Non-Miotic Improvement in Binocular Near Vision with a Topical Compound Formula for Presbyopia Correction.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this case series was to examine the association between unaided binocular visual acuity for near vision and pupil change after the instillation of a special topical formulation for presbyopia treatment. METHODS: This was a case series consisting of consecutive participants with presbyopia aged 40-70 years who were tested for visual acuity and pupil diameter before and 2 h after instillation of a formulation of pilocarpine and phenylephrine drops (FOV Tears) for presbyopia. Participants underwent subjective refraction, photopic and scotopic pupil diameter measurement and unaided monocular and binocular visual acuity testing by logMAR for distance and near vision both pre- and post-instillation of eye drops. RESULTS: The study enrolled 363 subjects (n = 176 women, 48%) with a mean (± standard deviation) age of 50.4 ± 5.8 years. Mean spherical equivalent (SE) changed significantly (- 0.17 Diopters) after instillation of the FOV Tears formulation (p < 0.001). Post-instillation of eye drops, the scotopic pupil diameter decreased by 0.97 ± 0.98 mm, and the near visual acuity by logMAR improved significantly by nearly two lines (p < 0.01). In the linear regression analyses, age (p < 0.001) and SE pre-drop instillation (p < 0.001) were associated with unaided binocular visual acuity. The changes in photopic pupil diameter and the scotopic pupil diameter were not associated with unaided binocular visual acuity. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the pilocarpine and phenylephrine formulation (FOV Tears) improved binocular visual acuity for near vision in presbyopic patients, and the effect was independent of pupil change.

Effects of environmental factors and coexisting substrates on PAH degradation and transcriptomic responses of the defined bacterial consortium OPK.

The present study showed that syntrophic associations in a defined bacterial consortium, named OPK, containing Mycolicibacterium strains PO1 and PO2, Novosphingobium pentaromativorans PY1 and Bacillus subtilis FW1, led to effective pyrene degradation over a wide range of pH values, temperatures and salinities, as well as in the presence of a second polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). Anthracene, phenanthrene or fluorene facilitated complete pyrene degradation within 9 days, while fluoranthene delayed pyrene degradation. Interestingly, fluoranthene degradation was enhanced in the presence of pyrene. Transcriptome analysis confirmed that Mycolicibacterium strains were the key PAH-degraders during the cometabolism of pyrene and fluoranthene. Notably, the transcription of genes encoding pyrene-degrading enzymes were shown to be important for enhanced fluoranthene degradation. NidAB was the major initial oxygenase involved in the degradation of pyrene and fluoranthene mixture. Other functional genes encoding ribosomal proteins, an iron transporter, ABC transporters and stress response proteins were induced in strains PO1 and PO2. Furthermore, an intermediate pyrene-degrading Novosphingobium strain contributed to protocatechuate degradation. The results demonstrated that synergistic interactions among the bacterial members (PO1, PO2 and PY1) of the consortium OPK promoted the simultaneous degradation of two high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs.

Pharmacological Therapy for Presbyopia in Patients with Previous Corneal Refractive Surgery: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: To perform a pilot evaluation of a novel pharmacological therapy for presbyopia in patients with previous corneal refractive surgery. METHODS: This interventional study included 130 presbyopic patients. The patients were divided into three groups: (1) LASIK group, which included patients with previous LASIK for myopia or hyperopia; (2) previous presbyopia surgery group, including patients with previous monovision or PresbyLASIK (PresbyMAX, SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH, Kleinostheim, Germany); and (3) control group, which included presbyopes without any corneal refractive procedure. The main reason for dividing them into groups is that we hypothesized that the previous presbyopia surgery group may have better outcomes as the patients already have an increased depth of field. The uncorrected near and distance visual acuity was measured before and 2 hours after the binocular instillation of the eye drop (FOV tears), as well as the objective scatter index (OSI), and pupil diameter in photopic and scotopic conditions. Side effects were reported as well. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant improvement in the uncorrected near vision in all groups (p = 0.001). Ninety-one percent of the patients included in this study gained at least one line in near vision. All patients in the previous presbyopia surgery group gained at least one line in near vision. Six patients (13.9%) in the LASIK group and five (7.6%) in the control group did not gain any lines of near vision. There was no significant difference in the OSI, there was a significant change in pupil size in scotopic conditions in all groups (p = 0.001), and 5.3% of the patients reported having a headache as a side effect of the therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Topical treatment with this pharmacological therapy offers a potential for near vision improvement in patients with previous corneal refractive surgery, especially in those with previous presbyopia surgery.

Complete Genome Sequence of Thalassococcus sp. Strain S3, a Marine Roseobacter Clade Member Capable of Degrading Carbazole.

We determined the complete genome sequence of Thalassococcus sp. strain S3, a marine carbazole degrader isolated from Tokyo Bay in Japan that carries genes for aerobic anoxygenic phototrophy. Strain S3 has a 4.7-Mb chromosome that harbors the carbazole-degradative gene cluster and three (96-, 63-, and 46-kb) plasmids.

Complete Genome Sequence of an Anaerobic Benzene-Degrading Bacterium, Azoarcus sp. Strain DN11.

Here, we present the complete genome sequence of Azoarcus sp. strain DN11, a denitrifying bacterium capable of anaerobic benzene degradation. The DN11 genome is 4,956,835 bp long with a G+C content of 66.3%. Genome analysis suggested the possibility that DN11 utilizes three proposed pathways for anaerobic benzene degradation, namely, methylation, hydroxylation, and carboxylation pathways.

Complete Genome Sequence of Bacillus licheniformis TAB7, a Compost-Deodorizing Strain with Potential for Plant Growth Promotion.

Bacillus licheniformis strain TAB7 degrades short-chain fatty acids responsible for offensive odor in manure and is used as a deodorant in a compost-deodorizing technology. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of strain TAB7, which consists of a 4.37-Mb chromosome and two plasmids (42 kb and 31 kb).

Near Vision Improvement with the Use of a New Topical Compound for Presbyopia Correction: A Prospective, Consecutive Interventional Non-Comparative Clinical Study.

INTRODUCTION: To report the outcomes in near vision, optical quality and pupil diameter of a new pharmacological therapy (FOV tears) for presbyopia. METHODS: This was a prospective, consecutive, interventional, non-comparative clinical study in which 117 presbyopic patients were given one drop of the novel therapy (FOV tears) in each eye, followed 2 h after the instillation of the eye drop by an evaluation of the binocular uncorrected near visual acuity (UNVA) and uncorrected distance visual acuity. The objective scatter index and pupil diameter under photopic and scotopic conditions before and after instillation were also assessed. The patients were divided into two groups according to their age, with group 1 patients being 41 and 50 years old and group 2 patients, between 51 and 65 years old. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 50.2 years. The mean UNVA before the use of the eye drop was 0.35 LogMAR, which improved to 0.16 LogMAR at 2 h after the use of the eye drop (p = 0.000). Nine patients did not show an improvement in UNVA, but no patient showed a loss of lines. Fourteen patients (11.9%) reported headaches as a side effect of the therapy. CONCLUSION: This pharmacological therapy improved near vision by one or more lines (mean improvement 0.18 lines) in 92.3% of the patients at 2 h following the instillation of the eye drops. The group with the youngest patients gained more lines than the group with the oldest patients.

Complete Genome Sequence of the Marine Carbazole-Degrading Bacterium Erythrobacter sp. Strain KY5.

We determined the complete genome sequence of Erythrobacter sp. strain KY5, a bacterium isolated from Tokyo Bay and capable of degrading carbazole. The genome consists of a 3.3-Mb circular chromosome that carries the gene clusters involved in carbazole degradation and biosynthesis of the photosynthetic apparatus of aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria.

Synergistic degradation of pyrene by five culturable bacteria in a mangrove sediment-derived bacterial consortium.

A pyrene-degrading microbial consortium was obtained after enrichment with mangrove sediment collected from Thailand. Five cultivable bacteria (Mycobacterium spp. PO1 and PO2, Novosphingobium pentaromativorans PY1, Ochrobactrum sp. PW1, and Bacillus sp. FW1) were successfully isolated from the consortium. Draft genomes of them showed that two different morphotypes of Mycobacterium (PO1 and PO2), possessed a complete gene set for pyrene degradation. PY1 contained genes for phthalate assimilation via protocatechuate, a central intermediate, by meta-cleavage pathway, and PW1 possessed genes for protocatechuate degradation via ortho-cleavage pathway. The occurrence of biosurfactant-producing genes in FW1 suggests the involvement in enhancing the pyrene bioavailability. Biotransformation experiments revealed that Mycobacterium completely degraded 100mgL-1 pyrene within six days, whereas no significant degradation was observed with the others. Notably, PY1 and PW1 exhibited higher activity for protocatechuate degradation than the others. The artificially reconstructed consortia containing Mycobacterium with the other three strains (PY1, PW1 and FW1) showed three-fold higher degradation rate for pyrene than the individual Mycobacterium. The enhanced pyrene biodegradation achieved in the consortium was due to the cooperative interaction of bacterial mixture. Our findings showing that synergistic degradation of pyrene in the consortium will facilitate the application of the defined bacterial consortium in bioremediation.