Detection of secretory IgM in tears during rhino-conjunctivitis.

Background: With various methods, secretory immunoglobulin M (sIgM) was assessed in tears of patients with rhino-conjunctivitis.

Methods: Tears were analyzed by microimmunoelectrophoresis (MIE), size-exclusion high-pressure liquid chromatography (SE-HPLC), sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing.

Results: Only very small traces of serum IgM could be found in tears of healthy volunteers.

Lipid peroxidation and cataracts: N-acetylcarnosine as a therapeutic tool to manage age-related cataracts in human and in canine eyes.

Cataract formation represents a serious problem in the elderly, with approximately 25% of the population aged >65 years and about 50% aged >80 years experiencing a serious loss of vision as a result of this condition. Not only do cataracts diminish quality of life, they also impose a severe strain on global healthcare budgets. In the US, 43% of all visits to ophthalmologists by Medicare patients are associated with cataract.

NMR spin-echo studies of hydration properties of the molecular chaperone alpha-crystallin in the bovine lens.

The water-binding properties of bovine lens alpha-crystallin, collagen from calf skin and bovine serum albumin (BSA), were investigated with various techniques. The water absorptive capacity was obtained in high vacuum desorption experiments volumetrically, and also gravimetrically in controlled atmosphere experiments. NMR spin-echo technique was used to study the hydration of protein samples and to determine the spin-spin relaxation times (T2) from the protons of water, absorbed on the proteins.