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Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are congenital retinal degenerative diseases that have various inheritance patterns, including dominant, recessive, X-linked, and mitochondrial. These diseases are most often the result of defects in rod and/or cone photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium function, development, or both. The genes associated with these diseases, when mutated, produce altered protein products that have downstream effects in pathways critical to vision, including phototransduction, the visual cycle, photoreceptor development, cellular respiration, and retinal homeostasis. The aim of this manuscript is to provide a comprehensive review of the underlying molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of IRDs by delving into many of the genes associated with IRD development, their protein products, and the pathways interrupted by genetic mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐particle analysis by electron microscopy is a well established technique for analyzing the three‐dimensional structures of biological macromolecules. Besides its ability to produce high‐resolution structures, it also provides insights into the dynamic behavior of the structures by elucidating their conformational variability. Here, the different image‐processing methods currently available to study continuous conformational changes are reviewed. In this paper, the existing image‐processing approaches in electron microscopy for the analysis of continuous conformational changes of biological macromolecules are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissolution (mixing or melting) of inhomogeneities formed during spinodal decomposition in binary polymer mixtures is studied both experimentally and theoretically. The details of the dissolution experiment with time-resolved light scattering on polystyrene/poly(vinylmethylether) are presented. The theoretical approach differs from that of Langer, Bar-on, and Miller in the way the fluctuations are treated in the nonlinear theory, and in the details of the calculations arising from the chain connectivity (polymer effect). The effect of mode coupling arising from nonlinearity on the relaxation rate is discussed. It is found both experimentally and theoretically that the wave number corresponding to peak intensity decreases in time asymptotically following a t-0.5 power law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equilibrium configurations of rigid building blocks with multiple embedded interaction sites are investigated, as a coarse-grained approach for conformational sampling of protein structures with known secondary structure. First, hypothetical structures of asymmetric shapes, and pairs of rods composed of multiple interaction sites are considered. The rods are either disconnected or joined by a flexible loop. The sites are assumed to interact with a classical 6-12 Lennard-Jones potential. Subsequently, the investigation is extended to the study of two disconnected α helices composed of homogeneous interaction sites and to the ROP monomer, a small protein consisting of two heterogeneous α helices connected by a loop. Residue-specific long-range and short-range potentials extracted from a protein database are used. A Monte Carlo procedure combined with an energy minimization algorithm, originally developed by Li and Scheraga [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 6611 (1987)] is used to generate a set of low energy conformations over the full conformational space. Results show that: (i) The potential of mean force between two rods as a whole exhibits an inverse linear dependence on the separation between rods despite the individual sites interacting via a 6-12 Lennard-Jones potential. (ii) As the length of the rods (or helices) increases, they tend to align parallel to one other. (iii) This tendency to become parallel is enhanced when the density of interaction sites is higher. (iv) The angle between the principal axes of the rods is found to scale as n-5/3 with the number n of sites. (v) The native conformation of the ROP monomer, including the detailed rotational states of the virtual bonds located in the loop connecting the α helices is correctly predicted. This lends support to the adoption of such a coarse-grained model and its parameters for future simulations. © 1997 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac catheterization is a common word for a set of procedures that are implemented using this method, such as coronary angiography and left ventricle angiography. Coronary angiography is that invasive procedure which assumed as the golden standard for the diagnosis, estimation, and curing of heart diseases. There is a shortage of research of undergraduate students. The purpose of this descriptive cross-sectional study has been conducted to assess nurses' knowledge regarding cardiac catheterization and associated factors at General Hospital in Rania city. Data were collected from a stability sample of 60 nurses using demographic form instead of the section with the conductive questionnaire of Knowledge regarding cardiac catheterization. The majority of study participants were female (81.7%) Therefor, 70% of nurses were married. About 43.3% of study participants were Academic nurse while (40%) of them were Institute nurse, however level of knowledge form institute graduated nurses has a highest level and the majority of participants were not trained (95%). Results acquired have shown that there is no sufficient knowledge of nurses regarding cardiac catheterization, among all levels of nurses and there is a significant relationship between most socio-demographic data in true question but there are opposite result for false questions. We therefore recommend the training course by ministry of health for nurses to improve the knowledge and health awareness regarding cardiac catheterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yvonne Vera is certainly the most successful and imaginative female novelist to emerge from Zimbabwe and conceivably one of the most significant writers of Africa. Her prose is valued for its characteristic lyricism and its lightness of touch which paradoxically highlight silenced and weighty realities of life. Being a Zimbabwean, she has directly experienced generational trauma of colonial oppression, horrors of guerrilla war and brutal killings of civilians in post-independence era. In 1990s, researchers have worked on trauma studies focusing on the sufferings of Whites like in the Holocaust and war veterans of Vietnam but less attention has been paid to the sufferings of black women. This study endeavours to locate Vera's texts within the theoretical debates of trauma studies. I intend to focus on Yvonne Vera's Under the Tongue (1996) which is about a sexual assault of a pre-adolescent girl by her own father, written against the backdrop of severe guerrilla warfare against colonialism. It aims to analyse the recovery of the protagonist in light of John Bowlby's Attachment Theory. This research will strive to study the role of secure base and safe haven which function as a mean of re-constructing the broken-self of the protagonist. In certain cases, nature or religion helps the healing process of the individual but the paper will establish how affectionate attachment figures have comforting, healing and therapeutic effects on the suffering individual. This will in turn help to reconstruct the broken-self and enable the survivor to face the society with confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) involves removal of the recipient's Descemet membrane (DM) prior to transplanting the donor's DM. When using balanced salt solution (BSS) or ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs), visualization of the host's DM during its stripping may be inadequate and may result in Descemet remnants and could lead to sub-optimal surgical results. Previous articles described excellent visualization when utilizing air injection but this requires repeated air injection into the anterior chamber (AC). We present a pilot study that compares different techniques under which DM stripping can be performed: with continuous automated air infusion, with manual air infusion, and with BSS. Methods: We retrospectively compared video footage of DM stripping with BSS, with continuous air and with manual injection of air into the AC to determine DM stripping duration and the number of times the surgeon had to insert and retrieve a surgical instrument from the AC. Results: Thirty videos of 10 consecutive cases of the three DM stripping techniques were evaluated. DM stripping duration was 3.26 (±1.32), 3.92 (±1.2) and 12.9 (±3.98) minutes for BSS, continuous air flow, and manual air injection, respectively. Frequency of instrument retrieval (FIR) was 3.6 (±1.71), 1.5 (±0.71) and 15.1 (±3.28) for BSS, continuous air flow, and manual air injection, respectively. Continuous air flow and BSS were both statistically different than manual air injection into the AC ( p < 0.05), but did not differ from one another statistically. Conclusion: DM stripping during posterior lamellar surgery is imperative for favorable post-operative results and prevention of complications. Performing this step under air in the AC contributes to better visualization and an efficient surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is no specific quality of life (QoL) measurement tool to quantify QoL in patients with biliary tract cancer. Quality of life measurement is an increasingly crucial trial end point and is now being incorporated into clinical practice.Methods: This International Multicentre Phase IV Validation Study assessed the QLQ-BIL21 module in 172 patients with cholangiocarcinoma and 91 patients with cancer of the gallbladder. Patients completed the questionnaire at baseline pretherapy and subsequently at 2 months. Following this, the psychometric properties of reliability, validity, scale structure and responsiveness to change were analysed.Results: Analysis of the QLQ-BIL21 scales showed appropriate reliability with Cronbach's α-coefficients >0.70 for all scales overall. Intraclass correlations exceeded 0.80 for all scales. Convergent validity >0.40 was demonstrated for all items within scales, and discriminant validity was confirmed with values <0.70 for all scales compared with each other. Scale scores changed in accordance with Karnofsky performance status and in response to clinical change.Conclusions: The QLQ-BIL21 is a valid tool for the assessment of QoL in patients with cholangiocarcinoma and cancer of the gallbladder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses notions of Jewish identity among a number of German scholars (tagged as Jewish by the Nazi government) who settled in Turkey because of Nazi persecution in Germany. The author describes the relationship of these scholars to Turkey's Jewish community while analyzing their identification as Germans. Possible motivations for Turkey's inviting of the scholars are provided, with the author questioning whether or not these motivations were humanitarian in nature or politically driven. The role of the Turkish national interest (raison d'etat) in the invitation is analyzed.

Aim: To compare the outcomes of IntraLase-enabled top hat penetrating keratoplasty (IEK( versus retrospective results of manual top hat penetrating keratoplasty (THPKP) and conventional PKP. Patients/methods: This non-randomised prospective study included 94 eyes: 23 eyes underwent IEK, 36 THPKP and 35 conventional PKP. Preoperative and postoperative manifest refraction, uncorrected and best-spectacle corrected visual acuity (BSCVA(, high-order ocular aberrations (HOA), endothelial cell counts and complications were analysed. Results: At 12 months of follow-up, the mean log MAR BSCVA was 0.32 (SD 0.31( in the IEK group, 0.53 (0.36) in the TH PKP group (p = 0.03( and 0.39 (0.30) in the conventional PKP group (p = 0.4). The mean spherical equivalent was similar between the groups and was less than -2.2 dioptres. The mean cylinder was similar in the IEK and conventional PKP group (3.6 (1.9) dioptres and 4.1 (1.8( dioptres, respectively), and was significantly lower than the TH-PKP group (5.1 (3.2( dioptres, p = 0.04). The complications rate and high-order ocular aberrations were similar between the three groups studied. The mean endothelial cell loss was significantly lower at 12 months of follow-up in the IEK and the THPKP groups versus conventional PKP (32.4% and 22.3% vs 40.8%, respectively) (p = 0.05(. The mean time to suture removal was 4.1 (1.2( months in the IEK group and 3.9 (1.5( months in the TH-PKP group versus 9.7 (1.1( months in the conventional PKP group (p<0.0001(. Conclusions: IEK is a safe and stable procedure. It results in higher endothelial counts and faster suture removal in comparison with the conventional PKP, and has less astigmatism and better BSCVA in comparison with the manual TH-PKP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major complications in diabetes is impaired wound healing. Unfortunately, effective therapies are currently lacking. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical process involved in cutaneous wound healing. In response to injury, EMT is required to activate and mobilize stationary keratinocytes in the skin toward the wound bed, which allows for re-epithelialization. This process is stalled in diabetic wounds. In this study, we investigate the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), MALAT1, in transforming growth factor beta 1(TGF-β1)-induced EMT of human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells. Initially, we detected MALAT1 and TGF-β1 expression in non-diabetic and diabetic wounds and found that these expression are significantly up-regulated in diabetic wounds. Then, HaCaT cells were cultured and exposed to TGF-β1. The EMT of HaCaT cells were confirmed by the increased expression of CDH2, KRT10, and ACTA2, in addition to the down-regulation of CDH1. Knockdown of MALAT1 was achieved by transfecting a small interfering RNA (SiRNA). MALAT1 silencing attenuates TGFβ1-induced EMT. Mechanistically, MALAT1 is involved in TGF-β1 mediated EMT through significantly induced ZEB1 expression, a critical transcription factor for EMT. In summary, lncRNA MALAT1 is involved in TGFβ1-induced EMT of human HaCaT cells and provides new understanding for the pathogenesis of diabetic wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Src-family kinases are modular signaling proteins involved in a diverse array of cellular processes. All members of the Src family share the same domain organization, with modular SH3, SH2 and kinase domains followed by a C-terminal negative regulatory tail. X-ray crystallographic analyses of several Src family members have revealed critical roles for the SH3 and SH2 domains in the down-regulation of the kinase domain. This review focuses on biological, biophysical, and computational studies that reveal conformationally distinct active states within this unique kinase family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To examine the wound configuration after penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods: All PKP patients who were examined for routine follow-up, between November and December 2006, after having all their sutures removed were included. Patients underwent clinical examination, refraction, corneal topography, aberrometry and Visante anterior segment OCT. Results: 204 graft-host sections from 27 eyes 125 patients, mean age 51.6 (SD 17.7) years) were analysed. Although all the graft-host junctions had continuous smooth epithelial surfaces, 124 of them (60.8%) had internal graft-host malappositions such as gapes (15.7%), steps 130%) or protrusions (15.2%). Keratoconus patients had significantly more graft steps (p<0.05) while those transplanted for endothelial dysfunctions had more protrusions (p<0.01). Graft oversizing significantly increased the size of malappositions. Internal gapes or steps significantly reduced the graft-host touch. Intraocular pressure (IOP), final refraction and final keratometric cylinder were all significantly correlated with the presence and size of the malapposition, while steeper keratometry and tilt aberrations correlated with diminished graft-host touch. Conclusions: After PKP, internal graft-host malapposition is relatively common and associated with increased ametropia, astigmatism, lop and optical tilt aberrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To describe a new, simpler method of achieving the advantages of a lamellar wound configuration in penetrating keratoplasty (PKP)—the half-top-hat (HTH) configuration. Methods: The donor corneal button was prepared in a top-hat configuration, as previously described. It consisted of a central, full-thickness part, 7-8 mm in diameter, surrounded by a peripheral lamellar wing of deep stroma and endothelium that was 0.5 mm in width (wing diameter 8-9 mm). The recipient bed was prepared by a straight full thickness trephination with a suction trephine. The donor button was positioned by sliding the peripheral wing under the recipient bed. Sixteen 10-0 interrupted sutures and a single continuous 16-bite 11-0 nylon sutures were placed. The interrupted sutures were passed so as to go through the wing, in order to ensure a good apposition of the wing to the inner corneal surface of the recipient. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (Visante OCT) was used to image the position and alignment of the corneal graft postoperatively. Results: Ten eyes of 10 patients (mean (SD) age: 73.7 (11.4) years, 7 females) underwent HTH PKP. The donor lenticule diameter was 7.7 (0.3) mm (wing diameter 8.7 (0.3) mm). The mean follow-up time was 2.4 (0.7) months. The last median visual acuity was 20/200 (range 20/80-counting fingers), and the last lOP was 18.2 (8.8) mm Hg. No major intraoperative complications were noted. No postoperative events of graft rejection were documented. No anterior surface misalignment was noted either clinically or by OCT. One patient had a rise in lOP postoperatively. Conclusions: Half-top-hat wound configuration is a valid alternative in penetrating keratoplasty. Its advantages include better apposition of donor and recipient corneas, improved tectonic strength to prevent graft dehiscence, the possibility of early sutures removal and being a simpler procedure to perform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum levels of interleukin(IL)-8, IL-6, and (TNF)-α were measured in 25 patients during active uveitis and uveitis in remission and compared to age-matched controls. Levels of IL-8 and IL-6 were significantly elevated in patients with active disease and were decreased during remission. IL-8 levels were highest in patients with anterior uveitis, with greatest difference between active disease and remission. No consistent pattern was observed for TNF-α. In conclusion, serum cytokine levels are elevated in active noninfectious uveitis. The rise in IL-8 may suggest innate immune mechanisms in the acute disease, while IL-6 participates in modulation of inflammation in the chronic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular epidemiology of type 2a hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in patients undergoing haemodialysis in the same unit in a Turkish hospital was investigated. Of nine HCV-infected patients four were infected with type 2a, four with type 1b and one with type 1a viruses. Since type 2 HCV infections in the Turkish population are rare, the possibility of nosocomial infection was investigated by means of phylogenetic analysis of viral sequences amplified by the polymerase chain reaction in the NS5b region. One of the samples failed to show amplification and therefore could not be sequenced. The sequences of the remaining three virus samples were grouped closely in a cluster within the type 2a group. The results thus showed that three patients were infected with the same HCV type 2a strain. Seroconversion and clinical data suggested that these patients may have been infected on different occasions, there being possibly more than one mode of transmission. Breaches in infection control procedures and lack of environmental decontamination between two haemodialysis sessions were probably the causes of HCV infections in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether knowledge-based intra-molecular inter-residue potentials are valid to represent inter-molecular interactions taking place at protein-protein interfaces has been questioned in several studies. Differences in the chain connectivity effect and in residue packing geometry between interfaces and single chain monomers have been pointed out as possible sources of distinct energetics for the two cases. In the present study, the interfacial regions of protein-protein complexes are examined to extract inter-molecular inter-residue potentials, using the same statistical methods as those previously adopted for intra-molecular residue pairs. Two sets of energy parameters are derived, corresponding to solvent-mediation and 'average residue' mediation. The former set is shown to be highly correlated (correlation coefficient 0.89) with that previously obtained for inter-residue interactions within single chain monomers, while the latter exhibits a weaker correlation (0.69) with its intra-molecular counterpart. In addition to the close similarity of intra- and inter-molecular solvent-mediated potentials, they are shown to be significantly more residue-specific and thereby discriminative compared to the residue-mediated ones, indicating that solvent-mediation plays a major role in controlling the effective inter-residue interactions, either at interfaces, or within single monomers. Based on this observation, a reduced set of energy parameters comprising 20 one-body and 3 two-body terms is proposed (as opposed to the 20 × 20 tables of inter-residue potentials), which reproduces the conventional 20 × 20 tables with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This second part of a systematic study of the properties of crosslinked-oriented gelatin involves the effects of orientation and water content on the glass transition temperature Tgand on the melting behavior. The samples were the same as those in the preceding study, and their transition temperatures were determined by both differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The crosslinked gelatin which had been room-conditioned showed two transition temperatures: the lower one was attributed to Tg of the water-plasticized gelatin, and the higher one was interpreted as Tg of dried gelatin superimposed by melting. A rather unusual situation arose because of the fact that the Tg and melting temperatures Tm (217 and 230°C, respectively) are so similar. Using water as plasticizer not only decreases Tg but produces imperfect crystallites which melt below the Tg of the system. The presence of the amorphous phase in the glassy state would presumably make it essentially impossible to define a melting point or crystallization temperature in the normal manner, as an equilibrium between crystalline and amorphous phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is an extension of previous work on cellulosics [(1994) Colloid Polym Sci 272: 284, 393] that showed that unusually good mechanical properties can be obtained by drying a swollen network of semirigid chains in a state of strain. This novel approach is applied in this investigation to gelatin, because of its attractive environmental characteristics but poor mechanical properties in the unmodified form. Since drawing of non-crosslinked gelatin is not practical, crosslinking by formaldehyde was used, followed by swelling, drawing and drying at fixed length. Mechanical tests were performed in static and dynamic modes. In this way improvements of Young's modulus E, and stress at break σ were determined as a function of gelatin concentration during drying. An increase in E and σ up to 2-3 times, and in the dynamic modulus E′ up to 6 times, was obtained when the draw ratio λ reached 4-5, after which E, E′, and σ were found to decrease. Such behavior is explained by the highest orientation being achieved at λ=4-5, as proved by x-ray analysis. At λ=10-20 the orientation is lost due to relaxation of chain segments, which is preceded by partial destroying of the network structure (chemical and physical), possibly via chain scission, but probably mostly by the pulling out of chains from crystallites. In any case, the mechanical properties become poor again. The improvements reported above were referred to the undrawn but crosslinked gelatin. Compared to the starting isotropic non-crosslinked material, the improvement is slightly higher. The observation that the improvements are less than those obtained for the cellulosics is explained by the coexistence of interpenetrating chemical and physical networks, which is typical of gelatin. This structural feature drastically reduces the orientability of the chains and the improvements that can be expected in the mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The networks of cellulose acetate and hydroxypropylcellulose prepared in the first part of this investigation were studied with regard to their mechanical properties. The quantities of particular interest were increases in tensile modulus and tensile strength obtained by drying the swollen films under strain, both uniaxial and equi-biaxial. These increases or improvements in mechanical properties were determined as a function of polymer concentration during cross-linking, polymer molecular weight, degree of cross-linking, and elongation during drying. In all cases, the improvements increased with increase in elongation during drying, and the largest increases were obtained in the case of the highest molecular weight polymer which had been lightly cross-linked in dilute (isotropic) solutions. The extent of ordering in these systems was gauged approximately by measurements of birefringence, which were correlated with their tensile moduli and tensile strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been predicted that unusually good mechanical properties can be obtained by drying swollen networks of semi-rigid chains while they are in the deformed state, as described in several theoretical investigations [ Macromolecules, 23: 5335, 5341 (1990), 24: 901 (1991)]. The present investigation involves the preparation of networks of this type from cellulose acetate (CA) and hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), in order to test these concepts. The cross-linking required to maintain anisotropy during the drying process was obtained using formaldehyde, while the polymers were in either the anisotropic or isotropic state. Control of the cross-linking was obtained by studying the effects of the concentration of formaldehyde, temperature, and reaction time. The liquid-crystalline phase separations in CA and HPC, and in their networks, were studied with cross-polarized optical microscopy. CA and HPC showed anisotropic phases in trifluoroethanol and in methanol, respectively, and under shear the HPC systems exhibited the band textures associated with macroscopic orientation. In the case of the uncross-linked polymers, this band texture disappeared shortly after shearing was discontinued. The networks prepared by cross-linking the HPC in either liquid-crystalline solutions or in isotropic solutions also showed band textures, but these textures now persisted long after removal of the shearing stress. As shown in the following paper, the extensibility required in the proposed processing technique was highest for the networks prepared in the isotropic state, suggesting that these materials should have the greatest potential for dramatic improvements in mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Anton supercomputing technology recently developed for efficient molecular dynamics simulations permits us to examine micro- to milli-second events at full atomic resolution for proteins in explicit water and lipid bilayer. It also permits us to investigate to what extent the collective motions predicted by network models (that have found broad use in molecular biophysics) agree with those exhibited by full-atomic long simulations. The present study focuses on Anton trajectories generated for two systems: the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, and an archaeal aspartate transporter, GltPh. The former, a thoroughly studied system, helps benchmark the method of comparative analysis, and the latter provides new insights into the mechanism of function of glutamate transporters. The principal modes of motion derived from both simulations closely overlap with those predicted for each system by the anisotropic network model (ANM). Notably, the ANM modes define the collective mechanisms, or the pathways on conformational energy landscape, that underlie the passage between the crystal structure and substates visited in simulations. In particular, the lowest frequency ANM modes facilitate the conversion between the most probable substates, lending support to the view that easy access to functional substates is a robust determinant of evolutionarily selected native contact topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Alterations of the immune system may have a role in thrombogenesis. Ailety sites occluded with thrombi apparently release pro-inflammatory cytokines. Non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION) results from occlusion of the blood supply to the optic nerve. The aim of this study was to analyse levels of pro- inflammatory cytokines in patients with acute event of NMON. Methods: Study participants included 10 patients (12 eyes) with NAJON and 20 age matched controls with the same risk factors for atherosderosis disease. Peripheral blood samples were obtained immediately at the acute onset of NA1ON. Plasma interleukin 8 (11-8), 11-6, and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels were measured immediately following diagnosis and during the follow up intervals. Results: The plasma Levels of 11-8 were significantly higher in NAION patients at the time of diagnosis in comparison to the control group (p = 0.002), and decreased during the follow up period (6-12 months) (p=0.05). There were no differences in plasma levels of 11-6 and TNF-α between NAION patients and controls, either in the acute phase or during the follow up period. Conclusion: Plasma levels of 11-8 are elevated during the acute phase of NAION, but not 11-6 and TNF-α. These elevated levels are in accordance with other acute vascular thrombosis. The clinical significance of these findings should be further evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented about a study on the use of human fibrin adhesive for scleral as well as conjuctival wound closure in penetrating trabeculectomy.