[Dacryocystorhinostomy as part of the interdisciplinary treatment of lacrimal duct].

Introduction And Methods: Epiphora, which leads to blurry vision, is the leading symptom for intra- and/or postsaccal lacrimal duct stenosis. Due to the anatomy of the tear duct system, which lies between the fields of ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology, and due to newly available techniques in interventional radiology to diagnose and treat patients with intra- and postsaccal lacrimal duct stenosis, various methods for diagnosis and treatment are available. We report the results of 107 patients who underwent endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) between 2005 and 2011.

Characterisation of severe rod-cone dystrophy in a consanguineous family with a splice site mutation in the MERTK gene.

Aim: To characterise the ocular phenotype of a family segregating the splice site mutation c.2189+1G>T in the tyrosine kinase receptor gene MERTK.

Methods: Five affected children of a consanguineous Moroccan family were investigated by ophthalmic examinations, including fundus photography, autofluorescence (FAF) imaging, optical coherence tomography (OCT), psychophysical and electrophysiological methods.

[Interdisciplinary diagnostics for examination of lacrimal disorders].

The ophthalmologist is the primary consultant for patients with disorders of the lacrimal duct. The basic examination includes inspection and slit-lamp microscopy of the ocular surface and its adnexa as well as irrigation of the lacrimal pathway. For further treatment, interdisciplinary examination methods offer precise diagnostic findings.

Relevance of brain natriuretic peptide in preload-dependent regulation of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase expression.

Background: In heart failure (HF), ventricular myocardium expresses brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). Despite the association of elevated serum levels with poor prognosis, BNP release is considered beneficial because of its antihypertrophic, vasodilating, and diuretic properties. However, there is evidence that BNP-mediated signaling may adversely influence cardiac remodeling, with further impairment of calcium homeostasis.

Increased myocardial oxygen consumption by TNF-alpha is mediated by a sphingosine signaling pathway.

The present study investigated the effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha on myocardial energy metabolism as estimated by myocardial oxygen consumption (MVo(2)). MVo(2) of electrically stimulated isolated trabeculae of right ventricular Wistar rat myocardium was analyzed using a Clark-type oxygen probe. After the initial data collection in the absence of TNF-alpha, measurements were repeated after TNF-alpha stimulation.

FK506 does not affect cardiac contractility and adrenergic response in vitro.

FK506 (tacrolimus) is a new immunosuppressant being used in cardiac allograft transplantation. While cyclosporine A has been shown to exert an acute negative inotropic effect on isolated heart muscle preparations, little is known of the inotropic influence of FK506. The Ca(2+) release channel of human skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle is associated with FK506 binding proteins (FKBP), FKBP12 and FKBP12.

Cobalt metal inhalation studies on miniature swine.

Cobalt is considered to be the chief component in the tungsten carbide mixture responsible for hard-metal disease. An animal inhalation study was undertaken simulating conditions under which these workers in the tungsten carbide industry are exposed to cobalt. In this semichronic study, miniature swine were exposed to an inhalation of pure cobalt metal powder at concentrations of 0.