PURPOSE For development of a finite element analysis model of orbital mechanics, it was necessary to determine the material properties of orbital fat and its degree of deformation in eye rotation. METHODS Elasticity and viscosity of orbital fat of eight orbits of four calves and two orbits of one rhesus monkey were measured with a parallel-plate rheometer. The degree of deformation of orbital...

PURPOSE Scarring of the filtering bleb site is the main cause of failure in glaucoma filtration surgery. In the present study, the role of tissue transglutaminase (tTgase) in the accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in these scars was investigated. Transglutaminases are enzymes capable of cross-linking ECM proteins to proteolysis-resistant complexes. METHODS Expression of tTgas...

PURPOSE To evaluate the transscleral delivery of fluoresceinated dextrans (FITC-D) with molecular mass up to 70 kDa to the rabbit posterior segment using sub-Tenon injections. METHODS Eighteen NZW rabbits received a unilateral 200-μL injection of 2 mg/mL sodium fluorescein (NaF), 25 mg/mL 40-kDa FITC-D, or 25 mg/mL 70-kDa FITC-D, with (n = 9) or without (n = 9) immediate euthanatization. In l...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare the results of monotherapy (photodynamic therapy) and combined therapy (photo-dynamic therapy with posterior sub-Tenon triamcinolone acetonide) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty eyes from forty patients with diagnosed neovascular AMD were enrolled in this study during March-2005 - October-2008. All patients we...

PURPOSE The biologic relevance of human connective tissue growth factor (hCTGF) for primary human tenon fibroblasts (HTFs) was investigated by RNA expression profiling using affymetrix(TM) oligonucleotide array technology to identify genes that are regulated by hCTGF. METHODS Recombinant hCTGF was expressed in HEK293T cells and purified by affinity and gel chromatography. Specificity and biol...

This article discusses the 162-years history of only known nineteenth-century timber-frame farmers’ market in existence today. Designed by an architect, this immense building required great skill from tradespeople who built it old-growth Michigan white pine timbers. No machinery was used planing surfaces or cutting mortise-and-tenon joinery that holds structure together. It is without question ...