Reduction of postoperative against-the-rule astigmatism by lateral incision technique.

A group of 80 preoperative against-the-rule (AR) eyes had cataract removal and intraocular lens implantation with lateral (temporal) incision and suturing. Fifty-six of the 80 eyes had extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) and 24 had phacoemulsification (KPE) with capsulorhexis. For both procedures, subgroups (21 of ECCE, ten of KPE) with high preoperative AR astigmatism (> or = -2.0 D) were evaluated. Analysis of the postoperative data provided the following: (1) induced postoperative cylinder decrease, (2) effect of cutting and not cutting sutures, (3) induced axial shift, (4) postoperative astigmatic change as a function of time, and (5) comparative effectiveness of ECCE and KPE lateral incision procedures in reducing postoperative AR astigmatism.

Longitudinal study of postoperative astigmatism.

A prospective longitudinal study of 503 eyes that had extracapsular cataract extraction with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation was conducted. Each patient was followed for a minimum of one year. Data were collected, analyzed, and the following information ascertained: temporal behavior of induced keratometric and cylindrical changes, induced with-the-rule, against-the-rule, and oblique astigmatism, comparison of keratometric and refractive astigmatism, and the effect of cutting sutures upon induced astigmatism. Though a large amount of with-the-rule astigmatism was immediately induced after surgery, by the end of one year over 60% of patients shifted toward against-the-rule.

Neodymium: YAG laser posterior capsulotomy.

Posterior capsule opacification, caused by pearl formation or fibrosis, occurs commonly following cataract surgery. This paper presents results of a study of 367 Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomies and discusses both risks and benefits. Specific attention has been given to intraocular pressure (IOP), corneal endothelial cell integrity, and visual acuities. The average maximum induced IOP rise was 1.4 mm Hg and this occurred within one hour of the capsulotomy. The average corneal endothelial cell change was a loss of 7% or 115 cells/mm2. Visual acuity improved to better than 20/30 in 87.5% of patients.

Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy: a clinical study.

As a postoperative complication to cataract surgery [extracapsular extraction (ECCE), phacoemulsification (KPE)], the posterior capsule (PC) of the lens often becomes opacified with plaque, Elschnig's pearls, or fibrotic bands, resulting in decreased visual acuity (VA). A Q-switched Nd:YAG ophthalmic laser was used to perform noninvasive micropuncturing of the posterior capsule. Two hundred thirteen patients (195 with existing intraocular lenses) underwent laser capsulotomy within a 14-month clinical study. These patients were followed over a 6-month postcapsulotomy period. Findings indicate excellent restored VA with minimal ocular complications.

[Biopharmaceutical studies on phospholipid liposomes as carriers for the oral administration of insulin]. / Biopharmazeutische Untersuchungen an Phospholipid-Liposomen als Träger zur oralen Applikation von Insulin.

Insulin-loaded phospholipid liposomes containing 125I-insulin as an indicator were orally administered to mice. The activity distribution in the organism was followed as a function of the time elapsed after application. Biphasic evacuation of the stomach was followed by rapid absorption from the intestine, and the distribution in the blood and body periphery. Precipitation by trichloroacetic acid showed that 20-25% of the indicator were intact or macromolecularly bounded. Actual degradation processes manifest themselves in a rapid increase of the activity in the thyroid gland and the excreta. Furthermore, the effect of an increase in deoxycholate concentration on the inclusion was studied in vitro; it was found that insulin is largely released above a critical concentration coefficient.

[The usefulness of ruthenium red in dye exclusion test on cultured cells (author's transl)]. / Zur Verwendung von Rutheniumrot im Farbstoffexklusionstest an kultivierten Zellen.

QUESTION: The reliability of statements and the reproducibility of results derived from experiments on cell cultures are dependent on the use of practicable methods for most objective assay of the state of the cells. The experiments were to clarify the following questions: 1. Is it possible to assay vital and nonvital cells by use of the dye exclusion test (FET)? 2. Are intact cells also stained by FET? 3. Will there be a possibility to make FET more sensitive to obtain more reliable statements?

[Studies on the cytotoxicity of poly-L-arginine, poly-L-lysine and DEAE-dextran in L-cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts]. / Untersuchungen zur Zytotoxizität von Poly-L-Arginin, Poly-L-Lysin und DEAE-Dextran bei L-Zellen und Mäuseembryofibroblasten.

Cellular insulin uptake is influenced by poly-L-arginine, poly-L-lysine and DEAE-dextran. In this study it is asked for the mechanisms of these influences as well as for the cytotoxicity of different concentrations of these substances. The experiments aim to contribute to the knowledge on toxic concentrations of polycations.

[Insulin catabolism by transformed, cultivated mouse fibroblasts (L-cells)]. / Abbau von Insulin durch transformierte, kultivierte Mäusefibroblasten (L-Zellen)

Cultivated, transformed mouse fibroblasts (L-cells) are endowed with enzyme systems for insulin breakdown that are comparable to those of many other types of non-dedifferentiated insulin target cells (time and substrate dependence, Km value). It cannot yet be decided, however, which of the potential enzyme systems (thiolproteindisulfide-oxidoreductase (TPO) [E.C. 1.8.4.2] or proteinase) is prevalent in insulin breakdown in intact L-cells. Despite the lack of typical target symptoms for insulin, the cultivated L-cell could provide an appropriate experimental model for the insulin metabolism.