Complex history of dog (Canis familiaris) origins and translocations in the Pacific revealed by ancient mitogenomes.

Archaeological evidence suggests that dogs were introduced to the islands of Oceania via Island Southeast Asia around 3,300 years ago, and reached the eastern islands of Polynesia by the fourteenth century AD. This dispersal is intimately tied to human expansion, but the involvement of dogs in Pacific migrations is not well understood. Our analyses of seven new complete ancient mitogenomes and five partial mtDNA sequences from archaeological dog specimens from Mainland and Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific suggests at least three dog dispersal events into the region, in addition to the introduction of dingoes to Australia. We see an early introduction of dogs to Island Southeast Asia, which does not appear to extend into the islands of Oceania. A shared haplogroup identified between Iron Age Taiwanese dogs, terminal-Lapita and post-Lapita dogs suggests that at least one dog lineage was introduced to Near Oceania by or as the result of interactions with Austronesian language speakers associated with the Lapita Cultural Complex. We did not find any evidence that these dogs were successfully transported beyond New Guinea. Finally, we identify a widespread dog clade found across the Pacific, including the islands of Polynesia, which likely suggests a post-Lapita dog introduction from southern Island Southeast Asia.

The spectrum of postmortem ocular findings in victims of shaken baby syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Ophthalmologists and ocular pathologists are called on to help identify children who have undergone violent shaking. The objective of this study was to describe the spectrum of postmortem ocular findings in victims of shaken baby syndrome and to correlate the ocular findings with the nonocular features found at autopsy. METHODS: The ocular pathology registry at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute was reviewed to identify all victims of fatal shaken baby syndrome whose eyes had been submitted for examination between Apr. 1, 1971, and Dec. 31, 1995. Autopsy reports were accessed from the hospital charts of the identified patients. RESULTS: Six patients, aged 1 to 34 months, were identified. Intraocular findings ranged from a focal globular hemorrhage at the posterior pole to extensive intraocular hemorrhage involving the entire retina with perimacular folds. All the children had evidence of optic nerve sheath hemorrhage. Nonocular findings included intracranial hemorrhage (in all cases), skull fracture (in two), rib fractures (in three) and high spinal cord hemorrhage (in four). The extent of the intraocular hemorrhage was not consistent with the nonocular findings. INTERPRETATION: Abused children may display a range of postmortem ocular findings, with intraocular hemorrhage varying from minimal to severe. These findings may not correlate with the severity of the child's other injuries. The presence of any retinal or optic nerve sheath hemorrhage in an infant, in the absence of an appropriate explanation for these findings, should raise suspicion of child abuse.

Familial occurrence of pseudoexfoliation in Canada.

BACKGROUND: Genetic factors may play an important role in pseudoexfoliation syndrome. We describe the familial occurrence of pseudoexfoliation in Canadian families. METHODS: Probands with pseudoexfoliation were referred to a tertiary care glaucoma service in Ottawa because of a family history of pseudoexfoliation or glaucoma, or both. Probands and family members who agreed to participate underwent a systematic interview and eye examination. The pseudoexfoliation status was classified as affected, suspect or unknown based on preestablished criteria for the diagnosis of pseudoexfoliation and glaucoma. RESULTS: Thirty-four members of 10 families were assessed (18 affected, 2 suspect and 14 status unknown). Six families had two or more generations with pseudoexfoliation, and four families had one generation affected. There was a predominance of females among the affected subjects (17:1), and transmission in all cases appeared to be maternal. Eight of the families were of Irish/Scottish ancestry. Nine (50%) of the affected subjects had cardiovascular disease. Affected subjects tended to be older than suspects and those whose status was unknown (mean age 77, 67 and 55 years respectively). Seven subjects were affected unilaterally and 11 bilaterally. Affected subjects had moderate angle pigmentation in both eyes (mean +2.7, where 0 = no pigment and +4 = dense homogeneous pigment). The mean intraocular pressure in both eyes was higher for the affected subjects (23.1 [standard deviation (SD) 8.6] mm Hg) than for the suspects (16.8 [SD 6.1] mm Hg) and those of unknown status (16.8 [SD 2.9] mm Hg). An enlarged cup:disc ratio was seen in the affected subjects (mean 0.62). Eleven (61%) of the affected subjects had open angles on gonioscopy, and five had occludable angles and required peripheral iridectomy. Ten (56%) of the affected subjects were classified as having glaucoma, and 14 (78%) had evidence of cataract formation in at least one eye. INTERPRETATION: Pseudoexfoliation appears to be transmitted matrilineally, which raises the possibility of mitochondrial inheritance, X-linked inheritance or autosomal inheritance with genomic imprinting. A larger study of families with pseudoexfoliation is necessary to clarify the mode of transmission and to identify the gene(s) involved in the etiology of this disorder.

Toxicity of intravitreal interferon alpha-2b in the rabbit.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the toxicity of single doses of intravitreally administered interferon alpha-2b in the New Zealand white albino rabbit. INTERVENTIONS: One eye each of six rabbits received an intravitreal injection of 1000, 10,000, 100,000, 500,000, 1 million or 2 million units of interferon alpha-2b reconstituted in 0.1 mL of balanced salt solution. The fellow eye of the first three rabbits received an intravitreal injection of the same volume of balanced salt solution. OUTCOME MEASURES: Media opacities, toxic effects to the retina, optic nerve or other ocular structures. RESULTS: The injection of 2 million units of interferon alpha-2b elicited an immediate dense vitreous haze that largely cleared within 24 hours as well as numerous intraretinal hemorrhages that were no longer visible 7 days after injection. Histopathological study of this eye 14 days after injection showed a diffuse mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate with retinal vacuolation and ganglion cell dropout. In the remaining eyes, to dosages of 1 million units, the agent produced no clinically or pathologically evident toxic ocular effects. CONCLUSIONS: Interferon alpha-2b appears to be safe and well tolerated up to dosages of 1 million units.

Air guns: the main cause of enucleation secondary to trauma in children and young adults in the greater Ottawa area in 1974-93.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the proportion of enucleation procedures attributable to injuries from air guns in people aged 18 years or less and to identify the associated pathological findings. DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: Ophthalmic Pathology Registry, University of Ottawa, and affiliated Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (Ottawa), Ottawa General Hospital and Ottawa Civic Hospital. In addition, information on air gun injuries from April 1990 to December 1993 was obtained from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) database, with data from 10 pediatric and 5 general hospitals across Canada. PATIENTS: All patients aged 18 years or less who underwent enucleation between Jan. 1, 1974, and Dec. 31, 1993. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients were identified as having undergone enucleation. Trauma accounted for 51 cases (60%), of which 13 (25%) were caused by air guns, the largest single cause of enucleation secondary to trauma. Overall, air gun injuries accounted for 15% of enucleation procedures, whereas retinoblastoma accounted for 21%. All air gun injuries were in boys (median age 14 years, range 9 to 16 years). Of the 13 eyes with air gun injuries 7 had ocular perforation and 6 had ocular penetration. In all cases the intraocular structures were severely disrupted. The CHIRPP database included 165 air gun injuries; 32 were to the eye or ocular adnexa, resulting in 26 hospital admissions. CONCLUSIONS: Air guns were the largest single cause of enucleation secondary to trauma in our study. These guns are widely available in Canada and are unrestricted at muzzle velocities capable of causing death or serious injury, especially to the eye. We feel that air guns should be licensed only to people aged 16 to 18 years or older and that education in their use should be mandatory.

Irradiated homologous aorta in eyelid reconstruction. Part 1: Technique and animal research.

Reconstruction of full thickness eyelid defects requires the correction of posterior lamella (tarsus, conjunctiva) and anterior lamella (skin, muscle). Various tarsal substitutes--conchal and nasal cartilage, banked sclera, hard palate, irradiated homologous tarsal plates, periosteum, temporalis fascia, and composite grafts from the opposite eyelid--have been used for posterior lamellar replacement over the years. Eyelid-sharing procedures and full thickness flaps have also been described. At times, because of extensive tissue loss, the eyelid reconstruction can be particularly challenging because of the shortage of tissue. We describe a new posterior lamellar technique using irradiated homologous aorta. The experimental surgical procedure in rabbits, the clinical response, and the histological fate of the donor aorta are described in Part 1 followed by our experience with four patients in Part 2.

Wegener's granulomatosis. Eyelid and conjunctival manifestations as the presenting feature in two individuals.

BACKGROUND: Wegener's granulomatosis is a necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis that may exist in a generalized or limited form and has a variety of unusual and uncommon presentations. Although ocular manifestations are relatively common in the disease at some point, the eyelid and its conjunctival lining are rarely involved. When this area is the initial focus of the disease, diagnosis may be difficult. RESULTS: The authors present two patients with Wegener's granulomatosis who had involvement of the palpebral conjunctiva as the initial manifestation. CONCLUSION: Eyelid and conjunctival involvement in Wegener's granulomatosis is uncommon. When it is the initial manifestation of this disease, a diagnosis of Wegener's may be delayed unless this unusual presentation is recognized.

Surgical results and pathological findings in the oculopharyngeal dystrophy syndrome.

The oculopharyngeal dystrophy syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder commonly seen in patients of French-Canadian descent. The syndrome is characterized by progressive ptosis and dysphagia, with onset in midlife. In this series 26 patients (47 eyelids) underwent surgery to correct the ptosis. The aponeurotic advancement technique, performed in 28 of the lids, resulted in an average elevation of 2.5 mm (mean follow-up interval 8.6 months). The combined aponeurosis-Müller's muscle advancement technique, performed in 17 lids, resulted in an average elevation of 3.5 mm (mean follow-up period 8.0 months). Müller's muscle as well as the levator muscle was found to be involved in the dystrophic process.

Scheie's syndrome. An ultrastructural analysis of the cornea.

The histopathology of a corneal graft specimen obtained from a patient with Scheie's syndrome (systemic mucopolysaccharidosis, type IS) is described with particular emphasis on the ultrastructural findings. Numerous vacuoles containing fibrillogranular material were found in the corneal epithelial cells, the keratocytes, and the endothelial cells. The basement membrane of the epithelium contained frequent breaks and peg-like undulations, and Bowman's layer was markedly attenuated. Fibrous long-spacing (FLS) collagen featured prominently in the stroma. Descemet's membrane was normal. The findings of a markedly attenuated Bowman's layer and FLS collagen may be abnormalities specific to Scheie's syndrome resulting from the altered glycosaminoglycan composition of the extracellular matrix.

Adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland with metastasis to the preauricular lymph nodes and parotid gland.

We describe a 68-year-old man with adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland with metastatic spread to the ipsilateral preauricular lymph nodes and parotid gland. The patient died of metastatic lung involvement. Metastasis to the preauricular nodes and parotid gland by malignant lacrimal gland tumours is rare.

Malakoplakia of the eyelid.

A 35-year-old white man, on immunosuppressive medications for 3 1/2 years following a renal transplant, presented with a whitish-yellow mass at the medial end of the left lower eyelid. An initial incisional biopsy was performed that was misinterpreted as granular cell myoblastoma. The mass was subsequently excised and histopathologic examination revealed malakoplakia. A more extensive recurrent lesion was excised one year later. About two years after the resection of the original lesion the patient died of complications of chronic renal failure. At autopsy there was no evidence of malakoplakia either of the eyelid-or systemically. This is the first case reported of eyelid involvement by malakoplakia, a histiocytic disorder with pathognomonic histopathologic features.