Intracameral Injection of Bevacizumab for the Treatment of Neovascular Glaucoma

Purpose: To assess the duration of the effect of intracameral bevacizumab in patients presenting with rubeosis iridis and neovascular glaucoma (NVG). Methods: Retrospective analysis of 24 consecutive eyes of 24 patients with decompensated NVG (> 21 mm Hg) treated with a single intracameral injection of bevacizumab over a minimum follow-up of 6 months. The endpoint of the study was the need for retreatment due to recurrence of raised intraocular pressure (IOP). Secondary outcome was the course of visual acuity (VA) and IOP over 6 months. Results: A Kaplan-Meier calculation revealed a mean duration of the treatment effect of 23 +/- 4.4 days. Compared to mean IOP before treatment (26.3 mm Hg), decreases to 17.5 mm Hg at 1 week after treatment (p < 0.002) and to 17.1 mm Hg (p < 0.005) at 6 months following a single injection were seen. At 6 months, additional treatment was performed in 87.5% (n = 21) of eyes. VA remained stable or improved in 75% (n = 18) of all cases. Conclusion: The IOP-lowering effect of intracameral bevacizumab can be seen 1 week after the injection, but is limited to a period of approximately 3 weeks. However, the fast and effective response to intracameral bevacizumab injection opens a time window for additional treatments, which are often necessary. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base

Preparation of Neurospora crassa mitochondria

The fungus Neurospora crassa represents a eukaryotic cell with high biosynthetic activities. Cell mass doubles in 2-4 hr during expone ntial growth , even in simple salt media with sucrose as the sole carbon source. The microorgani sm forms a mycelium of long hyphae durlng vegetative growth . The mitochondria can be isolated under relatively gentle condi tions since a few breaks in the threadlike hyphae are sufficient to cause the outflow of the organelles. This article describes two methods for the physical disruption of the hyphae : (I) The cell s are opened in a grind mill between two rotating corundum di sks. This is a continuous and fast procedure and allows large- and small-scale preparations of mitochondria. (2) Hyphae are ground with sand in a mortar and pestle. This procedure can be applied to microscale preparations of mitochondria starting with minute amounts of cells. Other procedures for the isolation of Neurospora mitochondria after the physical di sruption or the enzymatic degradation of the cell wall have been described elsewher

Water risks for hydroelectricity generation

This paper studies how reduced water availability affects hydroelectricity generation in Europe and the US. We build a novel dataset for the period 2015-2021 that matches information on hydropower plants with geospecific precipitation and water risk (a compound measure reflecting different aspects of water availability). The paper develops two complementary research designs. First, it uses a cross-sectional design that considers changes in hydroelectricity generation in 2021 - a low rainfall year - compared to its historical average. We find that plants located in riskier basins produced less electricity vis-a-vis the historical average compared to their counterparts located in less risky basins. Second, we use a panel design where we exploit changes in precipitation over time. Consistent with our cross-sectional results, we find a that an increase in precipitation is associated with higher levels of electricity generation. The empirical strategies adopted in this paper offer a framework that can be replicated for other sectors and environmental risks. The findings inform the design of the low-carbon transition and the management of environmental financial risks

Water risks for hydroelectricity generation

This paper studies how reduced water availability affects hydroelectricity generation in Europe and the US. We build a novel dataset for the period 2015-2021 that matches information on hydropower plants with geospecific precipitation and water risk (a compound measure reflecting different aspects of water availability). The paper develops two complementary research designs. First, it uses a cross-sectional design that considers changes in hydroelectricity generation in 2021 - a low rainfall year - compared to its historical average. We find that plants located in riskier basins produced less electricity vis-a-vis the historical average compared to their counterparts located in less risky basins. Second, we use a panel design where we exploit changes in precipitation over time. Consistent with our cross-sectional results, we find a that an increase in precipitation is associated with higher levels of electricity generation. The empirical strategies adopted in this paper offer a framework that can be replicated for other sectors and environmental risks. The findings inform the design of the low-carbon transition and the management of environmental financial risks

Economic and financial consequences of water risks: The case of hydropower

Reduced water availability poses risks for many economic activities. This paper studies how water risks affect hydroelectricity generation in Europe and the US and whether these risks are priced in by financial markets. To this end, we build a novel dataset for the period 2015–2022, which combines plant-specific hydroelectricity generation with geo-specific water physical risks and equity returns. We find that water risks, measured using model-based aggregate water risk metrics as well as precipitation anomalies, are significantly associated with reduced electricity generation, although the effect disap- pears after two months. We then link the power plants in our sample to the equity returns of their owners to investigate whether financial markets adequately price water risks. Using a portfolio sorts approach, we find weak evidence of a negative risk pre- mium. Given the real negative effect of water risks on generation, we conclude that the lack of a positive risk premium amounts to mispricing of water risks by financial markets

Climate‐related risks in financial assets

The financial risks and potential systemic impacts induced by climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy have become a central issue for both financial investors and their regulators. In this article, we develop a critical review of the empirical and theoretical literature concerning the impact of climate-related risks on the price of financial assets. We first present the theoretical links between asset pricing and climate-related risks and develop a theory of how climate risk drivers transmit costs to firms and lead to asset price changes. We then discuss studies looking at past climate-related events, which show that both climate physical impacts and transition dynamics can trigger a revaluation of financial assets through multiple direct and indirect channels. Finally, we review the emerging literature that uses forward-looking methodologies to estimate future climate-related asset price changes, which suggests that climate financial risks can indeed have significant implications on financial stability

Evaluation of interface quality in organ-cultured lamellar corneal transplants

Background: With increasing numbers of lamellar keratoplasties, eye banks are challenged to deliver precut lamellar donor tissue. In Europe, the most common technique of corneal storage is organ culture which requires a deswelling process before surgical processing. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different deswelling times on the cutting plane quality after microkeratome-assisted lamellar dissection. Methods: Eight paired donor corneas (16 specimens) not suitable for transplantation were organ cultured under standard conditions at the Eye Bank of the Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Munich, Germany. Pairs of corneal buttons were analyzed during the deswelling process in dextrane-containing medium. While one cornea was cut at an early time point during the deswelling process and put back into deswelling medium thereafter, the partner cornea was completely deswollen and dissected after 72 hours. Specimens were then further processed for scanning electron microscopy. Surface quality was assessed both digitally using Scanning Probe Imaging Processing software, and manually by three blinded graders. Results: The corneal buttons processed at the beginning of the deswelling process had a smoother surface when compared to the partner cornea that was cut at the end of the deswelling process. In our setting, no relevant difference was detectable between manual and automated microkeratome dissection. Conclusion: For lamellar keratoplasty, organ-cultured corneas should be processed at an early stage during the deswelling process. We interpret the smoother dissection plane during early deswelling as a result of mechanical properties in a highly hydrated cornea

Effect of ethoxyformic anhydride on the Rieske iron—sulfur protein of bovine heart ubiquinol: Cytochrome c oxidoreductase

AbstractTreatment of bovine heart ubiquinol-cytochrome c oxidoreductase (complex III, bc1 complex) with ethoxyformic anhydride (EFA) inhibits electron transfer between cytochromes b and c1 [Yagi et al., Biochemistry 21 (1982) 4777–4782]. This paper shows that EFA alters the EPR lineshape of the Rieske iron—sulfur cluster in complex III and in the isolated Rieske protein without a significant decrease of spin concentration. The effect of EFA on the Rieske iron—sulfur cluster is competitive with that of Qo site inhibitors, such as stigmatellin, and is completely reversed by hydroxylamine. These results are consistent with the possible ethoxyformylation by EFA of histidine ligands of the Rieske iron—sulfur cluster at the non-iron binding imidazole nitrogens