Disease relevance of RLF

• Fifty-nine cases of RLF were detected in a total of approximately 175 examinations for the birth weight category under 1700 gm during a five-year period [1].
• The development of RLF was associated with prolonged oxygen exposure and the presence of bacterial sepsis [2].
• Since examinations performed during the fourth fortnight of life were 85% positive for RLF, and since retinal detachment in this condition rarely occurs before age 8 weeks, the present series of cases suggests that the optimal time for a single screening examination for RLF is between 7 and 9 weeks of age [1].
• In contrast, of the 13 surviving infants in group II (survival 76%), nine were ventilated (median = 8 days), six had moderate to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and six had mild RLF [3].
• This condition is sometimes confused with retrolental fibroplasia, and FEV is probably a more frequently occurring disease than previously thought, because of confusion with RLF [4].

High impact information on RLF

• The rearranged L-myc fusion gene (RLF) encodes a Zn-15 related zinc finger protein [5].
• These findings suggest that the role of the rearrangements fusing RLF and L-myc is to deregulate the tightly controlled expression of the L-myc gene [5].
• A clinical trial which looked at the outcome of premature infants with and without transcutaneous O2 monitoring would be useful not only to determine the impact on the prevalence of RLF, but also to determine the role of this technology in the management of premature infants generally [6].
• The study included eight children with left frontal lobe lesions/epileptic foci (LLF) and four children with right frontal lobe lesions/epileptic foci (RLF) [7].
• Changes occurring acute proliferative RLF were documented with fundus photography and fluorescein angiography [8].

Biological context of RLF

• The zinc fingers are not contained in the 79 amino acid N-terminal region of RLF involved in the RLF-L-myc fusions, and the transforming ability of the RLF-L-myc and the normal L-myc proteins is indistinguishable [5].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of RLF

• The effect of blood transfusion on the occurrence of RLF was evaluated in 58 infants who weighed less than 1001 g at birth (Group I) and 70 oxygen treated infants of various birth weights (Group II) [9].

References