CRB1 gene mutations are associated with keratoconus in patients with leber congenital amaurosis.

Purpose: To present an association of mutations in the CRB1 gene with keratoconus in patients with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA).

Methods: Sixteen patients with genotyped LCA (having the CRB1, CRX, RetGC, RPE65, and AIPL1 mutations) were recruited from one ophthalmology practice and examined for the presence of keratoconus. Corneal topography, visual acuity, and slit lamp biomicroscopic examination were performed in all cases.

Spontaneous improvement of rod system function in a patient with melanoma-associated retinopathy.

Purpose: To report spontaneous improvement of rod visual function in a patient with melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR).

Methods: Electroretinography (ERG), and dark-adapted psychophysical thresholds were performed on a male patient with the MAR syndrome, during four visits over a period of almost 7 years.

Results: There was a spontaneous, subjective improvement in night vision and a decrease in the severity of photopsias of the patient's left eye between the initial and most recent visits.

Intersession repeatability of humphrey perimetry measurements in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.

Purpose: To determine the relationship between intersession test repeatability in static perimetry and the degree of local sensitivity reduction in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Methods: Visual field data were obtained from 27 patients with RP using FASTPAC 30-2 of the Humphrey Field Analyzer and stimulus sizes III and V. Each test was repeated at two subsequent visits after an initial practice session.

Retinal dysfunction in carriers of bardet-biedl syndrome.

Purpose: To determine whether retinal dysfunction in obligate carriers of the Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) could be observed in local electroretinographic responses obtained with the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG).

Methods: Six obligate carriers of the BBS were examined for the study. Examination of each carrier included an ocular examination and mfERG testing of one eye.

Multifocal ERG findings in carriers of X-linked retinoschisis.

Purpose: To determine whether retinal dysfunction in obligate carriers of X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) could be observed in local electroretinographic responses obtained with the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG).

Methods: Nine obligate carriers of XLRS (mean age, 46.2 years) were examined for the study.

Hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women: Past problems and future possibilities.

Oral administration of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) with and without the synthetic progestin medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in postmenopausal women is associated with side-effects that include increased risk of stroke and breast cancer. The current evidence that transdermal administration of estradiol may provide a safer alternative to orally administered CEE is reviewed. Transdermally administered estradiol has been shown to be an efficacious treatment for hot flushes possibly without the increase in blood clotting that is associated with administration of oral CEE.

Efficacy of probiotics and nutrients in functional gastrointestinal disorders: a preliminary clinical trial.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of commonly used probiotics and nutrients available for functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). Five different combinations of probiotics and nutrients, or placebo, were taken daily over 12 weeks. In this randomized controlled clinical trial, men and women 21 to 72 years of age with FGID symptoms of indigestion, bloating, and abdominal discomfort were assigned to one of six groups, 12 patients per group.

Comparison of visual acuity loss in patients with different stages of Stargardt's disease.

Purpose: To investigate a previously reported observation that the presence of diffuse, as compared with localized, fundus flecks is an indicator of a more severe course for visual acuity (VA) loss beyond 20/200 in patients with Stargardt's disease.

Design: Retrospective clinic-based cross-sectional study.

Participants: Four hundred five patients with Stargardt's disease.

Evidence for a learning effect in short-wavelength automated perimetry.

Purpose: To document the magnitude of any learning effect for short-wavelength automated perimetry (SWAP) in patients with either ocular hypertension (OHT) or open-angle glaucoma (OAG) who are experienced in standard automated perimetry (SAP).

Design: Experimental study.

Participants: Thirty-five patients (22 with OHT and 13 with OAG) who had previously undergone at least 3 threshold SAP visual field examinations with the Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA; Carl Zeiss Meditech Inc.

The potential of 5-hydryoxytryptophan for hot flash reduction: a hypothesis.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is contraindicated in women with a history of breast cancer or a high risk of breast cancer development. Recent results from large clinical trials, such as the Women's Health Initiative, have demonstrated increased risks of thromboembolic events and a moderate increased risk of breast cancer in women using conjugated estrogens and progestogens. There is a need for viable non-hormonal alternative treatments to HRT, such as nutritional and botanical therapies, in this population of women, who tend to experience more significant vasomotor symptoms.

A pilot study to examine a combination botanical for the treatment of menopausal symptoms.

Objective: Hormone replacement therapy has become a controversial treatment for symptoms of menopause, leading many women and their physicians to search for safer, effective alternatives. Certain botanicals are known to contain phytoestrogenic activity, which may be helpful in alleviating menopausal symptoms. We report the results of a study using a combination botanical supplement to treat menopausal symptoms.

Treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis using homeopathic preparation of common allergens in the southwest region of the US: a randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Background: Studies using homeopathy have reported beneficial effects from treating allergy-related conditions.

Objective: To investigate the effects of a homeopathic drug prepared from common allergens (tree, grass, weed species) specific to the Southwest region of the US.

Methods: A 4-week, double-blind clinical trial comparing homeopathic preparations with placebo was conducted in the Phoenix metropolitan area during the regional allergy season from February to May.

Immunological activity of larch arabinogalactan and Echinacea: a preliminary, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Unlabelled: The immunomodulating effects of two Echinacea species, E. purpurea and E. angustifolia and larch arabinogalactan extracted from Larix occidentalis were examined in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective four-week clinical trial at a naturopathic medical school research center.