Polarized light microscopy reveals that the structural parameters of Rana pipiens rod outer segments (ROS) are not uniform along the cell axis. In addition to a pronounced birefringence (delta n) gradient found in the basal half of most ROS, periodic delta n bands are seen in approximately 10% of intact ROS isolated by agitating retinas in frog Ringer's solution. These small delta n differences...

PURPOSE To test the hypothesis that in rats, intraretinal light-dependent changes on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in vivo are consistent with known retinal layer-specific physiology. METHODS In male Sprague-Dawley rats, retinal morphology (thickness, extent, surface area, volume) and intraretinal profiles of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC, i.e., water mobility)...

PURPOSE To determine the diural intraocular pressure (IOP) response of Brown Norway rat eyes after sclerosis of the aqueous humor outflow pathways and its relationship to optic nerve damage. METHODS Hypertonic saline was injected into a single episcleral vein in 17 animals and awake IOP measured in both the light and dark phases of the circadian cycle for 34 days. Mean IOP for light and dark ...

A prototype 13-bp TATA-box sequence, TCACTATATATAG, was mutated at each nucleotide position and examined for its function in the core promoter. Specific nucleotides in the first TATA, the second TATA, as well as the flanking sequences influenced promoter function in transient transformation of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum var Petit Havana) leaves. The effect of a given mutation on reporter gene e...

In this study, we investigated the prompt release of acetaldehyde and other oxygenated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from leaves of Grey poplar [Populus x canescens (Aiton) Smith] following light-dark transitions. Mass scans utilizing the extremely fast and sensitive proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry technique revealed the following temporal pattern after light-dark transitions: he...

Seeds of many plant species are green during embryogenesis. To directly assess the influence of light on the physiological status of green oilseeds in planta, Brassica napus and soybean (Glycine max) seeds were rapidly dissected from plants growing in the light or dark. The activation state of malate dehydrogenase, which reflects reduced thioredoxin and NADP/NADPH ratios, was found to be as hig...

PURPOSE To describe the use of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) in studying the dynamic dark-light changes of the anterior chamber angle. METHODS Thirty-seven normal subjects with open angles on dark-room gonioscopy and 18 subjects with narrow angles were analyzed. The dynamic dark-light changes of the anterior-chamber angle were captured with real-time video recording. The...

Using transgenic Nicotiana plumbaginifolia seedlings in which the calcium reporter aequorin is targeted to the chloroplast stroma, we found that darkness stimulates a considerable flux of Ca(2+) into the stroma. This Ca(2+) flux did not occur immediately after the light-to-dark transition but began approximately 5 min after lights off and increased to a peak at approximately 20 to 30 min after ...

Phosphoglycolate and phosphoglycerate phosphatases and glycolate dehydrogenase activities were determined in division synchronized Euglena gracilis strain Z cultures. Phosphoglycolate phosphatase activity remained nearly constant in the light but doubled in the dark, whereas phosphoglycerate phosphatase activity decreased by half in the light and increased 4-fold over the dark phase of the cycl...

OBJECTIVE To assess the agreement between findings obtained at dark-room gonioscopy and ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) in the diagnosis of iridotrabecular apposition in light and dark conditions. METHODS We enrolled patients with appositional angle closure at dark-room gonioscopy performed using a 1-mm slitlamp beam that did not cross the pupil. Ultrasound biomicroscopic images were acquired ...