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PubMed2001

Diabetic cataract and the total antioxidant status in aqueous humor.

Some mechanisms have been proposed for cataract formation in diabetes mellitus such as excessive tissue sorbitol concentrations, abnormal glycosylation of lens proteins and increased free radical production in the intraocular region. We measured total antioxidant status and uric acid levels in aqueous humor from diabetic (n=20) and non-diabetic subjects (n=16) with cataracts. The patients with diabetes and cataract had significantly lower aqueous humor total antioxidant status than those with senile cataract (p = 0.001). Serum and aqueous humor uric acid levels were significantly lower in the diabetic cataract group compared to the senile cataract group. In the diabetic cataract group, the aqueous humor antioxidant status correlated positively with the aqueous humor uric acid levels (p < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that reduced aqueous humor antioxidant status might be associated with reduced aqueous humor uric acid in patients with diabetic cataract. This decrease in aqueous humor uric acid levels might lead to the acceleration of cataract formation.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

[Cataract surgery: or why are there some patients excluded].

Cataracts are the main cause of blindness in the world, although they can be treated with relatively simple and inexpensive surgery. This study was carried out in 1997 and 1998 in five cities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, to identify the reasons for persons not having cataract surgery. The population studied were patients seen at a community project for the rehabilitation of cataract-caused blindness, Projeto Zona Livre de Catarata (the Cataract-free-Zone Project). A questionnaire was used to interview 776 individuals with cataracts who sought assistance at the project and who had a visual acuity of 20/100 or less in the better eye. Six hundred and eighty-three patients had previously sought ophthalmic care, most frequently (27%) at public health services. The main reasons for subjects not having had cataract surgery were financial (69% of respondents) and the feeling of "still having good eyesight" (69% of respondents). Among patients who said they were afraid of surgery, the main reason was concern about being left blind. All the subjects whom the project deemed suitable for surgery agreed to undergo the procedure. Apparently, there is a gap between searching for ophthalmic services and the surgical resolution of cataracts. The predominant reasons for not having surgery were financial and logistical. There is a need to facilitate access to cataract surgery by decentralizing social services and by developing community projects to prevent cataract-caused blindness.

Blindness↗
PubMed1995

CT diagnosis of unsuspected traumatic cataracts in patients with complicated eye injuries: significance of attenuation value of the lens.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the CT attenuation value of the lens is helpful in diagnosing acute traumatic cataracts in patients with complicated eye injuries that preclude evaluation by any other means. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The CT attenuation values of the lenses of 69 patients with acute orbital trauma, including 24 patients with clinically and surgically diagnosed acute traumatic cataracts, were compared with attenuation values of their own contralateral lens and with the attenuation values of the lenses of 103 consecutive asymptomatic control subjects. The study group was composed of consecutive patients with unilateral orbital trauma who were clinically evaluated and referred for CT examination within 48 hr after their initial injury. In all patients, attenuation measurements of the injured lenses were obtained and compared with those of the contralateral lens as an internal control. All surgically diagnosed cataracts were histologically confirmed. RESULTS: The CT attenuation measurement of a lens in any asymptomatic control subject was identical (within the range of the standard deviation) to the measurement of the contralateral lens of that control patient. In patients with orbital injury, the CT attenuation of the patient's cataractous lens was markedly lower than in the contralateral lens (mean density difference, 30 H, p < .0001). This decreased attenuation corresponds to acute cataract formation with increased fluid within the lens. No patient with normal attenuation values of the lens in the traumatized globe (as compared with the contralateral lens) was found to have an acute traumatic cataract or have a cataract develop within a 1-year follow-up period. CONCLUSION: CT may be useful in the examination of patients with acute traumatic cataracts, unsuspected lens injury, opacification of the anterior chamber, or other injuries of the globe with complications that preclude lens evaluation by any other means. This prompt diagnosis may allow timely removal of the lens in appropriate clinical circumstances, preventing damage to the anterior chamber of the globe and other complications of delayed diagnosis and treatment. Further, normal CT findings at the time of trauma suggest that the lens will not undergo acute traumatic cataract formation.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Cataract as a leading cause of visual disability and blindness in the region of Eastern Sarajevo and Eastern Herzegovina].

INTRODUCTION: Cataract is the second leading cause of blindness and visual disability in the region of Eastern Herzegovina and Eastern Sarajevo. It is a curable and preventable cause of blindness, because visual function can be surgically recovered. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of cataract among registered blind population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We used data stored in the Regional Association of Blind Persons from municipalities of Eastern Herzegovina (Trebinje, Bileća, Foca) and Eastern Sarajevo. In this population-based study data were analyzed using standard statistical methods. We have investigated sex and age distribution, visual acuity and type of cataract in the registered population. Among 298 registered blind persons and persons with visual disability, 17% are persons with cataract. Males are more frequent than women. Most people with cataract are older than 60 and are with age-related cataract. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Literature data show that cataract is one of the leading causes of blindness and visual disability in the world. Cataract is the second leading cause of visual disability and blindness in the registered population of Eastern Herzegovina. The total number of people with visual disability caused by cataract would decrease by increasing the number of surgeries, which correlates with improving the quality and training of ophthalmologists.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Occupational exposure to ionizing radiation and the occurrence of cataract].

Radiation cataract is one of ensuing effects of ionizing radiation, since its threshold dose under which it does not occur, and above which it shows dose dependency, has been observed. Clinical course of radiation cataract is identical for all the types of ionizing radiation and is very typical. Minimal dose for progressive cataract formation is determined by the type of radiation, i.e., its relative biological efficacy, dose, and the duration of the exposure period. Theoretically, threshold dose existence does not exclude the incidence of cataract formation under significantly smaller doses, as well. The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence of cataract formation among the medical staff professionally exposed to ionizing radiation. Neither of the diagnosed cataracts had typical morphology, nor was the correlation established between the dose, exposure time, and the cataract formation. All the diagnosed cataracts were described as premature, and therefore ionizing radiation was considered as a co-factor in premature cataract formation in the examined groups.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The influence of age, duration of diabetes, cataract, and pupil size on image quality in digital photographic retinal screening.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of age, duration of diabetes, cataract, and pupil size on the image quality in digital photographic screening. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Randomized groups of 3,650 patients had one-field, non-mydriatic, 45 degrees digital retinal imaging photography before mydriatic two-field photography. A total of 1,549 patients were then examined by an experienced ophthalmologist. Outcome measures were ungradable image rates, age, duration of diabetes, detection of referable diabetic retinopathy, presence of early or obvious central cataract, pupil diameter, and iris color. RESULTS: The ungradable image rate for non-mydriatic photography was 19.7% (95% CI 18.4-21.0) and for mydriatic photography was 3.7% (3.1-4.3). The odds of having one eye ungradable increased by 2.6% (1.6-3.7) for each extra year since diagnosis for nonmydriatic, by 4.1% (2.7-5.7) for mydriatic photography irrespective of age, by 5.8% (5.0-6.7) for non-mydriatic, and by 8.4% (6.5-10.4) for mydriatic photography for every extra year of age, irrespective of years since diagnosis. Obvious central cataract was present in 57% of ungradable mydriatic photographs, early cataract in 21%, no cataract in 9%, and 13% had other pathologies. The pupil diameter in the ungradable eyes showed a significant trend (P < 0.001) in the three groups (obvious cataract 4.434, early cataract 3.379, and no cataract 2.750). CONCLUSIONS: The strongest predictor of ungradable image rates, both for non-mydriatic and mydriatic digital photography, is the age of the person with diabetes. The most common cause of ungradable images was obvious central cataract.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Selenite-induced epithelial damage and cortical cataract.

The purposes of these experiments were 1) to measure microscopic changes in the epithelium associated with selenite cataract, and 2) to describe the formation and subsequent clearing of selenite cortical cataract. Fourteen-day old suckling rat pups received a single subcutaneous injection of an overdose of sodium selenite at 2.25 mg Se/kg b.w. Development of cortical cataract was observed by biomicroscopy, and changes in epithelium were studied by light microscopy of flat-mounted lens epithelia. Selenite administration caused cortical cataract 15-30 days after injection in addition to previously characterized nuclear cataract. The cortical cataract progressed through equatorial vacuolization, opacity, and finally clearing of the cataract. Mitosis was suppressed and karyorrhexis was observed in the germinative zone of the epithelium 5 hours after selenite injection. Pathological disorganization of the epithelium followed. Changes included vacuolization, loss of meridional rows, and defective fiber formation. Restoration of epithelial morphology was associated with clearing of cortical opacity. Epithelial damage at 5 hours was the earliest change yet recorded for selenite cataract, and these data are consistent with our working hypothesis that the initial site of attack of selenium in both cortical and nuclear cataract is the lens epithelium.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1997

Reproducibility of the Wisconsin cataract grading system in the Blue Mountains Eye Study.

PROBLEM: To measure the inter- and intra-grader reliability of the Wisconsin cataract grading system for grading of nuclear, cortical, and posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) in the Blue Mountains Eye Study. METHODS: Random samples of lens photographs from study subjects were regraded by each grader according to the Wisconsin cataract grading system. The results were compared using quadratic weighted kappa statistics to derive measures of inter- and intra-grader reliability for the grading of nuclear (5 grades), PSC (3 grades), and cortical cataract (3 grades). RESULTS: Inter-grader reliability (quadratic weighted kappa) for grading of nuclear cataract varied between 0.82 and 0.79; kappa was 0.78 for cortical cataract and 0.57 for PSC. Intra-grader reliability was slightly higher than inter-grader reliability for all three cataract types. CONCLUSION: In the Blue Mountains Eye Study, the Wisconsin cataract grading system provided good reproducibility, comparable to that reported from the Beaver Dam Eye Study, endorsing its usefulness in cataract epidemiology.

Australia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pars plicata lensectomy/vitrectomy for developmental cataract extraction: surgical results.

Fifty-two cases of developmental cataracts extracted using the pars plicata lensectomy/vitrectomy technique were reviewed. Eyes with additional ocular anomaly other than microphthalmos were not included. No early complications were detected in a postoperative period ranging from 1.5 to 7 years with a median of 4 years, and late complications were limited to secondary membranes occurring in small eyes. Since secondary membranes occurred only in eyes in which the axial length was less than or equal to 17.4 mm and the corneal diameter was less than or equal to 9.5 mm, we suggest that eyes that are small by the absolute dimensions cited here are at greater risk of developing secondary membranes postoperatively. Small eyes by absolute dimensions should be distinguished from microphthalmic eyes, since the relative term microphthalmic is less predictive of risk of complication than are absolute dimensions. Linear Snellen acuity in 15 patients capable of response ranged as follows: 20/20-20/80 with a median of 20/40 in eyes with partial bilateral cataracts; 20/25-20/80 with a median of 20/50 in eyes with complete bilateral cataracts; 20/30-20/400 with a median of 20/200 in eyes with unilateral partial cataracts; and 20/60-CF with a median of 20/400 in eyes with complete unilateral cataracts. Mean patient ages at surgery were 3 months for those with bilateral complete cataracts, 5 months for those with unilateral complete cataracts, 18 months for those with bilateral partial cataracts, and 25 months for those with unilateral partial cataracts. The earliest possible removal of visually significant opacities must be combined with aggressive postoperative visual rehabilitation to obtain the best possible visual outcome.

Cataract Extraction↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of glaucoma after surgery for PHPV and infantile cataracts.

The prevalence of glaucoma associated with pediatric aphakia has been reported to range from 0% to 27%. Few studies have included a significant number of patients with persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous (PHPV) cataracts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of glaucoma in young children undergoing surgery for PHPV and infantile cataracts. The charts of all of the patients who underwent lensectomy/vitrectomy for infantile and PHPV cataracts at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics between 1975 and 1992 were reviewed. Patients with ocular abnormalities that might predispose to glaucoma and patients with less than 6 months follow up were excluded. A total of 72 patients (109 eyes) were identified: 25 patients (26 eyes) with PHPV cataracts and 47 patients (83 eyes) with infantile cataracts. Mean age at time of surgery for both groups was 3.5 months. Mean follow up was 84.5 months for those with PHPV, and 76.9 months for those with infantile cataracts. Glaucoma developed in eight (32%) of the 25 patients with PHPV and in 15 (32%) of the 47 with infantile cataracts. Mean time to onset of glaucoma was 64.6 months for those with PHPV and 47.5 months for those with infantile cataracts (P = .70). Although there was no significant difference between the prevalence of postoperative glaucoma in those with infantile and those with PHPV cataracts, the prevalence of glaucoma in these patients is high. Children with aphakia should be closely monitored for glaucoma throughout their lives.

Cataract Extraction↗
PubMed1999

Modifications to rat lens major intrinsic protein in selenite-induced cataract.

PURPOSE: To identify modifications to rat lens major intrinsic protein (MIP) isolated from selenite-induced cataract and to determine whether m-calpain (EC 3.4.22.17) is responsible for cleavage of MIP during cataractogenesis. METHODS: Cataracts were induced in rats by a single injection of sodium selenite. Control and cataract lenses were harvested on day 16 and dissected into cortical and nuclear regions. Membranes were washed with urea buffer followed by NaOH. The protein was reduced/alkylated, delipidated, and cleaved with cyanogen bromide (CNBr). Cleavage products were fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and peptides were characterized by mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry. MIP cleavage by m-calpain was carried out by incubation with purified enzyme, and peptides released from the membrane were analyzed by Edman sequencing. RESULTS: The intact C terminus, observed in the control nuclear and cataractous cortical membranes, was not observed in the cataractous nuclear membranes. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed heterogeneous cleavage of the C terminus of MIP in control and cataract nuclear regions. The major site of cleavage was between residues 238 and 239, corresponding to the major site of in vitro cleavage by m-calpain. However, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometric analysis indicated that in vivo proteolysis during cataract formation also included sites closer to the C terminus not produced by m-calpain in vitro. Evidence for heterogeneous N-terminal cleavage was also observed at low levels with no differences between control and cataractous lenses. The major site of phosphorylation was determined to be at serine 235. CONCLUSIONS: Specific sites of MIP N- and C-terminal cleavage in selenite-induced cataractous lenses were identified. The heterogeneous cleavage pattern observed suggests that m-calpain is not the sole enzyme involved in MIP C-terminal processing in rat lens nuclei.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Incidence of and risk factors for cataract among diabetes clinic attenders.

The incidence of and risk factors for cataract during a mean (standard deviation (SD)) follow-up period of 5.0 (3.0) (range 0.1-12.4) years were examined among 3606 patients (2001 male and 1605 female) with diabetes mellitus from three outpatient clinics at the University Hospital, Nottingham. Among the 3606 patients free of cataract at initial registration who attended the clinic at least twice in the period 1979-1992, the mean (SD) age was 49.2 (17.8) years with a mean (SD) duration of diabetes of 7.6 (9.8) years at initial registration. The incidence of cataract was 10.4 (95% confidence interval (CI), 9.0, 11.9) per 1000 person-years based on 18089 person-years of follow-up. The incidence for females (13.6 (95% CI, 11.0, 16.1)) was greater than in males (8 (95% CI, 6.3, 9. 7)) (P<0.001). The incidence of cataract in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), non-insulin-treated and insulin-treated non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) were 7.1 (95% CI, 5. 4, 8.9), 11.7 (95% CI, 9.1, 14.3) and 17.8 (95% CI, 12.9, 22.7) per 1000 person-years, respectively. Age-adjustment substantially changed the ordering of risk associated with different types of diabetes. Using a Cox's Proportional Hazards Model for IDDM and NIDDM (insulin and non-insulin-treated) diabetes separately, age and any retinopathy were significant independent predictors of cataract for all groups. Poor metabolic control also was a significant independent predictor of cataract for the IDDM and insulin-treated NIDDM diabetes groups. Duration of diabetes was a significant independent predictor of cataract for the IDDM group. Age at diagnosis of diabetes, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, proteinuria, cigarette smoking and creatinine had no significant independent association with cataract when other covariates were considered. These findings will help the identification of those diabetic patients at particular risk of cataract so that clinic time for screening of eyes can be appropriately focused and health care planning for people with diabetes considered.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Overexpression of Na(+)-dependent myo-inositol transporter gene in mouse lens led to congenital cataract.

PURPOSE: Maintaining appropriate osmotic pressure is essential for maintaining lens transparency. This study was performed to investigate whether high levels of myo-inositol, one of the major organic osmolytes in the lens, would lead to cataract development. METHODS: Transgenic mouse lines carrying the bovine Na(+)-dependent myo-inositol transporter (bSMIT) cDNA under the control of the mouse alphaA-crystallin promoter were generated. RESULTS. Increased bSMIT expression was accompanied by increased myo-inositol level in the lens and increased uptake of (3H) myo-inositol by the lens in culture. The transgenic mice developed observable cataract under normal rearing conditions beginning at 2 to 8 weeks of age, and the severity of cataract development was correlated to the level of bSMIT gene expression and lens myo-inositol accumulation. For transgenic mouse line 3352, heterozygous mice did not develop cataract, whereas homozygous ones did. Prenatal feeding of heterozygous 3352 mice with high myo-inositol diet led to cataract development, indicating that cataract development was not merely due to a nonspecific effect of SMIT overexpression. Introducing aldose reductase overexpressing transgene into heterozygous 3352 mice also led to cataract development, indicating that this type of cataract is primarily due to osmotic stress. CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that high levels of myo-inositol and sorbitol in the lens contribute to cataract development. This is a useful model to study the role of osmotic stress in cataractogenesis during lens development.

Aldehyde Reductase↗
PubMed2000

Overexpression of the transforming growth factor-beta-inducible gene betaig-h3 in anterior polar cataracts.

PURPOSE: In anterior polar cataracts and the fibrosis that can occur after cataract surgery, lens epithelial cells synthesize abundant extracellular matrix molecules and transdifferentiate into myofibroblast-like cells. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta has been implicated as a key player in these cataractous changes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the TGF-beta-inducible gene h3 (betaig-h3) is expressed in lens epithelial cells from patients with anterior polar cataracts and to test whether betaig-h3 is induced by TGF-beta in cultured lens epithelial cells. METHODS: Lens epithelial cells attached to the anterior capsules of human cataractous lenses and noncataractous lenses were examined for the expression of betaig-h3 mRNA and protein using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical analyses. The effect of TGF-beta on betaig-h3 gene expression was also tested in human lens epithelial B-3 cells using Northern and Western blot analyses. RESULTS: betaig-h3 mRNA was not detected in lens epithelial cells from patients with clear lenses or patients with nuclear cataracts. Significant expression of mRNA for betaig-h3 was observed in lens epithelial cells from patients with anterior polar cataracts. Immunohistochemical analysis using anti-betaig-h3 antiserum indicated that betaig-h3 protein was present within the subcapsular plaques of anterior polar cataracts. Treatment of human lens epithelial B-3 cells with TGF-beta1 led to an increase in betaig-h3 mRNA and the secretion of betaig-h3 protein into the culture medium. CONCLUSIONS: betaig-h3 may serve as a marker for anterior polar cataracts in addition to previously known proteins, fibronectin, type I collagen, and alpha-smooth muscle actin. The functions of this protein in lens pathology need to be further investigated.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

The heritability of age-related cortical cataract: the twin eye study.

PURPOSE: A classical twin study was performed to establish the relative importance of genes and environment in cortical cataract. METHODS: Five hundred six pairs of unselected female twin volunteers (226 monozygotic and 280 dizygotic) with a mean age of 62 years (range, 49-79 years) were examined. Cortical cataract was assessed using the slit-lamp-based Oxford Clinical Cataract Classification and Grading System (clinical grading) and the Wilmer Automated Grading System, which analyzed digital retroillumination images of subjects' lenses (digital grading). The worse eye categorized score for each individual was used in maximum likelihood path modeling of the correlations within twin pairs. These correlations were used to determine the underlying liability to cortical cataract. RESULTS: Prevalence of significant cortical cataract (>/=5% of lens area) was similar in monozygotic and dizygotic twins, occurring in 19.4% and 20.6% with the clinical grading system and 24% and 23% using the digital grading system, respectively. Modeling suggested liability to cortical cataract is explained by additive and dominant genes, individual environment, and age. Estimates of the broad sense heritability of cortical cataract were 58% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51%-64%) for the clinical grading system and 53% (95% CI, 45%-60%) for the digital system. Dominant genes were estimated to contribute to 38% (95% CI, 1%-64%) of the genetic effect with the clinical grading and 53% (95% CI, 28%-60%) with the digital grading. Individual environment explained 26% and 37% and age 16% and 11% of cortical cataract variance in clinical and digital gradings, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic effects are important in the development of cortical cataract and involve the action of dominant genes.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Prevalence of the different types of age-related cataract in an African population.

PURPOSE: To describe the prevalence of different types of cataract and their association with visual acuity in a Tanzanian population aged 40 years and older. METHODS: A prevalence survey for lens opacity, glaucoma, and visual impairment was carried out on all residents age 40 and older of six villages in Kongwa, Tanzania. One examiner graded the lens for presence of nuclear (NSC), posterior subcapsular (PSC), and cortical cataract (CC), using the new WHO Simplified Cataract Grading System. Visual acuity was measured in each eye, both presenting and best corrected, using an illiterate E chart. RESULTS: The proportion of eligible subjects participating was 90% (3268/3641). The prevalence of cataract was as follows: NSC, 15.6%; CC, 8.8%; and PSC, 1.9%. All types of cataract increased with age, from NSC, 1.7%; CC, 2.4%; and PSC, 0.4% for those aged 40 to 49 years to NSC, 59.2%; CC, 23.5%; and PSC, 5.9% for those aged 70 years and older (P < 0.0001 for all cataract types, chi(2) test for trend). Cataract prevalence was higher among women than men for NSC (P = 0.0001), but not for CC (P = 0.15) or PSC (P = 0.25), after adjusting for age. Prevalence rates of visual impairment (BCVA < 6/12), US blindness (< or = 6/60) and WHO blindness (< 6/120) for this population were 13.3%, 2.1%, and 1.3%, respectively. Older age and each of the major types of pure and mixed cataract were independently associated with worse vision in regression modeling. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike African-derived populations in Salisbury and Barbados, NSC rather than CC was most prevalent in this African population. The seeming lower prevalence of CC may to some extent be explained by different grading schemes, differential availability of cataract surgery, the younger mean age of the Tanzanian subjects, and a higher prevalence of NSC in this population.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Mechanism of "hypoglycemic" cataract formation in the rat lens. I. The role of hexokinase instability.

Lenses from 100 gram albino rats remain clear and possess normal levels of Na+, K+, ATP, and hexokinase activity for 20 hours incubated in medium containing 12 mM glucose. Below 2.0 mM glucose, a cataract forms and there is an abrupt rise in lens Na+ and wet weight, a fall in lens K+, ATP, and hexokinase activity. The cataract is a thin lamellar opacity involving the anterior and posterior surfaces of the lens. If the lens is deprived of glucose for 48 hours, a nuclear cataract forms; the cortex between the superficial lamellar opacity and the nucleus being clear. This experimental cataract bears a striking resemblance to the hypoglycemic cataract seen in children. The thermal deactivation of hexokinase follows rapidly upon the depletion of its substrates (ATP and glucose) and is a primary factor leading to cataract formation. This was established by incubating the lens with 2-deoxyglucose, a competitive inhibitor of lens hexokinase. This compound blocks the entry of glucose into the glycolytic sequence. The cataract formed in its presence is identical morphologically and biochemically to that observed in a glucose-free medium. The effects of 2-deoxyglucose are prevented by increasing the glucose level; this rules out a direct toxic influence of 2-deoxyglucose and further supports the primary role of hexokinase thermolability in the etiology of this experimental cataract. This in vitro system appears to be an excellent experimental model for the study of the human hypoglycemic cataract.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2000

[The ultrastructure of human and mouse cataractous lens epithelial cell apoptosis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the relation between human senile cataract, mouse congenital cataract and lens epithelial cell apoptosis. METHODS: Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the apoptotic morphology of the lens epithelial cells in 4 cases with senile cataract and in 2 mice with congenital cataract. The comparisons were made between the cataractous and normal transparent lens epithelial cells in human being and mice. RESULTS: The apoptotic cells were found in senile cataract and mouse congenital cataract lens epithelial cells, while in all control lens epithelial cells they were few. CONCLUSION: Lens epithelial cells apoptosis is related to senile cataract and mouse congenital cataract formation.

Animals↗