Effects of Panax Ginseng on ATPase Activity of Mitochondrial Fraction from Rabbit Retina and Ciliary Epithelium

Recently it was introduced that panax ginseng enhanced the ATPase activity and antagonized the inhibited ATPase activity induced by some drugs. The author performed this experiment in order to investigate the effects of ouabain, ethyl alcohol, and panax ginseng respectively on the ATPase activity of mitochondrial fraction isolated from the rabbit retina and ciliary epithelium, and in addition the influence of panax ginseng on the Na - K ATPase activity altered by ouabain and ethyl alcohol. The results obtained are summerized as follow: 1. Ouabain inhibited markedly Na+ - K+ ATPase activity of retina and ciliary epitheliumin vitro and on intravenous injection of ouabain. When ouabain was injected into the vitreous, the ATPase activity of the retina was not influenced compared with the ciliary epithelium. 2. In vitro and on intravenous injection, the inhibitory effects of ethyl alcohol on the ATPase activity was lesser marked than with ouabain. 3. Panax ginseng revealed no influence on Na+ - K+ ATPase activity of mitochondria of rabbit retina and ciliary epithelium in vitro and on intravenous injection. 4. The inhibitory effects of ouabain and ethyl alcohol, in their relatively lower concentrations which showed inhibitory effects, was not antagonized by simultaneous administration with ginseng saponin in vitro, and by pretreatment of ginseng ethyl alcohol extract intravenously.

A Case of von Hippel-Lindau's Disease

The authors presented a case of von Hippel-Lindau's disease. The patient was a 33-year-old man who visited to our hospital with visual disturbance on the right eye for a month and blind in the left eye for 10 years on the 4th May, 1973. On the eye examination, the left eye revealed ocular hypertension, deep chamber, and vitreous opacity which interfered with the visuality of the fundus. The right eye was normotensive and 0.1 incorrectable in visual acuity. The fundus revealed two angioma associated with large feeding vessels, scattered hemorrhages, and massive exudates along the engorged and tortuous vessels at the temporal retina. On general physical examination, no neurological signs were found, but multiple hard corn sized masses were palpated on the both sides of epididymal head. The masses were confirmed as epididymal cyst on microscopic examination. The x-ray findings were pulmonary tuberculosis far advanced on chest, an extrinsic pressure indentation in the floor of bladder on I.V.P., and abnormal intracranial vascularity, on right carotid angiogram. The blood chemistry showed an abnormal increase of amylase and lipase titers.

A Case of Orbital Injury by a Plastic Chopstick

A case of orbital injury with a plastic chopstick accompanied by meningeal irritation signs was presented. A 34-year-old house-wife was admitted to our clinic complaining of vision loss, proptosis and dull ocular pain in right eye on March 11, 1976. 17 days before admission she was stabbed on the right orbital region with a plastic chopstick. The clinical finical findings Were recorded normal in left eye. The right eye showed zero in vision, proptosis, fixed eyeball with total ophthalmoplegia and exposure Keratitis. On the 2nd hospital day a broken plastic chopstick, 9.5 cm in length, was carefully removed from injured site by exploratory eperation. In that afternoon meningeal irritation signs, vomiting and neck stiffness was abruptly developed. The laboratory findings of the cerebrospinalfluid revealed inflammatory signs. After having been administered massive antibiotics (crystalline penicillin, bayrena, and chloramphenicol) systemi-cally for 17 days, she was recovered from meningeal irritation signs containing remission of inflammatory findings of cerebro spinal fluid examination. On the 21st hospital day, 39 days after injury, the optic disc was seen totally pale. On the 25th hospital day she was discharged, at which right eye showed clear in cornea, totally pale disc, and total ophthalmoplegia with ptosis. When she returned about 5 months after discharge, the right eye revealed much regressed ptosis, superficial corneal opacity with loss of corneal sense, ocular motility limited in superolateral direction, fixed and dilated pupil and still pale disc. Authors attempt to evalurate this case throlgh the related literatues.

A Case of Pseudotumor

We present a case of pseudotumor. The patient was a 51 year old male, complaining of unilateral exophthalmos of the right eye for about 10 years. It was much aggravated during last a year. Past and family history were non-contributory. At the first examination on the 10th of May, 1971, the left eye was recorded normal. The right eye showed H.M./50cm. in vision, proptosis (18mm differenee in both eyes), limitation of ocular motility, exposure keratitis, and pallor disk in funduscopy. The skul X-ray showed a radiopaque density with enlarged orbital cavity but no evidence of bone estruction. The patient was admitted to our department on the 13th of May, 1971. on the seventh hospital day, a child fist sized firm tumor mass removed through anterior approach. The right eye had also enucleated. Groasly the mass had a gray color, partially discolorated and have alveolar structures. Microscopically lymphoid follicles were seperated by fibrous. occasionally hyalinized fibrous connective tissue. Also occasional hemorrhagic foci and infiltration of eosinophils were seen.