Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed July 23, 2009). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 282-293). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-124).

Thesis (doctoral)--Freie Universität Berlin, 1980.

Glaucoma is a prevalent retinal neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by progressive visual field loss, leading to eventual blindness. The main risk factor for glaucoma is elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) which results in the damage and death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons. The endpoint of the disease is the death of these cells by apoptosis; therefore, blocking the activation of apoptosis was hypothesized to be an effective therapy. Magnetic microbeads were injected into the eyes of mice to induce a model of ocular hypertension. Apoptosis was targeted through viral-mediated ocular delivery of the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) gene, a potent caspase inhibitor. XIAP overexpression resulted in significant protection of ganglion cell somal and axonal function in glaucomatous eyes, and their optic nerves showed preservation of axon density, counts, and myelination, suggesting XIAP was able to provide both structural and functional protection. The results of these experiments provide proof-of-principle for XIAP’s efficacy as a neuroprotective treatment for glaucoma and are an important step forward in evaluating its full therapeutic potential.

Glaucoma is a condition that affects millions of Americans and is the second most prominent cause of blindness worldwide. In addition, the disease inflicts a significant financial burden on the U.S. Medicare system. Among many risk factors for blindness, intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only one that can be effectively altered by physicians. While a rigorous monitoring of IOP will improve the care of patients through early diagnosis and prompt treatment, the frequent visits patients must make to the clinic will aggravate their financial burden. The wireless intraocular pressure transducer (WIT) shows potential in effectively reducing cost inflicted by glaucoma, while maintaining the quality of patient care. The WIT shows the promise of reducing clinical visits for IOP measurements and preventing the progression of glaucoma. Direct and indirect savings, as well as cost of implantation will be analyzed through the construction of a flexible model using currently available data. The model yields favorable outcomes in the cost-reduction effectiveness of the WIT, but suggests a clear indication that further information is needed in order to make an accurate and complete assessment.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:23:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-12-14Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:50:45Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 martinezpadua_ir_me_jabo.pdf: 470356 bytes, checksum: ed3ca885b2025dab8eda4d07f31ede86 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Considerando-se que o glaucoma é a principal causa de perda da visão no homem e nos animais, e que o seu manejo clínico é a forma mais empregada para se controlar a síndrome, estudos comparativos que avaliem a eficácia de agentes hipotensores oculares constituem tema atual. Assim, foram avaliados os efeitos do timolol 0,5%, do levobunolol 0,5% e da apraclonidina 0,5% sobre a pressão intraocular (PIO), o diâmetro pupilar (DP), a frequência cardíaca (FC) e a pressão arterial sanguínea sistólica (PS) em cães clinicamente normais. Para tanto, 10 cães machos foram previamente condicionados aos procedimentos a que seriam submetidos, durante três dias. No dia zero, a PIO, o DP, a FC e a PS foram avaliados em três momentos (manhã, tarde e noite), para a avaliação dos valores basais. Os fármacos foram testados separadamente, a intervalos de sete dias, para que os efeitos de um não interferissem com os dos demais. Durante 15 dias consecutivos, um olho de cada animal recebia uma gota de timolol 0,5% ou de levobunolol 0,5% ou de apraclonidina 0,5% a intervalos de 12 horas (7 e 19 horas). Os parâmetros foram mensurados às 8, 13 e às 20 horas, ao 3º, 6º, 9º, 12º viii e 15º dias. Os dados foram comparados estatiscamente, empregando-se o Teste de Bonferroni, após Análise de Variância para Medidas Repetidas (p<0,05). Alterações da PIO não foram observadas após o uso dos fármacos testados. Por sua vez, com o uso do timolol, não foram observadas alterações significativas no DP nos momentos avaliados. Entretanto, foi observada redução significativa do DP na quase totalidade dos animais que receberam levobunol. Em relação ao período basal, observou-se elevação do DP apenas ao 3º dia de avaliação, após o uso de apraclonidina. Quanto à PS, apenas a apraclonidina interferiu com o parâmetro, reduzido-o de maneira significativa em todos os períodos avaliados em cães... / Not available

Orientador: Antonio Sergio Ramalho / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-16T08:55:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maciel-Guerra_AndreaTrevas_D.pdf: 1928831 bytes, checksum: 39b3aa894e12fad7d65e57f4397dbca7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1989 / Resumo: O Glaucoma Congênito Primário (GCP) é uma entidade genética heterogênea, geralmente considerada distinta da Megalocórnea e do glaucoma congênito de manifestação tardia ou juvenil. A fim de detectar indicações da heterogeneidade genética do GCP a nível clínico, foram examinados 67 portadores dessa anomalia, dos quais se obtiveram dados anamnésticos e de exame oftalmológico. Os resultados da análise se segregação, bem como a alta freqüência de consangüinidade observada nessa amostra indicam que o padrão de herança autossômico recessivo predomina entre nossos pacientes. A associação significativa encontrada entre a recorrência familial do GCP e a existência de consangüinidade entre os genitores, o início das manifestações ao nascimento e a bilateralidade e simetria da doença indica que os casos que manifestem essas três características sejam considerados de alto risco de recorrência na irmandade, enquanto que aqueles em que nenhuma dessas características é observada devam ser considerados os de mais baixo risco. A existência de megalocórnea ou de glaucoma congênito de manifestação tardia ou juvenil em um dos olhos do portador de GCP ou em outros membros da família sugere fortemente que essas entidades nosológicas correspondam a diferentes formas de expressão de uma mesma anomalia básica do ângulo iridocorneal, indicando que devam ser analisadas em conjunto. Estudos aprofundados do glaucoma congênito se fazem necessários, portanto, para elucidação de seus diversos aspectos genéticos e clínicos / Abstract: Primary Congenital Glaucoma (PCG) is a heterogeneous genetic entity which is usuall_ considered distinct from Megalocornea and congenital glaucoma of late or juvenil onset. History and ophthalmological data were obtained from 67 PCG cases in order to find out indications of the genetic heterogeneity_ of this disease at the clinical level. The results obtained from a complex segregation analysis, as well as the high frequency of parental consanguinity in this sample, indicate that the autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance predominate among our patients. A high recurrence risk is expected to the sibs of PCG cases with parental consanguinity, onset of the disease at birth and bilateral and symmetrical involviment, while those which exhibit none of these features seem to be at the lowest risk of having affected sibs. Since megalocornea and congenital glaucoma of late or juvenile onset can be found in the other eye of a PCG patient or in other individuals in the same family, these diseases appear to be manifestations of the same basic abnormality of the iridocornea1 angle. Hence, the_ should be analyzed together with PCG. Comprehensive studies of congenital glaucoma are thus necessary to elucidate its clinical and genetical peculiarities / Doutorado / Doutor em Ciências

Glaucoma is a silent disease, and by the time patients are diagnosed, there is a significant vision loss, and the clinicians are left to deal with monitoring the disease progression. Therefore, early glaucoma detection would be the ultimate goal for researchers as well as clinicians. This study assessed the sensitivity and specificity of pattern electroretinography (PERG) and uniform field electroretinography (UF-ERG) in detecting glaucomatous changes using the Diagnosys D-341 Attaché-Envoy Electrophysiology System. One hundred eyes of 50 glaucoma patients, including 42 glaucoma-suspect eyes, and 58 confirmed glaucoma eyes went through ophthalmic examination including PERG, UF-ERG (to measure the photopic negative response (PhNR)), Optical coherence tomography (OCT), and standard automated perimetry (SAP). The results were compared to 72 eyes of 36 healthy control subjects. PERG and PhNR parameters showed a significant decrease in the amplitude and longer latency in glaucoma suspects and glaucoma groups compared to the control group. The PhNR amplitude was more sensitive at detecting glaucomatous changes in the glaucoma suspect group than the PERG in terms of low amplitude. Furthermore, two different PERG tests showed a similar ability to recognize individuals without glaucomatous changes and PhNR amplitude and latency were able to identify people with and without glaucoma-related changes, respectively.