Purpose Rod photoreceptor terminals respond to retinal injury with retraction and sprouting. Since the guidance cue Semaphorin3A (Sema3A) is observed in the retina after injury, we asked whether Sema3A contributes to structural plasticity in rod photoreceptors. Methods We used Western blots and alkaline phosphatase (AP)-tagged neuropilin-1 (NPN-1) to detect the expression of Sema3A in an orga...

We previously reported that supplementation with 17beta-estradiol (E2) attenuates albuminuria, glomerulosclerosis, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy. The present study examined the mechanisms by which E2 regulates extracellular matrix (ECM) metabolism, a process that contributes to the development of glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. The study was perform...

PURPOSE To determine the extent of rod and cone photoreceptor dysfunction in patients with cone dystrophy using psychophysical and electrophysiological tests. METHODS Ten patients with cone dystrophy participated. Rod and cone system psychophysical thresholds were measured as a function of retinal eccentricity. Bright-flash full-field electroretinograms were obtained under dark-adapted (rod-m...

Effects of chemical structure changes on the thermal, mechanical, and crystalline properties of rigid rod epoxy resins have been studied for azomethine epoxy, biphenol epoxy, and tetramethyl biphenol epoxy. Rigid rod epoxies have exhibited better properties than those of the flexible bisphenol A epoxy. The chemical structures of both rigid rod epoxy and curing agent control the properties of cu...

The light responses of rod and cone photoreceptors have been studied electrophysiologically for decades, largely with ex vivo approaches that disrupt the photoreceptors' subretinal microenvironment. Here we report the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure light-driven signals of rod photoreceptors in vivo. Visible light stimulation over a 200-fold intensity range caused correlate...

Of all the functions that define visual performance, the mesopic luminous efficiency function is probably the most complex and hardest to standardise or model. Complexities arise because of the substantial and often rapid visual changes that accompany the transition from scotopic to photopic vision. These are caused not only by the switch from rod to cone photoreceptors, but also by switches be...

While the rule of mixture is applicable for addressing the overall Poisson's ratio of a concentrically aligned bi-layered rod under longitudinal loading, the same cannot be said for this rod under torsional loading due to the higher extent of deformation in the rod material further away from the torsional axis. In addition, the use of adhesives for attaching the solid inner rod to the hollow ou...

PURPOSE To evaluate rod photoreceptor and postreceptor retinal function in pediatric patients with achromatopsia (ACHR) and blue cone monochromatism (BCM) using contemporary electroretinographic (ERG) procedures. METHODS Fifteen patients (age range, 1-20 years) with ACHR and six patients (age range, 4-22 years) with BCM were studied. ERG responses to full-field stimuli were obtained in scotop...