Ca(2+)-dependent regulation of fusion pore dilation and closure is a key mechanism determining the output of cellular secretion. We have recently described 'fusion-activated' Ca(2+) entry (FACE) following exocytosis of lamellar bodies in alveolar type II cells. FACE regulates fusion pore expansion and facilitates secretion. However, the mechanisms linking this locally restricted Ca(2+) signal a...

THE USE of a Barron artificial anterior chamber (Katena Products, Inc) results in safer and more efficient surgery for deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) procedures, according to Pavel Studeny MD. Speaking to delegates at the first Cornea Day organised as part of the 10th ESCRS Winter Refractive meeting, Dr Studeny said that the Barron device successfully addresses some of the proble...

The gel-to-fluid and lamellar-to-HII-hexagonal thermotropic phase transitions of egg-yolk phosphatidylethanolamine have been examined by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy under a variety of conditions, namely excess water at pH 5.0, excess water at pH 9.5 and low hydration. The various lamellar and hexagonal phases have been characterized by X-ray diffraction. At pH 5.0, gel-fluid and lam...

Penetrating corneal transplant (PKP) surgery has been performed for centuries as the procedure of choice to restore vision in cases of advanced corneal disease. However, the last two decades have seen the introduction of lamellar corneal surgery (deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty, DALK; Descemet stripping-automated endothelial keratoplasty, DSAEK; and Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplast...

Quantitative deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance is used to study the freezing behavior of the water in phosphatidylcholine lamellar phases, and the effect upon it of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), sorbitol, sucrose, and trehalose. When sufficient solute is present, an isotropic phase of concentrated aqueous solution may coexist with the lamellar phase at freezing temperatures. We determine the com...

PURPOSE To evaluate genotypic and macular morphologic correlations in patients with RPE65-, CEP290-, GUCY2D-, or AIPL1-related Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). METHODS SD-OCT macular scans were performed in 21 patients, including 10 with RPE65, 7 with CEP290, 3 with GUCY2D, and 1 with AIPL1 mutations. An image processing software wa...

The development of crystalline lamellae in ultra-thin layers of poly(ethylene terephthalate) PET confined between polycarbonate (PC) layers in an alternating assembly is investigated as a function of layer thickness by means of X-ray diffraction methods. Isothermal crystallization from the glassy state is insitu followed by means of small-angle X-ray diffraction. It is found that the reduced si...

Synthetic lamellar silica and hybrid lamellar silicas have been prepared by liquid crystal templating, template extraction and silanization. The samples have been characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), carbon analysis, spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and nitrogen adsorption. The XRD analyses have shown that the lamellar periodic stacking is preserved for all samples. The quant...