Preoperative evaluation and outcome of corneal transplantation for limbal dermoids: a ten-year follow-up study.

AIM: To summarize preoperative evaluation and outcome of corneal transplantation for limbal dermoids for ten years. METHODS: Eighty-five patients diagnosed with limbal dermoids and treated with corneal transplantation were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were further divided into two groups according to absence or presence of neovascularization surrounding the dermoids in the corneal stroma. Eighty-two eyes were treated with tumor excision combined with partial lamellar sclerokeratoplasty, and the other three eyes were performed by penetrating keratoplasty. The size and location of the tumor, the associated ocular and systemic anomalies, the depth of the corneal penetration of tumor tissues, the preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), graft survival and cosmetic outcome, and surgical complications were recorded respectively. RESULTS: The average age at surgery was 5.3y (range, 3mo-36y). The mean size of dermoids was 6.1±1.6 mm. The 43.5% of eyes (37/85) were present with hair at the surface of the dermoid and 72.9% of dermoids were located inferotemporal of the eye. Amplyopia was present in 34.1% of patients (29/85) and 9.4% of patients (8/85) had lipodermoids. Eighteen patients suffered from Goldenhar's syndrome with an accessory ear. The 75% of patients in group 1 had involvement of the corneal deep stroma down to Descemet's membrane without involving it, but 71.4% of patients had Descemet's membrane involvement in group 2. Preoperative BCVA ranged from counting fingers to 20/20. Postoperatively 81.1% had a BCVA of 20/800 or better. There was no significant difference between the post-surgical BCVA of the two groups (t=1.584, P>0.05). The grafts of 70.5% patients were present as 1+ opacity, 21.1% as 2+ opacity, 8.2% as 3+ opacity and none as 4+ opacity. Surgical complications included graft rejection, microperforation, prolonged reepithelialization, steroid glaucoma, interface neovascularization, and interface hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: The dermoids with neovascularization surrounding them in the corneal stroma invaded deeper tissues in the cornea than those with no neovascularization surrounding them in the corneal stroma. Therefore, surgeons should take care to avoid corneal perforation during the corneal transplantation operation. The majority of patients markedly improved their cosmetic appearance after surgery.

Halophilols A and B, two new stilbenes from Iris halophila.

A new monomeric stilbene, halophilol A (1), and a new tetrastilbene, halophilol B (2), along with three known oligostilbenes were isolated from the seeds of Iris halophila. Their structures were established on the basis of the spectral data. The oligostilbene skeleton is encountered for the first time in the Iridaceae family. Bioactivity tests showed that 1 had moderate cytotoxicity against KB and HMEC cell lines (IC50 = 17.28 microM, 22.47 microM respectively), while 2 was inactive.

Identification of three sulfate-conjugated metabolites of berberine chloride in healthy volunteers' urine after oral administration.

AIM: To identify the structure of unknown metabolites of berberine (Ber) in human urine after oral administration. METHODS: Urine samples were obtained from 5 volunteers after they orally took Ber chloride 0.9 g per day for three days. Metabolites in urine samples were isolated and purified by polyporous resin column chromatography. The individual metabolites were identified mainly using electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. RESULTS: Three unknown metabolites (M1, M2, and M3) were isolated. They were susceptible to arylsufatase. ESI-MS measurements of M1, M2, and M3 produced quasimolecular ions [M+H]+, m/z 17.9, 404.0, and 402.0 respectively. Especially, each of them produced a characteristic protonated ion [M-80+H]+, which can be ascribed as quasimolecular ions lost a SO3 fragment. 1H NMR spectra of the metabolites were also obtained and each of 1H signals was assigned. CONCLUSION: Structures of M1, M2, and M3 were firmly identified as jatrorrhizine-3-sulfate, demethyleneberberine-2-sulfate, and thalifendine-10-sulfate, and the major metabolite was M2.