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Biomedical subjects

G Corrent

Publications and source records attributed to G Corrent.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Pathologic features and immunofluorescent antibody demonstration of ocular microsporidiosis (Encephalitozoon hellem) in seven patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

We studied the clinicopathologic features of seven patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and ocular microsporidiosis. All patients had decreased levels of CD4-positive cells (mean, 26/ml3) and ocular symptoms; five had bilateral punctate epithelial keratopathy, one had intermittent red eyes with conjunctivitis, and one had red eyes only. Light and electron microscopy of corneal and conjunctival biopsy and cytologic specimens and intact globes disclosed microsporidia belonging to the genus Encephalitozoon. Because E. cuniculi and E. hellem, the two species of the Encephalitozoon genus, are morphologically identical, an immunofluorescent antibody technique was used for species identification. In all seven patients, the agent was identified as E. hellem. Pathologic examination of globes obtained after autopsy disclosed E. hellem infection to be restricted to the corneal and conjunctival epithelium. We studied methods for the routine diagnosis of ocular microsporidiosis in patients with AIDS, including the role of immunofluorescent antibody staining.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1989

Promotion of graft survival by photothrombotic occlusion of corneal neovascularization.

Corneal neovascularization may reduce the success of penetrating keratoplasty. Photothrombosis using intravenous rose bengal and argon laser irradiation has shown promise for occluding corneal vessels. It is therefore conceivable that photothrombosis can improve the graft survival in vascularized corneas. Using intracorneal 7-0 silk sutures as the stimuli, corneal neovascularization was induced in 1 eye each of 19 New Zealand white rabbits. Eleven eyes received photothrombosis. Successful occlusion with subsequent regression was verified by corneal fluorescein angiography. Three were assigned for observation. Six of 8 eyes receiving grafts from an outbred rabbit donor after photothrombosis remained clear during 6.5 to 18.5 weeks of follow-up, while vascularization and opacity occurred in 7 of 8 control eyes without photothrombosis. These results indicate that prior photothrombotic occlusion of corneal vessels can significantly improve graft survival in this experimental model and may have clinical applications.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Mechanism for shifting the phase of a circadian rhythm by serotonin: involvement of cAMP.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) shifts the phase of the circadian rhythm in the eye of Aplysia. We have examined the role of cAMP in mediating the effects of 5-HT on the rhythm. The phase shifts produced by 5-HT are mimicked by treatments that should increase intracellular levels of cAMP. An analogue of cAMP-8-benzylthio-cAMP, advanced and delayed the rhythm at phases in which 5-HT had similar effects on the rhythm. In addition, two phosphodiesterase inhibitors, Ro-20-1724 and papaverine, caused advance phase shifts where 5-HT advances the rhythm. The phosphodiesterase inhibitors Ro-20-1724 and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine each potentiated the effect of subthreshold doses of 5-HT on the rhythm. The effects of 5-HT and 8-benzylthio-cAMP on the rhythm were nonadditive, indicating that 5-HT and 8-benzylthio-cAMP affect the rhythm through a common pathway. Finally, 5-HT produced large changes (13-fold) in the levels of cAMP in the eye. These results indicate that cAMP mediates the effect of 5-HT on the rhythm. There are two possible roles for cAMP in the circadian system. Either the cAMP system is an intracellular step in an entrainment pathway or it is part of the biological clock. Because 5-HT, 8-benzylthio-cAMP, and three phosphodiesterase inhibitors inhibit impulses from the eye, cAMP may also mediate the inhibition produced by 5-HT, or it might be involved in regulating the frequency of spontaneous impulses throughout the day.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1982

Entrainment of the circadian rhythm from the eye of Aplysia: role of serotonin.

The finding that serotonin (5-HT) treatments as short as 1.5 h in duration produce phase shifts in a circadian rhythm from the isolated eye of Aplysia suggested that release of 5-HT was part of an ocular entrainment pathway. Since light cycles entrain this rhythm, we compared phase shifting by 5-HT and by light. The similarity in the shapes of the phase-response curves for 5-HT and light pulses indicates that 5-HT treatments are capable of entraining the rhythm. Also, "skeleton" 5-HT treatments phase shift as well as continuous 5-HT treatments. However, 5-HT does not appear to mediate the phase shifts produced by light, since 1) treatments that should block transmitter release do not change the phase shifts produced by light pulses; 2) the response curves of 5-HT and light pulses are displaced by 12 h relative to one another on the phase axis of the response curve; and 3) light-induced phase shifts are apparent almost immediately, whereas 5-HT-induced phase shifts become evident only about 24 h after 5-HT treatment. The eye appears to contain two independent entrainment pathways, one for light and one utilizing 5-HT.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Transmitterlike action of serotonin in phase shifting a rhythm from the Aplysia eye.

The presence of serotonin (5-HT) and the characteristics of the phase-response curve for 5-HT indicate that 5-HT acts as a transmitter of circadian information in the Aplysia eye. Additional evidence for such a neurotransmitter role of 5-HT in the eye is presented. The isolated eye has the capacity to synthesize 5-HT from exogenous tryptophan. The receptors mediating the phase-shifting effect of 5-HT have a high affinity for 5-HT (threshold for phase shifting is less than or equal to 10(-7) M). Also these receptors demonstrate a high degree of structural specificity for 5-HT. Some structurally similar indoles to 5-HT do not cause phase shifts (5-hydroxytryptophan, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid), whereas others (bufotenine, tryptamine, LSD) do cause phase shifts but are less effective than 5-HT. Furthermore phase shifts in the rhythm are not produced by other monoamine neurotransmitters (dopamine, octopamine) or acetylcholine. Changes in membrane conductance to Na+, Cl-, or Ca2+ do not appear to be involved in phase shifting by 5-HT. Since large reductions in extracellular Ca2+ did not affect phase shifting by 5-HT, 5-HT is acting either directly on the circadian pacemaker cell(s) or on cells electronically coupled to the pacemaker cell(s).

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Serotonin shifts the phase of the circadian rhythm from the Aplysia eye.

A putative neurotransmitter, serotonin, may be used to transmit temporal information in the eye of Aplysia, because it can shift the phase of the circadian rhythm of spontaneous optic nerve impulses from the eye and the eye contains a significant quantity of serotonin. Serotonin acts either directly on the cell, or cells, containing the circadian pacemaker or on cells electronically coupled to the pacemaker cells.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗