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Background/objectives: To assess the influence of patient age on visual outcomes in eyes with diffractive multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) Subjects/methods: Based on age, we classified eyes with diffractive multifocal IOL into four groups: u50 (under 50 years old), 50s (50–59 years), 60s, and 70s. Corrected distance (CD), distance-corrected near (DCN) visual acuity (VA), and defocus curve were measured postoperatively. Using an “area-of-focus” metric, the distant, intermediate, and near area-of-focus (AoF) were also measured. These postoperative results were compared between the age groups. Results: At 3 months after surgery, the CDVA in the u50, 50s, 60s, and 70s groups were −0.18, −0.16, −0.14, and −0.10 logMAR, respectively. The 70s CDVA was significantly worse than the u50 and 50s groups (P= 0.002, P= 0.049). The DCNVA in the u50, 50s, 60s, and 70s were 0.01, 0.03, 0.03, and 0.08 logMAR. DCNVA in the 70s group was significantly worse than that in the u50 and 60s groups (P= 0.008 and P= 0.019, respectively). The near AoF was smaller in the 70s than in the u50 and 50s groups (P= 0.040, P= 0.047). In both the intermediate and distant AoFs, there was no significant difference between the four age groups. A steep decline in near AoF was observed in patients over 60 years of age. Conclusions: The CDVA, DCNVA, and near AoF declined with patient age in eyes with diffractive multifocal IOL. The near AoF showed a drastic decline over 60 years.

Purpose To describe a technique for intraocular lens (IOL) implantation that lessens the degree of surgical invasiveness by implanting a tightly rolled IOL through a small incision without touching the eye with the cartridge tip.Methods An IOL was inserted through an incision by first allowing the leading haptic to protrude slightly from the cartridge tip. It was then injected through the incision without allowing any part of the cartridge to touch the eye during IOL implantation. In one eye, the entire circumference of the beveled portion of the cartridge tip was inserted into the anterior chamber to implant the IOL, whereas in the other eye, the IOL was inserted through the incision by first allowing the leading haptic to protrude slightly from the cartridge tip. It was then injected through the incision without allowing any part of the cartridge to touch the eye during IOL implantation. We analyzed the incision width before and after IOL implantation and the degree of surgically induced astigmatism on the day after surgery and at 1 and 3 months after surgery.Results Using our technique, both the amount by which the wound was enlarged and the hydration rate were significantly lower compared with conventional IOL implantation. Our method enables IOL implantation to be carried out through a small incision at a width that was only previously possible with forcible insertion.Conclusions Our IOL implantation technique can be performed using both hands with no need to immobilize the eyeball.

Rice stripe disease, which is caused by Rice stripe virus (RSV), is one of the most serious viral diseases of rice. RSV is transmitted in a persistent manner by Laodelphax striatellus (Falle´n). The incidence of the disease can be estimated from the density of viruliferous vectors. Understanding seasonal changes of the percentage of viruliferous L. striatellus can facilitate forecasting and controlling the disease. In paddies, the percentage of viruliferous insects fluctuated in phase with the rate of detection of RSV-infected rice; it gradually increased from July to August, plateaued or temporarily declined in September, and increased sharply on ratoons in October. These findings indicate that horizontal transmission of RSV from diseased plants to vector insects occurred frequently, and the insects acquired RSV from the ratoons. However, the percentages of viruliferous insects overwintering in poaceous weeds, the main hosts for L. striatellus in winter, were lower than those in ratoons. Few L. striatellus that acquired RSV from ratoons seemed to move to overwintering sites and transmit the virus to the next generation. However, there was a tendency for the percentages of viruliferous overwintering insects to be higher on paddy ridges than in river levees. Insects could probably move from ratoons to poaceous weeds when the weeds were near a paddy. Although increasing percentage of viruliferous insects on ratoons seem to have relatively little impact on RSV dynamics in the next crop season, appropriate weed management around paddies is still needed to reduce the incidence of rice stripe disease.

Particular alkaloids produced by Neotyphodium endophytes show toxicity to invertebrates. Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lamarck) cultivars and strains that are symbiotic with Neotyphodium endophytes have been recently established in Japan. N. uncinatum-infected Italian ryegrass lines accumulate N-formylloline, a type of loline alkaloid (1-aminopyrrolizidine) showing neurotoxicity to herbivorous insects. This study investigated the toxicity of N-formylloline and resistance of N. uncinatum-infected Italian ryegrass to vascular-sap feeding Clypeorrhynchan pests. When four vascular-sap feeding insects: Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén) (Homoptera: Delphacidae), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) (Homoptera: Delphacidae), Cicadulina bipunctata (Melichar) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), and Nephotettix cincticeps (Uhler) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) fed on N. uncinatum-infected Italian ryegrass, significant decreases in survival rate were observed for three phloem-sap feeders but not for a xylem-sap feeder, N. cincticeps. This result suggests an uneven distribution of N-formylloline among plant tissues. A potency assay for N-formylloline using a Parafilm feeding sachet and a quantitative analysis of N-formylloline in plant showed a concentration-dependent lethal effect of N-formylloline on all four tested vascular-sap feeders. Our results strongly suggest that N. uncinatum-infected plants can control some Clypeorrhynchan pests in crop fields.