Suppressing Pro-Apoptotic Proteins by siRNA in Corneal Endothelial Cells Protects against Cell Death.

Corneal endothelial cells (CE) are critical for the cornea's transparency. For severe corneal damage, corneal tissue transplantation is the most promising option for restoring vision. However, CE apoptotic cell death occurs during the storage of donor corneas for transplantation.

Unusual case of isolated major aortopulmonary collateral artery perfusing entire functional left lower lobe of the lung.

Pulmonary sequestrations are nonfunctioning pulmonary parenchyma supplied by a systemic artery. We describe an 18-month-old baby girl with no significant past medical history who was found to have a large isolated collateral from the aorta entirely perfusing the functional left lower lobe. Cardiac catheterization confirmed the major aortopulmonary collateral artery supplying the left lower lobe with normal drainage into the left atrium.

Aggregated neutrophil extracellular traps occlude Meibomian glands during ocular surface inflammation.

Purpose: Obstructive Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is one of the leading causes of evaporative dry eye disease. Meibomian glands at the eyelid secrete lipids that prevent evaporation of the aqueous tear film. The pathogenesis of obstructive MGD is incompletely understood to date.

Observation of Self-Bending and Focused Ultrasound Beams in the Megahertz Range.

Self-bending (or self-accelerating) and nondiffracting acoustic beams, such as Airy beams, have the potential to focus around obstacles that are directly in the beam path. Here, we demonstrate the self-bending and focusing properties of Airy beams in the ultrasound domain using finite difference time-domain simulations at 5.2 MHz.

The Median Mandibular Symphysis Tessier 30 Cleft:: 3D Imaging Analysis and Review of the Literature.

Atypical craniofacial clefts of the upper facial region have been well documented; however, the mandibular clefts remain rare and reported as isolated case reports. We report a case of a median mandibular cleft within the context of a Tessier 0-14 axis that we have followed over a 5-year period without surgical/orthodontic intervention. The mandibular symphysis cleft remained open without evidence of the fusion, in contrast to ossification of the metopic dysraphism.

Lamin Cleavage: A Reliable Marker for Studying Staurosporine-Induced Apoptosis in Corneal Tissue.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to identify a robust apoptosis marker suitable for both quantification and back-to-back analyses of programmed cell death and to define specific upstream targets for apoptosis in corneal cells.

Methods: Apoptotic cleavage of initiator caspases and their downstream targets such as lamins and poly-ADP ribose polymerase was investigated in human corneal endothelial cells (HCEC-12), keratocytes (HCK), epithelial cells (HCEp), and full-thickness corneas using Western blotting and confocal microscopy following apoptosis induction with staurosporine. We specifically focused on nuclear lamins, which have important structural and regulatory functions in the cell nucleus.

Genome sequence of a clinical isolate of dermatophyte, Trichophyton rubrum from India.

Trichophyton rubrum is one of the major causative agents of dermatophytosis in humans worldwide. We report the draft genome sequence of T. rubrum var.

Preimplantation and postimplantation therapy for the treatment of reproductive failure.

Treatment of patients with recurrent pregnancy losses and recurrent implantation failure can be instituted only when the underlying etiology is determined. Embryo-secreted preimplantation factor (PIF) is essential for implantation and adequate trophoblastic invasion. Deficiency of PIF affects the outcome of the pregnancy leading to recurrent pregnancy losses.

Isolation, identification and optimization of a new extracellular lipase producing strain of Rhizopus sp.

A lipolytic mesophilic fungus which produces lipase extracellularly was isolated from soil. Based on ITS1-5.8S-ITS4 region sequences of ribosomal RNA, it was concluded that the isolate JK-1 belongs to genus Rhizopus and clades with Rhizopus oryzae.

Novel point mutations in sulfadoxine resistance genes of Plasmodium falciparum from India.

Point mutations in the dhfr and dhps genes of Plasmodium falciparum are associated with pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine resistance respectively. In this study we have analyzed these genes from Bikaner (situated in North-West region of India), where both uncomplicated and severe manifestations of P. falciparum malaria are seen.