Publications by authors named "J Trevithick"
Purpose: To quantify the concentration of heat shock proteins in lenses in lens organ culture at elevated temperatures, and to examine the relation between elevated temperature and lens clarity.
Methods: Pig lenses obtained from a local abattoir were dissected aseptically and incubated in medium M199 without serum for 4 days to stabilize, and lenses with protein leakage of less than 10 mg/l were obtained for heat shock exposure. Heat shock was performed by incubation for 1 h in M199 without serum at various temperatures ranging from 37 °C to 55 °C.
Article Synopsis
- Purpose of the study included assessing the antioxidant activity of Pycnogenol, its effects on lens integrity in organ culture, and its potential to reduce damage in diabetic cataract models.
- Various methods such as antioxidant assays and lens incubation with glucose were employed, alongside monitoring diabetic rats over 12 weeks to evaluate the impact of Pycnogenol.
- Results showed that while Pycnogenol exhibited antioxidant properties in vitro, it also caused lens opacity and damage at certain concentrations; however, in vivo, it improved lens conditions in diabetic rats and reduced glycation of proteins.
Article Synopsis
- Carotenoids, particularly lutein and zeaxanthin, play a significant role in reducing oxidative damage in biological systems, with high concentrations found in the macula of the eye, potentially protecting against harmful blue light.
- Research measured the ability of various carotenoids and antioxidants to scavenge harmful radicals, using advanced techniques like ESR and luminol assays to determine their effectiveness.
- Results indicated that carotenoids, especially lycopene and beta-carotene, are effective in scavenging superoxide and hydroxyl radicals, with zeaxanthin being particularly adept at neutralizing hydroxyl radicals, highlighting their potential protective mechanisms in the eye.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the relationship between the optical quality of bovine lenses and mitochondrial health using a chemical called CCCP, which disrupts mitochondria.
- Exposure to CCCP led to a dose- and time-dependent decrease in the lenses' ability to focus sharply.
- Lenses exposed to lower concentrations of CCCP showed signs of recovery after 24 hours, while the highest concentration resulted in noticeably damaged mitochondria in specific lens cells, highlighting a strong link between lens optical function and mitochondrial integrity.
Article Synopsis
- The study assesses whether antioxidant supplementation from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) for people with advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) can lower treatment costs for photodynamic therapy with Visudyne in Ontario, Canada.
- The research model found that implementing AREDS could save approximately 431 million Canadian dollars overall, with an average saving of 547 dollars per person in the cohort of 788,000 individuals aged 51-55 years.
- Overall, the findings suggest that using AREDS alongside Visudyne is more cost-effective and potentially increases quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) compared to using Visudyne alone for treating AMD as this cohort ages.