Electrotonic transmission in the retinal vasculature: inhibitory role of the diabetes/VEGF/aPKC pathway.

The deleterious impact of diabetes on the retina is a leading cause of vision loss. Ultimately, the hypoxic retinopathy caused by diabetes results in irreversible damage to vascular, neuronal, and glial cells. Less understood is how retinal physiology is altered early in the course of diabetes.

Expression of a hyaluronic acid-binding proteoglycan (versican) in the cynomolgus monkey eye.

The expression of versican, a hyaluronic acid (HA)-binding protein, during the development and differentiation of the retina has been reported. In this study, we performed histochemical and immunohistological analysis of HA and versican from the ciliary body to the retina in cynomolgus monkey eyes. Paraffin-embedded sections of cynomolgus monkey eyes, including from the ciliary body to the macular region, were prepared.

Measurement of serum and vitreous concentrations of anti-type II collagen antibody in diabetic retinopathy.

Background: Autoimmune mechanisms have been postulated as a cause of diabetic retinopathy (DR), as several autoantibodies have reportedly been detected in the serum of DR patients. In this present study, we measured serum and vitreous levels of anti-type II collagen (anti-II-C) antibodies in DR patients and investigated their association with the mechanism of development of DR.

Patients And Methods: Blood samples were obtained from patients with proliferative DR and from patients with diabetic macular edema who underwent vitrectomy at Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki City, Osaka, Japan.

[Chairman's introductory remarks].

The practice of EUS-FNA was discussed, with a focus on the sample preparation. Differential diagnosis between benign atypia and well differentiated adenocarcinoma by EUS-FNA cytology was also discussed. The irregular arrangement of cells, irregular shape of nuclei, and abnormal chromatin are the characteristic cytological features of well differentiated adenocarcinoma.