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Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) is an inflammatory autoimmune condition affecting the eyes, often associated with Graves’ disease. Inflammation is important in TED, involving immune cells and orbital tissues. While inflammatory markers have been studied in other diseases, their role in TED is unclear. We included 734 participants from 5 eligible studies investigated associations between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and TED. Initial analysis found no significant differences in these markers between TED and control groups. However, sensitivity analysis excluding an outlier study revealed significant differences in NLR, PLR, and MLR between groups, suggesting the potential association between these inflammatory markers and TED. More research is needed, but these findings indicate complex TED pathogenesis and that inflammation may offer insights for TED diagnosis and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate whether patients with thyroid disease are at increased risk of uveitis.Methods: Data was collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance system and included patients newly diagnosed with thyroid disease from 2000 to 2012. The endpoint of interest was a diagnosis of uveitis.Results: In analyzing 21,396 patients with thyroid disease, yielding 85,584 matched comparisons, patients with thyroid disease to have a significantly higher cumulative incidence of uveitis when compared to the control cohort with the Kaplan-Meier analysis. This result was further confirmed by Cox regression analysis. The increased risk was persistent in both genders. The association between thyroid disease and uveitis was stronger in patients without diabetes or hypertension.Conclusion: Patients with thyroid disease were found to have a higher risk for uveitis. For certain age groups or patients without diabetes or hypertension, the role of thyroid disease might be more crucial for uveitis development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate whether patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk of uveitis. Data was collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance system and included patients newly diagnosed with CKD between 2000 and 2012. The endpoint of interest was a diagnosis of uveitis. 30,256 CKD patients and 121,024 matched comparisons were analyzed. CKD patients were found to have a significantly higher cumulative uveitis incidence. Through multivariate Cox regression analysis, the CKD group was found to have higher risk of developing uveitis (adjusted hazard ratio 1.51). After stratified by gender, age, and comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia), the increased risk of uveitis in CKD patients remained significant. Patients with CKD were found to have higher risk of developing uveitis. For patients over 18 years old and with hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia, the presence of CKD was demonstrated as an additional crucial factor for uveitis development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Penetrating orbital injury with a foreign body is a complex problem that requires an interdisciplinary therapeutic approach. Conventionally, an external approach using either transconjuntival or transseptal entry is used by an ophthalmologist. However, there is a risk of damage to the optic nerve and orbital tissue using only the traditional approach. This study concerns a 36-year-old male who has an intra-orbital foreign body (OrbFB). Timely three-dimensional reconstruction computed tomography scan demonstrated an 8-cm-long intra-OrbFB adjacent to the optic nerve penetrating to the contralateral nasal cavity. Endoscopic inspection confirmed a chopstick fragment. Assisted by transnasal endoscopy, the chopstick penetrating from the orbit to the nasal cavity was smoothly removed. Nasal endoscopy is useful for an ophthalmologist in removing foreign body in the orbit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of micro-incision vitrectomy surgery using a non-contact wide-angle viewing system for fovea-attached type epiretinal membrane, and to report the factors influencing the outcome. Methods: A retrospective, comparative case series that included 50 patients with fovea-attached type epiretinal membrane who received micro-incision vitrectomy surgery using a non-contact wide-angle viewing system. Results: All patients were followed-up for a minimum of 12 months. Seven cases were classified as group 1A (mainly outer retinal thickening), 17 were group 1B (more tenting of outer retina and distorted inner retina), and 26 were group 1C (prominent inner retina thickening and inward tenting of outer retina). Outcome measures included operation time, recurrent rate, postoperative BCVA, and CRT. The mean operative time was 26.2 minutes. The mean change of BCVA (LogMAR) was − 0.43 (p< 0.001). The mean change of CRT was 135.3 μm (p< 0.001). The mean change of CRT was significantly higher in group 1C. Worse preoperative BCVA, male gender, and longer operative time can predict better postoperative BCVA found by multivariate logistic regression and multiple regression models. Conclusion: Significant improvement in BCVA and CRT is noted after micro-incision vitrectomy surgery to operate fovea-attached type epiretinal membranes. Worse preoperative BCVA, male, and longer operation time could predict better improvement. These findings may assist surgeons in better evaluating the potential of this method to help their patients with epiretinal membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor of lacrimal sac invading into orbit has to be removed carefully to avoid injuring the eyeball, optic nerve, and extraocular muscles. Transnasal endoscopic-assisted tumor excision is a method to remove the tumor from the nasal cavity through the lacrimal sac to the orbit in one procedure. A 55-year-old female patient with thyroid carcinoma removed more than 10 years ago. She recently had a swollen submandibular lymph node enlargement, which was pathologically diagnosed as metastatic carcinoma. Follow-up investigation showed a tumor in the ipsilateral lacrimal sac with invasion into adjacent orbit and nasal cavity. The tumor was removed through image-guided surgery (IGS), navigation-assisted transnasal endoscopic-assisted excision. The tumor was removed as much as possible. The eyeball, extraocular muscles, and optic nerve were not injured in the surgery. Postoperative swelling was minimal with mild nasal hemorrhage. No ecchymosis and conjunctiva chemosis and eyelid swelling was noticed. Ocular motility was full without diplopia. Although exenteration and partial maxillectomy were suggested after pathological result showed a carcinoma of lacrimal sac, patient did not want these extensive surgery immediately. On patient request to reserve the eyeball function, navigation-assisted transnasal endoscopic excision is a safe and efficient method for the preliminary surgery. This case of orbital tumor excision using endoscope and IGS navigation system is the first case by Taiwan ophthalmologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although pulmonary inflammation is a serious, sometimes life-threatening, consequence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, the mechanisms involved are not well understood. Since the process of inflammation is initiated by a complex series of events including the activation of specific adhesion molecules on vascular endothelium, we searched for endothelial cell-activating factors released from RSV-infected epithelial cells. We demonstrate here that vascular endothelial cells exposed to culture supernatants from RSV-infected pulmonary epithelial A549 cells are activated to express increased cell surface ICAM-1, and to a lesser extent, VCAM-1 and E-selectin. IL-1α was identified as the predominant endothelial cell-activating factor by pretreating epithelial cell supernatants with anti-IL-1α antibody. The preferential upregulation of endothelial ICAM-1 (relative to VCAM-1 and E-selectin) by RSV-infected epithelial cell supernatants was replicated by recombinant IL-1α thus confirming IL-1α as a major endothelial cell-activating cytokine released by RSV-infected epithelial cells. Il-1α mediated endothelial cell activation is thus a likely contributory event in the initiation of leukocyte inflammation associated with RSV infection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Analyzes the effectiveness of antibiotics with bacterial susceptibility. Characteristics of the patients; Factors that led to orbital cellulitis; Bactericidal action of aminoglycosides; Comparison of the bactericidal actions between penicillins and cephalosporins.