Oxygen isotopes of East Asian dinosaurs reveal exceptionally cold Early Cretaceous climates.

Early Cretaceous vertebrate assemblages from East Asia and particularly the Jehol Biota of northeastern China flourished during a period of highly debated climatic history. While the unique characters of these continental faunas have been the subject of various speculations about their biogeographic history, little attention has been paid to their possible climatic causes. Here we address this question using the oxygen isotope composition of apatite phosphate (δ ) from various reptile remains recovered from China, Thailand, and Japan.

Successful repair of atrial fibrillation by surgical ablation in a patient with persistent left superior vena cava and mitral stenosis.

We recently cared for a woman who had mitral stenosis, atrial fibrillation, absent right superior vena cava, and persistent left superior vena cava. She underwent mitral valve replacement and surgical ablation of the pulmonary vein, and conjunction of the coronary sinus and left superior vena cava. Her atrial fibrillation was cured and successfully restored to sinus rhythm postoperatively.

Clinical evaluation of blue-light blocker foldable acrylic IOL (HMY).

Efficacy and safety of blue-light-filtering acrylic IOL (HMY) were assessed and proven from 3 months to 1 year of postoperative follow-up in a clinical study performed on 80 eyes of 45 patients. Postoperative corrected visual acuity of all the eyes was 6/12 or better and 78.8% of them achieved higher than 6/6.

Surgical therapies for Acanthamoeba keratitis by phototherapeutic keratectomy and deep lamellar keratoplasty.

Purpose: To report the efficacy of phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) and deep lamellar keratoplasty (DLKP) in the treatment of Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Methods: Two patients with delayed diagnosis of Acanthamoeba keratitis failed to respond to multiple systemic and topic antiamoebic agents supplemented by twice-weekly corneal scraping. Three weeks into such therapy, one developed a ring-shaped subepithelial infiltration and PTK was performed.

Antioxidative effects of benidipine hydrochloride in patients with hypertension independent of antihypertensive effects. Relationship between blood pressure and oxidative stress.

This study investigated the significance of measuring plasma level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) in patients with hypertension and compared the clinical effects of benidipine hydrochloride (CAS 91599-74-5, Coniel) and amlodipine besylate (CAS 111470-99-6) on plasma TBARS. At first, blood pressure and plasma TBARS were measured in 85 untreated patients (48 males and 37 females, 68 years old on average) with at least one risk factor of cardiovascular disease to investigate factors which had influence on plasma TBARS. As the result, plasma TBARS was significantly higher in those with hypertension, which was also true when adjusted for other factors (r = 0.

Implantation of a keratoprosthesis of novel design in rabbits.

Purpose: To evaluate a keratoprosthesis, implanted by penetrating keratoplasty, in rabbits.

Methods: We implanted our keratoprosthesis (optics and flange portions of polymethylmethacrylate and a polyurethane skirt with micropores) into 14 eyes of 14 rabbits. In four eyes, we evaluated histologically the junction between the keratoprosthesis and host cornea.

The cytokine regulation of SPARC production by rabbit corneal epithelial cells and fibroblasts in vitro.

Objective: SPARC (osteonectin/BM40) is detected in the corneal stroma during the wound-healing process. To understand the metabolism of SPARC in the cornea, we investigated the effects of cytokines and growth factors on SPARC synthesis by rabbit corneal epithelial cells and fibroblasts.

Methods: Rabbit corneal epithelial cells or fibroblasts were cultured for 3 days with serum-containing minimal essential medium (MEM), then subcultured for 3 days on serum-free MEM with epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), or interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta).

Herpes simplex virus genome quantification in two patients who developed herpetic epithelial keratitis during treatment with antiglaucoma medications.

Purpose: We quantitated herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA in tear film obtained from 2 patients who developed herpetic epithelial keratitis (HEK) during treatment with latanoprost and a beta-blocker.

Methods: The patient in case 1 is a 77-year-old woman with bilateral open-angle glaucoma who had been treated with latanoprost and timolol for 11 months. She developed HEK in the right eye followed by HEK in the left eye 1 month later.

Quantitative analysis of herpes simplex virus genome in tears from patients with herpetic keratitis.

Purpose: Herpetic keratitis is manifested in various corneal disorders, for example, dendritic keratitis, persistent epithelial defect, disciform keratitis, and endotheliitis. In this paper, we report on the quantity of herpes simplex virus (HSV) genome in tears from patients with various types of herpetic keratitis in an attempt to understand the role of HSV in these conditions.

Methods: We collected tear samples from both eyes of 56 consecutive patients with herpetic keratitis who visited Kinki University Hospital between June 2000 and May 2002.