity was largely influenced by ambient light levels in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Although a longitudinal study for confirmation has to be performed, our findings indicate that contrast visual acuity is a better test to follow changes in visual function in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.Keywords: retinitis pigmentosa, contrast visual acuity, photopic vision, mesopic vision

Electrophysiological and morphological findings were studied in a case of acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR) showing abnormal pattern visual evoked potentials (VEPs) at the onset and significant functional recovery in the natural course. A 21-year-old woman presented with acute onset of photopsia and a large scotoma in the right eye of 2 weeks duration. Her visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes with no ophthalmoscopic and fluorescein angiographic abnormalities. However, a relative afferent pupillary defect and an enlarged blind spot were found in the right eye. The pattern VEPs were severely reduced when the right eye was stimulated. The amplitudes of both rod and cone full-field electroretinographics (ERGs) were reduced in the right eye. The amplitudes of the multifocal ERGs were reduced in the area of the enlarged blind spot. Irregularities in the inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) line of the photoreceptors were observed over the nasal fovea by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The patient was followed without treatment. The enlarged blind spot disappeared in 3 months after the onset. At 5 months, reappearance of the IS/OS line was detected by OCT. At 6 months, the P(100) recovered to normal values. At 1 year, the reduced full-field ERGs were almost normal size and the multifocal ERGs in the area corresponding to the enlarged blind spot were also improved. ERG findings are crucial for differentiating AZOOR from retrobulbar neuritis, especially in patients with abnormal pattern VEPs. The pattern VEPs, full-field ERGs, multifocal ERGs, and OCT images can be abnormal in the early phase of AZOOR, but they can all improve during the natural course.

We present the findings of an early-stage primary mucinous sweat gland adenocarcinoma in the lower eyelid of a Japanese patient. The patient was a 73-year-old man who had had a nodule on the left lower eyelid for two years. He was referred to our hospital with a diagnosis of a swollen chalazion. The clinical and histopathological records were reviewed and the mass was excised. Histopathological examination revealed a mucinous sweat gland adenocarcinoma. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography excluded systemic metastases. After the histopathological findings, a complete surgical excision of the margins of the adenocarcinoma was performed, with histopathological confirmation of negative margins. After the final histopathological examination, the patient was diagnosed with a primary mucinous sweat gland adenocarcinoma of the left eyelid. Six months after the surgery, no recurrence has been observed. Because the appearance of mucinous sweat gland adenocarcinoma of the eyelid is quite variable, the final diagnosis can only be made by histopathological examination. A complete surgical excision is recommended.

Kyoko Okada, Mariko Kubota-Taniai, Masayasu Kitahashi, Takayuki Baba, Yoshinori Mitamura, Shuichi YamamotoDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, JapanPurpose: To determine the correlation between the changes in the central retinal sensitivity and the changes in the foveal thickness (FT) after photodynamic therapy (PDT) for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).Methods: Nineteen eyes of 19 patients with choroidal neovasularizations (CNVs) secondary to AMD were studied. The pretreatment values of the central retinal sensitivity determined by Micro Perimeter 1 (MP1; Nidek Technologies), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and optical coherence tomography (OCT)-determined FT were compared to the postoperative values at three and six months after PDT.Results: At six months, the retinal sensitivity within the central 10° was significantly improved (P = 0.02) and the FT was significantly thinner (P = 0.016). The BCVA, however, did not change significantly (P = 0.80). The changes in the retinal sensitivities were significantly correlated with the changes in the decrease in the FT (r = -0.59, P = 0.012 within the central 10°) at six months after PDT.Conclusion: Significant improvements in retinal sensitivities within the central 10° and a decrease in FT were observed even though the BCVA was not significantly improved. The measurement of retinal sensitivity by MP1 may be a better method to assess central visual function than the conventional visual acuity after PDT.Keywords: age-related macular degeneration, fundus-related microperimetry, optical coherence tomography, photodynamic therapy

Natsuyo Hata1, Toshiyuki Oshitari1,2, Akiko Yokoyama1,3, Yoshinori Mitamura1, Shuichi Yamamoto11Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Kimitsu Central Hospital, Kisarazu City, Chiba, Japan; 3Department of Ophthalmology, Inoue Memorial Hospital, Chuo-ku, Chiba, JapanAbstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the expression of ER stress-related factors IRE1α, apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1), SAPK/ERK kinase 1 (SEK1) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) is associated with the damaged retinal neurons induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury. After 60 minutes of ischemia, the rat retinas were reperfused, and retinas were isolated and fixed after 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 hours, and 2, 5, and 9 days of reperfusion. Cryosections were immunostained with Fluoro-Jade B, a degenerating neuron marker to label degenerating neurons. Semi-quantitative analysis of the expression of IRE1α, ASK1, SEK1, and JNK were performed in both control and ischemic retinas. In ischemic retinas, the intensities of IRE1α immunoreactivity in the ganglion cell layer (GCL) were significantly higher than in the control retinas. In ischemic retinas, the numbers of SEK1-, ASK1-, and JNK-positive cells were significantly increased in the GCL compared to those in the control retinas. In addition, the cells that were positive for SEK1-, ASK1-, and JNK were also positive for Fluoro-Jade B-positive cells. These results indicate that the increased expression of ER stress-related factors was, in part, associated with the retinal neuronal abnormalities after ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat retinas.Keywords: endoplasmic reticulum, IRE1α, apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1, SAPK/ERK kinase 1, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, Fluoro-Jade B, ischemia-reperfusion injury

The drying behaviour of a drop of polymer solution of the polyacrylonitrile-dimethylformamide system was investigated in a wide range of drying air temperature (323-423 K), initial drop volume (2-8 μl), and initial concentration of solvent in a drop (5-18 kg DMF/kg PAN). The theoretical calculation of the drying history of a drop, based on the diffusion equation and the differential heat balance equation, using the experimental values of activity and apparent mutual diffusion coefficient, represented the experimental values satisfactorily. The changes of solvent content and temperature of a drop during drying were well correlated by the ratio (drying time)/(initial radius of a drop)2, eliminating the effect of drop size. The shift in controlling step of the drying rate from surface evaporation resistance controlling to internal diffusion resistance controlling is shown by means of changes in the concentrations at the center and the surface of a drop.