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Aims: This study aimed to investigate morphologic features of optic disc drusen (ODD) and peripapillary hyperreflective ovoid mass-like structures (PHOMS) in children, using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). It also assessed if the presence of these features were associated with decreased peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness., Methods: Retrospective observational study of children with ODD. All subjects underwent complete ophthalmic examination and multimodal imaging. ODD were identified on EDI-OCT as circumscribed hyporeflective spheroidal elements located in front of lamina cribrosa, fully or partially surrounded by a hyperreflective border. PHOMS were identified as hyperreflective ovoid structures located in the peripapillary circumference. Both associations between ODD and RNFL loss and PHOMS and RNFL loss were tested using chi-squared test., Results: In total, 38 eyes of 20 children were analysed. PHOMS were present in 90% of patients. ODD and PHOMS were predominantly found in the nasal, superonasal and inferonasal sectors. A significant positive association was found between ODD and decreased RNFL thickness in the nasal (p = 0.02), superonasal (p = 0.05) and inferotemporal (p = 0.04) sectors. There was no significant association found with the presence of PHOMS., Conclusion: EDI-OCT allowed morphological analysis of ODD and PHOMS in children. Drusen were found to be distinct from PHOMS both in their appearance and impact on the RNFL. ODD are hyporeflective and appear on the ONH above the lamina cribrosa and were associated with decreased thickness of the RNFL. On the contrary, PHOMS are hyperreflective structures located around the ONH and were not associated with RNFL loss.

The fibroblast of the fetal and neonatal lung is intimately involved with lung development and function. Additionally, the perinatal rat lung fibroblast is a significant source of prostaglandins (PG) I2 and E2, which in turn affect lung development and function. Their effects may be mediated by cAMP. We, therefore, tested both the relative effectiveness of PG and the beta-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, and the developmental age sensitivity to these agonists on rat perinatal lung fibroblast cAMP accumulation. Confluent monolayer cultures of 3rd-passage fibroblasts (greater than 95% purity) from d-3 newborn rats responded in a concentration-dependent fashion to several PG (10(-8)-10(-4) M) and isoproterenol (10(-7)-2 x 10(-6) M) by increasing cAMP accumulation. The rank order of responsiveness, in terms of maximum accumulated cAMP, were carba PGI2 greater than PGE1 = PGI2 Na salt = PGI2 methyl ester much greater than PGE2 greater than isoproterenol. At the 3 developmental d tested [d 20 fetus, d 1 newborn, and d 3 newborn (term = d 22)], PGE2, carba PGI2, and isoproterenol each elicited concentration-dependent increases in cAMP accumulation. Unstimulated cAMP levels were 2-5 fmol/micrograms protein/15 min at all three ages. On d 20 of gestation, the highest accumulation achieved at the highest concentration tested was 30-70 fmol/micrograms protein/15 min for each agonist. There was no age-dependent change in responsiveness to PGE2. Carba PGI2-stimulated cAMP accumulation increased from d 20 of gestation with each advancing age tested to approximately 15-fold by d 3 newborn.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)