Optometry Commons^™

Loss Of Class Iii Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Vps34 Results In Cone Degeneration, Ammaji Rajala, Feng He, Robert E Anderson, Theodore G Wensel, Raju V S Rajala

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The major pathway for the production of the low-abundance membrane lipid phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI(3)P) synthesis is catalyzed by class III phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) Vps34. The absence of Vps34 was previously found to disrupt autophagy and other membrane-trafficking pathways in some sensory neurons, but the roles of phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate and Vps34 in cone photoreceptor cells have not previously been explored. We found that the deletion of Vps34 in neighboring rods in mouse retina did not disrupt cone function up to 8 weeks after birth, despite diminished rod function. Immunoblotting and lipid analysis of cones isolated from the cone-dominant retinas of the …

Mtor-Initiated Metabolic Switch And Degeneration In The Retinal Pigment Epithelium, Young-Mi Go, Jing Zhang, Jolyn Fernandes, Christopher Litwin, Rui Chen, Theodore G Wensel, Dean P Jones, Jiyang Cai, Yan Chen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a particularly vulnerable tissue to age-dependent degeneration. Over the life span, the RPE develops an expanded endo-lysosomal compartment to maintain the high efficiency of phagocytosis and degradation of photoreceptor outer segments (POS) necessary for photoreceptor survival. As the assembly and activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) occur on the lysosome surface, increased lysosome mass with aging leads to higher mTORC1 activity. The functional consequences of hyperactive mTORC1 in the RPE are unclear. In the current study, we used integrated high-resolution metabolomic and genomic approaches to examine mice with RPE-specific deletion …

Determining Age-Related Visual Memory And Line Length Perception In Children And Adults, Katie Exline

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

There is little research in the field of visual memory and perceptual abilities of children as compared to adults. This thesis seeks to understand and provide new perspectives to this field with potential implications in the fields of optometry and education. Through two basic experiments, this thesis evaluates the abilities of individuals to perceive a visual stimulus and compare it other visual stimuli, while also observing their abilities to learn and remember various visual stimuli. Through experimentation using line length as the visual stimulus, the method of constant stimuli (MCS) evaluates subjects’ visual perception and the method of single stimuli …

Walking Biomechanics And Energetics Of Individuals With A Visual Impairment: A Preliminary Report, Hunter J. Bennett, Kevin A. Valenzuela, Kristina Fleenor, Steven Morrison, Justin A. Haegele

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose.

Although walking gait in sighted populations is well researched, few studies have investigated persons with visual impairments (VIs). Given the lack of physical activity in people with VIs, it is possible that reduced efficiency in walking could adversely affect activity. The purposes of this preliminary study were to (1) examine the biomechanics and energetics utilized during independent and guided walking in subjects with VIs, and (2) compare gait biomechanics between people with VIs and sighted controls.

Methods.

Three-dimensional motion capture and force platforms were used during independent and guided walking at self-selected speeds. Joint angles, moments, external work, and …

Eye Tissue Regeneration: Seam As A Cure For Prevalent Eye Disease, Molly Bute

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

SEAM (Self-formed ectodermal autonomous multizone) is a form of eye tissue regeneration discovered by Japanese scientists in 2016. This tissue regeneration encompasses tissues from all areas of the human eye. The SEAM forms tissues using stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells were used in the first study, and produces four concentric zones. The SEAM that has been created was shown to cure corneal blindness in animal models, and has the potential to cure a multitude of human eye diseases in the future.

Efficacy And Safety Comparison Between Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid And Mitomycin C In Reducing The Risk Of Corneal Haze After Prk Treatment In Vivo, Govindaraj Anumanthan, Ajay Sharma, Michael R. Waggoner, Chuck W. Hamm, Suneel Gupta, Nathan P. Hesemann, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

PURPOSE:

This study compared the efficacy and safety of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and mitomycin C (MMC) up to 4 months in the prevention of corneal haze induced by photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in rabbits in vivo.

METHODS:

Corneal haze in rabbits was produced with −9.00 diopter PRK. A single application of SAHA (25 μM) or MMC (0.02%) was applied topically immediately after PRK. Effects of the two drugs were analyzed by slit-lamp microscope, specular microscope, TUNEL assay, and immunofluorescence.

RESULTS:

Single topical adjunct use of SAHA (25 μM) or MMC (0.02%) after PRK attenuated more than 95% corneal …

Efficient In Vitro Development Of Photoreceptors From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells, Joseph C. Reynolds

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Degeneration of the rod and cone photoreceptors in the human retina is among the most common causes of blindness. Replacing these damaged photoreceptors may help to restore vision. Repairing the damaged retina relies on the insertion of new, healthy cells. Embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are two possible sources of photoreceptors to restore vision. Previous data shows that human ES cells and iPS cells can be differentiated into photoreceptors and transplanted into the eye to restore some vision. However, this process is inefficient, and costly. Here, we show a new method for inducing photoreceptor production …

Image Processing Of Oct Glaucoma Images And Information Theory Analysis, Shuting Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glaucoma is a group of optic nerve disease with progressive structural changes leading to loss of visual function. A careful examination and detection of changes in the optic nerve is the key to early diagnosis of glaucoma. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is one of the known techniques of diagnosis of glaucoma. The patients' eyes are scanned and sub-surface images are captured from optical nerves. Captured OCT images usually suffer from noise and therefore image enhancement techniques can help doctors in better analysis of OCT images and diagnosis of glaucoma. In this thesis, we propose three successful algorithms for enhancing the …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Administration Documents

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Albin, Bettye. John Dryden's Criticism: The Neglected Link
• Allen, Christopher. Martial Reflections: Ancient Cultures and Their War-Gods
• Case, Laura. Climatic Preference
• Deller, Kathy. Regression Analysis: The Effects of Advertising, Price, Income and Import Sales on American-Made Auto Sales
• Downing, Elizabeth. Dorothy Leigh Sayers: Detective of Literary Theory in The Mind of the Maker
• Elder, Janice. A Retrospective Study on Discharge Planning and Primiparas at Breckinridge Memorial
• Flora, Joan. Narcissism and the Need for …