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Purpose: To determine whether polymorphisms in the Complement Factor H (CFH) gene and the Hemicentin-1 gene at the ARMD1 locus are associated with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Japanese patients.Design: Clinically relevant laboratory investigation.Methods: Eighty unrelated Japanese patients with dry AMD and 196 Japanese control patients were studied. Two exons of the CFH gene and four exons of the Hemicentin-1 gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced directly.Results: For the CFH gene, the frequency of the previously reported Tyr402His variant was not significantly higher in the AMD group than in the control group (P = .31). In the Hemicentin-1 gene, three sequence alterations (Asp5088Val, IVS99-13C/T, and His5245Gln) were detected, and the originally reported Gln5346Arg was not detected.Conclusion: The CFH gene and Hemicentin-1 genes do not appear to be involved in a statistically significant fraction of dry AMD cases in the Japanese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine whether hypothermia of 8°C can protect cultured human retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE-19) cells and rat retinal ganglion cells (RGC-5) against trypan blue (TB) toxicity. Design: Laboratory investigation. Methods: ARPE-19 cells and RGC-5 were exposed to balanced salt solution as controls, and 0.05% and 0.5% TB at 37°C, and at 8°C for one minute. The percentage of surviving cells was determined by the resazurin test. Results: TB induced a statistically significant decrease in the percentage of ARPE-19 cells surviving at 0.5% TB at 37°C (P < .01). Conversely, TB induced a statistically significant decrease in the percentage of RGC-5 surviving at all conditions except for 0.05% TB at 8°C (0.05% 37°C; P < .05, 0.5% 37°C and 8°C; P < .01). Conclusions: These results indicate that reducing the temperature to 8°C has a protective effect against the TB toxicity for ARPE-19 cells and RGC-5 in culture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]