BackgroundInjections of lipopolysaccharide in animal models generate acute anterior uveitis (also known as endotoxin-induced uveitis), but the effects of lipopolysaccharide injection are unknown in humans. We describe an unusual case in which acute anterior uveitis was dramatically activated subsequent to botulinum toxin injection in a patient with Behçet’s disease but the acute anterior uveitis was satisfactorily attenuated by infliximab.Case presentationA 53-year-old Japanese man had normal ocular findings at his regularly scheduled appointment. He had been diagnosed as having incomplete-type Behçet’s disease 11 years before. Three years after the diagnosis he was given systemic infusions of 5 mg/kg infliximab every 8 weeks and he had not experienced a uveitis attack for 8 years with no treatment other than infliximab. Two days after the eye examination, he received intracutaneous botulinum toxin injections to treat axillary hyperhidrosis on both sides. Three hours after the injections, he noted rapidly increasing floaters in his right eye. Four days after the injections, his right eye showed severe acute anterior uveitis with deteriorated aqueous flare and anterior vitreous opacity. He received his scheduled infliximab injection, and the right acute anterior uveitis immediately attenuated.ConclusionsBotulinum toxin may have clinical effects similar to those of lipopolysaccharide in endotoxin-induced uveitis models. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to suggest that botulinum toxin may trigger acute anterior uveitis, although the precise mechanism is still unclear.

By generating closed-loop electron E × B drift over the front and back surface of a band magnetron cathode, a uniform magnetron plasma can be formed over the front surface. Here, we attempted to generate a uniform supermagnetron plasma under a stationary magnetic field by situating two such band magnetron cathodes face-to-face in parallel. Performing uniform supermagnetron plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)/O 2 CVD, SiO 2 films with good uniformity (±5%) at the central region of the cathode could be achieved under a stationary magnetic field of about 160 G. Using this supermagnetron plasma CVD apparatus, a-CN x :H films were then deposited to investigate their characteristics using isobutane (i-C 4 H 10)/N 2 mixed gases. A relatively high deposition rate of about 100 nm/min was obtained. The a-CN x :H films obtained had a hardness of about 25 GPa, higher than that of glass (22 GPa).

Abstract.A supermagnetron plasma apparatus with two band magnetron cathodes, which can form uniform magnetron plasma under a stationary magnetic field (about 160 G), was used to deposit a-CN x :H films at N 2 gas concentrations of 0 and 70%. A high deposition rate of about 85±5 nm/min was obtained at a low dc self-bias voltage, between -20 and -62 V. The optical band gap could be controlled between 1.1 and 3.8 eV. The double-layer a-CN x :H films with optical band gaps of 2.2 eV (upper layer; N 2 0%) and 1.5 eV (lower layer; N 2 70%) formed on p-Si substrate showed a low-threshold-emission electric field of 9 V/μm.

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