0000000000042973
AUTHOR
Wolf A. Lagrèze
Retrograde neurotrophic signaling in rat retinal ganglion cells is transmitted via the ERK5 but not the ERK1/2 pathway.
Purpose Neurotrophic deprivation is considered an important event in glaucomatous retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death. However, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway transmitting axonal neurotrophic signals in RGC has not been identified. We investigated the involvement of ERK5 and ERK1/2 in retrograde axonal neurotrophic signaling in rats. Methods Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Retinal immunostaining for ERK5 and MEK5 was performed. Levels of total and phosphorylated ERK5 and ERK1/2 were analyzed in retinal lysate by quantitative Western blotting. The effects of age, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) stimulation at RGC soma (intravitreal injection) or axon ending (…
Enrichment of Retinal Ganglion Cells in Rat Retinal Lysate by Excimer Laser Ablation of the Outer Retina
PURPOSE. Retinal ganglion cells (RGC) are a relatively small cell population in the retina. This leads to an unfavorable signal-tonoise ratio when analyzing RGC proteins in whole retina lysate. We present a novel technique to obtain RGC-enriched rat retinal lysate by removing the outer retinal layers with an excimer laser before lysation. METHODS. Outer retinal layers were ablated with an excimer laser on flat mounted retinas from adult albino rats. 4 0 6Diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride hydrate (DAPI) nuclear staining was used to assess the ablation efficacy (n ! 6). Western blot for layer specific markers (rhodopsin, parvalbumin, b-III-tubulin) was performed to quantify changes in …
No evidence for an association of plasma homocysteine levels and refractive error – Results from the population-based Gutenberg Health Study (GHS)
Purpose There is a strong association between severe hyperhomocysteinemia and myopia. Thus we studied the hypothesis that even moderately increased levels of homocysteine (Hcy) might be a potentially treatable risk factor for myopia. Methods The Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) is a population-based, prospective, observational cohort study in Germany, including 15,010 participants aged between 35 and 74 at recruitment. The baseline examination was conducted from 2007–2012. Refraction was measured using autorefraction (HARK 599, Carl Zeiss AG, Jena, Germany). Hcy was measured by an immunoassay. We included only phakic participants without a history of corneal surgery or corneal laser treatment. …
First German Guideline on Diagnostics and Therapy of Clinically Non-Functioning Pituitary Tumors
AbstractAlthough non-functioning pituitary tumors are frequent, diagnostic and therapeutic concepts are not well standardized. We here present the first German multidisciplinary guideline on this topic. The single most important message is to manage the patients by a multidisciplinary team (consisting at least of an endocrinologist, a neurosurgeon, and a (neuro-) radiologist). The initial diagnostic work-up comprises a detailed characterization of both biochemical (focusing on hormonal excess or deficiency states) and morphological aspects (with magnetic resonance imaging of the sellar region). An ophthalmological examination is only needed in presence of symptoms or large tumors affecting …