Radiation-related ophthalmological changes and aging among Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bomb survivors: a reanalysis.

The relationship of ionizing radiation to the age-related ophthalmological findings of the 1978-1980 ophthalmological examination of A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has been reanalyzed using DS86 eye organ dose estimates. The main purpose of this reevaluation was to determine whether age and radiation exposure, as measured using the recently revised dosimetry information (DS86), have an additive, synergistic, or antagonistic effect. The data in this study are limited to axial opacities and posterior subcapsular changes, for which a definite radiation-induced effect has been observed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bomb survivors. The best model fitting for axial opacities gives a significant positive effect for both linear dose and linear age-related regression coefficients and a significant negative effect for an interaction between radiation dose and age. Such a negative interaction implies an antagonistic effect in that the relative risks in relation to radiation exposure doses become smaller with an increase in age. On the other hand, the best-fitting relationship for posterior subcapsular changes suggested a linear-quadratic dose and linear age-related effect. The estimate of the quadratic dose coefficient shows a highly negative correlation with age, but the negative quadratic dose term is extremely small and is of little biological significance.

Ophthalmologic changes related to radiation exposure and age in adult health study sample, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

A 2-year ophthalmologic study of age and radiation-related ophthalmologic lesions among the atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was conducted in 1978-80. The study sample in both cities was composed of all persons exposed to 100+ rad, their controls, and all other persons with a previous record of axial opacities or posterior subcapsular changes. Most of the losses were due to persons who refused to participate or for whom it was not possible to arrange for an ophthalmologic examination at the time of the regularly scheduled medical examination. It should be emphasized, however, that the loss of persons in both the control and the 100+ rad groups did not change systematically with increasing age by city. Increased lenticular opacities, other lens changes, and loss of visual acuity and accommodation occurred with increasing age in both exposed and control subjects as manifestations of the normal aging process. A highly significant excess risk for all age categories in the 300+ rad group in comparison to those in the control group was observed for both axial opacities and posterior subcapsular changes in Hiroshima, but not in Nagasaki. A stronger radiosensitive aging effect for persons who were under 15 years old at the time of the bombing (ATB) was observed for both axial opacities and posterior subcapsular changes in Hiroshima.

Progressive facial hemiatrophy after epileptic seizures.

Intractable complex partial seizures developed in a 3-year-old female with normal intracranial findings on computed tomography. Frontal paramedian band-like depression of the skin gradually developed thereafter, and progressive facial hemiatrophy (Parry-Romberg syndrome) was diagnosed. Computed tomography scanning at 5 years of age revealed multiple parenchymal calcifications and low-density areas in the white matter of the frontoparietal lobes. Epileptic seizures, one of the major neurologic complications of progressive facial hemiatrophy, could precede the succeeding neurocutaneous changes.

Glycosaminoglycans in pterygium tissues and normal conjunctiva.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in pterygium tissues were analyzed and the results were compared with those in the normal human conjunctiva. A marked difference in the GAG composition was found: 78% of the total hexosamines of GAG from pterygium was glucosamine, whereas 98% of those of the conjunctiva was galactosamine. Pterygium contained mainly hyaluronic acid (48.8%), followed by chondroitin sulfate A, chondroitin sulfate C, chondroitin and dermatan sulfate in this order. The normal conjunctiva contained mainly chondroitin sulfate C (73.5%), followed by chondroitin sulfate A and chondroitin sulfate E-like GAG. The amino acid composition showed some differences between pterygium and normal conjunctiva. The pterygium tissues contained an extremely large amount of hydroxyproline, but the conjunctiva contained a very small amount of this substance. Considerable changes in amino acid composition of both tissues were found after digestion with elastase.

[Studies on fortimicin in the field of ophthalmology].

Bacteriological and clinical studies of fortimicin in the field of ophthalmology were performed and the results obtained were as follows. 1. The concentration of fortimicin in serum, primary aqueous humor and secondary aqueous humor after intramuscular injection of 30 mg/kg to rabbit reached the peak value of 23.36 microgram/ml after 1/2 hour, 6.07 microgram/ml after 1 hour and 60.6 microgram/ml after 1 hour, respectively. 2. The concentration of fortimicin in primary aqueous humor after subconjunctival injection of 10 mg (0.5 ml) in the rabbit eye reached the peak value of 8.06 microgram/ml after 1/2 hour. 3. The concentration of fortimicin in plasma and primary aqueous humor after intramuscular injection of 200 mg in patients of cataract before operation reached the value of 8.85 microgram/ml and 0.74 microgram/ml after 1 hour. 4. Fortimicin was administered to 5 cases of internal hordeolum and 2 cases of corneal ulcer. Clinical effects were excellent in 3 cases, good in 2 cases and fair in 2 cases. Side effect was observed diarrhea, but the causal relationship with fortimicin was unknown.

An epithelioma of the ciliary body.

A 57-year-old woman developed a ciliary body mass which compressed the anterior side of the lens with focal cataract causing the iris to protrude into the anterior chamber. The lesion was removed by a large iridocyclectomy. The mass was classified as an epithelioma of the ciliary body, which was consistent with a benign epithelioma, i.e. an adenoma of the nonpigmented ciliary epithelium. Light and electron microscopic examinations revealed that the tumor cells had characteristics of both the ciliary and iris epithelium, which originated from the neuroectoderm, including abundant cytoplasmic filaments, and pheomelanosomes, and that the gland-like lumen was the pseudoacinous lumen, i.e. invaginated stroma containing the vitreous.