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The sites of encephalic photoreception in phosoperiodic induction of the growth of the testes in the white-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys gambelii. In bilaterally enucleated White-crowned SparrowsZonotrichia leucophrys gambeliitesticular growth and development at rates similar to those of intact birds subjected to long dayscan be induced by illumination of sites within and near the ventromedial hypothalamus from the tips of singlechronically implantedlight-conducting fibers. Essentially identical results are obtained with the same mode of encephalic illumination of birds with intact eyes held on short days that are otherwise nonstimulatory. Examination of the distribution of the sites of the fibers from which weak illumination induced testicular growthincrease in plasma level of luteinizing hormone or increase in plasma level of testosterone suggests that most of the photoreceptors must lie either within the ventromedial hypothalamus or in sites ventral theretosuch as the tuberal complex. For the time beingat leastwe find it necessary to assume that some photosensitive elements of the system occur outside of the ventral hypothalamus.

Systemic cytomegalovirus infection complicating ulcerative colitis: a case report and review of the literature. Cytomegalovirus is a common infection worldwide and in the immunocompromised individual it can be a major cause of morbidity and mortality. In patients with inflammatory bowel disease cytomegalovirus infection has been described in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. 34 year old man with an exacerbation of his colitis was diagnosed as having both cytomegalovirus colitis and hepatitis. The diagnosis was made on the classical appearance of "owl's eye" inclusion bodies on colonic and hepatic biopsies andin additionviral serology and polymerase chain reaction analysis of the cytomegalovirus copy number. Fourteen days of treatment with ganciclovir led to a prompt improvement in the symptoms of colitisresolution of the pyrexianormalisation of the liver function testsand clearance of the virusas measured by a negative cytomegalovirus Cytomegalovirus infection is a potentially fatal complication of treatment induced immunosuppression in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. As in this caseinfection may be systemic and not confined to the intestine. Prompt diagnosis using histologyserologyand analysis allows prompt introduction of therapy and an improved prognosis.

Ab-interno surgical technique for the implantation of a wireless subretinal prosthesis in mini-pigs. We sought to describe the surgical techniques required in the ab-interno method to implant subretinal prostheses in mini-pigs and suggest tips to facilitate optimal outcomes. During vitrectomythe use of valved trocar cannulas was essential to stabilize the detached retina and implanted chip. As a first step in retinal detachmenta 23-gauge cannula with very small amount of viscoelastic material was used to establish the retinal hole and promote retinal detachment. Thenbalanced salt solution was applied to increase the retinal detachment and diathermy was used to make opening for subretinal prosthesis. For easy positioning of the subretinal prosthesisa curved laser probe was adopted when handling the subretinal prosthesis under the retina. After surgerythe sclerotomy sites were tightly sutured to prevent silicone oil leakage. Without special equipmentsuch as a 41-gauge tipretinal detachment could be induced easilywhile the prosthesis was also successfully inserted and manipulated under the retina without an iatrogenic retinal tear. Two weeks after the operationthe oil fully occupied the intraocular volume without leakage. The subretinal prosthesis remained stable without complication. Understanding the principle of the ab-interno method and considering several tips for improving surgical access may help to enhance surgical success rates of subretinal prostheses implantation.

The effects of Aminophylline on clinical recovery and bispectral index in patients anesthetized with total intravenous anaesthesia. Aminophyllinewhich is clinically used as a bronchodilatorantagonizes the action of adenosineso it can be used to shorten the recovery time after general anesthesia. Thereforewe wanted to test the hypothesis that the administration of aminophylline leads to an increase in bispectral index and clinical recovery in patients anesthetized with total intravenous anesthesia All patients were premedicated with midazolam and morphine. Anesthesia was induced with propofol 2.5 mg kg and remifentanil 2.5 µgkg without muscle relaxant. For maintenance of anesthesia we used propofol 100µgkgminremifentanil 0.2µgkgmin and 100% oxygen with stable readings in the range 40-60. After skin closureaminophylline 4mg kg was given to Group and an equivalent volume of normal saline to Group valuesheart rateblood pressureoxygen saturation and End tidal CO2(ETco2) were determined. Time to eye openingextubation time and response to command were measured. Results : There were no significant differences in SpO2ETco2 and anesthesia time. Heart rate and systolic blood pressure were found to be statistically higher (p<0.001) in Group Time to eye openinghand grip and extubation were significantly shorter (p<0.001) in Group Bispectral index scores were significantly higher in group A.Injection of aminophylline at emergence time led to significant increase in and shortening recovery time from anesthesia.

Müller cell production of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins in vitro: modulation with phenotype and growth factor stimulation. Müller cells are present in diabetic fibrocontractive ocular tissues and generate tractional forces in response to insulin-like growth factors. Recent studies indicate that diabetes-associated increases in vitreous insulin-like growth factor activity arein partattributable to changes in insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs). preparations from porcine liverretinaand Müller cell cultures were evaluated by and Northern blot analysis. production was verified by Western ligand and Western blot analysis of Müller-cell-conditioned media and detergent-extracted proteins.Molecular biological analyses of from normal retina and from proliferative and myofibroblastic Müller cells did not detect message for IGFBP-1but revealed progressive increases in message abundance for IGFBP-2-3-4and -6. message was detected in all samplesbut was least abundant in myofibroblastic Müller cells. Stimulation of myofibroblastic Müller cells by and -IIbut not PDGFfurther increased message abundance and production of IGFBP-2-4-5and -6but not IGFBP-3.Müller cell production of IGFBPs changes with phenotype andin most casesis highest in the cells most likely to participate in fibrocontractive retinal disease. production by these cells is further increased by and -IIgrowth factors known to be present and active in proliferative vitreoretinal disorderssuggesting that Müller cells represent a potential source of vitreous IGFBPs in disorders involving this cell type.

Stabilization of lead in polluted sediment based on an eco-friendly amendment strategy: Microenvironment response mechanism. Stabilization is the most important remediation mechanisms for sediment polluted heavy metals. The stabilization efficiency of Pb was significantly improved by SOPnClAP compared with ClAP. Most importantlythe high-throughput sequencing showed that the dominant species in the sediment changed with the stabilization of Pb. The decrease of Proteobacteria and increase of Firmicutesespecially the Sedimentibacter within the phylum Firmicute directly suggested that large amounts of Pb were stabilized.

Altered microglial phagocytosis in GPR34-deficient mice. is a Gio protein-coupled receptor of the nucleotide receptor -like group. This receptor is highly expressed in microgliahoweverthe functional relevance of in these glial cells is unknown. Previous results suggested an impaired immune response in GPR34-deficient mice infected with Cryptococcus neoformans. Here we show that deficiency results in morphological changes in retinal and cortical microglia. sequencing analysis of microglia revealed a number of differentially expressed transcripts involved in cell motility and phagocytosis. We found no differences in microglial motility after entorhinal cortex lesion and in response to laser lesion. HoweverGPR34-deficient microglia showed reduced phagocytosis activity in both retina and acutely isolated cortical slices.

[Aflibercept in clinical practice]. In this article we have tried to evaluate first clinical experience with the effectiveness and safety of aflibercept in the treatment of the wet form of age related macular degeneration in all types of subretinal neovascular membranes for the period of the first 10 months of treatment in our clinic.

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a dot enumeration task so as to investigate electrophysiologic correlates of early visuospatial processing in schizophrenia. Twenty-eight patients having a diagnosis of schizophrenia (n = 19) or schizoaffective disorder (n = 9) and 28 controls were tested. Patients showed poorer dot enumeration than did controls and also had markedly reduced early negative ERPswhich began about 150 ms after stimulus onset at the peak of the potential and reached its maximum about 275 ms at the peak. The reduction in patients was greatest over left parietal sites for stimuli in the right visual field. The marked and reductions in patients are supportive of models postulating deficits in early visuospatial attention and allocation of conceptual resources in schizophrenia.

Outcome of cataract extraction and posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation following glaucoma filtration surgery. To evaluate the outcome of cataract extraction after glaucoma filtering surgery total of 77 eyes (77 patients) who underwent with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation following by a single surgeon were reviewed. Main outcome measures were preoperative and postoperative intraocular pressures (IOPs)visual acuitiesmedicationsastigmatismbleb survivaltime of surgical failurecomplicationsand success rate.Mean time interval between and was 46.8+-50.9 months (range2-348 months). The mean preoperative was 13.9+-4.7 mmHg (range 3-27 mmHg) and mean postoperative at 3 weeks was 13.6+-5.5 mmHg (range6-44 mmHg). The mean follow-up was 19.5+-20.1 months (range1.4-73 months; median 10.6 months). Complete success was achieved in 59 eyes . The cumulative probability of complete success was 91.3+-3.782.0+-5.6 and 78.1+-6.5% at the end of 6 months1and 2 yearsrespectively. Visual acuity before was < or =2050 in all eyes . Visual acuity at last visit was > or =2040 in 33 eyes 2050-2080 in 30 eyes < or =20100 in 14 eyes . Risk factors identified for qualified success included age at yearsinterval of < or =5 months between and CEuse of preoperative glaucoma medicationsand postoperative >19 mmHg within 2 weeks.IOP and bleb function was maintained after with implantation following successful with good visual recovery.

To observe the efficacy and safety of 0.5% Loteprednol Etabonate ophthalmic suspension in the treatment of moderate dry eye.Totally 34 dry eye patients (68 eyes) in grade 2 or grade 3 standard) enrolled in our hospital from March 2009 to September 2010 were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group (Loteprednol Etabonate Group) and the control group (Cyclosporine ACsA group). 0.5% Loteprednol Etabonate ophthalmic suspension or 1% CsA eye drops was applied 2 times a day respectively together with 0.2% Liposic eye drops (4 - 6 timesday). Questionnaire was used in these patients before the treatment and repeated every 2 weeks during the treatment till 8 weeks. Slit lamp microscope examinationfluorescent stainingtear break-up time (BUT)Schirmer test (SIt) and intraocular pressure measurement were carried out at the same time point. The conjunctival impression cytology was performed before the treatment and 8 weeks after the treatment. The mean of the results were compared by t-tests and χ test.After 2 weeks of the treatmentthe mean score of the questionnaire was significantly lower than that before the treatment in each group (t = < 0.01). After 4 weeks of the treatmentthe inflammation of the ocular surface was relieved obviously in both group and the mean score of the corneal fluorescein staining was lower than that before the treatment in each group. The average density of the goblet cells before the treatment was mm and mm in each group respectively. After 8 weeks of the treatmentthis increased to mm and mm significantly (t = < 0.05). was significantly prolonged in each group after the treatment < 0.01). There was no significant change in or in each group > 0.05).Topical 0.5% Loteprednol Etabonate ophthalmic suspension is safe and effective for the treatment of moderate dry eye.

Emerging roles of protocadherins: from self-avoidance to enhancement of motility. Protocadherins are a group of transmembrane proteins belonging to the cadherin superfamily that are subgrouped into 'clustered' and 'non-clustered' protocadherins. Although cadherin superfamily members are known to regulate various forms of cell-cell interactionsincluding cell-cell adhesionthe functions of protocadherins have long been elusive. Recent studies arehoweveruncovering their unique roles. The clustered protocadherins regulate neuronal survivalas well as dendrite self-avoidance. Combinatorial expression of clustered protocadherin isoforms creates a great diversity of adhesive specificity for cellsand this process is likely to underlie the dendritic self-avoidance. Non-clustered protocadherins promote cell motility rather than the stabilization of cell adhesionunlike the classic cadherinsand mediate dynamic cellular processessuch as growth cone migration. Protocadherin dysfunction in humans is implicated in neurological disorderssuch as epilepsy and mental retardation. This Commentary provides an overview of recent findings regarding protocadherin functionsas well as a discussion of the molecular basis underlying these functions.

Preparationcharacterizationand in vivo evaluation of nanoliposomes-encapsulated bevacizumab (avastin) for intravitreal administration. Bevacizumab is used for the treatment of different ocular diseases. After reducing the size of liposome to the nanoscalethe final liposomal formulation was tested in an animal model. Left eyes of rabbits received liposomal bevacizumab and the right eyes were injected by soluble bevacizumab. The free drug concentration in aqueous humor and vitreous samples at Days 371428and 42 after the injection was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Mean concentration of free bevacizumab in the eyes that received liposomal bevacizumab compared with the eyes injected with soluble bevacizumab was 1 (48 versus 28 microgmL) and 5 (16 versus 3.3 microgmL) times higher at Days 28 and 42respectively. Mean concentration of free bevacizumab in the aqueous humor of both injected eyes was almost the same at the different intervals.

Combined surgical and sclerotherapy for an extensive venous-lymphatic orbital anomaly. Combined venous-lymphatic anomalies (lymphangiomas) of the orbit are nonhereditarycongenital lesions. We report the case of a 6-year-old boy with an extensive right orbital venous-lymphatic anomaly and severe facial deformity who developed 3 intraconal hemorrhages over 3 months. Although the visual acuity was recovered in the first two surgical interventionsthe last episode of bleeding resulted in permanent visual acuity loss. At that stageadjunctive therapy with n-butyl-cyanoacrylate allowed for greater surgical excision. No further episodes of recurrent hemorrhage occurred and the exophthalmos was correctedthereby improving his overall cosmesis.

Incidence and microbiological profile of mycotic keratitis in a tertiary care eye hospital: retrospective analysis. Cumulative incidence of mycotic keratitis was 3.8% over a four year period. Aspergillus species and Candida albicans were the most frequent pathogenic organisms causing mycotic keratitis in this part of the world. Mixed infections were seen in 28.7% of the patients. Knowledge of the "local" etiology within a region may be valuable in the management of mycotic keratitis in instituting an empirical therapyespecially when facilities for microscopycultures and antifungal susceptibility are not readily available. The baseline information presented will also be helpful in the planning of a corneal ulcer management strategy and for future studies on mycotic keratitis.To determine the incidence and microbiological profile of mycotic keratitis seen at a tertiary care eye hospital.A retrospective review of microbiology records of patients presenting with suspected microbial keratitis seen between January 2006 and December 2009 was performed. Patients with positive fungal cultures were further analyzed for the type of fungus isolated and associated bacterial pathogens.Microbiology records of 2300 patients with suspected microbial keratitis were reviewed. microbiological diagnosis of mycotic keratitis was established in 87 patients over a four year period based on positive fungal cultures. The yearly incidence of mycotic keratitis was 3.2% and 3.6% . Filamentous fungi were isolated more often than yeasts. Aspergillus species followed by Fusarium species and Trichophyton species were the commonest filamentous fungi isolated while Candida albicans was the most frequently encountered yeast. Mixed infections due to fungal and bacterial pathogens were seen in 2587 patients.

One reason for using a larger incision would be an eye with asmall pupil that dilates poorly. larger incision would allow more room in which to sion would allow more room in which to operate and may be safer for the eye. Cataract surgery often lowers the eye pressure, a boon to people with glaucoma. Cataract surgery with both large and small incisions has been associated with long-termlowering of the intraocular pressure, a definite boon to people who have glaucoma or might develop it in the future. However, in my hands, extracapsular coma or might develop it in the future. However, in my hands, extracapsular cataract surgery with the larger incision has resulted in a greater lowering ofthe pressure than is generally seen in patients who have undergone phacoemulsification with the smaller incision. emulsification with the smaller incision. But, as with any surgery, there can be complications, even total loss of vision or of the eye. Occasionally, additional operations are required. That is why you should not have the surgery unless you really need it. It can occur right away ormany years after a cataract operation. Bleeding in the eye, continued inflammation, glaucoma, double vision, dislocation of lens implants, and cystoid mation, glaucoma, double vision, dislocation of lens implants, and cystoid macular edema (fluid buildup in the center of the retina that blurs and distorts the vision) are other possible complications. Clouding of the cornea and retinal detachment may occur even years down the road. Recall that the surgery is performed in such a way as to leave the back portion of the capsule that surrounds the lens intact. However, should a tear in tion of the capsule that surrounds the lens intact. However, should a tear inthis part of the capsule occur during the operation, the vitreous (gellike substance) that fills the inside of the back part of the eye may come forward. This stance) that fills the inside of the back part of the eye may come forward. This t h e e y e c a r e s o u r c e b o o k problem, called vitreous loss, greatly increases the risk of many of the complications just mentioned. To minimize the risk, this extruded vitreous must be cations just mentioned.

When the microscope is focused just below the dioptric apparatus a multitude of luminous spots is seen all of which become merged into one at the level of the rhabdomes. Intermediate forms between these two types of compound eye exist ; nor are they mutually exclusive. Thus in Mantids the two are seen combined in the same eye ; the anterior ommatidia which are used for binocular vision are of the apposition t'pe while the lateral 1928)—a functionally parts are of the superposition tyjDe efficient arrangement. Fire-fly - by a migration of pigment, thus effecting an adaptive process in species which are active both by day and by night : in dim hght the pigmentbecomes concentrated anteriorly so that the eye can function as a superposition eye and make full use of all the available light ; while in position eye and make full use of all the available light ; while in bright illumination it disperses and migrates posteriorly surrounding each retinule with an opaque mantle intercepting all lateral rays Thus in the dark-adapted state examination of the (Parker, 1932). eyes of certain noctuid moths with an ophthalmoscopic mirror shows a luminous red reflection from a group of ommatidia ; in the light adapted state there is a minute glow from one central ommatidium only (Demoll, 1917 ; Horstmann, 1935). This pigmentary migration in some butterflies and moths begins from half to one hour before sunrise or sunset and the change occupies an interval varying from r. The few minutes to an hour (Merker, 1929-34 ; excised eye always adopts the light-adapted distribution of pigment. The migratory response is abolished by narcosis nor does it occur in butterflies when the insect is at rest and inactive (Demoll, 1909-11 ; Its mechanism is unknown ; a purely hormonal control is Day, 1941). improbable since individual ommatidia may respond to localized illumination (Day, 1941) ; but whether the migration of pigment is dependent upon nervous reflexes from the retinule or is initiated by photochemical reactions within the pigmentary cells is controversial. Collins, 1934). Butterfly ( Vanessa) Pigmentary migration of a less dramatic kind occurs in certain purely apposition eyes of diurnal species as a response to rapid changes in illumination. These are associated chiefly with the pigment in the cells around the basement meinbrane (butterflies—Demoll, 1909 ; the water-boatman, Notonecta—Bedau, 1911).

Spectrum of epilepsy in tuberous sclerosis. Tuberous sclerosis is an autosomal dominant disease that affects the brainskineyeheart and kidney. The diagnostic criteria for tuberous sclerosis complex have recently been revised. There are relatively few Indian studies on this disorder. Twenty-six patients diagnosed as having over a period of 18 years are being reported. The onset of seizures ranged from infancy to adolescence. The patterns of epilepsy encountered were generalized tonic clonic seizures complex partial seizures simple partial seizures and myoclonic jerks including infantile spasms . Patients often had more than one seizure type. Nineteen patients were mentally subnormal. Cutaneous manifestations were facial angiofibroma i.e. adenoma sebaceum shagreen patches hypopigmented macules ash leaf spots café-au-lait spots facial hypoplasia and periungual fibromas . One patient each had retinal phakoma and renal angiomyolipoma. scan revealed sub-ependymal calcifications parenchymal tubers cerebral edema and cortical atrophy . One patient had enhancement of peri-ventricular sub-ependymal lesions on Anticonvulsants prescribed were phenobarbitone diphenyl hydantoin carbamazepine sodium valproate benzodiazepines prednisone mysoline and vigabatrin . Most patients were on combinations of anti-convulsants and response to therapy was usually not very satisfactory. Howeverthe child treated with vigabatrin did well.

The another 6 rats were untreated and taken as the normal group. All rats were sacrificed in batches at different time points of day 3715 and 30 after modeling. The spinal cord was obtained for determining the optic density of positive expression of and with immunohistochemical stain by microscopic and semi-quantitative image analysis. of in the model group was obviously decreased on day 7showing significant difference to that in the normal group and that in the group < 0.05)and it maintained at low level after thenwhile the of in the group was obviously higher than that in the model group < 0.05)it arrived the peak on day 15 and then dropped near the level in the normal group on day 30; and of in the model group obviously decreased on day 3 < 0.05)showing significant difference to that in the normal group < 0.05)then it returned to approach to the level in the normal group on day 7. It was higher in the group than in the model group on day 3and maintained the high level to day 7at that timeit was still higher than that in the model group and also higher than that in the normal group < 0.05).

is the medical description of a type of partial where vision is missing in the inner half of both the right and left visual field. It is associated with certain lesions of the eye and of the such as congenital .In binasal hemianopsiavision is missing in the inner (nasal or medial) half of both the right and left visual fields. Information from the nasal visual field falls on the temporal (lateral) retina. Those lateral retinal nerve fibers do not cross in the optic chiasm. Calcification of the internal carotid arteries can impinge the uncrossedlateral retinal fibersleading to loss of vision in the nasal field.Clinical testing of visual fields (by confrontation) can produce a false positive resultparticularly in inferior nasal quadrants.The absence of in half of a is described as . The absence of visual perception in one quarter of a visual field is described as .The visual field of each eye can be divided in two verticallywith the outer half being described as or and the inner half being described as . "Binasal hemianopsia" can be broken down as follows:

[Studies on glycine receptoracetylcholine receptor and ion channels expressed in amphibian oocytes after injection of chicken retina mRNA]. Glycine receptoracetylcholine receptor and voltage dependent ion channels expressed in amphibian oocytes after injection of chicken retinal mRNA were studied by using voltage clamp technique. The current response to glycine was proved as smalland the acetylcholine receptor was identified as type. Aspartateserotonin and dopamine induced no responses. In additionvoltage dependent ion channels were detectedand were identified as delayed rectifier potassium channel and sodium channel.

Pacific acuity test: testabilityvalidityand interobserver reliability. The Pacific Acuity Test is a new vanishing optotype test designed to measure recognition visual acuities in preverbal children using a face and opposing oval figure in a forced-choice preferential looking format. Subjects were also tested using the Cardiff Acuity Test to provide comparative resolution acuities. Two additional observers independently evaluated video-recorded subject responses for testability and interobserver reliability analysis. An independent grader determined acuity thresholds from each observer's observationsand a logistic regression model was used for additional analysis of acuity thresholdsvalidityand testability.Forty-seven of 52 subjects completed testing to obtain visual acuities with the Sixty-nine percent of subjects followed the desired forced-choice strategy to yield recognition acuities with the Testability for children younger than 18 months was 44%whereas 96% of children 18 months and older responded to the recognition testing format. Testability for resolution acuity was 92% and 98% for the and CATrespectively. The mean difference between recognition and resolution acuity thresholds was +0.11 logMAR (0.15 SDp < 0.001). The observers were in agreement as determined by intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.90 for both recognition and the CAT.High testability and valid recognition acuity measures were achieved using the with children by approximately 18 months of age. The recognition acuities obtained with the were higherparticularly for younger subjectsthan comparative resolution acuities found with both the and Interobserver reliability of observers was the same between the and the

Topical Application of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Is Sufficient for Photodynamic Therapy on Vocal Folds. Topical with laryngeal spraying of 20% solution achieves sufficient therapeutic effects and is potentially applicable for the treatment of vocal fold leukoplakia.To evaluate the feasibility of topical photodynamic therapy using 5-aminolevulinic acid for vocal fold leukoplakia.Ex vivo and in vivo.5-ALA was applied topically as a 20% solution to ex vivo canine vocal folds. The penetration depth and concentrations of in tissue were quantified using frozen sectioning and fluorescamine derivatization after contact incubation or topical spraying. Then5-ALA solution was sprayed on leporine vocal folds oncetwiceor given systemically in vivo. Protoporphyrin location was visualized using fluorescence microscopyand concentrations were measured using a fluorescent quantitative method. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to visualize the histological changes of vocal folds after for each group.Topical incubation of 15 minutes with achieved a penetration depth of over 2 mm and similar concentrations within the superficial 500 μm of epitheliumcompared with longer incubation times. Topical spraying of produced sufficient concentrations in vocal foldsbut the retention time is short. An in vivo leporine model showed that laryngeal spraying of 20% induced similar penetration depth and concentrations of compared to systemic administration of Two sprays of 20% solution with an interval of 30 minutes are needed to produce complete exfoliation of vocal fold epithelium.NA Laryngoscope129:E80-E862019.

Multiple-Plasticity Spiking Neural Network Embedded in a Closed-Loop Control System to Model Cerebellar Pathologies. The cerebellum plays a crucial role in sensorimotor control and cerebellar disorders compromise adaptation and learning of motor responses. Howeverthe link between alterations at network level and cerebellar dysfunction is still unclear. In principlethis understanding would benefit of the development of an artificial system embedding the salient neuronal and plastic properties of the cerebellum and operating in closed-loop. To this aimwe have exploited a realistic spiking computational model of the cerebellum to analyze the network correlates of cerebellar impairment. The model was modified to reproduce three different damages of the cerebellar cortex: (i) a loss of the main output neurons (Purkinje Cells)(ii) a lesion to the main cerebellar afferents (Mossy Fibers)and (iii) a damage to a major mechanism of synaptic plasticity (Long Term Depression). The modified network models were challenged with an Eye-Blink Classical Conditioning testa standard learning paradigm used to evaluate cerebellar impairmentin which the outcome was compared to reference results obtained in human or animal experiments. In all casesthe model reproduced the partial and delayed conditioning typical of the pathologiesindicating that an intact cerebellar cortex functionality is required to accelerate learning by transferring acquired information to the cerebellar nuclei. Interestinglydepending on the type of lesionthe redistribution of synaptic plasticity and response timing varied greatly generating specific adaptation patterns. Thusnot only the present work extends the generalization capabilities of the cerebellar spiking model to pathological casesbut also predicts how changes at the neuronal level are distributed across the networkmaking it usable to infer cerebellar circuit alterations occurring in cerebellar pathologies.

There is not any difference in gene on the binding sites between normal individuals and patients with By using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)gene fragments on binding sites of trabecular cells were amplified. The product was detected by gel electrophoresis.The trabecular cells were cultured successfully in normal individuals and patients with in vitro. single product was obtained in both two groups with the same size of 545 base pairs.

Up-regulation of genes for oxidative phosphorylation and protein turnover in diabetic mouse retina. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most frequent complications of diabetes and is a leading cause of vision loss in adulthood. To better understand the molecular pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathywe performed comprehensive gene expression analysis of the mouse retina under diabetic conditions with an in-house cDNA microarray system that was designed to be suitable for the small amount of available from a single mouse retina. Diabetes was induced in male mice by an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocinand the changes in retinal mRNA levels were examined in three pairs of diabetic and age-matched control mice at 1 and 3 months after the injection of streptozotocin. Northern blot analysis with amplified total cRNA confirmed the increase in mRNA levels of several selected genes. Most of the significantly up-regulated genes could be classified into two functional categories: oxidative phosphorylation and protein turnover. All mitochondrial DNA-encoded and most of the nuclear DNA-encoded genes for oxidative phosphorylation were up-regulated in the diabetic retina. This was in sharp contrast with a previous report of a down-regulation of these genes in skeletal muscles of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice and type 2 diabetic humans. Genes for protein synthesis and ubiquitin were also up-regulated in the diabetic retinasuggesting the increase in turnover rates for at least a part of the protein population. Taken togetherthe diabetic retina appears to be in a state activated for intermediary metabolismpresumably because of an increase in insulin-independent glucose influx. These results provide insights into possible preventive and therapeutic intervention of diabetic retinopathy.

Interhemispheric transfer of visual learning in monkeys with intact optic chiasm. The purpose of the present experiments was to investigate the role of the forebrain commissures in interhemispheric visual transfer when both eyes are open and the optic chiasm is intact. Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) learned a series of two-choice simultaneous visual discriminations. The visual stimuli were bipartitewith independently determined left and right halves. If such a stimulus is fixated centrallythe two halves fall into opposite visual hemifields. After 10 trials of acquisition of each discriminationthe same discriminanda were presented for a further 10 trials in whichwithin each stimulusthe positions of the halves were exchanged: the left half became the right and vice versa. The unoperated animals transferred well to the altered stimulimaking many fewer errors than they made in learning the originally presented discrimination. In contrastmonkeys with section of the posterior corpus callosum and the anterior commissure transferred poorly. These effects show that the forebrain commissures are important for the interhemispheric transfer and integration of visual information in animals with a normalintact peripheral visual system.

Optical coherence tomography angiography is a noninvasive tool to detect the presence of secondary to and to evaluate activity. Optical coherence tomography angiography is able to add a novel element to the multimodal imaging characterization of AS.To analyze the optical coherence tomography angiography features of eyes affected with angioid streaks and to evaluate their ability to predict choroidal neovascularization activity.Angioid streaks were individuated from a pool of consecutive patients. Eyes with and without were evaluated by multimodal imaging.Thirty-eight eyes of 19 consecutive patients diagnosed with were included. Thirty of 38 eyes with and 8 of 38 eyes without were included. In the majority of casesCNV showed on optical coherence tomography angiography tangled appearance always associated with signs of neovascular inactivity on multimodal imaging (100%-0%inactive-activerespectively). Choroidal neovascularization cases showing interlacing appearance were often associated with signs of neovascular activity on multimodal imaging (71.4%-28.6%active-inactiverespectively). Optical coherence tomography angiography revealed a total of 27 ASof which 20 appeared as a choriocapillary rarefactionand in 7 ASoptical coherence tomography angiography choriocapillary segmentation revealed an irregular vascular networkpossibly representing fibrovascular tissue over the crack-like breaks in Bruch membrane.

Coats Disease in 9 Patients: Hispanic Case Series. To describe demographic and clinical characteristicstreatmentand visual prognosis of Coats disease in Hispanic patients.A retrospective chart review was performed on nine patients (ten eyes) diagnosed with Coats disease in our two clinical centrers from 2004 - 2017.Mean age at diagnosis was 5.5 years (range 1 - 12 years) and mean follow-up time was 48 months (range 9 - 108 months). Eight patients were male and had unilateral disease and one female patient had bilateral disease. In 40% of the casespatients were asymptomatic. Visual acuity at first presentation was worse than hand motion in 60% of the eyes. Half of the eyes (510 eyes50%) had exudative retinal detachment (≥ stage Vascular ablation with cryotherapy combined with retinal photocoagulation was the most frequent therapeutic approach . Despite anatomical success at 6 months in 100% of the treated eyesvisual outcome at 1 year of treatment was poor (worse than 20200) in 70% of the cases.In our case seriespatients were mostly asymptomatic on presentationwith severe stages of Coats disease. Even with anatomical success after surgical treatment in all treated caseslong-term visual prognosis remained very limited.

Choroidal Effusions after Glaucoma Drainage Implant Surgery: Risk Factors and Surgical Management. To report the incidence of patients who developed choroidal effusions after glaucoma drainage implant surgery and determine risk factors for and outcomes of surgical intervention.Retrospective case series.Medical records of 605 patients who underwent surgery from January 12017 to June 72021 at New York University Langone Health and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai were reviewed.Preoperativeintraoperativeand postoperative clinical data were obtained. Multivariate logistic regression evaluated the factors associated with the need for surgical intervention. Patient records were analyzed for effusion resolutionintraocular pressure (IOP)visual acuity (VA)and complications across treatment modalities.Incidence of choroidal effusion development and need for surgical intervention.Choroidal effusions developed in 110 patients (110 eyes). Surgical intervention to drain the effusion or ligate the implant tube was performed in 19 patients. The average time to surgical intervention was 47.6 days. Among patients who developed postoperative effusionsrisk factors for requiring surgical intervention included history of selective laser trabeculoplasty = 0.004; odds ratio 14.4)prior surgery = 0.04; 8.7)350-mm2 Baerveldt glaucoma implant placement = 0.05; OR4.8)and anterior chamber shallowing < 0.001; in the presence of effusions. The subgroup that required multiple surgeries for effusion resolution had a significantly lower mean at the most recent follow-up compared with those who received medical management only < 0.001). higher percentage of patients who required surgical intervention lost at the most recent follow-up compared with patients whose effusions resolved with conservative management (i.e.medical managementAC viscoelastic injection).Choroidal effusions after surgery resolved with conservative management in most patients. history of or placementimplantation of a BGI-350and the presence of a shallow chamber were risk factors for surgical intervention. Although interventionssuch as surgical drainage are at times necessarya better understanding of their impacts can help guide postoperative decisions. The risks and benefits of these procedures must be carefully considered in these high-risk eyes.Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the

Bipedicle tarsoconjunctival flap. modification of a classical Hughes tarsoconjunctival flap for replacement of the posterior layers of a lower lid is described. The difference from the Hughes flap is that the blood supply is maintained through two tubed pedicles of conjunctiva and Muller's musclerather than an apron of conjunctiva.

Relational memory in the early stage of psychotic bipolar disorder. Relational memory is impaired in psychotic disorders. In non-affective psychotic disordersrelational memory deficits are present in the early stage of illness and become more pronounced in the chronic stage. Previous studies have demonstrated cognitive deficits in early-stage psychotic bipolar disorderbut it is unclear whether relational memory is impaired. We examined relational memory using a face-scene binding task in early-stage psychotic bipolar disorder patients (n = 33) and compared their performance with healthy control (n = 40) and early-stage non-affective psychosis participants (n = 40). During trainingparticipants learned to associate faces with background scenes. During testingparticipants viewed a scene overlaid by three faces and were asked to recall the matching face. Relational memory was assessed indirectly using eye movements and explicitly using forced-choice recognition. Preferential viewing of the matching faceas captured by overall proportion of viewing and viewing across timewas significantly lower in psychotic bipolar disorder than in the healthy control group. Howeverpreferential viewing of the matching face in psychotic bipolar disorder was significantly better than in non-affective psychosis. These findings provide novel evidence that relational memory in patients with early-stage psychotic bipolar disorder is intermediate between healthy control and early-stage non-affective psychosis subjects.

Spatial contrast sensitivity of monocularly deprived cats after removal of the non-deprived eye. Spatial contrast sensitivity was behaviorally determined for two monocularly lid-sutured cats. The spatial contrast sensitivity function for the non-deprived eyes matched previously reported functions obtained from normally reared cats. In comparisonsensitivity was significantly lower at all spatial frequencies for the deprived eye of both cats. In one catsubsequent removal of the non-deprived eye resulted in a two to threefold increase in sensitivity at all spatial frequencies. Howeverno improvement in sensitivity was observed for the second animal. Single-unit electrophysiological recording in the striate cortex of these two animals revealed a postenucleation difference in the percent of visually influenced cells. In the cat for which no behavioral improvement occurredonly 13% of striate cortex cells could be driven by visual stimulation of the previously deprived eye. In contrast 38% of striate cortex cells were similarly influenced in the cat for which visual improvement was observed. These data suggest a correlation between the physiological effectiveness of the postcritical period enucleation procedure and the visual capacity of monocularly lid-sutured cats.

Central retinal artery occlusion from Streptococcus gallolyticus endocarditis. Central retinal artery occlusion is a rare but blinding disorder. We present a case of a 81-year-old woman with multiple cardiovascular comorbidities admitted to the emergency department due to suddenpainless vision loss on left eye (oculus sinister on awakening. The patient also reported long standing fatigue associated with effort that started 4 months before admission. She presented best corrected visual acuity of counting fingers Funduscopy revealed macular oedema with cherry red spot pattern. Blood cultures came positive for Streptococcus gallolyticus in the context of a bacteremia and native mitral valve vegetation identified on transoesophageal echocardiography. of embolic origin was admitted in the context of an infective endocarditis. can be the first manifestation of a potentially fatal systemic condition and thus multidisciplinary approach is warranted with close collaboration between ophthalmologists and internists in order to provide proper management and the best possible treatment.

Fifteen eyes underwent lesion limited resection followed by postoperative topical mitomycin 0.04% eye drop group) while nine eyes underwent complete excision and cryotherapy (no group). Amniotic membrane graft was applied in all cases. Mean postoperative follow-up was 27.1±4.1 months. The mean extent of the limbal involvement was 7.0±0.7 and 7.25±0.6 clock hours in and no groupsrespectively. The mean size of conjunctival defect after tumor excision in group (60.8±9.2 mm2) was significantly lower than in no group (92.4±17.3 mm2). Histopathological diagnosis revealed invasive in all specimens. The mean preoperative conjunctival epithelial thickness decreased significantly in both groups at 2-year follow-up. It decreased from 267±24.2 and 256±19.1 μm preoperatively to 56.7±11.6 and 60.4±9.6 μm at 2-year follow-up in and no groupsrespectively. The mean number of treatment cycles was 2.1±0.85 cycles. Recurrence was recorded in zero and 1 patients at 2-year follow-up in and no groupsrespectively. Histopathological diagnosis revealed invasive in all specimens. The mean preoperative conjunctival epithelial thickness decreased significantly in both groups at 2-year follow-up. It decreased from 267±24.2 and 256±19.1 μm preoperatively to 56.7±11.6 and 60.4±9.6 μm at 2-year follow-up in and no groupsrespectively. The mean number of treatment cycles was 2.1±0.85 cycles. Recurrence was recorded in zero and 1 patients at 2-year follow-up in and no groupsrespectively.

Radial keratotomy for astigmatism. Most ophthalmologists view radial keratotomy as a new and somewhat controversial method to decrease myopia by flattening the corneal curvature. Although the ophthalmologist does not initially perceive radial keratotomy as a means for correcting astigmatismit follows that if he or she selectively flattens the cornea more in some meridiansthe ophthalmologist is effectively correcting astigmatism. Although the predictability is slightly less in correcting astigmatism than that for correction of myopiait is still rather good as the data herein presented will show. this communication will present the author's techniques as applied over the past three and one-half years in more than 2,500 radial keratotomy eyesalthough only 186 patients are reported here so as to have a followup of at least two years on all patients.

Microperimetry findings in patients with birdshot chorioretinopathy. The clinical status was assessed by biomicroscopyindirect ophthalmoscopyand fluorescein angiography.When eyes with active disease were compared with eyes with inactive disease there was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.001) between them in the number of points below 16 dB. The difference was also statistically significant (p = 0.04) when it was adjusted for visual acuityassociated diseaseand age. When eyes of patients with inactive disease were compared with control eyesthere was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.01) in the number of points below 16 dBsuggesting that not all patients may recover their full retinal sensitivities. When eyes of patients with active disease were compared with controls there was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.01) between them in the number of points below 16 dB after adjusting for agevisual acuityand associated disease (macular edema and epiretinal membrane).Microperimetric quantification of macular sensitivity in patients with may provide an ancillary tool to evaluate activity and may help to assess visual impairment in these patients.

Sex- and age-related differences in femoral neck cross-sectional structural changes in mainland Chinese men and women measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. We investigated age-related changes in estimated bone strength and cross-sectional structure of the femoral neck in mainland Chinese men and women (according to age and sex) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry total of 3855 healthy adults (2713 women1142 men; ages 25-91years) were analyzed by bone mineral density assessment and hip structuralstrength analysis (HSA)including cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI)cross-sectional area (CSA)section modulus (Z)periosteal diameter (PD)endocortical diameter (ED)and cortical thickness using differences between age and sex groups were adjusted for body weightheight and Trends according to age were estimated by linear regression analysis. There was no inverse correlation between parameters and age in young adults. Some parameters decreased significantly with agewhereas and increased significantly. Older adults had less estimated bone strength and and higher and (p<0.05) than young adults. Men had greater increases in and than women across all ages. strength decreases with age in both sexescaused by cross-sectional structural deterioration. Indirect comparison of our data with those from other populations showed less age-related periosteal apposition in Chinese than Caucasian menbut similar amounts in women. This may partly explain different malefemale hip fracture rates among ethnic groups. Chinese men have more structural disadvantages regarding geometry during aging than Caucasian menpossibly conferring added susceptibility to hip fracture.

prescription of 225 morphine milligram equivalents (or 150 mg oxycodone) provided appropriate analgesia for the majority of patients. Larger prescriptions may result in increased opioid consumption and may not reduce the amount of refills. The objective here is to evaluate opioid prescribing patternsopioid consumptionand patient pain patterns following benign oropharyngeal surgeryspecifically tonsillectomy and adenoidectomytonsillectomy aloneand expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty.Patients aged ≥18 years old and received a tonsillectomytonsillectomy and adenoidectomyor expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty between November 2019 and August 2020 were included. Patients were provided a survey which included a visual analog scale for recording their pain postoperatively and the amount of opioid they had remaining.About 103 patients completed the post-operative questionnaire. Patients were prescribed 38 837 morphine milligram equivalents and used 28 644: approximately 26% went unusedwhich is the equivalent of 1346 5 mg oxycodone pills. Opioid consumption correlated with the initial dosage: patients consumed 12% more narcotic on average as the initial prescription went upwards by 50 morphine milligram equivalents. Obstructive sleep apneahistory of smokingand being female predicted increased opioid usage in this cohort. Pain was reported the highest on postoperative day 1. prescription of approximately 225 morphine milligram equivalents (150 mg oxycodone) was associated with decreased opioid use in this cohort. Larger initial prescriptions did not result in fewer requests for refills.

Positive role of calcium phosphate ceramics regulated inflammation in the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. The results showed that and β-TCP could support macrophages attachmentproliferationand spreading favorablyas well as promote gene expressions of inflammatory related cytokines (IL-1IL-6MCP-1and TNF-α) and growth factors (TGF-βFGFPDGFVEGFIGFand showed a facilitating function on the gene expressions earlier than β-TCP. Further coculture experiments performed in vitro demonstrated that the CMs containing various increased cytokines for macrophages pre-culture could significantly promote MSCs osteogenic differentiationwhich was confirmed by the gene expressions of osteogenic specific markers and the intracellular product accumulation under the stimulation of and β-TCP ceramics. Further evidence was found from the formation of mineralized nodules in and

[Changes in the posterior eye segment in glaucoma patients]. In 30 eyes of 15 patients with chronic glaucoma (8 with open-angle glaucoma6 with chronic angle-closure glaucoma1 with pseudoexfoliative glaucoma)the intraocular pressure was measured and ultrasonic biometry and ultrasonographic determination of the thickness of the posterior coats of the eye were performed. Our results indicate that in patients with glaucomathe thickness of the posterior coats of the eye is considerably influenced by intraocular pressure. If the axial length of the eye is the samethe thickness and volume of the posterior coats of the eye decrease with the increase in intraocular pressure.

An optimized method for determining cytochrome oxidase activity in brain tissue homogenates. We have developed a method to accurately and reproducibly determine the total activity of cytochrome oxidase in rat brain tissue homogenates. Previouslyaccurate measurements have been difficult to obtain because detergentswhich are needed to disrupt membranes and unmask COalso inhibit the enzyme by solubilizing certain phospholipids required for rapid turnover. We compared various methods of sample preparationand found that maximal activity in homogenates could be obtained using specific concentrations of detergents. The range of optimal detergent concentrations was relatively narrowas activity fell sharply with small deviations from the optimum. Of 5 detergents testeddeoxycholate stimulated maximally over the widest range of concentrations. In deoxycholate-treated homogenate samplesthe calculated turnover number was about 480 s-1indicating that overall enzyme activity was maximal or near maximaland therefore that the total content of was probably detected. This method was reproducible with large or small samples (e.g.< 1 mg tissue)and should be applicable to studies of neural tissue in general.

Band 3 and ankyrin homologues are present in eye lens: evidence for all major erythrocyte membrane components in same non-erythroid cell. Although immunological homologues of erythrocyte membrane proteins have been individually discovered in a wide variety of tissues and cultured cellsthe major structural components of the membrane have not yet been demonstrated simultaneously in the same cell type. Thusconsiderable uncertainty continues to exist concerning whether the red cell homologues form elements of a structure which is similar to or unique from the framework which supports the erythrocyte membrane. Because the red cell cytoskeletal proteinsspectrinactin and band 4.1have been previously found in the superficial cortex of the lenswe decided to determine whether the corresponding membrane anchoring components of band 3 and ankyrin also occur in this cell type. Using antiserum specific for band 3 and ankyrinwe report the existence of immunologically cross-reactive proteins of similar molecular weight. Because these anchoring proteins appear and disappear coordinately with the aforementioned cytoskeletal proteins during the intermediate stages of lens cell maturationit is conceivable that an erythrocyte-like membrane structural organization may occur transiently in the eye lens.

Graded interference with signalling reveals its dorsoventral asymmetry at the mid-hindbrain boundary. Signalling by fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) at the mid-hindbrain boundary is of central importance for anteroposterior neural patterning from the isthmic organiser. Graded suppression of signalling by increasing amounts of a dominant negative receptor provides evidence that in addition to anteroposterior patterningFGF signalling is also involved in patterning along the dorsoventral axis at the signalling at the is required for the activation of the target gene spalt at the Our results indicate that signalling mediates the competence of the to activate spalt in response to This interdependence of the two signalling pathways is also found in the outbudding optic vesicle where requires functional signalling to activate spalt in the proximal eye region.

Frequency and spatial patterning of clonal reproduction in Louisiana iris hybrid populations. The plant genera in which natural hybridization is most prevalent tend to be outcrossing perennials with some mechanism for clonal (i.e.asexual) reproduction. Although clonal reproduction in fertilesexually reproducing hybrid populations could have important evolutionary consequenceslittle attention has been paid to quantifying this parameter in such populations. Allozyme analysis of both populations revealed relatively high levels of genotypic diversity. Howevera considerable amount of clonality was apparent. Nearly half of all genets in one population and more than half in the other had multiple ramets. Furthermoreboth populations exhibited relatively high levels of genetic structuringa pattern that resulted from the aggregation of clonal ramets. The occurrence of clonal reproduction in hybrid populations could not only facilitate introgression through an increase in the number of flowering ramets per genet andor the survivorship of early generation hybridsbut might also influence the mating system of such populations. Any potential increase in the selfing rate due to cross-pollination among ramets of the same genet mayin turnincrease the likelihood of homoploid hybrid speciation.

Botulinum toxin in ophthalmology. This unique drug has proved invaluable for treatment of a number of conditions which are difficult to treat in ophthalmology and in a variety of other disciplines. The indicationsmethods and problems of its use are described and the results of treatment of 133 patients are discussed. Up to December 1986 over 13,000 patients have been treated in a multicentre international trial without significant complications.

Visual Outcomes after Small Incision Lenticule Extraction and Femtosecond Laser-Assisted for High Myopia. Twenty-three eyes of 16 patients were in the group and 29 eyes of 18 patients were in the group. Visual outcomes and wavefront aberrations were analyzed preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively.At the postoperative 6-month visit96.6% in the group and 91.3% in the group achieved unchanged or better corrected distance visual acuity As for uncorrected distance visual acuity in the group and 95.7% in the group achieved of 2020 or better. As for wavefront aberrationshigh-order aberrations (HOAs) and spherical aberrations increased significantly after surgery in both groups relative to corresponding preoperative values (p < 0.001)and vertical coma increased after (p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences in changes of HOAs (p =0.90)spherical aberrations (p = 0.07)horizontal coma (p = 0.56)coma (p =0.08)horizontal trefoil (p =0.19)vertical trefoil (p = 0.90)and trefoil (p = 0.45) were detected between the 2 groupsexcept for vertical coma (p < is as effective as in correcting high myopiabut attention should be paid to the induction of vertical coma in highly myopic patients following a procedure.

Tonic immobility responses of white leghorn hens affected by induction techniques and genetic stock differences. Tonic immobility was induced in about 70% of While Leghorn hens caught and immediately restrained in the dorsal position for a single 15 sec period. Temporary confinement of hens housed in floor pens in single-bird cages prior to restraint reduced initial induction of to 46%. Eye closure during occurred in less than or equal to 15% of hens and vocalizationjumping upor both on termination was present about 80% of the time. Induction of on first restraint was greater when less support was provided for the hen's body. Latency until first gross leg and head movement after induction decreased with increased time required for catching of hens in floor pensbut righting time (until hens stool up) was unaffected. Correlations among the three latency measures revealed the following: between leg and head movementr .41 to .71 less than .01); leg movement and rightingr .51 to .99 less than .01); head movement and rightingr -.62 less than .05) to .96 less than .01). Genetic differences were detected consistently by latency to first gross head movement and by righting time only. Strains selected for part-year egg mass showed more prompt head movement than did unselected controls. Random genetic drift between strains selected alike apparently was responsible for differences in righting time. Although strains within selection schemes differedcrosses between strains did not differ from the mean of the parental strainsproviding evidence that genetic variance for righting time tends to be more additive than nonadditive.

Validated capillary electrophoretic assays for disaccharide composition analysis of galactosaminoglycans in biologic samples and drugsnutraceuticals. Capillary electrophoresis is a separation technique with high resolving power and sensitivity with applications in glycosaminoglycan analysis. In this chapterwe present validated protocols for determining the variously sulfated chondroitin or dermatan sulfate-derived disaccharides. These approaches involve degradation of the polysaccharides with specific chondrodermato-lyases and electrophoretic analysis with capillary zone electrophoresis in a low pH operating buffer and reversed polarity. This methodology has been applied to drugnutraceutical formulations or to biologic samples (blood serumlens capsule) and has been validated. Analysis of biologic tissue samples is often more demanding in terms of detection sensitivityand thus concentration pretreatment steps andor a derivatization step with 2-aminoacridone are often advisable.

Spontaneous transfer of retinoic acidretinyl acetateand retinyl palmitate between single unilamellar vesicles. The transfer of retinoic acidretinyl acetateand retinyl palmitate between single unilamellar vesicles was studied by resonance energy transfer. The retinoic acid transfers spontaneously between single unilamellar vesicles with a first order rate constant of 9.6 s-1 at 15 degrees and pH 7.4. At 30 degrees Cthe transfer rate was 3.5 times faster than that at 10 degrees At pH 7.4the transfer rate was almost 2 orders of magnitude faster than that observed at pH 1.6. Increasing the concentration of NaCl decreased the retinoic acid transfer rate significantly. Retinyl acetate transfers with a rate constant of 0.15 s-1but no spontaneous transfer of retinyl palmitate was observed over 60 min. The evidence supports the proposal that retinoic acid and retinyl acetate transfer between single unilamellar vesicles occur via the aqueous phase. In contrastno spontaneous transfer of retinyl palmitate was observed. Howeverlinear free energy relationships and the thermodynamic parameters for retinyl acetate transfer permit the calculation of rate constant for retinyl palmitate transfer.

Human Serum Albumin Decorated Indocyanine Green Improves Fluorescence-Guided Resection of Residual Lesions of Breast Cancer in Mice. Achieving negative resection margin is critical but challenging in breast-conserving surgery. Fluorescence-guided surgery allows the surgeon to visualize the tumor bed in real-time and to facilitate complete resection. We envisioned that intraoperative real-time fluorescence imaging with a human serum albumin decorated indocyanine green probe could enable complete surgical removal of breast cancer in a mouse model.We prepared the probe by conjugating indocyanine green with human serum albumin In vitro uptake of the probe was compared between human breast cancer cell line and normal breast epithelial cell line In vivo probe selectivity for tumors was examined in nude mice bearing MDA-MB-231-luc xenografts and the FVBN-Tg (MMTV-PyMT) 634MulJ mice model with spontaneous breast cancer. positive-margin resection mice model bearing MDA-MB-231-luc xenograft was established and the performance of the probe in assisting surgical resection of residual lesions was examined.A significantly stronger fluorescence intensity was detected in cells than cells incubated with In vivo fluorescence imaging showed that had an obvious accumulation at tumor site at 24 h with tumor-to-normal tissue ratio of 8.19 ± 1.30. The same was true in the transgenic mice model. The fluorescence intensity of cancer tissues was higher than that of non-cancer tissues (58.53 ± 18.15 vs 32.88 ± 11.34). During the surgical scenariosthe residual tumors on the surgical bed were invisible with the naked eyebut were detected and resected with negative margin under guidance in all the mice .

Basilar artery origin of an orbital artery - rare variant and review of the embryology of the orbital arterial supply. We present a patient with separation of the arterial supply to the globe and the extra-ocular muscles. The ophthalmic artery originates from the typical adult location and supplies only the globe. Arising from the basilar artery was a branch that supplies the extra-ocular muscles. There was no apparent connection between these vessels around the optic nerve and no evidence of supply from the external carotid artery. We discuss the embryology of the ophthalmic artery from the point of view of Padget and Lasjaunias and offer our opinion on the on-going controversy. We believe this is the first case to highlight the trigeminal-primitive maxillary-stapedial anastamotic pathway.

Sleep abnormalities in patients with brain stem lesions. Seven patients with "locked-in" syndrome were studied by prolonged polygraphic recordings. Severe alterations in the sleep pattern were observed in five patients who had bilateral extensive pontine lesions resulting in tetraplegiafacial and pseudobulbar paralysisand absence of conjugate horizontal gaze. Rapid eye movement sleep was entirely absent while non-rapid eye movement sleep was absentreducedor altered. The remaining two patientsboth of whom had relative sparing of horizontal gaze and apparently either no or minimal pontine tegmental involvementshowed both and sleep with only a minimal alteration in the sleep pattern.

Anticipatory reward processing in addicted populations: a focus on the monetary incentive delay task. In addicted populationsboth hyporesponsiveness and hyperresponsiveness of brain regions (e.g.ventral striatum) implicated in drug effects and reward system processing have been reported during anticipation of generalized reward. We discuss the current state of knowledge of reward processing in addictive disorders from a widely used and validated task: the monetary incentive delay task. Only studies applying the monetary incentive delay task in addicted and at-risk adult populations are reviewedwith a focus on anticipatory processing and striatal regions activated during task performance as well as the relationship of these regions with individual difference (e.g.impulsivity) and treatment outcome variables. We further review drug influences in challenge studies as a means to examine acute influences on reward processing in abstinentrecreationally usingand addicted populations. Generalized reward processing in addicted and at-risk populations is often characterized by divergent anticipatory signaling in the ventral striatum. Although methodologic and task variations may underlie some discrepant findingsanticipatory signaling in the ventral striatum may also be influenced by smoking statusdrug metabolitesand treatment status in addicted populations. Divergent results across abstinentrecreationally usingand addicted populations demonstrate complexities in interpreting findings. Future studies would benefit from focusing on characterizing how impulsivity and other addiction-related features relate to anticipatory striatal signaling over time. Additionallyidentifying how anticipatory signals recover or adjust after protracted abstinence will be important in understanding recovery processes.

Isolation and titration of dengue viruses by the mosquito inoculation technique. Mosquito inoculation is a highly sensitive technique for isolation and titration of dengue virus from serahuman tissueswild animalsor mosquitoes. It has been under utilized since it was described 40 years ago because most dengue laboratories do not have access to an insectary to rear mosquitoes. This technique requires good eye-hand coordination while doing manipulation under a stereoscopic microscopeand extensive practice is needed to become proficient at inoculating mosquitoes. Following inoculationmosquitoes are held for 10 days to allow dengue virus to replicate and disseminate to tissues throughout the mosquitoes. They are then harvested and examined for the presence of viral antigens in head tissue by either immunofluorescence assay or (polymerase chain reaction). The mosquito infectious dose 50 is calculated using the method of Reed and Muench to quantitate the virus. This method can be used for other arboviruses as well as for dengue.

Optical Coherence Tomography for the Neurologist. Optical coherence tomography is a relatively new technology that is now routinely and very widely used by ophthalmologists for structural documentation of the optic nerve and retina. In neuro-ophthalmology and neurologythe value of is ever expanding; its role in an increasing number of conditions is being reported in parallel with the advances of the technology. Currentlyas a clinical toolOCT is particularly useful for the structural measurement of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thicknessoptic nerve head volumetric analysisand macular anatomy. Optic neuropathies of varied etiology (particularly from multiple sclerosis) may be the most common clinical indications for neurologists to obtain imaging. Documentation and follow-up of disc edema of varied etiology (papilledema and idiopathic intracranial hypertension)discriminating true disc swelling from pseudopapilledemaand differentiating optic neuropathy from maculopathy are some other examples from clinical practice.

Dark-adapted rod suppression of cone flicker detection: Evaluation of receptoral and postreceptoral interactions. Dark-adapted rods in the area surrounding a luminance-modulated field can suppress flicker detection. Howeverthe characteristics of the interaction between rods and each of the cone types are unclear. To address this issuethe effect that dark-adapted rods have on specific classes of receptoral and postreceptoral signals was determined by measuring the critical fusion frequencies for receptoral L-M-and S-cone and postreceptoral luminance and [L+M+S+Rod]) and chromatic signals in the presence of different levels of surrounding rod activity. Stimuli were generated with a two-channel photostimulator that has four primaries for a central field and four primaries for the surroundallowing independent control of rod and cone excitation. Measurements were made either with adaptation to the stimulus field after dark adaptation or during a brief period following light adaptation. The results show that dark-adapted rods maximally suppressed the by approximately 6 Hz for L-coneM-coneand luminance modulation. Dark-adapted rodshoweverdid not significantly alter the S-cone The postreceptoral was slightly suppressed at higher surround illuminancesthat ishigher than surround luminances resulting in suppression for L-coneM-coneor luminance modulation. We conclude that rod-cone interactions in flicker detection occurred strongly in the magnocellular pathway.

Long non-coding analysis of muscular responses to testosterone deficiency in Huainan male pigs. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) participated in growth and development of skeletal muscle; howeverlittle is known about their response to testosterone deficiency in porcine skeletal muscle. We compared lean mass related carcass traits and lncRNAs expression files in Longissimus dorsi muscle between intact and castrated Huainan male pigs. The results showed that castration significantly reduced eye muscle area and lean meat percentage < 0.05)but increased the fat mass weight < 0.05). Meanwhile8946 lncRNAsincluding 6743 intergenic lncRNAs (lincRNAs)498 anti-sense lncRNAsand 1705 intronic lncRNAswere identified in porcine LDamong which385 lncRNAs were considered as the differentially expressed candidates between intact groups and castrated groups (q-value < 0.05). Functional analysis indicated that these differently expressed lncRNAs and their target genes were involved in the estrogen receptor signaling pathway and skeletal and muscular system development and function. We first detect porcine muscular lncRNA response to castrationand the results suggested that lncRNAs and their target genes participated in the regulation of testosterone deficiency-related skeletal muscle growth.

Cyclin is critical for intermediate progenitor cell proliferation in the embryonic cortex. Expression of cyclins (cD1) and (cD2) in ventricular zone and subventricular zone (SVZ)respectivelysuggests that a switch to cD2 could be a requisite step in the generation of cortical intermediate progenitor cells (IPCs). Howeverdirect evidence is lacking. HerecD1 or cD2 was seen to colabel subsets of Pax6-expressing radial glial cells (RGCs)whereas only cD2 colabeled with Tbr2. Loss of IPCs in cD2 embryonic cortex and analysis of expression patterns in mutant embryos lacking cD2 or Tbr2 indicate that cD2 is used as progenitors transition from RGCs to IPCs and is important for the expansion of the pool. This was further supported by the laminar thinningmicrocephalyand selective reduction in the cortical population in the cD2cortex. Cell cycle dynamics between embryonic day 14-16 in knock-out lines showed preserved parameters in cD1 mutants that induced cD2 expressionbut absence of cD2 was not compensated by cD1. Loss of cD2 was associated with reduced proliferation and enhanced cell cycle exit in embryonic cortical progenitorsindicating a crucial role of cD2 for the support of cortical divisions. In additionknock-out of cD2but not cD1affected both G-phase and also S-phase durationimplicating the importance of these phases for division cycles that expand the progenitor pool. That cD2 was the predominant D-cyclin expressed in the human at 19-20 weeks gestation indicated the evolutionary importance of cD2 in larger mammals for whom expansive intermediate progenitor divisions are thought to enable generation of largerconvolutedcerebral cortices.

The overall results indicated that improvisational music therapy was more effective at facilitating joint attention behaviors and non-verbal social communication skills in children than play. Session analysis showed significantly more and lengthier events of eye contact and turn-taking in improvisational music therapy than play sessions. The implications of these findings are discussed further.

Stimulus conditions that enhance anticipatory slow eye movements. Anticipatory slow eye movements are predictive responses that occur prior to both ramp and step target motions. These low velocity eye movements are enhanced and can be studied in isolation by transient target disappearance before ramp motion onset. Slow eye velocities also decrease prior to the termination of target motion. In experiments using a bistable apparent motion stimulusit was found that perceived motion is a stimulus for anticipatory slow eye movements. This relationship between motion perception and anticipatory slow eye movements can explain previously noted differences between these predictive movements and the predictive component of smooth pursuit.

Quiet eye facilitates sensorimotor preprograming and online control of precision aiming in golf putting. An occlusion protocol was used to elucidate the respective roles of preprograming and online control during the quiet eye period of golf putting. Twenty-one novice golfers completed golf putts to 6-ft and 11-ft targets under full vision or with vision occluded on initiation of the backswing. Radial error was higherand quiet eye was longerwhen putting to the 11-ft versus 6-ft targetand in the occluded versus full vision condition. Quiet eye durationsas well as preprogramingonline and dwell durationswere longer in low-RE compared to high-RE trials. The preprograming component of quiet eye was significantly longer in the occluded vision conditionwhereas the online and dwell components were significantly longer in the full vision condition. These findings demonstrate an increase in preprograming when vision is occluded. Howeverthis was not sufficient to overcome the need for online visual control during the quiet eye period. These findings suggest the quiet eye period is composed of preprograming and online control elements; howeveronline visual control of action is critical to performance.

ElectroTaxis-on-a-Chip an integrated quantitative high-throughput screening platform for electrical field-directed cell migration. Both endogenous and externally applied electrical stimulation can affect a wide range of cellular functionsincluding growthmigrationdifferentiation and division. Among those effectsthe electrical field (EF)-directed cell migrationalso known as electrotaxishas received broad attention because it holds great potential in facilitating clinical wound healing. Electrotaxis experiment is conventionally conducted in centimetre-sized flow chambers built in Petri dishes. Despite the recent efforts to adapt microfluidics for electrotaxis studiesthe current electrotaxis experimental setup is still cumbersome due to the needs of an external power supply and controllingmonitoring systems. There is also a lack of parallel experimental systems for high-throughput electrotaxis studies. Inspired by the resistor ladder topology in digital signal processingwe develop a systematic approach to design an infinitely expandable microfluidic generator of gradients for high-throughput and quantitative studies of EF-directed cell migration. Furthermorea vacuum-assisted assembly method is utilized to allow direct and reversible attachment of our device to existing cell culture media on biological surfaceswhich separates the cell culture and device preparationfabrication steps. We have demonstrated that our platform is capable of screening human cornea epithelial cell migration under the stimulation of an gradient spanning over three orders of magnitude. The screening results lead to the identification of the EF-sensitive range of that cell typewhich can provide valuable guidance to the clinical application of EF-facilitated wound healing.

[The inhibitory effect of tissue plasminogen activator combined with 5-fluorouracil polyphase liposome on the scar formation in experimental filtration surgery]. Postoperativelythe inhibitory effect of intracameral t-PA combined with subconjunctival 5-Fu polyphase liposome on the scar formation in filtration surgery is more prominent than that of t-PA or 5-Fu used alone. The rabbits were divided into 4 groups of four rabbits each. In a randomized fashionthe first group received intracameral normal saline (0.1 ml) immediately following surgery and subconjunctival injection of 0.2 ml polyphase liposome (no drug) every 4 days serving as the control. The second group received intracameral t-PA 25 micrograms (0.1 ml) immediately following surgery. The third group received subconjunctival 5-Fu polyphase liposome 5 mg immediately after the procedures of filtration surgery and then every four days for another three injections. The fourth group received both intracameral t-PA 25 micrograms and subconjunctival 5-Fu polyphase liposome as in the third group. All eyes of the four groups were enucleated two weeks after the operation.Two weeks after the surgerythe average intraocular pressure demonstrated a significant decrease in the third and fourth groups < 0.05)but did not show a significant decrease > 0.05) in the control and the second groupsas compared with the average preoperative intraocular pressure correspondingly. Morphometric analysis of the area of fibrosis from histopathological sections demonstrated a significant decrease of episcleral fibrosis in the three drug-treated groups as compared with the control group. Moreoverthe area of fibrosis in the fourth group was the least among the three drug-treated groups. Analysis of variance of 2 x 2 factorial design showed that t-PA and 5-Fu polyphase liposome had synergetic effect on the inhibition in all of the drug-treated eyes.

Augmenting responses evoked in area 17 of the cat by intracortical axon collaterals of cortico-geniculate cells. Evoked potentials were recorded in the visual cortex of the cat after electrical stimulation of the lateral geniculate nucleus (l.g.n.). The primary responsemediated by geniculo-cortical fibreswas depressed at stimulation frequencies above 7 Hz and replaced by a late potentialthe incremental responsewhich gradually increased in amplitude with successive stimuli. The incremental response was a negative-positive potential in the depth of the cortex with the negative component having maximal amplitude in layer 4. The response reversed polarity in layer 1 to become a positive-negative potential at the surface. The latency of the negative component of the incremental response was about 3.5-4 ms in layer 4compared to about 1.5 and 2.5 ms for the mono- and disynaptic components of the primary response. The incremental response could only be evoked from the l.g.n. and the optic radiationnot from the optic tractsuperior colliculus or other surrounding structures. Within the l.g.n.the effect was only evoked from stimulation sites in approximate retinotopic register with the recording site in the cortex. Low threshold points were found in the laminaecompletely overlapping with the low threshold points for the primary response. Thresholds increased steeply when the stimulation electrode was lowered into the laminae. The incremental response could still be evoked ten days after the destruction of all cells in the l.g.n. complex by kainic acid. It is concluded that the described incremental response is identical to the augmenting response of Dempsey Morison and is mediated by intracortical axon collaterals of antidromically activated cortico-geniculate neurones.

Posterior corneal crystalline deposits in benign monoclonal gammopathy: a clinicopathologic case report. 74-year-old woman had bilateraldeep stromalpatchy crystalline corneal deposits with the greatest density in the midperiphery. Visual acuity was 6120 in the right eye and finger counting at 1 m in the left eye. Histological examination of the corneal button showed largeirregular amorphous masses in the posterior stroma. The deposits stained red with Masson's trichrome and were positive for protein with the Danielli stain. Stains for amyloidcopperand lipid were negative. The immunoperoxidase stain was positive for polyvalent IgG and kappa light chains. Transmission electron microscopy disclosed electron-dense deposits with linear and honeycomb profiles. Laboratory investigations disclosed elevated serum and urinary IgG kappa light chain (Bence Jones protein) levels. Urinary amino acids were normal. The serum copper level was elevated. Antinuclear antibody was positive at a titer of 1:80. bone marrow aspirate was normalas were roentgenograms of the skull.

Vitrectomy for pars plana placement of a glaucoma seton. Trabeculectomyeven with supplemental antifibrosis agentshas a low success rate in controlling intraocular pressure in certain cases; ones involving severe anterior-chamber-angle disease are particularly challenging. Ten patients with advancednon-neovascular glaucoma underwent vitrectomy and pars plana placement of seton implants. The tube was placed through the pars plana sclerotomy in each case because severe anterior chamber angle narrowingaphakiaor penetrating keratoplasty prevented standard placement. Previous trabeculectomy had failed to control in 9 of the 10 patients. In eachthe preoperative was 25 mm Hg or more despite maximal medical therapy. In nine of the patientsthe postoperative was 19 mm Hg or lesswithout pressure-lowering agents. The seton appeared to be functional in all of the cases. Vision remained stable or improved in seven casesbut deteriorated in three due to graft failureprogressive traction retinal detachmentor rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (one case each). Pars plana placement of tubes for glaucoma seton implants should be considered as an alternative to anterior chamber placement in certain cases of refractory glaucoma in which the anterior chamber anatomy has been severely disrupted.

In vitro effects of mycophenolic acid on survivalfunctionand gene expression of pancreatic beta-cells. Post-transplant diabetes mellitus represents an important complication of prolonged immunosuppressive treatment after solid organ transplantation. The immunosuppressive toxicityresponsible for a persistent impairment of glucose metabolism in pancreatic islet-transplanted patientsis mainly attributed to calcineurin inhibitors and steroidswhile other immunosuppressive molecules (azathioprine and mycophenolic acidMPA) are considered not to have a toxic effect. βTC-1βTC-6and human pancreatic islets were exposed to various concentrations of for different times. Consequentlywe evaluated the viabilitythe induction of apoptosisthe glucose-stimulated insulin secretionand the expression of β-cell function genes (Isl1Pax6Glut-2glucokinase) and apoptosis-related genes (Bax and Bcl2). βTC-1βTC-6and human islets treatedrespectivelyfor 48 and 72 h with 15-30 nM showed altered islet architectureas compared with control cells. We observed for βTC-1 and βTC-6 almost 70% reduction in cell viability; three to sixfold induction of TUNELapoptotic-positive cells quantified by analysis. twofold increase in apoptotic cells was observed in human islets after exposure associated with strong inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Furthermorewe showed significant down-regulation of gene expression of molecules involved in β-cell function and increase rate between BaxBcl2. Our data demonstrate that has an in vitro diabetogenic effect interfering at multiple levels with survival and function of murine and human pancreatic β-cells.

Epidemiological and Molecular Characterization of a Mexican Population Isolate with High Prevalence of Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type Due to a Novel Calpain-3 Mutation. Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy type 2 is a group of autosomally recessive inherited disorders defined by weakness and wasting of the shoulder and pelvic girdle muscles. In the pastseveral population isolates with high incidence of arising from founder mutation effects have been identified. The aim of this work is to describe the results of clinicalepidemiologicand molecular studies performed in a Mexican village segregating numerous cases of population census was conducted in the village to identify all affected patients. Molecular analysis included genome wide homozygosity mapping using a Affymetrix microarray followed by amplification and direct nucleotide sequencing of the candidate gene. In additionDNA from 401 randomly selected unaffected villagers was analyzed to establish the carrier frequency of the causal mutation. total of 32 patients were identified in the villagerendering a disease prevalence of 4.3 2.9-5.9) cases per 1,000 habitants (1 in 232). Genome wide homozygosity mapping revealed that affected individuals shared a 6.6 Mb region of homozygosity at chromosome 15q15. The identified homozygous interval contained CAPN3the gene responsible for type Direct sequencing of this gene revealed homozygosity for a novel c.348C>A mutation (p.Ala116Asp) in from all 20 affected subjects available for genetic screeningexcept one which was heterozygous for the mutation. In such patienta heterozygous c.2362AG>TCATCT deletioninsertion was recognized as the second mutation. Western blot and autocatalytic activity analyses in protein lysates from skeletal muscle biopsy obtained from a p.Ala116Asp homozygous patient suggested that this particular mutation increased the autocatalytic activity of Thirty eigth heterozygotes of the p.Ala116Asp mutation were identified among 401 genotyped unaffected villagersyielding a population carrier frequency of 1 in 11. Evidence of allelic heterogeneity is demonstrated by the recognition of an additional mutation in a single affected. The identification of a very high carrier frequency of the LGMD2-causing mutation has implications for more rational genetic counseling in this community.

SARS-CoV-2 safety guidelines for frontline nurses. Protection of nurses in healthcare facilities from SARS-CoV-2 infection is essential for maintaining an adequate nursing force. Foundational guidelines consistently utilizedwill protect the nursing staff from infection. This article provides guidelines thatwhen followed by frontline nursing staffcan reasonably be expected to reduce acute infectionassociated morbidityand mortality.

Organogenesis of mild ocular coloboma in mice: failure of basement membrane disintegration at optic fissure margins. Fatty Liver Shionogi mice have been shown to develop a hereditary disorder characterized by localized retinochoroidal defects of the ventral fundus very similar to human typical ocular coloboma without microphthalmia. Fetuses at day 11.5-15.5 of gestation were obtained from dams of and BALBc strain of mice. Coronal serial sections through the eye were examined by light and electron microscopy. The sections were followed by observation of the basement membrane using reaction with periodic acid-Schiff reagent and immunohistochemical staining with anti-Laminin and anti-Type collagen antibodies. Both optic fissure margins closely approached each other up to 11.5 in all and BALBc embryos. The inner and outer layers of the optic cup did not normally fuse at midlenticular levels of the optic fissure in almost 70% of fetuses by 15.5whereas both margins were completely fused in all BALBc fetuses of the same gestational day. In the fetuses at 12.5rolling on one side of fissure margins and consequent asymmetry were observed at the ventral optic fissure. The basement membrane persisted after the close contact of both sides of the fissure margins during 11.5 and 15.5. Ultrastructurallythe basal lamina was not disintegrated and mesenchymal cells intervened between the two neuroepithelial layersresulting in complete separation of both fissure margins at 13.0. It is highly probable that the disturbed basement membrane disintegration right before optic fissure closure causes mild ocular coloboma without microphthalmia in mice.

Functional outcome of macular edema in different retinal disorders. Macular edema accompanies many ocular pathologiesaffecting visual function and is an important factor in treatment decisions and disease outcome. Though visual acuity is commonly used to evaluate patient vision it does not always provide a complete estimate of their visual abilities or reflect their own visual perception. Furthermoredifferent pathologies result in macular edema causing a variable effect on visual functionrelated to the rate of fluid accumulation and accompanying ocular changes. Use of complementary visual function testssuch as retinal contrast sensitivity on microperimetry and reading speed provide additional information that can be used to evaluate patients and assist in treatment choices. Here we explore the effect of macular edema on visual function in different retinal pathologiesnamely diabetic retinopathyretinal vein occlusion and uveitisexamine its influence on the various vision tests and discuss the factors underlying this variable response.

Stability of visual acuity improvement following discontinuation of amblyopia treatment in children aged 7 to 12 years.

case report of a pregnant woman with Sturge-Weber syndrome. 23-year-old pregnant woman presented with headache and paroxysmal spasm of the right limb. She was born with a port-wine birthmark around the left eye frame. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed evidence of atrophycalcification and vascular malformation in the left cerebral hemisphere. She was diagnosed with Sturge-Weber syndrome. She gave birth to a child without a port-wine birthmark through a caesarean section and her headache eased without surgical intervention of the intracranial vessel hyperplasia. This case suggests that pregnant women with can deliver safely.

Surgical removal of subfoveal perfluorocarbon liquid using combined flute needle and vacuum aspiration in silicone oil-filled eyes: novel technique to remove subfoveal We report a procedure using a pressure-controllable flute needle to remove subfoveal retention of perfluorocarbon liquid under silicone oil. With a two-port pars plana approachwe used a 27-gauge dental injection needle to create a retinotomy at the farthest edge of the bubble from the fovea. 27-gauge flute needle was then inserted into the edge of the subfoveal to aspirate it with vacuum pressure. Three patients with subfoveal retained were treated by this procedure within silicone oil tamponade 1 month after the first operation. They promptly underwent successful removal of the with postoperative retinal reattachment and good visual outcome. This procedure allows safe and early treatment for subfoveal retained Many medical institutions around the world could implement this procedure using common dental injection needles and flute needles.

Double-Organ Bias in Published Randomized Controlled Trials of Glaucoma. We only included RCTs published as an original articlewhere the aim was treating glaucoma. Two independent observers and read through each article and classified the articles according to treatment modality (medicallaseror surgical) and presence of double-organ bias.The PubMed search yielded 270 articles. total of 130 articles qualified for the survey. Eighty-five of the RCTs were medical studies11 were laser studiesand 34 studies evaluated the outcome of a surgical procedure. In 17 of the 130 articles double-organ bias was found. Prevalence of the double-organ bias was not significantly different between medical laser and surgical studies.

sensorimotor role for traveling waves in primate visual cortex. Traveling waves of neural activity are frequently observed to occur in concert with the presentation of a sensory stimulus or the execution of a movement. Although such waves have been studied for decadeslittle is known about their function. Here we show that traveling waves in the primate extrastriate visual cortex provide a means of integrating sensory and motor signals. Specificallywe describe a traveling wave of local field potential activity in cortical area of macaque monkeys that is triggered by the execution of saccadic eye movements. These waves sweep across the retinotopic mapfollowing a consistent path from the foveal to the peripheral representations of space; their amplitudes correlate with the direction and size of each saccade. Moreoverthese waves are associated with a reorganization of the postsaccadic neuronal firing patternswhich follow a similar retinotopic progressionpotentially prioritizing the processing of behaviorally relevant stimuli.

[Subjective visual disorders caused by corrections of eyeglasses or contact lenses in cataract patients after lens extraction]. The conventional optical correction given to patients after lens extraction consists of cataract glasses or contact lenses. Howeverpatients fitted with either of these devices are known to have difficulty with some everyday activities and to experience visual disturbances. Using a questionnaire in 43 patientsthe frequency of these disturbances was investigated and an attempt was made to define problems specific for glasses or contact lenses. Finallythe tendency of the visual impairment to improve with time was considered. Walking downstairs was the activity most frequently affectedfollowed by sewingwalking upstairsshopping and reading. There was little possibility of adaptation. The "Jack-in-the-box" phenomenon and restriction of the visual field were the most common disturbancesand they did not tend to improve. Magnification of the retinal image and all the other specific visual disturbances didhoweverimprove markedly with time. In conclusionvirtually all the patients were satisfied with their aphacia correction.

Modeling Early Stages of Bone and Joint Infections Dynamics in Humans: Multi-AgentMulti-System Based Model. Diagnosis and management of bone and joint infections is a challenging task. The high intra and inter patient's variability in terms of clinical presentation makes it impossible to rely on a systematic description or classical statistical analysis for its diagnosis. Advances can be achieved through a better understanding of the system behavior that results from the interactions between the components at a micro-scale levelwhich is difficult to mastered using traditional methods. Multiple studies from the literature report factors and interactions that affect the dynamics of the system. The model would simulate the behavior resulting from the interactions on the cellular and molecular levels to explore the dynamicsusing an agent-based modeling approach. The system's response to different microbial inoculum levels was simulated. The model succeeded in mimicking the dynamics of bacteriathe innate immune cellsand the bone mass during the first stage of infection and for different inoculum levels in a consistent manner. The simulation displayed the destruction in bone tissue as a result of the alteration in bone remodeling process during the infection. The model was used to generate different patterns of system behaviors that could be analyzed in further steps. Simulations results suggested evidence for the existence of latent infections. Finallywe presented a way to analyze and synthesize massive simulated data in a concise and comprehensive manner based on the semi-supervised identification of ordinary differential equations systems. It allows to use the known framework for temporal and structural analyses and therefore summarize the whole simulated system dynamical behavior. This first model is intended to be validated by in vivo or in vitro data and expected to generate hypotheses to be challenged by real data. Step by stepit can be modified and complexified based on the testvalidation iteration cycles.

Action spectra and adaptation properties of carp photoreceptors. The mass photoreceptor response of the isolated carp retina was studied after immersing the tissue in aspartate-Ringer solution. Two electro-retinogram components were isolated by differential depth recording: a fast cornea-negative wavearising in the receptor layerand a slowcornea-negative wave arising at some level proximal to the photoreceptors. Only the fast component was investigated further. In complete dark adaptationits action spectrum peaked near 540 nm and indicated input from both porphyropsin-containing rods (lambda(max) approximately 525 nm) and cones with longer wavelength sensitivity. Under photopic conditions a broad action spectrumlambda(max) approximately 580 nm was seen. In the presence of chromatic backgroundsthe photopic curve could be fractionated into three components whose action spectra agreed reasonably well with the spectral characteristics of bluegreenand red cone pigments of the goldfish. In parallel studiesthe carp rod pigment was studied in situ by transmission densitometry. The reduction in optical density after a full bleach averaged 0.28 at its lambda(max) 525 nm. In the isolated retina no regeneration of rod pigment occurred within 2 h after bleaching. The bleaching power of background fields used in adaptation experiments was determined directly. Both rods and cones generated increment threshold functions with slopes of +1 on log-log coordinates over a 3-4 log range of background intensities. Background fields which bleached less than 0.5% rod pigment nevertheless diminished photoreceptor sensitivity. The degree and rate of recovery of receptor sensitivity after exposure to a background field was a function of the total flux x t) of the field. Rod saturationi.e. the abolition of rod voltagesoccurred after approximately 12% of rod pigment was bleached. In light-adapted retinas bathed in normal Ringer solutiona small test flash elicited a larger response in the presence of an annular background field than when it fell upon a dark retina. The enhancement was not observed in aspartate-treated retinas.

Deep learning can generate traditional retinal fundus photographs using ultra-widefield images via generative adversarial networks. Retinal imaging has two major modalitiestraditional fundus photography and ultra-widefield fundus photography The model was based on an unpaired dataset including anonymized 451 and 745 images. To apply CycleGAN to an independent datasetwe randomly divided the data into training and test datasets. After automated image registration and masking dark framesthe generator and discriminator networks were trained. Additional twelve publicly available paired and images were used to calculate the intensity histograms and structural similarity indices.We observed that all images were successfully translated into TFP-style images by CycleGANand the main structural information of the retina and optic nerve was retained. The model did not generate fake features in the output images. Average histograms demonstrated that the intensity distribution of the generated output images provided a good match to the ground truth imageswith an average level of 0.802.Our approach enables automated synthesis of images directly from without a manual pre-conditioning process. This is also likely to save scan time and will be more cost-effective for patients by avoiding additional examinations for an accurate diagnosis.

Clinical evaluation using Custom Control Software technology in coaxial phacoemulsification. The patients were grouped according to nuclear sclerosis and randomly assigned to undergo conventional phacoemulsification or phacoemulsification using Millennium Custom Control Software All surgeries were performed by a single surgeon. The phaco time and average power of phacoemulsification were recorded and then calculated as absolute phaco time Visual acuitypachymetryendothelial cell density and anterior chamber flare count of both groups were noted at preoperatively day 1 and 3 months after surgery.The of the group was statistically lower than Conventional group in grades and < 0.05) nuclear sclerosisbut the two groups had no statistically significant differences in the grade group. At day 1 post surgerythere were significant differences in the thickened pachymetry = 0.047) and anterior chamber flare counts = 0.008) between two groups. At 3 months post surgerythe endothelial cell loss ratio showed statistical difference = 0.032) between two groups.Using technology in coaxial phacoemulsification can provide lower and better power efficiency. This new power modulation may make the surgery safer and more effective than Conventional phacoemulsification.

Association of familial macular degeneration with specific genetic markers: a case report. Age-related macular degeneration is a serious visual disorder of the central retina and was recently reported to be associated with genetic background. Here we describe a genetic link to early onset age-related macular degeneration in members of an Asian family.A 73-year-old Asian woman developed age-related macular degeneration in the fifth decade of her life and her 49-year-old daughter developed age-related macular degeneration. Because of the family history and the early onsetfamily members were tested for two single nucleotide polymorphism variants (rs10490924 and rs11200638) at a recently identified susceptibility locus for age-related macular degeneration. Both alleles in the 73-year-old woman were of the high-risk variants for rs10490924 and for rs11200638)and her two daughters and a grandson each carried the risk variants and one on each allele.In a case where multiple family members had early onset age-related macular degenerationwe found two high-risk single nucleotide polymorphism variants in the age-related macular degeneration susceptibility locussuggesting the combination of the known single nucleotide polymorphism variants as a potent age-related macular degeneration diagnostic indicator.

Effects of estrogen and progesterone on the expression of connexin-36 mRNA in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of female rats. To determine the effects of ovarian steroid hormones on gap junction communication in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)we examined the effects of estrogen andor progesterone on the expression of connexin-36 mRNA in the and cerebral cortex of female rats. Ovariectomized adult rats were injected with 20 microg 17beta-Estradiol or sesame oil 48 h before sacrifice and further injected with 1.5 mg progesterone or sesame oil 24 h before sacrifice. Northern blot revealed that estrogen significantly increased the expression of connexin-36 mRNA in the and this increase was inhibited by progesterone. On the other handthe connexin-36 mRNA level in the was not affected by estrogen or progesterone. These results suggest that the gap junction with connexin-36 in the is specifically regulated by ovarian steroid hormones of female rats.

Intraocular lens choices for patients with glaucoma. To discuss the unique functional and structural changes in glaucoma and the impact on intraocular lens selection.Glaucoma is a common ocular disease. Functional and structural changes associated with glaucoma require special consideration in the patient who is undergoing cataractIOL surgery. Decreased contrast sensitivity found in glaucoma may be enhanced by the use of aspheric IOLs. Small pupils and weakened zonules necessitate meticulous surgical technique and increase the risk of dislocationas does anterior capsular contraction. Posterior capsular opacification is a common postoperative complication and may be related to material and design. Both anterior chamber depth and axial length may change in patients who have had trabeculectomy and should be considered in the preoperative plan. Multifocal IOLs may afford spectacle independence for patients; howeverthere is a paucity of data for their use in concurrent ocular disease.Although there are challenges in performing cataract surgery in patients with glaucomaexcellent outcomes may be obtained with proper preoperative planningmeticulous intraoperative techniqueand appropriate selection of design.

Fibroblast growth factor-hedgehog interdependence during retina regeneration. The embryonic chick is able to regenerate the retina after it has been removed. We have previously shown that proliferating stemprogenitor cells present in the ciliary bodyciliary marginal zone of the chick eye are responsible for regenerationwhich can be induced by ectopic fibroblast growth factor-2 or Sonic hedgehog (Shh). Herewe reveal the mechanisms showing how and Shh signaling are interdependent during retina regeneration. If the pathway is inhibitedregeneration stimulated by Shh is inhibited. Likewiseif the Hedgehog pathway is inhibitedregeneration stimulated by is inhibited. We examined early signaling events in the and found that or Shh induced a robust Erk phosphorylation during the early stages of retina regeneration. Shh also up-regulated the expression of several members of the signaling pathway. We show that ectopic or Shh overexpression increased the number of phosphohistone 3 (PH3)-positive cells in the and inhibition of either pathway decreased the number of PH3-positive cells. Additionallyboth and Hh signaling are required for cell survival in the CBCMZwhereas Hh and not signaling plays a role in maintaining the identity of the retinal progenitor population in this region. Combinedour results support a model where the and Hedgehog pathways work together to stimulate retina regeneration.

Microbial keratitis in WaikatoNew Zealand. Bacterial keratitis is a potentially sight-threatening condition. Antibiotic sensitivity for the organism was tested following National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards method.In vitro laboratory susceptibility testing of ocular isolates to various antibiotics.A total of 265 scrapes were performed. Gram stain was positive in 35 eyes. Positive culture was seen in 174 scrapes; 78.2% were Gram-positive and 20.2% were Gram-negative organisms. Most common Gram-positive organisms were coagulase-negative Staphylococci and Staphylococcus aureus . Most common Gram-negative organisms were Moraxalla species and Pseudomonas aeroginosa . Of the bacterial organisms 99% were sensitive to ciprofloxacin. All Gram-negative organisms and 95.5% Gram-positive organisms were sensitive to tobramycin; 96.6% Gram-positive organisms and 98.3% Gram-negative organisms were sensitive to cefuroxime.Our results are comparable to other regions in New Zealand but the incidence of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus is much higher in this region compared with other New Zealand studies. It seems appropriate to start patients with corneal ulcers initially on fluoroquinolone monotherapy while awaiting culture results.

Evaluation of Nd:YAG Laser Capsulotomy Rates in a Real-Life Population. It is critical to ensure that Nd:YAG capsulotomies are being performed only for the correct clinical reason. Carrying out unnecessary procedures places the patient at risk of adverse eventsis a cost to the healthcare systemand is likely to have no direct visual benefit for the patient. Patients aged 18 years and olderpreviously implanted with the IOLwere contacted at 1218 and 24 months to ascertain if they had received Nd:YAG laser treatment. There was an additional assessment at 36 months at the Austrian centre.A total of 200 patients were recruited at two centers. Laser capsulotomy rates were 4.5% at 1 year and 10% by year 2 and 12% by year 3. Three Nd:YAG capsulotomiescarried out at other external centerswere performed for reasons other than PCOincluding astigmatismepiretinal membrane and If these patients are excludedthe true rate of Nd:YAG carried out for at 1 year was 3.5% and at 2 years was 8.5%.

Cortical flow in animal cells. concerted flow of actin filaments associated with the inner face of the plasma membrane may provide the basis for many animal cell movements. The flow is driven by gradients of tension in the cell cortexwhich pull cortical components from regions of relaxation to regions of contraction. In some cases cortical components return through the cytoplasm to establish a continuous cycle. This cortically located motor may drive cell locomotiongrowth cone migrationthe capping of antigens on a lymphocyte surfaceand cytokinesis.

Prevalence of Fatigue and Its Association With Quality of Life Among Frontline Clinicians in Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology Departments During the Pandemic. Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has caused psychological distress and heavy burden in medical professionals. Methods: This was a cross-sectional national online survey conducted between March 15 and March 202020 in China. The severity of fatiguedepression and were measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF)respectively. Results: In total3,912 clinicians completed the survey (2,155 in ophthalmology departmentand 1,757 in otolaryngology department); 2,049 [52.4%; 95% confidence interval = 50.8-53.9%] reported fatigue score ≥ 4). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that junior clinicians [Odds ratio = 0.8295% = = 0.045] had lower risk of fatigue; while clinicians working in tertiary hospitals = 1.2395% = = 0.029)and the presence of more severe depressive symptoms total score ≥ 5; = 7.4095% = < 0.001) were independently associated with higher risk of fatigue. After controlling for covariatesclinicians with fatigue had significantly lower compared with those without = < 0.001]. Conclusion: Fatigue was common in clinicians working in ophthalmology and otolaryngology departments during the pandemic. Considering the negative impact of fatigue on clinicians' QOLhealth authorities and policymakers should conduct regular screening for fatigue and develop preventive strategies for frontline clinicians working under excessive stress.

On- and off-eye spherical aberration of soft contact lenses and consequent changes of effective lens power. Soft contact lenses produce a significant level of spherical aberration affecting their power on-eye. simple model assuming that a thin soft contact lens aligns to the cornea predicts that these effects are similar on-eye and off-eye.The wavefront aberration for 17 eyes and 33 soft contact lenses on-eye was measured with a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. The Zernike coefficients describing the on-eye spherical aberration of the soft contact lens were compared with off-eye ray-tracing results. Paraxial and effective lens power changes were determined.The model predicts the on-eye spherical aberration of soft contact lenses closely. The resulting power change for a +- 7.00 spherical soft contact lens is +- 0.5 for a 6-mm pupil diameter and +- 0.1 for a 3-mm pupil diameter. Power change is negligible for soft contact lenses corrected for off-eye spherical aberration.For thin soft contact lensesthe level of spherical aberration and the consequent power change is similar on-eye and off-eye. Soft contact lenses corrected for spherical aberration in air will be expected to be aberration-free on-eye and produce only negligibly small power changes. For soft contact lenses without aberration correctionfor higher levels of ametropia and large pupilsthe soft contact lens power should be determined with trial lenses with their power and p value similar to the prescribed lens. The benefit of soft contact lenses corrected for spherical aberration depends on the level of ocular spherical aberration.

Monosynaptic connections between identified and photoreceptors and interneurons in Hermissenda: evidence for labeled-lines. The cellular and synaptic organization of the eye of the nudibranch mollusk Hermissenda is well-documented. The five photoreceptors within each eye are mutally inhibitory and can be classified into two types: and based on electrophysiological and anatomical criteria. Two of the three type and two type photoreceptors can be further identified according to their medial or lateral positions within each eye. In addition to reciprocal synaptic connections between photoreceptorsphotoreceptors also project to second-order neurons in the cerebropleural ganglion. The second-order neurons receive convergent synaptic input from two additional sensory pathways; howeverit has not been previously established if lateral Alateral Bor medial photoreceptors converge onto the same second-order neurons. To determine the specific synaptic organization of these components of the visual systemwe have examined monosynaptic connections between identified lateral and medial type and photoreceptors and second-order cerebropleural interneurons. We found that monosynaptic connections between identified lateral and lateral and medial photoreceptors and interneurons follow a labeled-line principle. Illumination of the eyes or extrinsic depolarizing current applied to identified photoreceptors evoked excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs and IPSPsrespectively) in different interneurons. The PSPs in interneurons followed one-for-one spikes in the photoreceptors and could be elicited in artificial seawater solutions containing high divalent cations. Identified photoreceptors projected to more than one interneuron and expressed both excitatory and inhibitory connections with the different interneurons. In examples where a monosynaptic connection between a lateral photoreceptor and a interneuron was identifiedlateral Amedial Aor medial photoreceptors did not project to the same interneuron. Moreoverwhen connections between medial and interneurons were identifiedlateral Amedial Aand lateral connections were not found to project to the same interneuron. Similar results were obtained for a lateral and interneuron connection. These results indicate that divergent labeled-lines exist between specific photoreceptors and second-order interneurons and potential convergence of synaptic input from primary and secondary elements of the visual system must occur at sites that are postsynaptic to the interneurons.

Experimental iridotomy with the Q-switched neodymium-YAG laser. Iridotomies were performed on pigmented rabbits with a Q-switched ophthalmic neodymium-YAG (Nd-YAG) laser and an argon laser. Because short-pulsed Nd-YAG lasers are effective in performing capsulotomies of the crystalline lensinjury to the underlying lens was evaluated by slit-lamp biomicroscopy at various intervals following the iridotomyand then lenses were examined in vitro with the use of procion yellowan extracellular dye. Patent iridotomies were produced with one to two pulse applications of the Nd-YAG laser. Focal areas of pigment deposition on the lens capsule and focal lens capsule opacities underlying the iridotomy site were observedbut no inadvertent capsulotomies occurred. Lens injury could be minimized through optimal focusing and energy selection. Minimal hemorrhage occurred with Nd-YAG laser iridotomy; prior treatment with the argon laser was not necessary to achieve hemostasis.

Quarter of a century of contact lens prescribing trends in the United Kingdom . To document contact lens prescribing trends in the United Kingdom over the past quarter of a century.An annual survey of contact lens prescribing was conducted each year from 1996 to 2020inclusiveby asking a random selection of optometrists and contact lens opticians to provide information relating to 10 consecutive contact lens fits between January and March.Over the 25 year survey period2,671 practitioners returned survey formsreporting a total of 25,575 contact lens fits. The mean (± standard deviation) age of lens wearers was 35 ± 15 yearsof which 64 % were female. Over the survey periodrigid lens new fits decreased from 22 % to 2%. The prescribing of silicone hydrogel lenses has increased steadily since their introduction towards the end of the 1990sand now represent 80 % of soft lens fits. Soft toric lens prescribing has gradually increased to 47 % - a value at which astigmatism ≥ is theoretically corrected in all contact lens wearers. Daily disposable prescribing increased steadily over the survey period and now represents 63 % of lenses prescribed. Extended wear fits remain at very low levelsexcept for some prescribing for overnight orthokeratology. Multi-purpose lens care solutions are ubiquitous; peroxide and other systems are now seldom prescribed. Rigid lenses and monthly replacement soft lenses are predominantly worn on a full time basiswhereas daily disposable soft lenses are mainly worn part time.This report documents the evolution of contact lens fitting in the United Kingdom over the past 25 years. The most likely lens fit is a spherical design silicone hydrogel daily disposable contact lens prescribed for a 35 year old female and worn on a part-time basis.

Your eyes give you away: prestimulus changes in pupil diameter correlate with poststimulus task-related dynamics. Pupillary measures have been linked to arousal and attention as well as activity in the brainstem's locus coeruleus norepinephrine system. Similarlythere is evidence that evoked responsessuch as the P3might have activity as their basis. Since it is not feasible to record electrophysiological data directly from the in humans due to its location in the brainsteman open question has been whether pupillary measures and variability can be linked in a meaningful way to shed light on the nature of the role in attention and arousal. We used an auditory oddball task with a data-driven approach to learn task-relevant projections of the EEGfor windows of data spanning the entire trial. We investigated linear and quadratic relationships between the evoked along these projections and both prestimulus (baseline) and poststimulus (evoked dilation) pupil diameter measurements. We found that baseline pupil diameter correlates with early (175-200 ms) and late (350-400 ms) component variabilitysuggesting a linear relationship between baseline (tonic) activity and evoked We found no relationships between evoked and evoked pupil dilationwhich is often associated with evoked (phasic) activity. After regressing out reaction time (RT)the correlation between variability and baseline pupil diameter remainedsuggesting that such correlation is not explainable by variability. We also investigated the relationship between these pupil measures and prestimulus alpha activitywhich has been reported as a marker of attentional stateand found a negative linear relationship with evoked pupil dilation. In summaryour results demonstrate significant relationships between prestimulus and poststimulus neural and pupillary measuresand they provide further evidence for tight coupling between attentional state and evoked neural activity and for the role of cortical and subcortical networks underlying the process of target detection.

Clinical evaluation of two multifocal intraocular lens implantation patterns. The lifestyle zones of 32 consecutive age-related cataract patients (64 eyes) were investigated individually to guide the surgical decision between two multifocal intraocular lens implantation patterns. The first group received a combined implantation of a ReZoom lens in the dominant eye and a Tecnis lens in the other eye. The second group received bilateral ReZoom lenses. One year postoperativelythe patients were assessed for binocular uncorrected visual acuityreading visual acuityreading speed and depth of focus under different luminance and were surveyed for visual disturbancessatisfaction and complete spectacle independence.According to the determination of lifestyle zones18 and 14 patients were included in the and groupsrespectively. One year postoperativelyeach of the patients exhibited positive visual outcomes and lifestyle satisfactionalthough there were still some differences between the two groups. Generallypatients in the group had better distance visual acuity than those in the group. In contrastpatients in the group had better near visual acuitybetter reading acuity and better reading speed than those in the group. Between the two groupsthere was no clear difference in intermediate visual acuityand the depths of focus between the two groups were approximately equal. The results of the mean questionnaire scoreoverall satisfactionand complete spectacle independence did not differ between the two groups.

Coming together to define membrane contact sites. Close proximities between organelles have been described for decades. Howeveronly recently a specific field dealing with organelle communication at membrane contact sites has gained wide acceptanceattracting scientists from multiple areas of cell biology. The diversity of approaches warrants a unified vocabulary for the field. Such definitions would facilitate laying the foundations of this fieldstreamlining communication and resolving semantic controversies. This opinionwritten by a panel of experts in the fieldaims to provide this burgeoning area with guidelines for the experimental definition and analysis of contact sites.

Japanese family with POMT2-related limb girdle muscular dystrophy]. Mutations in the gene encoding the protein O-mannosyl-transferase 2 are known to cause autosomal recessive limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 14 No Japanese patient with has been reported previously. Herewe report three patients with in one family. The first and second patients harbored a novel homozygous mutation of c.1568A>Gwhile the third harbored a compound heterozygous mutation of c.1568A>G and c.869C>T. The novel c.1568A>G mutation is classified as likely pathogenic by the guideline of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. Similar to previous casesall three patients presented difficulty walking and cognitive impairmentand the hamstring muscles were severely affected. Although eye abnormality has only been reported in one previous casetwo our patients showed eye abnormalities. As enzymatic activity has been demonstrated in the mammalian retinaan eye abnormality may represent a phenotype associated with mutation.

Rod photoreceptor-specific gene expression in human retinoblastoma cells. Retinoblastoma cells in culture have previously been shown to express cone-specific genes but not their rod counterparts. We have detected the messages for the rod alphabetaand gamma subunits of cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDE)the rod alpha subunit of transducinrod opsinand the cone alpha' subunit of in of human retinoblastoma cells by reverse transcription-PCR. Quantitative analysis of the mRNAs for the rod alpha and cone alpha' subunits revealed that they were expressed at comparable levels; howeverthe transcript encoding the rod beta subunit was 10 times more abundant in these cells. Northern hybridization analysis of cell confirmed the presence of the transcripts for rod and cone catalytic subunits. To test whether the transcriptional machinery required for the expression of rod-specific genes was endogenous in retinoblastoma cellscultures were transfected with a construct containing the promoter region of the rod beta subunit gene attached to the firefly luciferase reporter vector. Significant levels of reporter enzyme activity were observed in the cell lysates.

(Iressa) induces antiangiogenic effects through inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase. Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase is a potential target for anticancer therapy. (Iressa) is a selective inhibitor of tyrosine kinase. Both and [a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor] inhibited the migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cell cocultivated with EGF-stimulated cancer cells. also inhibited EGF-induced migration and the formation of tube-like structures by human microvascular endothelial cells. MoreoverZD1839 almost completely blocked EGF-induced neovascularization of mice corneaand partially blocked neovascularization. In contrastZD1839 did not inhibit VEGF-induced angiogenesis. HoweverEGF-induced up-regulation of the angiogenic factorsVEGF and IL-8was almost completely blocked by The antitumor effects of couldthereforebe mediated in part by the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis through direct effects on microvascular endothelial cells that express and also through reduced production of proangiogenic factors by tumor cells.