Motohiko Seimiya | PubMed Health

PubMed2006

Visual function with acupuncture tested by visual evoked potential.

Visual evoked potential (VEP) testing is used frequently and is an important ophthalmologic physiological test to examine visual functions objectively. The VEP is a complicated waveform consisting of negative waveform named N75 and N135, and positive waveform named P100. Delayed P100 latency and greatly attenuated amplitude on VEP are known characteristics for diagnosing optic nerve disease. Acupuncture has been used to treat wide clinical symptoms with minimal side effects. The confirmation of the efficacy of acupuncture generally relies on subjective symptoms. There is not much scientific evidence supporting the acupuncture treatments for eye diseases up to today. However, the VEP test can evaluate objectively and numerically the efficacy of the treatment by the acupuncture. We analyzed 19 healthy subjects (38 eyes). The P100 latencies in the group of less than 101.7 msec (total average) before acupuncture stimulations were not different than those after treatment (98.2 +/- 3.0 msec, 98.2 +/- 4.0 msec, respectively, p = 0.88, n = 17), but the latencies in those subjects with longer or equal to 101.7 msec were statistically different after acupuncture (104.6 +/- 2.8 msec, 101.9 +/- 3.7 msec, respectively, p = 0.006, n = 21). These results show that the acupuncture stimulation contributes to the P100 latencies of pattern reversal (PR)-VEP to some subjects who have delayed latencies, and this electrophysiological method is a valuable technique in monitoring the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy in the improvements of visual functions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the physiological effects by acupuncture stimulations using PR-VEP in normal subjects.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

PubMed2004

Molecular genetic analysis of optineurin gene for primary open-angle and normal tension glaucoma in the Japanese population.

PURPOSE: To determine whether mutations in the optineurin (OPTN) gene are associated with the incidence of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and normal tension glaucoma (NTG) in the Japanese. METHODS: Eighty-nine unrelated Japanese patients with POAG and 65 unrelated patients with NTG were studied. Genomic DNA was extracted from leukocytes of the peripheral blood, and thirteen exons of the OPTN gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and directly sequenced. RESULTS: Sequence alterations in exons 4 (His26Asp), 5 (Met98Lys), and 16 (Arg545Gln) were found. The His26Asp and Arg545Gln mutations were not detected in 100 ethnically matched controls. The frequency of the missense Met98Lys variant was higher in the POAG and NTG groups than in the control group (16.9% versus 5%, 15.4% versus 5%; P = 0.009 and P = 0.029, and odds ratio 3.85 and 3.45, respectively, for the dominant effect of the OPTN A allele). Polymorphisms in exons 4 and 12, and in introns 6 and 7 were also detected. CONCLUSIONS: The association of the allelic variation (Met98Lys) in the OPTN gene and the prevalence of POAG and NTG in unrelated Japanese patients suggest that they are involved in the pathogenesis of POAG and NTG.

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