Could Mineralocorticoids Play a Role in the Pathophysiology of Open Angle Glaucoma?

Since the pathomechanisms of primary open angle glaucoma are still not defined, different aspects related to this topic have to be discussed and further investigated. Possible candidates are the mineralocorticoids, which are known to lower intraocular pressure. A data search and personal investigations assume a limited role of mineralocorticoids for the development of glaucoma. Specific experiments for a final conclusion are, however, not yet performed

Pulmonary Fissures – How do they form?

For pulmonary surgery, the variation of pulmonary fissures matters but little is known about their development. Early fixation of the visceral pleura seems to be mediated by myofibroblasts and extracellular components like fibronectin. So far, no concepts explain sufficiently the origin of the shape and orientation of these fissures

A Paracolic location of the Appendix Vermiformis with lymphoid Hypoplasia

The present case report from the dissection room shows a rare and unique paracolic position of the vermiform appendix reaching almost up to the liver in a white European man. The appearance of the gut associated lymphoepithelial tissue was hypoplastic

Comparative Anatomy of the Optic Nerve Head and Inner Retina in Non-Primate Animal Models Used for Glaucoma Research

To judge the information of experimental settings in relation to the human situation, it is crucial to be aware of morphological differences and peculiarities in the species studied. Related to glaucoma, the most important structures of the posterior eye segment are the optic nerve head including the lamina cribrosa, and the inner retinal layers. The review highlights the differences of the lamina cribrosa and its vascular supply, the prelaminar optic nerve head, and the retinal ganglion cell layer in the most widely used animal models for glaucoma research, including mouse, rat, rabbit, pig, dog, cat, chicken, and quail. Although all species show some differences to the human situation, the rabbit seems to be the most problematic animal for glaucoma research

Influence of Caloric Vestibular Stimulation on Body Experience in Healthy Humans

The vestibular system has more connections with and influence on higher cortical centers than previously thought. These interactions with higher cortical centers and the phenomena that they elicit require a structural intact cerebral cortex. To date, little is known about the role and influence of the vestibular system on one’s body experience. In this study we show that caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) in healthy participants has an effect on the perceptive component of one’s body experience. After CVS all participants showed a statistically significant difference of thigh width estimation. In contrast to previous studies, which demonstrated an influence of CVS on higher cortical centers with an intact cerebral cortex both the cognitive and affective component of body experience were not effected by the CVS. Our results demonstrate the influence of the vestibular system on body perception and emphasize its role in modulating different perceptive-qualities which contributes to our body experience. We found that CVS has a limited influence on one’s conscious state, thought process and higher cortical functions

COVID-19, post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS, "long COVID") and post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome (PCVS, "post-COVIDvac-syndrome"): Similarities and differences

Worldwide there have been over 760 million confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, and over 13 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered as of April 2023, according to the World Health Organization. An infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can lead to an acute disease, i.e. COVID-19, but also to a post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS, "long COVID"). Currently, the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are increasingly being noted and studied. Here, we summarise the currently available indications and discuss our conclusions that (i) these side effects have specific similarities and differences to acute COVID-19 and PACS, that (ii) a new term should be used to refer to these side effects (post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome, PCVS, colloquially "post-COVIDvac-syndrome"), and that (iii) there is a need to distinguish between acute COVID-19 vaccination syndrome (ACVS) and post-acute COVID-19 vaccination syndrome (PACVS) - in analogy to acute COVID-19 and PACS ("long COVID"). Moreover, we address mixed forms of disease caused by natural SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination. We explain why it is important for medical diagnosis, care and research to use the new terms (PCVS, ACVS and PACVS) in order to avoid confusion and misinterpretation of the underlying causes of disease and to enable optimal medical therapy. We do not recommend to use the term "Post-Vac-Syndrome" as it is imprecise. The article also serves to address the current problem of "medical gaslighting" in relation to PACS and PCVS by raising awareness among the medical professionals and supplying appropriate terminology for disease

Nutrition and Vascular Supply of Retinal Ganglion Cells during Human Development

Purpose: To review the roles of the different vascular beds nourishing the inner retina [retinal ganglion cells (RGCs)] during normal development of the human eye, using our own tissue specimens to support our conclusions. Methods: An extensive search of the appropriate literature included PubMed, Google scholar, and numerous available textbooks. In addition, choroidal and retinal NADPH-diaphorase stained whole mount preparations were investigated. Results: The first critical interaction between vascular bed and RGC formation occurs in the sixth to eighth month of gestation leading to a massive reduction of RGCs mainly in the peripheral retina. The first 3 years of age are characterized by an intense growth of the eyeball to near adult size. In the adult eye, the influence of the choroid on inner retinal nutrition was determined by examining the peripheral retinal watershed zones in more detail. Conclusion: This delicately balanced situation of RGC nutrition is described in the different regions of the eye, and a new graphic presentation is introduced to combine morphological measurements and clinical visual field data

The relationship between transformational leadership and engagement : Self-efficacy as a mediator

The present study investigated whether followers’ self-efficacy mediates the relation-ship between a transformational leadership style and followers’ engagement. 307 Czech employees evaluated the transformational leadership of their superior and their own work-related self-efficacy and work engagement. Of the 4 compared structural equation models, the model in which self-efficacy partially mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and engagement fitted best. The relationship between trans-formational leadership and self-efficacy showed to be weak, whereas the relationship between self-efficacy and engagement appeared to be moderately strong. A mediation analysis reported weak indirect effect of transformational leadership on engagement through self-efficacy. However, direct effect of transformational leadership on engage-ment was strong. Self-efficacy explained only a small portion of the relationship be-tween transformational leadership and engagement. Current research findings expand theories explaining changes in engagement and the mechanism of how transformational leadership influences leadership outcomes.The present study investigated whether followers’ self-efficacy mediates the relation-ship between a transformational leadership style and followers’ engagement. 307 Czech employees evaluated the transformational leadership of their superior and their own work-related self-efficacy and work engagement. Of the 4 compared structural equation models, the model in which self-efficacy partially mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and engagement fitted best. The relationship between trans-formational leadership and self-efficacy showed to be weak, whereas the relationship between self-efficacy and engagement appeared to be moderately strong. A mediation analysis reported weak indirect effect of transformational leadership on engagement through self-efficacy. However, direct effect of transformational leadership on engage-ment was strong. Self-efficacy explained only a small portion of the relationship be-tween transformational leadership and engagement. Current research findings expand theories explaining changes in engagement and the mechanism of how transformational leadership influences leadership outcomes

Stream segregation in the anesthetized auditory cortex

Auditory stream segregation describes the way that sounds are perceptually segregated into groups or streams on the basis of perceptual attributes such as pitch or spectral content. For sequences of pure tones, segregation depends on the tones' proximity in frequency and time. In the auditory cortex (and elsewhere) responses to sequences of tones are dependent on stimulus conditions in a similar way to the perception of these stimuli. However, although highly dependent on stimulus conditions, perception is also clearly influenced by factors unrelated to the stimulus, such as attention. Exactly how ‘bottom-up’ sensory processes and non-sensory ‘top-down’ influences interact is still not clear. Here, we recorded responses to alternating tones (ABAB …) of varying frequency difference (FD) and rate of presentation (PR) in the auditory cortex of anesthetized guinea-pigs. These data complement previous studies, in that top-down processing resulting from conscious perception should be absent or at least considerably attenuated. Under anesthesia, the responses of cortical neurons to the tone sequences adapted rapidly, in a manner sensitive to both the FD and PR of the sequences. While the responses to tones at frequencies more distant from neuron best frequencies (BFs) decreased as the FD increased, the responses to tones near to BF increased, consistent with a release from adaptation, or forward suppression. Increases in PR resulted in reductions in responses to all tones, but the reduction was greater for tones further from BF. Although asymptotically adapted responses to tones showed behavior that was qualitatively consistent with perceptual stream segregation, responses reached asymptote within 2 s, and responses to all tones were very weak at high PRs (>12 tones per second). A signal-detection model, driven by the cortical population response, made decisions that were dependent on both FD and PR in ways consistent with perceptual stream segregation. This included showing a range of conditions over which decisions could be made either in favor of perceptual integration or segregation, depending on the model ‘decision criterion’. However, the rate of ‘build-up’ was more rapid than seen perceptually, and at high PR responses to tones were sometimes so weak as to be undetectable by the model. Under anesthesia, adaptation occurs rapidly, and at high PRs tones are generally poorly represented, which compromises the interpretation of the experiment. However, within these limitations, these results complement experiments in awake animals and humans. They generally support the hypothesis that ‘bottom-up’ sensory processing plays a major role in perceptual organization, and that processes underlying stream segregation are active in the absence of attention