Ultra-Widefield Indocyanine Green Angiography Reveals Patterns of Choroidal Venous Insufficiency Influencing Pachychoroid Disease

PURPOSE. To compare patterns of choroidal venous drainage in eyes with pachychoroid disease to those of healthy subjects using ultra-widefield indocyanine green angiography (UWF ICGA). METHODS. Patients with pachychoroid disease and healthy controls were recruited at two referral centers. UWF ICGA images were used to evaluate the proportion of the postequatorial fundus drained by major vortex vein systems in each quadrant and to study the incidence and topography of choroidal vascular hyperpermeability (CVH) and intervortex venous anastomoses.Widefield swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) was used to evaluate choroidal thickness at the posterior pole in eyes with pachychoroid disease. RESULTS. Fifty-two pachychoroid eyes and 26 healthy eyes were evaluated. Eyes with pachychoroid disease showed a significant within-subject variance in the proportion of the postequatorial fundus drained by each vortex vein system (range, 4.1%-48.1%; P < 0.0001) that was not seen in controls (range, 17.3%-31.7%; P = 0.11). CVH was present in all pachychoroid disease eyes and three of 26 controls. Intervortex venous anastomoses were present in 46 of 52 pachychoroid disease eyes and nine of 26 control eyes. Vortex vein systems with large drainage areas showed greater density of CVH spots. SSOCT demonstrated asymmetric choroidal drainage in the macula of 59% of pachychoroid eyes. CVH and intervortex venous anastomoses were more prominent in areas showing maximal choroidal thickness. CONCLUSIONS. In eyes with pachychoroid disease, imbalanced choroidal venous drainage with congestion of specific vortex vein systems may contribute to a state of choroidal venous insufficiency characterized by regional choroidal thickening, CVH and remodeling of venous drainage routes. © 2022 The Authors

Electronic stress tensor analysis of hydrogenated palladium clusters

We study the chemical bonds of small palladium clusters Pd_n (n=2-9) saturated by hydrogen atoms using electronic stress tensor. Our calculation includes bond orders which are recently proposed based on the stress tensor. It is shown that our bond orders can classify the different types of chemical bonds in those clusters. In particular, we discuss Pd-H bonds associated with the H atoms with high coordination numbers and the difference of H-H bonds in the different Pd clusters from viewpoint of the electronic stress tensor. The notion of "pseudo-spindle structure" is proposed as the region between two atoms where the largest eigenvalue of the electronic stress tensor is negative and corresponding eigenvectors forming a pattern which connects them.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures, published online, Theoretical Chemistry Account

A geometric network model of intrinsic grey-matter connectivity of the human brain

Network science provides a general framework for analysing the large-scale brain networks that naturally arise from modern neuroimaging studies, and a key goal in theoretical neuro- science is to understand the extent to which these neural architectures influence the dynamical processes they sustain. To date, brain network modelling has largely been conducted at the macroscale level (i.e. white-matter tracts), despite growing evidence of the role that local grey matter architecture plays in a variety of brain disorders. Here, we present a new model of intrinsic grey matter connectivity of the human connectome. Importantly, the new model incorporates detailed information on cortical geometry to construct ‘shortcuts’ through the thickness of the cortex, thus enabling spatially distant brain regions, as measured along the cortical surface, to communicate. Our study indicates that structures based on human brain surface information differ significantly, both in terms of their topological network characteristics and activity propagation properties, when compared against a variety of alternative geometries and generative algorithms. In particular, this might help explain histological patterns of grey matter connectivity, highlighting that observed connection distances may have arisen to maximise information processing ability, and that such gains are consistent with (and enhanced by) the presence of short-cut connections

Studies on an alkali-thermostable xylanase from Aspergillus fumigatus MA28

An alkalitolerant fungus, Aspergillus fumigatus strain MA28 produced significant amounts of cellulase-free xylanase when grown on a variety of agro-wastes. Wheat bran as the sole carbon source supported higher xylanase production (8,450 U/L) than xylan (7,500 U/L). Soybean meal was observed to be the best nitrogen source for xylanase production (9,000 U/L). Optimum medium pH for xylanase production was 8 (9,800 U/L), though, significant quantities of the enzyme was also produced at pH 7 (8,500 U/L), 9 (8,200 U/L) and 10 (4,600 U/L). The xylanase was purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation and carboxymethyl cellulose chromatography, and was found to have a molecular weight of 14.4 kDa with a Vmax of 980 μmol/min/mg of protein and a Km of approximately 4.9 mg/mL. The optimum temperature and pH for enzyme activity was 50 °C and pH 8, respectively. However, the enzyme also showed substantial residual activity at 60–70 °C (53–75%) and at alkaline pH 8–9 (56–88%)

Grafting of 4-(2,4,6-Trimethylphenoxy)benzoyl onto Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in Poly(phosphoric acid) via Amide Function

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), which were commercial grade containing 60–70 wt% impurity, were treated in a mild poly(phosphoric acid) (PPA). The purity of PPA treated SWCNTs was greatly improved with or without little damage to SWCNTs framework and stable crystalline carbon particles. An amide model compound, 4-(2,4,6-trimethylphenoxy)benzamide (TMPBA), was reacted with SWCNTs in PPA with additional phosphorous pentoxide as “direct” Friedel–Crafts acylation reaction to afford TMPBA functionalized SWCNTs. All evidences obtained from Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microcopy, and transmission electron microscopy strongly supported that the functionalization of SWCNTs with benzamide was indeed feasible

Freshwater shrimp (Palaemonetes australis) as a potential bioindicator of crustacean health

Palaemonetes australis is a euryhaline shrimp found in south-western Australian estuaries. To determine if P. australis is a suitable bioindicator species for monitoring the health of estuarine biota, they were exposed to measured concentrations of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) at 0.01, 0.1 or 1 ppm for 14 days under laboratory conditions. At the end of exposure the shrimp were sacrificed for biomarker [ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase (ECOD), 8-oxo-dG concentration, and sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) activity] analyses. Gender did not appear to influence biomarker responses of the shrimp in this study. ECOD activity was induced in the treatment groups in a linear fashion from 3 (0.01 ppm) times to 12 (1 ppm) times the negative controls. 8-oxo-dG concentration was reduced 3 times in treatment groups below the controls suggesting impaired DNA repair pathways. There was no increase in SDH, signifying hepatopancreatic cell damage had not occurred in any treatment group. The response of P australis to B[a]P exposure indicates that this crustacean is suitable bioindicator species for both laboratory studies and field monitoring. A combination of ECOD and SDH activities and 8-oxo-dG concentration represent a suitable suite of biomarkers for environmental monitoring of the sublethal effects of organic pollution to crustaceans from an estuarine environment

Percutaneous coronary revascularization in patients with formerly "refractory angina pectoris in end-stage coronary artery disease" – Not "end-stage" after all

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients with refractory angina pectoris in end-stage coronary artery disease represent a severe condition with a higher reduction of life-expectancy and quality of life as compared to patients with stable coronary artery disease. It was the purpose of this study to invasively re-evaluate highly symptomatic patients with formerly diagnosed refractory angina pectoris in end-stage coronary artery disease for feasible options of myocardial revascularization.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty-four Patients formerly characterized as having end stage coronary artery disease with refractory angina pectoris were retrospectively followed for coronary interventions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of those 34 patients 21 (61.8%) were eventually revascularized with percutaneous interventional revascularization (PCI). Due to complex coronary morphology (angulation, chronic total occlusion) PCI demanded an above-average amount of time (66 ± 42 minutes, range 25–206 minutes) and materials (contrast media 247 ± 209 ml, range 50–750 ml; PCI guiding wires 2.0 ± 1.4, range 1–6 wires). Of PCI patients 7 (33.3%) showed a new lesion as a sign of progression of atherosclerosis. Clinical success rate with a reduction to angina class II or lower was 71.4% at 30 days. Surgery was performed in a total of8 (23.5%) patients with a clinical success rate of 62.5%. Based on an intention-to-treat 2 patients of originally 8 (25%) demonstrated clinical success. Mortality during follow-up (1–18 months) was 4.8% in patients who underwent PCI, 25% in patients treated surgically and 25% in those only treated medically.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The majority of patients with end-stage coronary artery disease can be treated effectively with conventional invasive treatment modalities. Therefore even though it is challenging and demanding PCI should be considered as a first choice before experimental interventions are considered.</p

Desulfonatronovibrio halophilus sp. nov., a novel moderately halophilic sulfate-reducing bacterium from hypersaline chloride–sulfate lakes in Central Asia

Four strains of lithotrophic sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) have been enriched and isolated from anoxic sediments of hypersaline chloride–sulfate lakes in the Kulunda Steppe (Altai, Russia) at 2 M NaCl and pH 7.5. According to the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the isolates were closely related to each other and belonged to the genus Desulfonatronovibrio, which, so far, included only obligately alkaliphilic members found exclusively in soda lakes. The isolates utilized formate, H2 and pyruvate as electron donors and sulfate, sulfite and thiosulfate as electron acceptors. In contrast to the described species of the genus Desulfonatronovibrio, the salt lake isolates could only tolerate high pH (up to pH 9.4), while they grow optimally at a neutral pH. They belonged to the moderate halophiles growing between 0.2 and 2 M NaCl with an optimum at 0.5 M. On the basis of their distinct phenotype and phylogeny, the described halophilic SRB are proposed to form a novel species within the genus Desulfonatronovibrio, D. halophilus (type strain HTR1T = DSM24312T = UNIQEM U802T)

A Knockout of the Tsg101 Gene Leads to Decreased Expression of ErbB Receptor Tyrosine Kinases and Induction of Autophagy Prior to Cell Death

The Tumor Susceptibility Gene 101 (Tsg101) encodes a multi-domain protein that mediates a variety of molecular and biological processes including the trafficking and lysosomal degradation of cell surface receptors. Conventional and conditional knockout models have demonstrated an essential requirement of this gene for cell cycle progression and cell viability, but the consequences of a complete ablation of Tsg101 on intracellular processes have not been examined to date. In this study, we employed mouse embryonic fibroblasts that carry two Tsg101 conditional knockout alleles to investigate the expression of ErbB receptor tyrosine kinases as well as stress-induced intracellular processes that are known to be associated with a defect in growth and cell survival. The conditional deletion of the Tsg101 gene in this well-controlled experimental model resulted in a significant reduction in the steady-state levels of the EGFR and ErbB2 but a stress-induced elevation in the phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinases independent of growth factor stimulation. As part of an integrated stress response, Tsg101-deficient cells exhibited extensive remodeling of actin filaments and greatly enlarged lysosomes that were enriched with the autophagy-related protein LC3. The increase in the transcriptional activation and expression of LC3 and its association with Lamp1-positive lysosomes in a PI3K-dependent manner suggest that Tsg101 knockout cells utilize autophagy as a survival mechanism prior to their ultimate death. Collectively, this study shows that a knockout of the Tsg101 gene causes complex intracellular changes associated with stress response and cell death. These multifaceted alterations need to be recognized as they have an impact on defining particular functions for Tsg101 in processes such as signal transduction and lysosomal/endosomal trafficking