PURPOSE To investigate the expression of the muscarinic receptor (mAChR) subtypes (m1, m2, m3, m4, and m5) in the human ciliary muscle. METHODS cDNA probes specific for the m1 to m5 subtypes were used to characterize the expression of subtype-specific mRNAs by in situ hybridization and Northern blot analysis on a cell line derived from human ciliary muscle tissue (H7CM), sectioned tissue from...

PURPOSE Epithelial disorders after eye surgery can result in visual deterioration and patient discomfort. Such disorders may be caused by drug toxicity. In the present study, we evaluated the toxicity of ophthalmic solutions, with or without benzalkonium chloride (BAK) as the preservative, used for postoperative care. METHODS A range of commercially available antibiotic and anti-inflammatory ...

Autolysis by definition designates a process of self-digestion and specifically refers to the dissolution of tissues by enzymes present in the tissue cells, without the aid of micro-organisms. Wells (1925) has given an extensive review of the literature on this subject, the details of which are not within the scope of this paper. Autolysis has been widely studied in animal fluids and tissues, t...

Cultural evolution studies are characterized by the notion that culture evolves accordingly to broadly Darwinian principles. Yet how far the analogy between cultural and genetic evolution should be pushed is open to debate. Here, we examine a recent disagreement that concerns the extent to which cultural transmission should be considered a preservative mechanism allowing selection among differe...

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis has the potential to allow non-invasive analysis of tumor mutations in advanced cancer. In this study we assessed the reproducibility of digital PCR (dPCR) assays of circulating tumor DNA in a cohort of patients with advanced breast cancer and assessed delayed plasma processing using cell free DNA preservative tubes. We recruited a cohort of 96 paired samp...

This study's interest relies on adolescents' social representations of unprotected sex, more precisely on the relationship between the attitude towards the preservative and the reason attribution for its non use. 1386 secondary school students took part in the study, in the Brazilian cities of Florianópolis, Itajaí and Balneário Camboriú. In order to verify reasons attributed by the students, w...

This study compared the efficacy of a common medication diluent, bacteriostatic 0.9% sodium chloride containing the preservative benzyl alcohol with lidocaine hydrochloride 1% as an intradermal pretreatment for the relief of pain associated with intravenous cannulation. Forty adult presurgical patients requiring two large bore intravenous catheters were used. They served as their own controls. ...