Cryopreservation of human amniotic membrane for ocular surface reconstruction: a comparison between protocols.

Purpose: To compare the effects on adhesive and structural properties of newer preservation conditions to those obtained with an established, standardized protocol (dimethyl sulfoxide at -180 °C). In attempt to simplify and enhance the safety of the procedure, we tested dextran-based freezing medium and a dry condition (no medium) at temperatures of -80 °C.

Methods: Five patches of human amniotic membrane were obtained from three different donors.

Culture of corneal endothelial cells obtained by descemetorhexis of corneas with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy.

Currently, endothelial keratoplasty is the gold standard for the surgical treatment of Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD). Despite the remarkable success in terms of surgical outcomes, a shortage of corneal donor tissue poses a limitation to performing endothelial keratoplasty in many parts of the world. Cell therapy is a potential alternative strategy to keratoplasty and is currently under investigation.

A new standardized immunofluorescence method for potency quantification (SMPQ) of human conjunctival cell cultures.

The aim of this study is to set up a standardized and reproducible method to determine the potency (= stem cell content) of human conjunctival cell cultures by means of immunofluorescence-based analyses. This will help the development of new Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) to use in future cell therapy clinical studies when fewer cells are available to perform the quality controls. To achieve this purpose, a reference standard was investigated and the expression levels of ΔNp63α (considered as a marker of conjunctival stem cells) was correlated to cell size.

Correction to: Establishing a Reproducible Murine Animal Model of Single Anastomosis Duodenoileal Bypass with Sleeve Gastrectomy (SADl-S).

The first and last names of the authors were inverted in the original article. They are displayed correctly here.

Cognitive impairment in late-onset depression. Limited to a decrement in information processing resources?

Background: While cognitive dysfunction in late-onset depression (LOD) is common, the nature and determinants of this impairment are heterogeneous. It has been suggested that neuropsychological decrements in LOD patients might result from a deficit in processing resources. In order to address this issue, we analyzed processing resources in LOD to see if their decrease explains higher-level cognition (episodic memory and naming capacity) deficits.