RESUMO
Background: The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the differences in neurovascular coupling between Caucasian patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) and healthy subjects (HS) with laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG). Methods: Measurement of optic nerve head blood flow was performed with LSFG. The mean blur rate of the whole optic nerve head (MA), of the big retinal vessels (MV) and of the microvasculature (MT) was analysed during continuous flicker light stimulation for four minutes. Results: We included 12 eyes from 12 Caucasian patients with a diagnosis of normal tension glaucoma and 12 eyes from 12 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. MA, MV and MT all increased significantly in both groups during the observation period with no difference between the groups. Conclusion: Neurovascular coupling is detectable in NTG patients. Flicker light stimulation leads to a comparable increase in ocular blood flow in glaucoma patients and healthy individuals.
Assuntos
Glaucoma de Baixa Tensão/fisiopatologia , Acoplamento Neurovascular/fisiologia , Disco Óptico/irrigação sanguínea , Vasos Retinianos/fisiopatologia , Idoso , Velocidade do Fluxo Sanguíneo/fisiologia , Pressão Sanguínea/fisiologia , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Voluntários Saudáveis , Humanos , Pressão Intraocular/fisiologia , Fluxometria por Laser-Doppler , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fibras Nervosas/patologia , Estimulação Luminosa , Projetos Piloto , Fluxo Sanguíneo Regional/fisiologia , Retina/efeitos da radiação , Células Ganglionares da Retina/patologia , Campos Visuais/fisiologiaRESUMO
Ninety-one children with cancer (thirty-seven with leukemia and fifty-four with solid tumors)--school aged (elementary and middle school), residing in Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy), and receiving treatment at the Department of Pediatrics (III), University of Bologna, from August 1973 to April 1987--took part in a study of school behavior as perceived by the teacher. The research was carried out through a 29-item forced-choice questionnaire based on the questionnaire proposed by Deasy-Spinetta for a similar study in the U.S.A. Results revealed that children with cancer have a school behavior scoring at levels significantly lower than controls. There are more difficulties for children attending middle than elementary school, for children on therapy than off therapy, and for children with leukemia than with solid tumors. In conclusion, the main obstacle to school performance seems to be lower attendance, which is mainly due to treatment and clinic visits and probably in part to an overprotection and an excessive concern on the part of physicians and parents.
