Novel use of plga microspheres to create an animal model of glaucoma with progressive neuroretinal degeneration

Progressive degeneration of neuroretinal tissue with maintained elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) to simulate chronic glaucoma was produced by intracameral injections of poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) microspheres (Ms) in rat eyes. The right eye of 39 rats received different sizes of PLGA-Ms (2 µL suspension; 10% w/v): 14 with 38–20 µm Ms (Ms38/20 model) and 25 with 20–10 µm particles (Ms20/10 model). This novel glaucoma animal model was compared to the episcleral vein sclerosis (EPI) model (25 eyes). Injections were performed at baseline, two, four and six weeks. Clinical signs, IOP, retina and optic nerve thicknesses (using in vivo optical coherence tomography; OCT), and histological studies were performed. An IOP increment was observed in all three groups, however, the values obtained from the PLGA-Ms injection resulted lower with a better preservation of the ocular surface. In fact, the injection of Ms20/10 created a gentler, more progressive, and more sustained increase in IOP. This IOP alteration was correlated with a significant decrease in most OCT parameters and in histological ganglion-cell count for the three conditions throughout the eight-week follow-up. In all cases, progressive degeneration of the retina, retinal ganglion cells and optic nerve, simulating chronic glaucoma, was detected by OCT and corroborated by histological study. Results showed an alternative glaucoma model to the well-known episcleral vein model, which was simpler to perform, more reproducible and easier to monitor in vivo

Chronic glaucoma using biodegradable microspheres to induce intraocular pressure elevation. Six-month follow-up

Background: To compare two prolonged animal models of glaucoma over 24 weeks of follow-up. A novel pre-trabecular model of chronic glaucoma was achieved by injection of biodegradable poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microspheres (10–20 µm) (Ms20/10) into the ocular anterior chamber to progressively increase ocular hypertension (OHT). Methods: Rat right eyes were injected to induce OHT: 50% received a suspension of Ms20/10 in the anterior chamber at 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 weeks, and the other 50% received a sclerosing episcleral vein injection biweekly (EPIm). Ophthalmological clinical signs, intraocular pressure (IOP), neuroretinal functionality measured by electroretinography (ERG), and structural analysis of the retina, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL) protocols using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and histological exams were performed. Results: Both models showed progressive neuroretinal degeneration (p < 0.05), and contralateral eye affectation. The Ms20/10 model showed a more progressive increase in IOP and better preservation of ocular surface. Although no statistical differences were found between models, the EPIm showed a tendency to produce thicker retinal and thinner GCL thicknesses, slower latency and smaller amplitude as measured using ERG, and more aggressive disturbances in retinal histology. In both models, while the GCL showed the greatest percentage loss of thickness, the RNFL showed the greatest and earliest rate of thickness loss. Conclusions: The intracameral model with biodegradable microspheres resulted more like the conditions observed in humans. It was obtained by a less-aggressive mechanism, which allows for adequate study of the pathology over longer periods. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Effects of Low-Energy Laser Irradiation on Sperm Cells Dynamics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus Cuniculus)

Infertility is a world disease in which a couple is unable to achieve pregnancy. There are numerous parameters to determinate fertility; nevertheless, sperm motility is by consensus one of the most important attributes to evaluate male fertility. Contributions to a better understanding of this crucial parameter are imperative; hence, the aim of this investigation was to assess the effect of low-energy laser irradiation on sperm cell dynamics in thawed samples that were cryopreserved. We used a 405 nm blue laser beam to irradiate spermatic cells from rabbit inside a temperature-controlled dispersion chamber at 37 °C; then, we applied an image recognizing system to calculate individual sperm trajectories and velocities. We found that sperms raise its motility after irradiation suggesting that λ=405 nm is an optimal wavelength for spermatic photo-stimulation

Ionized gas kinematics of galaxies in the CALIFA survey I: Velocity fields, kinematic parameters of the dominant component, and presence of kinematically distinct gaseous systems

This work provides an overall characterization of the kinematic behavior of the ionized gas of the galaxies included in the Calar Alto Legacy Integral field Area (CALIFA), offering kinematic clues to potential users of this survey for including kinematical criteria for specific studies. From the first 200 galaxies observed by CALIFA, we present the 2D kinematic view of the 177 galaxies satisfying a gas detection threshold. After removing the stellar contribution, we used the cross-correlation technique to obtain the radial velocity of the dominant gaseous component. The main kinematic parameters were directly derived from the radial velocities with no assumptions on the internal motions. Evidence of the presence of several gaseous components with different kinematics were detected by using [OIII] profiles. Most objects in the sample show regular velocity fields, although the ionized-gas kinematics are rarely consistent with simple coplanar circular motions. 35% of the objects present evidence of a displacement between the photometric and kinematic centers larger than the original spaxel radii. Only 17% of the objects in the sample exhibit kinematic lopsidedness when comparing receding and approaching sides of the velocity fields, but most of them are interacting galaxies exhibiting nuclear activity. Early-type galaxies in the sample present clear photometric-kinematic misaligments. There is evidence of asymmetries in the emission line profiles suggesting the presence of kinematically distinct gaseous components at different distances from the nucleus. This work constitutes the first determination of the ionized gas kinematics of the galaxies observed in the CALIFA survey. The derived velocity fields, the reported kinematic peculiarities and the identification of the presence of several gaseous components might be used as additional criteria for selecting galaxies for specific studies.Comment: 38 pages, 16 figures, 4 tables. Paper accepted for publication in A&

Análisis geográfico, ambiental y ecológico del Cerro de Coatepec Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México

El libro “Los espacios universitarios como objeto de estudio. Análisis geográfico, ambiental y ecológico del Cerro de Coatepec, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México”, es resultado de la participación de un grupo multidisciplinario integrado por investigadores, profesores y estudiantes de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, así como del grupo de asesores y consultores del Colegio de Ciencias Geográficas del Estado de México, A. C. (COCIGEM), interesados en la problemática ambiental y ecológica que ocurre en la Ciudad Universitaria ubicada geográficamente en el Cerro de Coatepec, Toluca Estado de México, en el cual se encuentran establecidas algunas edificaciones de dependencias de educación superior, centros e institutos de investigación, difusión cultural, dependencias administrativas, bibliotecas, museos e instalaciones deportivas.Los ejes rectores de análisis contenidos en este volumen son siete: a) la caracterización geográfica, ecológica, ambiental, sociocultural e infraestructural del espacio que comprende el Cerro de Coatepec; b) el análisis del Cerro de Coatepec como un ecosistema urbano en el contexto de la Zona Metropolitana del Valle de Toluca, Estado de México; c) la multifuncionalidad de las áreas verdes, las áreas arboladas y los espacios naturales del ecosistema; d) los impactos ambientales que han ocasionado y que ocasionan las etapas de preparación del sitio, la construcción de edificaciones y la ejecución de actividades docentes, de investigación, difusión, deportivas y socioculturales; e) los riesgos que ocurren y pueden ocurrir en las áreas verdes, las áreas arboladas, los ambientes naturales y la infraestructura de las edificaciones; f) la responsabilidad ambiental e importancia de la participación de los actores universitaritos en el cuidado del entorno universitario; y g) propuesta de acciones generales para el mejoramiento de las condiciones del paisaje y manejo del entorno universitario. Estos ejes rectores no se analizan de manera independiente, sino en una dimensión integral, ya que la alteración de algún componente del ambiente o la existencia de riesgos puede tener diferentes causas y por consiguiente diversos efectos.Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México Colegio de Ciencias Geográficas del Estado de México AC