Gene Expression Profiling of Preovulatory Follicle in the Buffalo Cow: Effects of Increased IGF-I Concentration on Periovulatory Events

The preovulatory follicle in response to gonadotropin surge undergoes dramatic biochemical, and morphological changes orchestrated by expression changes in hundreds of genes. Employing well characterized bovine preovulatory follicle model, granulosa cells (GCs) and follicle wall were collected from the preovulatory follicle before, 1, 10 and 22 h post peak LH surge. Microarray analysis performed on GCs revealed that 450 and 111 genes were differentially expressed at 1 and 22 h post peak LH surge, respectively. For validation, qPCR and immunocytochemistry analyses were carried out for some of the differentially expressed genes. Expression analysis of many of these genes showed distinct expression patterns in GCs and the follicle wall. To study molecular functions and genetic networks, microarray data was analyzed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis which revealed majority of the differentially expressed genes to cluster within processes like steroidogenesis, cell survival and cell differentiation. In the ovarian follicle, IGF-I is established to be an important regulator of the above mentioned molecular functions. Thus, further experiments were conducted to verify the effects of increased intrafollicular IGF-I levels on the expression of genes associated with the above mentioned processes. For this purpose, buffalo cows were administered with exogenous bGH to transiently increase circulating and intrafollicular concentrations of IGF-I. The results indicated that increased intrafollicular concentrations of IGF-I caused changes in expression of genes associated with steroidogenesis (StAR, SRF) and apoptosis (BCL-2, FKHR, PAWR). These results taken together suggest that onset of gonadotropin surge triggers activation of various biological pathways and that the effects of growth factors and peptides on gonadotropin actions could be examined during preovulatory follicle development

Repeatability and Agreement of Three Scheimpflug-Based Imaging Systems for Measuring Anterior Segment Parameters in Keratoconus

Citation: Shetty R, Arora V, Jayadev C, et al. Repeatability and agreement of three Scheimpflug-based imaging systems for measuring anterior segment parameters in keratoconus. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014;55:5263-5268. DOI:10.1167/iovs.14-15055 PURPOSE. To assess the repeatability and agreement of three rotating Scheimpflug cameras, Pentacam, Galilei, and Sirius, in measuring the mean keratometry (Km), thinnest corneal thickness (TCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and mean posterior keratometry (pKm) in keratoconus patients in a prospective study. METHODS. Fifty-five eyes of 55 patients with keratoconus underwent three consecutive scans on each machine, performed by a single operator. Within-subject standard deviation (Sw), test-retest repeatability (TRT), and coefficient of variation (COV) for assessing repeatability and Bland-Altman plots for the agreement between the mean measurements of each machine were examined. RESULTS. The Sw of Km and pKm measurements with Pentacam (0.23 and 0.10 diopters [D], respectively) were significantly lower (better) than those of Galilei (0.60 and 0.17) and Sirius (0.23 and 0.36). The Sw of TCT measurements with Sirius (8.88 lm) was significantly lower than that of Galilei (11.64 lm). The COV ranged between 0.5 for the Km measurements of Pentacam and 2.8 for the TCT measurements of Galilei. Significant proportional bias in agreement was detected for the pKm measurements with all the three device pairs and for the ACD measurements between Pentacam and Galilei and between Galilei and Sirius. CONCLUSIONS. Though Pentacam, Galilei, and Sirius showed repeatable measurements for Km, TCT, ACD, and pKm, repeatabilities with Pentacam and Sirius were better than those with Galilei. There were significant differences in the measurements between the three devices; hence they cannot be used interchangeably for anterior segment measurements in keratoconus patients. Keywords: keratoconus, Scheimpflug photography, tomography, refractive surgery K eratoconus is a noninflammatory disorder of the cornea characterized by corneal thinning and ectasia causing irregular astigmatism and poor vision. 1 Clinical and research applications in keratoconus require reliable and precise measurements of anterior segment parameters. The thinnest corneal thickness (TCT) plays an important role in prerefractive surgery screening and in keratoconus management. 2 Keratometry values give information about the corneal curvature and keratoconus progression and in monitoring and assessing the fit of contact lenses. The Pentacam rotating Scheimpflug camera (Oculus, Wetzlar, Germany), Sirius (Costruzione Strumenti Oftalmici, Florence, Italy), and Galilei (Ziemer, Biel, Switzerland) are all based on the Scheimpflug principle. Repeatability and agreement of the Pentacam have been tested and reported for both pachymetry and keratometry. The aim of this study was to assess the repeatability and agreement in measuring anterior segment parameters using the Pentacam, Sirius, and Galilei in patients with keratoconus. METHODS This prospective study was carried out at a tertiary eye care center in Bangalore, India, with the approval of the institute's ethics committee. The study was carried out in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki

Preparation of affordable and multifunctional clay-based ceramic filter matrix for treatment of drinking water

<p>Affordable clay-based ceramic filters with multifunctional properties were prepared using low-cost and active ingredients. The characterization results clearly revealed well crystallinity, structural elucidation, extensive porosity, higher surface area, higher stability, and durability which apparently enhance the treatment efficiency. The filtration rates of ceramic filter were evaluated under gravity and the results obtained were compared with a typical gravity slow sand filter (GSSF). All ceramic filters showed significant filtration rates of about 50–180 m/h, which is comparatively higher than the typical GSSF. Further, purification efficiency of clay-based ceramic filters was evaluated by considering important drinking water parameters and contaminants. A significant removal potential was achieved by the clay-based ceramic filter with 25% and 30% activated carbon along with active agents. Desired drinking water quality parameters were achieved by potential removal of nitrite (98.5%), nitrate (80.5%), total dissolved solids (62%), total hardness (55%), total organic pollutants (89%), and pathogenic microorganisms (100%) using ceramic filters within a short duration. The remarkable purification and disinfection efficiencies were attributed to the extensive porosity (0.202 cm³ g⁻¹), surface area (124.61 m² g⁻¹), stability, and presence of active nanoparticles such as Cu, TiO₂, and Ag within the porous matrix of the ceramic filter.</p