Our experience of combined treatment of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy using laser exposure of different wavelengths

Central serous chorioretinopathy is a disease that occurs in young people and causes a significant decrease in visual functions. In some cases, the pathological process acquires a chronic course, the treatment of which remains an urgent problem. Unfortunately, the available methods of conservative treatment of this problem do not have proven effectiveness, and laser treatment methods do not always lead to rapid and persistent remission and do not guarantee the absence of relapses of the disease.The aim of this study. To evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment of this pathology using a combined treatment method: a combination of transpupillary thermotherapy of the optic nerve disc with micropulse laser exposure to the retinal neuroepithelial detachment zone in the treatment of patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy.Patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy were divided into two groups: patients who were treated with simultaneous application of laser exposure in micropulse mode (wavelength – 577 nm) with a single session of transpupillary thermotherapy on the optic nerve disc area (wavelength – 810 nm); and patients whose treatment consisted in laser exposure in micropulse mode (wavelength – 577 nm). In patients of the combined laser treatment group, there was an improvement in visual acuity after a month and a half from the start of therapy in 84 % of cases, whereas in patients who received only micropulse laser exposure it happened in 57 % of cases. A noticeable improvement in the linear blood flow rate in the posterior short ciliary arteries according to the ultrasound triplex examination of the eye vessels was also observed in the combined treatment group: the blood flow rate increased by 36 %, in the other group the blood flow rate did not significantly change. Also, in the combination therapy group, only 1 relapse of the disease was detected within 24 months, while in the second group, relapses were observed in 8.7 % of cases. Subjectively, patients from the combined treatment group noted a faster disappearance of complaints of visual discomfort

Metabolomic profiles of <i>Ribes nigrum</i> L. and <i>Lonicera caerulea</i> L. from the collection of the N.I. Vavilov Institute in the setting of Northwest Russia

Recently, the trend of using fruit and berry crops as ingredients for functional and dietary nutrition, the development and implementation of flavors, pigments, new medicines and dietary supplements has been actualized. Because the direction of use depends on the biochemical properties of fruits, which are determined not only by species and varietal characteristics, but also by reproduction conditions, the study of the biochemical composition of fruits grown in various regions of the world continues to be relevant. In this regard, the collection of N.I. Vavilov Institute (VIR), which has a wide diversity of fruit and berry crops, is of great interest for study. Ribes nigrum fruits have a balanced set of sugars, organic acids, essential oils, microelements, a high content of vitamins, anthocyanins, pectins. Lonicera caerulea fruits are characterized by high values of phenolic substances: bioflavonoids, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols, polyphenols, anthocyanins, as well as vitamins, carotenoids, iridoid glycosides and other natural antioxidants. The investigation of L. caerulea and R. nigrum fruit’s accessions from the VIR collection using gas-liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry allows us to obtain new information about the biochemical characteristics of fruits, to identify L. caerulea and R. nigrum varieties with optimal economically valuable characteristics, to determine the specificity of L. caerulea and R. nigrum metabolomic spectra in the setting of Northwest Russia. As a result of the analysis, typical compounds of the metabolomic profile of each culture were identified. Organic acids, phenol-containing compounds and polyols prevailed in L. caerulea, while mono- and oligosaccharides, in R. nigrum. The qualitative composition of the black currant varieties ‘Malen’kii Printz’, ‘Dobriyi Dzhinn’, ‘Tisel’, ‘Orlovskii Val’s’, and blue honeysuckle ‘S 322-4’, ‘Malvina’, ‘Leningradsky Velikan’ was optimal for food consumption; the varieties of blue honeysuckle ‘Bazhovskaya’ and black currant ‘Aleander’ had a good representation of biologically active compounds, which makes samples attractive as raw materials for the production of biologically active additives, including with the use of microorganisms’ cultures

Congenital syphilis, still a reality in 21st century: a case report

Congenital syphilis is a preventable disease and its presence reflects a failure of prenatal care delivery systems, as well as syphilis control programmes. The procedure to prevent congenital syphilis through antenatal screening and treatment is well established. But implementation of effective programmes has proved very difficult especially in resource constrained countries

Lck Availability during Thymic Selection Determines the Recognition Specificity of the T Cell Repertoire

SummaryThymic selection requires signaling by the protein tyrosine kinase Lck to generate T cells expressing αβ T cell antigen receptors (TCR). For reasons not understood, the thymus selects only αβTCR that are restricted by major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-encoded determinants. Here, we report that Lck proteins that were coreceptor associated promoted thymic selection of conventionally MHC-restricted TCR, but Lck proteins that were coreceptor free promoted thymic selection of MHC-independent TCR. Transgenic TCR with MHC-independent specificity for CD155 utilized coreceptor-free Lck to signal thymic selection in the absence of MHC, unlike any transgenic TCR previously described. Thus, the thymus can select either MHC-restricted or MHC-independent αβTCR depending on whether Lck is coreceptor associated or coreceptor free. We conclude that the intracellular state of Lck determines the specificity of thymic selection and that Lck association with coreceptor proteins during thymic selection is the mechanism by which MHC restriction is imposed on a randomly generated αβTCR repertoire

On the Influence of Pulse Shapes on Ionization Probability

We investigate analytical expressions for the upper and lower bounds for the ionization probability through ultra-intense shortly pulsed laser radiation. We take several different pulse shapes into account, including in particular those with a smooth adiabatic turn-on and turn-off. For all situations for which our bounds are applicable we do not find any evidence for bound-state stabilization.Comment: 21 pages LateX, 10 figure

A Novel Laser-Based Zebrafish Model for Studying Traumatic Brain Injury and Its Molecular Targets

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem. Here, we developed a novel model of non-invasive TBI induced by laser irradiation in the telencephalon of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) and assessed their behavior and neuromorphology to validate the model and evaluate potential targets for neuroreparative treatment. Overall, TBI induced hypolocomotion and anxiety-like behavior in the novel tank test, strikingly recapitulating responses in mammalian TBI models, hence supporting the face validity of our model. NeuN-positive cell staining was markedly reduced one day, but not seven days, after TBI, suggesting increased neuronal damage immediately after the injury, and its fast recovery. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) level in the brain dropped immediately after the trauma, but fully recovered seven days later. A marker of microglial activation, Iba1, was elevated in the TBI brain, albeit decreasing from Day 3. The levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (Hif1a) increased 30 min after the injury, and recovered by Day 7, further supporting the construct validity of the model. Collectively, these findings suggest that our model of laser-induced brain injury in zebrafish reproduces mild TBI and can be a useful tool for TBI research and preclinical neuroprotective drug screening. © 2022 by the authors.Saint Petersburg State University, SPbU: 73026081; Russian Science Foundation, RSF: 20-65-46006We thank Alisa S. Belova for technical support in experimental manipulations and cortisol assay. We also thank Anatoly A. Maslov for the idea of using laser radiation to introduce brain damage. A.V.K. lab is supported by St. Peterburg State University funds (Pure ID 73026081).This study was funded by Russian Science Foundation (grant No. 20-65-46006)

A clinical case of a combination of Spina bifida, Arnold-Chiari anomaly and multiple congenital malformations in a child

The purpose of the study - presentation of a clinical case of a combination of Spina bifida and Arnold-Chiari type 2 anomaly.Цель исследования. Представление клинического случая сочетания Spina bifida и аномалии Арнольда-Киари 2 типа

De Novo Mutation in Genes Regulating Neural Stem Cell Fate in Human Congenital Hydrocephalus

Congenital hydrocephalus (CH), featuring markedly enlarged brain ventricles, is thought to arise from failed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) homeostasis and is treated with lifelong surgical CSF shunting with substantial morbidity. CH pathogenesis is poorly understood. Exome sequencing of 125 CH trios and 52 additional probands identified three genes with significant burden of rare damaging de novo or transmitted mutations: TRIM71 (p = 2.15 × 10−7), SMARCC1 (p = 8.15 × 10−10), and PTCH1 (p = 1.06 × 10−6). Additionally, two de novo duplications were identified at the SHH locus, encoding the PTCH1 ligand (p = 1.2 × 10−4). Together, these probands account for ∼10% of studied cases. Strikingly, all four genes are required for neural tube development and regulate ventricular zone neural stem cell fate. These results implicate impaired neurogenesis (rather than active CSF accumulation) in the pathogenesis of a subset of CH patients, with potential diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic ramifications