Alcohol Endotheliitis: A Report of a Rare Case.

Sudden transient loss of vision after an acute bout of alcohol consumption in patients with chronic alcoholism is rare. The underlying mechanism is a transient depression of the endothelial pump due to ethanol toxicity following a large amount of alcohol consumption in chronic alcoholic patients. Here, we report a rare case of a 60-year-old male patient who came to the outpatient department with complaints of sudden loss of vision associated with redness following a large amount of alcohol consumption. The case was managed by prompt diagnosis and topical and oral corticosteroid therapy. This is a rare case of acute toxic endotheliitis due to ethanol toxicity with only a few cases reported in the past.

A Rare Case of Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum Identified by Ocular Angioid Streaks.

A 42-year-old female with a known case of hypertension for three years, symptoms of metamorphopsia, and decreased vision in both eyes reported to the ophthalmology outpatient department. There was no recorded history of ocular injury or surgery. Several observational techniques, such as fundus inspection, fundus camera photography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT), were utilized to assess the patient. We referred her to the Department of Dermatology for additional assessment because of her symptoms as well as the appearance of her neck's skin, which matched "plucked chicken skin." There, the diagnosis of pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PE) was confirmed. She was subsequently scheduled for an intravitreal bevacizumab injection called Avastin, which improved her visual acuity.

A Case of Ocular Sarcoidosis Post-COVID-19 Vaccination.

A 35-year-old gentleman came to the ophthalmology outpatient department with complaints of bilateral ocular pain, redness and photophobia since three weeks with similar prior history. The patient was a diagnosed case of systemic sarcoidosis since two years with pulmonary, dermatological and neurological involvement for which he was already on treatment which included oral immunosuppressants, steroids, anticonvulsants and multivitamins. On examination, the best corrected visual acuity was 6/18 in the right eye and 6/12 in the left eye. On slit lamp and fundus examination, the patient showed signs of anterior and posterior uveitis in both eyes, the right eye more than the left eye. Treatment was initiated with topical corticosteroids and beta blockers and the patient improved following medical management.

Culture-Independent Exploration of the Hypersaline Ecosystem Indicates the Environment-Specific Microbiome Evolution.

Sambhar Salt Lake, situated in the state of Rajasthan, India is a unique temperate hypersaline ecosystem. Exploration of the salt lake microbiome will enable us to understand microbiome functioning in nutrient-deprived extreme conditions, as well as enrich our understanding of the environment-specific microbiome evolution. The current study has been designed to explore the Sambhar Salt Lake microbiome with a culture-independent multi-omics approach to define its metagenomic features and prevalent metabolic functionaries. The rRNA feature and protein feature-based phylogenetic reconstruction synchronously (R = 0.908) indicated the dominance of the archaea (Euryarchaeota) and bacteria (Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria). Metabolic reconstruction identified selective enrichment of the protein features associated with energy harvesting and stress tolerance (osmotic, oxidative, metal/metalloid, heat/cold, antibiotic, and desiccation). Metabolites identified with metabolome analysis confirmed physiological adaptation of the lake microbiome within a hypersaline and nutrient-deprived environment. Comparative metagenomics of the 212 metagenomes representing freshwater, alkaline, and saline ecosystem microbiome indicated the selective enrichment of the microbial groups and genetic features. The current study elucidates microbiome functioning within the nutrient-deprived harsh ecosystems. In summary, the current study harnessing the strength of multi-omics and comparative metagenomics indicates the environment-specific microbiome evolution.

A comparative evaluation of the effect of three different concentrations of in-office bleaching agents on microhardness and surface roughness of enamel - An in vitro study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the changes in the micro-hardness and surface roughness of enamel treated with three different concentrations of in-office bleaching agents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this in vitro study, 60 human incisors were divided into two groups (Group A and Group B). To obtain the baseline values, a Vickers tester was used to determine the surface microhardness in Group A, and a Surtronic tester was used for evaluation of surface roughness in Group B. Each group was then further subdivided into three subgroups and subjected to bleaching with Dash (Groups A1 and B1), Pola Office (Groups A2 and B2), and Opalescence Boost (Groups A3 and B3) containing 30%, 35%, and 40% hydrogen peroxide (HP), respectively. Samples were again subjected to testing to obtain the postbleaching values. Pre- and postbleaching data were analyzed by paired t-test. Intergroup comparison was carried out using one-way ANOVA (P ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: A significant decrease in microhardness values was observed following bleaching in all the three groups, with Group A1 showing maximum percentage decrease (2.58%), followed by Group A2 (1.23%) and Group A3 (0.73%). Furthermore, an increase in surface roughness was observed following bleaching, with Group B1 showing maximum percentage increase (14.80%), followed by Group B2 (8.25%) and Group B3 (5.79%). However, there was no significant difference in either microhardness or surface roughness when comparing the postbleaching values among the three bleaching agents. CONCLUSION: In-office bleaching agents may adversely affect the microhardness and roughness of enamel surface which are not related to the concentration of HP used.

Foliar treatment of potassium nitrate modulates the fermentative and sucrose metabolizing pathways in contrasting maize genotypes under water logging stress.

The effect of potassium nitrate on the status of fermentative and sucrose metabolizing pathways was studied in two maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes, viz., LM 5 (relatively susceptible to flooding) and I 167 (relatively tolerant to flooding) under water logging stress. The higher increase in pyruvate decarboxylase, alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities in the hypoxic roots of I 167 seedlings over LM 5 showed the former's efficient tolerance mechanism towards anaerobic conditions. Foliar application of KNO3 reduced these enzymatic activities in the roots of both the genotypes. The shoots of I 167 seedlings also showed a parallel increase in alcohol dehydrogenase and pyruvate decarboxylase activities under water logging stress. These enzymatic activities, however, remained unaffected in shoots of water logged LM 5 seedlings. There was a higher decrease in acid and alkaline invertase activities in the hypoxic roots of I 167 seedlings. KNO3 treatment led to higher acid invertase activity in roots of I 167 seedlings than those of LM 5. Sucrose synthase (synthesis) and sucrose phosphate synthase activities decreased, but sucrose synthase (breakdown) activity increased in the roots of both the genotypes, during water logging. KNO3 increased sucrose synthesizing activities with a parallel increase in the sucrose content of the roots. Sucrose synthesis was comparatively unaffected in I 167 shoots under water logging stress while LM 5 shoots showed higher reduction in its sucrose synthase (synthesis) and sucrose phosphate synthase activities. It may thus be concluded that KNO3 induced a network of reactions for improving water logging tolerance. The nitrate ions acted as an alternate electron acceptor and thus reduced the activities of fermentative enzymes. It promoted the funneling of sugars into the glycolytic pathway by inducing the activities of acid and alkaline invertases in the roots and shoots of maize genotypes. It also directed the hexoses towards biosynthetic pathway by increasing the activities of sucrose synthesizing enzymes.