More than loss of taste and smell: burning watering eyes in coronavirus disease 2019

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate ocular symptoms in European non-hospitalized patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and to investigate associations with the demographic data as well as nasal and general physical symptoms.

METHODS

In this prospective, observational study, 108 non-hospitalized patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection not requiring intensive care were asked about disease-associated ocular symptoms, demographic data, as well as general physical and nasal symptoms using a standardized questionnaire. Total ocular symptom score (TOSS) was evaluated during and, retrospectively, before development of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Associations between TOSS and demographic data as well as general and nasal symptoms were evaluated.

RESULTS

Seventy-five of the 108 COVID-19 patients (69.4%) had at least one ocular symptom during COVID-19. The most common symptoms included burning sensations in 39 (36.1%), epiphora in 37 (34.3%) and redness in 28 (25.9%), compatible with conjunctivitis. These symptoms occurred 1.96 ± 3.17 days after the beginning of COVID-19 and were mild. TOSS was significantly higher during COVID-19 (1.27 ± 1.85) than before the infection (0.33 ± 1.04; p < 0.001). There were no significant associations between TOSS and gender (β coefficient -0.108; p 0.302), age (-0.024; p 0.816), rhinorrhoea (-0.127; p 0.353), nasal itching (-0.026; p 0.803), sneezing (0.099; p 0.470), nasal congestion (-0.012; p 0.930), cough (-0.079; p 0.450), headache (0.102; p 0.325), sore throat (0.208; p 0.052), or fever (0.094; p 0.361).

CONCLUSIONS

Ocular involvement in European non-hospitalized individuals with COVID-19 seems to be highly underestimated. Overall, these ocular symptoms, including burning sensations, epiphora and redness, seem to be mild and to not need treatment.

Assessing water retention and correlation to climate conditions of five plant species in greywater treating green walls

Green walls are becoming a popular infrastructure choice in densely built urban environments, due to their multiple benefits. However, high and vastly variable water requirements of these systems are preventing their further widespread. Only a small number of studies have investigated water needs of green walls, even though this can help to design more optimal systems with increased benefits. Additionally, the knowledge on interactions between plant uptake and climate conditions (temperature and humidity) is lacking. The aim of this study was to understand daily water requirements of five plant species (C. appressa, N. obliterata, L. muscari, M. parvifolium and O. japonicus) used in greywater treating green walls, across different seasons, temperature, and humidity conditions of temperate-oceanic climate (common in parts of Australia, US and Europe). The results showed that during summer, dominant water uptake processes were plant uptake and transpiration, resulting in three to four times higher water needs than during winter, when evaporation is a major effect. Top levels of the multi-level green wall exhibited significantly higher plant activity compared to bottom levels, showing four times greater water uptake. Temperature and humidity changes during winter caused the change in water uptake of plants, pointing to different growing and activity patterns of tested plants. During summer only N. obliterata showed temperature and humidity dependence. Annual plant water uptake and other practical recommendations are given based on the results. Even though this study focused on water requirements of greywater treating green walls, its findings can also inform traditional green wall designs.

Control of β-sitosterol biosynthesis under light and watering in desert plant Calotropis procera

Most scientific studies on Calotropis procera refer to the plant as an important source of pharmaceutical compounds and its valuable benefits in medicine. One of the most important substances in this plant is the potential immunostimulant β-sitosterol (BS) that acts in improving human health. This study focused on the effects of lighting before and after irrigation on the BS accumulation pathway namely steroid biosynthesis. Studying the enzymes in BS biosynthetic pathway indicated the upregulation at dawn and predusk of the SMT2 and SMO2 genes encoding sterol methyltransferase 2 and methylsterol monooxygenase, two key enzymes in BS accumulation in C. procera. The results almost indicated no regulation at the different time points of the CYP710A gene encoding sterol 22-desaturase, an enzyme that acts in depleting β-sitosterol towards the biosynthesis of stigmasterol. RNA-Seq data was validated via quantitative RT-PCR and results were positive. The data of ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis with regard to BS accumulation also aligned with those of RNA-Seq analysis. We focused on the effects of light before and after watering on BS accumulation in C. procera. Our results show that BS accumulation is high at dawn in both dehydrated and well-watered condition. While, the BS was dramatically decrease at midday in well-watered plants. This increase/decrease in BS content is correlated with rates of expression of SMT 2 gene. This gene is a key convertor between the different branches in the cardiac glycoside biosynthesis. Accordingly, it could be suggested that BS (or one of the descendent product) may play an important role in C. procera tolerance to drought/light intensity conditions.

Soil degassing during watering: An overlooked soil N2O emission process

Pulse diffusive nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission following water application is well documented, whereas N₂O emission caused by soil water-air displacement during the watering process (termed as soil degassing) has been largely overlooked. Watering-induced N₂O emissions from ten different soils in China were quantified, and found to range from 74.4 ± 6.7 to 678.1 ± 36.6 μg N₂O m^-2 h^-1 in surface watered (SW) soils, and from 45.6 ± 4.4 to 358.1 ± 23.6 μg N₂O m^-2 h^-1 in subsurface watered (SUW) soils. These N₂O fluxes were much larger than the diffusive N₂O flux from the same soil either under dry (7.9%-9.6% water filled pore space, WFPS) or wet (85.1%-93.6% WFPS) conditions. The watering process (the water infiltration process upon irrigation/rainfall or the process of shallow groundwater uplifting) resulted in massive N₂O emissions.

Soil and ecosystem respiration responses to grazing, watering and experimental warming chamber treatments across topographical gradients in northern Mongolia

Globally, soil respiration is one of the largest fluxes of carbon to the atmosphere and is known to be sensitive to climate change, representing a potential positive feedback. We conducted a number of field experiments to study independent and combined impacts of topography, watering, grazing and climate manipulations on bare soil and vegetated soil (i.e., ecosystem) respiration in northern Mongolia, an area known to be highly vulnerable to climate change and overgrazing. Our results indicated that soil moisture is the most important driving factor for carbon fluxes in this semi-arid ecosystem, based on smaller carbon fluxes under drier conditions. Warmer conditions did not result in increased respiration. Although the system has local topographical gradients in terms of nutrient, moisture availability and plant species, soil respiration responses to OTC treatments were similar on the upper and lower slopes, implying that local heterogeneity may not be important for scaling up the results. In contrast, ecosystem respiration responses to OTCs differed between the upper and the lower slopes, implying that the response of vegetation to climate change may override microbial responses. Our results also showed that light grazing may actually enhance soil respiration while decreasing ecosystem respiration, and grazing impact may not depend on climate change. Overall, our results indicate that soil and ecosystem respiration in this semi-arid steppe are more sensitive to precipitation fluctuation and grazing pressure than to temperature change.

Primary canaliculitis: The incidence, clinical features, outcome and long-term epiphora after snip-punctoplasty and curettage

Purpose

To study the incidence, clinical features and outcome of primary canaliculitis with special reference to long-term epiphora after Snip–punctoplasty and curettage.

Methods

Single center, retrospective, telephonic questionnaire study. The medical records of patients who visited Orbit and Oculoplasty clinic, Tertiary Eye Hospital, India from 01 July 2011 to 31 June 2012 were analyzed. Records of the patients with primary canaliculitis were reviewed for clinical profile and management. Post-surgical patients thus identified were telephonically contacted in December 2012. Questionnaire was used to assess the postsurgical epiphora. Symptomatic patients were given clinic appointment, reassessed and managed.

Results

2245 patients visited Orbit and Oculoplasty clinic during the study period. The incidence of primary canaliculitis was 1.4% (31 patients). The median age of the patients with canaliculitis was 65 years (range, 14–80 yrs). Sixteen patients were male. All cases were unilateral and four eyes showed both upper and lower canalicular involvement. The commonest clinical presentations were pus or concretion from punctum (28), mucous discharge (23), epiphora (18) and conjunctival injection (18). Three snip punctoplasty and canalicular curettage was performed in 30 of these patients. Twenty of the 25 available culture results were positive and streptococcus species was the most common isolated organism. Records revealed that five (22%) of these patients had persistence of symptoms. Twenty-three patients could be contacted telephonically. The median follow-up of these patients was 11 months. On telephonic communication we found that two (8.7%) patients had epiphora. Munk epiphora score in these patients was three and one respectively.

Conclusions

Incidence of canaliculitis was 1.4%. Most common isolate was streptococcus species. Snip–punctoplasty and curettage is a safe and efficacious modality of treatment of canaliculitis. Post-operative epiphora occurred in 8.7% patients.