This study is the first report of the branching pattern of the four major branches of the subclavian artery in German Shepherd dogs. A total 116 subclavian artery casts made of silicon under mean arterial pressure were analysed. The casts were classified according to their branching order and the pattern of the first two branches of the vertebral artery and costocervical trunk. The three subtypes of each major type were based on the branching order or level of the next two branches (the superficial cervical artery and internal thoracic artery). Eleven of 12 possible subtypes were found in the samples. The number of dogs having the same branching subtype of the left and right subclavian arteries was not greater than those having a different subtype. The distance between the first and last branches of the subclavian artery was always longer on the left side than on the right. However, gender-based differences were identified neither in the subtype patterns nor in the distance between the branches. These results suggest a variable branching of the subclavian arteries with frequent differences of the branching pattern on the left and right sides in German Shepherds.

PurposeTo analyze the effects of soft contact lenses on central corneal thickness and morphologic characteristics of the corneal endothelium in diabetic patients.Materials and MethodsUltrasound pachymetry and noncontact specular microscopy were performed on 26 diabetic patients who regularly use soft contact lenses (group 1), 27 diabetic patients who do not use soft contact lenses (group 2) and 30 normal subjects (group 3). We compared the values in each group using the Mann-Whitney test.ResultsThe central cornea was found to be thicker in diabetic patients, both those who use and do not use contact lenses, than in the normal control group. The central corneal thickness was significantly higher in group 1 (564.73 ± 35.41 µm) and group 2 (555.76 ± 45.96 µm) than in the control group (534.05 ± 27.02 µm), but there was no statistically significant difference between groups 1 and 2. Endothelial cell density was significantly different between the groups, and was smallest in the group of diabetic patients using contact lenses. The coefficient of variation of cell size was significantly higher and the percentage of hexagonal cells was significantly lower in contact lens using diabetic patients than in non-contact lens using diabetic patients and in the control group.ConclusionCentral corneal thickness and endothelial cell density is more affected by diabetes mellitus, and corneal endothelial cell morphology is more affected by contact lens use, when compared with normal subjects.

This study investigated the effect of subconjunctival injections of bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF antibody, on processes involved in corneal wound healing after alkali burn injury. Mice were divided into three groups: Group 1 was the saline-treated control, group 2 received subconjunctival injection of bevacizumab 1hr after injury and group 3 received bevacizumab 1 hr and 4 days after injury. Cornea neovascularization and opacity were observed using a slit lamp microscope. Corneal repair was assessed through histological analysis and immunostaining for CD31, α-SMA, collagen I, and TGF-β2 7 days post-injury. In

Brain functional changes could be observed in people after an experience of virtual reality (VR). The present study investigated cyber sickness and changes of brain regional activity using electroencephalogram (EEG)-based source localization, before and after a VR experience involving a smartphone-assisted head mount display. Thirty participants (mean age = 25 years old) were recruited. All were physically healthy and had no ophthalmological diseases. Their corrected vision was better than 20/20. Resting state EEG and the simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ) were measured before and after the VR experience. Source activity of each frequency band was calculated using the sLORETA program. After the VR experience, the SSQ total score and sub scores (nausea, oculomotor symptoms, and disorientation) were significantly increased, and brain source activations were significantly increased: alpha1 activity in the cuneus and alpha2 activity in the cuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG). The change of SSQ score (after–before) showed significant negative correlation with the change of PCG activation (after–before) in the alpha2 band. The study demonstrated increased cyber sickness and increased alpha band power in the cuneus and PCG after the VR experience. Reduced PCG activation in alpha band may be associated with the symptom severity of cyber sickness.

Faces are processed best when they are presented in the left visual field (LVF), a phenomenon known as LVF superiority. Although one eye contributes more when perceiving faces, it is unclear how the dominant eye (DE), the eye we unconsciously use when performing a monocular task, affects face processing. Here, we examined the influence of the DE on the LVF superiority for faces using event-related potentials. Twenty left-eye-dominant (LDE group) and 23 right-eye-dominant (RDE group) participants performed the experiments. Face stimuli were randomly presented in the LVF or right visual field (RVF). The RDE group exhibited significantly larger N170 amplitudes compared with the LDE group. Faces presented in the LVF elicited N170 amplitudes that were significantly more negative in the RDE group than they were in the LDE group, whereas the amplitudes elicited by stimuli presented in the RVF were equivalent between the groups. The LVF superiority was maintained in the RDE group but not in the LDE group. Our results provide the first neural evidence of the DE’s effects on the LVF superiority for faces. We propose that the RDE may be more biologically specialized for face processing.

ObjectiveIndividuals with dyslexia experience reading difficulties, whereas their other cognitive abilities seem normal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the event-related potential (ERP) patterns of children with dyslexia during a target-detection task.MethodsSeventeen children with dyslexia and 18 children without this disorder participated in this study. We evaluated their writing and reading ability, symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and intelligence quotient. ERPs were recorded while participants performed a target-detection task, and the peak amplitude and latency of P100 and P300 were analyzed. The lateral asymmetry index (LAI) was calculated for each ERP component.ResultsThe dyslexic group exhibited longer reaction times and larger P100 amplitudes than the non-dyslexic group in the right hemisphere. The P100 latency was also significantly delayed in the right hemisphere of those in the dyslexic group compared with those in the non-dyslexic group. The P300 amplitude was larger in the right hemisphere compared with left hemisphere in the dyslexic group, whereas no interhemispheric differences were observed with respect to the P300 latency. The LAI for P100 showed a significant right hemispheric dominance, whereas the LAI for P100 was significantly correlated with the accuracy of target detection in children with dyslexia.ConclusionOur results suggest that right hemispheric dominance acts as an ancillary system that compensates for poor reading in children with dyslexia.

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