Evaluation of Tear Osmolarity Changes After Photorefractive Keratectomy.

Purpose: To assess tear film stability, ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score, Schirmer test value, tear film breakup time (TBUT), and tear osmolarity after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).

Methods: We enrolled 50 eyes from 25 patients who were PRK candidates (15 men, 10 women). The mean age was 31.

Application of Fresnel diffraction from phase steps to measurement of etching rate of transparent materials.

Based on Fresnel diffraction from phase steps, we present an optical method for real-time monitoring and measurement of thickness during the wet etching of transparent materials. It is shown experimentally that during the etching process, the visibility of diffraction fringes varies periodically with time (thickness) and the rate the etching is measured. Using dilute etching solutions, we measured an average etching rate of 5.

A SNP in the 3'-untranslated region of AMPKγ1 may associate with serum ketone body and milk production of Holstein dairy cows.

AMPK is the key switch for providing the energy balance between cellular anabolic and catabolic processes. In this study, we aimed to screen the PRKAG1 (AMPKγ1) gene in high, moderate, and low producing Holstein dairy cows. A sample of 100 pregnant dairy cows, comprising 41 high, 33 moderate, and 26 low milk yields were selected from three large dairy herds in Isfahan province of Iran.

Focal Choroidal Excavation in Best Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy: Case Report.

Focal choroidal excavation (FCE) was first reported as a choroidal posteriorly excavated zone without any scleral change. Choroidal excavation also divided into conforming and nonconforming type. Numerous reports demonstrated association between FCE and other disease such as choroidal neovascularization and central serous choroidoretinopathy.

Microbiological assay for the analysis of certain macrolides in pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Clarithromycin (CLA) and roxithromycin (ROX) are macrolide antibiotics with an expanded spectrum of activity that are commercially available as tablets. A microbiological assay, applying the cylinder-plate method and using a strain of Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9341 as test organism, has been used and validated for the quantification of two macrolide drugs; CLA and ROX in pure and pharmaceutical formulations. The validation of the proposed method was carried out for linearity, precision, accuracy and specificity.

Oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol protect from bisphenol A effects in livers and kidneys of lactating mother rats and their pups'.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in hard plastics and the coatings of food and drinks cans which can behave in a similar way to estrogen and other hormones in the human body. This study aimed to evaluate the significance of the treatment with oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol olive leaves rich extracts in reducing functional perturbations and oxidative stress arising from BPA treatment in livers and kidneys of lactating mother rats and their pups'. For this, four groups of lactating mothers were used: controls (group A), treated with bisphenol A (group B), treated with bisphenol A and oleuropein (group C) and with bisphenol A and hydroxytyrosol (group D).

Production and Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies against Human Prostate Specific Antigen.

Background: Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is an important laboratory marker for diagnosis of prostatic cancer. Thus, development of diagnostic tools specific for PSA plays an important role in screening, monitoring and early diagnosis of prostate cancer. In this paper, the production and characterization of a panel of murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against PSA have been presented.

Albuminated PLGA nanoparticles containing bevacizumab intended for ocular neovascularization treatment.

Bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF antibody, has demonstrated trustworthy effects in treatment of retinal and choroidal neovascularization that both are crucial sight threatening conditions. However, the weak point is the short half-life of the drug in vitreous which necessitates frequent intravitreal injections. Accordingly employing controlled-release drug delivery systems such as polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) has been suggested.

Production and characterization of a peptide-based monoclonal antibody against CD44 variant 6.

The gene that codes for the CD44 family members consists of 20 exons, nine of which encode the standard form of the molecule. The other exons can be inserted in various combinations into the membrane proximal region of the extracellular domain of the protein, giving rise to variant isoforms (CD44v). CD44 variants, especially the CD44v6, have been reported to regulate tumor invasion, progression, and metastasis of carcinomas.

A Novel Monoclonal Antibody Against a Synthetic Peptide from β-Actin can React with its Corresponding Protein.

Actin is one of the most widely studied structural and multifunctional housekeeping proteins in eukaryotic cells with important roles in many cell functions. Antibodies against β-actin and other housekeeping gene-encoded proteins are used as internal loading controls in Western blot analyses. The aim of this study was to produce a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against a synthetic peptide derived from N-terminal region of β-actin and to study its reactivity with different organisms.