Topical autologous serum promotes enucleation wound healing in retinoblastoma patients.

Two retinoblastoma patients underwent uneventful enucleations while undergoing perioperative chemotherapy. In both cases the postoperative course was complicated by poor conjunctival wound healing. Administration of topical autologous serum was associated with wound healing and conjunctivalization of these wounds.

Serous retinal detachment in Joubert syndrome.

This report describes a 3-year-old Chinese-Italian boy with Joubert syndrome. Fundus examination showed bilateral optic disc coloboma. Left serous retinal detachment was also found.

Allelic imbalance at 13q31 is associated with reduced GPC6 in Chinese with sporadic retinoblastoma.

Background/aims: Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) has been discovered in retinoblastoma (RB) in previous studies. In this study, we aimed to discover potential tumour suppressor genes through investigation of the incidence of allelic loss in chromosome 1, 6, 9, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22 and X in Chinese sporadic retinoblastoma patients and to study the expression of genes flanking LOH region 13q31.

Methods: Twenty-five microdissected RB samples were analysed to investigate the LOH in 140 microsatellite markers.

Prenatal screening for retinoblastoma in Hong Kong.

We report the first use in Hong Kong of molecular techniques to screen prenatally for retinoblastoma and review 17 cases of retinoblastoma seen at the Hong Kong Eye Hospital from 2001 to 2006. A pregnant couple whose first child had retinoblastoma requested prenatal screening for retinoblastoma during their second pregnancy in 2000. Whole RB1 coding gene sequencing was performed on peripheral blood cells taken from family members and cultured amniocytes collected from the foetus during the 14th week of gestation.

Anterior segment ischemia after two-muscle surgery in a patient with radiation-treated nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Anterior segment ischemia after strabismus surgery is a rare occurrence. Risk factors include single-stage surgery of three or more muscles in one eye, dysthyroid eye disease, and advanced age. The authors report a case of anterior segment ischemia after single-stage surgery of two horizontal muscles without previous reported risk factors.

Secondary acute myelogenous leukemia in patients with retinoblastoma: is chemotherapy a factor?

Purpose: To describe a series of patients with secondary acute myelogenous leukemia (sAML) and retinoblastoma (RB).

Design: Retrospective observational cases series.

Participants: Ocular and pediatric oncologists at referral centers in Europe and the Americas and the RB databases at the National Institutes of Health and the Ophthalmic Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Updates on the surgical management of paediatric cataract with primary intraocular lens implantation.

With the advent of modern surgical techniques, paediatric cataract has become much more manageable. Intraocular lens (IOL) implantation is the standard of care for patients over the age of 2 years. The use of IOL in young infants is still controversial.

Changes in refraction and ocular dimensions after cataract surgery and primary intraocular lens implantation in infants.

Purpose: To study refraction and axial length changes after cataract extraction and primary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in children younger than 1 year of age.

Setting: Two regional hospitals.

Methods: After determining the IOL power for emmetropia, 80% of the value was used to choose the IOL for implantation to counter anticipated myopic shift with age.

Multistage approach to uveitic cataract management in children.

Phototherapeutic keratectomy, cataract extraction and hydrophobic acrylic lens implantation, Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy, glaucoma valve implantation, and intravitreal steroid injections resulted in substantial visual improvement in three eyes of two children with complicated cataract due to severe uveitis. At follow-up of 6 months to 4 years, the children had clear corneas and normal intraocular pressures.

25-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy system in the surgical management of children with posterior capsular opacification.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the 25-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy (TSV) system in the surgical management of posterior capsular opacification (PCO) in pseudophakic children.

Methods: Pars plana membranectomy was performed for PCO in 10 pseudophakic eyes of six children (mean age 35.1 +/- 37.

Ocular hypertensive and anti-inflammatory responses to different dosages of topical dexamethasone in children: a randomized trial.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the ocular hypertensive and anti-inflammatory responses to two different dosage schedules of 0.1% topical dexamethasone in a population of Chinese children undergoing strabismus surgery.

Methods: Children undergoing bilateral strabismus surgeries were randomly assigned to receive topical 0.

Clinical implications of promoter hypermethylation in RASSF1A and MGMT in retinoblastoma.

We investigated the epigenetic silencing and genetic changes of the RAS-associated domain family 1A (RASSF1A) gene and the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene in retinoblastoma. We extracted DNA from microdissected tumor and normal retina tissues of the same patient in 68 retinoblastoma cases. Promoter methylation in RASSF1A and MGMT was analyzed by methylation-specific PCR, RASSF1A sequence alterations in all coding exons by direct DNA sequencing, and RASSF1A expression by RT-PCR.

Comparative study on the safety and efficacy of different cycloplegic agents in children with darkly pigmented irides.

Background: The ideal cycloplegic drug that is safe, effective and convenient in children is not yet available. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of three cycloplegic regimens in hyperopic children with pigmented irides. The responses to cycloplegia in different age groups and presence of strabismus were also compared.

Microsatellite instability and MLH1 promoter methylation in human retinoblastoma.

Purpose: To investigate the link between microsatellite instability and epigenetic silencing of the MLH1 gene in the human retinoblastoma genome.

Methods: Methylation at the 5' region of MLH1 was studied, along with its protein expression level by using immunohistochemical staining in 51 retinoblastoma tumors and 2 retinoblastoma cell lines. Also assessed was the genomic stability of 26 retinoblastoma DNAs from microdissected tumor tissue and matched normal retina tissue obtained from the same patient by microsatellite instability (MSI) analysis.

Ocular-hypertensive and anti-inflammatory response to rimexolone therapy in children.

Objective: To compare the ocular-hypertensive and anti-inflammatory response to rimexolone (116-hydroxy-16alphafluoro-6alphamethylpresdnisolone) and fluorometholone (21-deoxy-9alphafluoro-6alphamethylprednisolone) therapy in children's eyes.

Methods: With parental consent, children who underwent surgical procedures for bilateral symmetric strabismus from January 18, 2000, through November 16, 2001, were recruited. One eye was randomized to receive topical 1% rimexolone while the contralateral eye received topical 0.

Topical mydriatic and cycloplegic spray for Chinese children.

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and tolerance of mydriatic and cycloplegic spray versus drops for Chinese children.

Methods: The effects of the spray (cyclopentolate 0.25%, phenylephrine 0.

Isolated microspherophakia with optic disc colobomata.

We describe a case of isolated bilateral microspherophakia with optic disc colobomata. A satisfactory outcome was achieved following uneventful lensectomy and scleral fixation of an intraocular lens.

Comparison of lidocaine 2% gel versus amethocaine as the sole anesthetic agent for strabismus surgery.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of lidocaine 2% gel with amethocaine 1% eyedrops as the sole anesthetic agent for one-stage adjustable suture strabismus surgery.

Design: Prospective, double-masked randomized trial.

Participants: Fourteen consecutive patients scheduled to undergo bilateral and symmetrical strabismus surgery under topical anesthesia in one institution.

Loss of heterozygosity and mutations are the major mechanisms of RB1 gene inactivation in Chinese with sporadic retinoblastoma.

We investigated sequence alternation, promoter methylation, and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of the RB1 gene as possible mechanisms of its inactivation in retinoblastoma. In 42 Chinese patients with sporadic retinoblastoma, the promoter and entire coding region of RB1 were examined for sequence changes. Status of methylation of the CpG-rich island at the 5'end was determined by methylation specific PCR assay.

Impaired expression and promotor hypermethylation of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase in retinoblastoma tissues.

Purpose: To investigate the role of epigenetic changes in the promoter region of tumor-suppressor genes in the retinoblastoma genome and to study the disruption of expression of O6-methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase (MGMT) due to aberrant methylation and its association with retinoblastoma.

Methods: A series of 23 retinoblastoma tissue specimens and 2 retinoblastoma cell lines (Y79 and WERI-Rb1) were subjected to methylation-specific PCR (MSP) analysis of hypermethylated genes identified in human cancers, including p14(ARF), p15(INK4b), p16(INK4a), VHL, and MGMT. Further, the expression of MGMT was studied by immunohistochemistry and, when fresh tissue was available, by Western blot analysis and RT-PCR.