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University of Alabama at Birmingham

Theses/Dissertations

2009

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Optometry

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Comparisons Between Behavioral And Electrophysiological Measures Of Visual Function In Rodent Models Of Retinal Degeneration, Glen R. Rubin Jan 2009

Comparisons Between Behavioral And Electrophysiological Measures Of Visual Function In Rodent Models Of Retinal Degeneration, Glen R. Rubin

All ETDs from UAB

The critical flicker frequency (CFF) is the lowest frequency for which a flickering light appears steady. Measuring CFF indicates rod- and cone-driven function relative to light intensity. CFF can be measured by both electroretinogram (ERG) and behavior. We measured CFF in several rodent models of retinal degeneration in order to better characterize retinal degeneration and understand the functional implications of electrophysiological changes. We measured ERG CFF in RCS dystrophic (RCS-p+) and wild type (WT) rats at PN23, PN44, and PN64. ERG CFF data in RCS rats show significant early degeneration of the rods followed by cones. CFF was significantly lower …


Sustained Pupil Constriction Following Brief Light Exposure: Relation To Retinal Health, Laxmikanth Kankipati Jan 2009

Sustained Pupil Constriction Following Brief Light Exposure: Relation To Retinal Health, Laxmikanth Kankipati

All ETDs from UAB

The pupillary light reflex (PLR) is an indispensable clinical measure of visual, neurological and autonomic function which, until recently, was thought to be driven by only rods and cones. In 2000, a novel subset of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) was discovered that express melanopsin and are intrinsically photosensitive (ipRGC). These ipRGCs contribute to the PLR and are responsible for the sustained pupilloconstriction observed following light offset (the post-illumination pupil response (PIPR)). The primary goal of this project was to examine the PIPR in a broad sample of the general human population. Using a newly-developed, wide-field optical system, we demonstrate that …


Effects Of Daily Versus 30-Day Continuous Contact Lens Wear On Tear Cytokine Levels, Lucy Ebunoluwa Kehinde Jan 2009

Effects Of Daily Versus 30-Day Continuous Contact Lens Wear On Tear Cytokine Levels, Lucy Ebunoluwa Kehinde

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if 30 days of continuous contact lens wear produces a different ocular inflammatory response compared to 30 days of daily wear of Bausch & Lomb® PureVisionTM silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Eighty-five individuals wore these lenses for 30 days continuously in one eye and daily in the contralateral eye. Relative concentrations of 27 cytokines were measured in tear samples collected from the subjects using cytometric bead-based assays. Clinical tests were also conducted to correlate changes in cytokine levels to changes in clinical profiles. This study contributes to a greater understanding of the impact …


Patterns Of Differential Mrna And Protein Expression During Minus Lens Compensation And Recovery In Tree Shrew Sclera, Hong Gao Jan 2009

Patterns Of Differential Mrna And Protein Expression During Minus Lens Compensation And Recovery In Tree Shrew Sclera, Hong Gao

All ETDs from UAB

During the juvenile period of human development, an emmetropization mechanism uses visual signals to precisely guide the axial length elongation rate of the eyes to the optical power to keep the images in sharp focus. However, almost a third of the U.S. population develops axial myopia, in which the eye is elongated relative to the focal plane. The aims of the study were to examine 27 genes and 6 proteins in tree shrew sclera for potential differential expression patterns during minus lens compensation and dur-ing recovery. The study hypothesized that, in response to hyperopia produced by a -5 D lens, …


Modification Of Adenovirus Capsid Proteins For Gene Therapy Applications, Yizhe Tang Jan 2009

Modification Of Adenovirus Capsid Proteins For Gene Therapy Applications, Yizhe Tang

All ETDs from UAB

Adenovirus (Ad) is the most commonly used viral vector in gene therapy applications to date for a broad range of diseases. Although Ad-based viral vectors have many advantages in a variety of gene therapy designs, the commonly used adenoviral vectors have several key shortcomings. Those shortcomings include (1) inefficient transduction in cell types devoid of Ad’s native receptors and the incapability of gene delivery to targets behind physical barriers; (2) restricted accessibility to the central nerve system due to the existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB); (3) lack of a useful strategy and platform to generate multi-functionality displaying Ad vectors …