A new 3D monitor-based randomdot stereotest for children

PURPOSE. Objective testing for random-dot stereovision in preverbal children requires some type of dissociating glasses. Drawbacks of such methods are the alteration of natural visual conditions and sometimes nonacceptance of the glasses. For this reason, a new, natural method for random-dot stereopsis measurement was developed and tested. METHODS. Random-dot circles (diameter 10 cm, crossed disparity of 0.34°) were generated on an autostereoscopic display and presented to 18 normal children (mean age, 5.1 Ϯ 1.1 years), 8 with anisometropic amblyopia (mean age, 4.9 Ϯ 1.3 years), 14 with infantile essential esotropia (mean age, 5.3 Ϯ 0.7 years), and 16 with primary microstrabismus (mean age, 5.2 Ϯ 1.4 years). While the position of the stimulus randomly changed among four possible locations, eye positions were recorded by infrared photo-oculography. If two or more consecutive saccades ends corresponded to the stimulus coordinates, a positive response was assumed. The results with the new test were compared with the ability to recognize the Lang I random-dot stereotest. RESULTS. Twenty-four of 26 Lang I-positive children had positive responses (sensitivity of 92.3%), 29 of 30 Lang I-negative children had negative three-dimensional (3D) stimulus responses (specificity, 96.7%). The positive predictive value of the new test was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.79 -0.99); the negative predictive value, 0.94 (95% CI, 0.78 -0.99); and the overall accuracy, 0.95 (95% CI, 0.85-0.99). CONCLUSIONS. This new 3D monitor-based test allows objective assessment of random-dot stereopsis in children older than 3 years. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2006;47:4842-4846

FHL2, a novel tissue-specific coactivator of the androgen receptor

The control of target gene expression by nuclear receptors requires the recruitment of multiple cofactors. However, the exact mechanisms by which nuclear receptor–cofactor interactions result in tissue-specific gene regulation are unclear. Here we characterize a novel tissue-specific coactivator for the androgen receptor (AR), which is identical to a previously reported protein FHL2/DRAL with unknown function. In the adult, FHL2 is expressed in the myocardium of the heart and in the epithelial cells of the prostate, where it colocalizes with the AR in the nucleus. FHL2 contains a strong, autonomous transactivation function and binds specifically to the AR in vitro and in vivo. In an agonist- and AF-2-dependent manner FHL2 selectively increases the transcriptional activity of the AR, but not that of any other nuclear receptor. In addition, the transcription of the prostate-specific AR target gene probasin is coactivated by FHL2. Taken together, our data demonstrate that FHL2 is the first LIM-only coactivator of the AR with a unique tissue-specific expression pattern