Quantification of Acanthamoeba spp. Motility.

Acanthamoeba keratitis is a severe ocular infection that poses treatment challenges and can lead to blindness. Despite its ubiquity and potential contamination of contact lenses after water exposure, the natural behavior of this pathogen remains elusive. Understanding Acanthamoeba's movement patterns can inform us about how it colonizes contact lenses and contaminates the patient's cornea.

Diabetes Causes Significant Alterations in Pulmonary Glucose Transporter Expression.

Diabetes has been identified as a significant and independent risk factor for the development or increased severity of respiratory infections. However, the role of glucose transport in the healthy and diseased lung has received little attention. Specifically, the protein expression of the predominant glucose transporter (GLUT) isoforms in the adult lung remains largely to be characterized in both healthy and diabetic states.

Complete Recovery of Motility among Surviving Organisms after Contact Lens Care Disinfection.

keratitis is a sight-threatening infection of the cornea which is extremely challenging to treat. Understanding this organism's responses during contact lens contact and disinfection could enhance our understanding of how colonize contact lens cases, better inform us on contact lens care solution (CLC) efficacy, and help us better understand the efficacy required of CLC products. To explore this gap in knowledge, we used ATCC 30461 and ATCC 50370 trophozoites to examine behavior during and after CLC disinfection.

spp. aggregate and encyst on contact lens material increasing resistance to disinfection.

Introduction: keratitis is often caused when contaminate contact lenses and infect the cornea. is pervasive in the environment as a motile, foraging trophozoite or biocide-resistant and persistent cyst. As contact lens contamination is a potential first step in infection, we studied behavior and interactions on different contact lens materials.

Microbial Adherence to Contact Lenses and as a Model Organism for Microbial Keratitis.

Microbial keratitis (MK), the infection of the cornea, is a devastating disease and the fifth leading cause of blindness and visual impairment around the world. The overwhelming majority of MK cases are linked to contact lens wear combined with factors which promote infection such as corneal abrasion, an immunocompromised state, improper contact lens use, or failing to routinely disinfect lenses after wear. Contact lens-related MK involves the adherence of microorganisms to the contact lens.

Investigating the Relationship Between Cardiac Function and Insulin Sensitivity in Horses: A Pilot Study.

Metabolic syndrome in humans is commonly associated with cardiovascular dysfunction, including atrial fibrillation and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. Although many differences exist between human and equine metabolic syndrome, both of these conditions share some degree of insulin resistance. The aims of this pilot study were to investigate the relationship between insulin sensitivity and cardiac function.

Differential Antimicrobial Efficacy of Preservative-Free Contact Lens Disinfection Systems against Common Ocular Pathogens.

Microbial keratitis is a devastating disease that can cause eye damage and blindness and can be the result of infections by several common ocular pathogens. Importantly, some of these pathogens, such as , are particularly unsusceptible to biocides in common contact lens care solutions. Therefore, the disinfection efficacy of preservative-free (PF) disinfection systems against bacteria, fungi, and trophozoites and cysts should be assessed as products with the most potential to be efficacious against resistant organisms.

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Contact Lens Solutions Assessed by ISO Standards.

Microbial keratitis (MK) is an eye infection caused by opportunistic bacteria or fungi, which may lead to sight-threatening corneal ulcers. These microorganisms can be introduced to the eye via improper contact lens usage or hygiene, or ineffective multipurpose solutions (MPSs) to disinfect daily wear contact lenses. Thus, the patient's choice and use of these MPSs is a known risk factor for the development of MK.

Continuous Real-Time Motility Analysis of Reveals Sustained Movement in Absence of Nutrients.

keratitis is a serious ocular infection which is challenging to treat and can lead to blindness. While this pathogen is ubiquitous and can contaminate contact lenses after contact with water, its habits remain elusive. Understanding this organism's natural behavior will better inform us on how colonize contact lens care systems.

Evaluating Alternate Methods of Determining the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Contact Lens Care Products against Acanthamoeba Trophozoites.

keratitis (AK) is a serious ocular infection caused by a ubiquitous free-living amoeba, . This infection often results in extensive corneal damage and blindness, and is notoriously difficult to cure. While is an abundant organism, AK is most associated with contact lens hygiene noncompliance and inadequate contact lens care (CLC) disinfection regimens.

Insulin Treatment Reduces Susceptibility to Atrial Fibrillation in Type 1 Diabetic Mice.

Diabetes has been identified as an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common chronic cardiac arrhythmia. Whether or not glucose and insulin disturbances observed during diabetes enhance arrhythmogenicity of the atria, potentially leading to AF, is not well-known. We hypothesized that insulin deficiency and impaired glucose transport provide a metabolic substrate for the development and maintenance of AF during diabetes.

Differential Proteomic Expression of Equine Cardiac and Lamellar Tissue During Insulin-Induced Laminitis.

Endocrinopathic laminitis is pathologically similar to the multi-organ dysfunction and peripheral neuropathy found in human patients with metabolic syndrome. Similarly, endocrinopathic laminitis has been shown to partially result from vascular dysfunction. However, despite extensive research, the pathogenesis of this disease is not well elucidated and laminitis remains without an effective treatment.

Glial Growth Factor 2 Regulates Glucose Transport in Healthy Cardiac Myocytes and During Myocardial Infarction via an Akt-Dependent Pathway.

Neuregulin (NRG), a paracrine factor in myocytes, promotes cardiac development via the ErbB receptors. NRG-1β also improves cardiac function and cell survival after myocardial infarction (MI), although the mechanisms underlying these cardioprotective effects are not well elucidated. Increased glucose uptake has been shown to be cardio-protective during MI.

Adverse Metabolic Effects of Diltiazem Treatment During Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.

Diabetes is a global epidemic disease, which leads to multiorgan dysfunction, including heart disease. Diabetes results from the limited absorption of glucose into insulin-sensitive tissues. The heart is one of the main organs to utilize glucose as an energy substrate.

Dysregulation of insulin-sensitive glucose transporters during insulin resistance-induced atrial fibrillation.

Diabetes has been identified as major risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). Although glucose and insulin disturbances during diabetes may affect atrial function, little is known about the potential pathogenic role of glucose metabolism during AF. Glucose transport into the cell via glucose transporters (GLUTs) is the rate-limiting step of glucose utilization.

Diabetes Alters the Expression and Translocation of the Insulin-Sensitive Glucose Transporters 4 and 8 in the Atria.

Although diabetes has been identified as a major risk factor for atrial fibrillation, little is known about glucose metabolism in the healthy and diabetic atria. Glucose transport into the cell, the rate-limiting step of glucose utilization, is regulated by the Glucose Transporters (GLUTs). Although GLUT4 is the major isoform in the heart, GLUT8 has recently emerged as a novel cardiac isoform.