We studied calretinin-immunoreactive (IR) fibers and cells in the canine superior colliculus (SC) and studied the distribution and effect of enucleation on the distribution of this protein. Localization of calretinin was immunocytochemically observed. A dense plexus of anti-­calretinin-IR fibers was found within the upper part of the superficial gray layer (SGL). Almost all of the labeled fibers were small in diameter with few varicosities. The intermediate and deep layers contained many calretinin-IR neurons. Labeled neurons within the intermediate gray layer (IGL) formed clusters in many sections. By contrast, labeled neurons in the deep gray layer (DGL) did not form clusters. Calretinin-IR neurons in the IGL and DGL varied in morphology and included round/oval, vertical fusiform, stellate, and horizontal neurons. Neurons with varicose dendrites were also labeled in the IGL. Most of the labeled neurons were small to medium in size. Monocular enucleation produced an almost complete reduction of calretinin-IR fibers in the SC contralateral to the enucleation. However, many calretinin-IR cells appeared in the contralateral superficial SC. Enucleation appeared to have no effect on the distribution of calretinin-IR neurons in the contralateral intermediate and deep layers of the SC. The calretinin-IR neurons in the superficial dog SC were heterogeneous small- to medium-sized neurons including round/oval, vertical fusiform, stellate, pyriform, and ­horizontal in shape. Two-color immunofluorescence revealed that no cells in the dog SC ­expressed both calretinin and GABA. Many horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled retinal ganglion cells were seen after injections into the superficial layers. The vast majority of the double-labeled cells (HRP and calretinin) were small cells. The present results indicate that antibody to calretinin labels subpopulations of neurons in the dog SC, which do not express GABA. The results also suggest that the calretinin-IR afferents in the superficial layers of the dog SC originate from small class retinal ganglion cells. The expression of calretinin might be changed by the cellular activity of selective superficial collicular neurons. These results are valuable in delineating the basic neurochemical architecture of the dog visual system.

(J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg 2012;38:38-43) Introduction: The location of parotid gland tumors in the superficial or deep lobes can affect the time and difficulty of operations. Therefore, accurate preoperative evaluation of the tumor location is important for surgical outcomes. Materials and Methods: A total of 16 patients with parotid gland tumors and who underwent a parotidectomy between April 2003 and March 2011 were retrospectively reviewed in terms of demographic background, tumor location, surgical treatment, and treatment outcomes. Tumor location was estimated by four landmarks on contrast enhanced computerized tomography scans, which were Conn's arc, the facial nerve (FN) line, the Utrecht line, and the retromandibular vein. Tumor location was confirmed by relative position depending on the facial nerve during surgery. It was assumed positive since the tumor lies in the superficial lobe of the parotid gland, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and efficiency of each landmark were evaluated. Results: Our result revealed that the facial nerve line had a sensitivity of 83.3%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, negative predictive value of 71.4%, and efficiency of 87.5%. Some would be more efficient preoperative evaluation methods of the relationship of parotid gland tumors to the facial nerve than others. Conclusion: In our study, the FN line was found to be the most reliable analysis method.

The direction selectivity of the retina is a distinct mechanism that is critical function of eyes for survival. The direction-selective retinal ganglion cells (DS RGCs) strongly respond to a preferred direction, but rarely respond to opposite direction or null directional visual stimuli. The DS RGCs are sensitive to acetylcholine, which is secreted from starburst amacrine cells (SACs) to the DS RGCs. Here, we investigated the existence and distribution of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) α4 and β2 subunits on the dendritic arbors of the DS RGCs in adult rabbit retina using immunocytochemistry. The DS RGCs were injected with Lucifer yellow to identify their dendritic morphology. The double-labeled images of dendrites and nAChR subunits were visualized for reconstruction using high-resolution confocal microscopy. Although our results revealed that the distributional pattern of the nAChR subunits on the dendritic arbors of the DS RGCs was not asymmetric in the adult rabbit retina, the distribution of nAChR α4 and β2 subunits and molecular profiles of cholinergic inputs to DS RGCs in adult rabbit retina provide anatomical evidence for direction selectivity.

An effective leavening yeast was isolated from raisin broth. The isolate was identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae by comparing the homology of 18S rDNA ITS sequences and named as S. cerevisiae MF10003. S. cerevisiae MF10003 showed a 1.9-fold and 3.1-fold increase in CO2 production and leavening ability, respectively, compared with the wild yeast S. ellipsoideus KCTC7243, and the dough had a rich and volatile flavor. When glucose, sucrose, fructose, and maltose were added to the culture broth as a carbon and energy source, CO2 was produced in 4 hr.

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