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Aim. To asses both choroidal thickness differences among Alzheimer's type dementia (ATD) patients, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, and healthy control (C) subjects and choroidal thickness relationships with cognitive performance. Methods. A total of 246 eyes of 123 people (41 ATD, 38 MCI, and 44 healthy C subjects) were included in this study. Complete ophthalmological and neurological examination was performed in all subjects. Choroidal thicknesses (CT) were measured at seven locations: the fovea, 500-1500-3000 μm temporal and 500-1500-3000 μm nasal to the fovea by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). Detailed neurological examination including mini mental state examination (MMSE) test which evaluates the cognitive function was applied to all participants. Results. The ages and genders of all participants were similar in all groups. Compared with healthy C subjects, the CT measurements at all regions were significantly thinner both in patients with ATD and in patients with MCI than in healthy C subjects (p < 0.05). The MMSE scores were significantly different among ATD patients, MCI patients, and healthy C subjects. They were 19.3 ± 1.8, 24.8 ± 0.9, and 27.6 ± 1.2 in ATD, MCI, and healthy controls, respectively (p < 0.001). There were also significant correlation between MMSE score and choroidal thickness at each location (p < 0.05). Conclusions. CT was reduced in ATD patients and MCI patients. Since vascular structures were affected in ATD patients and MCI patients, they had thin CT. Besides CT was correlated with degree of cognitive impairment. Therefore CT may be a new biomarker in diagnosis and follow-up of MCI and ATD patients.

The ontogenic development of the main digestive enzymes (proteases, amylase and lipase) in the red porgy, Pagrus pagrus, larvae was assayed during the larval development. The green water technique was carried out for larval rearing and whole-body homogenates were used for enzymatic assays in triplicate. Signi¢cant alterations in speci¢c activities of all digestive enzymes measured during the period of this study were mostly related to metamorphosis and weaning. Trypsin-and chymotrypsin-speci¢c activities were ¢rst detected on day 3, together with opening of the mouth, and slightly increased until 25 days after hatching (DAH). After this period, the speci¢c activities of these enzymes slightly decreased. Pepsin was ¢rst detected on day 28, concurrent with stomach formation, and a sharp increase was observed until 30 DAH. A slight decrease was measured from this date until the end of the experiment. Both amylase and lipase were measured for the ¢rst time on days 2 and 4 respectively, and the speci¢c activities of these enzymes showed similar patterns during the ¢rst week of the study. Then, slight variations were observed until 30 DAH and while lipase-speci¢c activity declined, an increase in the speci¢c activity of amylase was found until the end of the experiment. It is concluded that the variations observed in the speci¢c activity of digestive enzymes were related to either metamorphosis, such as the formation of the stomach (28 DAH), or to changes in food composition. The pro¢le of the developmental pattern of the main digestive enzymes detected in P. pagrus is similar to that described for other Sparid species.

The subfoveal choroid in premature infants can be effectively evaluated using a portable SD-OCT device. Choroidal thickness gets thinner with the severity of ROP and the decrease is more prominent at the central and temporal location. Cystoid macular edema is not correlated with choroidal thickness in premature infants.