High biodegradability of microbially-derived dissolved organic matter facilitates arsenic enrichment in groundwater: Evidence from molecular compositions and structures

Although biodegradation of organic matter is well-known to trigger enrichment of arsenic (As) in groundwater, the effects of DOM sources and biodegradability on As enrichment remain elusive. In this study, groundwater samples were collected from the Hetao basin to identify DOM source and evaluate biodegradability by using spectral and molecular techniques. Results showed that in the alluvial fan, DOM was mainly sourced from terrestrially derived OM, while DOM in the flat plain was more originated from microbially derived OM. Compared to terrestrially derived DOMs, microbially derived DOMs in groundwater, which had relatively higher H/Cwa ratios, NOSC values and more biodegradable molecules, exhibited higher biodegradability. In the flat plain, microbially derived DOMs with higher biodegradability encountered stronger biodegradation, facilitating the reductive dissolution of Fe(III)/Mn oxides and As enrichment in groundwater. Moreover, the enrichment of As depended on the biodegradable molecules that was preferentially utilized for primary biodegradation. Our study highlights that the enrichment of dissolved As in the aquifers was closely associated with microbially derived DOM with high biodegradability and high ability for primary biodegradation.

Cross-species single-cell analysis uncovers the immunopathological mechanisms associated with IgA nephropathy progression

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) represents the main cause of renal failure, while the precise pathogenetic mechanisms have not been fully determined. Herein, we conducted a cross-species single-cell survey on human IgAN and mouse and rat IgAN models to explore the pathogenic programs. Cross-species single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) revealed that the IgAN mesangial cells (MCs) expressed high levels of inflammatory signatures CXCL12, CCL2, CSF1, and IL-34 and specifically interacted with IgAN macrophages via the CXCL12/CXCR4, CSF1/IL-34/CSF1 receptor, and integrin subunit alpha X/integrin subunit alpha M/complement C3 (C3) axes. IgAN macrophages expressed high levels of CXCR4, PDGFB, triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2, TNF, and C3, and the trajectory analysis suggested that these cells derived from the differentiation of infiltrating blood monocytes. Additionally, protein profiling of 21 progression and 28 nonprogression IgAN samples revealed that proteins CXCL12, C3, mannose receptor C-type 1, and CD163 were negatively correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) value and poor prognosis (30% eGFR as composite end point). Last, a functional experiment revealed that specific blockade of the Cxcl12/Cxcr4 pathway substantially attenuated the glomerulus and tubule inflammatory injury, fibrosis, and renal function decline in the mouse IgAN model. This study provides insights into IgAN progression and may aid in the refinement of IgAN diagnosis and the optimization of treatment strategies.

Location-Selective Work Function Engineering by Self-Assembled Monolayers

Control over specific interfaces in devices represents a key challenge for modern organic electronics and photovoltaics. Such control is frequently gained by the use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), which, by selection of a proper anchoring group, are generally discriminative with respect to different materials but are not selective between different areas of the same material. In particular, selective tailoring of the work function may be useful for different functional devices in a circuit. Here we demonstrate an approach for solving this problem, opening a way to function-selective electrostatic engineering of chemically identical areas, such as source and drain electrodes in a specific type of organic transistor and, more importantly, the electrodes in different types of organic devices, such as p- and n-channel transistors, located on the same circuitry board. The approach is based on the ultraviolet-light-promoted exchange reaction of SAMs on gold, a standard electrode material in organic electronics.

Phosphonic acid anchored tripodal molecular films on indium tin oxide

Whereas monopodal self-assembling monolayers (SAMs) are most frequently used for surface and interface engineering, tripodal SAMs are less popular due to the difficulty in achieving a reliable and homogeneous bonding configuration. In this context, in the present study, the potential of phosphonic acid (PA) decorated triptycene (TripPA) for formation of SAMs on oxide substrates was studied, using indium tin oxide (ITO) as a representative and application-relevant test support. A combination of several complementary experimental techniques was applied and a suitable monopodal reference system, benzylphosphonic acid (PPA), was used. The resulting data consistently show that TripPA forms well-defined, densely packed, and nearly contamination-free tripodal SAMs on ITO, with the similar parameters and properties as the monopodal reference system. Modification of wetting properties and work function of ITO by non-substituted and cyano-decorated TripPA SAMs was demonstrated, showing a potential of this tripodal system for surface engineering of oxide substrates.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the complex cellular niche of pterygium

PURPOSE

Pterygium is a vision-threatening conjunctival fibrovascular degenerated disease with a high global prevalence up to 12 %, while no absolute pharmacotherapy has been applied in clinics. In virtue of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technique, our study investigated underlying pathogeneses and potential therapeutic targets of pterygium from the cellular transcriptional level.

METHODS

A total of 45605 cells from pterygium of patients and conjunctiva of normal controls (NC) were conducted with scRNA-seq, and then analyzed via integrated analysis, pathway enrichment, pseudotime trajectory, and cell-cell communications. Besides, immunofluorescence and western blot were performed in vivo and in vitro to verify our findings.

RESULTS

In brief, 9 major cellular types were defined, according to canonical markers. Subsequently, we further determined the subgroups of each major cell lineages. Several newly identified cell sub-clusters could promote pterygium, including immuno-fibroblasts, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT)-epithelial cells, and activated vascular endothelial cells (activated-vEndo). Besides, we also probed the enrichment of immune cells in pterygium. Particularly, macrophages, recruited by ACKR1+activated-vEndo, might play an important role in the development of pterygium by promoting angiogenesis, immune suppression, and inflammation.

CONCLUSION

An intricate cellular niche was revealed in pterygium via scRNA-seq analysis and the interactions between macrophages and ACKR1+ activated-vEndo might be the key part in the development of pterygia.

Herpes Simplex Keratitis as a Complication of Pterygium Surgery

BACKGROUND Infectious keratitis after pterygium surgery is a rare but potentially devastating complication. The present study presents 5 cases of herpes simplex keratitis (HSK) after pterygium surgery. CASE REPORT This study was conducted in our clinic in a 5-year period from February 2017 to September 2021. The 5 patients were men, aged between 42 and 73 years, with no prior history of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections. Symptoms appeared near 1 month (median 30 days, range 10 to 70 days) after primary pterygium surgery. Diagnosis was based on clinical symptoms and laboratory test results, such as tear HSV-sIgA, corneal tissue polymerase chain reaction, and next-generation sequencing of metagenomics. The epithelial (1/5) and stromal (4/5) subtypes of HSK were identified. The patients received topical ganciclovir gel, immunosuppressive eyedrops, and oral acyclovir tablets, along with additional surgical interventions if necessary. Three were healed with conservative therapy, 1 eye required amniotic membrane transplantation due to corneal melt, and 1 was perforated and followed by corneal grafting. Finally, a literature review of previous publications on HSK after ocular surgeries was conducted. CONCLUSIONS HSK is a rare but serious complication that can arise after uneventful pterygium surgery. It is worthy of attention that both epithelial and stromal forms can occur. Timely diagnosis and treatment are crucial to prevent unfavorable outcomes. Consequently, routine corneal fluorescein staining, tear sIgA examination, and corneal scraping for polymerase chain reaction or next-generation sequencing of metagenomics should be performed in any suspected cases.

Psychological Capital and Its Factors as Mediators Between Interpersonal Sensitivity and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Undergraduates

Purpose

Current interpersonal sensitivity among college students is easily linked to mood disorders such as anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. This study aims to examine the mediating role of psychological capital and its dimensions in the relationship between interpersonal sensitivity and depressive symptoms among undergraduates.

Methods

The cross-sectional survey was conducted by using cluster stratified random sampling method across six Chinese universities between November and December 2022. The questionnaire consists of the Interpersonal Sensitivity sub-scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire and the Socio-Demographic Feature Questionnaire.

Results

A total of 2580 respondents participated in the survey, with the majority being females (69.73%) and an average age of 19.22±1.28 years. Descriptive and correlation analyses were performed using SPSS v24.0, while direct and indirect effects were analyzed using PROCESS v3.4 macro. The findings revealed that interpersonal sensitivity had a significant direct effect on depression symptoms among undergraduates (β =0.416, 95% Boot CI [0.380, 0.453], p < 0.001) Additionally, psychological capital and its components were found to be negatively correlated with depression (p < 0.001). Further analysis demonstrated that hope, optimism, and resilience significantly mediated the association between interpersonal sensitivity and depressive symptoms (indirect effect: hope = 0.056, optimism = 0.074, resilience = 0.099; p < 0.001 for all).

Conclusion

These results suggest that psychological capital, including its dimensions of hope, optimism, and resilience plays a crucial role in mitigating the negative effects of interpersonal sensitivity on depressive symptoms among undergraduates.

An Accurate Electro-Thermal Coupling Model of a GaAs HBT Device under Floating Heat Source Disturbances

Taking into consideration the inaccurate temperature predictions in traditional thermal models of power devices, we undertook a study on the temperature rise characteristics of heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with a two-dimensional cross-sectional structure including a sub-collector region. We developed a current-adjusted polynomial electro-thermal coupling model based on investigating floating heat sources. This model was developed using precise simulation data acquired from SILVACO (Santa Clara, CA, USA). Additionally, we utilized COMSOL software (version 5.6) to simulate the temperature distribution within parallel power cells, examining further impacts resulting from thermal coupling. The research findings indicate that the rise in current induces modifications in the local carrier concentration, thereby prompting variations in the local electric field, including changes in the heat source's peak location and intensity. The device's peak temperature exhibits a non-linear trend regulated by the current, revealing an error margin of less than 1.5% in the proposed current-corrected model. At higher current levels, the drift of the heat source leads to an increase in the heat dissipation path and reduces the coupling strength between parallel devices. Experiments were performed on 64 GaAs (gallium arsenide) HBT-based power cells using a QFI infrared imaging system. Compared to the traditional temperature calculation model, the proposed model increased the accuracy by 6.84%, allowing for more precise predictions of transistor peak temperatures in high-power applications.

TL-MSE2-Net: Transfer learning based nested model for cerebrovascular segmentation with aneurysms

Cerebrovascular (i.e., cerebral vessel) segmentation is essential for diagnosing and treating brain diseases. Convolutional neural network models, such as U-Net, are commonly used for this purpose. Unfortunately, such models may not be entirely satisfactory in dealing with cerebrovascular segmentation with tumors due to the following issues: (1) Relatively small number of clinical datasets from patients obtained through different modalities such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), leading to inadequate training and lack of transferability in the modeling; (2) Insufficient feature extraction caused by less attention to both convolution sizes and cerebral vessel edges. Inspired by the existence of similar features on cerebral vessels between normal subjects and patients, we propose a transfer learning strategy based on a pre-trained nested model called TL-MSE2-Net. This model uses one of the publicly available datasets for cerebrovascular segmentation with aneurysms. To address issue (1), our transfer learning strategy leverages a pre-trained model that uses a large number of datasets from normal subjects, providing a potential solution to the lack of sufficient clinical datasets. To tackle issue (2), we structure the pre-trained model based on 3D U-Net, comprising three blocks: ResMul, DeRes, and REAM. The ResMul and DeRes blocks enhance feature extraction by utilizing multiple convolution sizes to capture multiscale features, and the REAM block increases the weight of the voxels on the edges of the given 3D volume. We evaluated the proposed model on one small private clinical dataset and two publicly available datasets. The experimental results demonstrated that our MSE2-Net framework achieved an average Dice score of 70.81 % and 89.08 % on the two publicly available datasets, outperforming other state-of-the-art methods. Ablation studies were also conducted to validate the effectiveness of each block. The proposed TL-MSE2-Net yielded better results than MSE2-Net on a small private clinical dataset, with increases of 5.52 %, 3.37 %, 6.71 %, and 0.85 % for the Dice score, sensitivity, Jaccard index, and precision, respectively.

Active oxygen species mediate the iron-promoting electrocatalysis of oxygen evolution reaction on metal oxyhydroxides

Iron is an extraordinary promoter to impose nickel/cobalt (hydr)oxides as the most active oxygen evolution reaction catalysts, whereas the synergistic effect is actively debated. Here, we unveil that active oxygen species mediate a strong electrochemical interaction between iron oxides (FeOxHy) and the supporting metal oxyhydroxides. Our survey on the electrochemical behavior of nine supporting metal oxyhydroxides (M(O)OH) uncovers that FeOxHy synergistically promotes substrates that can produce active oxygen species exclusively. Tafel slopes correlate with the presence and kind of oxygen species. Moreover, the oxygen evolution reaction onset potentials of FeOxHy@M(O)OH coincide with the emerging potentials of active oxygen species, whereas large potential gaps are present for intact M(O)OH. Chemical probe experiments suggest that active oxygen species could act as proton acceptors and/or mediators for proton transfer and/or diffusion in cooperative catalysis. This discovery offers a new insight to understand the synergistic catalysis of Fe-based oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalysts.

Deciphering the Chemical Fingerprint of Astragalus membranaceus: Volatile Components Attractive to Bruchophagus huonchili Wasps

Bruchophagus huonchili is a pest that poses a serious threat to the yield and quality of Astragalus membranaceus seeds. In this study, we employed solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in A. membranaceus pods during the pod-filled period. Additionally, we utilized a Y-tube olfactometer to measure the behavioral response of B. huonchili to different individual VOCs and specific VOC-based formulations. The most effective formulations were further evaluated for their effectiveness in attracting wasps in the field. Our findings revealed that A. membranaceus pods emit 25 VOCs, including green leaf volatiles (GLVs) and terpenoid and aromatic compounds. Among these compounds, five were found to be most attractive to B. huonchili at the following concentrations: 10 µg/µL cis-β-ocimene, 500 µg/µL hexyl acetate, 100 µg/µL hexanal, 1 µg/µL decanal, and 10 µg/µL β-caryophyllene, with respective response rates of 67.65%, 67.74%, 65.12%, 67.57%, and 66.67%. In addition, we evaluated 26 mixed VOC formulations, and three of them were effective at attracting B. huonchili. Furthermore, field experiments showed that one of the formulations was significantly more effective than the others, which could be used for monitoring B. huonchili populations.

Seasonal expressions of COX-1, COX-2, and EP4 in the scent glands of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus)

Prostaglandins (PGs) serve as signaling molecules that regulate various physiological processes, including inflammation, immune response, blood clotting, and reproduction. The aim of this study was to investigate the immunolocalizations and expression patterns of prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2), cyclooxygenase (COX)-1, and COX-2, as well as its receptor subtypes 4 (EP4) in the scent glands of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) during the breeding and nonbreeding periods. There were significant seasonal differences in the scent glandular mass, with higher values in the breeding season and relatively low in the nonbreeding season. PGE2, EP4, COX-1, and COX-2 have been immunolocalized in the scent glandular and epithelial cells in both breeding and nonbreeding seasons, whereas no immunostaining was observed in the interstitial cells. The protein and mRNA expression levels of EP4, COX-1, and COX-2 were higher in the scent glands of the breeding season than those of the nonbreeding season. The mean mRNA levels of EP4, COX-1, and COX-2 were positively correlated with the scent glandular weights. The circulating follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), and PGE2, as well as scent glandular PGE2 and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentrations, were also significantly higher in the breeding season. In addition, the transcriptomic study in the scent glands identified that differentially expressed genes might be related to fatty carboxylic monocarboxylic acid, steroidogenic-related pathways, and prostanoid metabolic processes. These findings suggested that prostaglandin-E2 might play an essential autocrine or paracrine role in regulating seasonal changes in the scent glandular functions of the muskrats.

Multipurpose ultrasonographic characteristics of primary uveal MALT lymphoma

PURPOSE

To investigate the ultrasonographic features in patients with primary uveal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma.

METHODS

Medical records of 12 patients (13 eyes) diagnosed with primary uveal MALT lymphoma between September 2014 and September 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Ultrasonography, B-scan ultrasonography, color Doppler flow imaging, and ultrasound biomicroscopy findings were retrieved from the medical records.

RESULTS

Mean age of the included patients was 59.4 ± 8.6 years. Typical ultrasonographic features of the choroidal infiltrates were flat, diffuse, and thickened, with low and homogenous internal reflectivity and with rich arterial blood flow from posterior ciliary arterioles. The mean thickness of the choroidal infiltrates was 1.34 ± 0.68 mm (n = 13). Most of the affected eyes had posterior episcleral extensions, with a mean thickness of 1.66 ± 1.21 mm (n = 12). Typical crescent-like posterior episcleral extensions were detected in nine eyes (69.2%). In six eyes, the blood flow from the choroidal infiltrates communicated with the episcleral extensions. In the ciliary body, the mean thickness of the infiltrates was 1.08 ± 0.43 mm (n = 9), and seven eyes (77.8%) had 360° ring-like infiltrations. The initial best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was significantly correlated with the final BCVA after treatment (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Multipurpose ultrasonographic imaging revealed the unique characteristics of the primary uveal MALT lymphoma and is helpful in the diagnosis of this rare disease.

Highly Enhanced Mechanical, Thermal, and Crystallization Performance of PLA/PBS Composite by Glass Fiber Coupling Agent Modification

To improve the toughness and heat resistance of polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS) was sufficiently blended with PLA as the base matrix, and the glass fiber (GF) that was modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KF-GF) was added as the reinforcement. The results demonstrated a noteworthy boost in both mechanical and heat resistance properties when employing KH-GF, in comparison to pristine GF. When the content of KH-GF reached 20%, the tensile, flexural, and IZOD impact strength of the composites were 65.53 MPa, 83.43 MPa, and 7.45 kJ/m2, respectively, which were improved by 123%, 107%, and 189% compared to the base matrix, respectively. This enhancement was primarily attributed to the stronger interfacial adhesion between KH-GF and the PLA/PBS matrix. Furthermore, the Vicat softening temperature of the composites reached 128.7 °C, which was a result of increased crystallinity. In summary, the incorporation of KH-GF into PLA/PBS composites resulted in notable enhancements in their mechanical properties, crystallinity, and thermal characteristics. The high performance KH-GF-reinforced PLA/PBS composite showed a broad application potential in the field of biodegradable packaging, biodegradable textiles, and biodegradable plastic bags.

[Transanal drainage tube for prevention of anastomotic leak after anterior resection for rectal cancer: a meta-analysis]

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of transanal drainage tube (TDT) in reducing the incidence of anastomotic leak following anterior resection in patients with rectal cancer. Methods: We conducted a systematic search for relevant studies published from inception to October 2022 across multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 software. The primary outcomes included total incidence of anastomotic leak, grade B and C anastomotic leak rates, reoperation rate, anastomotic bleeding rate, and overall complication rate. Results: Three randomized controlled trials involving 1115 patients (559 patients in the TDT group and 556 in the non-TDT group) were included. Meta-analysis showed that the total incidences of anastomotic leak and of grade B anastomotic leak were 5.5% (31/559) and 4.5% (25/559), respectively, in the TDT group and 7.9% (44/556) and 3.8% (21/556), respectively, in the non-TDT group. These differences are not statistically significant (P=0.120, P=0.560, respectively). Compared with the non-TDT group, the TDT group had a lower incidence of grade C anastomotic leak (1.6% [7/559] vs. 4.5% [25/556]) and reoperation rate (0.9% [5/559] vs. 4.3% [24/556]), but a higher incidence of anastomotic bleeding (8.2% [23/279] vs. 3.6% [10/276]). These differences were statistically significant (P=0.003, P=0.001, P=0.030, respectively). The overall complication rate was 26.5%(74/279) in the TDT group and 27.2% (75/276) in the non-TDT group. These differences are not statistically significant (P=0.860). Conclusions: TDT did not significantly reduce the total incidence of anastomotic leak but may have potential clinical benefits in preventing grade C anastomotic leak. Notably, placement of TDT may increase the anastomotic bleeding rate.

Self-Supervised Medical Image Denoising Based on WISTA-Net for Human Healthcare in Metaverse

Medical image processing plays an important role in the interaction of real world and metaverse for healthcare. Self-supervised denoising based on sparse coding methods, without any prerequisite on large-scale training samples, has been attracting extensive attention for medical image processing. Whereas, existing self-supervised methods suffer from poor performance and low efficiency. In this paper, to achieve state-of-the-art denoising performance on the one hand, we present a self-supervised sparse coding method, named the weighted iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithm (WISTA). It does not rely on noisy-clean ground-truth image pairs to learn from only a single noisy image. On the other hand, to further improve denoising efficiency, we unfold the WISTA to construct a deep neural network (DNN) structured WISTA, named WISTA-Net. Specifically, in WISTA, motivated by the merit of the l_p-norm, WISTA-Net has better denoising performance than the classical orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm and the ISTA. Moreover, leveraging the high-efficiency of DNN structure in parameter updating, WISTA-Net outperforms the compared methods in denoising efficiency. In detail, for a 256 by 256 noisy image, the running time of WISTA-Net is 4.72 s on the CPU, which is much faster than WISTA, OMP, and ISTA by 32.88 s, 13.06 s, and 6.17 s, respectively.

Effect of Transport Properties of Crystalline Transition Metal (Oxy)hydroxides on Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Electronic transport plays a pivotal role in the electrolysis of semiconducting electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), while it is mostly underestimated and largely unexplored. Here, by investigating the electronic transport behavior of seven archetypical crystalline Co/Ni/Fe-based (oxy)hydroxides (unary, binary, and ternary) under OER potential, we study how and the extent to which it affects the apparent catalytic performances. The electronic transports of unary metal (oxy)hydroxides follow the order of Co > Ni > Fe, and their binary or ternary compounds can generally impose one order of magnitude higher electrical conductivity. By studying the dependence of catalytic performances on electrical conductivities, we further unveil that charge transportability not only determines the electronic accessibility of catalytic nanoparticles but also, to our surprise, regulates the reaction kinetics of the electronically accessible active sites. Remarkably, the regulation extent of reaction kinetics correlates with the electrical conductivities of electrocatalysts, suggesting that the electrocatalytic process is strongly coupled with electronic transport. The work presents an overview of electronic transports of crystalline (oxy)hydroxides under OER potentials and highlights their pivotal role in unfolding catalytic potential, holding both fundamental and technical implications for the screen and design of efficient electrocatalysts.

The skeletal muscle transcriptome profile of elderly men with metabolic syndrome based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis

INTRODUCTION

This study aims to understand the transcriptome characteristics of the skeletal muscle of old man with metabolic syndrome (MS), to find the hub genes and insight into the molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle in the occurrence and development of MS.

METHODS

In this study, the Limma package of R software was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes in the skeletal muscle of healthy young adult (YO) men, healthy elderly (EL) men, and elderly men diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (SX) for at least 10 years. Bioinformatics methods, such as GO enrichment analysis, KEGG enrichment analysis and gene interaction network analysis, were used to explore the biological functions of differentially expressed genes, and WGCNA was used to cluster differentially expressed genes into modules.

RESULTS

Among the YO group, EL group, and SX group, 65 co-differentially expressed genes were found may be regulated by age factor and metabolic syndrome factor. Those co-differentially expressed genes were enriched into 25 biological process terms and 3 KEGG pathways. Based on the WGCNA results, a total of five modules were identified. Fifteen hub genes may play an essential role in regulating the function of skeletal muscle of old men with metabolic syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

65 differentially expressed genes and 5 modules may regulate the function of skeletal muscle of old men with MS, among which fifteen hub genes may play an essential role in the occurrence and development of MS.

Expression of Th1/2/17 Cytokines in CML with or without Pulmonary Bacterial and Fungal Coinfection

Background

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the standard therapy for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). While their use greatly increases patient survival rates and can lead to normal life expectancy, bacterial infections in the lungs continue to play a significant role in determining patient outcomes.

Methods

In this study, the medical records of 272 CML and 53 healthy adults were analyzed. Information on age, sex, body temperature, procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and cytokine levels were collected from patients. Since the data belonged to a nonstate distribution, we used the Mann-Whitney U test to examine differences between groups. Cut-off values were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results

No significant differences in the Th1/2/17 levels were observed in relation to TKI treatment. Further analysis showed that the levels of the interleukins IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-22, IL-12p70, IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-1β, interferon (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factors (TNF α and β) were higher in patients with pulmonary bacterial infections compared with uninfected patients. IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 levels in CML patients with bacterial and fungal coinfection were higher than those in patients without infection. The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) were found to be 0.73 for IL-5, 0.84 for IL-6, 0.82 for IL-8, 0,71 for IL-10, and 0.84 for TNF-α. AUC values were higher for patients with pulmonary bacterial infection, especially IL-6 (AUC = 0.84, cut-off = 13.78 pg/ml) and IL-8 (AUC = 0.82, cut-off = 14.35 pg/ml), which were significantly better than those for CRP (AUC = 0.80, cut-off = 6.18 mg/l), PCT (AUC = 0.71, cut-off = 0.25 ng/ml), and body temperature (AUC = 0.68, cut-off = 36.8°C). In addition, according to the cut-off values, we found that 83.33% of patients with pulmonary bacterial infections had IL-6 ≥ 13.78 pg/ml, while when IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 levels simultaneously exceeded the cut-off values, the probability of pulmonary bacterial infection was 93.55%.

Conclusions

TKI treatment did not appear to affect cytokine expression in CML patients. However, CML patients with pulmonary bacterial infection had significantly higher levels of Th1/2/17 cytokines. In particular, abnormally elevated IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 levels were associated with a pulmonary bacterial infection in patients with CML.

Human microRNA-4433 (hsa-miR-4443) Targets 18 Genes to be a Risk Factor of Neurodegenerative Diseases

BACKGROUND

Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease patients (AD), Huntington's disease (HD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), are common causes of morbidity, mortality, and cognitive impairment in older adults.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to understand the transcriptome characteristics of the cortex of neurodegenerative diseases and to provide an insight into the target genes of differently expressed microRNAs in the occurrence and development of neurodegenerative diseases.

METHODS

The Limma package of R software was used to analyze GSE33000, GSE157239, GSE64977 and GSE72962 datasets to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and microRNAs in the cortex of neurodegenerative diseases. Bioinformatics methods, such as GO enrichment analysis, KEGG enrichment analysis and gene interaction network analysis, were used to explore the biological functions of DEGs. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to cluster DEGs into modules. RNA22, miRDB, miRNet 2.0 and TargetScan7 databases were performed to predict the target genes of microRNAs.

RESULTS

Among 310 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, 157 Huntington's disease (HD) patients and 157 non-demented control (Con) individuals, 214 co-DEGs were identified. Those co-DEGs were filtered into 2 different interaction network complexes, representing immune-related genes and synapserelated genes. The WGCNA results identified five modules: yellow, blue, green, turquoise, and brown. Most of the co-DEGs were clustered into the turquoise module and blue module, which respectively regulated synapse-related function and immune-related function. In addition, human microRNA-4433 (hsa-miR-4443), which targets 18 co-DEGs, was the only 1 co-up-regulated microRNA identified in the cortex of neurodegenerative diseases.

CONCLUSION

214 DEGs and 5 modules regulate the immune-related and synapse-related function of the cortex in neurodegenerative diseases. Hsa-miR-4443 targets 18 co-DEGs and may be a potential molecular mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases' occurrence and development.

Combination Therapy of 0.1% Fluorometholone and 0.05% Azelastine in Eyes with Severe Allergic Conjunctival Diseases: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of the isolated use of fluorometholone compared with the combined use of azelastine and fluorometholone for the treatment of severe allergic conjunctival disease (ACD). One hundred and eleven patients with severe ACD were randomized into two groups: one treated with topical 0.1% fluorometholone combined with 0.05% azelastine and the other with 0.1% fluorometholone alone. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and the signs of keratopathy, palpebral conjunctiva papillae and conjunctival congestion were scored before and at one, two and six weeks after treatment and compared between the groups. The intra-ocular pressure (IOP) was also monitored. There were no significant differences between the groups in the baseline mean scores of signs and OSDI scores, which gradually improved at all visits after therapy in both groups. Although the time effect was significant for all the parameters (all p < 0.001), the reduction in corneal involvement scores from week 2 to week 6 was insignificant in both groups (p = 0.460 for the steroids group and p = 0.074 for the combination group). All signs and symptoms were significantly more improved in the combination group than in the isolated group at each control visit. IOP remained stable at all visits (all p < 0.001), except one patient in each group had elevated IOP over 21 mmHg. While both the isolated use of fluorometholone and combined use of azelastine and fluorometholone are effective in alleviating the signs and symptoms of severe ACD, optimal response can be achieved with adjunctive treatment including azelastine.

Growth performance, digestibility, blood metabolites, ruminal fermentation, and bacterial communities in response to the inclusion of gallic acid in the starter feed of preweaning dairy calves

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding gallic acid on the growth, nutrient digestibility, plasma metabolites, rumen fermentation, and bacterial community in the rumen fluid and feces of preweaning calves. Thirty-six female Holstein calves with similar ages (means ± SD; 3.1 ± 1.39 d) and body weights (40.8 ± 2.87 kg) were randomly assigned to receive 3 treatments. Calves were fed 1 of 3 treatments as follows: basal diet with no gallic acid (control), 0.5 g/kg gallic acid in starter diet (low), and 1 g/kg gallic acid in starter diet (high). The results showed that feeding gallic acid increased growth by improving the starter intake and average daily gain of the calves. The fecal score tended to decrease in a linear manner with the addition of gallic acid. Total-tract apparent protein digestibility tended to increase linearly with feeding gallic acid. Feeding gallic acid led to a linear increase in the plasma total protein and β-hydroxybutyrate levels. In addition, feeding gallic acid linearly increased catalase and total antioxidant capacity levels and decreased malondialdehyde and tumor necrosis factor-α concentrations. The concentrations of total volatile fatty acids, propionate, butyrate, and valerate in the rumen fluid increased linearly with the addition of gallic acid, resulting in a linear pH reduction. Feeding gallic acid linearly increased the relative abundances of Prevotella_1, Saccharofermentans, and Prevotellaceae_UCG-001 and linearly decreased the relative abundance of Prevotella_7 in the rumen fluid. The Shannon index of ruminal bacterial communities linearly increased by feeding gallic acid. Feeding gallic acid linearly increased the relative abundances of Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, Bacteroides, and Christensenellaceae_R-7_group in the feces. In summary, feeding gallic acid improved growth, antioxidant function, and rumen fermentation and altered the bacterial community in the rumen fluid and feces of preweaning dairy calves.

Cytokine Expression of Lung Bacterial Infection in Newly Diagnosed Adult Hematological Malignancies

Adult patients with hematological malignancies are frequently accompanied by bacterial infections in the lungs when they are first diagnosed. Sputum culture, procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), body temperature, and other routinely used assays are not always reliable. Cytokines are frequently abnormally produced in adult hematological malignancies associated with a lung infection, it is uncertain if cytokines can predict lung bacterial infections in individuals with hematological malignancies. Therefore, we reviewed 541 adult patients newly diagnosed with hematological malignancies, of which 254 patients had lung bacterial infections and 287 patients had no other clearly diagnosed infections. To explore the predictive value of cytokines for pulmonary bacterial infection in adult patients with hematological malignancies. Our results show that IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12P70, IL-1β, IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, TNF-β and IL-17A are in the lungs The expression level of bacterially infected individuals was higher than that of patients without any infections (P<0.05). Furthermore, we found that 88.89% (200/225) of patients with IL-6 ≥34.12 pg/ml had a bacterial infection in their lungs. With the level of IL-8 ≥16.35 pg/ml, 71.67% (210/293) of patients were infected. While 66.10% (193/292) of patients had lung bacterial infections with the level of IL-10 ≥5.62 pg/ml. When IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were both greater than or equal to their Cutoff-value, 98.52% (133/135) of patients had lung bacterial infection. Significantly better than PCT ≥0.11 ng/ml [63.83% (150/235)], body temperature ≥38.5°C [71.24% (62/87)], CRP ≥9.3 mg/L [53.59% (112/209)] the proportion of lung infection. In general. IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 are abnormally elevated in patients with lung bacterial infections in adult hematological malignancies. Then, the abnormal increase of IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 should pay close attention to the possible lung bacterial infection in patients.

RNA-seq identifies long non-coding RNAs as potential therapeutic targets for human corneal endothelial dysfunction under oxidative stress

Human corneal endothelial cells (CECs) have limited ability to regenerate in vivo. Oxidative stress has been proposed as one potential reason. Understanding the mechanism of oxidative stress-induced CEC dysfunction might provide novel targets for improving CEC regenerative capacity, and help develop non-surgical therapeutic strategies for CEC dysfunction. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-coding transcripts with multiple biological functions. The roles of lncRNAs in ocular cells under oxidative stress have been widely studied, such as lens epithelial cells, trabecular meshwork cells, and retinal ganglion cells. In the current study, we established oxidative stress-induced CEC dysfunction model in vitro. By RNA sequencing technology, we identified 824 differentially expressed lncRNAs in CEC dysfunction group, including 667 upregulated lncRNAs and 157 downregulated lncRNAs. We finally demonstrated that CEC functions under oxidative stress, including cellular proliferation, apoptosis, and anti-oxidative stress ability, could be regulated by different lncRNAs, including lncRNA-Z93241.1, lncRNA-XLOC_000818, and lncRNA-AC007952.4. Targeting these lncRNAs might be useful to further elucidate the pathology of CEC dysfunction and develop novel therapeutic strategy.

Combination of 0.05% Azelastine and 0.1% Tacrolimus Eye Drops in Children With Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis: A Prospective Study

Aims: To compare the efficacy of the combination of 0. 05% azelastine and 0.1% tacrolimus eye drops with 0.1% tacrolimus monotherapy in pediatric patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC).

Methods: Prospective study. Seventy-six patients with VKC were randomized 1:1 into monotherapy group with 0.1% tacrolimus or combination therapy group with 0.1% tacrolimus and 0.05% azelastine. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores and the signs of conjunctival hyperemia, corneal involvement, and palpebral conjunctiva papillae were assessed at baseline and at 1, 2, and 6 weeks after treatment.

Results: Two groups were comparable in age, sex, duration of VKC, OSDI, and clinical signs of VKC at baseline. Significant improvements in OSDI score and clinical signs were observed in both groups at all follow-up visits (all p < 0.001), compared with baseline. The combination therapy group showed a larger decrease in OSDI score from baseline (10.30 ± 0.9) compared with monotherapy group (7.30 ± 0.7, p =0.0085) at 1 week. Greater improvements in conjunctival hyperemia and conjunctival papillae were identified in the combination therapy group, compared with in the monotherapy group, at all follow-up visits (all p < 0.05). The corneal involvement scores in the combination group is significantly lower than the monotherapy group at 2 weeks after the treatment (p = 0.0488). No severe adverse effect was found in either group during the study.

Conclusions: Compared with a monotherapy of 0.1% tacrolimus, the combination of 0.05% azelastine and 0.1% tacrolimus eye drops lead to faster and greater improvements in clinical signs and symptoms of vernal keratoconjunctivitis in pediatric patients.

When EGFR inhibitor meets autoimmune disease: Severe corneal complications in a patient with Sjögren syndrome after erlotinib treatment

INTRODUCTION

To report the first case of severe corneal complications in a patient with Sjögren syndrome after receiving erlotinib treatment.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 51-year-old woman with Sjögren syndrome presented with persistent corneal epithelial defects, which did not respond to conservative therapies. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was being treated with erlotinib, a kind of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, for over 2 years. Cornea stromal melting and perforation were not avoided and a total of four penetrating keratoplasties were performed. Stable corneal surface was achieved after the erlotinib treatment was paused.

CONCLUSION

This report, to the best of our knowledge, is the first description of severe ocular complications present in a patient with Sjögren syndrome after receiving the EGFR inhibitor. The underlying ocular or system diseases that were thought to be irrelevant upon receiving the EGFR inhibitors might negatively influence the tumor patients planning to take these kinds of targeted medication. Therefore, it is important to have eye examinations before and during the EGFR inhibitors treatment and supplement the relative contraindications (such as Sjögren syndrome) to EGFR inhibitor treatments as necessary.

The Effect of 0.01% Atropine Eye Drops on the Ocular Surface in Children for the Control of Myopia-The Primary Results from a Six-Month Prospective Study

Purpose

To evaluate the effect of 0.01% atropine eye drops on the ocular surface in children for the control of myopia.

Methods

A total of 72 participants were recruited for this prospective study. Prior to and after 1, 3, and 6 months of 0.01% atropine administration, an ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire was obtained, Keratograph 5M was used for the measurement of the tear meniscus height (TMH), noninvasive keratographic tear film break-up time (NK-BUT, the first keratographic break-up time, [NK-BUT_first] and the average keratographic break-up time, [NK-BUT_ave]), bulbar redness (BR), meiboscore (MS), and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) was used to calculate the inferior tear meniscus area (TMA).

Results

After using the 0.01% atropine eye drops for 1 month, 9 subjects complained of discomfort immediately after administration, but this quickly subsided, and 1 subject was temporarily dazzled. All the ocular surface symptoms were mild and occurred rarely. After 3 months, these complaints no longer occurred. Compared with the baseline values, the OSDI scores (0.08 ± 0.28), values of TMH (0.23 ± 0.04 mm), TMA (0.0420 ± 0.0444 mm²), NK-BUT_first (9.39 ± 5.25 s), NK-BUT_ave (10.49 ± 4.94 s), BR (0.63 ± 0.37), and MS (0.89 ± 0.70) did not change significantly after 6 months of 0.01% atropine eye drop administration (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

In this 6-month prospective study, no side effects were observed on the ocular surface after using 0.01% atropine in children.

Linking microbial community composition to hydrogeochemistry in the western Hetao Basin: Potential importance of ammonium as an electron donor during arsenic mobilization

Various functional groups of microorganisms and related biogeochemical processes are likely to control arsenic (As) mobilization in groundwater systems. However, spatially-dependent correlations between microbial community composition and geochemical zonation along groundwater flow paths are not fully understood, especially with respect to arsenic mobility. The western Hetao Basin was selected as the study area to address this limitation, where groundwater flows from a proximal fan (geochemical-group I: low As, oxidizing), through a transition area (geochemical-group II: moderate As, moderately-reducing) and then to a flat plain (geochemical-group III: high As, reducing). High-throughput Illumina 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the microbial community structure in the proximal fan included bacteria affiliated with organic carbon degradation and nitrate-reduction or even nitrate-dependant Fe(II)-oxidation, mainly resulting in As immobilization. In contrast, for the flat plain, high As groundwater contained Fe(III)- and As(V)-reducing bacteria, consistent with current models on As mobilization driven via reductive dissolution of Fe(III)/As(V) mineral assemblages. However, Spearman correlations between hydrogeochemical data and microbial community compositions indicated that ammonium as a possible electron donor induced reduction of Fe oxide minerals, suggesting a wider range of metabolic pathways (including ammonium oxidation coupled with Fe(III) reduction) driving As mobilization in high As groundwater systems.

Direct Inkjet Printing of Aqueous Inks to Flexible All-Solid-State Graphene Hybrid Micro-Supercapacitors

In this article, the inkjet printing technique is demonstrated for the stacking of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) nanosheets for flexible all-solid-state micro-supercapacitors. The ammonium molybdate tetrahydrate/graphene oxide ((NH₄)₆Mo₇O₂₄·4H₂O/GO) aqueous inks are facilely printed on polymide (PI) film and transformed to RGO/MoO₃ hybrids via thermal treatments at air atmosphere. The compound inks are water-based, inkjet-printable, and nontoxic for inkjet printing to form two-dimensional crystal materials. The physical properties of aqueous inks are optimized within a printable range characterized by the Ohnesorge number of 1 < Z < 14. The inkjet-printed symmetric micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-H₂SO₄ gel electrolyte possess a wide voltage window of 0-0.8 V, excellent flexibility, a high volumetric specific capacitance of 22.5 F cm^-3 at 0.044 A cm^-3, as well as good cyclic stability due to the synergistic effect of RGO and MoO₃. Furthermore, the inkjet-printed composite MSCs delivered a maximum energy density of 2 mWh cm^-3 and a power density of 0.018 W cm^-3, and the capacity retention rate of inkjet-printed MSCs is still retained 82% even after 10 000 charge-discharge cycles, indicating good electrochemical properties. Above all, the as-designed inkjet printing technique shows potential for flexible and wearable energy storage electronics.

Review of pharmacotherapeutic treatments for primary sclerosing cholangitis

BACKGROUND

The objective of this review was to evaluate pharmacotherapeutic treatments for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) through a literature search of current published data. A review of the current clinical data for each treatment is discussed.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature search for articles using EMBASE (1980 to April 1, 2018), and MEDLINE (1948 to April 1, 2018) using Ovid, to identify studies investigating various therapies in PSC. Search terms included the following: primary sclerosing cholangitis, cholangitis, sclerosing cholangitis; ursodeoxycholic acid, glucocorticoids, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, methotrexate, azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, penicillamine, anti-TNF, antibiotics, and probiotics. We also performed a review of current clinical trials using ClinicalTrials.gov. We considered for review relevant studies published in English, pilot studies, and randomized controlled trials involving human subjects.

RESULTS

Therapies that have been investigated in the management of PSC include those used in search terms and others that were not included in our search parameters. Analysis of published data involving each therapy was explored and none have shown any sustained, significant benefit in the treatment of PSC. In terms of relevance to patient care and clinical practice, this review evaluates and compares various pharmacotherapeutic treatments for PSC where liver transplantation remains the only definitive treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

To date, no clinical study of any drug has demonstrated effectiveness in terms of survival benefit or a decreased need for liver transplantation. More clinical studies are needed, and patients need to be adequately informed before any medical therapy for PSC is undertaken.

[Oncolytic property of HSV-1 recombinant viruses carrying the human IL-12]

Objective: Constructed the recombinant HSV-1 deleted ICP47 and inserted human IL-12, and investigate the virus' replication ability and oncolytic property in vitro and vivo. Methods: The recombinant HSV-1 deleting ICP47 (MH1005) and then inserting human IL-12 (MH1006) were obtained with bacterial artificial chromosome technology.The replication ability and the efficiency of inhibiting tumor were detected in several nerve tumor cell lines infected with HSV-wt, MH1005 and MH1006 respectively.The murine tumor model was established by subcutaneous inoculation Neuro-2a cells on both sides of mice back respectively.A dosage of 2×10(6) PFU of HSV-wt, MH1001(recombinant HSV-1 deleted IR), MH1005, MH1006 and Mock were injected 3 times intratumorally on one side of mice back in every 3 days, the tumor volume and survival rate of the mice were measured. Results: The replication abilities of MH1005, MH1006 and HSV-wt in 293FT cells were insignificant (P>0.05); the replication abilities of recombinant HSV-1 in G422 and Neuro-2a were higher than that in SK-N-SH; and the nerve tumor cells could be inhibited significantly by recombinant HSV-1.After 15 days of treatment, on the mouse backside with injection treatment, the tumor volumes of group HSV-wt (6 267±484), MH1001 (5 730±1 071), MH1005 (4 537±538)and MH1006 (4 150±476)mm(3) were smaller than that of group Mock (6 957±722) mm(3) significantly (all P<0.01); on the mouse backside without injection treatment, the tumor volumes of group MH1005 (5 952±607) and MH1006 (5 473±661) mm(3) were smaller than those of HSV-wt (6 785±1 063), MH1001 (6 774±808) and Mock (6 957±190) mm(3) significantly (all P<0.05); after 35 days of treatment, the mice survival rates of group MH1005 (100%) and MH1006 (100%) were higher than those of MH1001 (67%), HSV-wt (50%) and Mock (33%) significantly (all P<0.05). Conclusion: MH1005 and MH1006 can infect nerve tumor cells and replicate at high level, the viruses not only kill tumor cells directly but also induce immunological rejection to tumor, and prolong the survival of mice bearing tumor.

Incidence of Suicide in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and Aims

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have higher incidence of psychosocial disorders, including depression. As suicide is the most severe manifestation of depression, we sought to identify if patients with IBD have a higher incidence of suicide through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods

Systematic literature searches for articles using EMBASE and MEDLINE using Ovid were conducted to identify studies investigating suicide in IBD. Reference harvesting of the bibliographies of key articles was also performed. We included studies reporting expected number of death or standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for suicide in IBD. Meta-analysis for each IBD condition (Crohn’s disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC]) was conducted separately, as well as combined.

Results

Seven cohort studies were identified through our search strategy and included in our systematic review and meta-analysis. In our analysis, the SMR for suicide in patients with IBD for all studies included was 1.20 (95% CI, 0.94–1.54). The overall pooled SMR for CD and UC were 1.36 (95% CI, 0.98–1.88) and 1.16 (95% CI, 0.8–1.69) respectively.

Conclusions

Patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis may have an increased risk of suicide. These results highlight the importance physicians must place on ensuring the mental health of patients with IBD is both assessed and treated appropriately.

iTRAQ-Based Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Tear Fluid in a Rat Penetrating Keratoplasty Model With Acute Corneal Allograft Rejection

PURPOSE

This study aimed to develop a greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying acute corneal allograft rejection by identifying differentially expressed tear proteins at defined stages and discovering potentially important proteins involved in the process.

METHODS

The isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (2DLC-MS/MS) technique was used to identify tear proteins showing significant alterations in a rat penetrating keratoplasty model at different time points. Bioinformatics technology was applied to analyze the significant proteins, and a potential protein was verified by Western blotting.

RESULTS

A total of 269 proteins were quantified, and 118 proteins were considered to be significantly altered by at least 2.0- or 0.5-fold. For gene ontology annotations, the top enrichments were neurological disease, free radical scavenging, cell death and survival, and cell movement. For pathway analyses, the top enrichments were LXR/RXR activation, acute phase response signaling, clathrin-mediated endocytosis signaling, and coagulation system. Coronin-1A was verified as a potential protein involved in the early stage of acute corneal allograft rejection.

CONCLUSIONS

This study first demonstrates that tear proteomics is a powerful tool for better understanding of the mechanisms underlying acute corneal rejection, and that coronin-1A in tears might be closely related to allograft rejection.

A case of congenital corneal anesthesia with hypopyon in china

PURPOSE

To report a case of congenital corneal anesthesia (CCA) associated with hypopyon and tactile hypoesthesia.

METHODS

Case report.

RESULTS

A 3-year-old girl presented with redness and mild photophobia in the left eye accompanied by corneal ulcer, hypopyon, and corneal neovascularization. Corneal sensation was reduced bilaterally. She exhibited an absence of normal response to painful stimuli. She also had extensive ulceration of the lateral borders and tip of the tongue. The left corneal biopsy revealed negative cultures for bacteria and fungi. She was treated with human amniotic membrane transplantation in the left eye. The response to treatment was good.

CONCLUSION

This is the first case of CCA reported in China. CCA is often misdiagnosed as infectious keratitis. Amniotic membrane transplantation is effective in repairing the severe corneal ulcer which may be associated with CCA.

[The effects of hyperosmotic stress on rabbit ocular surface and mucin 5AC expression]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of hyperosmotic stress on rabbit ocular surface and mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) expression.

METHODS

Experimental study. Eighteen New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups with equal number as hyperosmolar saline solution (HOSS, 500 mmol/L) group, normal saline (NS, 308 mmol/L) group and blank control group respectively. In HOSS and NS groups, the HOSS and NS eye drops were instilled on bilateral eyes six times every day for 14 days. On day 0, 7 and 14, Schirmer I test and tear break-up time (BUT) were measured and conjunctival impression cytology specimens were collected. On day 7 and 14, cornea and conjunctiva were harvested for Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining, scanning and transmission electron microscopy observation and conjunctival TUNEL examination. On day 14, the conjunctiva were also harvested for immunology histological staining and western blot to evaluate the expression of MUC5AC.

RESULTS

In HOSS group, the BUT on day 7 and 14 was (7.6 ± 2.5) and (7.0 ± 2.3) s respectively which was significantly shorter than the (10.3 ± 2.5) s on day 0(t = 5.800, 4.950; P < 0.01), and also significantly shorter than the BUT in NS and control groups (F = 8.030, P < 0.01). But the Schirmer I test value did not change obviously in and between all those three groups. The mean conjunctival goblet cell (GC) density in HOSS group on day 7 and 14 was (19.5 ± 16.6) and (32.3 ± 18.2) cells/mm(2) respectively which was also significantly lower than the (75.7 ± 43.4) cells/mm(2) on day 0 (t = 5.319, 2.970; P < 0.05). However the GC density did not change obviously in other two groups with time. After instillation of HOSS for 14 days, subepithelial inflammatory cell infiltration was showed on conjunctival tissue specimens and decreased epithelial layers and evident desquamation were found in the cornea specimens by the HE staining. Under the electron microscope, decreased microvilli and loosened intercellular junction in the superficial epithelium and increased autophagic vesicles in basal epithelium were observed in the cornea in HOSS group; and decreased microvilli and mucous granules were found in the conjunctiva in HOSS group. Obvious TUNEL positive staining was showed in the conjunctiva in the HOSS group. Also the MUC5AC immunology histological staining and western blot indicated decreased MUC5AC protein expression in HOSS group.

CONCLUSION

Hyperosmotic stress destroyed the structure of ocular surface epithelium, induced the decrease of conjunctival goblet cell density and MUC5AC expression, and led to the decreased tear film stability.

Histology of corneal wound healing after deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty

Deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) has become an alternative procedure for bullous keratopathy. Herein, the histopathological characteristics of corneal wound healing after DLEK were reported. A 71-year-old man suffering from left psuedophakia bullous keratopathy received small incision DLEK. Twenty months later, another penetrating keratoplasty (PK) was performed because of the graft failure. The histopathology of the corneal button removed during PK demonstrated the regularity of stromal fiber alignment at the graft interface. Fibrotic repair was limited to the peripheral margins.

[Comparative study on deep lamellar keratoplasty and penetrating keratoplasty for keratoconus]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the therapeutic outcomes of deep lamellar keratoplasty (DLKP) and penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) for keratoconus.

METHODS

Retrospective review of 29 eyes of 29 keratoconus patients, who underwent surgery in Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University from April in 2003 to April in 2006. Eleven eyes underwent DLKP and the rest had PKP. Pre- and post-operative visual acuity, astigmatism, complications and post-operative graft status were assessed.

RESULTS

82% of patients (9 eyes) in DLKP group gained BCVA better than 0.5, while in PKP group the proportion was just 78% (14 eyes). Postoperative astigmatism of two groups had no statistical significant difference with the value (-4.03 +/- 1.87) D and (-3.43 +/- 2.31) D respectively (DS: t = 2.135, P = 0.460, DC: t = -0.643, P = 0.528). The confocal image of epithelial cell, basal epithelium and Bowman's membrane was similar to that of normal cornea. The stromal cell was a little bit smaller and disordered. The endothelium in DLKP-treated eyes had normal cellular size and shape. There was no statistical significance between the density of operated eyes and contralateral unoperated eyes (2311.72 +/- 439.73) cells/mm2 and (2477.81 +/- 535.92) cells/mm2 respectively (t = 1.060, P = 0.780). However, the endothelial cells in PKP-treated eyes were highly pleomorphic with a decreased cellular density of (1642.17 +/- 583.41) cells/mm2, whereas the contralateral unoperated eyes had endothelium density of (2739.05 +/- 401.77) cells/mm2. The difference was statistical significance (Z = 7.32, P = 0.006). Complication rates were similar for DLKP and PKP, although the classification of the complications varied, being less severe in the DLKP group.

CONCLUSIONS

DLKP seems to be a safe alternative for patients with keratoconus because of its equivalent effect to PKP. DLKP is more technically challenging but allows the risk of endothelial rejection to be avoided and may reduce the risk of late endothelial failure.

[Histopathological study of corneal wound healing in guinea pigs after deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty with small incision]

OBJECTIVE

To study the histopathological characteristics of corneal wound healing after deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) with small incision.

METHODS

Forty-five guinea pigs were divided into the donor and recipient groups, which consisted of 15 and 30 guinea pigs respectively. DLEK was performed in the right eye, and the left eye was used as histopathological control. Two guinea pigs with clear right corneas under biomicroscopy examination were killed at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months and 4 months postoperatively, separately. Bilateral corneal buttons were harvested for the evaluation of endothelial cells (alizarin red stain) and for the light microscopy study (HE or PAS staining).

RESULTS

Clear cornea could be obtained in 22 recipient eyes postoperatively. In these corneas, the endothelial cells either in the donor disc or recipient's bed were normal in shape and size. However, there was a band area between the donor disc and recipient's bed, where the endothelial cells were abnormal. In the early postoperative period, histopathological study disclosed increase of number of cells in the corneal stroma along the pathway of lamellar separation. The tissue connecting the gap between the donor and recipient lacked lamellar structure. The new descemet's membrane appeared beneath the endothelium 1 month postoperatively. Three to four months after the operation, the continuity of the descemet's membrane and the posterior lamella was rehabilitated.

CONCLUSIONS

The corneal wound healing process after the DLEK with small incision is related with the type of trauma. Collagen is arranged well at the surface of the lamellar. Fibrotic repair is seen in the marginal area connecting the donor disc and recipient's bed.

Production of puerarin and isoflavones in cell suspension cultures of Pueraria lobata (Willd.): effects of medium supplementation with casein hydrolysate and coconut milk

Callus induced from leaf explants of Pueraria lobata seedlings were suspended in Gamborg B5 medium supplemented with 1 mg l(-1) 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 1 mg l(-1) naphthalene acetic acid, 0.5 mg l(-1) kinetin and 30 g l(-1) sucrose. The effects of coconut milk and casein hydrolysate (CH) on cell growth and yields of puerarin and isoflavones in cells suspension were studied. The contents of total isoflavones and puerarin in suspension cultures were determined by spectrophotometry and HPLC. Coconut milk (10%, filter sterilized) decreased the growth of cell cultures and the accumulation of total isoflavones, while 0.2% CH promoted the growth of cell cultures and the accumulation and release of puerarin and total isoflavones. The total yield of puerarin and isoflavones were 34% and 40.8% higher than in the control, respectively. The optimum medium for cell cultures of leaves of P. lobata seedlings was B5 liquid medium supplemented with 2% sucrose, 1.0 mg l(-1) 2,4-D, 1.0 mg l(-1) NAA, 0.5 mg l(-1) kinetin and 20 mg l(-1) CH. The procedure use is a potentially useful for the production of isoflavones.

Indications for penetrating keratoplasty in East China, 1994–2003

PURPOSE

To evaluate the indications for penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and associated procedures in the Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China, an eye center in East China and to compare our results with those from previous studies.

METHODS

We retrospectively studied the charts of cases who had received PKP in the hospital from 1994 to 2003. The recorded data covered age, sex, and preoperative clinical diagnoses of PKP, and surgical procedures in some cases.

RESULTS

A total of 229 cases received PKP during that period. The number of surgical cases increased dramatically in the last 3 years (2001-2003). The leading indication for PKP was corneal scar (55.9%), which included 44 (19.2%) cases of corneal scar after viral keratitis and 30 (13.1%) cases of corneal scar after chemical/thermal burn. Other indications, in order of decreasing frequency, were bullous keratopathy (12.2%), acute necrotizing/ulcerative keratitis (12.2%), regraft (10.5%), keratoconus (5.7%), and non-Fuchs' corneal dystrophies (3.8%). Combined procedures were performed on 22 cases. The most three common indications for PKP, corneal scar, bullous keratopathy, acute necrotizing/ulcerative keratitis, showed an increasing frequency in the period of the last 3 years.

CONCLUSION

The leading indication for PKP was corneal scar, which differed from the conclusion offered by the developed areas in the world, where bullous keratopathy or keratoconus was the case. A similar result was also found in reports from India and Taiwan.

A case of choroidal tubercles

PURPOSE

To report a case of choroidal tubercles in a miliary tuberculosis boy.

METHOD

Clinical features description.

RESULTS

A 14-year-old boy was found to have multifocal choroidal tubercles. Angiography was performed. He was followed up for 12 months. The choroidal lesions regressed after using anti-tuberculosis drugs for 8 months. Pigment changes remained.

CONCLUSION

Tuberculosis may present as a posterior segment inflammation. In miliary tuberculosis, choroid is also a target tissue.

[A control study of personality characteristics and variation of plasma peptide in pilots with neurosis]

Objective. To study the relationship between personality type and variation of plasma peptides in pilots with neurosis. Method. A case-control study was used. 124 male pilots were evaluated with Eysenck's personality checklist, and then level of certain plasma peptides, such as vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), beta-endorphin (beta-EP) and angiotensin-II (A-II) were determined. Result. There were significant difference in personality characteristics and personality types between pilots with neuroses and the control. The contents of VIP and beta-EP in plasma showed visible difference between disease group and control. Content of beta-EP in those with inner-unstable type personality was lowest among all the various types. Conclusion. Personality characteristics were different between pilots with neurosis and controls. Levels of VIP and beta-EP in disease group were lower than those in the control. Different personality types had different levels of beta-EP in pilots with neurosis.