Preface to Special Issue of ChemSusChem on Interfacing Experiment and Theory in the Development of Energy Storage and Devices

This Editorial discusses the importance of scientists currently working in separate fields-experimental characterization of novel materials and theoretical investigations of electrochemical processes-joining forces to advance the field of energy-storage materials and devices. Some of these efforts are published in this Special Issue by ChemSusChem.

Prospects of Applying Enhanced Semi-Empirical QM Methods for 2101 Virtual Drug Design

The last five years have seen a renaissance of semiempirical quantum mechanical (SQM) methods in the field of virtual drug design, largely due to the increased accuracy of so-called enhanced SQM approaches. These methods make use of additional terms for treating dispersion (D) and hydrogen bond (H) interactions with an accuracy comparable to dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D). DFT-D in turn was shown to provide an accuracy comparable to the most sophisticated QM approaches when it comes to non-covalent intermolecular forces, which usually dominate the protein/ligand interactions that are central to virtual drug design. Enhanced SQM methods thus offer a very promising way to improve upon the current state of the art in the field of virtual drug design.

Impact of Selected LiPF6 Hydrolysis Products on the High Voltage Stability of Lithium-Ion Battery Cells

Diverse LiPF₆ hydrolysis products evolve during lithium-ion battery cell operation at elevated operation temperatures and high operation voltages. However, their impact on the formation and stability of the electrode/electrolyte interfaces is not yet investigated and understood. In this work, literature-known hydrolysis products of LiPF₆ dimethyl fluorophosphate (DMFP) and diethyl fluorophosphate (DEFP) were synthesized and characterized. The use of DMFP and DEFP as electrolyte additive in 1 M LiPF₆ in EC:EMC (1:1, by wt) was investigated in LiNi_1/3Mn_1/3Co_1/3O₂/Li half cells. When charged to a cutoff potential of 4.6 V vs Li/Li⁺, the additive containing cells showed improved cycling stability, increased Coulombic efficiencies, and prolonged shelf life. Furthermore, low amounts (1 wt % in this study) of the aforementioned additives did not show any negative effect on the cycling stability of graphite/Li half cells. DMFP and DEFP are susceptible to oxidation and contribute to the formation of an effective cathode/electrolyte interphase as confirmed by means of electrochemical stability window determination, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization of pristine and cycled electrodes, and they are supported by computational calculations.

Alternative Single-Solvent Electrolytes Based on Cyanoesters for Safer Lithium-Ion Batteries

To identify alternative single-solvent-based electrolytes for application in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), adequate computational methods were applied to screen specified physicochemical and electrochemical properties of new cyanoester-based compounds. Out of 2747 possible target compounds, two promising candidates and two structurally equivalent components were chosen. A constructive selection process including evaluation of basic physicochemical properties as well assessing the compatibility towards graphitic anodes was initiated to identify the most promising candidates. With addition of a film-forming additive in a low concentration, the most promising candidate showed an adequate long-term cycling stability with LiNi1/3 Mn1/3 Co1/3 O2 [NMC(111)] in a full-cell setup using graphite as anode material. The main advantages of the new electrolyte formulation are related to its good thermal behavior, especially with regard to safety in combination with satisfying electrochemical performance.

Recent Progress in Treating Protein-Ligand Interactions with Quantum-Mechanical Methods

We review the first successes and failures of a “new wave” of quantum chemistry-based approaches to the treatment of protein/ligand interactions. These approaches share the use of “enhanced”, dispersion (D), and/or hydrogen-bond (H) corrected density functional theory (DFT) or semi-empirical quantum mechanical (SQM) methods, in combination with ensemble weighting techniques of some form to capture entropic effects. Benchmark and model system calculations in comparison to high-level theoretical as well as experimental references have shown that both DFT-D (dispersion-corrected density functional theory) and SQM-DH (dispersion and hydrogen bond-corrected semi-empirical quantum mechanical) perform much more accurately than older DFT and SQM approaches and also standard docking methods. In addition, DFT-D might soon become and SQM-DH already is fast enough to compute a large number of binding modes of comparably large protein/ligand complexes, thus allowing for a more accurate assessment of entropic effects.

Benchmark of electronic structure methods for protein–ligand interactions based on high-level reference data

The accurate prediction of the strength of protein–ligand interactions is a very difficult problem despite impressive advances in the field of biomolecular modeling. There are good reasons to believe that quantum mechanical methods can help with this task, but the application of such methods in the context of scoring is still in its infancy. Here we benchmark several wave function theory (WFT), density functional theory (DFT) and semiempirical quantum mechanical (SQM) approaches against high-level theoretical references for realistic test cases. Based on our findings for systematically generated model systems of real protein/ligand complexes from the PDB-bind database, we can recommend SCS-MP2 and B2-PLYP-D3 as reference methods, TPSS-D3+Dabc/def-TZVPP as the best DFT approach and PM6-DH+ as a fast and accurate alternative to full ab initio treatments.

Enhanced semiempirical QM methods for biomolecular interactions

Recent successes and failures of the application of 'enhanced' semiempirical QM (SQM) methods are reviewed in the light of the benefits and backdraws of adding dispersion (D) and hydrogen-bond (H) correction terms. We find that the accuracy of SQM-DH methods for non-covalent interactions is very often reported to be comparable to dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D), while computation times are about three orders of magnitude lower. SQM-DH methods thus open up a possibility to simulate realistically large model systems for problems both in life and materials science with comparably high accuracy.

Large-scale virtual high-throughput screening for the identification of new battery electrolyte solvents: computing infrastructure and collective properties

A volunteer computing approach is presented for the purpose of screening a large number of molecular structures with respect to their suitability as new battery electrolyte solvents.

How to estimate solid-electrolyte-interphase features when screening electrolyte materials

Redox fingerprint analysis: a transferable and robust approach for estimating complex electrolyte properties.

Charting the known chemical space for non-aqueous lithium–air battery electrolyte solvents

Li–air batteries are very promising candidates for powering future mobility, but finding a suitable electrolyte solvent for this technology turned out to be a major problem.

A third-generation dispersion and third-generation hydrogen bonding corrected PM6 method: PM6-D3H+

We present new dispersion and hydrogen bond corrections to the PM6 method, PM6-D3H+, and its implementation in the GAMESS program. The method combines the DFT-D3 dispersion correction by Grimme et al. with a modified version of the H+ hydrogen bond correction by Korth. Overall, the interaction energy of PM6-D3H+ is very similar to PM6-DH2 and PM6-DH+, with RMSD and MAD values within 0.02 kcal/mol of one another. The main difference is that the geometry optimizations of 88 complexes result in 82, 6, 0, and 0 geometries with 0, 1, 2, and 3 or more imaginary frequencies using PM6-D3H+ implemented in GAMESS, while the corresponding numbers for PM6-DH+ implemented in MOPAC are 54, 17, 15, and 2. The PM6-D3H+ method as implemented in GAMESS offers an attractive alternative to PM6-DH+ in MOPAC in cases where the LBFGS optimizer must be used and a vibrational analysis is needed, e.g., when computing vibrational free energies. While the GAMESS implementation is up to 10 times slower for geometry optimizations of proteins in bulk solvent, compared to MOPAC, it is sufficiently fast to make geometry optimizations of small proteins practically feasible.

Large-scale virtual high-throughput screening for the identification of new battery electrolyte solvents: evaluation of electronic structure theory methods

The performance of semi-empirical quantum mechanical (SQM), density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory (WFT) methods is evaluated for the purpose of screening a large number of molecular structures with respect to their electrochemical stability to identify new battery electrolyte solvents.

Comparison of molecular mechanics, semi-empirical quantum mechanical, and density functional theory methods for scoring protein-ligand interactions

Correctly ranking protein-ligand interactions with respect to overall free energy of binding is a grand challenge for virtual drug design. Here we compare the performance of various quantum chemical approaches for tackling this so-called "scoring" problem. Relying on systematically generated benchmark sets of large protein/ligand model complexes based on the PDBbind database, we show that the performance depends first of all on the general level of theory. Comparing classical molecular mechanics (MM), semiempirical quantum mechanical (SQM), and density functional theory (DFT) based methods, we find that enhanced SQM approaches perform very similar to DFT methods and substantially different from MM potentials.

Benchmarking Semiempirical Methods for Thermochemistry, Kinetics, and Noncovalent Interactions: OMx Methods Are Almost As Accurate and Robust As DFT-GGA Methods for Organic Molecules

Semiempirical quantum mechanical (SQM) methods offer a fast approximate treatment of the electronic structure and the properties of large molecules. Careful benchmarks are required to establish their accuracy. Here, we report a validation of standard SQM methods using a subset of the comprehensive GMTKN24 database for general main group thermochemistry, kinetics, and noncovalent interactions, which has recently been introduced to evaluate density functional theory (DFT) methods ( J. Chem. Theory Comput. 2010 , 6 , 107 ). For all SQM methods considered presently, parameters are available for the elements H, C, N, and O, and consequently, we have extracted from the GMTKN24 database all species containing only these four elements (excluding multireference cases). The resulting GMTKN24-hcno database has 370 entries (derived from 593 energies) compared with 715 entries (derived from 1033 energies) in the original GMTKN24 database. The current benchmark covers established standard SQM methods (AM1, PM6), more recent approaches with orthogonalization corrections (OM1, OM2, OM3), and the self-consistent-charge density functional tight binding method (SCC-DFTB). The results are compared against each other and against DFT results using standard functionals. We find that the OMx methods outperform AM1, PM6, and SCC-DFTB by a significant margin, with a substantial gain in accuracy especially for OM2 and OM3. These latter methods are quite accurate even in comparison with DFT, with an overall mean absolute deviation of 6.6 kcal/mol for PBE and 7.9 kcal/mol for OM3. The OMx methods are also remarkably robust with regard to the unusual bonding situations encountered in the "mindless" MB08-165 test set, for which all other SQM methods fail badly.

A Transferable H-Bonding Correction for Semiempirical Quantum-Chemical Methods

Semiempirical methods could offer a feasible compromise between ab initio and empirical approaches for the calculation of large molecules with biological relevance. A key problem for attempts in this direction is the rather bad performance of current semiempirical methods for noncovalent interactions, especially hydrogen-bonding. On the basis of the recently introduced PM6-DH method, which includes empirical corrections for dispersion (D) and hydrogen-bond (H) interactions, we have developed an improved and transferable H-bonding correction for semiempirical quantum chemical methods. The performance of the improved correction is evaluated for PM6, AM1, OM3, and SCC-DFTB (enhanced by standard empirical dispersion corrections) with several test sets for noncovalent interactions and is shown to reach the quality of current DFT-D approaches for these types of problems.

Toward the exact solution of the electronic Schrödinger equation for noncovalent molecular interactions: worldwide distributed quantum monte carlo calculations

Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) calculations on the stacked (st) and Watson/Crick (wc) bound adenine/thymine (A/T) and cytosine/guanine (C/G) DNA base pair complexes were made possible with the first large scale distributed computing project in ab initio quantum chemistry, Quantum Monte Carlo at Home (QMC@HOME). The results for the interaction energies (wc-A/T = 15.7 kcal/mol, wc-C/G = 30.2 kcal/mol, st-A/T = 13.1 kcal/mol, st-C/G = 19.6 kcal/mol) are in very good agreement with the best known coupled-cluster based estimates. The accuracy of these values is further supported by calculations on the S22 benchmark set of noncovalently bound systems, for which we obtain a small mean absolute deviation of 0.68 kcal/mol. Our results support previous claims that the stacking energies are of comparable magnitude to the interactions of the commonly discussed hydrogen-bonded motif. Furthermore, we show that QMC can serve as an advantageous alternative to conventional wave function methods for large noncovalently bound systems. We also investigated in detail all technical parameters of the QMC simulations and recommend a careful optimization procedure of the Jastrow correlation factors in order to obtain numerically stable and reliable results.

How to Compute Isomerization Energies of Organic Molecules with Quantum Chemical Methods

The reaction energies for 34 typical organic isomerizations including oxygen and nitrogen heteroatoms are investigated with modern quantum chemical methods that have the perspective of also being applicable to large systems. The experimental reaction enthalpies are corrected for vibrational and thermal effects, and the thus derived "experimental" reaction energies are compared to corresponding theoretical data. A series of standard AO basis sets in combination with second-order perturbation theory (MP2, SCS-MP2), conventional density functionals (e.g., PBE, TPSS, B3-LYP, MPW1K, BMK), and new perturbative functionals (B2-PLYP, mPW2-PLYP) are tested. In three cases, obvious errors of the experimental values could be detected, and accurate coupled-cluster [CCSD(T)] reference values have been used instead. It is found that only triple-zeta quality AO basis sets provide results close enough to the basis set limit and that sets like the popular 6-31G(d) should be avoided in accurate work. Augmentation of small basis sets with diffuse functions has a notable effect in B3-LYP calculations that is attributed to intramolecular basis set superposition error and covers basic deficiencies of the functional. The new methods based on perturbation theory (SCS-MP2, X2-PLYP) are found to be clearly superior to many other approaches; that is, they provide mean absolute deviations of less than 1.2 kcal mol-1 and only a few (<10%) outliers. The best performance in the group of conventional functionals is found for the highly parametrized BMK hybrid meta-GGA. Contrary to accepted opinion, hybrid density functionals offer no real advantage over simple GGAs. For reasonably large AO basis sets, results of poor quality are obtained with the popular B3-LYP functional that cannot be recommended for thermochemical applications in organic chemistry. The results of this study are complementary to often used benchmarks based on atomization energies and should guide chemists in their search for accurate and efficient computational thermochemistry methods.

Cerebellar ataxia and Purkinje cell dysfunction caused by Ca2+-activated K+ channel deficiency

Malfunctions of potassium channels are increasingly implicated as causes of neurological disorders. However, the functional roles of the large-conductance voltage- and Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel (BK channel), a unique calcium, and voltage-activated potassium channel type have remained elusive. Here we report that mice lacking BK channels (BK(-/-)) show cerebellar dysfunction in the form of abnormal conditioned eye-blink reflex, abnormal locomotion and pronounced deficiency in motor coordination, which are likely consequences of cerebellar learning deficiency. At the cellular level, the BK(-/-) mice showed a dramatic reduction in spontaneous activity of the BK(-/-) cerebellar Purkinje neurons, which generate the sole output of the cerebellar cortex and, in addition, enhanced short-term depression at the only output synapses of the cerebellar cortex, in the deep cerebellar nuclei. The impairing cellular effects caused by the lack of postsynaptic BK channels were found to be due to depolarization-induced inactivation of the action potential mechanism. These results identify previously unknown roles of potassium channels in mammalian cerebellar function and motor control. In addition, they provide a previously undescribed animal model of cerebellar ataxia.

A picture of amputees and the prosthetic situation in Haiti

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to present the situation of Haitian amputees and to outline some of the major barriers in Haiti that prevent people from receiving prosthetic treatment.

METHOD

Interviews were conducted with amputees throughout Haiti using a 42-question questionnaire. Additionally, interviews were conducted with traditional healers, health care workers, and leaders of handicap associations. Each interview was manuscripted and the data were subsequently coded and analysed in the USA.

RESULTS

There are three full-time prosthetic shops and two part-time prosthetic shops in Haiti, all of which are severely limited in the scope of services they are able to provide amputees due to insufficient supplies and inadequately trained personnel. Only 25% of the 164 amputees interviewed had ever had a prosthetic limb. Typically prosthetic treatment is inaccessible and unaffordable for amputees, which prevents many from seeking treatment. The most common cause of amputation in Haiti is infection, followed by motor vehicle accidents.

CONCLUSION

There must be additional cooperation between Haitian patients, doctors, traditional healers, prosthetists, and government officials in order to provide more adequate prosthetic care. Prosthetic treatment in Haiti can be successful with cooperation of different entities, proper rehabilitation therapy, adequately trained personnel, and development of culturally appropriate limbs.

[Multifocal steady-state pattern-reversal electroretinography in glaucoma patients]

AIM

This study was designed to answer the question of whether multifocal steady-state pattern-reversal electroretinography (ERG) is capable of detecting glaucomatous visual field defects.

METHOD

Sixteen patients (28 eyes) and ten normal subjects (20 eyes) were examined. Multifocal pattern ERGs were recorded with the RETIscan system and DTL electrodes. We stimulated with a steady-state checkerboard pattern reversal (three reversals during 171 ms sweep length, congruent with 17.5 reversals/s). The multifocal pattern ERG amplitudes were evaluated using discrete Fourier transformation (DFT) across three reversals. In cases of advanced glaucoma, the DFT-calculated amplitudes were combined in hemispheres and checked for correlations with corresponding visual field defects. In all binocularly examined persons, side comparisons ("worse" eye vs "better" eye), and interindividual comparisons (glaucoma vs normal) were carried out.

RESULTS

In interindividual comparisons and interocular side comparisons, significant amplitude reductions of the "worse" eyes were seen in the foveal records. No topographical correlation between multifocal pattern ERG amplitudes and visual field defects could be found.

CONCLUSIONS

In glaucomatous visual field defects, multifocal steady-state pattern-reversal ERG using the present stimulation was significantly reduced in its foveal records but seems to be incapable of detecting them topographically.

[Acquired hemophilia A as a cause of postoperative bleeding]

Acquired spontaneous hemophilia is a rare but potentially life-threatening disease, which poses a major challenge to intensive care medicine. We report a case in which the disease occurred postoperatively in a patient following uncomplicated lumbal discectomy. The clinical sequelae involved hemorrhagic shock (cHb 4.1 g/dl; hct 17 %; systolic BP 60 mmHg; HR 130/min; saO2 73 %) due to retroperitoneal hematoma eight days after neurosurgical intervention. While lesions of the retroperitoneal vessels were not found during emergent angiography and laparotomy, the laboratory results showed a slightly prolonged activated prothrombin time (aPTT; 47 s). However, application of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) even prolonged the aPTT (53 s). Analysis of clotting factors proved a deficiency of factor VIII with a reduced activity of about 20 %, which was resistant against therapy with desmopressin (DDAVP) and substitution of factor VIII. Thus, the plasma-mix-test was performed, showing complete inactivation of the factor VIII-activity of the pooled plasma. This evidenced the presence of acquired inhibitors against factor VIII. Hemostasis was successfully and immediately restored with the application of recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa), including boluses of 60 - 80 microg/kg every 6th - 8th hour (supplemented with tranexamic acid, 3 x 1 g/d), leading to a continuous infusion of 12 microg/kg per hour. With prednisolone (1 mg/kgBW/d) over the ensuing 8 weeks, the antibodies were sufficiently suppressed and no additional substitution of factor VIII was necessary to maintain normal hemostasis.

[Multifocal ERG with 30 Hz flicker stimulation in glaucoma patients and normal probands]

BACKGROUND

It was the aim of the present study to investigate the value of multifocal ERG with 30 Hz flicker stimulation for glaucoma diagnosis.

METHODS

Multifocal ERGs with 30 Hz flicker stimulation were recorded with a mean luminance of 50 cd/m2 and a contrast of 99% from the central 60 degrees of the retina which were stimulated by 61 hexagons. From 30 patients with primary and secondary open-angle and low-tension glaucomas with reproducible visual field losses and glaucomatous optic disc atrophy and 21 normal subjects, one eye was included in the study. The first harmonic wave, the basewave and the ratio of these two parameters were ana-lysed. The responses of seven neighbouring hexagons were averaged for the intraocular comparison between areas with and without perimetric defects and for the comparison between glaucomas and normal subjects.

RESULTS

In the glaucoma group, the ratio of the first harmonic wave and the basewave was significantly lower in an area within a perimetric defect than outside the defect (p < 0.001) when compared intraocularly. The extent of ERG changes however did not correlate with the extent of perimetric defects. Comparing the glaucoma with the normal group, the ratio of the first harmonic and the basewave was significantly lower in an area within the perimetric defect in the glaucoma group than in corresponding areas of the normal group (p = 0.002). The first harmonic and the basewave did not differ significantly.

DISCUSSION

These results show that the method is not appropriate to objectively indicate visual field losses although it statistically separates glaucomas from normal subjects.

A molecular switch for specific stimulation of the BKCa channel by cGMP and cAMP kinase

The cGMP and the cAMP pathways control smooth muscle tone by regulation of BK(Ca) (BK) channel activity. BK channels show considerable diversity and plasticity in their regulation by cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases. The underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear but may involve expression of splice variants of the BK channel alpha subunit. Three isoforms, BK(A), BK(B), and BK(C), which were cloned from tracheal smooth muscle, differed only in their C terminus. When expressed in HEK293 cells, cGMP kinase (cGK) but not cAMP kinase (cAK) stimulated the activity of BK(A) and BK(B) by shifting the voltage dependence of the channel to more negative potentials. In contrast, BK(C) was exclusively stimulated by cAK. BK(C) lacks a C-terminal tandem phosphorylation motif for protein kinase C (PKC) with Ser(1151) and Ser(1154). Mutation of this motif in BK(A) switched channel regulation from cGK to cAK. Furthermore, inhibition of PKC in excised patches from cells expressing BK(A) abolished the stimulatory effect of cGK but allowed channel stimulation by cAK. cAK and cGK phosphorylated the channel at different sites. Thus, phosphorylation/dephosphorylation by PKC determines whether the BK channel is stimulated by cGK or cAK. The molecular mechanisms may be relevant for smooth muscle relaxation by cAMP and cGMP.

Two methods of lens opacity measurements in glaucomas

PURPOSE

Determination of lens opacity is important in aging glaucoma patients, because sensory testing may be influenced by increasing lens opacity. Purpose of this study was to measure lens opacity in normals and glaucoma patients using two different techniques, to compare both methods, and to correlate the results with contrast sensitivity testing.

METHODS

94 glaucomatous eyes, 47 ocular hypertensive eyes, and 79 control eyes were studied using the following devices: opacity lens meter (OLM, objective back scatter method), stray light meter (SLM, subjective forward scatter using flicker light), and temporal contrast sensitivity (full-field flicker test). SLM results were separately analyzed at the lower and upper flicker disappearance. All subjects were younger than 66 years and had no significant cataracts.

RESULTS

In patients and in normal subjects OLM readings and SLM findings elicited at the upper disappearance point are significantly correlated with age and with each other (R >0.45, P<0.001), while SLM at the lower disappearance point shows no such correlation. In normals, but not in patients, SLM at the lower disappearance point is significantly correlated with temporal contrast sensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS

Both devices can be used for quantifying lens opacity in glaucoma. SLM readings with increasing light intensity at the lower disappearance point seems to be more influenced by the individual flicker sensitivity than determination of the upper flicker disappearance. Therefore, using the SLM in glaucoma patients, the threshold measurements based on the upper disappearance of the flicker should be used instead of the suggested mean threshold measurements.

Effects of doxorubicinol on excitation--contraction coupling in guinea pig ventricular myocytes

The cardiotoxicity of the anticancer drug doxorubicin may be related to its main metabolite doxorubicinol. In this study, the acute effects of doxorubicinol on excitation-contraction coupling in isolated guinea pig ventricular myocytes were investigated and compared with doxorubicin using the whole-cell patch-clamp-, fura-2 fluorescence- and cell-edge tracking techniques. Both drugs were applied intracellularly by diffusion from the patch electrode for 15--20 min. Doxorubicin (100 microM) prolonged the action potential duration (APD) by 31% and enhanced cell shortening by 26%. Contrary to doxorubicin, doxorubicinol (10 microM) shortened APD by 25% and decreased cell shortening by 31%. APD shortening by doxorubicinol was due to an increase of the delayed rectifier K(+) current. Neither the inward rectifier K(+) current nor the L-type Ca(2+) current was influenced by doxorubicinol. The decline in cell shortening induced by doxorubicinol was not exclusively due to APD shortening because doxorubicinol reduced the peak Ca(2+) transient by 23% in cells clamped with an action potential of constant duration. Despite opposite effects on APD and contractility, both doxorubicin and doxorubicinol produced a considerable delay in the activation and inactivation of contraction and Ca(2+) transient, compatible with an impaired function of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. It is suggested that doxorubicinol-induced APD shortening may amplify the detrimental effects of both doxorubicin and doxorubicinol on sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) load and hence on contractile function. The accumulation of doxorubicinol in the cardiac myocytes may play an important role in the time-dependent development of doxorubicin-induced ventricular dysfunction.

The negative response of the flash electroretinogram in glaucoma

The existence of a negative ERG component following the b-wave has been known for a long time. Recently, in unilateral macaque experimental glaucoma, a negative response in flash electroretinograms under scotopic as well as photopic conditions has been shown to be greatly reduced or absent compared to the healthy fellow eye. The aim of this pilot study was to test whether a late negative electroretinogram component is reduced also in human glaucoma patients under different stimulus conditions. Dark-adapted ganzfeld flash electroretinograms were recorded after 30 min of dark using two test conditions, obtained as optimal in pilot studies on controls. Under the scotopic condition I white Xenon-flashes of intensity 0.53 Log photopic Td s were presented on a low white background of 1.38 Log scotopic Td. Under the more photopic condition II orange flashes of intensity -0.37 Log photopic Td s were presented on a blue-adapting background of 2.5 Log scotopic Td. Nine controls and 18 patients with advanced glaucoma were analyzed. The amplitude of the negative response was not significantly reduced in glaucoma patients (condition I: -28.5+/-23.7 microV; condition II: -25.2+/-19.7 microV) compared to controls (condition I: -41.4+/-36.6 microV; condition II: -31.3+/-26.2 microV). The peak latency of the responses under condition I and II did not differ significantly between patients and controls. Thus, the late negative electroretinogram component in ganzfeld flash electroretinograms obtained under scotopic and more photopic conditions does not seem to distinguish as easy between human controls and glaucoma patients as animal experiments suggest.

The a-wave of the dark adapted electroretinogram in glaucomas: are photoreceptors affected?

AIMS

To evaluate whether the a-wave of the dark adapted flash electroretinogram (ERG) is affected by glaucomatous damage.

METHODS

ERGs were recorded in 20 patients (age 33-65 years) with advanced glaucomas (primary and secondary open angle and low tension glaucomas) and 20 normals using a ganzfeld stimulus. After 30 minutes of dark adaptation and pupil dilatation to at least 7.5 mm in diameter, luminance response functions were obtained presenting white flashes of increasing scotopic luminance (the highest flash intensity being 9.4 cd/s/m2, the lowest being 5.75 log units below it) with an interflash interval of 5 seconds. For each scotopic luminance, the responses of four flashes were averaged. The a-wave's amplitude was measured at 10, 11, and 12 ms. Within the glaucoma group, correlations between the interocular differences of the a-wave's amplitude and the mean deviation of a static perimetry (Octopus 500 perimeter, program G1) were computed for all flash intensities. Between normals and glaucomas, the a-wave's amplitude was compared for all flash intensities (paired t test).

RESULTS

Within the glaucoma group, the interocular differences of the a-wave's amplitudes correlated significantly with the differences of the MD for flash intensities of 9.4, 5.3, 1.7, and 0.5 cd/s/m2. The a-wave's amplitude was significantly lower in the glaucoma compared with the normal group (p <0.005) for flash intensities of 9.4 and 5.3 cd/s/m2.

CONCLUSION

These electrophysiological results imply that also the outer retinal structures, especially the photoreceptors, may be affected by glaucomatous damage.

The b-wave of the dark adapted flash electroretinogram in patients with advanced asymmetrical glaucoma and normal subjects

AIMS

To evaluate whether the b-wave of the dark adapted flash electroretinogram (ERG) is affected by glaucomatous damage.

METHODS

ERGs were recorded in 35 patients aged 33-65 years with advanced asymmetrical glaucomas (interocular difference of perimetric defects (mean deviation) >2 dB between the two fellow eyes of the glaucoma patients, primary and secondary open angle and low tension glaucomas) and 17 normal subjects matched for age and sex using white flashes of a xenon discharge tube in a Ganzfeld stimulator. After 30 minutes of dark adaptation luminance response functions were obtained using flashes of increasing scotopic luminance (highest 9.4 cd/s/m2, lowest 5.5 log units below it). The parameters Vmax, n, and K of the Naka-Rushton equation were computed from the measurement values based on the usual fitting procedure. These parameters, together with b-wave amplitudes and implicit times for all flash intensities, were compared interocularly and between the normal subjects and those with glaucoma. Correlations were computed between interocular differences of the mean deviation and interocular differences of Vmax, n, K, b-wave amplitudes, and implicit times between the two fellow eyes of the patients with asymmetrical glaucomatous damage.

RESULTS

Implicit times were significantly longer (p<0.005) in the glaucoma patients than in the normal group for flash intensities of 9.4, 5.3, 1.7, 0.53, and 0.17 cd/s/m2. b-Wave amplitudes did not differ significantly between the two study groups. Comparing the two fellow eyes of each patient with glaucoma, Vmax was significantly higher in the less damaged eye than in the more damaged eye. The interocular differences in the mean deviation correlated significantly with the interocular differences in the b-wave amplitudes, implicit times, and Vmax.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that glaucomas can lead to electrophysiologically measurable damage of the inner nuclear layer.

BK(Ca) channel activation by membrane-associated cGMP kinase may contribute to uterine quiescence in pregnancy

We investigated the influence of pregnancy on large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel (BK(Ca)) activity (NP(o)) and on channel expression in membranes of isolated human myometrial smooth muscle cells. NP(o) in inside-out patches was higher in pregnant myometria (PM) compared with nonpregnant myometria (NPM), and the half-maximal activation potential was shifted by 39 mV to more negative potentials. This effect was not due to an enhanced BK(Ca) channel expression. In the presence of cAMP kinase (PKA) or cGMP kinase (PKG), NP(o) increased in patches from PM but decreased in those from NPM. Western blot analysis and use of a specific PKG inhibitor (1 microM KT-5823) verified the existence of a partially active membrane-associated PKG. Inhibition of PKA by 100 nM PKI, the inhibitory peptide of PKA, had no effect on NP(o). 8-p-Chlorophenylthio-cGMP (8-pCPT-cGMP) hyperpolarized cells from PM. This effect was abolished by iberiotoxin, a specific blocker of BK(Ca) channels. It is concluded that an endogenous, membrane-bound PKG in myometrial cells specifically enhances BK(Ca) channel activity during pregnancy and thus may contribute to uterine quiescence during pregnancy.

Visual evoked potentials under luminance contrast and color contrast stimulation in glaucoma diagnosis

PURPOSE

To evaluate the diagnostic value of visual evoked potential (VEP) assessment with luminance-contrast and color-contrast stimulation in the detection of glaucoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study included 59 patients (96 eyes) with glaucomatous changes of the optic disc and visual field defects and 58 control eyes of 29 healthy patients. Four types of pattern VEP stimulation (0.9 cycle/degree) were performed in all patients: achromatic, alternating sine-wave stripe pattern: 6 reversals per second, contrast of 10% (activation of predominantly the magnocellular pathway); isoluminant, red-green stripe pattern: 83.3 milliseconds onset, 83.3 milliseconds offset, contrast of 30% and 80% (activation of predominantly the parvocellular pathway); and blue grating with yellow background adaptation: 200 milliseconds onset, 500 milliseconds offset (activation of the blue-sensitive pathway).

RESULTS

The glaucoma group and the control group differed significantly (P < 0.01) in the peak times of all chromatic VEP responses and to a lesser degree in the achromatic VEP. Considering the amplitudes, only the low-contrast red-green stimulus showed a statistically significant reduction in glaucoma. At a predefined specificity of 90%, in separating patients with glaucoma from healthy control subjects, the peak time of the blue-yellow VEP had a high sensitivity (90%), whereas the sensitivity of the achromatic VEP was low (31%). The red-green VEP showed a sensitivity of 73% using low contrast and 71% using high contrast. In a paired correlation analysis with visual field defects, all stimulations showed significant (P < 0.05) results. Correlation coefficients were highest (R = 0.79, P < 0.01) for the peak time of the blue-yellow VEP.

CONCLUSIONS

VEP measurements with presumable stimulation of single neuronal pathways can detect glaucomatous optic nerve damage in a considerable fraction of patients with visual field loss. Occipital responses to chromatic stimulation seem to be more sensitive to glaucoma damages than do responses to achromatic pattern reversal stimulation.

Mechanisms of NO/cGMP-dependent vasorelaxation

Both cGMP-dependent and -independent mechanisms have been implicated in the regulation of vascular tone by NO. We analyzed acetylcholine (ACh)- and NO-induced relaxation in pressurized small arteries and aortic rings from wild-type (wt) and cGMP kinase I-deficient (cGKI(-/-)) mice. Low concentrations of NO and ACh decreased the spontaneous myogenic tone in wt but not in cGKI(-/-) arteries. However, contractions of cGKI(-/-) arteries and aortic rings were reduced by high concentrations (10 micromol/L) of 2-(N:, N-diethylamino)-diazenolate-2-oxide (DEA-NO). Iberiotoxin, a specific blocker of Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK(Ca)) channels, only partially prevented the relaxation induced by DEA-NO or ACh in pressurized vessels and aortic rings. DEA-NO increased the activity of BK(Ca) channels only in vascular smooth muscle cells isolated from wt cGKI(+/+) mice. These results suggest that low physiological concentrations of NO decrease vascular tone through activation of cGKI, whereas high concentrations of DEA-NO relax vascular smooth muscle independent of cGKI and BK(Ca). NO-stimulated, cGKI-independent relaxation was antagonized by the inhibition of soluble guanylyl cyclase or cAMP kinase (cAK). DEA-NO increased cGMP to levels that are sufficient to activate cAK. cAMP-dependent relaxation was unperturbed in cGKI(-/-) vessels. In conclusion, low concentrations of NO relax vessels by activation of cGKI, whereas in the absence of cGKI, NO can relax small and large vessels by cGMP-dependent activation of cAK.

Motion-Evoked pattern visual evoked potentials in glaucoma

PURPOSE

To evaluate motion-evoked brain potentials for glaucoma diagnosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Stripe patterns were presented in Maxwellian view under different stimulus conditions not combined in a factorial design. Spatial frequencies of 0.33 and 0.88 cycles/degree, with speeds of 10 and 5.9 degrees/second and contrasts of 0.04 and 0.93 were used. A 32 degrees whole field and a peripheral 32 degrees-27 degrees annular stimulus were used. Duration of motion was 200 milliseconds, and the interstimulus interval was 1,800 milliseconds. Recordings were obtained from Oz and P3. Thirty-four healthy patients, 12 glaucoma suspects, and 26 patients with open-angle glaucoma were tested.

RESULTS

Normal response amplitudes decrease with age only under low contrast conditions, whereas response peak times increase under most conditions. Normal responses are much larger at P3 than at Oz, whereas in open-angle glaucoma, much less difference is seen. In these patients, the response amplitude at P3 is significantly reduced under all conditions, whereas a delay in peak time is less pronounced. A small but significant negative correlation (r = -0.44, P < 0.05) between response amplitude and mean perimetric defect was observed only with the annular stimulation. At a specificity of 90%, a sensitivity of approximately 76.7% for the low contrast and low spatial frequency condition was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Motion-evoked responses recorded at P3 are altered in open-angle glaucoma and thus can be useful as an additional test in glaucoma diagnosis.

[Central corneal thickness in normal eyes, patients with ocular hypertension, normal-pressure and open-angle glaucomas--a clinical study]

BACKGROUND

The relation between Goldmann applanation tonometry and central corneal thickness (CCT) was investigated in several studies during the last thirty years. It was the aim of the present study to evaluate CCT in normals, patients with ocular hypertension, low-tension, and open-angle glaucomas.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

CCT was measured in 135 normal eyes, 137 with ocular hypertension, 65 with low-tension, and 94 with primary and secondary open-angle glaucomas using the AL-11000-pachymeter (Tomey). The results were compared using the unpaired t-test.

RESULTS

CCT was significantly higher in the patients with ocular hypertension (586 +/- 43 microns) than in the normal group (566 +/- 37 microns, p < 0.0001), in low-tension glaucomas (555 +/- 46 microns, p < 0.0001), and in open-angle glaucomas (558 +/- 31 microns, p < 0.0001). The latter three groups did not differ significantly. There was no significant correlation between CCT and age, the actually measured IOP, the highest IOP in the patient's history, or the spherical equivalent.

CONCLUSIONS

Only patients with ocular hypertension showed a significant difference in CCT compared with normals. Pachymetry thus should be conducted in those patients to avoid overestimation of the IOP by applanation tonometry. In most of the patients with low-tension and open-angle glaucomas however, CCT regarded without other parameters (e.g. corneal or scleral rigidity) plays a minor role in detection of elevated IOP according to the results of this study.

Reduced recovery of temporal contrast sensitivity after flicker stress in patients with glaucoma

PURPOSE

To compare recovery of temporal contrast sensitivity after flicker stress between control subjects and patients with glaucoma.

METHODS

Forty-three patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and secondary open-angle or normal-tension glaucoma of the Erlangen Glaucoma Registry and 30 healthy control subjects had their temporal contrast sensitivity measured at 37 Hz and their recovery time determined after monocular exposure to 30 seconds of 58% contrast full-field flicker. Recovery time of temporal contrast sensitivity was measured as the time interval from cessation of flicker until twice the threshold value was reached.

RESULTS

Patients with glaucoma had a significant reduction in temporal contrast sensitivity (P < 0.001). Recovery time was also significantly longer in patients with glaucoma (23.8 +/- 24.1 seconds) than in control subjects (7.6 +/- 2.6 seconds; P < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between recovery time and mean visual field defect (0.5; P < 0.001) and a significant negative correlation between recovery time and neuroretinal rim area of the optic disc (0.32; P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Recovery of temporal contrast sensitivity after flicker stress is impaired in some patients with glaucoma. This might be the result of functional impairment of the inner retina, outer retina, or both in glaucoma.

The sequential processing of visual motion in the human electroretinogram and visual evoked potential

Mechanisms of motion vision in the human have been studied extensively by psychophysical methods but less frequently by electrophysiological techniques. It is the purpose of the present investigation to study electrical potentials of the eye (electroretinogram, ERG) and of the brain (visual evoked potential, VEP) in response to moving regular square-wave stripe patterns spanning a wide range of contrasts, spatial frequencies, and speeds. The results show that ERG amplitudes increase linearly with contrast while VEPs, in agreement with the literature, show an amplitude saturation at low contrast. Furthermore, retinal responses oscillate with the fundamental temporal stimulus frequency of the moving pattern while brain responses do not. In both the retina and the brain, the response amplitudes are tuned to certain speeds which is in agreement with the nonlinear correlation-type motion detector. Along the ascending slopes (which means increasing amplitudes) of the tuning functions, the ERG curves overlap at all spatial frequencies if plotted as a function of temporal stimulation frequency. The ascending slopes of the tuning functions of the VEP overlap if plotted as a function of speed. The descending slopes (which means decreasing amplitudes) of the tuning functions show little (ERG) or no (VEP) overlap and the waveforms at high speeds approach pattern-offset-onset responses. These observations suggest that in the retina motion processing along the ascending slopes of the tuning curves takes place by coding the temporal stimulation frequency which depends on the spatial frequency of the moving pattern. In the brain, however, motion processing is by speed independent of spatial frequency. Simple calculations show that the VEP information is decoded from the ERG signal into a speed signal.