We implanted intraocular lenses in 41 eyes of 41 patients with traumatic cataract without associated retinal injury. All the enrolled patients had sustained injury visited the Incheon Gil Hospital between August 1988 and June 1992. We analyzed age and sex distribution, mode and site of injuries, associated injuries, postoperative complications, methods of operation, final visual results and causes of decreased vision. Nineteen patients(46.4%) achieved final visual acuity of 0.5 or better, 11 patients(26.8%) between 0.1 and 0.5, and the remaining 11(26.8%) below 0.1. Major visual prognostic factors were associated ocular injuries, the state of the posterior lens capule, intraoperative and early postoperative complications. The interval between the first and second operation had little effect on the final vision.
Cataract* ; Humans ; Incheon ; Lenses, Intraocular* ; Postoperative Complications ; Retinaldehyde ; Sex Distribution ; Visual Acuity

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics of obese infertile women. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Height, weight, body mass index, menstrual pattern, glucose, insulin, glucose / insulin ratio, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), testosterone, free testosterone and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) of 15 obese infertile women were tested. RESULTS: Of 15 obese infertile women, the number of diabetes mellitus, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance was 2 (13%), 2 (13%), 2 (13%), respectively. The incidence of increased DHEA-S, testosterone, and free testosterone was 7 (47%), 1 (7%), 6 (40%), respectively. Notably, all patients showed increased PAI-1. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is associated with infertility as well as many kinds of health problems. Obesity is closely related to insulin resistance and it also causes hyperandrogenism. Increased PAI-1 is one of the important causes of thrombophilia. Consequently, in the workup of obese infertile patient, many aspects of health problems should be considered.
Body Weight ; Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Female ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hyperandrogenism ; Hyperinsulinism ; Incidence ; Infertility ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Obesity ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 ; Plasminogen Activators ; Testosterone ; Thrombophilia

OBJECTIVE: Recently, microdissection of tissue sections has been used increasingly for the isolation of morphologically identified homogeneous cell populations, thus overcoming the obstacle of tissue complexity for the analysis cell-specific expression of macromolecules. The aim of the present study was to establish the minimal conditions required for the RNA extraction and amplification from the cells captured by the laser captured microdissection. METHODS: Mouse ovaries were fixed and cut into serial sections (7 micrometer thickness). Oocytes were captured by laser captured microdissection (LCM) method by using PixCell IITM system. The frozen sections were fixed in 70% ethanol and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, while the paraffin sections were stained with Multiple stain. Sections were dehydrated in graded alcohols followed by xylene and air-dried for 20 min prior to LCM. All reactions were performed in ribonuclease free solutions to prevent RNA degradation. After LCM, total RNA extraction from the captured oocytes was performed using the guanidinium isothiocyanate (GITC) solution, and subsequently evaluated by reverse transcriptase -polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase (GAPDH). RESULTS: With the frozen sections, detection of the GAPDH mRNA expression in the number of captured 25 oocytes were not repeatable, but the expression was always detectable from 50 oocytes. With 25 oocytes, at least 27 PCR cycles were required, whereas with 50 oocytes, 21 cycles were enough to detect GAPDH expression. Amount of the primary cDNA required for RT-PCR was reduced down to at least 0.25 microl with 50 oocytes, thus the resting 19.75 microl cDNA can be used for the testing other interested gene expression. Tissue-to-slide, tissue-to-tissue forces were very high in the paraffin sections, thus the greater number of cell procurement was required than the frozen sections. CONCLUSION: We have described a method for analyzing gene expression at the RNA level with the homogeneously microdissected cells from the small amount of tissues with complexity. We found that LCM coupled with RT-PCR could detect housekeeping gene expression in 50 oocytes captured. This technique can be easily applied for the study of gene expression with the small amount of tissues.
Alcohols ; Animals ; DNA, Complementary ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Ethanol ; Female ; Frozen Sections ; Gene Expression* ; Genes, Essential ; Guanidine ; Hematoxylin ; Mice ; Microdissection* ; Oocytes* ; Ovary ; Paraffin ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Ribonucleases ; RNA Stability ; RNA* ; RNA, Messenger ; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase ; Xylenes

The number of spinal injuries are now increasing with the high speed of automobile and industrial development. It is a general trend to treat the spinal injuries more actively in recent years, Among 135 spinal injury patients who were admitted to this hospital from August 1,1972 to August 31,1978, twenty six cases of spine fractures and fracture-dislocations who was treated with surgical measures were evaluated and analysed. Short summary of the followings observed is as follows: 1. Out of 26 patients, there were 22 male and 4 female cases. The ratio between male and female was 5.5:1. The majority (16 cases, 62%) was found in the age group of 20 to 40 years. 55.4% of the cases was caused by traffic accident. 2. The most common site of the lesion was cervical spine (9 cases, 35%) and the most common mechanism of injury was flexion and rotation (10 cases, 38%). 3. Our surgical measures were mainly the early anatomical reduction and anterior and posterior spinal fusion followed by external immobilization. 4. Among 26 cases, 34% had complete paralysis and 31%, incomplete paralysis. Complete or partial recovery was observed in 22% of the completely paralysed cases and in 87% of the imcompletely paralysed cases. 5. The initial recovery of spinal cord injury was observed from 1 to 25 days postoperatively (average 15 days).
Accidents, Traffic ; Automobiles ; Clinical Study ; Female ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Industrial Development ; Male ; Paralysis ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Spinal Fusion ; Spinal Injuries ; Spine

The catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) retinal neurons were investigated by using the intracellular recording techniques to analyze the function of the chloride ions in the light responses and the ionic mechanisms of the depolarizing actions by GABA. Experiments were performed in the superfused retina-eyecup preparation. The retina was exposed by exicising the cornea, iris, and vitreous. A piece of absorbent tissue with a hole large enough to expose the retina was centered over the eyecup to serve as a wick to draw off the superfusate. Diffuse light stimuli were generated by light-emitting diode positioned above the eyecup. The recordings were made with the use of borosilicate glass micropipettes fashioned from' omega dot' capillary tubing filled with 2 M potassium acetate. Voltage recordings were obtained using an amplifier and amplified signals were recorded on a storage oscillocope, penwriter, and a data recorder. In the catfish retina, the dark membrane potentials were depolarized and the light evoked responses were enhanced in the chloride"-free medium on the catfish horizontal cells. The amplitude of the light evoked potentials were increased by chloride free Ringer's solution on the ON- and OFF-bipolar cells. But the dark membrane potentials were hyperpolarized on the ON-bipolar cell and depolarized on the OFF-bipolar cells in the chloride free medium. The chloride free Ringer's solution changed the light response from ON-sustained to OFF-sustained without any change in amplitude on the ON-sustained cell. The depolarizing actions by GABA on the horizontal cells were maintained in chloride-free environment. But GABA did not abolished the light evoked potentials of the horizontal cell and the ON-sustained cell under the chloride free environment. The results suggest that chloride ion has important roles on the signal transmission of the dark periods in the catfish retina and the depolarizing actions by GABA on the neurons in the catfish retina might be chloride dependent.
Capillary Tubing ; Catfishes* ; Cornea ; Evoked Potentials ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Glass ; Ions* ; Iris ; Membrane Potentials ; Neurons ; Potassium Acetate ; Receptors, GABA ; Retina ; Retinal Neurons* ; Retinaldehyde*

The 747 corneal epithelial erosion cases were evaluated clinically from January 1986 to February 1988 at Catholic University Medical College, St. Mary's Hospital. The results were as follows: 1. Out of 747 corneal epithelial erosion cases, 286 cases(38.3%) and 283 cases(37.9%) resulted from mechanical and postoperative causes, respectively. 2. The large number of cases were foung in the age group of 1 to 9 years(21.9%) and in the ages older than 60 years(l9.8%), which were in proportion to the said causes. 3. The onset of corneal erosion after cataract extraction within postoperative 3 weeks(56.1%) was most common. There were 115 cases(45.3%) in which corneal erosions developed after the cataract extraction lasted up to 2 weeks. 4. The cure rate of corneal erosion was 85.0%(635 cases), and in corneal erosion developed after cataract extraction was 89.8%(254 cases). 5. There was no statistical significance in the frequency of corneal erosions developed after cataract extraction among diabetics and nondiabetics.
Cataract Extraction ; Humans

Perfluorocarbon liquids(PFCLs) have recently been used to facilitate surgery in a variety of condition, including proliferative vitreoretinopathy, giant retinal tears, diabetic tractions, retinal detachment with a rhegmatous component, dislocated crystalline lenses. Although the ocular toxicity of PFCLs has been evaluated in a number of animal studies, few reports have focused on ocular complications associated with their clinical use. We evaluated complications of PFCLs as an intraoperative tool in a series of 55 patients. We had used two kinds of PFCLs, Vitreon(perfluorophenanthrene) and DK-line(perfluorodecaline) intraoperatively. 10 eyes had intraoperative complications. Subretinal PFCLs(6 eyes), subretinal hemorrhage(3 eyes), subretinal hemorrhage with subretinal PFCLs(1 eye) were observed. Postoperative complications of PFCLs as an only intraoperative tool were preretinal small dreplets(4 eyes), subretinal small droplets(4 eyes) and small dreplets in anterior chamber(2 eyes). In case of posterior retinal break, careful injection should be considered. Postoperative small residual droplet of perfluorocarbon in sub- and preretinal space did not cause any toxic effects in these patients. But remained droplet in anterior chamber should be removed to avoid significant corneal toxity.
Animals ; Anterior Chamber ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intraoperative Complications ; Lens, Crystalline ; Postoperative Complications ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Perforations ; Traction ; Vitreoretinopathy, Proliferative

Corneal transplantation of three hundred and twenty five cases operated at the Department of Ophthalmology, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University Medical College from May 1980 to December 1987 were clinically evaluated. The follow up period ranged from 1 month to 6 years(mean: 3 3/4 years). Major causes of corneal opacity were keratitis(105 eyes, 32.3%) and trauma(50 eyes, 15.4%), followed by keratoconus(50 eyes, 15.4%) and bullous keratopathy(46 eyes, 14.2%). There were 233 eyes of partial penetrating keratoplasty, 59 eyes of lamellar keratoplasty, 4 eyes of keratoplasty with IOL implantation and 29 eyes of prostho-keratoplasty. Success rate was 74.3% by maintaining clarity among 220 eyes out of 296 eyes except of cases of prostho-keratoplasty. Among the 76 eyes with graft opacity, 35 eyes were caused by graft rejection and 19 eyes, by bullous keratopathy. Among the cases of keratoplasty, 112 eyes showed postoperative bestcorrected visual acuity of 0.5 or higher(35.2%), 134 eyes were between 0.1 and 0.4(42.1%), and 246 eyes were 0.1 or higher(77.3%). Corneal endothelial cell density change from before the corneal transplantation was 42.3% decrease at 1 year post-operatively and 18.4% decrease at 3 months postoperatively.
Corneal Opacity ; Corneal Transplantation ; Endothelial Cells ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graft Rejection ; Keratoplasty, Penetrating ; Ophthalmology ; Transplants ; Visual Acuity

Urinary protein per se causes renal tubular injury and stimulates immunologic reaction. The extent of proximal tubular injury can be estimated by measuring the amount of 24 hours urinary beta2-microglobulin (U beta2-MG). The aim of this study was whether U beta2-MG level could predict the response to the initial steroid treatment for the patients with minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS). We analyzed 58 adult patients (33 M, 25 F), aged 33+/-15 years (range 16-76), with biopsy-proven MCNS treated with 40 to 60mg of oral prednisolone daily up to 16 weeks. The responsiveness (44 cases) inculded complete and partial remission or steroid resistance (14 cases). No difference was found between the steroid responsive and resistant group with regard to age, BUN, serum creatinine, albumin, cholesterol, and urinary protein. The levels of U beta2- MG (microgram/g creatinine) were 250808+/-478917 and 1648+/-2386 in resistan ia Kwang-Yul Chang, et al.:Prediction of Steroid Responsiveness in Adult Minimal Change Nephrotic. Syndrome Using Urinary beta2-Microglobulint group and responsive group, respectively (P<0.05). The cut off value was 400microgram/ g creatinine with 78% of sensitivity and 48% of specificity. The likelihood ratio for the resistance was 2.5 to 2.8 with the U beta2-MG levels over 400 ug/g creatinine and was 0.2 to 0.3 below that value. Multivariate analysis confirmed that higher U beta2- MG level was associated with a lower likelihood of steroid responsiveness, independent of age, sex, creatinine, serum protein, and urinary protein. This study showed that the pretreatment U beta2- MG level may be used to identify subgroup of patients with MCNS who are more likely to be responsive to initial steroid treatment.
Adult* ; Cholesterol ; Creatinine ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Nephrosis, Lipoid* ; Prednisolone ; Sensitivity and Specificity

The most common cause of the postoperative failure of glaucoma filtration surgery(GFS) is scarring secondary to fibroblast proliferation and fibrosis at the interface of the episclera and conjunctive. To inhibit this process, mitomycin C(MMC) has been studied experimentally, both in vivo and in vitro. In evaluating the toxicity of MMC, we observed the inhibition of fibroblast proliferation and of fibrosis by light microscope, and the ultrastructual changes of the sclera by transmission electron microscope following the soaking of MMC during GFS in rabbit eyes. The sixty rabbits which comprised this study were divided into four groups; the first control group(I) was soaked with the BSS during GFS, the second(II), the third(III), and the fourth(IV) group were soaked with the 0.2 mg/ml, 0.5 mg/ml, and 0.5 mg/ml MMC soaked groups, respectively, during GFS as experimental groups. On histologic examination, the degree of proliferation of fibroblasts with fibrosis and infiltration of lymphocytes in MMC soaked groups was less than those of BSS soaked group at 2 weeks and 2 months after GFS. At six months after GFS, there was ultrastructural evidence of degenerative changes of scleral fibroblasts such as clumping of nuclear chromatin, wrinkling of nuclear membrane, and cystic dilatation of rough endoplasmic reticulum in MMC soaked groups. Higher concentration of MMC caused more degenerative changes in cellular structures. These results surggested that the scar formation after GFS could be significantly suppressed by a single application of MMC during surgery, and MMC could be0 used effectively in cases of poor prognosis of GFS. Further experiments need to be conducted to determine the optimal concentration, exposure time, and application method of MMC.
Cellular Structures ; Chromatin ; Cicatrix ; Dilatation ; Endoplasmic Reticulum, Rough ; Fibroblasts ; Fibrosis ; Filtering Surgery* ; Filtration* ; Glaucoma* ; Lymphocytes ; Mitomycin* ; Nuclear Envelope ; Prognosis ; Rabbits ; Sclera