Shinichiro Ishikawa

Neuroprotective effect of small interfering RNA targeted to caspase-3 on rat retinal ganglion cell loss induced by ischemia and reperfusion injury.

Purpose: To investigate neuroprotective effects of siRNA targeted to caspase-3 against ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury in rat eyes. Methods: Retinal ischemia was induced in Wistar rats by increasing the intraocular pressure (IOP) to 110 mmHg for 120 min. To examine the effect of siRNA on rat caspase-3, siRNA was injected into the vitreous cavity 24 h prior to induction of retinal ischemia. Eyes were removed at 2, 7 or 14 days later, and then analyzed for the number of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the retinal thickness and the amount of apoptosis of the retinal neural cells (as demonstrated by the TUNEL assay). The amount of caspase-3 mRNA was analyzed by rt-PCR. Differences between groups were evaluated by an unpaired t test. Results: The numbers of RGCs in the saline and non-silencing siRNA controls were reduced significantly at 2 and 7 days after the I/R injury. RGCs were significantly retained in eyes pretreated with siRNA targeted to caspase-3 as compared to the control eyes at 2 days after the I/R injury. Inner retinal thickness in the control eyes was significantly thinner as compared to the treated eyes at 2 and 7 days after the I/R injury. After siRNA treatment, the amount of caspase-3 mRNA was significantly lower when compared to the saline control group. Conclusions: The injection of siRNA targeted to caspase-3 into the vitreous cavity of rat eyes may block caspase-3, and may thus be able to prevent retinal cell death associated with ischemic injury. As inhibition of the apoptosis pathway may provide a neuroprotective effect, examination of new strategies for treating these disorders needs to be undertaken.

A case of unusual retinopathy showing features similar to acute zonal occult outer retinopathy associated with negative electroretinograms.

itself a branch of the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve. Autonomic nerves also run through the subconjunctival tissue. The bulbar conjunctival neurilemoma presumably arose from one of these subconjunctival nerves. To our knowledge, fi ve reports of six patients with bulbar conjunctival neurilemoma have been published in the English-language literature (Table 1). Our patient is the seventh case, and she is the youngest of all.

Infectious disease during hospitalization is the major causative factor for prolonged hospitalization: multivariate analysis of diagnosis procedure combination (DPC) data of 20,876 cases in Japan

This study aimed to evaluate causative factors for prolonged hospitalization based on hospitalization status, type of hospital ward, and comorbidities, specifically diabetes mellitus and infectious diseases, in 20,876 patients hospitalized in Saga University Hospital from April 1, 2012, to February 28, 2015. Prolonged hospitalization was defined as hospital days exceeding period 3 in the diagnosis procedure combination system. Among all factors, causative (risk) factors for prolonged hospitalization were evaluated by multiple logistic regression analysis. Multivariate analysis indicated causative factors for prolonged hospitalization were aging, comorbid diabetes mellitus, time spent in the intensive care unit, and infectious diseases contracted during hospitalization. The risk factors for contracting infectious diseases during hospitalization were aging, male sex, comorbid diabetes mellitus, and increased number of days spent in period 3 in the diagnosis procedure combination code. These data indicated that critical factors for discharge from hospital within an appropriate time frame were prevention of infectious diseases during hospitalization, and a fast and effective therapeutic approach to patients in the intensive care unit.