Intraocular implants in diabetic patients

We conducted a retrospective study of 641 cataract operations performed in our service from January 1982 to January 1986 in order to evaluate the results obtained on diabetic patients who had cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation. In this general population who underwent cataract surgery, diabetics represent 14% of our cases. In this sub-group, we identified 28 patients (33 eyes) who received an intraocular lens. Among these eyes, 25 (76%) achieved a post-operative visual acuity of 5/10 or better. We found that cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation in diabetics carries the same risks and the same complications rate as it does for a general population. However, for these patients are found a particular risk of activation of the diabetic retinopathy with early development of diabetic maculopathy in 10% of the cases. The examination and treatment of this retinal complication did not seem to be affected by the presence of an intraocular lens. Therefore, the advantages gained by the introduction of an intraocular lens, justify this type of correction of aphakia in selected diabetic patients.     

Segmental intestinal muscular thinning: a possible cause of intestinal obstruction in the newborn

Intestinal obstruction proximal to a transition zone without an interposed physical barrier usually indicates Hirschsprung disease. The authors report one case of focal small bowel muscular thinning just distal to a transition zone that produced clinical and radiographic findings that simulated long-segment Hirschsprung disease in a 2-day-old infant.     

Mutations in the retinal guanylate cyclase (RETGC-1) gene in dominant cone-rod dystrophy

The dominant cone-rod dystrophy gene CORD6 has previously been mapped to within an 8 cM interval on chromosome 17p12-p13. The retinal- specific guanylate cyclase gene (RETGC-1), which maps to within this genetic interval and previously was implicated in Leber's congenital amaurosis, was screened for mutations within this family and in a panel of small families and individuals with various cone and cone- rod dystrophy phenotypes. A missense mutation (E837D) was identified in affected members of the CORD6 family, as well as a second missense mutation (R838C) in three other families with dominant cone-rod dystrophy. RETGC-1 is only the fourth gene to be implicated in cone-rod dystrophy and this is the first report of dominant mutations in this gene.