Effect of heparin sodium on postoperative inflammation after adult cataract surgery

To evaluate the effect of use of ringer lactate solution supplemented with heparin sodium in patients undergoing cataract surgery.In a prospective, double-blind, interventional study, 200 patients were included and were randomized to undergo cataract surgery using ringer lactate solution with or without 10 IU/ml heparin. All patients underwent phacoemulsification with hydrophobic acrylic foldable intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. The severity of anterior chamber inflammation and amount of pigment deposition of IOL was assessed by slit lamp biomicroscopy on day 1, 7, 28 and after 8 weeks postoperatively. Mean age in treatment and control group was 63.0± 11.5 years and 65.1±12.7 years respectively. A significant reduction in the severity of inflammatory cellular activity (p=0.001), flare (p=0.001) and pigment deposition on IOL (p=0.001) was noted on day 1 in the heparin treated group compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was observed in the amount of inflammatory activity as well as IOL pigment deposition beyond 1 week postoperatively. The inflammatory activity resolved almost completely in both the groups by the end of 8 weeks postoperatively. : Our study showed the beneficial effect of addition of heparin to irrigating solution during cataract surgery. Heparin treated eyes demonstrated a reduction in the early postoperative inflammation and IOL pigment deposition. The anti-inflammatory effect was observed in the early postoperative period.

A tail of plumage colouration: disentangling geographic, seasonal, and dietary effects on plumage colour in a migratory songbird

Plumage ornamentation in birds serves critical inter- and intra-sexual signaling functions. While carotenoid-based plumage colouration is often viewed as a classic condition-dependent sexually selected trait, plumage colouration can be influenced by a wide array of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Understanding the mechanisms underlying variation in colouration is especially important for species where the signaling function of ornamental traits is complex or the literature conflicting. Here, we examined variation in the yellow/orange tail feathers of American redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla) passing through two migratory stopover sites in eastern North America during both spring and fall migration to assess the role of geographic variation and seasonality in influencing feather colouration. In addition, we investigated whether diet during moult (inferred via stable isotope analysis of feather δ15N and δ13C) influenced plumage colouration. Our findings indicate that geographic variation, season, and diet all influence individual differences in American redstart colouration. However, the extent to which these factors influence colour expression is largely dependent on the colour metric under study, likely because different colour metrics reflect different attributes of the feather (e.g., structural components vs. pigment deposition). The effects of diet (δ15N) and season were pronounced for brightness, suggesting a strong effect of diet and feather wear/degradation on feather structure. Though hue, a metric that should strongly reflect pigment deposition, was also associated with a reduction in ornamentation from spring to fall, that effect was dependent on age, with only adults experiencing a reduction in ornamentation. Taken together, our results highlight the numerous sources of variation of plumage coloration and underscores the difficulty of unraveling complex visual signaling systems, such as those in American redstarts.

A case of dense pigment deposition of the posterior lens capsule

Background Pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) is a well-known entity which can lead to pigmentary glaucoma (PG). This case report presents a rare presentation of PG with bilateral dense pigment deposits of the posterior lens capsule. Case presentation A 72-year-old male came for his first appointment due to an asymmetric worsening of visual acuity. The examination showed unilaterally severely increased intraocular pressure, bilateral dense pigment deposition of the posterior lens capsule, and a shallow unilateral optic disk excavation. Gonioscopy revealed moderate pigmentation of the angle and a concave configuration of the peripheral iris in both eyes. The standard slit lamp examination showed no transillumination defects of either iris. Optical coherence tomography showed retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning in the peripapillary and macular regions. An antiglaucoma medication was prescribed with a good lowering effect. Conclusion Pigment deposition of the posterior lens capsule, which has been rarely reported, is a possible important sign of PDS or PG.

Melanin deposition in two Cryptococcus species depends on cell-wall composition and flexibility

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are two species complexes in the large fungal genus Cryptococcus and are responsible for potentially lethal disseminated infections. These two complexes share several phenotypic traits, such as production of the protective compound melanin. In C. neoformans, the pigment associates with key cellular constituents that are essential for melanin deposition within the cell wall. Consequently, melanization is modulated by changes in cell-wall composition or ultrastructure. However, whether similar factors influence melanization in C. gattii is unknown. Herein, we used transmission EM, biochemical assays, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy of representative isolates and “leaky melanin” mutant strains from each species complex to examine the compositional and structural factors governing cell-wall pigment deposition in C. neoformans and C. gattii. The principal findings were the following. 1) C. gattii R265 had an exceptionally high chitosan content compared with C. neoformans H99; a rich chitosan composition promoted homogeneous melanin distribution throughout the cell wall but did not increase the propensity of pigment deposition. 2) Strains from both species manifesting the leaky melanin phenotype had reduced chitosan content, which was compensated for by the production of lipids and other nonpolysaccharide constituents that depended on the species or mutation. 3) Changes in the relative rigidity of cell-wall chitin were associated with aberrant pigment retention, implicating cell-wall flexibility as an independent variable in cryptococcal melanin assembly. Overall, our results indicate that cell-wall composition and molecular architecture are critical factors for the anchoring and arrangement of melanin pigments in both C. neoformans and C. gattii species complexes.