Human structure in six and one-half weeks: one approach to providing foundational anatomical competency in an era of compressed medical school anatomy curricula.

The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine reduced gross anatomy from a full semester, 130-hour course to a six and one-half week, 105-hour course as part of a new integrated systems-based pre-clinical curriculum. In addition to the reduction in contact hours, content from embryology, histology, and radiology were added into the course. The new curriculum incorporated best practices in the area of regular assessments, feedback, clinical application, multiple teaching modalities, and professionalism.

The role of reactive oxygen species in ocular malignancy.

Increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an attribute of malignant cells and is linked to the development of many of the characteristics considered "hallmarks of cancer (Hanahan and Weinberg, Cell 144(5), 2011, 646-674)." Among these are sustained proliferative signaling, induction of new vascular growth, promotion of invasion, and metastatic potential. Maintaining the balance between the beneficial biological functions of ROS and the dysregulation seen in human disease such as cancer, presents a daunting conundrum in the future of oncology research.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles: applications and prospects in nanomedicine.

Promising results have been obtained using cerium (Ce) oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) as antioxidants in biological systems. CNPs have unique regenerative properties owing to their low reduction potential and the coexistence of both Ce(3+)/Ce(4+) on their surfaces. Defects in the crystal lattice due to the presence of Ce(3+) play an important role in tuning the redox activity of CNPs.

Parvalbumin-immunoreactive amacrine cells of macaque retina.

A number of authors have observed amacrine cells containing high levels of immunoreactive parvalbumin in primate retinas. The experiments described here were designed to identify these cells morphologically, to determine their neurotransmitter, to record their light responses, and to describe the other cells that they contact. Macaque retinas were fixed in paraformaldehyde and labeled with antibodies to parvalbumin and one or two other markers, and this double- and triple-labeled material was analyzed by confocal microscopy.