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Purpose: To describe the subretinal hyporeflective globule in cases of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). Methods: A retrospective analysis of consecutive cases of CSC presenting to a tertiary eye care center in eastern India was conducted. Subretinal hyporeflective globules were identified as small globular lesions below the external limiting membrane/ellipsoid zone, but above the RPE layer. They had a hyperreflective border with a hyporeflective core and a clear posterior tail of hyper-transmission. Results: The present study analyzed 137 eyes of 137 patients. Eighty (58.4%) eyes had acute disease at presentation, 48 (35%) eyes had chronic disease, and eight (5.8%) eyes had resolved CSC. Subretinal hyporeflective globules were seen in 27 (21.8%) eyes, of which choroidal caverns were seen in seven (5.1%) eyes. Twenty-five eyes with chronic CSC and only two eyes with acute CSC had subretinal hyporeflective globules. Three eyes with resolved CSC had subretinal hyporeflective globules. Conclusion: We describe subretinal hyporeflective globule as a novel optical coherence tomography (OCT) finding in cases of CSC and describe its clinical correlates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dietary flavonoid rutin was encapsulated in βCN micelle for better bioactivities. • Sizes of empty and loaded micelles were in nm range with spherical appearance. • The overall encapsulation process was enthalpy-driven as confirmed by ITC method. • Protein fluorescence was quenched by rutin via static quenching mechanism. • Encapsulation improved bioaccessibility, in vitro release, and anticancer effects of pristine polyphenol. The self-assembly process of proteins provides plenty of potential for redesigning and combining them into supramolecular assemblies for real-time applications. The present study demonstrates the encapsulation of dietary polyphenol rutin in β-casein (βCN) micellar cavity followed by their molecular interactions and biological implications. The prepared rutin-loaded βCN particles (DLS: 274.2 ± 3.86 nm; TEM: ∼200 nm) appeared to be smoothly spherical. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) studies indicated that the encapsulation process was thermodynamically favorable and a typical example of entropy-driven hydrophobic interaction (Δ H : 38.1 kJ mol−1; TΔS = 51.9 kJ mol−1 K−1). The molecular interaction of rutin with βCN was characterized by absorption, steady-state fluorescence, and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopic studies. The intrinsic fluorescence of βCN was quenched by rutin via a static mechanism with a favorable binding affinity. Molecular docking studies suggested the involvement of hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions between the concerned entities. A sustained release mechanism followed by significant improvement in the cytotoxicity of rutin was observed after encapsulation. An in vitro digestion model mimicking gastric and intestinal phases was also employed to study the bioaccessibility. Our study may assist in formulating more efficient casein-based carrier systems to enhance the bio-efficacy of polyphenols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multicolor (MC) imaging is an innovative pseudocolor fundus imaging modality based on confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. It effectively scans the retina at different depths to create a composite image. The green reflectance image depicts the middle retinal while blue reflectance image provides images of the retinal surface. The infrared reflectance image depicts retinal structures at the level of outer retina and choroid. We systematically analyze published case reports, case series, and original articles on MC imaging where it has helped in discovering additional clinical features of retinal diseases not readily apparent on conventional color fundus photography and played a role in monitoring the response to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α)‐induced keratinocyte inflammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of multiple inflammatory skin diseases. Here we investigated the anti‐inflammatory effect of S‐allyl cysteine (SAC) on TNF‐α‐induced HaCaT keratinocyte cells and the mechanism behind its anti‐inflammatory potential. SAC was found to inhibit TNF‐α‐stimulated cytokine expression. Further, SAC was found to inhibit TNF‐α‐induced activation of p38, JNK and NF‐κB pathways. Interestingly, SAC was found to differentially regulate ERK MAP kinase in cells. TNF‐α‐induced transient ERK activation and SAC treatment resulted in sustained ERK activation both in the presence and absence of TNF‐α. Additionally, SAC failed to inhibit the TNF‐α‐induced expression of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines TNF‐α and IL‐1β when cells were treated with the MEK inhibitor PD98059, suggesting that the anti‐inflammatory effect of SAC is via sustained activation of the ERK pathway. Since ERK activation has been reported to negatively regulate NF‐κB‐driven gene expression and we find that SAC activates ERK and negatively regulates NF‐κB, we investigated whether there existed any crosstalk between the ERK and the NF‐κB pathways. NF‐κB‐dependent reporter assay, visualization of the nuclear translocation of NF‐κB‐p65 subunit and determination of the cellular levels of I‐κB, the inhibitor of NF‐κB, revealed that SAC inhibited TNF‐α‐induced NF‐κB activation, and PD98059 treatment reversed this effect. These results collectively suggest that SAC inhibits TNF‐α‐induced inflammation in HaCaT cells via a combined effect entailing the inhibition of the p38 and the JNK pathways and NF‐κB pathway via the sustained activation of ERK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grass pea has the potential to become a miracle crop if the stigma attached to it as a toxic plant is ignored. In light of the following, we conducted transcriptome analyses on the high and low ODAP-containing cultivars i.e., Nirmal and Bidhan respectively in both normal and salt stress conditions. In this study, genes that work upstream and downstream to β-ODAP have been found. Among these genes, AAO3 and ACL5 were related to ABA and polyamine biosynthesis, showing the relevance of ABA and polyamines in boosting the β-ODAP content in Nirmal. Elevated β-ODAP levels in salt stress-treated Bidhan may have evolved tolerance by positively regulating the expression of genes involved in phenylpropanoid and jasmonic acid biosynthesis. Although the concentration of β-ODAP in Bidhan increased under salt stress, it was lower than in stress-treated Nirmal. Despite this, the expression of stress-related genes that work downstream to β-ODAP was found higher in stress-treated Bidhan. This could be because stress-treated Nirmal has lower GSH, proline, and higher H 2 O 2 , resulting in the development of severe oxidative stress. Overall, our research not only identified new genes linked with β-ODAP, but also revealed the molecular mechanism by which a low β-ODAP-containing cultivar developed tolerance against salinity stress. • Bidhan is a low-β-ODAP cultivar having salinity stress tolerance. • β-ODAP production is largely regulated by genes involved in ABA and polyamine biosynthesis. • Elevated β-ODAP in stress-treated Bidhan develops tolerance by positive regulation of phenylpropanoid and jasmonic acid biosynthesis related genes. • Elevated level of GSH and proline provides salinity stress tolerance to Bidhan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]