PURPOSE: The degree of laxity of the medial and lateral canthal tendon in Korean subjects with and without involutional entropion and epiphora was evaluated in the present study. METHODS: The present study included 180 normal subjects (360 eyes), 12 patients (15 eyes) with involutional entropion, and 41 patients (58 eyes) with epiphora. The degree of laxity of the medial and lateral canthal tendon, which grades the position of the inferior punctum, was measured using the lateral and medial distraction test. RESULTS: The mean degree of medial and lateral canthal tendon laxity was 1.83/1.08 in normal subjects. A statistical difference was not observed between sexes, and the mean degree of laxity tended to be higher in older patients. The mean degree of laxity was 2.78/2.18 and 2.28/1.22 in the involutional entropion group and the epiphora group, respectively. The involutional entropion group and the epiphora group underwent endoscopic endonasal dacryocystitis (D), medial spindle procedure (M), and endoscopic endonasal dacryocystitis with the medial spindle procedure and/or the tarsal strip procedure (T). The mean degree of laxity was 1.84/1.04 in group D, 3.00/1.20 in group M, 2.33/2.00 in group D + T, 3.20/1.40 in group D + M and 3.50/2.00 in group D + T + M before surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The results from the present study may aid in the selection of a basic treatment plan for Korean patients with involutional entropion or epiphora.
Dacryocystitis ; Entropion ; Humans ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Tendons

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical manifestations, management, and ophthalmologic complications of orbital roof fractures and zygoma fractures. METHODS: A retrospective survey of 119 patients who visited Korea University Medical Center from June 2009 to June 2010 was performed. The sex, age, causes, fracture characteristics, neurologic injury, ocular injury, and combined facial bone fractures of patients who were diagnosed with orbital roof fracture and zygoma fracture were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of patients with orbital roof fracture was 33.0 years old. The most common cause of orbital roof fracture was traffic accident (36.1%) with 6 patients receiveing surgical treatement (9.8%). Among the ophthalmologic diagnoses of the patients with orbital roof fracture, traumatic iridocyclitis was the most common (7 eyes) followed by eyeball rupture (2 eyes). The mean age of patients with zygoma fracture was 36.6 years old. The most common cause of zygoma fracture was traffic accident (32.8%), with 51 patients receiving surgical treatement (87.9%). Among the ophthalmologic diagnoses of the patients with zygoma fracture, traumatic iridocyclitis was the most common (6 eyes), followed by commotio retina (4 eyes). CONCLUSIONS: The present study regarding clinical characteristics and treatment of orbital roof fracture and zygoma fracture is helpful for ophthalmologists regarding the treatment of accompanying ophthalmologic complications.
Academic Medical Centers ; Accidents, Traffic ; Facial Bones ; Humans ; Iridocyclitis ; Korea ; Orbit ; Retina ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture ; Zygoma

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical efficacy of blepharotomy to treat upper eyelid retraction associated with thyroid eye disease. METHODS: A retrospective survey was performed with 9 eyes of 7 thyroid ophthalmopathy patients, who visited Korea University Medical Center from August 2009 to February 2011, and had undergone blepharotomy. The sex, age, change of upper eyelid retraction, postoperative complication, follow-up periods, and the surgical results were reviewed. To assess the efficacy of blepharotomy more objectively, the preoperative and postoperative pictures of patients were taken and the following lid parameters measured: marginal reflex distance 1, interpalpebral fissure height, total palpebral fissure area, upper nasal palpebral fissure area, and upper temporal palpebral fissure area. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 37.4 years and mean follow-up period was 12.8 months. Five patients had undergone surgery unilaterally and 2 patients, bilaterally. Seven eyes of 6 patients had undergone full thickness blepharotomy and 2 eyes of 1 patient had undergone graded blepharotomy. According to the 3-month preoperative and postoperative picture analysis, all lid parameters improved significantly after blepharotomy (2.03 mm, 1.95 mm, 24.28 mm2, 12.98 mm2, and 16.21 mm2, respectively). Complications associated with blepharotomy included multiple and high folds in 2 eyes of 2 patients who had undergone full thickness blepharotomy. Re-operation was performed on only 1 eye and the result was satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: Blepharotomy for upper eyelid retraction is a safe and highly effective surgery for upper eyelid retraction associated with symptomatic thyroid eye disease. This technique achieves excellent functional and cosmetic outcomes.
Academic Medical Centers ; Cosmetics ; Eye ; Eye Diseases ; Eyelids ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Postoperative Complications ; Reflex ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical characteristics of ocular injuries for the prevention and predictability of visual prognosis and the treatment of ocular injuries using the ocular trauma score. METHODS: A retrospective survey was performed in 1341 eyes of 1257 patients, who visited Korea University Medical Center from May 2009 to December 2009. The sex, age, causes, diagnosis, primary ocular surgery, injury site, initial and final visual acuities and complications were statistically reviewed. The ocular trauma score was calculated by assigning certain numerical raw points to the following six variables: initial visual acuity, globe rupture, endophthalmitis, perforating injury, retinal detachment, and a relative afferent pupillary defect. The correlation of the ocular traumascore with the final visual acuity was investigated. RESULTS: The incidence of ocular injuries was higher in males (79.0%) than in females and was more common in people in their 40s and 20s respectively. Among the patient the diagnoses, corneal erosion was most common in males, orbital wall fracture was most common in females, and corneal erosion, orbital wall fracture, orbital contusion, and hyphema were most common overall. An ocular trauma score was less than 44 in 6 eyes (0.7%), 9 eyes (1.0%) between a score of 45 and 65, 48 eyes (5.2%) between a score of 66 and 80, 122 eyes (13.2%) between a score of 81 and 90, and 737 eyes (79.9%) between a score of 91 and 100. CONCLUSIONS: The present study determined that the ocular trauma score showed a good visual predictive value and could be used in prevention and treatment of ocular injuries.
Academic Medical Centers ; Contusions ; Endophthalmitis ; Eye ; Female ; Humans ; Hyphema ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Orbit ; Orbital Fractures ; Prognosis ; Pupil Disorders ; Retinal Detachment ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To investigate the frequency of significant intraocular sequelae (SIOS) in orbital blunt trauma and their association with blowout and facial bone fractures. METHODS: A retrospective survey consisting of 726 patients with orbital blunt trauma who visited Korea University Medical Center was performed. Patients were divided into three groups: blowout fracture only group (group 1), facial bone fracture group (nasal bone fracture, maxillary fracture, zygoma fracture without blowout fracture, group 2), and non-fracture group (group 3). SIOS (traumatic iridocyclitis, commotio retina, hyphema, retinal hemorrhage, eyeball rupture, vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, lens dislocation, traumatic cataract) were surveyed in each group, and the association between the frequency of SIOS and the presence of blowout fracture or facial bone fracture was analyzed. RESULTS: The frequency of SIOS in the fracture groups was 83.8% in group 1 and 73.3% in group 2, which were both higher than the 67.9% in group 3, the non-fracture group (p = 0.000 by chi-square linear by linear association). Traumatic iridocyclitis and hyphema were also significantly higher in groups 1 and 2 than group 3 (p = 0.003, p = 0.008 by chi-square linear by linear association). CONCLUSIONS: SIOS was found significantly more often in the fracture group than the group without fracture, although the frequency of severe SIOS was lower in the fracture group than the non-fracture group. The results from the present study could help in the treatment and management of patients with orbital blunt trauma.
Academic Medical Centers ; Facial Bones ; Fractures, Bone ; Humans ; Hyphema ; Iridocyclitis ; Korea ; Lens Subluxation ; Maxillary Fractures ; Orbit ; Retina ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Hemorrhage ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture ; Vitreous Hemorrhage ; Zygoma

The funding acknowledgment in this article was omitted as published.

The funding acknowledgment in this article was omitted as published.

Schizandra chinensis Baillon is a traditional folk medicine plant that is used to treat and prevent several inflammatory diseases and cancer in Korea, but the underlying mechanisms involved in its anti-allergic activity are not fully understood. This study was designed to investigate mechanisms of anti-allergic activity of a Schizandra chinensis Baillon water extract (SCWE) in immunoglobulin E (IgE)-antigen complex-stimulated RBL2H3 cells and to assess whether gastric and intestinal digestion affects the anti-allergic properties of SCWE. Oxidative stress is an important consequence of the allergic inflammatory response. The antioxidant activities of SCWE increased in a concentration-dependent manner. RBL-2H3 cells were sensitized with monoclonal anti-dinitrophenol (DNP) specific IgE, treated with SCWE, and challenged with the antigen DNP-human serum albumin. SCWE inhibited beta-hexosaminidase release and expression of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA and protein in IgE-antigen complex-stimulated RBL2H3 cells. We found that digested SCWE fully maintained its antioxidant activity and anti-allergic activity against the IgE-antigen complex-induced activation of RBL-2H3 cells. SCWE may be useful for preventing allergic diseases, such as asthma. Thus, SCWE could be used as a natural functional ingredient for allergic diseases in the food and/or pharmaceutical industries.
Asthma ; beta-N-Acetylhexosaminidases ; Digestion ; Drug Industry ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulins ; Interleukin-13 ; Interleukins ; Korea ; Medicine, Traditional ; Oxidative Stress ; Plants ; RNA, Messenger ; Schisandra ; Serum Albumin ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Water

Obesity, an intractable metabolic disease, currently has no medical treatment without side effects, so studies have been actively carried out to find natural compounds that have anti-obesity activity with minimum side effects. In this study, the anti-obesity effects of water extracts of seven Capsicum annuum L. varieties being Putgochu (Pca), Oyee gochu (Oca), Kwari putgochu (Kca), Green pepper (Gca), Yellow paprika (Yca), Red paprika (Rca) and Cheongyang gochu (Cca), were examined through the evaluation of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) mRNA expression level in 3T3-L1 cells (mouse pre-adipocytes). After capsaicin elimination by chloroform defatting, freeze-dried powder of Cca was treated to 3T3-L1 cells and anti-obesity effects were examined by determining the LPL mRNA level using the RT-PCR method. Of the primary fractions, only proven fractions underwent secondary and tertiary refractionating to determine anti-obesity effects. From seven different Capsicum annuum L., there was a significant decrease of the LPL mRNA expression level of 50.9% in Cca treatment compared to the control group. A significant decrease of the LPL mRNA expression level was shown in primary fractions (Fr) 5 (36.2% decrease) and 6 (30.5% decrease) of the Cca water extracts. Due to the impurities checked by UPLC chromatography, Fr 5 and 6 were refractionated to determine the LPL mRNA expression level. Treatment of Fr 6-6 (35.8% decrease) and Fr 5-6 (35.3% decrease) showed a significant decrease in the LPL mRNA expression level. When analyzed using UPLC, major compounds of Fr 6-6 and Fr 5-6 were very similar. Subsequently, we refractionated Fr 6-6 and Fr 5-6 to isolate the major peak for structure elucidation. Treatment of Fr 5-6-1 (26.6% decrease) and Fr 6-6-1 (29.7% decrease) showed a significant decrease in the LPL mRNA expression level. Consequently, the fractions may have a possibility to ameliorate obesity through the decrease of the LPL mRNA expression level.
3T3-L1 Cells ; Capsaicin ; Capsicum ; Chloroform ; Chromatography ; Lipoprotein Lipase ; Lipoproteins ; Metabolic Diseases ; Obesity ; RNA, Messenger ; Water