Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Features of Acute Syphilitic Posterior Placoid Chorioretinitis: The Role of Autoimmune Response in Pathogenesis

Purpose: Syphilis is an infectious disease that can cause a wide variety of ocular signs. One of the rarest manifestations of ocular syphilis is acute syphilitic posterior placoid chorioretinitis (ASPPC). We report on the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) features of a case diagnosed with unilateral ASPPC. Methods: A 64-year-old man presented with a sudden loss of visual acuity (VA) in the right eye. His only clinical sign was a large, geographic, yellow-white lesion centered on the right fovea. Our patient was studied with SD-OCT on presentation and during follow-up, as well as with fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, electrophysiological study, and serologic and autoimmune screening. Results: Laboratory workup revealed positive serology for active syphilis and elevated anti-beta2 glycoprotein I antibodies. SD-OCT showed a marked distortion of both the choroidal and outer retinal architecture. After treatment, best-corrected VA improved to 20/25. Pattern electroretinography displayed a severe reduction of P50 amplitude, which improved in late follow-up. Six months after presentation, VA was 20/25 and anti-beta2 glycoprotein I antibodies returned to normal levels. Conclusions: Our findings are compatible with immunologically mediated temporary physiological impairment of the neuroretina, since the changes seen by SD-OCT could not have normalized if they were due to anatomical injury. The results of our study provide clues to understanding the pathogenesis of this disease and allow us to define a characteristic temporal sequence of events in ASPPC

Cytomegalovirus Retinitis in an Immunocompromised Infant: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Purpose: To describe a case of bilateral cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR) in an immunocompromised infant. Methods: A 4-month-old male infant with severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome was examined for the presence of CMVR. Ocular involvement was recorded and monitored by digital imaging. Results: The child had bilateral CMVR, with a fine granular pattern, present both in the peripheral retina and posterior pole. There was no vitritis. The active areas of retinitis progressively resolved with intravenous ganciclovir treatment. At the 3-month follow-up examination, no recurrence was observed. Conclusion: Ganciclovir treatment was effective in this case. The prognosis depends on rapid institution of effective antiviral therapy and on a patient’s systemic immunocompetence

An evaluation thermometer for assessing city sustainability and livability

The real estate industry is an important indicator of national economic growth and development, which is influenced by the environment in which it operates. Various countries have been seriously affected by the most recent international financial crisis. Nevertheless, regardless of the challenges some cities currently face and the impacts on their sustainable livability, urban real estate is still of interest to investors. Given this context, researchers have sought to develop and apply methods of evaluating sustainable livability in cities. However, most practical applications have been hampered by methodological limitations (e.g., how to select and weight criteria in evaluations), which has hampered progress in this area. The present study thus aimed to develop a knowledge-based decision support system to evaluate city sustainability and livability in a transparent and informed way. To achieve its goal, this research combined cognitive mapping techniques and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Based on real-world data, the advantages and limitations of this integrative evaluation system are discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Avaliação da influência da poda no desempenho da máquina de colheita em pomares superintensivos de amendoeira

O sucesso da tecnologia de colheita dos olivais superintensivos terá contribuído para a implantação de pomares superintensivos de amendoeira.Nestes pomares é necessário garantir que a dimensão da copa se adeque às dimensões da máquina de colheita para minimizar as perdas de amêndoa e os danos nas árvores.Para aumentar o conhecimento sobre esta tecnologia, estabeleceu-se num pomar comercial, um ensaio para avaliar o efeito da poda na produção de amêndoa e no desempenho da máquina de colheita.O pomar foi plantado em setembro de 2014, na Herdade da Torre das Figueiras – Monforte - Portalegre - Portugal (39º 04’ N; 07º 29’ W), com a orientação Este-Oeste, entrelinha de 5 m e 1,5 m de afastamento entre as árvores na linha.Definiram-se os seguintes tratamentos: T0 – poda de verão: corte horizontal da copa e corte lateral em cada uma das faces, em 2015 e 2017. Em 2015, os cortes laterais foram executados em julho e os cortes horizontais em julho e em setembro. Em setembro de 2017, após a colheita, realizou-se corte lateral em cada uma das faces da copa e corte horizontal da copa. Poda de inverno: em 2016, poda manual para eliminar ramos vigorosos; em 2017, corte horizontal da copa seguido de poda manual para melhorar a exposição solar no interior da sebe; T1 – sem intervenções de poda em 2015, 2016 e 2017; T2 – poda de verão: corte lateral em cada uma das faces da copa, realizado em julho de 2015; corte lateral em cada uma das faces da copa e corte horizontal em setembro de 2017, após a colheita; T3 – poda de verão: corte horizontal da copa e corte lateral em cada uma das faces, em 2015 e 2017. Em 2015, os cortes laterais foram executados em julho e os cortes horizontais em julho e em setembro. Em setembro de 2017, após a colheita, efectuou-se corte lateral em cada uma das faces da copa e corte horizontal da copa.Em 2018, em todos os tratamentos, procedeu-se a uma poda manual de inverno para eliminar ramos vigorosos excessivamente desenvolvidos para a entrelinha.Em 2017, selecionaram-se aleatoriamente 3 blocos de 10 árvores em cada linha para monitorizar a altura da árvore e a largura da copa na perpendicular à linha. Em 2017 e 2018 procedeu-se à colheita de cada linha, registando a massa de amêndoa colhida e o tempo de trabalho, tendo-se avaliado por amostragem as perdas de amêndoa para o solo.Verificaram-se diferenças na produção de amêndoa entre os anos, bem como diferenças significativas entre os tratamentos em 2018. Houve uma diminuição de perdas de amêndoa para o solo de 2017 para 2018. Em 2018 o tratamento 1 registou uma percentagem de perdas significativamente superior aos outros tratamentos

ETB2 Receptor Subtype Stimulation Relaxes the Iris Sphincter Muscle

Effects of ETB receptor stimulation and its subcellular pathways were evaluated in carbachol pre-contracted rabbit iris sphincter muscles (n=51). ETB stimulation with sarafotoxin (SRTX-c; 10(-10)-10(-6) M) was tested in the absence (n=7) or presence of 10(-5) M of: BQ-788 (ETB2 receptor antagonist; n=6), L-NA (NOS inhibitor; n=7) or indomethacin (cyclooxygenase inhibitor; n=10). Effects of ETB stimulation by endothelin-1 (ET-1; 10-(10)-10(-7) M) in the presence of an ETA receptor antagonist (BQ-123; 10(-5) M; n=7) and of ETB1 stimulation by IRL-1620 (10-(10)-10(-7) M; n=7) were also tested. Finally, the effects of SRTX-c (10(-9)-10(-7) M) in electric field stimulation (EFS) contraction were evaluated (n=7). ETB receptor stimulation by SRTX-c or ET-1 in presence of BQ-123 promoted a concentration-dependent relaxation of the rabbit iris sphincter muscle by 10.8 +/- 2.0 % and 9.4 +/- 1.8 %, respectively. This effect was blocked by BQ-788 (-2.3 +/- 2.0 %), L-NA (4.5 +/- 2.3 %) or indomethacin (2.3 +/- 2.9 %). Selective ETB1 stimulation by IRL-1620 did not relax the iris sphincter muscle (0.9 +/- 5.4 %). EFS elicited contraction was not altered by SRTX-c. In conclusion, ETB receptor stimulation relaxes the carbachol precontracted iris sphincter muscle, an effect that is mediated by the ETB2 receptor subtype, through NO and the release of prostaglandins

In vivo biodistribution of carboxymethylchitosan/poly(amidoamine) dendrimer nanoparticles in rats

Carboxymethylchitosan/poly(amidoamine) dendrimer nanoparticles (CMCht/PAMAM) have recently been proposed for intracellular drug delivery purposes. These are constituted by a PAMAM dendrimer core grafted with chains of CMCht. Previous reports have shown that these nanoparticles disclosed an improved cytotoxic profile when compared to traditional dendrimers. Following on these results the present study aims to assess, for the first time, the short-term in vivo biodistribution of CMCht/PAMAM dendrimer nanoparticles upon intravenous injections in Wistar Han rats. The rats were injected in the tail vein with 1 and 10 µg/g, respectively, of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled CMCht/PAMAM dendrimer nanoparticles. Brain, liver, kidney and lung were collected at 24, 48 and 72 hours after injection and further stained with phalloidin-TRITC (red) and DAPI (blue) to trace the nanoparticles within the tissues. Liver, kidney and lung were also stained for haematoxylin and eosin in order to assess possible alterations in the morphology of these organs. CMCht/PAMAM dendrimer nanoparticles were observed within the vascular space and parenchyma of liver, kidney and lung, and in the choroid plexus, after 24, 48 and 72 hours upon intravenous injection of nanoparticles. No particles were observed in the brain parenchyma, nor any apparent deleterious histological changes, were observed within these organs. The present report revealed that CMCht/PAMAM dendrimer nanoparticles were stable in circulation for periods up to 72 hours, targeting the main organs/systems through internalization by the cells present in their parenchyma. These results provide positive indicators to their potential use in the future as intracellular drug delivery systems.Funds attributed by Fundação Calouste de Gulbenkian to A.J. Salgado under the scope of the The Gulbenkian Programme to Support Research in Life Sciences; Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Science 2007 Program – A.J. Salgado, pre- and postdoctoral fellowships to J.M. Oliveira – SFRH/BPD/63175/2009, A.M. Frias – SFRH/BPD/45206/2008, F. Marques – SFRH/BPD/33379/2008, A.M. Falcão – SFRH/BD/44485/2008, S. Roque – SFRH/BD/24539/2005; S.R. Cerqueira – SFRH/BD/SFRH/BD/48406: 2008)

Ghrelin as a novel locally produced relaxing peptide of the iris sphincter and dilator muscles

Ghrelin is a recently described acylated peptide, which works as a somatosecretagogue and has described effects on the smooth, skeletal and cardiac muscle. We examined the production and effects of ghrelin on relaxation of the iris muscles. Contractile effects of 1-5 human ghrelin (frGhr, 10(-9)-6 x 10(-5)M) and 1-5 human des-octanoyl-ghrelin (d-frGhr; 10(-9)-6 x 10(-5)M) were tested on iris rabbit sphincter (n=11 frGhr; n=7 d-frGhr), dilator (n=6 frGhr; n=6 d-frGhr) and rat sphincter (n=6 frGhr; n=8 d-frGhr) precontracted muscles. On rabbit sphincter the effect of frGhr was also tested in presence of: i) L-NA (10(-5)M; n=7); ii) indomethacin (10(-5)M; n=7); iii) DLys(3)GHRP6 (10(-4)M; n=6); and iv) apamin+carybdotoxin (10(-6)M; n=6). Furthermore, on rabbit dilator the effect of frGhr was tested in presence of DLys(3)GHRP6 (10(-4)M; n=7). Finally, ghrelin mRNA production was assessed by "in situ" hybridization in Wistar rat eyes (n=8). In all muscles, frGhr promoted a concentration-dependent relaxation, maximal at 6 x 10(-5)M, 1.5-3 min after its addition, decreasing tension by 34.1+/-12.1%, 25.8+/-4.8% and 52.1+/-10.3% in the rabbit sphincter, dilator and rat sphincter, respectively. In the rabbit sphincter the relaxing effects of frGhr were: (i) enhanced in presence of DLys(3)GHRP6 (118.1+/-21.1%); (ii) blunted by indomethacin; and (iii) not altered by apamin+carybdotoxin (36.4+/-14.4%) or L-NA (52.4+/-11.4%). Relaxing effects of d-frGhr in rabbit (43.3+/-5.2%) and rat (77.1+/-15.3%) sphincter muscles were similar to those of frGhr. In rabbit dilator muscle, d-frGhr did not significantly alter active tension and the relaxing effect of frGhr was blunted by GHSR-1a blockage. Ghrelin mRNA was identified in iris posterior epithelium. In conclusion, ghrelin is a novel, locally produced, relaxing agent of iris dilator and sphincter muscles, an effect that is mediated by GHSR-1a in the former, but not in the latter. Furthermore, in the sphincter it seems to be mediated by prostaglandins, but not by NO or K(Ca) channels.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (nr. POCI/SAU-FCF/60803/2004) through Cardiovascular R&D Unit (FCT nr. 51/94). Authors are sincerely grateful to RS. Moura (SFRH/BPD/15408/2005), Development Unit, Health and Life Sciences Institute, School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal for her excellent contribution in the in-situ hybridization techniques