Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to K Strömland.
The principles of teratology are described, and animal models for research in abnormal ocular development and clinical studies of human teratogens are surveyed. A review is made of presumed ocular teratogenic agents: radiation; external environmental teratogens; maternal conditions such as infections, diabetes, and epilepsy; alcohol and drugs such as thalidomide, retinoic acid, and coumarin anticoagulants; and other agents, such as cigarettes.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Optic nerve hypoplasia was detected in up to one half of a group of Swedish children born to alcoholic mothers. Using an experimental model of pre- and postnatal alcohol exposure in rats fed a liquid diet, reduced optic nerve size from gestational day 21 (294 +/- 26 x 10(2) microns2 vs 502 +/- 16 x 10(2) microns2; n = 6; p < or = 0.001) to later in development was observed as a result of the daily mean blood alcohol levels achieved in dams and their offspring. Altered glial cells and degenerating and atrophic optic axons, myelin sheaths and ganglion cells were frequent in the alcohol-exposed optic nerves. Smaller optic nerve (1.918 +/- 61 x 10(2) microns2 vs 2.195 +/- 40 x 10(2) microns2; n = 4; p < or = 0.001), reduced gaglion cell and axonal densities, and ultrastructural damage to the macroglial cells and myelin sheaths were also detected in the treated group. All these changes remained in the retina and optic nerve of the oldest rats, as a consequence of the long-lasting effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. In summary, alcohol as a major teratogenic agent may induce dysmorphogenesis and irremediable damage to the retina and optic nerve, which frequently manifests itself as hypoplastic optic nerve.
BACKGROUND: Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is associated with anomalies of the eye ground. The aim of this study was to evaluate the development of fundus morphology in children with FAS from early childhood to adolescence. METHODS: Funds photographs were evaluated by digital image analysis in 16 children with FAS. Age at the baseline study was between 0.25 and 14 years, and the median follow-up period was 7 years (range: 0.5 to 12). Sixteen sex- and age-matched healthy children were used as controls. RESULTS: Children with FAS had a smaller optic disc area, lower frequency of excavations, greater tortuosity of retinal vessels, and a smaller number of vascular branching points compared with the controls. There were no significant differences in the funds abnormalities between the first and last examinations. CONCLUSION: No interval change of retinal funds morphology was found at follow up, suggesting that the ocular abnormalities associated with FAS remain unchanged during childhood.
Twenty-one individuals, aged 28 to 29 years, with documented thalidomide embryopathy were examined in Sweden. The most noteworthy ophthalmologic finding was the high prevalence of incomitant horizontal strabismus, primarily of the Duane syndrome type. Less frequently seen were cases of both marked abduction and adduction limitation similar to a gaze paresis with no observable fissure changes, as well as a few cases of isolated abduction weakness or inferior oblique under-action. There were many examples of aberrant lacrimation, facial nerve palsy, and ear anomalies combined with horizontal incomitant forms of strabismus. Ear and facial nerve palsies are known to occur with ingestion of thalidomide early in the sensitive period (approximately days 21 to 26 after conception).