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To report the long-term changes of the size of myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). This was a retrospective, observational case study of eleven eyes in eleven patients with mCNV followed with OCTA for a minimum of 3 years. The flow area of mCNV on OCTA, the size of chorioretinal atrophy (CRA) and central choroidal thickness were analyzed. The relationship between the changes of mCNV size and recurrences treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents was also assessed. Three eyes out of eleven eyes showed enlargement of the mCNV over 3 years. In two of the three eyes, the mCNV recurrences had not been treated immediately (the examination intervals were 4 months and 5 months, respectively), and we found obvious enlargement of the mCNV. In three eyes, the mCNV size decreased in 1 year and was stable thereafter without recurrences. In five eyes, mCNV size did not show remarkable changes for 3 years. In three of the five eyes, no recurrences were detected and two of the five eyes underwent prompt treatments against recurrences. Regular examination and prompt treatments against recurrences are critical to prevent enlargement of mCNV.

We analyzed the corneal topography before and after blepharoptosis surgery and examined whether there was a difference in the corneal topographic changes with and without deepening of the upper eyelid sulcus (DUES). Retrospective study. A total of 23 eyes of 23 patients (6 men and 17 women) were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of DUES, and their clinical characteristics were compared. There were no significant differences between the DUES (n = 9) and non-DUES (n = 14) groups in any of the parameters examined before blepharoptosis surgery, including age, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), margin reflex distance-1 (MRD-1), spherical equivalent, average keratometry (AveK), cylindrical power (CYL), corneal higher order aberrations (HOAs) and central corneal thickness (CCT). In the non-DUES group, BCVA, spherical equivalent, AveK, CYL, and CCT were not significantly different between before and after surgery. On the other hand, in the DUES group, BCVA, spherical equivalent, and CCT were not significantly different before or after surgery, however, AveK, CYL and HOAs showed significant decreases after surgery. In addition, related to the post-surgical changes in CYL, the DUES group had a higher rate of reduced CYL. It is expected that in eyes with DUES blepharoptosis surgery can reduce AveK, CYL and HOAs in association with postoperative corneal flattening, and that will contribute to improvements in visual function.

Rapid expansion of exotic bamboos has lowered species diversity in Japan's ecosystems by hampering native plant growth. The invasive potential of bamboo, facilitated by global warming, may also affect other countries with developing bamboo industries. We examined past (1975–1980) and recent (2012) distributions of major exotic bamboos (Phyllostachys edulis and P. bambusoides) in areas adjacent to 145 weather stations in central and northern Japan. Bamboo stands have been established at 17 sites along the latitudinal and altitudinal distributional limit during the last three decades. Ecological niche modeling indicated that temperature had a strong influence on bamboo distribution. Using mean annual temperature and sun radiation data, we reproduced bamboo distribution (accuracy = 0.93 and AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) = 0.92). These results infer that exotic bamboo distribution has shifted northward and upslope, in association with recent climate warming. Then, we simulated future climate data and projected the climate change impact on the potential habitat distribution of invasive bamboos under different temperature increases (i.e., 1.5°C, 2.0°C, 3.0°C, and 4.0°C) relative to the preindustrial period. Potential habitats in central and northern Japan were estimated to increase from 35% under the current climate (1980–2000) to 46%–48%, 51%–54%, 61%–67%, and 77%–83% under 1.5°C, 2.0°C, 3.0°C, and 4.0°C warming levels, respectively. These infer that the risk areas can increase by 1.3 times even under a 1.5°C scenario and expand by 2.3 times under a 4.0°C scenario. For sustainable ecosystem management, both mitigation and adaptation are necessary: bamboo planting must be carefully monitored in predicted potential habitats, which covers most of Japan.

We investigated the factors that influence the reduction in corneal endothelial cells after Ex-Press® surgery. This was a retrospective study. We included patients who had undergone Ex-Press surgery and were followed up for > 2. We analyzed the corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) before and after Ex-Press surgery. We investigated the insertion position (Ex-Press device was inserted into cornea or trabecular meshwork (TM)), Ex-Press–iris touch, cornea–iris touch, peripheral anterior synechiae, history of trabeculotomy, history of selective laser trabeculoplasty, type of glaucoma, and simultaneous cataract surgery as influencing factors. We used multivariate analysis to determine the factors influencing the reduction rate of ECD. We included 129 eyes. The mean of ECD had decreased 7.0% at 2 years. Ex-Press surgeries significantly decreased the ECD after 2 years (p = 0.0118). As a result of the multivariate analysis, the factor that led to a significantly faster reduction in ECD was the insertion position of the Ex-Press (p

ベプリジル継続投与中の有効血中濃度は明確にされておらず, 同様に有効性との関連も明確にされていない.そこで頻脈性不整脈治療を目的にベプリジル継続投与中の101例で血中濃度を測定し, 血中濃度とべプリジル摂取後の時間経過との関連を検討した.ベプリジルは100～200mg/日を朝, 夕の2回あるいは朝, 昼夕の3回服用し, 全例が服用開始後30日以上経過した継続例であった.服用後1時間での最高値は0, 7μg/mL, 最低値は0.27μg/mL, 2時間の最高値は1.37μg/mL, 最低値は0.20μg/mL, 3時間では1.83μg/mLと0.17μg/mL, 4時間は1.69μg/mLと0.05μg/mL, 5時間は1.59μg/mLと0.26μg/mLであった.また, ベプリジルが有効であった症例の血中濃度と服用後の時間経過をみると2時間後も10時間後も血中濃度は0、6μg/mL以上であった.一方, ベプリジルが有効でない症例の血中濃度と服用後の時間経過をみると, 2時間後および4, 5時間後の血中濃度は0.3μ9/mL前後であった.ベプリジルの血中濃度は用量依存性を示した、また, 慢性腎不全で血液透析を受けている3症例に心房細動予防の目的で投与されたべプリジルの血中濃度を透析前後で比較してみると, ベプリジルは透析で除去されることなく, 透析前後でほぼ同様の値を示した.

Pharmacological treatment for atrial fibrillation has a variety of purposes, such as pharmacological defibrillation, maintenance of sinus rhythm, heart rate control to prevent congestive heart failure and prevention of both cerebral infarction and atrial remodeling. Sodium channel blockers are superior to potassium channel blockers for atrial defibrillation, while both sodium and potassium channel blockers are effective in the maintenance of sinus rhythm. In general, digitalis or Ca antagonists are used to control heart rate during atrial fibrillation to prevent congestive heart failure, while amiodarone or bepridil also reduce heart rates during atrial fibrillation. Anticoagulant therapy with warfarin is recommended to prevent cerebral infarction and angiotensin converting enzyme antagonists or angiotensin II receptor blockers are also used to prevent atrial remodeling. One should select appropriate drugs for treatment of atrial fibrillation according to the patient's condition.