Severe Microbial Keratitis in Virgin and Transplanted Cornea-Probability of Visual Acuity Improvement.

To evaluate visual acuity improvement and identify contributing factors in patients with severe keratitis affecting both virgin and transplanted corneas, treated at a hospital. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 497 patients with unilateral corneal ulcers treated at a tertiary referral center between 2008 and 2023. Data included distance (BCVA) and near best-corrected visual acuity at initial presentation and at discharge, treatments before hospital admission, demographic details, risk factors, clinical signs and symptoms, ancillary test results, and management strategies.

Is Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma a Vascular Disease? Assessment of the Relationship between Retinal Arteriolar Morphology and Glaucoma Severity Using Adaptive Optics.

Background: Retinal vascular abnormalities may be associated with glaucomatous damage. Adaptive optics (AO) is a new technology that enables the analysis of retinal vasculature at the cellular level in vivo. The purpose of this study was to evaluate retinal arteriolar parameters using the rtx1 adaptive optics fundus camera (AO-FC) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) at different stages and to investigate the relationship between these parameters and changes in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and perimetry.

Clinical Application of Adaptive Optics Imaging in Diagnosis, Management, and Monitoring of Ophthalmological Diseases: A Narrative Review.

Visualization of the retinal structure is crucial for understanding the pathophysiology of ophthalmic diseases, as well as for monitoring their course and treatment effects. Until recently, evaluation of the retina at the cellular level was only possible using histological methods, because the available retinal imaging technology had insufficient resolution due to aberrations caused by the optics of the eye. Adaptive optics (AO) technology improved the resolution of optical systems to 2 µm by correcting optical wave-front aberrations, thereby revolutionizing methods for studying eye structures in vivo.

Effect of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Eye Emergency Department, Increasing Prevalence of Uveitis and Optic Neuritis in the COVID-19 Era.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the reorganization of the health care system. A decline in health- and life-saving procedures has been reported in various medical specialties. However, data on ophthalmic emergencies during lockdowns is limited.

The GC/AED studies on the reactions of sulfur mustard with oxidants.

A gas chromatograph coupled with an atomic emission detector was used to identify and to determine the products formed on oxidation of sulfur mustard. The oxidation rate and the resulting oxidates were studied in relation to oxidant type and reaction medium parameters. Hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, sodium perborate, potassium monopercarbonate, ammonium peroxydisulfate, potassium peroxymonosulfate (oxone), and tert-butyl peroxide were used as oxidants.

[Partial dependence of luliberin and its analogs on the immune system].

Luliberin--luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) is the first link in hypothalamus-pituitary-gonads axis which participates in reproduction. This hormone and lutropin are released from immunological cells, however antagonists of LHRH inhibit this action. Some cytokines (IL-1 beta, GM-CSF) inhibit release of LHRH and others (IL-6, IFN-gamma) stimulate this release.

[Gynecological consultations for young females for treatment of sexual organ disorders].

The authors presented their consultations with young females at the out-patient clinic from 1983-1995 and compared them with their consultations during an earlier period. According to the authors, the frequency and character of the issues consulted changed as a result of a greater need for this type of help in general. The authors stressed the particular role of establishing thorough medical case histories on the gynaecology of the pubescent period.

[Luliberin and lutropin--their significance].

Human lutropin (hLH) is a heterodimeric, glycoprotein hormone released from pituitary by decapeptide luliberin (LH-RH). The both hormones plays an important role in axis hypothalamus-pituitary-gonads responsible for procreation. Many isoforms of hLH have been found and the occurrence of several genetic variants of the hormone in infertile female patients were described.

Isolation of human lutropin from woman urine and comparison of its properties with pituitary hormone.

Lutropin was isolated from woman preovulatory urine by immunoaffinity chromatography using a column with monoclonal antibody (mAb) anti-beta hLH(37) coupled to Sepharose CL 4B. As it was demonstrated the isolated hormone, as well as pituitary lutropin, were separated in SDS-PAGE into several well visible fractions with 30-94 kDa molecular mass and scarcely visible fractions with 14-20 kDa. All fractions reacted only with mAb anti-alpha hCG(99)-HRP but not with mAb anti-beta hLH-HRP.

Influence of some factors on immunoassays of human myoglobin.

Six ELISA variants exploiting two monoclonal antibodies, one rabbit antibody and their peroxidase conjugates were applied in assays of purified human myoglobin, apomyoglobin and the protein in human muscle extracts. The myoglobin was accurately determined with monoclonal antibody no. 82 used for coating of ELISA plates while assays performed with monoclonal antibody no.

Some parameters influencing immunoassay of human and horse myoglobins.

It was noted that human and horse sera as well as human heart and skeletal muscle homogenates or extracts distinctly decrease immunoassays of purified myoglobins. The assays of homogenate and extract myoglobins could be many times increased by precipitation certain proteins with concentrated ammonium sulfate or sodium chloride. Also in homogenates and extracts incubated for several days increased assays of myoglobins were noted.

Investigations on human lutropin from pituitary gland and urine.

Two newly isolated monoclonal anti-beta hLH antibodies did not recognize both human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and three synthetic peptide fragments corresponding to beta hLH sequence. These antibodies were applied for ELISA of human luteinizing hormone (hLH), however, sensitivities of these assays were much lower than those with two other monoclonal antibodies obtained earlier in our laboratory. No significant differences between assays of hLH from pituitary and urine with 6 different pairs of monoclonal antibodies (4 anti-beta and 1 anti-alpha-subunit) were noticed.

Antigenicity of human and horse myoglobins.

Rabbit antisera against human myoglobin and horse myoglobin cross-reacted with both myoglobins but only one of them recognized human hemoglobin. Two mouse monoclonal antibodies anti-human myoglobin were obtained, but only one of them (No. 49) cross-reacted with horse myoglobin.

[Isoforms of luteinizing hormone].

Luteinizing hormone (LH) is a heterodimeric glycoprotein containing varied amount of sialic acid. This is a reason of numerous LH isoforms called also isohormones. The hormone isoforms were separated usually by gel electrophoresis, isoelectrofocusing or chromatofocusing.

Stability of human lutropin studied with immunoenzymatic technique.

Characteristics of two monoclonal antibodies against human lutropin and their use in enzyme immunoassays of the hormone are presented. Diluted solution of pituitary lutropin was unstable in buffered saline and could be stabilized with some proteins. Concentration of the lutropin in woman urine, collected during "lutropin-peak", was markedly increased during long time storage at 5 degrees C or at room temperature.

Human serum immunoglobulins binding to synthetic fragments of human chorionic gonadotropin.

Human sera obtained from healthy individuals, patients with cancer diseases, infertile and pregnant women were investigated for the presence of immunoglobulins (Ig) binding to synthetic fragments corresponding to sequence of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Four synthetic peptides corresponding to some regions of alpha hCG and beta hCG subunits, coupled to polystyrene beads and 16 peptides overlapping sequences of alpha- and beta hCG subunits, synthesized on polyethylene pins, were used. IgG and IgM bound to hCG-synthetic peptides were assayed using goat or mouse monoclonal antibodies anti-human IgG labeled with horseradish peroxidase.

[Immuno-contraceptive vaccines].

Results of studies on birth control vaccines accomplished by many research groups within the WHO Special Programe of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction has been reviewed. The mostly investigated contraceptive vaccines contain human chorionic gonadotropin, and therefore structure, biological role and immunogenicity of the hormone were presented. Also, vaccines obtained on the basis of subunit beta of the human chorionic gonadotropin, its heterodimer with subunit beta of ovine lutropin or C-terminal peptide of beta subunit were described.

[Human myoglobin (hMb) and its diagnostic value].

Composition, properties and occurrence of human myoglobin (hMb) were described. Methods for immunological assay of hMb were presented. Localization of antigenic determinants in myoglobin molecule was shown.

Search for antibodies for immunoenzymatic assay of human lutropin.

Five peptides corresponding to human lutropin (hLH) subunit fragments were synthesized by a solid phase method and their physicochemical characteristics are presented. Antibodies induced in rabbits with 3 peptides of beta hLH fragments coupled to thyrotropin did not bind hLH and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Also 2 synthetic peptides of alpha hLH fragments did not react with rabbit anti-hLH, anti-hCG and anti-alpha hCG antibodies.

[Human luteinizing hormone (hLH)].

Heterodimeric composition and amino acid sequence of hLH is reviewed. The hormone isoforms and methods of their assay are summarized. Releasing of the hormone, its control by synthetic antagonists and agonists and their significance for therapy are described.

Effect of pretreatment of wells in polystyrene plates on adsorption of some human serum proteins.

Coating of Immulon polystyrene plates with 0.2% casein in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) completely abolishes adsorption of human serum proteins to these plates. However, pretreatment of such plates with PBS or 0.

Semiquantitative assay of human chorionic gonadotropin by a simple and fast immunofiltration technique.

An immunofiltration technique for the semiquantitative assay of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) was applied in two versions, using different antibodies. One anti-beta hCG subunit was immobilized on a glass microfibre disc in the form of six radially located bars, and the dry disc was placed on a water-absorbing material in a plastic device. A second antibody labelled with horse radish peroxidase conjugate was used in solution.

Rabbit antibodies to some sequences of human chorionic gonadotropin and their use for immunoassay of the hormone.

Three synthetic peptides corresponding to amino acid sequences of two human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) subunits were conjugated to thyroglobulin and used for immunization of rabbits. The highest antibody concentration was found in antisera from rabbits immunized with the peptide corresponding to 122-145 sequence of the hormone beta-subunit. Specificity of antisera and immunoaffinity purified rabbit antibodies were studied.

The use of antibodies labelled with dyes for fast and simple assay of some human proteins by immunofiltration technique.

Immunofiltration technique with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies for semi-quantitative assays of human albumin, chorionic gonadotropin, immunoglobulin G and transferrin was elaborated. An amount of antibody was immobolized in the form of 6 radially located small bars on a dry test filter made of glass microfibre sheet. The other amount of antibody, used in solution, was labelled with some dyes like commercial disperse dyes, colloidal elements, formazans and polypyrrole.

[Antibodies labelled with dyes their application in diagnosis].

Antibodies labelled with some disperse dyes, colored polymers, fluoro- and chemiluminescence, formazan, colloidal gold and selenium are reviewed. An application of the labelled antibodies in commercially available diagnostic home tests is presented.