The notion surfaces that, as fish evolved, left the sea and colonised the land, they then needed not only a supply of tears for their ocular surface to function, but also a means by which tears could be eliminated. The fascinating study of abnormalities of this system, which are common, frequently debilitating, and can be challenging to manage, is the purpose of this thesis. An attempt has been made initially to assess our current state of knowledge in the Introduction. In subsequent chapters, new concepts including plerolacrima, temporal plical shift and videoreflective dacryomeniscometry are introduced; some of these should prove useful clinically. Quality of life in affected preoperative and postoperative cohorts is then assessed. Original publications have been achieved in all but one of the following subsections. Conjunctivochalasis in watery eye patients has been examined for the first time in a sizeable study clinically and histopathologically. The lateral tarsal strip procedure has been described as a new method of dealing with the punctal apposition syndrome. A new assessment for success in dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) surgery, the Valsalva bubble test, has been carried out. Tear osmolality has been studied in watery eye cohorts and compared with normal controls; this study suggests that tear production decreases significantly with obstructed lacrimal outflow. Videoreflective dacryomeniscometry has shown that watery eye patients have a higher tear meniscus than normal controls, and that this normalises following DCR surgery. Lower eyelid tensometry has been shown in patients to be unchanged compared with normal controls. Computerised tomography of the lacrimal drainage region has been used to study patients with nasolacrimal duct obstruction. The detailed clinical mechanics of syringing the canaliculus have been described. Transcaruncular medial orbitotomy surgery for laxity of the medial canthal tendon has been tested in human cadavers, and evaluated in adult living humans. In summary, this thesis may be regarded as a tentative approach to a re-evaluation of the clinical management of the watery eye.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed on June 11, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-84).

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Community Psychology in the Department of Psychology, University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012. / The ‘after tears’ party seems to be a popular occurrence in South African’s urban townships. This study is an exploratory investigation of the urban township communities’ experiences and the meaning of the ‘after tears’ party using a phenomenological approach. The available literature outlined the rituals and practices of various ethnic groups in South Africa and Africa performed in the event of the death of a loved one such as the slaughtering of the beast, the mourning dress, mourning period and the cleansing ceremonies. While some of the death rituals and practices are still adhered to in urban townships of South Africa, others are adapted and new practices have emerged. One such is the practice of the ‘after tears’ party. Within an African context, the dead are regarded as ancestors and they are treated with great respect as they are believed to have a special relationship with the living. Proper rites and ceremonies performed following the death of a loved one reflect this belief. Any deviation from the above could be perceived as a sign of disrespect for the ancestors and bad luck could befall anyone who does not adhere to the stipulated practices. The respondents in this study are South African township dwellers who do not practice strict traditional mourning rituals anymore. Individual respondents and focus groups were interviewed on their experiences and the meaning they attach to the practice of the ‘after tears’ party. Data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. Insights generated from the findings of the current study highlighted the significant perceptions, meanings and feelings about the ‘after tears’ parties. While it is perceived as a celebration, the important functions of this party were indicated as comforting and supporting the bereaved and helping them to cope with the impact of loss of a loved one. On the other hand others condemned the practice as totally disrespectful and that it is insensitive of the people to hold a party while other people are still in mourning. It hurts the bereaved and delays the chances of recovery from grief. The ‘after tears’ party can be an effective coping strategy if it was conducted in a more respectful manner. The respondents’ experiences of the ‘after tears’ party and the meaning attached to it could serve as guidelines to explore the psychological needs of the bereaved in urban societies.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate anatomical variations of the coracoacromial ligament (CAL) in relation to the etiology of subacromial impingement syndrome and rotator cuff tears. A knowledge and understanding of these variations will help to determine how such variations may influence the surrounding tissues and how the biomechanics of the shoulder works, as well as improving accurate diagnosis and subsequent treatment of shoulder impingement syndrome. The methodological approach involved the dissection of 220 cadaveric shoulders in the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID) with a mean age of 82 years (range 53 to 102 years). The CAL was classified according to its morphology and composed band number. The rotator cuff tendons were inspected for tears that were categorized into partial bursal and complete tears. Furthermore, the study inspected the CAL’s parameters and attachment sites: degenerative changes include acromial and coracoid spurs and attrition lesions at the undersurface of the acromion. Results: the multiple banded ligament was the most commonly observed type and was seen in 101 (46%) specimens. The attachment sites of the ligament varied as the size or number of bands of the ligament increased. An association was found between rotator cuff tears and shoulders which had three or more CAL bands (52%). In addition, shoulders with rotator cuff tears had wider attachments, thicker ligaments and larger subacromial insertions. Shoulders with rotator cuff tears also had a significant incidence and size of acromial spurs. The size of the spurs was correlated with the size of the CAL and attrition lesions on the undersurface of the acromion, and changes in morphology of the acromion. Attrition lesions at the subacromial insertion of the CAL were associated with tears in the rotator cuff tendons, and worsened as the size of the subacromial insertion increased. In conclusion, anatomical variations of the CAL showed a relationship with rotator cuff tears.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater; submitted to the Dept. of English. Includes bibliographical references (p. 156-165)

With this thesis, I have been looking at opportunities for improvement of childbirth in Scandinavia with a focus on prevention of perineal tears and levator injuries during labor. I have aimed to help couples during their pregnancy by giving them a more active role to avoid tears during childbirth. I have strived to help pregnant mothers to improve their well-being as well as improve cooperation between pregnant couples for them to have a better birthing experience. My goal has been to develop a concept that could improve today’s situation and that in theory could be implemented today in Scandinavia. Another goal was to create a discursive design topic, to question childbirth as it is today and show a new vision for how it could look like in the future. I wanted to show the importance of quality of life and that childbirth both could and should be questioned and looked into more to improve it.

Concurrent meniscal injury in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament tears ranges from 10-70%, and these injuries can increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis. Studies regarding joint space width on knee radiographs in people have indicated correlations between joint space width and meniscal injuries. The aim of this study was to determine if there was correlation between stifle joint space width on three different radiographic projections and meniscal injuries identified at surgery in dogs. Four blinded observers measured the radiographic joint space width three times, and the measurements were compared to surgical findings. Intraclass correlation coefficients for inter- and intraobserver variability ranged from moderate to excellent. There was significance between dogs with a meniscal tear and the corresponding joint space width on standard TPLO lateral radiographic projections. Joint space narrowing is seen with meniscal tears in dogs, and radiography may be a noninvasive way to identify meniscal tears prior to surgery.

The anti-cancer agent 4, 4-dihydroxybenzophenone-2, 4- dinitrophenylhydrazone (A007) forms complexes with pdelocalized lymphangitic dyes that allow its penetration through the skin effectively delivering it to a meta-stable type cancerous site. Previous in vitro studies, combined with gas phase mass spectrometry studies, have shown that a stronger binding affinity equates to a greater efficacy of the drug. For the determination of drug:dye complex binding strength coefficients in solution, two methods have been developed by affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE), and cation exchange liquid chromatography (CELC). The methods demonstrated that A007 non-covalent binding strength was greatest for methylene green, followed by methylene blue, and lastly toluidine blue. Bond dissociation energies and apparent reaction enthalpies for the fragmentation pathways of lithiated acylglycerols were experimentally determined by collision activation in a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. A developed novel derived effective path length approach for predicting bond dissociation energies (BDE) for electrostatic complex's alkali metal adducts (Li+), and halide adducts (Cl-) of acylglycerols was applied to the major fragmentation product ions of a lithiated mono-acylglycerol, a 1, 2-diacylglycerol, and a 1, 3-diacylglycerol, to predict the covalent bond dissociation energies involved in fragmentation pathways. The model's calculated apparent reaction enthalpies are used in conjunction with the energy-resolved mass spectrometry method of breakdown graphs to give a more complete quantitative aspect to the interpretation of the fragmentation processes. The dry eye condition affects millions of individuals world wide. The symptoms can be a result of simple irritation to the eye or a serious disease state. A dry eye model was developed using rabbits in order to study the compositional makeup of the tear components in hopes of identifying an underlying cause, or expressed effect of the dry eye condition. The major non-polar lipids of the tear were identified by mass spectrometry as mono and diacylglycerols, with a smaller extent of triacylglycerols. The major polar phosphorylated lipids were identified in the tear extract revealing that sphingomyelin based species were being expressed in the dry eye condition. The major proteins were determined to be the lower molecular weight lipid binding proteins where two specific species were found to increase in expression for the dry eye condition.

The secretion of the acqueous component of tears is dependent on the uneven distribution and nature of ion channels across lacrimal gland acinar cell membranes. Models to describe such secretion in lacrimal glands are based primarily on one species, the rat and have been developed in conjunction with observations of channel function and secretion from salivary and pancreatic exocrine glands, which are structurally similar to lacrimal glands. The applicability of these models to all species is unknown and furthermore none takes into account volume regulation mechanisms in these acinar cells. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to broaden the basis for such models by identifying the major membrane ionic channels, characterising their mode of activation and determining their possible physiological roles in rabbit superior lacrimal gland acinar cells. Initially, a culture system for maintaining acinar cells for short and long terms was developed. This allowed for electrophysiological techniques to be employed to study the role of ionic channel activity in the secretion of the aqueous component of tears and cell volume regulation. This study demonstrates a number of unique findings and indicates that the models currently used to describe lacrimal gland secretion are not applicable to all species and need modifications which take into account cell volume regulation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)