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This study aimed to investigate the effects of abundant breast milk intake on rats model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). Neonatal Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly assigned to expand litters of 7 pups/litter (7-rats group) and 14 pups/litter (14-rats group). They were exposed to 80% oxygen from postnatal day (P) 0 to P12. Body weights were measured daily. At P13 and 18, rats were sacrificed, and the blood and eyes were collected. Retinal neovascularization (NV) score, total retinal area (TRA), avascular area (AVA), and vascularized area (VA) were measured in ADPase stained retinas. Retinal vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) were measured using ELISA. Body weight gain was significantly greater in 7-rats group from P2. Serum IGF-1 levels at P13 and 18 were significantly higher in 7-rats group. Retinal VEGF and TRA at P18 were significantly larger in 7-rats group. NV score at P18 tended to be higher in 7-rats group. There was no significant difference in VA between the 2 groups at P13 and 18. Excess breast milk intake in OIR rat pups caused body weight gain and retinal development, whereas there was less effect on retinal vascularization in our study.

:The present study investigated the effects of subconjunctival injections of an anti-rat vascular endothelial growth factor anti-VEGF antibody on oxygen-induced retinopathy OIR in a neonatal rat model. OIR was induced by daily cycles of 80 oxygen 20.5 h , room air 0.5 h , and a progressive return to 80 oxygen 3 h for 12 days until postnatal day P 12 . On P12, rats received subconjunctival injections in their right eye of 0.1 or 1.0 g anti-VEGF antibody or 1.0 g goat IgG as a control . No injections were made into the left eye. On P18, rats were killed and their retinas were removed and at-mounted before being stained with adenosine diphosphatase. Retinal neovascularization NV was scored and the extent of avascular areas, as a percentage of total retinal area AVA , was determined using image analysis. Although there was a tendency for lower mean NV scores in eyes injected with 0.1 and 1.0 g anti-VEGF compared with control 4.3 1.1, 2.3 1.0, and 6.7 1.3, respectively ; n 10-13 , the difference failed to reach statistical signi cance. Similarly, although there was a tendency for mean AVA to be lower in the injected eyes for both the 0.1 and 1.0 g anti-VEGF groups compared with control 15 3 , 13 3 , and 25 4 , respectively ; n 10-13 , the differences were not signi cant. Similar tendencies were observed in the contralateral eyes. Although further studies using larger numbers of rats are needed to obtain statistically signi cant results, the results of the present study suggest that the subconjunctival injection of anti-VEGF antibody may prove to be a useful route of administration in conjunction with intravitreal injections, which are the generally used method at present. However, careful attention should be paid to the possibility of systemic side effects.

Aim: The present study aims to examine the association between tongue and lip movement and physical fitness with a sample of independent community-dwelling elderly. Methods: A total of 119 older adults living in a city of Japan participated in this study. Tongue and lip movement was evaluated with oral diadochokinesis (ODK) rate for the syllable "pa", "ta", and "ka" measured by counting syllable repetitions within one second. Physical fitness was objectively evaluated with the Timed-Up and Go Test (TUG) and the 30-Second Chair Stand Test (CS-30). Subjective physical fitness was also assessed with a Physical Component Summary score (PCS) of the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Partial correlation coefficients between ODK rates and physical fitness measures were obtained after adjusting the effects of age and the number of present teeth. Results: There were significant differences in ODK rates for the syllable "ta" and "ka" between the participants aged 65-74 and 75 or older. Significant differences in all the physical fitness measures were also observed in the two age groups. Partial correlation analysis with age and number of present teeth as covariates yielded significant correlations of ODK rates to TUG and PCS, but not with CS-30. Conclusion: Older adults whose functional mobility declined tended to maintain the movement of tongue and lips. Moreover, those who perceived declining physical fitness also tended to show a decline of tongue and lip movement. Thus, the present study added some knowledge on the relationships between general physical fitness and tongue and lip movement. It also made several suggestions for future interventions based on the findings.

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