• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the degree of senile macular degeneration in elders aged 65 or older and identify factors associated with senile macular degeneration in elders within communities. Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional descriptive study were 388 elders without cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Data were collected through face to face interviews using a questionnaire in an urban area from June 2010 to December 2011. To detect senile macular degeneration, the participants' self-tests were carried out with Amsler grid testing. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate the effects of health behavior and knowledge about eye health on senile macular degeneration. Results: The proportion of participants with senile macular degeneration was 11.6%. Factors that significantly increased the risk of senile macular degeneration included eye discomfort and history of ophthalmic examination (p<.05). Factors that significantly decreased the risk of senile macular degeneration included regular change of magnifiers, non-use of magnifiers, and knowledge about preventive effects of non-smoking and antioxidant vitamin intake on senile macular degeneration (p<.05). Conclusion: This study showed that programs for preventing senile macular degeneration were necessary for elders within communities and the results of this study can be used for developing those programs.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.260-263
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• 2000

This case study was performed to investigate the effects of Chongsimyonja-tang and Dong's acupuncture therapy on senile macular degeneration patient who has been treated in the Dong-Eui oriental hospital. A 57-year-old female with senile macular degeneration complained of headaches, heaviness of the ache, night sweat, dizziness. For a duration of 2 months, We prescribed Chongsimyonja-tang, and added 3-4 herbs according to the symtoms and also treated the patient with Dong s acupuncture therapy. After 2 months, the patient's eyesight improved ($0.2{\rightarrow}0.7$) and the headaches disappeared, as did heaviness of the ache, night sweat, and dizziness. In this case Chongsimyonja-tang and Dong's acupuncture therapy present valuable treatment of senile macular degeneration.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.10
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• pp.273-279
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify factors associated with cataract and age-related macular degeneration in elders. Methods: In total, 341,588 men(44.18%,) and women(61.887%), aged over 60, were recruited from Korean National Health Insurance Service-Senior(2002-2013). We also analysed the factors which determine the prevalence of contract (ICD-10: H25) and age-related macular degeneration(ICD-10: H353) using Cox proportional hazard regression model Results: The subjects who were women, in older age, the group of higher income level, with hypertension, with heart disease, and with diabetes, the prevalence of both contract and age-related macular were increased(p<0.0001). Conclusion: The prevalence of contract and age-related macular degeneration were higher in old age of Korean who has chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. The management of chronic diseases are essentially required in elderly for more healthy eye in aged society.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.66-75
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• 2015

Object : The purpose of this study is to understand age-related maculardegeneration(AMD) with both western and Korean medicine.Methods : We investigated the comprehension of general AMD degenation in both western and Korean medicine through literature review.Results : The results are as follows.1. AMD prevalent increasing as the population ages; however, treatment options remain limited and incompletely defined.2. Generally macular degeneration has been affected by aging and is associate with the function of kidney(腎) and liver(肝) in Korean medicine.Conclusion : Further studies are needed to apply comprehension of AMD in Korean medicine to clinical stage.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.296-303
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• 2022

Objective: In general, macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma generally cause visual injury in clinical settings. This study aimed to examine the effects of low visual acuity simulations on hand manual dexterity function and brainwaves in healthy young adults. Design: Cross-sectional study design Methods: This study was an observational, cross-sectional study. Seventy healthy young adults participated in this study. To evaluate the effects of low visual acuity simulations on hand function and brain waves, this study involved four different visual conditions including (1) normal vision, (2) simulated cataracts, (3) simulated glaucoma, and (4) simulated macular degeneration. The hand function was measured to use the Minnesota manual dexterity test (MMDT), and the brainwaves was also measured to use the electroencephalography. Results: In hand function, placing and turning performance on the MMDT in the normal visual condition was significantly different than that in the cataract and macular degeneration conditions (p<0.05), and the placing performance was significantly differred in the normal condition than that in the simulated glaucoma. However, turning was not significantly different in the normal condition than that in the simulated glaucoma. The alpha, beta, and gamma waves did not significantly differ among the four visual conditions (p>0.05). Conclusions: The results suggest that limited visual information negatively affects the ability to perform tasks requiring arm-hand dexterity and eye-hand coordination. However, the effectiveness of low visual acuity on the brainwaves should be further studied for rehabilitative evidence of visual impairment.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.314-319
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• 2012

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among the elderly. In this study, extract of Vaccinium uliginosum L. that has potent antioxidant activity was evaluated as effective preventive supplement for AMD using AMD animal model induced by high fat diet and UV A irradiation. Treatment with VU extract protected photoreceptor cells of retina and blocked the accumulation of lipofuscin pigment-granules induced by high fat diet and UV A light irradiation. This study suggests that VU extract may be a useful agent for prevention of progress of AMD.

• BMB Reports
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.292-297
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• 2014

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the world. Evidence indicates that the suppression of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) contributes to the accumulation of toxic proteins and inflammation in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the functional abnormalities and/or the degeneration of which are believed to be the initiators and major pathologies of AMD. To identify new protein associations with the altered UPS in AMD, we used LC-ESI-MS/MS to perform a proteomic analysis of the aqueous humor (AH) of AMD patients and matched control subjects. Six UPS-related proteins were present in the AH of the patients and control subjects. Four of the proteins, including 26S proteasome non-ATPase regulatory subunit 1 (Rpn2), were increased in patients, according to semi-quantitative proteomic profiling. An LC-MRM assay revealed a significant increase of Rpn2 in 15 AMD patients compared to the control subjects, suggesting that this protein could be a biomarker for AMD.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.11
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• pp.675-687
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• 2023

Accumulation of pathogenic amyloid-β disrupts the tight junction of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), one of its senescence-like structural alterations. In the clearance of amyloid-β, the autophagy-lysosome pathway plays the crucial role. In this context, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibits the process of autophagy and lysosomal degradation, acting as a potential therapeutic target for age-associated disorders. However, efficacy of targeting mTOR to treat age-related macular degeneration remains largely elusive. Here, we validated the therapeutic efficacy of the mTOR inhibitors, Torin and PP242, in clearing amyloid-β by inducing the autophagy-lysosome pathway in a mouse model with pathogenic amyloid-β with tight junction disruption of RPE, which is evident in dry age-related macular degeneration. High concentration of amyloid-β oligomers induced autophagy-lysosome pathway impairment accompanied by the accumulation of p62 and decreased lysosomal activity in RPE cells. However, Torin and PP242 treatment restored the lysosomal activity via activation of LAMP2 and facilitated the clearance of amyloid-β in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, clearance of amyloid-β by Torin and PP242 ameliorated the tight junction disruption of RPE in vivo. Overall, our findings suggest mTOR inhibition as a new therapeutic strategy for the restoration of tight junctions in age-related macular degeneration.

• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-8
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• 2024

Macular degeneration is a disease that damages the macula, the center of the retina, and is one of the three major eye diseases along with glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. The optic nerve and most of the photoreceptor cells are located here, and since this is where images of objects are formed, it is the most important area for vision. The main symptom of macular degeneration is the inability to clearly distinguish the shape of objects or the inability to distinguish colors and light and dark. It is also a serious eye disease that causes black spots in the center of the field of vision. However, it is difficult to distinguish it from the form of vision loss due to presbyopia, so early diagnosis is often missed. The most common treatment for macular degeneration is antibody injection therapy. This treatment requires regular injections once every 1-2 months. When receiving antibody injection therapy, the fear of having to inject directly into the eye and the cost of long-term repeated procedures are a great burden to patients. To overcome these problems, special sustained-release formulations using drug delivery systems are being developed. Since the release speed and release time of the drug can be controlled, the number of times the drug is administered can be drastically reduced. However, the implant (Ø 0.46×6.0mm), which is a sustained-release agent, is manufactured by mixing biodegradable resin (PLGA) and therapeutic agent in a ratio of 4:6, so it is very brittle and there is a high risk of implant damage during handling. In order to safely insert the implant into the eye, a transport device that can be driven with controlled force is required. Therefore, in this study, the lever operating force was measured and analyzed to determine the influence of factors according to the cross-sectional thickness and shape of the linkage produced through injection molding as well as the post-process.

• Journal of The Korean Ophthalmological Society
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• v.59 no.11
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• pp.1024-1029
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• 2018

Purpose: We examined aqueous humor levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (vitamin D) in patients with age-related macular degeneration to investigate possible relationships between aqueous humor vitamin D levels and clinical manifestations. Methods: Patients > 50 years of age, 52 eyes of 34 patients with age-related macular degeneration, and 23 eyes of 17 patients treated with cataract surgery without retinal disease, were examined for aqueous humor vitamin D levels and compared. The experimental group was divided into two groups according to the median value of aqueous humor vitamin D levels. We compared the clinical manifestations of macular degeneration in both groups and identified relationships between aqueous humor vitamin D levels and clinical features. Results: Vitamin D levels in the aqueous humor were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (experimental, $10.03{\pm}10.1ng/mL$ vs. control group, $40.8{\pm}16.4ng/mL$; p < 0.001). Patients with high vitamin D levels in the macular degeneration group had a higher percentage of fibrovascular pigment epithelial detachments than those in the low grade group (high grade group, 65% vs. low grade group, 27%; p = 0.003). Multiple linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation between vitamin D levels and the total number of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor intravitreal injections within 6 months (standardize coefficient, ${\beta}=-0.336$). Conclusions: Patients with wet age-related macular degeneration had significantly lower vitamin D levels in the aqueous humor compared to control group subjects of similar ages. However, in patients with macular degeneration, low vitamin D levels were associated with a greater number of intravitreal injections, while higher levels of vitamin D may lead to more advanced forms of fibrovascular retinal pigment epithelium and related low vision. These relationships were not always constant, so further studies on the relationships between local vitamin D levels and ocular disorders are needed.