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Biomedical subjects

A Karma

Publications and source records attributed to A Karma.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Phenotypes of conjunctival inflammatory cells in sarcoidosis.

Phenotypes of the infiltrating mononuclear cells of the lower fornix conjunctiva of nine patients with sarcoidosis and six controls were studied using monoclonal antibodies and a modified immunoperoxidase method. Four patients had sarcoidosis of recent onset (duration of 2 years or less) and five patients had a chronic disease (duration of 3 or more years). The inflammatory cells in the sarcoid conjunctival specimens were predominantly T lymphocytes, the vast majority of which were of T helper/inducer subtype expressing Leu-3a + 3b positivity. The ratio of T helper/inducer cells to T suppressor/cytotoxic cells was 3.9 on average but only 0.9 in controls. Epithelioid cell granulomas were seen in three specimens in one case of recent onset and in two chronic cases comprising a marked amount (more than 15 cells/visual field) of cells bearing phenotypes of macrophages, T cells, T helper/inducer cells and HLA-DR antigen, and in smaller quantities of T suppressor/cytotoxic cells. The mean number of all immunocompetent cell subtypes of specimens from newly diagnosed patients exceeded that of specimens from chronic patients. We believe that the sarcoid immune reaction in the conjunctiva is a dynamic process in which proliferation of immunocompetent mononuclear cells precedes the stage of granuloma formation.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Course and outcome of ocular sarcoidosis.

In a series of 281 patients with histologically confirmed sarcoidosis, 79 initially had ophthalmic sarcoid manifestations. Of 22 patients with uveitis, 21 were seen regularly as long as the inflammation was active, and 71 of the 79 patients (90%) underwent a follow-up study five to 16 years (mean, nine years) later and using the same protocol. In the 21 patients with uveitis, the disease exhibited either a monophasic course (eight patients) with favorable visual outcome or a relapsing course (13 patients) with severe visual loss in five eyes. Thirty-three patients showed chronic ophthalmic changes at the follow-up examination, including conjunctival granulomas (13 patients), lacrimal gland involvement (22 patients), uveitis (four patients), and involvement of lacrimal passages (three patients). In 15 of these 33 patients, the general physical examination and the chest x-ray showed no evidence of systemic sarcoidosis. However, the serum angiotensin converting enzyme level was increased in a significantly greater proportion of these 15 patients than in the patients assessed as totally recovered from sarcoidosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

[Ophthalmologic peculiarities of sarcoidosis].

The present paper deals with the frequency of different ophthalmic sarcoid changes and their morphological and photographic characteristics. In addition, the diagnostic value of conjunctival biopsy is evaluated. The findings were based on repeated ophthalmological examinations of an unselected group of 281 patients with histologically confirmed sarcoidosis. Conjunctival (37/218) and lacrimal gland (33/254) changes were encountered more often than sarcoid uveitis (22/281), and a conjunctival granuloma was the most frequent single sarcoid ophthalmic finding. Sarcoid changes in the eyes and the adnexae were often characterized by a scarcity of symptoms and a typical outward appearance. In some cases of sarcoid uveitis fluorescein angiography revealed in the iris and the retina nodules which showed features suggesting the proliferative nature of the disease. The iris infrared transillumination technique illustrated the affinity of sarcoid nodules in the pupillary area. Conjunctival biopsy showed epithelioid cell granulomas compatible with sarcoidosis in nearly half of the patients in whom it was suspected in a slit-lamp examination of the conjunctivae. In the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, conjunctival biopsy is a procedure to be recommended before more demanding methods are tried.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1987

Predicting diabetic retinopathy.

The purpose of this study was to determine the occurrence and severity of diabetic retinopathy and to clarify its association with the duration of diabetes and several other factors in an outpatient diabetic population. The material consisted of 328 diabetics, mainly (77%) C-peptide negative, type 1 diabetics. The mean age of the patients was 45 years, and the mean duration of diabetes was 15 years. Retinal changes were assessed by ophthalmoscopy and widefield fundus photography. All retinopathy was confirmed in 59% and proliferative retinopathy (PR) in 20% of the patients. The frequency of diabetic retinopathy was 15% in patients with diabetes for less than five years but 100% in those with diabetes for 30 or more years. In type 1 diabetics PR was seen only after 10 or more years' duration but, after 20 years' duration it was seen in half of the patients with type 1 and in one-third of the patients with type 2 diabetes. The patients with diabetic nephropathy often had PR. In type 1 diabetics with onset of the disease less than 30 years peripheral sensory neuropathy, coronary disease, hypertension and leg-vessel disease were also often associated with PR. Because one reason for visual handicapping in diabetes is the delay of the diagnosing of vision-threatening lesions screening for treatable retinopathy should be intensive after 10 years' duration and in poorly-controlled diabetics even earlier.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Assessment of activity of ocular sarcoidosis by gallium scanning.

Gallium (67Ga) citrate uptake over the orbits, parotid glands, and lungs was examined in six newly detected patients with sarcoidosis and 17 with chronic sarcoidosis. Six of 23 (26%) had uveitis, 18/23 (78%) decreased lacrimal secretion, and 13/16 (81%) epithelioid cell granulomas in conjunctival biopsies. Ten patients with other diseases served as controls. Only five patients had ocular complaints and two had enlarged parotid glands. 67Ga uptake over the orbits and parotids was measured by a quantitative computer based method. Gallium uptake was significantly higher over the orbits (p less than 0.001) and parotids (p less than 0.01) in the newly detected patients and in the parotids (p less than 0.01) in the chronic group than the corresponding uptake in the controls. We suggest that in sarcoidosis an increased 67Ga uptake in the orbital and parotid areas may be a phenomenon comparable to an increased 67Ga uptake in the lungs in active alveolitis. Gallium scan is a good method for revealing even symptomless ophthalmic sarcoid changes. However, in chronic sarcoidosis an equal or only slightly increased gallium uptake over the orbits compared with background activity does not exclude ocular sarcoid disease.

Adult↗