Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is one of the most frequent complications experienced after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Reportedly, dysbiosis and severe damage to the microbiome are also closely associated with GVHD. Herein, we aimed to elucidate the positive and negative effects of the administration of various antibiotics in a murine model of cGVHD. For allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT), bone marrow from B10.D2 mice were transplanted in BALB/c mice to induce cGVHD. The cGVHD mice were orally administered ampicillin, gentamicin (GM), fradiomycin, vancomycin, or the solvent vehicle (control group). Among the antibiotic-treated mice, the systemic cGVHD phenotypes and ocular cGVHD manifestations were suppressed significantly in GM-treated mice compared to that in control mice. Inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis in cGVHD-targeted organs were significantly attenuated in GM-treated mice. Although regulatory T cells were retained at greater levels in GM-treated mice, there were significantly fewer Th17 cells and interleukin (IL)-6-producing macrophages in cGVHD-targeted organs in these mice. Collectively, our results revealed that orally administered GM may exert positive effects in a cGVHD mouse model.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of image enhancement techniques on the interobserver reliability of tear break-up time (TBUT), tear meniscus height (TMH), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) scoring, and conjunctivochalasis detection using the Smart Eye Camera (SEC), a portable device for anterior segment examination. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on video recordings captured by the SEC from 46 patients with dry eye disease (DED). Separate sets of images were created for each level of enhancement: unenhanced (G0), mildly enhanced (G3), and strongly enhanced (G7). These sets were not intermixed, ensuring that each enhancement level was assessed independently. Three observers—two DED specialists and one general ophthalmologist—assessed TBUT, TMH, CFS scores, and conjunctivochalasis. Interobserver reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for each image set. Results: Interobserver reliability for CFS scores significantly improved with G3, yielding an ICC of 0.8413. In contrast, G7 improved reliability for TBUT measurements (ICC = 0.7381), but led to a notable decrease in reliability for both CFS scoring (ICC = 0.2259) and conjunctivochalasis detection (ICC = 0.0786). Furthermore, the assessment of TMH demonstrated a progressive decline in accuracy with increasing levels of image enhancement. Conclusions: Image enhancement using the SEC improved the diagnostic consistency of dry eye specialists and general ophthalmologists, especially for TBUT and CFS assessments. However, excessive enhancement may obscure key diagnostic features, indicating the need for careful optimization of image processing techniques depending on the diagnostic focus.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of image enhancement techniques on the interobserver reliability of tear breakup time (TBUT), tear meniscus height (TMH), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) scoring, and conjunctivochalasis detection using the Smart Eye Camera (SEC), a portable device for anterior segment examination. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on video recordings captured by SEC from 46 patients with dry eye disease (DED). Three video sets were created: unenhanced (G0), mildly enhanced (G3), and strongly enhanced (G7). Three observers—two DED specialists and one general ophthalmologist—assessed TBUT, TMH, CFS scores, and conjunctivochalasis. Interobserver reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for each image set. Results: Interobserver reliability for CFS scores significantly improved with G3, yielding an ICC of 0.8413. In contrast, G7 improved reliability for TBUT measurements (ICC = 0.7381) but led to a notable decrease in reliability for both CFS scoring (ICC = 0.2259) and conjunctivochalasis detection (ICC = 0.0786). Furthermore, the assessment of TMH demonstrated a progressive decline in accuracy with increasing levels of image enhancement. Conclusions: Image enhancement using SEC improves diagnostic consistency between dry eye specialists and general ophthalmologists, especially for TBUT and CFS assessments. However, excessive enhancement may obscure key diagnostic features, indicating the need for careful optimization of image processing techniques depending on the diagnostic focus.