Xanthoma is a relatively rare soft tissue lesion on the Achilles tendon and is usually associated with hyperlipidemia (lipid metabolism abnormality), mental retardation, cataract and atherosclerotic disease. We report on a case of normolipidemic bilateral Achilles tendon xanthoma without any notable cause. We herein describe the case where we achieved a satisfactory result by subtotal resection.
Achilles Tendon* ; Cataract ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Intellectual Disability ; Metabolism ; Xanthomatosis*

We studied the nonenzymatic glycosylation of lens epithelial basement membranes (LEBM) of senile cataractous lenses of both diabetic and nondiabetic patients. The human LEBMs were isolated from surgically removed senile cataracts and purified by osmotic lysis and detergent treatments. Glycosylation assay of LEBMs was done using the colorimetric method of Fluckiger and Winterhalter. The glycosylation value ranged from 16.39 to 92.56 n mol/mg protein overall, with a mean of 63.54 +/- 24.56 n mol/mg protein for the diabetic specimens and a mean of 29.97 +/- 14.48 n mol/mg protein for the nondiabetic controls (P = 0.009). The study confirms our previous observation of in vivo glycosylation of the LEBM and further establishes that diabetic patients have a twofold increase in the amount of LEBM glycosylation when compared to their nondiabetic counterparts.
Aged ; Basement Membrane/metabolism ; Cataract/metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/*metabolism ; Epithelium/metabolism ; Female ; Glucose/metabolism ; Glycosylation ; Humans ; Lens, Crystalline/*metabolism ; Male

We studied the nonenzymatic glycosylation of lens epithelial basement membranes (LEBM) of senile cataractous lenses of both diabetic and nondiabetic patients. The human LEBMs were isolated from surgically removed senile cataracts and purified by osmotic lysis and detergent treatments. Glycosylation assay of LEBMs was done using the colorimetric method of Fluckiger and Winterhalter. The glycosylation value ranged from 16.39 to 92.56 n mol/mg protein overall, with a mean of 63.54 +/- 24.56 n mol/mg protein for the diabetic specimens and a mean of 29.97 +/- 14.48 n mol/mg protein for the nondiabetic controls (P = 0.009). The study confirms our previous observation of in vivo glycosylation of the LEBM and further establishes that diabetic patients have a twofold increase in the amount of LEBM glycosylation when compared to their nondiabetic counterparts.
Aged ; Basement Membrane/metabolism ; Cataract/metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/*metabolism ; Epithelium/metabolism ; Female ; Glucose/metabolism ; Glycosylation ; Humans ; Lens, Crystalline/*metabolism ; Male

Galactosemia, a term that denotes the presence of galactose in the blood, is the name of rare inborn error of galactose metabolism due to a deficiency of the enzyme galactokinase (GALK), galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT) and uridine diphosphate-galactose 4-epimerase (GALE). GALT deficiency is the most common and shows the most severe clinical manifestation, including hepatomegaly, cataracts, and mental retardation. The main symptom of GALT deficiency is juvenile cataracts. GALE deficiency has two different forms; benign and severe forms. The benign form has no clinical significance, however, the severe form shows the same clinical manifestations as those of GALT deficiency.
Cataract ; Galactokinase ; Galactose ; Galactosemias* ; Hepatomegaly ; Intellectual Disability ; Metabolism ; Uridine ; UTP-Hexose-1-Phosphate Uridylyltransferase

OBJECTIVETo find out the relationship between the opacity in lens and the contents of 2,6-dinitro-4-amino-toluene(DNAT) in the urine of exposed workers.

METHODSTesting the exposed worker's lens and measuring the contents of DNAT in the urine after work.

RESULTSWhen the opacity of the lens occurred, the contents of DNAT in the urine(2.38 mg/L) of workers exposed to TNT were significantly higher than those without opacity in lens(1.44 mg/L) (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe severity of opacity of lens increased with the contents of DNAT raised in the urine. The threshold value suggested by ILO is not applicable to Chinese occupational population, which recommends the contents of DNAT(30 mg/L) in the urine for the workers exposed to TNT as biological occupational exposed limits.

Aniline Compounds ; urine ; Cataract ; chemically induced ; Environmental Monitoring ; Humans ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; Trinitrotoluene ; metabolism

To elucidate the mechanism of increased intraocular pressure in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), the protein profiles of aqueous humor obtained from POAG patients were compared with those of cataract patients as a control group. Aqueous humor proteins were analyzed by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and detected by the ultrasensitive silver staining technique. In 79% of the samples taken from POAG patients, protein bands of 140,000 or 160,000 daltons were stained, but none were stained from cataract patients. The presence of these protein bands revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups. Protein bands of 140,000 or 160,000 daltons were evenly visible at all ages in POAG patients, and the positivity of bands had no correlation with sex or initial intraocular pressure level. It is possible that the ultrastructural changes of the aqueous outflow pathway in POAG may be related to the changes in the aqueous protein, presence of 140,000 or 160,000 daltons protein bands.
Adult ; Aged ; Aqueous Humor/*metabolism ; Cataract/metabolism ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Eye Proteins/*metabolism ; Female ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle/*metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Molecular Weight

OBJECTIVETo study the differences in expression of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) between human traumatic cataract and normal lenticular epithelial cells.

METHODSTotal RNA of anterior capsule specimens was taken under the microscope from normal cadaveric eyes donors and those suffering from traumatic cataract to make semi-quantitative RT-PCR and conduct analysis of differences in expression of NF-kappaB between them.

RESULTSAs compared with the mean of 0.8337 in normal control group, the expression equivalent of NF-kappaB was 0.9074 for the lenticular epithelial cells in traumatic cataract sufferers, and the differences are of noticeable significance (t = 2.447, P<0.05) accordingly.

CONCLUSIONSNF-kappaB is likely a kind of transcription factor necessary to maintain metabolism of normal lenticular epithelial cells. Higher NF-kappaB available in the traumatic cataract sufferer's lenticular epithelial cells means NF-kappaB is of possible relevance to occurrence and development of traumatic cataract.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Cataract ; genetics ; metabolism ; therapy ; Epithelial Cells ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Lens, Crystalline ; injuries ; metabolism ; Male ; NF-kappa B ; genetics ; metabolism ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

The concentrations of fibronectin in aqueous humor, measured by ELISA which was developed to detect fibronectin, ranged from 5 ng/ml to 100 ng/ml. Aqueous humor was aspirated from human eyes with cataracts and glaucomas using a 26 gauge needle through the peripheral cornea before making the limbal incision into the anterior chamber during surgery. The results of the study show that the average concentration and standard deviation of fibronectin was 0.136 +/- 0.192 microgram/ml in cataract eyes, and 0.962 +/- 0.918 microgram/ml in glaucoma eyes respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between both groups (p = 0.000). However, no significant differences according to age and sex were noted. There was no influence due to preoperative intravenous mannitol injection on fibronectin concentration. The source of aqueous fibronectin is still not clearly known and the mechanism of the higher concentration of fibronectin in glaucoma has not been clearly disclosed, however it is thought that normally present fibronectin is accumulated in the anterior chamber because it can not pass the aqueous outflow pathway, or that fibronectin production may be increased in glaucoma.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aqueous Humor/*metabolism ; Cataract/metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Fibronectins/*analysis ; Glaucoma/metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo study the preventing effects of procyanidins (PC) on selenite cataract in rats and the time-effect relationship.

METHODForty five SD rats were divided into three groups: control, model and experiment groups. The rats in the experiment group were fed additionally with the PC by 80 mg x kg(-1) when they were supplied the equal selenite with the model group. Five rats of each group were regularly sacrificed by bleeding from femoral artery at sixth, eleventh, sixteenth day and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) of all lenses was measured.

RESULTCompared with the model group, the level of the MDA in the experiment group at the eleventh day and the sixteenth day greatly decreased (P < 0.01). At the sixteenth day the level of the SOD and GSH-Px had an increase (P < 0.01), which showed its anti-oxygenation.

CONCLUSIONPC indicated the obvious inhibition in the development of the rat cataract. The treatment period was recommended at least for fifteen days.

Animals ; Cataract ; chemically induced ; prevention & control ; Female ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Proanthocyanidins ; therapeutic use ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sodium Selenite ; pharmacology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis is a very rare lipid storage disease which is inherited as autosomal recessive trait. The disease is due to an abnormality of cholesterol metabolism, in which excess formation of cholestanol and defect of bile acid synthesis were found. So abnormally high concentration of cholestanol is deposited within the nervous system, the tendons and the other tissues. But, the basic biochemical defect has not as yet been identified. Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis is characterized by bilateral juvenile cataracts and tendinous xanthomas followed by progressive dementia and cerebellar ataxia. The condition progresses slowly. Death usually occurs during the sixth or seventh decade due to progressive pseudobulbar palsy. The authors have experienced and report a case of presumed cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis in 23-year-old Korean female, and the literatures were reviewed briefly.
Bile ; Cataract ; Cerebellar Ataxia ; Cholestanol ; Cholesterol ; Dementia ; Female ; Humans ; Metabolism ; Nervous System ; Pseudobulbar Palsy ; Tendons ; Xanthomatosis* ; Xanthomatosis, Cerebrotendinous ; Young Adult