To identify individual cone photoreceptors in a transgenic mouse line in BIX 01294 cost vivo based on selective expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) using cSLO
(confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy) and to use this approach to monitor cone cell fate in mouse models of retinal degeneration.\n\nMETHODS. Transgenic mice expressing GFP under the control of a red-green opsin promoter (RG-GFP mice) were analyzed in vivo with respect to GFP expression in cone cells using cSLO and functional integrity using electroretinography (ERG). Histology was performed to correlate the pattern of GFP expression with light microscopic data. Longitudinal monitoring of cone survival was evaluated in crossbreds of RG-GFP mice with cpfl1 and Rpe65(-/-) mutant mice, respectively.\n\nRESULTS. The authors found that RG-GFP transgenic mice had a stable GFP expression that did not interfere with retinal function up to at least 3 months of age. Thus, a longitudinal analysis of cone degeneration in individual RG cpfl1 and RG Rpe65(-/-) cross-bred mice in vivo was successfully performed and demonstrated distinct time frames of cone survival in the particular mouse model.\n\nCONCLUSIONS. Monitoring GFP expression in cone photoreceptor
cells, such as in the RG-GFP mouse, is a promising in vivo approach for the analysis of cone survival in mice. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010; 51:493-497) DOI:10.1167/iovs.09-4003″
“Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant Selleck CX-6258 S. aureus (MRSA), is an important human pathogen that produces a variety of toxins and causes a wide range of infections, including soft-tissue infections, bacteremia, and staphylococcal food poisoning. selleck A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay targeting the arcC gene of S.
aureus was developed and evaluated with 119 S. aureus and 25 non-S. aureus strains. The usefulness of the assay was compared with the PCR method that targets spa and arcC genes. The optimal temperature for the LAMP assay was 58.5 degrees C with a detection limit of 2.5 ng/mu L and 10(2) CFU/mL when compared to 12.5 ng/mu L and 10(3) CFU/mL for PCR (spa and arcC). Both LAMP and PCR assays were 100% specific, 100% sensitive, 100% positive predictive value (PPV), and 100% negative predictive value (NPV). When tested on 30 spiked blood specimens (21 MRSA, eight non-S. aureus and one negative control), the performance of LAMP and PCR was comparable: 100% specific, 100% sensitive, 100% PPV, and 100% NPV. In conclusion, the LAMP assay was equally specific with a shorter detection time when compared to PCR in the identification of S. aureus. The LAMP assay is a promising alternative method for the rapid identification of S. aureus and could be used in resource-limited laboratories and fields.”
“The pharmacokinetic (PK) behavior of inhaled drugs is more complicated than that of other forms of administration.