Purpose: We investigated the efficacy and safety of a fixed combination of bimatoprost (0.03% w/v) and timolol (0.5% w/v) (Ganfort® , Allergan Inc., Irvine, CA, USA; fixed combination of bimatoprost-timolol, BTFC) for open-angle glaucoma patients. Methods: We included 25 right eyes with open-angle glaucoma treated with eye drops. The drops were changed to the BTFC without a wash-out period. The therapeutic and adverse effects were evaluated by comparing the intraocular pressure (IOP) before the change to that at 1, 4, 7, and 10 months thereafter. Results: The mean IOP before the instillation of eyedrop and the mean reduction of IOP at each time was 18.66 ± 8.22 mmHg (n = 21) and 2.47 ± 3.19 mmHg (13.24%) at 1 month, 19.05 ± 8.54 mmHg (n = 18) and 3.68 ± 5.55 mmHg (19.32%) at 4 months, 16.68 ± 2.52 mmHg (n = 16) and 2.13 ± 2.87 mmHg (12.77%) at 7 months, and 20.07 ± 9.91 mmHg (n = 14) and 2.79 ± 4.48 mmHg (13.90%) at 10 months (p < 0.05). Side effects included soreness (two eyes, 7.7%), red eye and allergic symptoms (three patients, 11.5%), and discomfort (three patients, 11.5%); there were no severe adverse events such as permanent vision loss or systemic side effects. Conclusions BTFC reduced the IOP of open-angle glaucoma patients without causing permanent vision loss or any other serious side effects.

BACKGROUND: A variety of diagnostic modalities for lung cancer have been developed. To achieve efficient and early detection of lung cancer, we tried to measure the expression rates of the melanoma associated gene (MAGE) and synovial sarcoma on X chromosome (SSX) genes. METHODS: We designed primers for the SSX gene. In addition to the pre-developed MAGE A primer, using an SSX gene primer was attempted to increase the detection rate. We obtained cancer tissues and cancer-free lung tissues from resected lung, sputum from lung cancer patients who had not undergone surgery, and sputum from healthy people and patients with benign intrathoracic diseases. RESULTS: The sensitivity of the MAGE or SSX gene RT-PCR to identifying cancer tissue of the 69 lung cancer patients was 95.2% for squamous cell carcinoma (scc), 87.0% for adenocarcinoma, and 100% for small cell carcinoma. The mean sensitivity value was 94.2% (p=0.001). For adenocarcinoma, the additional use of the SSX gene resulted in a higher expression rate than MAGE alone (87% vs. 69.6%). The expression rate for the cancer-free lung tissue was 14.3% in scc, 17.4% in adenocarcinoma, and 25.0% in small cell carcinoma. In the induced sputum of 49 lung cancer patients who had not undergone surgery, the expression rate for one of the two genes was 65.5%. The expression rate for the sputum of healthy people and benign intrathoracic diseases by MAGE or SSX gene reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was 3.8% and 17.7%. CONCLUSION: Detecting lung cancer using the expression of MAGE and SSX genes in lung cancer tissue has high sensitivity.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Melanoma ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; Sarcoma, Synovial ; Sputum ; X Chromosome

Mutation of p53 gene is one of t.he commonest genetic changes in the development of human cancer including ovary. We intvestigated the diagnostic usefulness of the demonstration of p53 gene immunoreactivity in ovarian cancers, because immunochemical demonstration of p53 immunoreactivity is inexpensive, easily controlled and can be applied in routine pathology laboratories. p53 immunoreactivity was not identified in any patients in whom there was no morphological evidence of neoplasia. ln contrast, in contrast, in 46% of patients of ovarian cancer, p53 immunoreactivity was identified. Overexpression of gene correlated with advanced stage but did not corre1ate with grade, cell type and tumor size.
Female ; Genes, p53* ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Ovary ; Pathology

By using (99m)Tc-Pertechnetate, we evaluated the thyroid function of 136 persons with uptake slopeindex(U.S.I.) which was calculated by computerized dynamic flow study. Also, we compared our results of U.S.I.with those of established ¹³¹I-24 hr uptake % in given materials by comparative analysis of their correlation with the hormonal values of T3, T4, Free T4. The results wre as follows: 1. The U.S.I. of euthyroidismal group and hyperthyrodismal group were 4.87±2.26, 27.67±9.56 respectively. The ¹³¹I-24 hr uptake % of above groups were29.22±10.23, and 71.45±15.51. So the differentiation of the two groups could be done more easily by using (99m)Tc-Pertenchnetate U.S.I. than by using ¹³¹I-24 hr uptake %. 2. The correlation rates between (99m)Tc-Pertechnetate U.S.I. and other laboratory hormon levels, T3, T4, Free T4, ar almost parallel with thosebetweeen ¹³¹I-24 hr uptake % and the values of T3, T4, Free T4. Also the direct correlation rate between (99m)Tc-Pertechnetate U.S.I. and ¹³¹I-24 hr uptake % was 0.898. So, the method of thyroidal function evaluation by (99m)Tc-Pettechnetate U.S.I. is very reliable. 3. The (99m)Tc-Pertechnetate U.S.I. is very helpful to evaulate thefunctions of each lobe respectively incases of having obviously different radioactivity between both lobes. 4. (99m)Tc-Pertechnetate used dynamic thyroid function study and scan can be performed during the short time without preparation and especially helpful in debilitating patient and patients under antithyroid drug therapy, who need repetitive follow-up examination.
Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Methods ; Radioactivity ; Thyroid Gland

PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical features of patients who have experienced decreased exodeviation after refractive error correction. METHODS: Thirty-four patients who experienced decreased exodeviation after refractive error correction between 2003 and 2010 were evaluated. Visual acuity, refractive errors, reported age at onset, duration of wearing glasses, stereopsis, and function of fusion were evaluated. RESULTS: The present study included 34 patients with intermittent exotropia. Before correcting refractive errors, the mean visual acuity was 0.34 +/- 0.27 for the right eye and 0.37 +/- 0.27 for the left eye according to log MAR. After refractive error correction, mean visual acuity improved to 0.12 +/- 0.11 for the right eye and 0.11 +/- 0.11 for the left eye according to log MAR. Before correcting refractive errors, the amount of deviation was 18.1 +/- 7.4 PD at near and 13.5 +/- 8.4 PD at far. However, after correcting refractive errors, the amount of deviation decreased to 5.8 +/- 8.6 PD at near and 4.5 +/- 7.6 PD at far (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical characteristics of children who have decreased exodeviation after correcting refractive errors is shown by a greater amount of deviation at near than at distance and good fusional vergence and stereoacuity. Because correcting refractive errors by wearing appropriate glasses can decrease exodeviation, the authors of the present study recommend correcting refractive errors as the initial management for exotropia.
Child ; Depth Perception ; Exotropia ; Eye ; Eyeglasses ; Glass ; Humans ; Myopia ; Refractive Errors ; Visual Acuity

An ABO discrepancy was observed in a 19-year-old man clinically diagnosed as congenital hypogammaglobulinemia. The patient's red cell was typed as group O, and his serum had no ABO isoagglutinins. Absence of A antigen and B antigen on patient's RBC was confirmed by adsorption- elution test and saliva test. A-transferase and B-transferase activities were not demonstrated in patient's serum. Patient's serum protein electrophoresis revealed hypogammaglobulinemia pattern, and immunoglobulin levels were markedly decreased. Complete absence of B lymphocytes was observed on patient's lymphocyte subset profile. Patient's father and mother were typed as blood group O and no abnormalities were recognized in their serum protein electrophoresis patterns and immunoglobulin concentration.
Agammaglobulinemia ; B-Lymphocytes ; Electrophoresis ; Fathers ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Lymphocyte Subsets ; Mothers ; Saliva ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of customized orbital decompression surgery combined with eyelid surgery or strabismus surgery for mild to moderate thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). METHODS: Twenty-seven consecutive subjects who were treated surgically for proptosis with disfigurement or diplopia after medical therapy from September 2009 to July 2012 were included in the analysis. Customized orbital decompression surgery with correction of eyelid retraction and extraocular movement disorders was simultaneously performed. The patients had a minimum preoperative period of 3 months of stable range of ocular motility and eyelid position. All patients had inactive TAO and were euthyroid at the time of operation. Preoperative and postoperative examinations, including vision, margin reflex distance, Hertel exophthalmometry, ocular motility, visual fields, Goldmann perimetry, and subject assessment of the procedure, were performed in all patients. Data were analyzed using paired t-test (PASW Statistics ver. 18.0). RESULTS: Forty-nine decompressions were performed on 27 subjects (16 females, 11 males; mean age, 36.6 +/- 11.6 years). Twenty-two patients underwent bilateral operations; five required only unilateral orbital decompression. An average proptosis of 15.6 +/- 2.2 mm (p = 0.00) was achieved, with a mean preoperative Hertel measurement of 17.6 +/- 2.2 mm. Ocular motility was corrected through recession of the extraocular muscle in three cases, and no new-onset diplopia or aggravated diplopia was noted. The binocular single vision field increased in all patients. Eyelid retraction correction surgery was simultaneously performed in the same surgical session in 10 of 49 cases, and strabismus and eyelid retraction surgery were performed in the same surgical session in two cases. Margin reflex distance decreased from a preoperative average of 4.3 +/- 0.8 to 3.8 +/- 0.5 mm postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: The customized orbital decompression procedure decreased proptosis and improved diplopia, in a range comparable to those achieved through more stepwise techniques, and had favorable cosmetic results when combined with eyelid surgery or strabismus surgery for mild to moderate TAO.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Decompression, Surgical/*methods ; Exophthalmos/*surgery ; Eye Movements/physiology ; Eyelids/*surgery ; Female ; Graves Ophthalmopathy/*surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oculomotor Muscles/surgery ; *Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures ; Orbit/*surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Strabismus/*surgery ; Visual Field Tests ; Visual Fields/physiology

PURPOSE:We investigated the production of oxygen hydroxyl radicals in the striatum of neonatal rat brain after intrastriatal injection of dopamine (DA) and the effect of growth hormone (GH) on the apoptosis of striatal neurons injured by hypoxia-ischemia. METHODS:The extracellular striatal levels of 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA) and 2,5-DHBA as indicators of hydroxyl radical(OH-) production were measured by in vivo microdialysis in the striatums of 7 day-old newborn rats (n=10) after direct intrastriatal infusion of dopamine hydrochloride (1.0 micromol/microL). The samples of perfused artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were collected every 10 minutes interval. The levels of DA, 2,3-DHBA and 2,5-DHBA of CSF were analysed by HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography). Also, the brains were removed at 24 hour after hypoxic-ischemic injury by Rice-Vannucci method. The coronal sections (12 micrometer) of paraffin-fixed brains were stained by TUNEL (terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end-labelling) technique, and the neuronal cells undergoing apoptosis in the striatum were observed by fluorescent microscopy and compared between GH-treated (50 mg/kg, Dong-Ah Pharmacy Co.) and saline-treated rats. RESULTS:The extracellualr striatal levels of 2,3-DHBA and 2,5-DHBA increased abruptly in the first 10 minutes samples after intrastriatal injection of DA. After then, the levels declined slowely. The levels of striatal extracelluar 2.3-DHBA increased up to 621.8+/-508.7% of basal levels (P<0.05), and the levels of 2.5-DHBA increased up to 262.8+/-198.1% of basal levels (P<0.05). GH reduced markedly the number of apoptotic neuronal cells in the striatum after hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. CONCLUSION: The level of hydroxyl radicals increased abruptly after intrastriatal injection of DA and GH reduced markedly the number of apoptotic neuronal cells in the striatum after hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Brain Injuries ; Brain* ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Dopamine* ; Growth Hormone* ; Humans ; Hydroxyl Radical* ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Infant, Newborn* ; Microdialysis ; Microscopy ; Neurons* ; Oxygen ; Pharmacy ; Rats*

PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical features of periorbital spasm and facial asymmetry in the patients who recovered poorly from Bell's palsy and facial trauma and to investigate the effect of Botulinum toxin A as a treatment for periorbital spasm and facial asymmetry. METHODS: Between November 2001 and January 2010, Botulinum toxin injection was performed in 17 patients who had blepharospasm and facial asymmetry following poor recovery from facial palsy. The past history, trauma history, clinical manifestation of blepharospasm, Botulinum toxin A injection dose, injection site, frequency of injection, and duration of effect was evaluated. Data was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, SPSS 12.0. RESULTS: The mean number of injections was 2.7 +/- 2.4 times and the mean dose per injection unit was 12.2 +/- 1.2 units. The Botulinum toxin effect lasted 6.9 +/- 5.5 months in Bell's palsy patients, and 8.0 +/- 4.2 months in trauma patients. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups. Most patients reported improvement of periorbital spasm and facial asymmetry. After treatment, 1 patient complained of epiphora and 1 patient complained of ptosis; conservative treatment was performed for these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Blepharospasm can be treated and a cosmetic improvement in facial symmetry can be achieved by Botulinum toxin A injection in the patients who recover poorly from facial palsy.
Bell Palsy ; Blepharospasm ; Botulinum Toxins ; Cosmetics ; Facial Asymmetry ; Facial Nerve ; Facial Paralysis ; Humans ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Paresis ; Spasm ; Synkinesis

BACKGROUND: Oral allergy syndrome(OAS) is composed of it,ching sense and edema in oral cavity, lips, throat, pharynx, and larynx following eating some fresh fruits or vegetables. It has been known that most of patients with OAS are allergic to pollens. Common epitopes were found among pollens, fruits and vegetables. Although OAS is a common farm of food allergy in adults, this is the first epidemiologic study of OAS in Korea. MATERIAL AND METHOD: One hundred and fifty one patients who showed positive skin reaction to pollens were telephone-interviewed. Investigation of the prevalence and clinical manifestations of OAS was possible in 81 patients. RESULT: The prevalence of OAS among these patients was 34.6% (28/81). OAS was found in 24(48%) out of 50 patients sensitized to tree pollens, whereas 4(13%) of 31 grass or weed pollen-sensitized paients had OAS. Most common causative food was apple and all of 17 apple- OAS patients were sensitized to tree pollens. Peach was the second common food and 14 of 15 peach-OAS patients were sensitized to tree pollens. Besides oral symptoms, rhinitis, asthma, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or generalized urticaria were accompanied in half of the OAS patients (14/28). Some patients showed OAS to some unique Korean foods such as dropwort, taro and Aster. CONCLUSION: OAS was very common in pollen-sensitized patients. Larger epidemiologic studies are needed to find unique Korean foods and their antigensm causing OAS.
Adult ; Asthma ; Colocasia ; Diarrhea ; Eating ; Edema ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epitopes ; Filipendula ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Fruit ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Korea ; Larynx ; Lip ; Mouth ; Nausea ; Pharynx ; Poaceae ; Pollen* ; Prevalence ; Prunus persica ; Rhinitis ; Skin ; Urticaria ; Vegetables ; Vomiting