A Rare Devastating Complication of Lasik: Bilateral Fungal Keratitis

Purpose. To report an unusual case of severe bilateral fungal keratitis following laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Method. A 48-year-old man developed bilateral diffuse corneal infiltration two weeks after LASIK. The corneal scrapings revealed fungal filaments but cultures were negative. Results. The corneal ulceration was improved on the left eye whereas spontaneous perforation occurred and finally evisceration was needed on the right eye despite topical and systemic antifungal treatment. Conclusions. Fungal keratitis, especially with bilateral involvement, is a very rare and serious complication of LASIK surgery. Clinical suspicion is crucial because most of fungal keratitis are misdiagnosed as bacterial keratitis and can lead serious visual results, even eye loss

Fluorescent Labeling of SNAP-Tagged Proteins in Cells

One of the most prominent self-labeling tags is SNAP-tag. It is an in vitro evolution product of the human DNA repair protein O6 -alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (hAGT) that reacts specifically with benzylguanine (BG) and benzylchloropyrimidine (CP) derivatives, leading to covalent labeling of SNAP-tag with a synthetic probe (Gronemeyer et al., Protein Eng Des Sel 19:309–316, 2006; Curr Opin Biotechnol 16:453–458, 2005; Keppler et al., Nat Biotechnol 21:86–89, 2003; Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 101:9955– 9959, 2004). SNAP-tag is well suited for the analysis and quantification of fused target protein using fluorescence microscopy techniques. It provides a simple, robust, and versatile approach to the imaging of fusion proteins under a wide range of experimental conditions. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

STUDIES ON THE POPULATION-DYNAMICS OF BEMISIA-TABACI GENN (HOMOPT., ALEYRODIDAE) IN CUKUROVA, TURKEY

WOS: A1989U264300001

Relation between egg shape index and egg quality characteristics

WOS: 000369907700001The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the egg shape index on egg quality characteristics. The eggs used in this study were laid by layers of the ATAK-S strain. The eggs were classified with respect to shape index (SI), namely sharp eggs (SI 76). A total of 166 eggs were analysed to determine egg quality characteristics. Effects of egg shape on L*, a*, b*, specific gravity, albumen index and Haugh unit were statistically significant. However, the effects of egg shape index on egg weight,.E value, breaking strength, shell thickness, shell weight, surface area, yolk index, yolk colour, albumen pH and albumen and yolk blood spots were not significant. Statistically significant correlations between egg shape index and egg weight, L*, b*, specific gravity, egg surface area, albumen index and Haugh unit were determined. But, shape index did not correlate with a*, Delta E value, breaking strength, shell thickness, shell weight, yolk index, yolk colour and albumen pH. In conclusion, it is clear that the shape index has an effect on some egg quality characteristics. Therefore, shape index should be considered for use in future breeding programs

Intravitreal injection of methotrexate in an experimental rabbit model: Determination of ultrastructural changes

PubMedID: 23571257Purpose: To investigate the ultrastructural changes of the rabbit retina induced by intravitreal methotrexate injection. Materials and Methods: Ten New Zealand white rabbits were enucleated bilaterally at different time periods after intravitreal methotrexate injection. One rabbit was used as control group and one rabbit was used as intact group. Histopathological examinations were performed under light and electron microscopy. Early (within first three days after injection) and long-term (one month after serial injections) effects of intravitreal methotrexate on the retina were investigated. Results: Retinal edema, vacuolization, and disintegration of mitochondria of the retinal cells were observed as early changes. The main long-term effects after serial injections were edema in the photoreceptor, inner nuclear, and ganglionic cell layers. Cellular disorganisation was seen on light microscopy. Electron microscopic examination revealed mitochondrial degeneration and vacuole formation in retinal cells, nuclear degeneration in outer nuclear layer, and membranous whorl formation in photoreceptor and nerve fiber layers. Conclusions High dose intravitreal methotrexate injection may cause significant ultrastructural changes in the rabbit retina in varying severity. This finding may highlight the potential side effects of methotrexate on human retina in higher doses

Sutureless amniotic membrane transplantation combined with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft for pterygium.

PubMedID: 22146880To study the efficacy and safety of sutureless amniotic membrane transplantation combined with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft and to investigate the clinical outcomes. Thirty eyes of 30 patients with primary pterygia were treated in this institutional study with excision followed by sutureless amniotic membrane transplantation combined with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft using fibrin glue tissue adhesive. The main outcome measures were the operating time for ocular surface reconstruction, the size of the pterygium and of the conjunctival autograft, postoperative complications, subjective complaints, and recurrences. The mean pterygium size was 3.12 ± 0.92 mm and the mean operating time was 4.58 ± 1.10 min. Twenty-nine patients (96.7%) had no complaints after first postoperative week. Twenty-eight (93.3%) patients had no recurrences after 1 year follow-up. The sutureless amniotic membrane transplantation combined with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft is an effective procedure with low rate of recurrence. This technique can be considered as a preferred grafting procedure for primary pterygium but further randomized controlled studies including larger populations are needed

Phytochemical Analysis and Habitat Suitability Mapping of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. Collected in the Hatay Region of Turkey

The growth and quality of licorice depend on various environmental factors, including the local climate and soil properties; therefore, its cultivation is often unsuccessful. The current study investigated the key factors that affect the contents of bioactive compounds of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. root and estimated suitable growth zones from collection sites in the Hatay region of Turkey. The contents of three bioactive compounds (glycyrrhizic acid, glabridin, and liquiritin), soil factors (pH, soil bearing capacity, and moisture content), and geographical information (slope, aspect, curvature, elevation, and hillshade) were measured. Meteorological data (temperature and precipitation) were also obtained. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were performed on the data. The soil bearing capacity, moisture content, slope, aspect, curvature, and elevation of the study area showed statistically significant effects on the glycyrrhizic acid and liquiritin contents. A habitat suitability zone map was generated using a GIS-based frequency ratio (FR) model with spatial correlations to the soil, topographical, and meteorological data. The final map categorized the study area into four zones: very high (15.14%), high (31.50%), moderate (40.25%), and low suitability (13.11%). High suitability zones are recommended for further investigation and future cultivation of G. glabra