Binocular summation enhances visual performance. This enhancement may be disrupted in visual conditions that introduce interocular asymmetries, e.g., glaucoma. Reaction times provide a direct index of visual processing efficiency. However, they have not been studied systematically under binocular conditions in glaucoma. This investigation quantified monocular and binocular saccadic reaction times (RTs) across the visual field using eye-movement perimetry (EMP), compared binocular summation between healthy and glaucoma participants and evaluated correspondence with computational models. Saccadic RTs were measured monocularly/binocularly at 54/56 visual-field locations in seven healthy participants and eight participants with glaucoma of varying severity. Each location was tested with six to ten repetitions under low (74
This study evaluated the antibiofilm potential of stylicin from Penaeus vannamei against Vibrio harveyi. Stylicin was found to significantly affect cell morphology and biofilm density, as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging at a minimal biofilm inhibitory concentration (100 μg). Produced 74,107,048 clean reads (control: 36,354,900; stylicin-treated: 37,752,148) and identified 215 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 131 were upregulated and 84 were downregulated. Genes, such as the NO-inducible flavohemoprotein, the NnrS family protein and the cryptochrome/photolyase family protein, which mainly help to maintain physiological activity, were found to be upregulated by stylicin. The downregulated genes were mainly associated with the Type VI secretion system, adhesion, and biofilm formation, which are associated with the main virulence factors of V. harveyi. Further protein-protein interaction analysis identified five potential target proteins for stylicin (CysD, MetK, GroEL, Gap, and TssJ). Docking studies showed strong binding affinity, and optimal docking scores, indicating highly favourable interactions. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the enhanced stability and compactness of the protein-stylicin complexes which exhibited stable hydrogen bonds and non-bonded contacts. These findings highlight the potential of stylicin by targeting key virulence factors of V. harveyi, paving the way for further validation and therapeutic development.
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease caused by Leptospira spirochetes, with limited therapeutic options, symptoms ranging from mild flu-like illness to severe organ failure and death. It presents a broad clinical spectrum, complicating diagnosis and treatment. This study targets Leptospira thiamine monophosphate kinase (ThiL), an essential enzyme conserved across the pathogenic species of Leptospira that is crucial for bacterial survival, with no known human homolog, making it a promising and selective therapeutic candidate for drug development. This study aims to discover effective inhibitors of Leptospira ThiL using Structure-Based Virtual Screening (SBVS). Potential hits were evaluated for drug-like properties, followed by Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to assess electronic structure properties. Further molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy calculations were performed using the MM/PBSA approach to confirm the stability and affinity of the inhibitor. High-throughput Virtual Screening (HTVS) of phytochemicals revealed five promising candidates, namely, IMPHY004345, IMPHY005869, IMPHY006284, IMPHY002964, and IMPHY005688, exhibiting better docking scores (-12.36 to -10.54 kcal/mol) and strong MM/GBSA binding energies (-47.26 to -40.72 kcal/mol), along with optimal pharmacokinetic profiles. DFT analysis assessed the electronic properties of these compounds, providing insights into their chemical reactivity. MD simulations demonstrated stable binding and persistent hydrogen-bond interactions in the ThiL-ligand complexes. The conformational stability was monitored through MD-based distance plot analysis, revealing sustained interactions with catalytically significant residues (Glu9, Gln23, Asp39, Arg140, Thr209 Lys218) across all pathogenic Leptospira species, underscoring ThiL's evolutionary and functional importance. MM/PBSA calculations also support the high-affinity binding, with key residues emerging as crucial for maintaining complex stability and contributing to energy. This study establishes ThiL as a structurally stable, evolutionarily conserved, and highly druggable target in Leptospira. The identified leads, IMPHY006284 and IMPHY004345, emerged as the most potent broad-spectrum ThiL inhibitors, exhibiting multi-target inhibition across pathogenic species. This offers a promising strategy to overcome strain-specific variability and deliver broad-spectrum therapeutics for leptospirosis management.
Purpose: To evaluate the long-term visual and therapeutic outcomes of scleral lenses in pediatric patients with ocular surface disorders over a 17-year period at a tertiary eye care center. Methods: This retrospective observational study included pediatric patients (≤18 years) with ocular surface disorders who underwent scleral lens fitting between 2008 and 2025 at a tertiary center in South India, with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. Data extracted from electronic medical records included demographics, diagnosis, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), corneal neovascularization, surface keratinization, lubricant dependence, prior surgeries, and lens-related complications. Corneal neovascularization and keratinization were graded on a 0 to 3 scale. Snellen BCVA was converted to logMAR for analysis. Primary outcomes were change in visual acuity and ocular surface parameters. Results: Ninety-one eyes of 67 pediatric patients (45 males, 22 females) were analyzed. Mean age at lens insertion was 10.63 ± 3.23 years (range 4–17), with mean follow-up of 40.0 ± 22.32 months. Among eyes with chemical injury, 10/14 had prior simple limbal epithelial transplantation, whereas 22/75 eyes with Stevens–Johnson syndrome underwent symblepharon release before fitting. BCVA improved significantly ( P < 0.05) after lens fitting. Corneal neovascularization decreased in 73% of eyes, lubricant dependence reduced in 41.8%, and 66.7% of SJS eyes showed reduced keratinization. Complications included conjunctival impingement (12%) and lens breakage (2.2%); no lens-related infections occurred. Conclusions: Scleral lenses provide safe, sustained visual improvement and ocular surface stabilization in pediatric ocular surface disease and should be considered an integral component of multidisciplinary care.
