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Purpose: To report the prevalence and causes of amblyopia among children with ptosis diagnosed in a well-defined population over a 40-year period., Design: Retrospective, population-based cohort study., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 107 patients younger than 19 years for the prevalence and causes of amblyopia who were diagnosed with childhood ptosis and were residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, from January 1, 1965, through December 31, 2004., Results: Amblyopia was diagnosed in 16 (14.9%) of the 107 patients with childhood ptosis. Fourteen (14.6%) of 96 patients diagnosed with a congenital form of ptosis demonstrated amblyopia. Twelve (14.8%) of the 81 patients diagnosed with simple congenital ptosis had amblyopia, 7 (8.6%) cases of which solely were the result of eyelid occlusion of the visual axis. The causes of amblyopia in the remaining 5 patients were significant refractive error in 3 patients and strabismus in 2 patients., Conclusions: Amblyopia occurred in 1 in 7 children diagnosed with ptosis in this population-based cohort. In approximately half of those with amblyopia, or less than 10% of all patients, the disease solely was the result of eyelid occlusion of the visual axis., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To measure the incidence of pars planitis in a community-based population and to report clinical features, complications, and visual prognosis., Design: Population-based, retrospective, 20-year cohort study., Methods: Multicenter study using the Rochester Epidemiology Project medical records linkage system, which allows analysis of almost all patients within Olmsted County, Minnesota, with a given medical condition. Databases were searched to identify all patients with pars planitis from January 1, 1985 through December 31, 2004. Forty-six eyes of 25 patients were evaluated., Results: Mean follow-up was 14.3 years. The incidence of pars planitis was 2.077 per 100,000 persons (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.43 to 2.62). The most common complications were epiretinal membrane (ERM) in 17 eyes (36%), cataract in 14 eyes (30.4%), and cystoid macular edema (CME) in 12 eyes (26.1%). Mean visual acuity after 10 years of follow-up was 20/30, with 18 of 24 patients maintaining a visual acuity of 20/40 or better. One-third of patients maintained normal visual acuity without requiring treatment., Conclusions: The visual prognosis of pars planitis is relatively good, with 75% of patients maintaining a visual acuity of 20/40 or better after 10 years. Many patients with mild disease do not require treatment. A subset of patients, however, experience severe disease with severe vision loss despite treatment. The rate of smoking and multiple sclerosis in patients with pars planitis is much higher than that of the general population.

Social physique anxiety (SPA) is highly correlated with other body image measures that have been considered to be important in understanding eating disorders. However, SPA has not been directly studied with respect to eating disorders. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the link between SPA and measures of eating disorder symptomatology to determine if SPA should be considered as an additional risk factor in the prediction of eating disturbances. One hundred and sixty female undergraduates completed questionnaires measuring body mass index (BMI), social physique anxiety (SPAS), anorexic symptoms (EAT), bulimic symptoms (BULIT-R), depression (CES-D), self-esteem (SES) and obligatory exercise (OEQ). Regression analyses revealed that SPA and depression were the psychological correlates that predicted bulimic symptomatology and that SPA, depression, and obligatory exercise predicted anorexic symptomatology; all variables were positively related to eating disorder symptoms. Overall, the results indicate that social physique anxiety appears to be a useful construct for understanding eating disorder symptoms in female undergraduates.

The expression of the alpha 1C-adrenoceptor subtype in human and rabbit blood vessels has been analyzed using the reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction technique (RT/PCR). The 20 bp primers employed were designed from the bovine alpha 1C-adrenoceptor and flank a least conserved region--the putative third cytoplasmic loop. RT/PCR products generated from rabbit and human brain mRNA both had 93% homology to the bovine alpha 1C-adrenoceptor and were used as species and subtype specific probes in Southern blot analysis of vascular RT/PCR products. Poly A+ RNA was purified from the human saphenous vein and rabbit aorta, renal, pulmonary and central ear arteries and amplified by RT/PCR. Size analysis by agarose gel electrophoresis, together with Southern hybridization of the resulting cDNA products confirm the expression of the alpha 1C-adrenoceptor in these vessels.

Twelve pony geldings with (n = 6) and without (n = 6) testosterone replacement (200 micrograms/kg testosterone propionate in oil, SC every 48 hours) received either gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH; 25 micrograms SC every 3 hours) or control treatment. Sexual behavior was recorded during 4-minute exposure to an estrous mare, 3 times weekly for 2 weeks before treatment, 3 weeks during treatment, and 3 weeks after treatment had been discontinued. The group receiving testosterone and GnRH (n = 3) exhibited significantly greater flehmen response frequency and attention duration and significantly lower vocalization frequency and erection duration than the group receiving only testosterone (n = 3). GnRH had no apparent effect on sexual behavior in geldings without testosterone replacement (n = 3). These results support an hypothesis of testosterone-dependent, CNS-mediated effects of GnRH on precopulatory behavior in the stallion.