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Background Limited data exist on real-world treatment patterns for diabetic macular edema (DME) in Korea. In this study, we investigated DME treatment patterns from 2009 to 2014 and the impact of baseline treatment on healthcare resource utilization and visual acuity (VA) outcomes. Methods A retrospective cohort chart review of DME patients treated at 11 hospital ophthalmology clinics between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2013 was conducted. We collected data on demographics, healthcare resource utilization (clinic visits, treatment visits, and visits for ocular investigations), distribution of DME treatments, and VA. Results Overall, 522 DME patients (men, 55.2%; mean age, 59 years; mean HbA1c [n = 209], 8.4%) with 842 DME eyes were evaluated. For all treatments, healthcare resource utilization was significantly higher during the first 6 months versus months 7–12, year 2, or year 3 (P ≤ 0.001), but was highest for patients whose first treatment was an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment (visits/quarter; anti-VEGF, 1.9; corticosteroids, 1.7; laser, 1.4). Use of macular laser therapy decreased (44% to 8%), whereas use of anti-VEGF injections increased (44% to 69%) during the study period. However, VA improvement was not commensurate with healthcare resource utilization of anti-VEGF treatment (mean VA gain, 2.7 letters). Conclusion A trend toward increasing use of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections for DME treatment was observed in Korea. However, the frequency of dosing and monitoring was lower in clinical practice versus major clinical trials, which may have led to the less-than-favorable improvements in visual outcomes., Graphical Abstract

The objective of this study was to estimate the environmental factors affecting milk β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) and acetone (Ac) concentrations in Holstein cattle. A total of 264,221 test-day records collected from the Korea Animal Improvement Association (KAIA) during the period of 2012 to 2014 were used in this study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine the factors significantly affecting ketone body concentrations. Parameters considered in the model were season of test, season of calving, parity, lactation stage, and milk collecting time (AM and PM). According to the ANOVA, the R² for milk BHBA and Ac were 0.5226 and 0.4961, respectively. ‘Season of test’ showed a considerable influence on ketone body concentration. Least square (LS) means for milk BHBA concentrations was the lowest (39.04 μM) in winter while it increased up to 62.91 μM in summer. But Ac concentration did not significantly change along with ‘season of test’. The means of milk BHBA and Ac concentrations were high at first lactation stage, low around second lactation stage, and then gradually increased. Cows milked in the morning had lower mean BHBA and Ac concentrations (48.49 μM and 121.69 μM, respectively) in comparison to those milked in the evening (53.46 μM and 130.42 μM, respectively). The LS means of BHBA and Ac slightly increased over parities. These results suggest that proper maintenance of milk collection, herd management programs, and evaluation of ketone body levels in milk should be considered for the efficient management of resistance to ketosis.

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of night-time far-infrared irradiance quality of red pepper dried in greenhouses. This study involved 4 treatments: sunlight alone (control), or sunlight plus nightly far-infrared irradiation at 250 W·6.6 m -2 (2 50 W·6.6 m -2 ), far-infrared irradiation at 250 W·3.3 m -2 (250 W·3.3 m -2 ), or far-infrared irradiation 500 W·3.3m -2 (500 W·3.3 m -2 ). The drying periods were 12 days in 500 W·3.3 m -2 and 250 W·3.3 m -2 , and 14 days in 250 W·6.6 m -2 , and 15 days in the control. The daytime temperature was same among the treatments. The lowest temperature was at 23.8°C in control, and 29.5-37.2°C in far-infrared irradiation treatments. The marketable yield was 7-14% higher in far-infrared irradiation treatments compared to the control. The rate of marketability was higher in far-infrared irradiation treatments (93.6-96.3%) than in the control (87.0-87.5%). The American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) value was greatest in the 250 W·3.3 m -2 treatment, followed by 250 W·6.6 m -2 , then 500 W·3.3 m -2 , and finally the control. Capsaicinoid content showed no regular trend among the treatments. Our results provide an optimized method for reducing drying time of red pepper under sunlight, and improving the quality of dried red pepper.

The pedigree data of 86,639 heads from six major swine breeding farms were investigated to check levels of inbreeding and effective population size of breeding stocks. The average rate of inbreeding was 1.04%, 0.87%, 3.17%, 1.05%, 3.23% and 3.33% for farms A, B, C, D, E and F, respectively. The average inbreeding rate was highest for F farm and lowest for B farm. In farms D and E, there were quite large numbers of immigrant animals per generation compared to other farms. The effective population sizes calculated from the average rate of inbreeding were distributed between 83.0 and 814.8. Specific values were 282.3, 225.5, 83.0, 814.8, 302.9 and 175.7 for farms A, B, C, D, E and F, respectively. The results showed that there was no cause for concern over the current inbreeding level of major swine breeding farm populations and the inbreeding level was within an acceptable range. In addition, internal sharing rather than importing pig is necessary to strengthen seed sovereignty.

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of diffused light materials on marketable yield and quality of sunlight dried red pepper in plastic film house. The after ripening methods were composed of 3 treatments; using electric bulk dryer (Bulk), sealing house (House), and PE sealing. The diffused light materials were control, tent, shading 35% (Shading net), white polypropylene (PP (white)), and black polypropylene (PP (Black)). The marketable yield was high in order of Bulk as 300 g, House as 275 g, and PE sealing as 112 g. The redness of PE sealing was the highest as 17.85 and that of Bulk was the lowest as 10.65. There was significant difference in redness among the treatments. The moisture content of red pepper was the most rapidly reduced in control, and was the most slowly reduced in Shading net treatment. The marketable yield index was the higher in PP (white) as 114% than control. The redness had a significant difference in PP (Black) and tent compared to the other treatments. The capsaicin content showed the highest as in PP (white) treatment. Conclusively, the most effective method for sunlight drying red pepper was House with PP (White) treatment. It delayed drying for 2 days but increased marketable yield at 114% than control when sunlight dried red pepper in plastic house. Our results also provided an optimized method for improvement of drying red pepper with sunlight, and will be useful for further drying red pepper research.

The objective of this study was to investigate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the bovine nephroblastoma overexpressed (NOV) gene and to evaluate whether these polymorphisms affect carcass traits in the Korean cattle population. We resequenced to detect SNPs from 24 unrelated individuals and identified 19 SNPs within the full 8.4-kb gene, including the 1.5-kb promoter region. Of these 19 SNPs, four were selected for genotyping based on linkage disequilibrium (LD). We genotyped 429 steers to assess the associations of these four SNPs with carcass traits. Statistical analysis revealed that g.7801T>C and g.8379A>C polymorphisms in the NOV gene were associated with carcass weight (p = 0.012 and 0.008, respectively), and the g.2005A>G polymorphism was associated with the back fat thickness (BF) trait (p = 0.0001). One haplotype of the four SNPs (GGTA) was significantly associated with BF (p = 0.0005). Our findings suggest that polymorphisms in the NOV gene may be among the important genetic factors affecting carcass yield in beef cattle.

Genome-wide association study was performed on data from 266 Hanwoo steers derived from 66 sires using bovine 10K mapping chip in Hanwoo (Korean cattle). SNPs were excluded from the analysis if they failed in over 5% of the genotypes, had median GC scores below 0.6, had GC scores under 0.6 in less than 90% of the samples, deviated in heterozygosity more than 3 standard deviations from the other SNPs and were out of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for a cut-off p-value of . Unmapped and SNPs on sex chromosomes were also excluded. A total of 4,522 SNPs were included in the analysis. To test an association between SNP and QTL, a single marker regression analysis was implemented in this study. SNP was assumed to be in LD with QTL in close proximity and the effect evaluated was additive effect (QTL allele substitution effect). The number of significant SNP at a threshold of P

Genomic breeding value (GEBV) has recently become available in the beef cattle industry. Genomic selection methods are exceptionally valuable for selecting traits, such as marbling, that are difficult to measure until later in life. One method to utilize information from sparse marker panels is the Bayesian model selection method with RJMCMC. The accuracy of prediction varies between a multiple SNP model with RJMCMC (0.47 to 0.73) and a least squares method (0.11 to 0.41) when using SNP information, while the accuracy of prediction increases in the multiple SNP (0.56 to 0.90) and least square methods (0.21 to 0.63) when including a polygenic effect. In the multiple SNP model with RJMCMC model selection method, the accuracy (r²) of GEBV for marbling predicted based only on SNP effects was 0.47, while the r² of GEBV predicted by SNP plus polygenic effect was 0.56. The accuracies of GEBV predicted using only SNP information were 0.62, 0.68 and 0.73 for CWT, EMA and BF, respectively. However, when polygenic effects were included, the accuracies of GEBV were increased to 0.89, 0.90 and 0.89 for CWT, EMA and BF, respectively. Our data demonstrate that SNP information alone is missing genetic variation information that contributes to phenotypes for carcass traits, and that polygenic effects compensate genetic variation that whole genome SNP data do not explain. Overall, the multiple SNP model with the RJMCMC model selection method provides a better prediction of GEBV than does the least squares method (single marker regression).

This study presents a linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis and effective population size (Ne) for the entire Hanwoo Korean cattle genome, which is the first LD map and effective population size estimate ever calculated for this breed. A panel of 4,525 markers was used in the final LD analysis. The pairwise r 2 statistic of SNPs up to 50 Mb apart across the genome was estimated. A mean value of r 2 = 0.23 was observed in pairwise distances of

To advance the effectiveness of the current Hanwoo improvement system, we developed a general simulation that compared a series of breeding schemes under realistic user circumstances. We call this system the Integrated General Model (IGM) and it allows users to control the breeding schemes and selection methods by manipulating the input parameters. The Current Hanwoo Performance and Progeny Test (CHPPT) scheme was simulated with a Modified Hanwoo Performance and Progeny Test (MHPPT) scheme using a Hanwoo Breeding Farm cow population of the Livestock Improvement Main Center (LOMC) of the National Agricultural Cooperatives Federation (NACF). To compare the two schemes, a new method, the Simple Hanwoo Performance Test (SHPT), which uses ultrasound technology for measuring the carcass traits of live animals, was developed. These three models, including the CHPPT, incorporated three types of selection criteria: phenotype (PH), true breeding value (TBV), and estimated breeding value (EBV). The simulation was scheduled to mimic an actual Hanwoo breeding program; thus, the simulation was run to include the years 1983-2020 for each breeding method and was replicated 10 times. The parameters for simulation were derived from the literature. Approximately 642,000 animals were simulated per replication for the CHPPT scheme; 129,000 animals were simulated for the MHPPT scheme and 112,000 animals for the SHPT scheme. Throughout the 38-year simulation, all estimated parameters of each simulated population, regardless of population size, showed results similar to the input parameters. The deviations between input and output values for the parameters in the large populations were statistically acceptable. In this study, we integrated three simulated models, including the CHPPT, in an attempt to achieve the greatest genetic gains within major economic traits including body weight at 12 months of age (BW12), body weight at 24 months of age (BW24), average daily gain from 6 to 12 months (ADG), carcass weight (CWT), carcass longissimus muscle area (CLMA), carcass marbling score (CMS), ultrasound scanned longissimus muscle area (ULMA), and ultrasound scanned marbling score (UMS).

This study was conducted to study the environment effects on live weight, carcass weight, dressing percentage, eye muscle area, backfat thickness, and marbling score, which are the carcass traits of Hanwoo, based on the estimates and all the possible regression for the selection of variable and significance test for 231,382 heads that underwent the carcass measurements. The average and standard deviation for the live weight, carcass weight, dressing percentage, eye muscle area, backfat thickness, and marbling score were 654.79±91.61 kg, 362.30±67.15 kg, 59.52±0.03%, 81.79±12.21 cm

This study estimated the effect of fermented persimmon (Diospros kaki L.) extract (FPE) supplement on feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen (N) balance, and rumen fermentation characteristics in sheep. Five male sheep (Corriedale×Polwarth) with average body weight of 48.6±1.3 kg were housed in metabolism crates and assigned to a 5×5 Latin square design with five consecutive 20-d periods which consisted of 14-d adaptation and 6-d data collection. The sheep were fed ad libitum a diet containing concentrate and rice straw (3:7). The five treatments were FPE supplemented at 0 (Control), 5, 10, 20, and 30 g/kg of concentrate. Intakes of dry matter (DM, p

Hanwoo proven bulls have been selected since 1987 and consequently contributed to farmers for the improvement of beef cattle in Korea. The demand for the quality beef production as well as higher production efficiency was erupted after early 2000 as relatively cheap imported beef released. Therefore the pressure on the reformation of selection index for Hanwoo proven bulls have been piled up to furnish with Hanwoo's competitive. A total of 734 progeny test data were analyzed to select traits and their weights in the selection index to meet the beef market requirement. Regression analysis with stepwise selection method was used to select proper trait and its weight for selection index. A series of computer simulation was carried out to compare the currently using selection index with the alternate two selection indices proposed in this study. New selection index using standardized breeding values of Loin eye Muscle Area (LMA), Backfat Thickness (BFT) and Marbling Score (MS) with weight ratio 1:-1:6 was proposed. Results showed higher performance in improving MS and BFT gain by 22% and 31% still holding 86%~89% of genetic gain achieved by current index in Carcass Weight (CW) and LMA when new selection index was fitted. Because, new index has little consideration for production cost, further research should be performed to build selection index including cost and income simultaneously. (Key words : Hanwoo, Beef cattle, Proven bull, Selection index, Simulation)

This study was conducted to investigate relationships among cow daily milk yield, calf body weight at birth and 3 month of age and calf preweaning daily gain. Cow daily milk yield(DMILK) of 90 days after postpartum measured by weigh-suckle-weight method, calf birth weight(BW), calf body weight at 3 month of age(WT3), and calf preweaning daily gain from birth to 3 month of age(PDG) were collected from June to November on 2002 and April to November on 2003. All traits studied were considered as cow traits and analysed by WOMBAT packages to obtain A-I REML(average information restricted maximum likelihood) estimates. Heritability estimate of daily milk yield uncorrected for cow-calf separation time(DMILK) was 0.39, which was not differ from 0.36 of heritability estimate corrected on the basis of 24 hour cow-calf separation time(CMILK). Heritability estimates for maternal genetic effects of BW, WT3 and PDG were respectively 0.28, 0.17 and 0.18. Genetic correlations between DMILK and maternal effect of BW, WT3 and PDG were respectively 0.59, 0.79 and 0.68. High genetic correlation coefficients of DMILK with WT3 and PDG indicate that selections for maternal breeding value for WT3 or PDG may be effective to enhance the cow’s milk production ability in Hanwoo.

This study was conducted to figure out how the shape of Hanwoo changes over time, examine the rank correlations between the carcass traits which are the selection traits and parameters of growth curve, and determine the correlation between body shape and carcass. Body weight, body measurements and carcass traits were measured from 161 castrated Hanwoo, and 12 growth traits and 5 carcass traits were investigated in total. The logistic model(Nelder, 1961) used for the estimation of growth curve parameters and growth characteristics at inflection point were calculated by these growth curve parameters. The value of this parameter was greatest for pinbone width, which suggests that it is an early ripening trait, while it was lowest for chest girth, suggesting it to be a late ripening trait. The rank correlations of chest depth, chest width, and hip width with backfat thickness steadily increased from 6 to 24 months, while the rank correlations of other traits decreased after 18 months until 24 months of age. Only phenotypic records were analyzed in this study, but for examine the genetic changes over growth phase in Hanwoo, if another additional genetic analysis like as estimation of genetic parameters should achieve, body measurements may be useful traits in proven bull selection.

【The purpose of this study was to establish proper shipping weight and backfat thickness by applying the growth model to backfat thickness, measured by means of not only body weight, but also ultrasonography, and predicting the changes by age. Three breeds, i.e. Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshie, were analyzed, and the Gompertz, logistic, and Von Bertalanffy model were used for inference with the parameter of the growth model being sex. As a result, both body weight and backfat thickness showed different growth curve parameters and characteristics at inflection points depending on model selection and sex. As for backfat thickness, in estimating the inflection point, unlike the case of body weight, the inflection ages of the boars of the Duroc breed was earlier than that of sows, whereas the inflection ages of the sows of the Landrace and Yorkshire breeds was earlier than that of boars. More than anything else, in the analysis of the changes in backfat thickness according to body weight, as the body weight reached 145kg, the backfat thickness showed much variation as great as 1.7-3.2 cm in each breed and sex. In addition, unlike the other breeds, the boars of the Landrace breed showed an exponential type of relationship between body weight and backfat thickness. As they grow to become 100 kg or heavier, abrupt change in back fat thickness was confirmed. If the growth of body weight and backfat thickness is understood and the genetic relationship is taken advantage of like this, it would be possible to set desired body weight and backfat thickness, and thus help effectively set the shipping time. If not only the phenotype, but also genetic parameters about growth characteristics are estimated and analyzed additionally, more effective data can be generated.】

A total of 6,804 records for Duroc breed were collected from three farms registered at the Korean Animal Improvement Association (KAIA) from 1998 to 2004 of which both records from two ultrasound modes (A and B) were analyzed to estimate the variance components of carcass traits. Three carcass traits backfat thickness (bf), loin eye muscle area (Ima) and lean meat percentage (Imp) were measured. These traits were analyzed separately as bfl, Imal and lmp1 for ultrasound mode A and bf2, lma2 and lmp2 for ultrasound mode B with multiple trait animal model by using MTDFREML (Boldman et al., 1993). All the traits revealed medium heritability values. Estimated heritabilities for bfl, bf2, Imal, lma2, lmp1 and lmp2 were 0.45, 0.39, 0.32, 0.25, 0.28 and 0.39, respectively. Estimated genetic correlations for traits bfl and bf2, Imal and lma2, Impi and lmp2 were positive but low. Specifically, genetic correlations between bfl and bf2 was 0.30 while the estimates for lean traits between Imal and lma2 and between Impi and lmp2 were 0.15 and 0.18, respectively. Conversely, high negative genetic correlations existed between bfl and the lean traits lma2, lmp2. Likewise, the estimated genetic correlations between Imal and lma2 and Impi and lmp2 were low.

The registration data of 15 populations from nine major swine breeding farms were investigated to check levels of inbreeding and the current status of pedigree structures of breeding stocks. The average rate of inbreeding per generation was 0.208%, 0.209%, 0.098%, 0.307% and 0.071% for farms D, S, K, H, and Y in Duroc, 0.071%, 0.188%, 0.685%, 0.336%, and 0.449% for farms S, H, C, J, and W in Landrace, and 0.243%, 0.123%, 0.103%, 0.165%, and 0.286% for farms D, S, G, H, and J in Yorkshire, respectively. The average inbreeding rate was highest for Landrace, intermediate for Yorkshire, and lowest for Duroc farms. In Landrace and Yorkshire populations there were few immigrant animals per generation. In Duroc, however, there were quite large numbers of immigrant animals per generation compared to other breeds. The effective population sizes calculated from the average rate of inbreeding were distributed between 73.0 and 708.7. Specific values were 204.8, 239.7, 508.8, 163.0 and 708.2 for farms D, S, K, H, and Y in Duroc, 708.7, 266.5, 73.0, 148.9, and 111.3 for farms S, H, C, J, and W in Landrace, and 205.5, 406.0, 486.9, 302.6 and 175.0 for farms D, S, G, H, and J in Yorkshire, respectively. The values were acceptable for natural selection for fitness and inbreeding depression. The results showed that there was no cause for concern over the current inbreeding level of major swine breeding farm populations and the inbreeding level was within an acceptable range.

Heritabilities and genetic correlations of economic traits were estimated with a multiple-trait animal model on 5 different strains of Korea Native Chickens (KNC): Red Brown (RB), Yellow Brown (YB), Gray Brown (GB), Black (B) and White (W). The data used for this study were collected from the Daejeon branch of the National Livestock Research Institute and included 11,233 performance records and 12,729 individual animals. DFREML and SAS BASE/STAT packages were used to estimate genetic parameters and descriptive statistics. The estimated heritabilities for strain RB, YB, GB, B and W, respectively, for age at 1st egg were 0.24, 0.27, 0.12, 0.32 and 0.18; for body weight at first egg were 0.39, 0.43, 0.38, 0.52 and 0.57; for body weight at age of 270 days were 0.43, 0.51, 0.30, 0.52 and 0.67; for egg weight at first egg were 0.08, 0.13, 0.07, 0.06 and 0.07; for egg weight at age of 270 days were 0.37, 0.43, 0.22, 0.34 and 0.41; and for number of eggs laid by age of 270 days were 0.24, 0.25, 0.37, 0.36 and 0.30. The genetic and phenotypic correlations were also estimated.

J. H. Kim*, S. C. Kim** and Y. D. Ko**Korea Applied Microorganism Industrial Research*,College of Agriculture and Life Science, Gyeongsang National University**ABSTRACTThis study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of zeolite on growth performance,carcass characteristics and fecal ammonia gas release in the finishing pigs. A total of 120 crossbred finishingpigs (50.2±1.4kg, Landrace×Yorkshire×Duroc) were assigned to 4 treatments and randomly divided into 12groups. They were divided between early finishing period (50~80kg) and late finishing period (80~120kg).Finishing pigs were fed on a basal diet supplemented with 0, 1, 2 and 4% levels of zeolite. Average daily gainand feed conversion were significantly (P

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary wormwood powder (Artemisia montana Pampan; WP) supplementation on growing performance and fecal noxious gas emission in weanling pigs. One hundred and twelve pigs were alloted into four treatments and offered for 4 weeks one of the diets supplemented with 0% (control), 0.5% (0.5), 1.0% (1.0) and 2.0% (2.0) WP. Each treatments has four replicate with 7 pigs per replicate. ADG, ADFI and F/G were improved by 1.0 and 2.0 WP supplementation during 0 dq14d feeding. Feed intake of 1.0 WP diet was higher (Px 0.05) than any other diet during 15dq28d feeding. But there were no differences among the other treatments in the weight gain and feed conversion. During the whole feeding period, daily weight gain and feed intake of pigs fed 1.0 and 2.0 treatments were higher than those of pigs fed control and 0.5 diet. DM digestibility was significantly (Px 0.05) higher in weanling pigs fed 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 WP than that of the control. The protein digestibility was significantly improved in 1.0 WP treatment and the phosphorus digestibility was improved in 2.0 WP treatment. Excretion of nitrogen and phosphorus was significantly (Px 0.05) decreased by 2.0 treatment than control. Emission of fecal ammonia after 48 hours storage in vinyl bag dramatically decreased by all the treatments except control. However, there was no statistical difference in fecal hydrogen sulfide emission among treatments. In conclusion, this study suggested that the dietary 1.0q2.0 supplementation of WP can improve productivity of pigs decrease fecal NH3 and H2S gas emission.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of probiotics on the performance, nutrients digestibility, noxious gas emission and microflora population on the cecum of broilers. A total of 120 broilers, consisted of 4 treatments X 3 replicates X 10 broilers per replicates, were fed the experimental diets containing 0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5C� probiotics for 5 weeks. Broilers fed the diets containing 0.1 and 0. 3C� probiotic had higher (px 0.05) body weight gain and feed conversion than those of the others from the 3rd to 4th week. Broilers fed 0.3C� probiotic had higher (px 0.05) body weight gain and feed conversion than those of the other levels from the 5th to 6th week. Broilers fed the diets containing 0.1% and 0.3C� probiotic had higher (px 0.05) body weight gain and feed conversion than those of the others from the 2nd to 6th week. Dry matter digestibility was significantly (px 0.05) improved with 0.3% probiotic. Emission of ammonia and sulfate hydrogen gas was significantly (px 0.05) decreased at 6th week. However, there was no (px 0.05) difference at the levels of 0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5% at the 4th weeks. There was an increase in the lactobacillus sp, but there was a decrease in the microflora population of coliforms in the cecum of broiler with 0.1% and 0.3% probiotics. These results indicated that the compound probiotics of 0.1q0.3% were effective in the body weight gain, feed conversion, nutrients digestibility, noxious gas emission and microflora population on the cecum

A hierarchical consistency problem for the hierarchical supervisory control of discrete event systems under partial observation is considered, since observability is a practical and general property in real systems. The notion of H-observability is introduced to ensure hierarchical consistency between low- and high-level systems, and an analytical framework for the hierarchical supervisory control is established.

Retinal vascular lesions are the most common ophthalmologic manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), occurring in 3% to 29% of cases, generally late in the disease. More rare is the severe vaso-occlusive disease, often termed "retinal vasculitis", which includes central retinal artery occlusion, multifocal arteriolar occlusions, extensive capillary nonperfusion and central venous occlusion. Patients with SLE and raised serum concentrations of anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) have a higher risk of developing occlusive ocular vascular disease. We report a case in which retinal involvement was an earlier manifestation of SLE in a patient without ACA.

Alterations in the focal electroretinogram (FERG) after experimental retinal detachment and spontaneous reattachment in albino rabbits were studied. Retinal detachments of two disc diameters were produced by injecting balanced salt solution into the subretinal space. FERGs were obtained under direct fundus visualization by an infrared television fundus camera with a light stimulator. The preoperative b-wave amplitude and implicit time were 0.52 +/- 0.07 microV and 59.7 +/- 3.8 ms (mean +/- SD), respectively. Thirty minutes after retinal detachment, the amplitude decreased significantly to 0.05 +/- 0.09 microV (p < 0.0001). The next day, we confirmed retinal reattachment ophthalmoscopically and the amplitude recovered to 0.30 +/- 0.07 microV. Then it gradually increased to 0.54 +/- 0.07 microV 7 days after the operation. The implicit time increased significantly to 66.6 +/- 4.1 ms 30 min after retinal detachment (p < 0.01), was maximal the day after surgery (69.9 +/- 4.9 ms), and thereafter shortened. However, the implicit time did not recover completely and was significantly delayed compared with preoperatively even 28 days postoperatively (65.4 +/- 3.4 ms, p < 0.01). These data suggest that functional abnormalities persist in the reattached rabbit retina, even following a brief retinal detachment.

This study was performed to determine the effects of dietary fat sources, i.e., beef tallow, soybean oil, olive oil and coconut oil (each 3% in feed), on the growth performance, meat quality and gene expression in growing-finishing pigs. A total of 72 crossbred pigs (LandracexLarge WhitexDuroc) were used at 71 +/- 1 kg body weight (about 130 d of age) in 24 pens (320x150 cm) in a confined pig house (three pigs per pen) with six replicate pens per treatment. The growing diet was given for periods of 14 +/- 3 d and the finishing diet was given for periods of 28 +/- 3 d. The fat type had no significant effect either on growth performance or on Chemical composition or on meat quality in growing-finishing pigs. Dietary fat type affected fatty acid composition, with higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in the olive oil group. Microarray analysis in the Longissimus dorsi identified 6 genes, related to insulin signaling pathway, that were differentially expressed among the different feed groups. Real time-PCR was conducted on the six genes in the longissimus dorsi muscle (LM). In particular, the genes encoding the protein kinase, cAMP-dependent, regulatory, type II, alpha (PRKAR2A) and the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 1, beta isoform (PPP1CB) showed the highest expression level in the olive oil group (respectively, p

A 12-year-old male presented with a chief complaint of a 1-month-history of decreased visual acuity in his right eye. The patient had no past history of steroid use or other systemic diseases. On fundus examination, which included fluorescent angiography (FAG) and optical coherence tomography (OCT), the patient was diagnosed with idiopathic central chorioretinopathy, whose clinical course was monitored without any specific treatments. At the time of admission, the best-corrected visual acuity was 0.5 in the right eye and 1.0 in the left eye. On fundoscopy, a serous detachment of 1 disc diameter in size was observed in the posterior pole. According to the FAG and the OCT, serous neurosensory detachment was present. After two months of monitoring the clinical course, the best corrected visual acuity in the right eye was 0.8, and there was improvement of neurosensory retinal detachment. However, OCT detected recurrence after five months, and the corrected visual acuity was decreased to 0.6. Bevacizumab was then injected into the vitreous cavity. Complete resolution of the subretinal fluid resulted eight months later, and the corrected visual acuity improved to 1.0.

We present a front-side micromachined thermopile with high sensitivity in the 3-5 mum window, and discuss its application to a novel non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) CO2 gas sensor with a light source emitting collimated light. The micromachined thermopile shows a measured sensitivity of 30 mV/W and a D* of 0.3 times 108 cmradicHz/W. Using this newly fabricated thermopile, we also have successfully developed a small, sensitive NDIR CO2 detector module for accurate air quality monitoring systems in energy-saving building and automotive applications. The novel sample cavity comprising specular reflectors around the light bulb is configured to uniformly emit collimated light into the entrance aperture of the cavity in order to enhance the sensitivity of NDIR CO2 detector.

We present a micromachined NH3 chemiresistor sensor based on O2 plasma functionalized multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/ conducting polymer (CP) composites, and discuss its gas sensing mechanism. The FTIR spectra of plasma-treated MWCNTs indicate that oxygenated groups are created on the surface of CNTs after the plasma treatment. The plasma-functionalized MWCNT/PANI sensor exhibits a linear response of 3.34% per ppm NH3 for concentrations ranging from 10 to 100 ppm, and a sensitivity of about 7 times higher than that from a corresponding pristine MWCNT sensor. This dramatic change in resistance is attributed to the fact that the binding of the functional group with the defective CNT is stronger than that with the perfect one.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of gas tamponade with vitrectomy for lamellar macular hole. Methods: This study included 18 eyes of 18 patients with lamellar macular hole who reported visual acuity loss or distorted vision. All patients underwent vitrectomy, epiretinal membrane removal and internal limiting membrane peeling. Intravitreal gas tamponade was performed only in 8 eyes of 8 patients. The patients were divided into 2 groups: 8 eyes in the gas tamponade with vitrectomy group and 10 eyes that did not receive gas tamponade in the control group. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and appearance based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) were obtained retrospectively. Results: Epiretinal membranes were observed in all cases. Average visual acuity of the gas tamponade group improved from log MAR 0.50 ± 0.24 to log MAR 0.25 ± 0.14 (p = 0.041). In the control group, average visual acuity improved from log MAR 0.53 ± 0.36 to log MAR 0.32 ± 0.28 (p = 0.041), however, no significant difference was observed in visual acuity between the 2 groups (p = 0.584). Anatomical closure or normalized foveal contour after surgery was confirmed in 6 of 8 eyes in the gas tamponade group and in 7 of 10 eyes in the control group. No significant difference between the 2 groups was observed (p = 1.00). Conclusions: Gas tamponade combined with vitrectomy for lamellar macular hole did not affect postoperative anatomical and functional recovery. J Korean Ophthalmol Soc 2015;56(9):1371-1376

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence and clinical features of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Korea Methods: Web-based (www.armd-nova.or.kr) registration was conducted for AMD patients aged 50 or more who were newly diagnosed by retinal specialists in Korea from August 20, 2005 to August 20, 2006. Patient data including ophthalmologic examination, fundus photography, fluorescein angiogram and/or indocyanin green angiogram (ICG), past medical history, behavioral habit, combined systemic diseases were up-loaded. Results: Among finally enrolled 1,141 newly diagnosed AMD patients, 690 patients (60.5%) were male and 451 patients (39.5%) were female. The average age of AMD patients was 69.78.0. Early AMD was observed in 190 patients and 951 patients had late AMD. Classic choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) was observed in 18.6% of exudative AMD patients and 63.4 % had occult CNVM. Subfoveal CNVM was observed in 80.4% of the patients with CNVM. Among the 580 exudative AMD eyes that performed indocyanin green angiography (ICG), 184 eyes (31.7%) had polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and 36 eyes (6.2%) showed retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP). Age, male gender, smoking, diabetes and hypertension significantly increased the risk of the AMD among Koreans. Conclusions: Because of the low rate of participation by retinal specialists, definite incidence of AMD was not obtainable. However, the estimated 1-year AMD incidence in the Pusan area of Korea is at least 0.4%. In contrast to Western people, 31.7% of exudative AMD cases were revealed to be PCV and 6.2% were revealed to be RAP. This discrepancy between ethnic groups should be considered in the diagnosis and treatment modality selection of Korean AMD patients.