Primary subconjunctival ganglioneuroma.

A ganglioneuroma is an extremely rare benign neoplasm composed of neural elements, including mature ganglion cells that originate from the sympathetic ganglia. It is located most frequently in the posterior mediastinum and can be found in the retroperitoneum, including the adrenal medulla. It may evolve from a differentiating neuroblastoma or may be diagnosed as a primary ganglioneuroma. Primary orbital ganglioneuromas are extremely rare, with only 2 reported cases in young otherwise-healthy individuals. A single, reported case of bulbar conjunctival ganglioneuromas has been described in water buffalos. This is the first report of a primary subconjunctival ganglioneuroma in a young healthy person.

Nitric oxide mediates epinephrine-induced apoptotic cell death of trabecular meshwork cells in vitro.

To evaluate the effect of epinephrine on the cellular proliferation and production of nitric oxide (NO) in trabecular meshwork (TM) cells, cultured porcine TM cells were exposed to epinephrine at various concentrations, with and without its NO inhibitor, N(omega)-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). The proliferation of TM cells and the production of NO were quantified by rapid colorimetric assays. Acridine orange/Hoechest 33342 staining and flow cytometry were done to evaluate apoptosis. Epinephrine inhibited the proliferation of cultured TM cells and produced NO at significant levels in a dose-dependent manner. However, the antiproliferative effect of epinephrine was abolished by L-NAME. Fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometric analysis revealed that epinephrine induced apoptotic cell death, which was suppressed by L-NAME. The current results suggest that the inhibitory effect of epinephrine on TM cell survival is associated with NO production. NO-mediated apoptosis may be involved in this epinephrine-induced antiproliferative effect on TM cells.