Parapapillary chorioretinal atrophy in patients with ocular hypertension. II. An evaluation of progressive changes

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether parapapillary chorioretinal atrophy in patients with ocular hypertension remained stationary or progressed along with glaucomatous optic nerve damage. METHODS: The morphometric parameters and progression of parapapillary atrophy were retrospectively investigated, using serial photographs, in 350 eyes of 175 patients with ocular hypertension. The association of parapapillary atrophy progression with subsequent glaucomatous conversion and with other baseline patient- and eye-specific characteristics was analyzed. RESULTS: Progression in the area and extension of parapapillary atrophy before noticeable optic disc or visual field changes was observed in 48 (49.0%) of 98 eyes that converted to glaucoma, while parapapillary atrophy progression was noted in 25 (9.9%) of 252 ocular hypertensive eyes that did not develop glaucomatous damage (P<.001). The predictive sensitivity and specificity of this observation were 49% and 90%, respectively. In a logistic multiple regression model, the progression of parapapillary atrophy was associated with a family history of glaucoma (odds ratio, 2.7) and the initial size of zone beta (odds ratio, 1.64, for an increase of 0.10 of the zone beta area-disc area ratio). CONCLUSION: The progression of parapapillary chorioretinal atrophy may be an early glaucomatous finding in some patients with ocular hypertension.     

Entkohlungs- und Desoxydationsvorgänge im flüssigen Eisen

Heterogene Keimbildung bei der Entkohlungsreaktion. Homogene Keimbildung bei der Fällungsdesoxydation mit Zirkon. Deutung auf der Grundlage der Volmerschen Theorie der Keimbildung. Kernbildung als geschwindigkeitsbestimmender Schritt.     

Microbial production,structure elucidation and bioconversion of sophorose lipids

Cultivation of Torulopsis bombicola ATCC 22214 on a mixture of glucose and oleic acid (A) or oleic acid alone (B) produced large amounts of sophorose lipids. In the case of A, 38 g/1 of crude product were finally isolated; fermentation B led to 77 g/1. After separation by MPLC and TLC, six glycolipids were obtained and identified by NMR and fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry (FAB-MS). In general, a 17-hydroxyocta-decanoic acid at the C-1’ -position and acetate groups at the C-6’ -and C-6’ -positions of sophorose were found as substituents in the lactone and acidic forms of these lipids. The composition of product from A was as follows: 62% of sophorolipid 1’,4’ -lactone 6’ ,6’ -diacetate (SL-1), 4% of sophorolipid 1’,4’-lactone 6’-monoacetate (SL-2), 4% of sophorolipid 1’,4 ’-lactone (SL-3), 4% of sophorolipid 1’,6’-and l’,6’-lactones (SL-4a,b), 4% of sophorolipid 6’-monoacetate acid (SL-5), 4% of sophorolipid acid (SL-6) and finally 17% of other lipids. In B, the principal lactone (40%) had a double bond in the fatty acid moiety; the other components were identical with the above products. Yields of 13% SL-2 and of 35% lipids containing no carbohydrate were significant. SL-1 was deacetylated to SL-3 (yield: 25-307c) using acetyl-esterase in a two-phase system (cyclohexane/water). To whom correspondence should be addressed.     

Acoustic startle response and habituation in freezing and nonfreezing rats.

Divided rats according to their responses to startle-eliciting stimuli into 2 groups with different emotional states. About half of the 54 female Sprague-Dawley rats showed long-lasting freezing behavior after 1–8 stimuli (10 kHz, 110 dB spl). In freezing rats the startle amplitude was higher than in nonfreezing rats, even on the very first startle response. This finding demonstrates that the anxiety state of these animals before the 1st startle-eliciting stimulus, and not just the aversiveness of the stimulus, contributes to freezing behavior. In addition, in freezing rats there was no influence of spontaneous motor activity or of adaptation time on startle amplitude. Only in nonfreezing rats were high motor activities correlated with lowered startle amplitudes, and only in these rats did the course of startle habituation depend on adaptation time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structural elucidation and analysis of thermal degradation products of the Fusarium mycotoxin nivalenol

The major class of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium moulds are trichothecenes, a large group of sesquiterpenes sharing the same basic chemical structure, a 12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-ene ring system. Their toxic effects range from causing diarrhoea, vomiting and gastro-intestinal inflammation to noncompetitive inhibition of the biosynthesis of proteins in eukaryotic cells. Trichothecenes in general are relatively stable compounds, their degradation is observed only at high temperatures and prolonged heating time. In order to investigate the stability of the trichothecene nivalenol (NIV) under food processing conditions such as cooking or baking, we performed model heating experiments and screened the residue for degradation products using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Heating of nivalenol, especially under mild alkaline conditions, gave a mixture of four compounds (norNIV A, norNIV B, norNIV C, and NIV lactone), which where isolated and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and MS experiments. Although their formation was also demonstrated in heating experiments with spiked flour samples, only norNIV B was detectable in a screening of several commercially available samples, possibly due to the very low contamination with nivalenol. Furthermore, cell culture experiments using immortalized human kidney epithelial (IHKE) cells showed that the four compounds are less cytotoxic (formazan dye cytotoxicity assay) compared to nivalenol. Whereas nivalenol revealed an EC50 at 0.9 micromol, all other compounds did not show any significant effect up to 100 micromol.     

Enhanced Osteoblast Adhesion to Epoxide‐Functionalized Surfaces

As an alternative to expensive extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins generally applied as coatings in Petri dishes used for cell binding, an innovative system based on epoxide‐functionalized monolayers capable of protein binding is proposed. Since cells bind to material surfaces through proteins, protein‐binding surfaces should also promote cell binding. Here we investigate how the cell‐binding properties of an epoxide‐functionalized surface compares with ECM protein gel coated surfaces and tissue culture polystyrene control surfaces. Glass surfaces are functionalized with glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane (GOPS), which results in an epoxide‐functionalized surface capable of binding proteins through an epoxide–amine reaction. Advancing contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy measurements confirm the formation of a homogeneous GOPS monolayer. This monolayer is micropatterned with fluorescein‐labeled ECM protein gel by microcontact printing (µCP). Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) shows accurately transferred ECM protein gel micropatterns. Osteoblasts that are seeded on these micropatterned substrates show a clear preference for adhering to the epoxide‐functionalized areas. The morphology of these cultured osteoblasts is needle‐like with high aspect ratios. As controls, osteoblasts are cultured on GOPS‐functionalized surfaces, unstructured ECM protein gel surfaces, and tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS). The GOPS surfaces demonstrate a drastic increase in cell adhesion after 2 h, whilst the other tests show no adverse effects of this surface on the osteoblasts as compared to ECM and TCPS. CLSM shows healthy cell morphologies on each surface. It is demonstrated for the first time that epoxide groups outperform ECM protein gel in cell adhesion, thereby providing new routes for cost‐effective coatings that improve biocompatibility as well as exciting, new methodologies to control and direct cell adhesion.