Clinical characteristics and management of orbital apex syndrome: a 10-year multicentre experience.

BACKGROUND: Orbital apex syndrome (OAS) is a condition characterised by lesions within the orbital apex, leading to various ophthalmologic symptoms. This study aimed to analyse the clinical characteristics and treatment strategies of OAS with respect to aetiology. METHODS: This retrospective analysis utilised data from 5 medical institutions between 2013 and 2022. Patients who were diagnosed with OAS were initially enrolled, but patients who failed to follow up at least 1 month were excluded. The prevalence of initial ophthalmologic symptoms and visual improvement after treatment was compared according to aetiology. Factors related to visual improvement were analysed. RESULTS: Among 73 enrolled patients, the leading aetiology was tumours, followed by fungal infections and inflammation. Visual impairment and proptosis were prevalent in tumour-related OAS cases. Inflammation-related OAS exhibited a higher likelihood of painful eye movements and ophthalmoplegia. Ptosis was most frequently observed in fungal infection-related OAS. Notably, fungal infections emerged as the sole significant factor negatively impacting vision progression. In inflammation-related OAS, the time interval between symptom onset and the administration of steroids was longer in patients without visual improvement, even though there was no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Tumours were the predominant cause of OAS. Visual impairment was a common manifestation in tumour-related OAS, while fungal infections were strongly associated with a poor visual prognosis. The timely administration of steroids might be helpful for improving vision in patients with inflammation-related OAS. However, further studies are needed to enhance understanding and management of OAS.

Two hevein homologs isolated from the seed of Pharbitis nil L. exhibit potent antifungal activity.

Two antifungal peptides (Pn-AMP1 and Pn-AMP2) have been purified to homogeneity from seeds of Pharbitis nil. The amino acid sequences of Pn-AMP1 (41 amino acid0 residues) and Pn-AMP2 (40 amino acid residues) were identical except that Pn-AMP1 has an additional serine residue at the carboxyl-terminus. The molecular masses of Pn-AMP1 and Pn-AMP2 were confirmed as 4299.7 and 4213.2 Da, respectively. Both the Pn-AMPs were highly basic (pI 12.02) and had characteristics of cysteine/glycine rich chitin-binding domain. Pn-AMPs exhibited potent antifungal activity against both chitin-containing and non-chitin-containing fungi in the cell wall. Concentrations required for 50% inhibition of fungal growth were ranged from 3 to 26 micrograms/ml for Pn-AMP1 and from 0.6 to 75 micrograms/ml for Pn-AMP2. The Pn-AMPs penetrated very rapidly into fungal hyphae and localized at septum and hyphal tips of fungi, which caused burst of hyphal tips. Burst of hyphae resulted in disruption of the fungal membrane and leakage of the cytoplasmic materials. To our knowledge, Pn-AMPs are the first hevein-like proteins that show similar fungicidal effects as thionins do.

Characterization of Erwinia chrysanthemi PY35 cel and pel gene existing in tandem and rapid identification of their gene products.

Genomic DNA of the phytopathogenic Erwinia chrysanthemi PY35 was partially digested with Sau3AI, ligated into the BamHI site of pBluescript II SK+, and introduced into E. coli. One clone that was able to hydrolyse carboxymethylcellulose and polygalacturonic acid was selected. A 2.9 kb fragment containing the pelL1 gene (pPY300) and cel5Z gene (pPY401) in tandem was subcloned and sequenced. The pelL1 and cel5Z genes had open reading frames of 1,278 bp and 1,281 bp encoding 425 and 426 amino acid residues with calculated molecular weights of 45,649 Da and 46,473 Da, respectively. pelL1 and cel5Z carried a typical prokaryotic signal peptide of 24 and 41 amino acid residues, respectively. The apparent molecular masses of the proteins when expressed in E. coli cells were approximately 43 kDa (PelL1) and 42 kDa (Cel5Z) as assessed by PGA-SDS-PAGE and CMC-SDS-PAGE.

Cloning of the cel9A gene and characterization of its gene product from marine bacterium Pseudomonas sp. SK38.

The yellow-pigmented bacterial strain causing green spot rot and death of layer was isolated from Porphyra dentata. This strain has been identified as Pseudomonas sp., harboring agarase, xylanase, and protease activity, as well as carboxymethyl-cellulase (CMCase). Using genomic DNA from the Pseudomonas sp. SK38 digested with Sau3AI and ligated into pBluescript II KS+, we isolated a cel gene encoding a CMCase in Pseudomonas sp. SK38. A 4.5-kb fragment was subcloned into pKR400. The structure of the cel9A gene consists of an open reading frame of 1,521 bp starting with a GTG start codon and ending with a TAG stop codon. It thus encodes 506 amino acid residues of a protein with a calculated molecular weight of 52,636 daltons plus a signal peptide of 22 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of the cel9A protein is similar to the same protein of Clostridium thermocellum. It contains, in particular, the two conserved regions of the glycoside hydrolase family 9. The apparent molecular mass of the Cel9A protein is 52 kDa as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme is most active at pH 6-7 and an optimal temperature of around 30 degrees C.