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Yoshitaka Okuda,1 Masanori Fukumoto,1 Taeko Horie,1 Hidehiro Oku,1 Shinji Takai,2 Toyofumi Nakanishi,3 Kaori Matsuzaki,4 Hiroyuki Tsujimoto,4 Tsunehiko Ikeda1 1Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka Medical College, Osaka, Japan; 2Department of Innovative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Medical College, Osaka, Japan; 3Department of Clinical and Laboratory Medicine, Osaka Medical College, Osaka, Japan; 4Research and Development Division, Hosokawa Micron Corporation, Osaka, Japan Purpose: Microparticle technology enables local administration of medication. The purpose of this study was to examine the inhibitory effect of locally administered candesartan (CAN)-encapsulated microparticles on experimental choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Methods: Laser photocoagulation was used to induce CNV in Brown Norway rats. The rats were pretreated with subconjunctival injections of CAN (5.0 mg/eye) or phosphate buffer saline for 3 days before photocoagulation. The volume of CNV was evaluated 7 days after laser injury using the lectin staining technique. The infiltration of macrophages within the CNV lesion was determined using immunofluorescent staining with an anti-CD68 antibody. mRNA levels of MCP-1, IL1-β and VEGF in the retinal pigment epithelium/choroid complex were determined using quantitative PCR (q-PCR). Results: CNV volume was significantly suppressed by the treatment with CAN compared with that in vehicle-treated eyes (P

Tsunehiko Ikeda,1 Kimitoshi Nakamura,2 Hidehiro Oku,1 Seita Morishita,1 Masanori Fukumoto,1 Hiroyuki Suzuki,1 Teruyo Kida,1 Taeko Horie,1 Tetsuya Sugiyama,3 Shinji Takai4 1Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki City, Osaka, Japan; 2Nakamura Eye Clinic, Nagano, Japan; 3Nakano Eye Clinic, Kyoto, Japan; 4Department of Pharmacology, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki City, Osaka, Japan Purpose: To investigate the pathogenesis of idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) from a biochemical perspective, the relationships between ERM and tryptase activity, a serine protease, and the levels of anti-type II collagen (anti-IIC) antibodies in the serum.Patients and methods: Vitreous samples for measurement of tryptase activity were obtained from 54 eyes of 54 patients who underwent a vitrectomy for vitreoretinal disease, ie, 14 eyes of 14 patients with idiopathic macular hole, 14 eyes of 14 patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), 13 eyes of 13 patients with ERM, and 13 eyes of 13 patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Tryptase activity was measured by spectrophotometry. Anti-IIC antibodies were measured in the serum obtained from 17 patients with ERM, eight patients who underwent cataract surgery, 12 patients with PDR, and nine patients with RRD. In these 46 patients, the anti-IIC antibodies were measured using a Human/Monkey Anti-Type I and Type II Collagen IgG Assay Kit.Results: Vitreal tryptase activity (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) in macular hole, PDR, ERM, and RRD was 0.0146±0.0053, 0.0018±0.0018, 0.0166±0.0046, and 0.0117±0.0029 mU/mg protein, respectively. Vitreal tryptase activity was significantly higher in macular hole and ERM than in PDR and RRD (P

In northern Laos, shortened fallows in the slash-and-burn upland rice system are not sustainable either from a production or economic standpoint. This paper evaluates the potential for using the indigenous fast-growing tree, Broussonetia papyrifera L. Vent. (paper mulberry) as an economic fallow crop. The objectives of this study are to assess the inner bark yield of paper mulberry, and to evaluate rice productivity following paper mulberry cultivation. In addition, allometric models for estimating the inner bark yield of paper mulberry are developed. Inner bark yield of paper mulberry stands ranging in age from 9 to 48 months ranged from 10 to 208 g m−2, and increased with age. The models using diameter at breast height and stem height, or diameter at breast height only as independent variables explained well the variation in inner bark yield. When paper mulberry was completely removed during the rice growing season, rice yields in these areas were similar to those following weedy bush fallow. When paper mulberry was allowed to grow, rice yields were negatively correlated to paper mulberry stem density. When paper mulberry lateral branches were pruned back, rice yields could be maintained if the paper mulberry stem density was

Shortened fallows have reduced the productivity of traditional upland rice (Oryza sativa L.)-based slash-and-burn systems in northern Laos. New cultivars and management methods are needed for food security in the region. To assess their potential for increasing upland rice productivity, this study compared two improved and three traditional upland rice cultivars in three fertilizer treatments: no fertilizer, nitrogen (90 kg N/ha), and N plus phosphate (50 kg P/ha), in six trials over 2 yr. The two improved cultivars had consistently higher grain yields than the traditional cultivars across all fertilizer treatments (3.9 vs. 2.1 t/ha). The improved cultivars had greater total biomass and harvest index, more panicles, and were shorter than the traditional cultivars. They were also more responsive to N without applied P than traditional cultivars. Two of three traditional cultivars gave a response that was similar to the improved cultivars when both N and P were applied. In addition, on-farm trials were conducted at 13 locations to compare the productivity of the improved cultivars with fertilizer (N-P-K 60-26-50 kg/ha) to farmers' practice consisting of traditional cultivars without fertilizer. In these trials, the improved cultivars with fertilizer achieved much higher grain yields than farmers' practice (3.0 vs. 1.8 t/ha). Improved cultivars and moderate inorganic fertilizer application offer a new approach to increasing the productivity of upland rice in Laos.