The disruption of GDP-fucose de novo biosynthesis suggests the presence of a novel fucose-containing glycoconjugate in <i>Plasmodium</i> asexual blood stages

Glycosylation is an important posttranslational protein modification in all eukaryotes. Besides glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors and N-glycosylation, O-fucosylation has been recently reported in key sporozoite proteins of the malaria parasite. Previous analyses showed the presence of GDP-fucose (GDP-Fuc), the precursor for all fucosylation reactions, in the blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum. The GDP-Fuc de novo pathway, which requires the action of GDP-mannose 4,6-dehydratase (GMD) and GDP-L-fucose synthase (FS), is conserved in the parasite genome, but the importance of fucose metabolism for the parasite is unknown. To functionally characterize the pathway we generated a PfGMD mutant and analyzed its phenotype. Although the labelling by the fucose-binding Ulex europaeus agglutinin I (UEA-I) was completely abrogated, GDP-Fuc was still detected in the mutant. This unexpected result suggests the presence of an alternative mechanism for maintaining GDP-Fuc in the parasite. Furthermore, PfGMD null mutant exhibited normal growth and invasion rates, revealing that the GDP-Fuc de novo metabolic pathway is not essential for the development in culture of the malaria parasite during the asexual blood stages. Nonetheless, the function of this metabolic route and the GDP-Fuc pool that is generated during this stage may be important for gametocytogenesis and sporogonic development in the mosquito

Linking full-text grey literature to underlying research and post-publication data: An Enhanced Publications Project 2011-2012

1. The Project This project seeks to circumvent the data vs. documents camp in the grey literature community by way of a middle ground provided through enhanced publications. Enhanced publications allow for a fuller understanding of the process in which data and information are used and applied in the generation of knowledge. The enhanced publication of grey literature precludes the idea of a random selection of data and information, and instead focuses on the human intervention in data-rich environments. The definition of an enhanced publication is borrowed from the DRIVER-II project, “a publication that is enhanced with three categories of information: research data, extra materials, and post-publication data”. Enhanced publications combine textual resources i.e. documents intended to be read by human beings, which contain an interpretation or analysis of primary data. Enhanced publications inherently contribute to the review process of grey literature as well as the replication of research and improved visibility of research results in the scholarly communication chain. 2. Design of the Questionnaire and Author Survey The population of the survey was selected from among the 286 authors and co-authors in the International Conference Series on Grey Literature. It was decided that only first authors would receive the questionnaire, which narrowed the potential population of the survey to 162 authors of which only 95 were actually sent the online questionnaire. The reason the other 67 first authors were not included in the final survey population was due to a number of factors such as no current email address, retired, deceased, etc. The 95 authors were sent a personalized email with a standardized text inviting them to participate in the survey by completing the online questionnaire. The survey was carried out using the freeware ‘Survey Monkey’ and the questionnaire contained 10 items, three of which were open-ended. Subheadings were also inserted in the questionnaire set off by quotation marks. These subheadings preceded each odd numbered question and were deemed relevant in achieving informed responses. The final results are based on the response of 50 of the 95 survey recipients, which amounts to roughly a 53% response rate

Epiretinal proliferation after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

To determine the characteristics and appearance rate of epiretinal proliferation (ERP) on SD-OCT after surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair. One hundred eight eyes of 108 patients who underwent one or more surgeries for RRD were enrolled. The eyes with other maculopathies that were directly related to RRD were excluded. Image acquisition was performed with SD-OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Germany). Clinical charts were reviewed to assess clinical and surgical findings. Statistical analyses were performed using XLSTAT (Assinsoft, Paris, France). ERP was found in 9.3% eyes (n = 10). The mean initial visual acuity (logMAR) was 1.34 ± 0.82 in the ERP group compared to 0.49 ± 0.70 in the non-ERP group. PVR was present in 70.0% and chronic macular edema was found in 80.0% of eyes which developed ERP. The mean number of vitreoretinal surgeries in eyes with ERP was 3.3 ± 1.19 and only 1.44 ± 1.02 in eyes without. Silicone oil was used in 60.0% of eyes which developed ERP compared to 13.9% in the non-ERP group. ERP is a late-onset postoperative finding in eyes with RRD and can occur in absence of macular holes. Overall, ERP is more frequent in eyes with complicated courses of RRD including multiple operations, PVR, usage of silicone oil, and chronic macular edema

Volumetric 3D printing for rapid production of medicines

3D printing (3DP), or additive manufacturing, has been actively investigated as one of the enabling technologies for the impending era of personalized medicines. However, existing 3DP technologies do not afford the speeds required for on-demand production of medicines in fast-paced clinical settings. Volumetric printing is a novel 3DP technology that offers rapid printing speed and overcomes the geometric and surface quality limitations of layer-based vat photopolymerization techniques. Unlike previous vat photopolymerization 3DP technologies, volumetric printing cures the entire desired 3D geometry simultaneously by exploiting the threshold behavior in the photopolymerization process that arise due to oxygen-induced polymerization inhibition. In this work, for the first time, a volumetric printer was used to fabricate drug-loaded 3D printed tablets (Printlets™) within seconds. Six resin formulations were evaluated using this printer, each composed of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) as the crosslinking monomer, lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphosphinate (LAP) as the photoinitiator, and paracetamol as the model drug. Water or PEG300 were included as diluents in varying concentrations to facilitate drug release. Paracetamol-loaded Printlets were successfully fabricated within 17 s. Drug release rates could be tuned by altering the monomer-to-diluent ratio of the photosensitive resin, with a lower ratio releasing drug faster. The present work confirms the suitability of volumetric 3DP for printing drug products in a matter of seconds. Upon further optimization, this novel technology can enable rapid, on-demand fabrication of medicines and medical devices

PIGMENT EPITHELIAL DETACHMENT IN AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: Long-Term Visual Acuity May Improve With Higher Injection Index

To define injection index (II) and assess its impact on visual acuity (VA) in pigment epithelial detachment from age-related macular degeneration over 5 years. Injection index is defined as the mean anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections per year from presentation. A retrospective study of 256 eyes in 213 patients was performed. Patients were stratified by II (high: ≥9, low: <9). Baseline characteristics showed no differences across II groups. Mean (range) follow-up, in years, was 5.02 (1.04-12.74) for all patients. Mean logMAR VA (Snellen VA) were 0.60 (20/80) and 0.56 (20/73) at baseline, 0.52 (20/66) and 0.59 (20/78) at Year 1, 0.45 (20/56) and 0.67 (20/94) at Year 2, 0.38 (20/48) and 0.66 (20/91) at Year 3, 0.41 (20/51) and 0.89 (20/155) at Year 4, and 0.35 (20/45) and 0.79 (20/123) at Year 5 for the high and low II groups, respectively. Linear regression analysis showed a gain of 0.5 approxETDRS letters with each additional injection per year. Increased II was associated with better mean VA, suggesting that long-term continuous vascular endothelial growth factor suppression may improve VA in eyes thought to carry poor prognoses

Linking full-text grey literature to underlying research and post-publication data: An Enhanced Publications Project 2011-2012

1. The Project This project seeks to circumvent the data vs. documents camp in the grey literature community by way of a middle ground provided through enhanced publications. Enhanced publications allow for a fuller understanding of the process in which data and information are used and applied in the generation of knowledge. The enhanced publication of grey literature precludes the idea of a random selection of data and information, and instead focuses on the human intervention in data-rich environments. The definition of an enhanced publication is borrowed from the DRIVER-II project, “a publication that is enhanced with three categories of information: research data, extra materials, and post-publication data”. Enhanced publications combine textual resources i.e. documents intended to be read by human beings, which contain an interpretation or analysis of primary data. Enhanced publications inherently contribute to the review process of grey literature as well as the replication of research and improved visibility of research results in the scholarly communication chain. 2. Design of the Questionnaire and Author Survey The population of the survey was selected from among the 286 authors and co-authors in the International Conference Series on Grey Literature. It was decided that only first authors would receive the questionnaire, which narrowed the potential population of the survey to 162 authors of which only 95 were actually sent the online questionnaire. The reason the other 67 first authors were not included in the final survey population was due to a number of factors such as no current email address, retired, deceased, etc. The 95 authors were sent a personalized email with a standardized text inviting them to participate in the survey by completing the online questionnaire. The survey was carried out using the freeware ‘Survey Monkey’ and the questionnaire contained 10 items, three of which were open-ended. Subheadings were also inserted in the questionnaire set off by quotation marks. These subheadings preceded each odd numbered question and were deemed relevant in achieving informed responses. The final results are based on the response of 50 of the 95 survey recipients, which amounts to roughly a 53% response rate