#14 - Investigating the Mechanisms of Aniridic Cataract

Investigating the Mechanisms of Aniridic Cataract Katie A. Coscia, Samuel G. Novo, Mahbubul H. Shihan, Yan Wang, Paige Faasuamalie, Adam Pater-Faranda, and Melinda K. Duncan Aniridia is a congenital eye disorder hallmarked by an absent or malformed iris and underdevelopment of the fovea and optic nerve. These structural deformities are associated with many complications like photophobia, decreased quality of vision, and an increased predisposition to the premature onset of vision-threatening diseases such as glaucoma, keratopathy, and cataracts. Patients with aniridia often require lifelong ophthalmological care, including many costly, invasive surgeries. Aniridia is caused by heterozygous inheritance of a mutation in the PAX6 gene, a key regulatory transcription factor crucial for the proper formation and maintenance of the tissues of the eye. This haploinsufficiency of the PAX6 gene is implicated in the eye’s failure to maintain lens clarity and premature development of cataracts in aniridic patients. To explore the molecular mechanisms behind cataract development, several fibrotic markers with altered levels of transcription were identified via mRNA sequencing of wild type and PAX6 mutant lens epithelial cells. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to investigate the role that four indicators of potential fibrosis play in the manifestation of the aniridic phenotype. There was a noticeable upregulation in the expression of α-smooth muscle actin protein in the lens cells that correlated with the upregulation shown in the RNAseq data. In contrast, while fibronectin 1 and collagen I mRNA levels are also upregulated by RNAseq, no discernible changes in their protein expression levels were detected. Further, while the mRNA levels of extracellular matrix protein 1 are upregulated, the levels of this protein appear to be downregulated. Such discordant results suggest that the protein levels of ECM1, fibronectin 1 and Collagen I may be controlled via post-transcriptional mechanisms such as translational control. Overall, these results suggest that the PAX6 heterozygous lens is sensitized to undergo fibrosis, which may explain the propensity of the aniridic lens to develop early-onset cataract

3-D Hand Pose Estimation from Kinect's Point Cloud Using Appearance Matching

We present a novel appearance-based approach for pose estimation of a human hand using the point clouds provided by the low-cost Microsoft Kinect sensor. Both the free-hand case, in which the hand is isolated from the surrounding environment, and the hand-object case, in which the different types of interactions are classified, have been considered. The hand-object case is clearly the most challenging task having to deal with multiple tracks. The approach proposed here belongs to the class of partial pose estimation where the estimated pose in a frame is used for the initialization of the next one. The pose estimation is obtained by applying a modified version of the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm to synthetic models to obtain the rigid transformation that aligns each model with respect to the input data. The proposed framework uses a "pure" point cloud as provided by the Kinect sensor without any other information such as RGB values or normal vector components. For this reason, the proposed method can also be applied to data obtained from other types of depth sensor, or RGB-D camera

The Structure and Dynamics of International Development Assistance

We study the structure of international aid coordination by creating and analyzing a tripartite network of donor organizations, recipient countries and development issues using web-based information. We develop a measure of coordination and find that it is moderate, achieving about 60% of its theoretical maximum. Many countries are strongly connected to organizations that are related to the issues that are salient there. Nevertheless, we identify many countries that are poorly served, issues that are inadequately attended to, and organizations that focus on the wrong combination of places and issues. Our approach may be used to improve decentralized coordination

Systemisation of knowledge for the conservation and cultural development uf piedmont's mosaic heritage

Mosaics, in all their possible variants of form, material and location, can and must be recognised within the definition of Architectural Heritage. A further examination also reveals that mosaics are fully included within the definition of Cultural Heritage and, so, constitute part of the CH of a territorial area. In the absence of specific regulations, studies have been carried out in relation to source data and scheduling instruments at national and regional level with a view to devising a schedule model specifically for the mosaic, so that it is no longer regarded as an archaeological finding in its own right, but as a systematic element. These have been compared with other local situations, in Italy and abroad, which need unambiguous parameters for standardisation. These operations pass unavoidably through the identification of parameters, metadata, final users and methods through which the project could be developed in the future. Of no small importance is the diversified input of specific and inter-disciplinary skills, which are necessary for a correct cataloguing of resources; that means determining the obligatory fields and structuring the various headings, devising also appropriate key words. The cataloguing procedure is fundamental in the process for an effective cultural development of Piedmont's mosaic heritage. More precisely, it becomes an element in a structure for multi-level querying of the Territorial Information System, devised in particular for visualising data relating to files on interactive support, but also for a web-GIS configuration

Perforating Gastric/Duodenal Ulcer Development following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery: A Case Series

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is a well-studied procedure resulting in long term weight loss. Due to countless years of study, the morbidity and mortality associated with a Roux en Y gastric bypass has been greatly decreased. However, there are still several rare, yet serious, complications that may arise in the post-operative period. Anastomotic leaks and ulcers are just two of those complications. We describe a case of a 41 year old female developing postoperative perforated duodenal ulcer. A laparoscopic repair was performed using a Graham patch technique. This review aims to identify factors contributing to the ulcer development as well as report four other similar cases

Propionibacterium acnes, Coagulase-Negative Staphylococcus, and the "Biofilm-like" Intervertebral Disc

STUDY DESIGN: Patients scheduled for spinal surgery were screened prospectively for a microbial presence associated with intervertebral disc specimens. Inclusion was limited to patients requiring surgery for any of five conditions: study patients with cervical spine intervertebral herniation (IVH), lumbar spine IVH, lumbar spine discogenic pain, and control patients with idiopathic scoliosis/Scheurermann's kyphosis or trauma/neuromuscular deformity. Exclusion criteria included ongoing systemic infection, abnormal pre-operative white cell counts, documented or suspected spinal infection, or previous surgery to the involved disc. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test for an association between the presence of a bacterial entity in operated discs and a diagnosis of pathologic disc disease. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: An association has been described between microbial colonization and progressive intervertebral disc degeneration in 36 herniation patients undergoing microdiscectomies. A total of 19 patients had positive cultures on long-term incubation, with Propionibacterium acnes present in 84% of discs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Discs were harvested during surgery, using strict sterile technique. Each disc was divided, with half the sample sealed in a sterile, commercially prepared anaerobic culture transport container, and half fixed in formalin. Live specimens were cultured for bacteria at a university-affiliated laboratory in a blinded fashion. Fixed pathologic specimens were gram-stained and read by a board-certified pathologist. RESULTS: A total of 169 intervertebral discs from 87 patients were evaluated (46 males, 41 females). Positive cultures were noted in 76 of 169 discs (45%), with 34 discs positive for P. acnes and 30 discs positive for Staphylococcus. No pathologic evidence was seen of microorganisms, acute or chronic inflammation, or infection. Pooling the IVH and discogenic pain patients and contrasting them with control patients showed a significant association of IVH with positive bacterial cultures (χ = 15.37; P = 0.000088). CONCLUSION: Endemic bacterial biofilms are significantly associated with IVH and discogenic pain

La tecnología en la agricultura del siglo XXI

En la presente comunicación se exponen, los cambios poblaciones acaecidos en el último siglo, las respuestas de la agricultura y las nuevas tecnologías y avances para el desarrollo de la actividad rural.Academia Nacional de Agronomía y Veterinari