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Physiology and pathology of the vitreous
238
A 13S T K A ( ’ T qL
may not be species-specific. Henley proposes that inflammation and increased vasrularity I~IZI~ play an important role in the induction of sensitivity t’o cornea and lens which are normally SCquestered from the immune system. The persistence of inflammation was explained by tlrta increasing number of circulating sensitized cells whiah could secrete active lymphoe.ytr produrts. In a cont,roversial ending to the meet.ing, Meyers led a general disrussion of specific and nonspecific mediators and potentiators of ocular inflammation. The emphasis on patZhophysiolog,v and mechanisms of the inflammation in t,he eve was ent)ertained with the conclusion that thus or,~~lar inflammatory process will continue to be intensively invest,igated by ophtha.lmologistn.
Physiology and Pathology of the Vitreous REPORTBY
ENDRE
A. BALAZS
Nest of the participants of this session took the opportunity to present a review of their rec,ently published work and augmented it with some yet unreported results. F. J. Rentsch (Tiibingen) reported the use of Ruthenium red to show that the collagen fibers of the vitreous are connected with the basement, membrane of the retina. The filaments which pick up Ruthenium red and. therefore, become visible as a network connecting the collagen fibrils. extend into the intercellular space of the nonpigmented oiliary epithelium near the area serrata and between the glial cells of the retina. In pathological conditions of the vitreous, this fine structure is changed. Y. Taniguchi (Kagoshima) presented an electron-microscopic study of the proliferating tissue that covered the internal surface of the basal lamina of the retina. This tissue was obtained from two human eyes with advanced diabetic retinopathy. E. A. Balazs and E. Hultsch (Boston) presented in two lectures their receut work on the transport. of hyaluronic acid from the vitreous and on the inflammatory process in the vitreous in connection w&h replacement of the vitreous w&h hyaluronic acid. ,411 these experiments were carried out in the liquid vitreous of the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus). Very viscous solutions of highly purified fractions of R;a-hyaluronate were used to replace about half of the liquid vitreous. thereby elevating the hyaluronic acid concentration in the vitreous nearly 10 times over the normal level. When the operat,ion did not disturb the anterior cortical layer of t,he vitreous, the hyaluronit acid concentrat,ion remained higher than normal for at least 60 days. The normal liquid vitreous showed certain anti-inflammatory properties because it inhibited lymphocyte transformation t#o lymphoblasts and subsequent multiplication of these cells and inhibited the migration of Iymphomyeloid cells. The high molecular weight hyaluronic acid of the liquid vitreous is responsible for both of these in vitro reactions. The authors suggested that hyaluronic acid plays an important role as a regulatory agent of certain cellular reactions of the inflammatory process of the vitreous. J. Francois and V. Victoria-Troncoso (Ghent) revieTved their histological work on the hyalocytes of rabbit vitreous. They also reported that, hyalocytes transplanted from one animal to another may survive and possibly proliferate in the vitreous. S. &terlin (hlalmi5) described the met,hods for extracapsular and intracapsular lens extraction in normal owl monkeys. The hyaluronic acid concentration in the vitreous rapidly decreased after the operat,ion when the lens was removed with its capsule. The concentration remained unchanged when the capsule was not removed. This result supports other findings that the hyaluronic acid diffusion from the vitreous to the posterior and anterior chambers is prevented and/or regulated by the anterior cortical layer of the vitreous and by t,he lens. B. P. Gloor (Bern) reviewed his interesting work on the reproduction and proliferation of hyalocytes in normal eyes and during inflammat,ion. He concluded that t,he mononuclear phagocytes of the vitreous proliferate in situ and. in addition, some new histiocytes appear via the blood circuIation. Thus, the vitreous during inflammation, as far as the cellular reaction is concerned. behaves like similar conneet.ive tissue compartments in other parts of t,he body.
Miscellaneous Topics 8. Mishima, S. Yoshida and S. Tsukahara (Tokyo) studied the disappearance rate of pilocarpine and tropicamide administered with fluorescein in conjunctival cul-de-sac. A dose-response relationship was obtained between the response of the pupil and the logarithm of the drug concentration. The decay of the pupillar response could be analyzed in terms of exponential decay coefficient forming an analogy with concentration decrease.
A 13S T K A ( ’ T qL
may not be species-specific. Henley proposes that inflammation and increased vasrularity I~IZI~ play an important role in the induction of sensitivity t’o cornea and lens which are normally SCquestered from the immune system. The persistence of inflammation was explained by tlrta increasing number of circulating sensitized cells whiah could secrete active lymphoe.ytr produrts. In a cont,roversial ending to the meet.ing, Meyers led a general disrussion of specific and nonspecific mediators and potentiators of ocular inflammation. The emphasis on patZhophysiolog,v and mechanisms of the inflammation in t,he eve was ent)ertained with the conclusion that thus or,~~lar inflammatory process will continue to be intensively invest,igated by ophtha.lmologistn.
Physiology and Pathology of the Vitreous REPORTBY
ENDRE
A. BALAZS
Nest of the participants of this session took the opportunity to present a review of their rec,ently published work and augmented it with some yet unreported results. F. J. Rentsch (Tiibingen) reported the use of Ruthenium red to show that the collagen fibers of the vitreous are connected with the basement, membrane of the retina. The filaments which pick up Ruthenium red and. therefore, become visible as a network connecting the collagen fibrils. extend into the intercellular space of the nonpigmented oiliary epithelium near the area serrata and between the glial cells of the retina. In pathological conditions of the vitreous, this fine structure is changed. Y. Taniguchi (Kagoshima) presented an electron-microscopic study of the proliferating tissue that covered the internal surface of the basal lamina of the retina. This tissue was obtained from two human eyes with advanced diabetic retinopathy. E. A. Balazs and E. Hultsch (Boston) presented in two lectures their receut work on the transport. of hyaluronic acid from the vitreous and on the inflammatory process in the vitreous in connection w&h replacement of the vitreous w&h hyaluronic acid. ,411 these experiments were carried out in the liquid vitreous of the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus). Very viscous solutions of highly purified fractions of R;a-hyaluronate were used to replace about half of the liquid vitreous. thereby elevating the hyaluronic acid concentration in the vitreous nearly 10 times over the normal level. When the operat,ion did not disturb the anterior cortical layer of t,he vitreous, the hyaluronit acid concentrat,ion remained higher than normal for at least 60 days. The normal liquid vitreous showed certain anti-inflammatory properties because it inhibited lymphocyte transformation t#o lymphoblasts and subsequent multiplication of these cells and inhibited the migration of Iymphomyeloid cells. The high molecular weight hyaluronic acid of the liquid vitreous is responsible for both of these in vitro reactions. The authors suggested that hyaluronic acid plays an important role as a regulatory agent of certain cellular reactions of the inflammatory process of the vitreous. J. Francois and V. Victoria-Troncoso (Ghent) revieTved their histological work on the hyalocytes of rabbit vitreous. They also reported that, hyalocytes transplanted from one animal to another may survive and possibly proliferate in the vitreous. S. &terlin (hlalmi5) described the met,hods for extracapsular and intracapsular lens extraction in normal owl monkeys. The hyaluronic acid concentration in the vitreous rapidly decreased after the operat,ion when the lens was removed with its capsule. The concentration remained unchanged when the capsule was not removed. This result supports other findings that the hyaluronic acid diffusion from the vitreous to the posterior and anterior chambers is prevented and/or regulated by the anterior cortical layer of the vitreous and by t,he lens. B. P. Gloor (Bern) reviewed his interesting work on the reproduction and proliferation of hyalocytes in normal eyes and during inflammat,ion. He concluded that t,he mononuclear phagocytes of the vitreous proliferate in situ and. in addition, some new histiocytes appear via the blood circuIation. Thus, the vitreous during inflammation, as far as the cellular reaction is concerned. behaves like similar conneet.ive tissue compartments in other parts of t,he body.
Miscellaneous Topics 8. Mishima, S. Yoshida and S. Tsukahara (Tokyo) studied the disappearance rate of pilocarpine and tropicamide administered with fluorescein in conjunctival cul-de-sac. A dose-response relationship was obtained between the response of the pupil and the logarithm of the drug concentration. The decay of the pupillar response could be analyzed in terms of exponential decay coefficient forming an analogy with concentration decrease.