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The dietary consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is believed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) symptoms. Its protective mechanisms are unclear, but specific EVOO phenolic compounds can individually impede the aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides and the microtubule-associated protein tau, two important pathological manifestations of AD. It is unknown, however, whether the numerous and variable phenolic compounds that are consumed in dietary EVOO can collectively alter tau and Aβ aggregation as effectively as the individual compounds. The activity of these complex mixtures against Aβ and tau may be moderated by competition between active and nonactive phenolic components and by extensive derivatizations and isomerization. Here, phenolic mixtures extracted from two different EVOO sources are characterized and tested for how they modulate the aggregation of Aβ40 peptide and tau peptides in vitro . The chromatographic and NMR analysis of Greek and Saudi Arabian EVOO phenolic extracts reveals that they have different concentration profiles, and over 30 compounds are identified. Thioflavin T fluorescence and circular dichroism measurements show that relatively low concentrations (<20 μg/mL) of the Greek and Saudi extracts reduce the rate of Aβ40 aggregation and fibril mass, despite the extracts having different phenolic profiles. By contrast, the Greek extract reduces the rate of tau aggregation only at very high phenolic concentrations (>100 μg/mL). Most compounds in the extracts bind to preformed Aβ40 fibrils and release soluble Aβ oligomers that are mildly toxic to SH-SY5Y cells. Much higher (500 μg/mL) extract concentrations are required to remodel tau filaments into oligomers, and a minimal binding of phenolic compounds to the preformed filaments is observed. It is concluded that EVOO extracts having different phenol profiles are similarly capable of modulating Aβ40 aggregation and fibril morphology in vitro at relatively low concentrations but are less efficient at modulating tau aggregation. Over 2 M tonnes of EVOO are consumed globally each year as part of the Mediterranean diet, and the results here provide motivation for further clinical interrogation of the antiaggregation properties of EVOO as a potential protective mechanism against AD., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Alternative reproductive tactics in animals are commonly associated with distinct male phenotypes resulting in polymorphism of sexually selected weapons such as horns and spines. Typically, morphs are divided between small (unarmed) and large (armed) males according to one or more developmental thresholds in association with body size. Here, we describe remarkable weapon trimorphism within a single species, where two exaggerated weapon morphs and a third morph with reduced weaponry are present. Male Pantopsalis cheliferoides harvestmen display exaggerated chelicerae (jaws) which are highly variable in length among individuals. Across the same body size spectrum, however, some males belong to a distinct second exaggerated morph which possesses short, broad chelicerae. Multiple weapon morphs in a single species is a previously unknown phenomenon and our findings have significant implications for understanding weapon diversity and maintenance of polymorphism. Specifically, this species will be a valuable model for testing how weapons diverge by being able to test directly for the circumstances under which a certain weapon type is favoured and how weapon shape relates to performance.

This paper presents the Static Computational Optical Undersampled Tracker (SCOUT), an architecture for compressive motion tracking systems. The architecture uses compressive sensing techniques to track moving targets at significantly higher resolution than the detector array, allowing for low cost, low weight design and a significant reduction in data storage and bandwidth requirements. Using two amplitude masks and a standard focal plane array, the system captures many projections simultaneously, avoiding the need for time-sequential measurements of a single scene. Scenes with few moving targets on static backgrounds have frame differences that can be reconstructed using sparse signal reconstruction techniques in order to track moving targets. Simulations demonstrate theoretical performance and help to inform the choice of design parameters. We use the coherence parameter of the system matrix as an efficient predictor of reconstruction error to avoid performing computationally intensive reconstructions over the entire design space. An experimental SCOUT system demonstrates excellent reconstruction performance with 16X compression tracking movers on scenes with zero and nonzero backgrounds.

We present a multimodal optical microscope that incorporates six imaging modalities on one common platform. The imaging modalities include three staring modes, optical quadrature microscopy (OQM), differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, and epi-fluorescence microscopy, and three scanning modes, confocal reflectance microscopy (CRM), confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM), and two-photon microscopy (2PM). OQM reconstructs the amplitude and phase of an optically transparent specimen within a modified Mach-Zehnder configuration. DIC microscopy images the phase gradient along a specified direction of an optically transparent specimen. CRM detects index of refraction changes that modulate backscatter. Epi-fluorescence microscopy, CFM, and 2PM detect endogenous and exogenous fluorophores within a specimen. The scanning modes are inherently capable of producing three-dimensional (3-D) images due to optical sectioning and localized probing. Illumination and imaging are performed coaxially with minimal changes of optical components between modes. Multimodal images of embryos are shown to demonstrate the microscope's imaging capabilities.

This article describes six patients who presented, usually bilaterally, with yellow-orange, elevated, indurated, and nonulcerated xanthomatous eyelid lesions, typically extending into the anterior orbital fat, and sometimes involving the extraocular muscles and the lacrimal gland. Because the eyelids remained intact and because the process did not reach the deep orbital and perioptic connective tissues, visual acuity was well preserved. There is cosmetic morbidity and occasionally motility restriction with advancing involvement of the extraocular muscles. All patients had variably severe adult-onset asthma that required treatment with systemic prednisone and inhalants. No evidence of Erdheim-Chester disease was found in any patient, but the appearance in one patient, after 25 years of follow-up, of a separate subcutaneous necrobiotic xanthogranulomatous lesion in the mandibular region with an associated paraproteinemia, suggests that at least some of our cases might be a mild form of necrobiotic xanthogranuloma. For this reason, we would suggest repeated periodic serum protein immunoelectrophoretic studies as well as evaluation for lymphoma. Therapy probably should consist of low doses of periorbital radiotherapy coupled with high doses of corticosteroids. Should this not be successful, then systemic administration of corticosteroids with chemotherapeutic agents might be efficacious, as in necrobiotic xanthogranuloma.

Epinephrine hydrochloride (1%) and an identical-appearing placebo were instilled into the right/left eye pairs (random assignment) of 24 young normal subjects. Aqueous humor flow (measured by fluorophotometry over a 7 hr period), intraocular pressure, and (in 10 subjects) tonographic facility of outflow were measured. The effects of epinephrine were to lower intraocular pressure (2.8 mm Hg +/- 1.9, mean +/- S.D.), raise the facility of outflow (37.4% +/- 21.7), and increase the rate of formation of aqueous humor (18.6% +/- 18.1). By comparing tonographic and fluorophotometric data in the same subjects, it was postulated that epinephrine increases the rate of outflow via the pressure-insensitive (uveoscleral, uveovortex) outflow pathway.