Oral administration of Parabacteroides distasonis antigens attenuates experimental murine colitis through modulation of immunity and microbiota composition.

Commensal bacteria have been shown to modulate the host mucosal immune system. Here, we report that oral treatment of BALB/c mice with components from the commensal, Parabacteroides distasonis, significantly reduces the severity of intestinal inflammation in murine models of acute and chronic colitis induced by dextran sulphate sodium (DSS). The membranous fraction of P. distasonis (mPd) prevented DSS-induced increases in several proinflammatory cytokines, increased mPd-specific serum antibodies and stabilized the intestinal microbial ecology. The anti-colitic effect of oral mPd was not observed in severe combined immunodeficient mice and probably involved induction of specific antibody responses and stabilization of the intestinal microbiota. Our results suggest that specific bacterial components derived from the commensal bacterium, P. distasonis, may be useful in the development of new therapeutic strategies for chronic inflammatory disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease.

[Digital images of the retinal nerve fiber layer in healthy eye and in glaucoma]. / Digitální snímky vrstvy nervových vláken sítnice u zdravého oka a u glaukomu.

The authors describe the procedure how to take pictures of the retinal nerve fiber layer with the fundus camera CANON CF-60UV connected to the digital camera EOS 20D. They attach practical instructions how to modify taken digital pictures with the Photoshop CS2 software, to make the nerve fiber layer and its losses more visible. They present modified pictures of the nerve fiber layer in healthy eye and in glaucoma where the losses are compared to the scotomas in the visual field.

[Subjective examination of the nerve fiber layer of the retina and its evaluation in a healthy eye and in glaucoma]. / Subjektivni vysetrení vrstvy nervových vláken sítnice a její hodnocení u zdravého oka a u glaukomu.

The authors describe the advantage of subjective examination of the nerve fiber layer in everyday outpatient praxis of the ophthalmologist. The objective examination of the nerve fiber layer is performed on specialized clinics by means of expensive instruments as are OCT, GDX or HRT. Every ophthalmologist may analyze the retinal nerve fiber layer subjectively with the basic equipment of the praxis. The aim of this paper is to present a recommendation how to expand the routine technique of the direct ophthalmoscope examination and biomicroscopy examination on the slit lamp, to make possible to observe subjectively the retinal nerve fiber layer and to distinguish its changes in glaucoma.