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Details the fundus and fluorescein documentation of a Japanese boy with hypomelanosis. Presence of marked depigmentation in the retinal pigment epithelium.

Background: We conducted a historical cohort study of patients with schizophrenia to identify more robust risk factors at discharge that contribute to readmission within a year. Methods and Findings: The subjects underwent brief psychoeducation during hospitalization. Multivariate analysis was conducted using factors selected in the univariate analysis. Using logistic regression analysis, the number of hospital admissions (P =.01) and Schedule for Assessment of Insight Japanese version score (P =.04) were identified as risk factors for readmission, with odds ratios of 0.70 and 1.18, respectively. Conclusions: These results suggest that improvement in insight and early intervention may lead to a more stable community life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nuclear magnetic resonance and relaxation measurements of the 59Co nuclei for the well-defined field-aligned powder of the triangular lattice superconductor Na x CoO2 · yH2O with a nearly optimal composition for the transition temperature T c have been performed. Detailed analyses indicate that the Knight shifts for the directions parallel and perpendicular to the CoO2 plane and the spin-lattice relaxation rates, taken by making an inevitable deterioration of specimen minimal, are significantly smaller than most of the data reported to date, and that this compound is classified into one of the unconventional spin-singlet superconductors as suggested by recent works for single crystals with a lower T c. A small enhancement of two-dimensional antiferromagnetic spin correlations at some nonzero wave vector may emerge near T c. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Microwave-assisted polycondensation was employed for screening of organically-modified TiO 2 /SiO 2 catalysts. • Organic modification led to superior polycondensation performance at a reduced amount of titanium. • Role of organic modification was clarified by multilateral characterization. Development of efficient and environmental-friendly solid catalysts is an important target for polyester production. Herein, we report a novel screening strategy based on microwave-assisted polycondensation and its application for exploring organically-modified TiO 2 /SiO 2 catalysts with varied chemical composition and organic functionality. Modification of TiO 2 /SiO 2 catalysts with specific organic groups resulted in superior polycondensation performance at a reduced amount of titanium. Among these, phenylethyl modification was found to be most promising, which exhibited at least 9 and 19 times higher activity than industrial TiO 2 /SiO 2 and Sb 2 O 3 catalysts. The phenylethyl modification during coprecipitation led to smaller catalyst particles with improved hydrophobicity, and the dilution of surface titanium sites by silicon atoms for enhanced Lewis acidity. Synergistic combination of these positive consequences realized the high activity of the developed catalyst, particularly at low temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate real-world evidence for intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation after subtenon triamcinolone acetonide injection (STTA) in 1252 Japanese patients (1406 eyes) in the Japan Clinical REtina STudy group (J-CREST). Methods: This was a multicentre retrospective study of the medical records of 1252 patients (676 men (758 eyes); mean age: 63.8 ± 12.9 years) who received STTA in participating centres between April 2013 and July 2017. Results: IOP elevation was observed in 206 eyes (14.7%) and IOP increase ≥ 6 mmHg was found in 328 eyes (23.3%). In total, 106 eyes (7.5%) needed medication and two eyes (0.14%) needed surgical procedures. Younger age, higher baseline IOP, and steroid dose were risk factors associated with IOP elevation. Risk factors associated with IOP increase ≥ 6 mmHg were younger age, lower baseline IOP, steroid dose, and higher incidences of diabetic macular oedema (DME) and uveitis. In contrast, with steroid dose fixed at 20 mg, a lower incidence of DME was a risk factor for increased IOP, suggesting that STTA had dose-dependent effects on IOP increase, especially in patients with DME. Conclusion: Our real-world evidence from a large sample of Japanese patients who received STTA showed that the incidence of IOP elevation after STTA was 14.7%, and was associated with younger age, higher baseline IOP, and steroid dose. Thus, IOP should be monitored, especially in patients with younger age, higher baseline IOP, and higher incidences of DME and uveitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the strain rate concentration is considered for high speed tensile test, which is now being recognized as a standard testing method. To evaluate the impact strength of engineering materials under high impact speed, Izod and Charpy tests are unsuitable since they cannot control the impact speeds and therefore do not coincide with the real failure of real products. For smooth specimens, the strain rate can be determined from the tensile speed u / t and specimen length l as ε ̇ smooth = u / tl . For notched specimens, however, the strain rate at the notch root ε ̇ notch should be analyzed accurately. In this study, therefore, the strain rate concentration factor defined as K t ε ̇ = ε ̇ notch / ε ̇ smooth is studied with varying the notch geometry and specimen length. It is found that the strain concentration factor K t ε ̇ can be estimated from stress concentration factor K t ∗ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IL-33, a member of the IL-1 family of cytokines, is the ligand for ST2 (IL-33Rα chain). IL-33 has the capacity to induce Th2 cytokine production from Th2 cells, mast cells and basophils, indicating that IL-33 has the potential to induce Th2 cytokine-mediated allergic inflammation of the eye. Thus, we tested the pathological role of IL-33 in allergic conjunctivitis (AC). As reported elsewhere, animals immunized with ragweed pollen (RW)/alum and boosted with RW/PBS developed AC promptly (within 15 min) and conjunctival eosinophilic inflammation after a delay (within 24 h) in response to eye drop challenge with RW. Furthermore, RW-immunized mice, when topically challenged with both RW and IL-33, developed more striking eosinophilia in their conjunctiva without exacerbation of the clinical AC score. This in vivo IL-33 treatment significantly increased the capacity of T cells in the cervical lymph nodes of RW-immunized mice to produce IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 upon challenge with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies in vitro. Furthermore, the infiltrating cells were largely eosinophils and a small proportion of CD4+ T cells, both of which express ST2. We also found that even splenic eosinophils express ST2 and show increased expression in response to IL-5, granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) or IL-33. Eosinophils, stimulated with IL-5 and/or GM-CSF, are responsive to IL-33, which induces production of IL-4 and chemokines. Finally, we showed that conjunctival tissues constitutively express biologically active IL-33, suggesting that IL-33 might play a crucial role in the induction and augmentation of AC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A patient with glaucoma developed sudden blurred vision immediately after the nasal mucosal injection of a betamethasone acetate solution into the inferior turbinate. The fundus examination revealed several white emboli in the choroidal vessels of the temporal region of the optic disc. After vigorous massage, her visual acuity recovered from counting fingers to 20/32. Six days after the initial examination, Goldmann perimetry showed expansion of the superior and inferior arcuate scotomas. In this case, temporary ischemia of the central retinal and short posterior ciliary arteries involving the arterial circle of Zinn-Haller led to the deterioration of the preexisting glaucomatous optic neuropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]