Sector-based analysis of frequency doubling technology sensitivity and optic nerve head shape parameters.

PURPOSE: To evaluate which Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRT) parameter is the best predictor of frequency doubling technology (FDT) sensitivity by using a sector based analysis between FDT and optic nerve head shape parameters such as cup shape measure (CSM) and rim area (RA), which have been shown to have the best correlation with FDT indices among all the HRT parameters. METHODS: One eye was randomly chosen from 100 patients with primary open angle glaucoma (abnormal visual field and/or abnormal optic nerve and untreated intraocular pressure above 21 mm Hg). All the patients were examined with Humphrey field analyzer (HFA), program 24-2, SITA standard, FDT program C 20, and HRT. RA and CSM for the HRT analysis and mean deviation, pattern standard deviation, and the sensitivity of each tested point for the FDT test were considered in this study. All the parameters were calculated as both global and sector measurements. Findings were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear regression model. RESULTS: Significant (p<0.001) correlation was found between FDT indices and HRT RA and CSM. Significant (p<0.001) sector correlation was found between FDT sensitivity and RA and CSM, but when a linear regression model was applied, RA was the most predictive parameter of FDT. Temporal CSM was more strongly correlated to FDT fovea sensitivity than temporal RA. Furthermore, sector HRT parameters were better correlated to HFA than to FDT. CONCLUSIONS: In this glaucomatous group, cup shape measure and RA were significantly correlated to FDT indices. RA was more predictive of FDT abnormality than CSM in all the considered sectors except in the temporal one. However, HFA was a stronger predictor of HRT parameters than FDT.

Proteolysis in miniature cheddar-type cheeses manufactured using extracts from the crustacean Munida as coagulant.

Miniature (20 g) Cheddar-type cheeses were manufactured using enzymes extracted from the crustacean Munida or chymosin as coagulant. Cheeses were ripened at 8 degrees C and samples were collected for analysis after 2, 6 and 12 weeks. Proteolysis was assessed by urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which showed that cheeses manufactured with the Munida extracts had a higher extent of degradation of beta-casein than cheeses made using chymosin as coagulant. Patterns of proteolysis were also obtained by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry. In general, the products of proteolysis were more complex in cheese made using the Munida extracts than in cheese made by chymosin as coagulant. Statistical analysis of results clearly discriminated the cheeses on the basis of coagulant used. Molecular mass of peptides found in cheese made using Munida extracts were similar to those of peptides commonly detected in cheeses made using chymosin as coagulant.

Extracting and purifying R-phycoerythrin from Mediterranean red algae Corallina elongata Ellis & Solander.

R-Phycoerythrin (R-PE) is a protein acting as a photosynthetic accessory pigment in red algae (Rodophyta). This protein has gained importance in many biotechnological applications in food science, immunodiagnostic, therapy, cosmetics, protein and cell labelling, and analytical processes. In this paper we report on a new, one step procedure for the extraction and purification of R-PE from a new source: the Mediterranean red algae Corallina elongata Ellis & Solander. This red algae contains mainly R-PE and is suitable for the production in culture. No other contaminating phycobiliproteins could be detected in the extracts. The method we propose for the purification is based on the use of hydroxyapatite, a chromatographic resin that can be produced in the laboratory at very low cost and can be used batch-wise with large amounts of extracts, alternative to chromatography, and therefore can be scaled up. Both the yield and the purity of R-PE are very good.

Ultrasound biomicroscopy and iris pigment dispersion: a case--control study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The study involved eyes affected by pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) or pigmentary glaucoma (PG) investigated by ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM). Different irido-corneal parameters were assessed and compared with those from healthy controls. The aim was to investigate the capacity of the UBM in differentiating the cases and, potentially, in confirming the pathogenic mechanisms. METHODS: Patients with a first diagnosis of PDS or PG were included. A cohort of healthy volunteers matched for sex, age and refractive errors was recruited. All underwent UBM examination: the following parameters were assessed in relaxed and stimulated accommodative state in one eye: iris-lens contact (ILC), irido-corneal angle (ICA) and iris concavity (IC). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis assessed the ability of UBM to discriminate between subjects with and without PDS/PG. RESULTS: There were 24 eyes in the case group: four diagnosed as PG and the remaining 20 as PDS. There were 25 eyes in the control group. The two groups were statistically superimposable except for baseline intraocular pressure, which was higher in the case group (p=0.0001). All UBM parameters were statistically different between the two groups. ICA in near vision was the best-performing parameter, reaching a sensitivity (=specificity) of 0.875 with a cut-off at 53.0 degrees . The second most sensitive parameter was IC, still in near vision. CONCLUSION: All UBM parameters examined were statistically different between the two groups. ROC analysis showed ICA and IC in near vision to be the most discriminatory parameters. This evidence confirms the importance of iris movements in inducing the particular features of PDS/PG.

Rapid miocene-pliocene dispersal and evolution of Mediterranean rajid fauna as inferred by mitochondrial gene variation.

Rajidae (colloquially known as skates and rays) experienced multiple and parallel adaptive radiations allowing high species diversity and great differences of species composition between regional faunas. Nevertheless, they show considerable conservation of bio-ecological, morphological and reproductive traits. The evolutionary history and dispersal of North-east Atlantic and Mediterranean rajid fauna were investigated throughout the sequence analysis of the control region and 16S rDNA mitochondrial genes. Molecular estimates of divergence times indicated recent origin and rapid dispersal of the present species. Compared with the ancient origin of the family (Late Cretaceous), the present species diversity arose in a relatively narrow time-window (12 Myr) from Middle Miocene to Early Pleistocene, likely by speciation processes related to dramatic geological and climatic events in the Mediterranean. Nucleotide substitution rates and phylogenetic relationships indicated Mediterranean endemic skates derived from sister species with wider distribution during Late Pliocene-Pleistocene. Skate phylogeny and systematics obtained using mitochondrial gene variation were largely consistent with those based on morpho-anatomical data.

Microsatellite DNA variation reveals high gene flow and panmictic populations in the Adriatic shared stocks of the European squid and cuttlefish (Cephalopoda).

In the semienclosed Adriatic Sea, the shared stocks of the cephalopods Loligo vulgaris and Sepia officinalis represent important marine fisheries resources exploited by all coastal countries. The improving of knowledge on the demographic features of these shared stocks is internationally relevant for adopting responsible management and conservation of these marine resources. Analyses of microsatellite variation in geographical samples collected from all parts of the Adriatic Sea were performed using arrays of species-specific di-nucleotide and tri-nucleotide loci. In L. vulgaris the level of genetic variability was consistent with that observed in other loliginid species, whereas the S. officinalis stock showed a microsatellite variation markedly lower than that estimated for the Atlantic and Mediterranean populations collected around the Iberian peninsula. The weak spatial genetic differentiation, the discordant results of the genetic divergence estimators and the lack of any geographical cline in the spatial genetic differences suggest the occurrence of single genetically homogeneous populations within the Adriatic stocks of both species, recommending a coordinated management of the squid and cuttlefish by the Adriatic fishing countries. On the contrary, significant differences detected in temporal replicates of S. officinalis might suggest that allelic frequency can change relating to reproductive behaviour.