The HGAR1 familial hypercholesterolemia pedigree

Data on 232 members of a single pedigree, descended from two pairs of original parents, were made available to the participants of Genetic Analysis Workshop 8 (GAW8). In addition to information concerning age and sex, measurements for 10 quantitative traits and genotypes at 22 polymorphic marker loci were also provided for a subset of 193 of these family members. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Ultrastructural reversible changes in fish neuromuscular junctions after chronic exercise

Neuromuscular junctions (NJs) of fin muscles of teleostean fishes, Lebistes reticulatus, were ultrastructurally analyzed during 60 min of chronic exercise and a subsequent period of 90 min of induced recovery. NJs from 30-min-exercised fishes showed an almost complete depletion of synaptic vesicles (SVs), corresponding to 83% of SV consumption; 76% of axon terminals were branched at the end of this period. During the recovery period, it was possible to observe the reversibility of the changes induced by the exercise and the transitory events that lead to the reacquirement of the normal NJ morphology. After 15 min of rest, SV population increased to a value of 54.6 SVs/micron2 and the percentage of branched axons was 66.5%. At 60 min of recovery the number of SVs reached a value of 84.6 SVs/micron2. The SV population was fully reestablished at 80 min of rest, while the percentage of branched axons was found within normal ranges after 90 min of recovery. These results demonstrate that chronic exercise induced physiological depletion of NJ SVs and other axon terminal morphological changes, as well as that postexercise rest induces the reestablishment of the normal NJ morphology.     

Severe herpetic keratitis. I: Prevalence of visual impairment in a clinic population.

We report a prevalence study of the best visual acuity in the affected eye of 100 selected patients with herpetic keratitis seen during a two-year period. Sixty-two patients retained an acuity of 6/9 or better without requiring penetrating keratoplasty (PK). The prevalence of reduced visual acuity severe enough to warrant PK was 33%. Patients requiring PK for whom full clinical records were available suffered a mean of 6.8 episodes of keratitis. In this group of patients the vision of 18 fell from 6/6 to 6/60 over a mean period of 8.5 years. Once visual acuity was permanently reduced to 6/12, 78% of patients proceeded to lose vision to 6/60. Unilateral visual impairment occurs in at least a third of patients with severe herpetic keratitis. Once vision falls permanently to 6/12, the long-term prognosis for vision appears to be poor.     

Shape changes produced in detergent extracted bovine retinal pigment epithelium when exposed to ATP. A comparison with fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells

The response of single detergent treated bovine retinal pigment epithelial cells in culture to ATP was measured with an image analyser. The most pronounced contraction was produced by 1.0 mM ATP with most change taking place in the first 10 min. At 1 h the area had decreased by about 33%, perimeter 22% and maximum length 25%. By way of comparison rabbit skin fibroblasts had a decreased area of approximately 40%, perimeter 25% and maximum length 22%. Bovine aortic smooth muscle cells on the other hand decreased in area by 55%, perimeter 40% and maximum length 36%. It is hoped that this assay may be used to evaluate drugs which could counteract contractile events in proliferative vitreoretinopathy.