The mechanical stability of the culms of monocotyledonous bamboos is highly attributed to the proper embedding of the stiff fibre caps of the vascular bundles into the soft parenchymatous matrix. Owing to lack of a vascular cambium, bamboos show no secondary thickening growth that impedes geometrical adaptations to mechanical loads and increases the necessity of structural optimization at the m...

PURPOSE Mutations in destrin (Dstn) cause corneal abnormalities in mice. A null mutation, Dstn(corn1), results in corneal epithelial hyperproliferation, inflammation, and neovascularization in the A.BY background (A.BY Dstn(corn1)). Homozygosity for a point mutation, Dstn(corn1-2J), results in mild thickening of the corneal epithelium but no corneal neovascularization in a C57BL/6 (B6) backgrou...

PURPOSE To examine epithelial and stromal layers by three-dimensional very high-frequency (VHF) digital ultrasound scanning before and after implantation of Intacs (intracorneal ring segments [ICRS]). METHODS Three-dimensional scanning was performed in five eyes before and 3 months after Intacs insertion. Digital signal processing techniques provided high-resolution B-scan imaging and I-scan ...

At threshold irradiation (•—0.1 w./cm.) of the rabbit cornea with a carbon dioxide (COi) laser, there was no detectable rise in intraocular pressure and only a slight (1 to 2° C.) rise in aqueous temperature. On suprathreshold COt corneal irradiation, the intraocular pressure rose to a plateau, during irradiation and then gradually fell. There was a concomitant rise in temperature in the anteri...

Purpose. Application of anterior segment optical coherence (AS-OCT) in pediatric ophthalmology. Methods. Retrospective clinical study case series of 26 eyes of 19 pediatric patients throughout a 21-month period, presenting anterior segment pathologies, were submitted to AS-OCT examination (OCT Visante, 1310 nm, Zeiss), noncontact technique, no sedation requirement. Results. AS-OCT images were o...

PURPOSE In the visually debilitating condition of climatic droplet keratopathy, corneal transparency is progressively lost. Although the precise cause of the disease and the mechanism by which it progresses are not known, a lifetime exposure to high solar radiation and a vitamin C-deficient diet may be involved in its development. This study examines the effect of dietary ascorbate levels and u...

The primary purpose of the eyelids is to ensure corneal integrity. An important component of this protective function is maintaining the corneal tear film. Blink characteristics can determine tear film stability. Increasing blink amplitude thickens the lipid layer that overlies the aqueous layer of the tear film. This thickening reduces evaporation of the aqueous layer. Because each blink refor...

PURPOSE To observe the clinical and histopathological changes occurring in corneas of KKAy mice, a model of type 2 diabetes, and to elucidate the possible mechanisms involved in these changes. METHODS Corneal epithelial cell proliferation was analyzed in KKAy and age-matched non-diabetic C57BL/6J control mice using (3)H-thymidine autoradiography. Clinical examination and histopathological ana...