Retraction

Previous work has shown that infusion flow rates can be increased by an order of magnitude by partially retracting microneedles after insertion into the skin. This study sought to determine the mechanism by which retraction increases fluid infusion by piercing human cadaver skin with single microneedles, fixing the skin after retracting microneedles to different distances, and examining skin microstructure by histology. We found that microneedle insertion to 1080 μm from the skin surface resulted primarily in skin indentation and only 100-300 μm penetration into the skin. This caused significant compaction of the skin, which probably pressed out most water and thereby dramatically lowered the flow conductivity of skin beneath the needle tip. Retraction of the microneedle allowed the skin to recoil back toward its original position, which relieved the skin compaction and increased local flow conductivity. Altogether, these results suggest that microneedle insertion to penetrate into the skin followed by microneedle retraction to relieve skin compaction is an effective approach to infuse fluid into the skin in a minimally invasive manner.

The purpose of this study was to clinically evaluate miniscrew implant-supported maxillary canine retraction with corticotomy-facilitated orthodontics. Methods: The sample consisted of 13 adult patients (5 men, 8 women; mean age, 19 years) exhibiting Class II Division 1 malocclusion with increased overjet requiring the therapeutic extraction of the maxillary first premolars, with subsequent retraction of the maxillary canines. Corticotomy-facilitated orthodontics was randomly assigned to 1 side of the maxillary arch at the caninepremolar region, and the other side served as the control. By using miniscrews as anchorage, canine retraction was initiated via closed nickel-titanium coil springs applying 150 g of force per side. The following variables were examined over a 4-month follow-up period: rate of tooth movement, molar anchorage loss, plaque index, gingival index, probing depth, attachment loss, and gingival recession. Results: The average daily rate of canine retraction was significantly higher on the corticotomy than the control side by 2 times during the first 2 months after the corticotomy surgery. This rate of tooth movement declined to only 1.6 times higher in the third month and 1.06 times higher by the end of the fourth month. No molar anchorage loss occurred during canine retraction on either the operated or the nonoperated side. There was no statistically significant difference between preoperative and postoperative measurements of plaque index, probing depth, attachment loss, and gingival recession. Conclusions: Corticotomy-facilitated orthodontics can be a feasible treatment modality for adults seeking orthodontic treatment with reduced treatment times.

Pathogenic Neisseria express type IV pili (tfp), which have been shown to play a central role in the interactions of bacteria with their environment. The regulation of piliation thus constitutes a central element in bacterial life cycle. The PilC proteins are outer membrane-associated proteins that have a key role in tfp biogenesis since PilCnull mutants appear defective for fibre expression. Moreover, tfp are also subjected to retraction, which is under the control of the PilT nucleotide-binding protein.

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We present the results of a combined theoretical and numerical investigation of the rim-driven retraction of flat fluid sheets in both planar and circular geometries. Particular attention is given to the influence of the fluid viscosity on the evolution of the sheet and its bounding rim. In both geometries, after a transient that depends on the sheet viscosity and geometry, the film edge eventually attains the Taylor–Culick speed predicted on the basis of inviscid theory. The emergence of this result in the viscous limit is rationalized by consideration of both momentum and energy arguments. We first consider the planar geometry considered by Brenner & Gueyffier (Phys. Fluids, vol. 11, 1999, p. 737) and deduce new analytical expressions for the speed of the film edge at the onset of rupture and the evolution of the maximum film thickness for viscous films. In order to consider the expansion of a circular hole, we develop an appropriate lubrication model that predicts the form of the...

There is a mounting worry about erroneous and outright fraudulent research that gets published in the scientific literature. Although peer review's ability to filter out such publications is contentious, several peer review innovations attempt to do just that. However, there is very little systematic evidence documenting the ability of different review procedures to flag problematic publications. In this article, we use survey data on peer review in a wide range of journals to compare the retraction rates of specific review procedures, using the Retraction Watch database. We were able to identify which peer review procedures were used since 2000 for 361 journals, publishing a total of 833,172 articles, of which 670 were retracted. After addressing the dual character of retractions, signalling both a failure to identify problems prior to publication, but also the willingness to correct mistakes, we empirically assess review procedures. With considerable conceptual caveats, we were able to identify peer review procedures that seem able to detect problematic research better than others. Results were verified for disciplinary differences and variation between reasons for retraction. This leads to informed recommendations for journal editors about strengths and weaknesses of specific peer review procedures, allowing them to select review procedures that address issues most relevant to their field.

Clinical and experimental evidence suggest that statins decrease sympathetic activity, but whether peripheral mechanisms involving direct actions on post-ganglionic sympathetic neurons contribute to this effect is not known. Because tonic activity of these neurons is directly correlated with the size of their dendritic arbor, we tested the hypothesis that statins decrease dendritic arborization in sympathetic neurons. Oral administration of atorvastatin (20 mg/kg/day for 7 days) significantly reduced dendritic arborization in vivo in sympathetic ganglia of adult male rats. In cultured sympathetic neurons, statins caused dendrite retraction and reversibly blocked bone morphogenetic protein-induced dendritic growth without altering cell survival or axonal growth. Supplementation with mevalonate or isoprenoids, but not cholesterol, attenuated the inhibitory effects of statins on dendritic growth, whereas specific inhibition of isoprenoid synthesis mimicked these statin effects. Statins blocked RhoA translocation to the membrane, an event that requires isoprenylation, and constitutively active RhoA reversed statin effects on dendrites. These observations that statins decrease dendritic arborization in sympathetic neurons by blocking RhoA activation suggest a novel mechanism by which statins decrease sympathetic activity and protect against cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate papers retracted due to falsification in high-impact journals. Study Design and Setting: We selected articles retracted due to allegations of falsification in January 1, 1980 to March 1, 2006 from journals with impact factor O10 and O30,000 annual citations. We evaluated characteristics of these papers and misconduct-involved authors and assessed whether they correlated with time to retraction. We also compared retracted articles vs. matched nonretracted articles in the same journals.

The purposes of this retrospective study were to investigate the apical root resorption of maxillary incisors in orthodontic patients with en-masse maxillary anterior retraction and intrusion with miniscrews and the factors disposing a patient to apical root resorption. Methods: Fifty adult patients with maxillary protrusion were included; 30 were treated with miniscrews and extraction of the maxillary first premolars (group I), and 20 were treated with extraction of the maxillary first premolars (group II). For each patient, periapical films of the maxillary incisors and lateral cephalometric radiographs were taken before and after treatment to evaluate apical root resorption and cephalometric measurements. The intergroup differences were analyzed with the Student t test and the correlations between apical root resorption and cephalometric measurements were analyzed by the Pearson correlation. Results: The apical root resorption values were 16.0% to 20.0% (2.5-2.8 mm) in group I and 13.4% to 14.4% (2.1-2.3 mm) of the original root length in group II. Group I had significantly more severe Class II jaw discrepancy (ANB, 7.1 6 1.9 ) than did group II (ANB, 3.2 6 2.9 ). The amount of maxillary en-masse anterior retraction (8.2 6 2.4 mm), the duration of treatment (28.3 6 7.3 months), and apical root resorption of maxillary lateral incisors were significantly greater in group I than in group II. Apical root resorption of the maxillary central incisors was significantly correlated to the duration of treatment but not to the amount of enmasse retraction, intrusion, or palatal tipping of maxillary incisors. Conclusions: Miniscrew anchorage allows for more maxillary en-masse anterior retraction in patients with severe Class II cases. But the time needed for the greater amount of maxillary en-masse anterior retraction with miniscrew anchorage is longer and might dispose the patient to more apical root resorption. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2010;137:207-12)

Background: A chief morbidity of Graves eye disease is upper eyelid retraction that results in exposure keratopathy and cosmetic deformity. Objective: To assess the efficacy of graded anterior blepharotomy to treat upper eyelid retraction. Methods: Fifty eyelids of 32 patients with Graves eye disease-associated upper eyelid retraction, causing symptomatic ocular exposure, were treated with graded, transcutaneous, full-thickness, anterior blepharotomy. Preoperative and postoperative ocular exposure symptoms, upper eyelid position, lagophthalmos, and keratopathy were compared. Results: At a meanϮSD of 8.5Ϯ8.1 months' (range, 2-35 months) follow-up, more than 90% of preoperative symptoms resolved or improved. Upper eyelid position (PϽ.001), lagophthalmos (PϽ.001), and keratopathy (PϽ.01) were significantly improved. Mild contour abnormalities (all Յ1 mm) occurred in 7 of 50 eyelids. Eyelid crease recession or asymmetry occurred in 4 of 22 patients with postoperative eyelid crease measurements. Complications of ptosis, wound dehiscence, and a full-thickness hole each occurred once. The meanϮSD time taken to perform the procedure was 31.5Ϯ8.9 minutes per eyelid. Conclusions: Graded anterior blepharotomy for upper eyelid retraction is a safe and highly effective surgery for upper eyelid retraction associated with symptomatic Graves eye disease. This technique achieves excellent functional and cosmetic outcomes.

Retraction of the liver capsule may be associated with a diverse spectrum of benign and malignant hepatic abnormalities. These include primary malignant neoplasms (epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma), secondary malignant neoplasms before and after treatment, and hepatic hemangioma, especially in cirrhotic livers. Other etiologies include confluent fibrosis in cirrhotic livers, chronic biliary obstruction (as can be seen in primary sclerosing cholangitis), and traumatic hepatic injury (iatrogenic and noniatrogenic). Because several recent studies have incorrectly reported hepatic capsular retraction as a specific sign of hepatic malignancy, it is important to understand the imaging appearances of the various etiologies associated with this sign to avoid misdiagnosis that may adversely affect the therapeutic approach.

Introduction Surgical repair of symptomatic, retracted rotator cuV tears unresponsive to non-operative treatments requires closure of the tear without undue tension and reattaching the torn tendon to its former insertion site. In this study, the length of the torn tendon edge was hypothesized to be longer than the length of the humeral insertion site. The objective of this study was to quantify the discrepancy in length of the torn tendon edge and the length of the avulsed humeral insertion site. Materials and methods Full thickness, rotator cuV tears that were found in twelve fresh frozen cadaver shoulders was studied. The length of the torn tendon edge, the length of the avulsed humeral insertion site and the retraction were measured using digital calipers. Results Each tear involved the supraspinatus and the infraspinatus was additionally torn in six. The size of the tear was medium in eight and large in four. The length of the torn tendon edge was always longer than the length of the avulsed humeral insertion site. Retraction was 29.9 § 9.3 mm (range 21-48 mm). The repair ratio, deWned as the ratio of length of torn tendon edge to the length of avulsed humeral insertion site, was 2.6 § 0.4 (range 2.1-3.5). Conclusion As only the length of the torn tendon edge equal to the length of the avulsed humeral insertion site can be repaired to bone, a repair ratio more than one precludes a simple repair and an additional repair technique such as margin convergence would be necessary for the remaining unapproximated torn tendon edge in rotator cuV tears. Repair ratio may aid in selection of the surgical repair technique of these rotator cuV tears.

Effects of drop and matrix viscoelasticity on the retraction of a sheared drop are numerically investigated. Retraction of an Oldroyd-B drop in a Newtonian matrix is initially faster and later slower with increasing drop Deborah number. The observed behavior is explained using an ordinary differential equation model representing the dominant balance between various forces during retraction. The initial faster relaxation of viscoelastic drops is due to viscoelastic stresses pulling the drop interface at the tips inward. The later slower retraction is due to the slowly-relaxing viscoelastic forces at the equator, where they act against the capillary force. The drop inclination decreases substantially during retraction unlike in a Newtonian case. Matrix viscoelasticity slows the relaxation of a Newtonian drop because of the increasingly slow relaxation of highly stretched polymers near the drop tip with increasing Deborah number. Increasing the ratio of polymeric to total viscosity further accentuates the viscoelastic effects in both cases. For an Oldroyd-B drop in an Oldroyd-B matrix, a competition between the dispersed and the continuous phase elasticities, represented by their ratio, determines the dynamics; larger values of the ratio leads again to initial faster and later slower retraction.

The aim of this preliminary study was to analyze the results of en-masse incisor and canine retraction with temporary skeletal anchorage devices (TSADs) as the exclusive source of anchorage. Methods: A retrospective clinical investigation supported by preliminary case reports was performed comparing pretreatment cephalometric radiographs with those taken after en-masse retraction of the 6 anterior teeth. The sample consisted of 17 nongrowing patients with an average age of 24.4 6 3.71 years. The average retraction period was 13.94 6 5.37 months. No brackets or bands were placed on the posterior dentition during retraction. A total of 34 TSADs were used as the only source of anchorage. Thirty sand-blasted, large-grit, and acid-etched C-implants and 4 miniplates with tubes were used. These TSADs were designed to withstand heavy and dynamic retraction forces applied to the maxillary anterior dentition, thereby eliminating the need for bonded or banded anchor teeth. The cephalometric radiographs were analyzed for differences between pretreatment and postretraction variables that included skeletal, dental, and soft-tissue relationships. Results: Significant incisor and canine retraction was achieved in all patients. During the retraction period, the posterior teeth showed a tendency for extrusion and mesial tipping. Conclusions: En-masse retraction of the 6 anterior teeth can be accomplished by using TSADs as the only source of anchorage. Maximum anchorage was achieved without appliances in the posterior dentition.

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Studies implicate the cervical facet joint and its capsule as a primary anatomical site of injury during whiplash exposures to the neck. Although the facet joint is known to undergo stretch as the superior vertebra is retracted relative to the inferior vertebra during the whiplash kinematic, the response of the facet capsular ligament and its microstructure during failure in joint retraction is unknown. Polarized light imaging and vector correlation analysis were used to measure the collagen fiber alignment in the human capsular ligament, together with traditional mechanical metrics, during joint retraction sufficient to induce ligament failure. Anomalous fiber realignment occurs at 2.9571.66 mm of displacement, which is not different from the displacement when the ligament first yields (2.7771.55 mm), but is significantly lower (p¼0.016) than the displacement at tissue failure (5.4071.65 mm). The maximum principal strain at the first detection of anomalous fiber realignment (0.6670.39) also is significantly lower (p¼ 0.046) than the strain at failure (1.3970.64), but is not different from the strains at yield or partial failure. The onset of collagen fiber realignment determined in this study corresponds to the ligament's yielding and supports assertions that the facet capsule can undergo tissue injury during joint retraction. Further, such microstructural responses may indicate tissue damage in the absence of rupture.

An observational study was carried out at the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery to assess the clinical and histological long-term outcomes of autologous skin grafting of fresh surgical wounds following previous repair with a hyaluronic acid three-dimensional scaffold (Hyalomatrix ® ). Eleven fresh wounds from surgical release of retracted scars were enrolled in this study. A stable skin-like tissue cover was observed in all of the treated wounds in an average 1 month's time; at the end of this study, after an average of 12 months' time, all of the reconstructed areas were pliable and stable, although an average retraction rate of 51·62% was showed. Histological observation and immunohistochemical analysis displayed integration of the graft within the surrounding tissues. A regenerated dermis with an extracellular matrix rich in type I collagen and elastic fibres and with reduced type III collagen rate was observed. The epidermis and dermoepidermal junction featured a normal appearance with well-structured dermal papillae, too. Although the histological features would suggest regeneration of a skin-like tissue, with a good dermis and no signs of scarring, the clinical problem of secondary contracture is still unsolved.

El objetivo de este trabajo es doble. Primero, analizar el desacuerdo sin falta, fenómeno central en el debate sobre el significado de los juicios de gusto, y examinar cómo las distintas posiciones que toman parte en dicho debate –contextualismo deíctico, contextualismo no deíctico y relativismo– dan cuenta de este fenómeno. Segundo, defender que tanto el contextualismo no deíctico como el relativismo pueden dar cuenta de él, pero que solo el segundo de ellos puede hacerlo a la vez que acomoda un fenómeno que parece central en la explicación de este tipo de desacuerdos, la retractación.

During curative cancer surgery, magnetic retraction could offer advantages over retraction by graspers because of reduced tissue trauma and with the potential for noncontact retraction. To realize magnetic retraction, magnetic fluid was injected into harvested porcine stomachs and an external permanent magnet was used to retract the ferromagnetized tissue. The magnetic forces of four ferrofluids were measured. The results of these experiments showed that iron-oxide-nanoparticle-based ferrofluids do not provide the required retraction force. However, sufficient retraction force is obtained by ferromagnetic microparticles fluids (stainless steel 410, denoted MP-SS410) by virtue of their high magnetization and saturation. In ex vivo surgical retraction experiments, MP-SS410 powder was dispersed in phosphate-buffered saline and other fluids. These ferrofluids were injected into the submucosal layer of harvested porcine stomachs at different concentrations and volumes. The inoculum generated a magnetic retraction force linearly proportional to the concentration and injected volume. Ex vivo surgical retraction, and dissection and resection were possible with a simple magnetic probe. The results of this study indicate that ferromagnetization of tissue can be used to facilitate localized tissue retraction and resection.

We present experimental investigations on droplet deformation under simple shear flow conditions, using a computer-controlled parallel band apparatus and an optical device which allows us to record the time dependence of the droplet shape. Several methods are applied to determine the interfacial tension from the observed shape and relaxation mechanism. Specific software developed in our laboratory allows the droplet to be fixed in a certain position for extended times, in fact, indefinite. This is an advantage over most other work done in this area, where only limited time is available. In our experiments, the transient deformation of sheared droplets can be observed to reach the steady state. The measured systems were Newtonian, both droplet and fluid phase. Droplet deformation, orientation angle and retraction were studied and compared to several models. The interfacial tension of the different systems was calculated using the theories of Taylor, Rallison, and Hinch and Acrivos. The results obtained from the analysis of the droplet deformation were in very good agreement with drop detachment experiments of Feigl and co-workers. The study of orientation angle shows qualitative agreement to the theory of Hinch and Acrivos but reveals larger quantitative discrepancies for several empirical fitting parameters of the used model. Analysis of the relaxation of sheared drops provided estimates of the interfacial tension that were in very good agreement with the steady-state measurements.

Over the last five decades, philosophers of language have looked into the mechanisms for doing things with words. The same attention has not been devoted to how to undo those things, once they have been done. This paper identifies and examines three strategies to make one’s speech acts undone—namely, Annulment, Retraction, and Amendment. In annulling an act, a speaker brings to light its fatal flaws. Annulment amounts to recognizing an act as null, whereas retraction and amendment amount to making it null. Speakers employ retraction to cancel the deontic updates engendered by a given act. They instead use amendment to adjust its degree of strength. I will argue that annulling, retracting, and amending are second-order speech acts, whose felicity conditions vary with the type of illocution they operate on. Undoing is therefore conceived of as a form of doing. Furthermore, I claim that, in calling off our acts, we undo the conventional or illocutionary effects of our words while leaving intact their past causal or perlocutionary outcomes.

There have been two traditions of research under the concept of accounts. One tradition, the social interactionist, has focused on the interactional use of accounts by individuals to neutralize negative evaluations of questionable acts or their consequences and restore social equilibrium. The second tradition, the social psychological, has focused on the autobiographical and explanatory use of accounts to create and organize meaning for troubling or stressful life events. In both traditions, scholars have been almost exclusively concerned with the individual-level functions of accounts. Analyzing the institutional origins of false memory syndrome and the retractor account episodes in which it is used, I argue for the expansion of accounts research to include the role of institutions and collective actors in the production of new account frameworks. Further, I argue that the conceptualizations of accounts in the two traditions of research can be effectively combined in a way that is sociologically stronger than either alone. KEY WORDS: accounts; identity; false memory syndrome.

The incidence of re-operative median sternotomy is rising. During resternotomy, catastrophic haemorrhage remains a dreaded complication. We describe our approach and experience with the combined use of Mayfield resternotomy retractor and anterior sternal retraction which allows division of adhesions between the sternum and mediastinal structures under direct vision with endoscopic or conventional instruments prior to resternotomy with a standard Hall reciprocating saw. The mean time to divide the retro-sternal adhesions was 26.4^16.7 min. No morbidity related to sternal division was observed. For redo surgery, repeat sternotomy under direct vision may reduce the sternotomy related morbidity (especially the need for cardiopulmonany bypass due to significant haemorrhage) and mortality. q

In 1979 Sam B. Nadler, Jr. defined the hyperspace suspension of a continuum. We define the n-fold symmetric product suspensions of a continuum using n-fold symmetric products. We study some properties of this hyperspace: unicoherence, local connectedness, arcwise connectedness.

background. A commonly held misperception regarding liposuction in patients over 40 years of age is that the skin will not retract and redrape following removal of the fat. objective. In order to evaluate tissue retraction in the abdomen, neck, and arms in patients undergoing liposuction after 40 years of age, the following study was conducted. method. A total of 58 patients ranging in age from 40 to 75 years underwent liposuction. Thirty had liposuction of the abdomen, 20 had liposuction of the neck, and 8 had liposuction of the arms. Measurements in inches and weight in pounds were recorded before and at 1, 3, and 6 months after the procedure. results. Ninety percent of the patients were women. The rest of the patients were men. The average age of the patients undergoing liposuction of the abdomen was 55 years old. The average supranatant fat extracted from these patients was 1725 ml, with an average lidocaine dose of 36 mg/kg of body weight. The patients who had liposuction of the abdomen demonstrated an average weight loss of 5 lb and a decrease of 3 inches in waistline 6 months after the procedure. For those patients

In this paper, I argue that there are good motivations for a relativist account of domain-sensitivity of quantifier phrases. I will frame the problem as a puzzle involving what looks like a logically valid inference, yet whose premises are true while the conclusion is false. After discussing some existing accounts, literalist and contextualist, I will present and argue for an account that may be said to be relativist in the following sense: (i) a domain of quantification is required for determining truth value, but is idle in determining semantic content, and (ii) the same sentence, as used on one and the same occasion, may receive different truth values relative to different domains.

Objectives: To correlate the recurrence of temporalis fascia graft perforation and retraction in adults and children after tympanoplasty for chronic tubotympanic otitis and deep attic retraction pockets with age, pathologic process, mucosal lesions, mucociliary transport time, chronic sinusitis, and lateral attic wall reconstruction.

Objective: To compare tipping mechanics (TM) and bodily mechanics (BM) with respect to duration, angulation, and anchorage loss during canine retraction. Materials and Methods: TM and BM brackets were bonded to the upper right and left canines, respectively, of 14 subjects requiring maxillary first premolar extractions. The upper canines were retracted with variable nickel titanium closed coil springs (F ϭ 0.50 or 0.75 N) attached posteriorly to a Nance anchorage appliance through the first molars. Panoramic radiographs and dental casts were taken at five time points. Canine angulation was assessed with custom metallic jigs inserted into the vertical slots of the canine brackets prior to radiographic exposure. Results: The canine crown contacted the second premolar after 102.2 Ϯ 106 and 99.0 Ϯ 80.0 days, and achieved root uprighting in 72.0 Ϯ 31.3 and 37.2 Ϯ 42.7 additional days with the TM and BM groups, respectively. Only the uprighting stage differed significantly between the two mechanics (P Ͻ .05). During retraction, tooth angulation differed significantly (P Ͻ .001) between the TM (6Њ) and BM (Ϫ0.8Њ) groups. Anchorage loss, as assessed by mesial molar movement, was 1.2 Ϯ 0.3 mm and 1.4 Ϯ 0.5 mm for the TM and BM groups, respectively. Conclusions: Bodily canine retraction occurred faster (38 days) than tipping due to a shorter duration of root uprighting. Anchorage loss (17%-20%) was similar for both retraction methods, ie, maximum anchorage could not be provided by the Nance appliance. Both TM and BM brackets had inadequate rotational control of the retracted canine.

T reating deep-seated cerebral lesions often requires retracting the brain. Retraction, however, causes clinically significant postoperative neurological deficits in 3% to 9% of intracranial cases. 1,2 The local pressure on the brain surface deforms the brain, causing ischemia by compromising perforating arteries. The extent of injury depends on the pressure exerted by the retractor, the geometry of the retractor, and the duration of retraction. 3 To date, characterization of the functional and anatomic consequences of brain retraction has been limited to a description of the obvious postoperative patient deficits and obvious regions of brain injury. 4 A technique that more precisely, sensitively, and quantitatively detects brain regions at risk from retraction would facilitate future studies designed to optimize surgical technique and improve patient outcome.

Aims: To evaluate the presence and extent of periacinar retraction clefting in proliferative prostatic atrophy and carcinoma in radical prostatectomy specimens. Methods: Atrophic foci and neoplastic glands were analysed in specimens from 50 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. Analysed atrophic glands were classified in two main groups, proliferative atrophy (PA) and proliferative inflammatory atrophy (PIA); each group was subclassified into simple atrophy (SA) and postatrophic hyperplasia (PAH). According to the presence and extent of periacinar retraction clefting, atrophic and neoplastic glands were classified as: group 1, glands without clefts or with clefts affecting (50% of gland circumference; group 2, glands with clefts that affected .50% of the circumference in ,50% of examined glands; and group 3, glands with clefts that affected .50% of the circumference in >50% of examined glands. Results: Forty-four (88.0%) atrophic foci were without periacinar clefts or clefts were present in less than half of the gland circumference (group 1). In 6 (12.0%), atrophic foci clefts affected .50% of gland circumference (groups 2 and 3). Forty-five (90.0%) carcinomas were with clefts which affected more than 50% of gland circumference (groups 2 and 3); and in five carcinomas only, clefts were not found or affected ,50% of gland circumference (group 1). Conclusion: Results indicate that periacinar retraction clefting represents a reliable criterion in differential diagnosis between proliferative atrophy and carcinoma.

Abstract Purpose: To investigate binocularity in DuaneÕs retraction syndrome (DRS) and to evaluate whether or not there is a relationship between the sensory and clinical features of the syndrome. Methods: Clinical and sensory findings of 29 patients with DRS were recorded. Binocularity was tested with the Bagolini glasses (BG), Worth four-dot (W4D), TNO and the stereo-fly plate of the Titmus test. Results: Twenty-four (83%) patients showed fusion with the BG at near and 23 (79%) had fusion at distance. With the W4D, 23 (79%) patients had fusion at near and 19 (65%) had fusion at distance. Seven (24%) patients demonstrated normal stereoacuity, 15 (52%) had reduced stereoacuity and the remaining seven (24%) patients had no measurable stereoacuity. In patients without stereoacuity, amblyopia (p < 0.001), type 2 and 3 DRS (p = 0.031) and exotropia (p = 0.003) in primary position were more common than in those with reduced or with normal stereoacuity. Restriction of ocular ductions was also more severe in patients without stereoacuity than in those with reduced or normal stereoacuity (p = 0.019, p = 0.016). Patients with type 2 and 3 DRS were significantly more likely to have amblyopia (p = 0.037), large-angle heterotropia (p = 0.005) in primary position, upshoot or downshoot (p = 0.010) than those with type 1 DRS. Conclusions: Although approximately 75% of DRS patients had fusion and measurable stereoacuity, only 25% demonstrated normal binocularity. This report provides new data on the relationship of sensory features to most of the clinical findings of this syndrome. Sensory features, as well as most clinical features of the syndrome, are better in patients with type 1 DRS.

Background: Facial nerve palsy often results in symptoms of ocular irritation due to inadequate eyelid closure. Weakened protractor function results in relative upper eyelid retraction and contributes to lagophthalmos. Objective: To evaluate the role of müllerectomy in the comprehensive surgical treatment of ocular exposure due to facial nerve palsy. Methods: Thirty-four patients with chronic facial nerve palsy underwent unilateral transconjunctival removal of Müller muscle and were followed up for an average of 20 months postoperatively. Other procedures were performed to treat lower eyelid retraction, as required. Preoperative and postoperative ocular exposure symptoms , upper eyelid position, lagophthalmos, and keratopathy were compared. Results: Of the 59 preoperative symptoms, 15 (25%) resolved and 39 (66%) improved. Upper eyelid position was lowered by an average of 1.35 mm (PϽ.001). Lagophthalmos (P=.002) and corneal exposure (PϽ.001) were significantly improved. Three patients required levator aponeurosis repair, 2 for preexisting dehiscence and 1 for inadvertent aponeurosis transection. Conclusion: Müllerectomy is a rapid, safe, and reproducible surgical method for lowering the upper eyelid and reducing ocular exposure symptoms and signs due to chronic facial nerve palsy.

We present a noninvasive technique for high-speed measuring of eye retraction and eyelid position during blinking. The anterior chamber of the eye is illuminated by the slit lamp of a biomicroscope and eye dynamics during a blinking sequence are captured with a high-speed camera working at 500 frames per second. Digital image processing allows quantitative analysis of cornea and eyelid positions during the closing and opening phases of the blinking process. Our method allows simultaneous measuring of corneal retraction, duration of down and up phases, total blinking duration, and average and peak speeds of the eyelids in both phases, thus providing a complete analysis of the blink's transversal motions.

Taking an elementary and straightforward approach, we develop the concept of a regular value for a smooth map f : O → P between smooth orbifolds O and P. We show that Sard's theorem holds and that the inverse image of a regular value is a smooth full suborbifold of O. We also study some constraints that the existence of a smooth orbifold map imposes on local isotropy groups. As an application, we prove a Borsuk no retraction theorem for compact orbifolds with boundary and some obstructions to the existence of real-valued orbifold maps from local model orbifold charts.