RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between combined serum lutein and zeaxanthin (L+Z) concentration and macular pigment optical density (MPOD), and to investigate the effect of L+Z+docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) dietary supplementation on the spatial distribution of MPOD. METHODS: Twenty healthy fellow eyes with unilateral wet age-related macular degeneration or chronic central serous chorioretinopathy were included. All participants received a dietary supplement for 6 months that contained 20 mg L, 1 mg Z, and 200 mg DHA. The best-corrected visual acuity and contrast sensitivity (CS) were measured at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months. Serum L+Z concentrations were measured at baseline and at 3 months. MPOD was calculated at each time point using fundus autofluorescent images. RESULTS: Serum L+Z concentration was correlated with MPOD at 1°-2° eccentricity at baseline (r=0.63, P=0.003) and 3 months (r=0.53, P=0.015). Serum L+Z concentration increased by a factor of 2.3±1.0 (P<0.0001). At 6 months, MPOD was significantly higher compared to the baseline level at 0°-0.25° (P=0.034) and 0.25°-0.5° (P=0.032) eccentricity. CS improved after 3 or 6 months of L+Z+DHA supplementation (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Juxtafoveal MPOD was associated with serum L+Z concentration. Foveal MPOD was increased by L+Z+DHA dietary supplementation.
RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To report the clinical course of a patient with vasoproliferative retinal tumor (VPRT) who was treated with transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT). METHODS: A 50-year-old asymptomatic woman who had undergone fundus examination as a part of a preventive medical examination and been diagnosed with a retinal tumor in the left eye was referred to our hospital. Photocoagulation failed to inhibit progression of the massive serous detachment that accompanied the tumor, and TTT was performed with an 810-nm diode laser with a 4.0-mm spot size at 500 mW to 750 mW for 60 seconds with a 1-month interval between 2 treatments. Four and two partially overlapping laser spots were applied to cover the entire tumor in the first and second treatment sessions, respectively. As a result, the laser was applied to the tumor until the lesion become white. RESULTS: The serous retinal detachment and macular edema had almost completely resolved after two sessions of TTT. Thirteen months after TTT, there was no recurrence of the tumor. CONCLUSION: There were no complications associated with TTT for VPRT. Further follow-up of this case as well as accumulative data from other case reports is still needed, but TTT may be effective for treating VPRT with severe retinal detachment.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Anxiety symptoms might be a vulnerability factor for the development of major depressive disorder (MDD). Because elevated startle magnitude in threatening contexts is a marker for anxiety disorder, the present study investigated the hypothesis that enhanced startle reactivity would also be found in children and grandchildren of individuals with MDD. METHODS: The magnitude of startle was investigated in two tests (anticipation of an unpleasant blast of air and during darkness) in children (second generation) and grandchildren (third generation) of probands with (high risk) or without (low risk) MDD (first generation). RESULTS: Startle discriminated between the low- and high-risk groups. In the probands' children, the high-risk group showed increased startle magnitude throughout the fear-potentiated startle test. In the probands' grandchildren, a gender-specific abnormality was found in the high-risk group with high-risk girls, but not boys, exhibiting elevated startle magnitude throughout the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Increased startle reactivity in threatening contexts, previously found in patients with anxiety disorder and in children of parents with an anxiety disorder, might also constitute a vulnerability marker for MDD. These findings suggest that there might be common biologic diatheses underlying depression and anxiety.