The aim of this study was to investigate retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) without visual impairment using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and to compare the results with healthy controls. A total of 80 subjects, including 40 patients with early untreated AD (mean age, 69.3 ± 4.9 years) and 40 healthy controls (mean age, 68.9 ± 5.1 years) were enrolled. Both eyes of patients with AD and controls were imaged using SD-OCT. The average RNFL thickness was significantly less in the AD patients than in controls (65 ± 6.2 μm vs 75 ± 3.8μm; P = 0.001). There was selective thinning of the RNFL in the superior quadrant, the mean superior quadrant RNFL thickness being 76 ± 6.7 μm in AD patients and 105 ± 4.8 μm in controls (P = 0.001). In our study, the thickness of RNFL in patient with AD was lower than that of controls. This suggests that SD- OCT has the potential to be used in the early diagnosis of AD as well as in the study of therapeutic agents. Further studies are needed to validate this technology as a viable ocular biomarker over time in AD.

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The effects of the use of antioxidant technology on the quality of mackerel burgers stored at 4°C were investigated in terms of sensory, biochemical [thiobarbituric acid (TBA), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), peroxide value (PV) and free fatty acids (FFA)] and microbiological analyses [total viable count (TVC)]. Fish meat was divided into three groups; the control (C) without rosemary extract, the second group with 0.4% rosemary extracts (Group A) and the third with 0.8% rosemary extracts (Group B). Results showed that the TVB-N level did not exceed acceptability limit (30-35 mg 100 g )1 ) for all groups. TBA value for the control significantly increased from 1.47 to 4.80 MA kg )1 whereas it slightly increased in treatment groups as the storage time increased. Significantly higher PV and FFA (P < 0.05) were obtained from the control group. Rosemary extract, in combination with vacuum pack was effective in controlling the growth of bacteria and biochemical indices.

Dopaminergic neuronal cells have been identified in the inner nuclear and inner plexiform layers of the human retina. The dopaminergic content of the retina is reduced in patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD). These observations led us to study the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with PD without visual impairment compared to healthy controls using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Eighty-two subjects, including 42 patients with PD, newly diagnosed and untreated (24 men, 18 women, age range: 47-66 years), and 40 healthy controls, were enrolled. Both eyes of patients with PD and controls were imaged with SD-OCT. The mean RNFL thickness was 77 ± 11.5 μm in PD patients and 89 ± 8.7 μm in healthy controls (P = 0.001). Selective thinning of the RNFL was found in the temporal region with mean temporal RNFL thickness of 66 ± 6.7 μm in PD patients and 75 ± 4.8 μm in controls (P = 0.001). The thickness of the RNFL is decreased in PD patients. Demonstrating progressive thinning of RNFL over time will be critical for validating optical coherence tomography as a viable biomarker of patients with PD.

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