Demyelination and remyelination play pivotal roles in the pathological process of multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a well-established animal model of MS. Although increasing evidence shows that various stimuli can promote the activation/induction of endogenous neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) in the central nervous system, the potential contributions of these cells to remyelination following inflammatory injury remain to be fully investigated. In the present study, using an adult mouse model of EAE induced by myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) peptide, we investigated whether adult NSPCs in the spinal cord can lead to remyelination under inflammatory conditions. Immunohistochemistry showed that cells expressing the NSPC marker Nestin appeared after MOG peptide administration, predominantly at the sites of demyelination where abundant inflammatory cells had accumulated, whereas Nestin+ cells were rarely present in the spinal cord of PBS-treated control mice. In vitro, Nestin+ NSPCs obtained from EAE mice spinal cords could differentiate into multiple neural lineages, including neurons, astrocytes, and myelin-producing oligodendrocytes. Using the Cre–LoxP system, we established a mouse strain expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) under the control of the Nestin promoter and investigated the expression patterns of YFP-expressing cells in the spinal cord after EAE induction. At the chronic phase of the disease, immunohistochemistry showed that YFP+ cells in the injured regions expressed markers for various neural lineages, including myelin-forming oligodendrocytes. These results show that adult endogenous NSPCs in the spinal cord can be subject to remyelination under inflammatory conditions, such as after EAE, suggesting that endogenous NSPCs represent a therapeutic target for MS treatment.

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The Glaucoma Module Premium Edition (GMPE) software for the SPECTRALIS optical coherence tomography (OCT) is able to automatically track the anatomic centers of both the fovea and the optic disc. We investigated the efficacy of the OCT in measuring the ocular torsion angle before and after strabismus surgery. Methods: Between June 2017 and December 2018, 40 patients with cyclodeviation who had undergone strabismus surgery at Hyogo College of Medicine were enrolled. Ocular torsion angle measurements, including OCT and nonmydriatic fundus camera for objective measurements and synoptophore for subjective measurements, were performed before surgery and 1 day after surgery. Results: The ocular torsion angles were measured as follows: synoptophore preoperative (-8.8°± 4.1°) and postoperative (-3.1°± 2.8°), fundus photography preoperative (-27.2°± 6.4°) and postoperative (-18.6°± 5.9°), and OCT preoperative (-25.9°± 6.8°) and postoperative (-18.2°± 5.8°). In all cases, symptoms related to cyclodeviation resolved postoperatively. All measurements were positively correlated before surgery. Postoperatively, changes in all measurements were also correlated. However, all synoptophore-related data were underestimated when compared with OCT and fundus photography. Conclusions: For measuring the ocular torsion angle, the OCT-based technology GMPE appears to provide information regarding anatomic fundus torsion that is similar to that obtained using fundus photography. Translational Relevance: This new objective measurement for the ocular torsion angle is helpful for treating cyclotropia.

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Purpose The number of patients with acute acquired comitant esotropia (AACE) has been increasing in Japan. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in the number and characteristics of patients with AACE examined in our institution during a 12-year period. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with AACE aged < 30 years who suddenly developed diplopia or esotropia and were examined in Hyogo College of Medicine Hospital from January 2008 to December 2021. We investigated the association of the yearly changes in the number of patients with the age category, refractive error category, AACE type, esotropia type, and use or nonuse of smartphones. Results The total number of patients with AACE was 171, and this number significantly increased each year (Pearson correlation coefficient, 0.9450; p < 0.0001). Significant increases were found among students in junior high school and beyond, patients with myopia, patients with Bielschowsky type AACE, and patients with basic esotropia (p < 0.0001 for all). We compared two age groups, elementary school students and below versus junior high school students and above, and found that the rate of increase was significantly higher in the junior high school students and above (estimate, 1.951; p < 0.0001), and the non-myopia group and myopia group and found that the rate of increase was significantly higher in the myopia group (estimate, 1.891; p < 0.0001). Excessive use of smartphones was confirmed in 82 of 133 patients, and the rate of the increase in the number of patients with AACE was significantly greater among patients with than without excessive use of smartphones (estimate, 1.098; p = 0.0009). Conclusion This study confirmed a significant increase in the number of patients with AACE in recent years. The excessive use of smartphones may be associated with the increase in AACE.