Electron microscopy and HLA expression of a new cell line of retinoblastoma.

A new continuous retinoblastoma cell line (Rb 355-7) derived from a nonfamilial unilaterally-affected child was studied morphologically and with regard to HLA expression. The tumor was compared with two older and widely studied cell lines, the Y-79 and WERI-Rb1 strains. The Rb 355-7 line grew in tissue culture in clusters and chains. Its doubling time was calculated to be 4.4 days. In contrast to the Y-79 and WERI-Rb1 cell lines, the Rb 355-7 showed a paucity of HLA expression.

Fluorinated oils as experimental vitreous substitutes.

Two kinds of fluorinated oils (a fluorosilicone oil and a perfluoroether [Freon E15]) that have a higher density than water were evaluated as long-term vitreous substitutes. Vitreous compression using perfluoropropane gas was performed to create a space for the vitreous substitute in rabbit eyes. Two fluorosilicone oils (1000 and 10 000 centistokes) induced edema of the inner retinal layers and occasionally of the outer retinal layers regardless of viscosity or period of observation up to six months, but they were well tolerated clinically. Control eyes injected with silicone oils of comparable viscosities showed similar histopathologic findings. Freon E15 induced formation of bubbles and precipitates by one month after injection, and retinal disorganization, formation of preretinal membranes, and tractional retinal detachment by six months. Thus, Freon E15 proved to be unsuitable, but fluorosilicone oil is a possible high-density vitreous substitute.

The effects of pre-enucleation irradiation on the development of metastases from intraocular Greene melanoma in hamsters.

Using intraocular Greene melanoma in a hamster model, we studied the effect of pre-enucleation irradiation on the development of melanoma metastases. One group (No. = 111) was treated with 1,210 to 1,600 rads of cobaltous chloride Co 60 gamma irradiation before enucleation and the second group (No. = 100) received no irradiation. The groups did not differ with respect to presence of metastases in the 106 days after tumor implantation (chi 2 = 3.05; P = .08). However, Kaplan-Meier survival curves gave a longer time to melanoma-related death in the irradiated animals compared with the controls (log rank test, P = .0008).

An investigation into the association between liver damage and metastatic uveal melanoma.

We examined the effect of liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride on the incidence of hepatic metastasis in the Greene hamster melanoma. Nine of 17 animals with liver damage had melanoma growth in the liver after the intraportal vein injection of tumor cells, whereas tumor growth occurred in four of 27 control animals (P less than .01). These results suggest that, in this model, liver damage predisposes to metastatic involvement by melanoma.

Cocaine's use in ophthalmology: our 100-year heritage.

One hundred years ago the fledgling ophthalmologist Carl Koller demonstrated that the alkaloid cocaine was a local anesthetic suitable for rendering the eye temporarily insensible to pain. It was an event of historical significance, as his discovery opened the door not only to a new era in ophthalmic surgery, but to surgery in general. In this paper we review the ancient uses of the coca leaf, the historical events leading up to and following Koller's discovery, and the present day uses of cocaine in ophthalmology and medicine.

Choroidal halo nevus occurring in a patient with vitiligo.

A halo nevus of the ocular fundus is described in a patient with vitiligo and history of malignant melanoma of the calf excised six years previously. The significance of halo nevi is discussed.

Perfluoroether liquid as a long-term vitreous substitute. An experimental study.

A commercial perfluoroether liquid, Fomblin-H Fluorinated Fluid, which is transparent and viscous, was investigated as a possible long-term vitreous substitute. The material belongs to a family of perfluorocarbon derivatives that are generally inert and nontoxic. A space for the vitreous substitute was created in rabbit eyes by a vitreous compression technique using perfluoropropane gas. Fomblin caused gliosis of the retina at 1 month after intravitreous injection. Preretinal membrane formation and retinal disorganization and detachment occurred in two of four eyes enucleated at 3 months, and in all five eyes enucleated at 4 or 6 months. Vacuoles presumably filled with Fomblin were localized histopathologically within the retina. In control eyes injected with medical-grade silicone oil, abnormalities were limited to moderate edema of the nerve fiber and ganglion cell layer. Fomblin was not as well-tolerated by the rabbit retina as was medical-grade silicone oil. Fomblin is not a suitable vitreous substitute.

Resection of solitary metastasis. Approach to palliative treatment of hepatic involvement with choroidal melanoma.

Local resection was performed as palliative treatment of solitary hepatic metastases from choroidal melanoma in two patients. One patient survived three years after partial hepatectomy, and the second patient was in excellent clinical condition one year after hepatic resection despite radiologic evidence of possible recurrent metastases elsewhere. Our review suggests that local resection of solitary hepatic metastases may constitute an effective approach to palliation of hepatic involvement with uveal melanoma and may possibly lead to longer survival.

In vitro malignant transformation of hamster retina by herpes simplex virus.

Hamster retina was infected in vitro with irradiated herpes simplex virus type 2. Cells underwent malignant transformation, and when injected subcutaneously into nude mice and hamsters, produced transferable tumors. Transformed cells were found to have HSV antigen as determined by indirect fluorescent staining. In addition, the undifferentiated transformed retinal cells possess neurosecretory granules and retinoic acid receptors and produce growth factor, features similar to those found in spontaneous human retinoblastoma. This is the first neoplasm of ocular tissues induced experimentally by herpes simplex virus (HSV).

The Harrower collection and its place in the history of ophthalmic pathology.

A set of ophthalmic pathology slides made in 1882 by Dr. David Harrower, a Massachusetts physician who studied at Moorfields Eye Hospital, and Mr. W. Jennings Milles, the curator of Moorfields, are reviewed. They are of historical significance, as they were made at a time when microscopic examination of ocular tissues was first being introduced, and they represent one of the earliest examples of the use of celloidin for embedding ocular tissue. The slides are well preserved and contain cases demonstrating a wide spectrum of ocular pathology. The Harrower collection is possibly the oldest existing slide collection of ophthalmic histopathology.

A corneal micropocket assay for angiogenesis in the rat eye.

A corneal micropocket assay for angiogenesis in the rat eye is described in detail. With our test system, a partially purified, low molecular-weight endothelial cell growth stimulatory factor isolated from the Walker 256 rat carcinosarcoma is demonstrated to have potent angiogenic activity in vivo. The advantages and applications of our rat corneal assay are discussed.

Induction of stalk and spore cell differentiation by cyclic AMP in slugs of Dictyostelium discoideum.

Multicellular masses of the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum, under conditions which ordinarily suppress cell differentiation, develop clusters of stalk cells and spore cells when implanted with Sephadex particles that had been soaked in 5 X 10(-3)M cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP). A possible relation exists between oxygen gradients, cyclic AMP gradients, and the pattern of morphogenesis and cell differentiation during fruiting.