Development and psychometric evaluation of beliefs about the orthokeratology lens compliance scale (BOLCS): Based on the theory of planned behavior.

PURPOSE: Non-adherence to standard wear, care, and follow-up procedures is a major risk factor for contact lens-related complications. The effectiveness of orthokeratology largely depends on the wearer's adherence. However, a deficiency in scales capturing adherence beliefs pertinent to orthokeratology exacerbates the lack of guidance for effective intervention strategies. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a new scale based on the Theory of Planned Behavior that assesses the level of adherence among ortho-k wearers. METHODS: This study involved three stages following the STROBE checklist: (1) developing initial scale items based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, a literature review, and a qualitative study; (2) evaluation of content and face validity; (3) psychometric testing on 296 participants. Item analysis, based on Classical Test Theory, assessed the overall consistency, reliability, and validity of the scale. RESULTS: The final 37-item Beliefs about the Orthokeratology Lens Compliance Scale (BOLCS) comprises 11 dimensions. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for each dimension ranged from 0.560 to 0.798. The folded half reliabilities were 0.845, and the combined reliabilities ranged from 0.676 to 0.793, indicating strong reliability. Item-level CVI (I-CVI) and scale-level CVI/average (S-CVI/Ave) values, assessed by the panel, ranged from 0.71 to 1 and 0.954, respectively. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a factor structure consistent with the theoretical model. CONCLUSIONS: The scale's construction adhered to a standardized process, yielding preliminary validation results with satisfactory reliability and validity.

Development and Validation of a Patient Discharge Readiness Scale for Daytime Cataract Surgery (DRS-CAT).

PURPOSE: To ensure the safety of patients discharged from the hospital, a nurse-assessed scale for outpatient cataract surgery patients was constructed to provide a special tool for cataract patients' discharge readiness evaluation. DESIGN: This is a methodological study. METHODS: The development of the tool was completed between 2021 and 2022. Based on the literature review and qualitative interviews, the initial entry pool of the discharge readiness scale was established. After consultation with Delphi experts, the preliminary scale was tested by 312 participants to screen items and test reliability and validity. The analysis included internal consistency, content validity, and construct validity. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observation studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist was used as the reporting guideline for this study. FINDINGS: The final Discharge Readiness Scale for Cataract surgery consists of 21 items in five dimensions: cognition of discharge readiness, personal status, mastery of health education knowledge, coping capacity, and social support. Five common factors were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis, and they explained 70.12% of the total variance. All of the indexes of the confirmatory factor analysis were within the theoretical allowable range. The Cronbach's α of the total scale was 0.903, and the scale-level content validity index/average variance extracted was 0.99. CONCLUSIONS: The Discharge Readiness Scale for Cataract surgery, evaluated by nurses, has good reliability and validity and can be used to determine the discharge readiness of cataract patients undergoing day surgery.

Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C can decrease Müller cell viability and suppress its phagocytic activity by modulating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Bacillus cereus endophthalmitis is a devastating eye infection that causes rapid blindness through the release of extracellular tissue-destructive exotoxins. The phagocytic and antibacterial functions of ocular cells are the keys to limiting ocular bacterial infections. In a previous study, we identified a new virulence gene, plcA-2 (different from the original plcA-1 gene), that was strongly associated with the plcA gene of Listeria monocytogenes. This plcA gene had been confirmed to play an important role in phagocytosis. However, how the Bc-phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) proteins encoded by the plcA-1/2 genes affect phagocytes remains unclear in B. cereus endophthalmitis. Here, we found that the enzymatic activity of Bc-PI-PLC-A2 was approximately twofold higher than that of Bc-PI-PLC-A1, and both proteins inhibited the viability of Müller cells. In addition, PI-PLC proteins reduced phagocytosis of Müller cells by decreasing the phosphorylation levels of key proteins in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In conclusion, we showed that PI-PLC proteins contribute to inhibit the viability of and suppress the phagocytosis of Müller cells, providing new insights into the pathogenic mechanism of B. cereus endophthalmitis.

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale in Medical Staff: Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, mental well-being is a critical issue for public health, especially among medical staff; it affects professionalism, efficiency, quality of care delivery, and overall quality of life. Nevertheless, assessing mental well-being is a complex problem. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese-language version of the 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) in medical staff recruited mainly from 6 hospitals in China and provide a reliable measurement of positive mental well-being. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted of medical staff from 15 provinces in China from May 15 to July 15, 2020. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the structure of the Chinese WEMWBS. The Spearman correlations of the Chinese WEMWBS with the 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) were used to evaluate convergent validity. The Cronbach α and split-half reliability (λ) represented internal consistency. A graded response model was adopted for an item response theory (IRT) analysis. We report discrimination, difficulty, item characteristic curves (ICCs), and item information curves (IICs). ICCs and IICs were used to estimate reliability and validity based on the IRT analysis. RESULTS: A total of 572 participants from 15 provinces in China finished the Chinese WEMWBS. The CFA showed that the 1D model was satisfactory and internal consistency reliability was excellent, with α=.965 and λ=0.947, while the item-scale correlation coefficients ranged from r=0.727 to r=0.900. The correlation coefficient between the Chinese WEMWBS and the WHO-5 was significant, at r=0.746. The average variance extraction value was 0.656, and the composite reliability value was 0.964, with good aggregation validity. The discrimination of the Chinese WEMWBS items ranged from 2.026 to 5.098. The ICCs illustrated that the orders of the category thresholds for the 14 items were satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese WEMWBS showed good psychometric properties and can measure well-being in medical staff.

Association of sleep quality with myopia based on different genetic risk levels.

AIM: To analyse the association of sleep quality with myopia under different genetic risk (GR) levels. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of students aged 9-14y in Wenzhou, China, was conducted. Refraction without cycloplegia and ocular parameters were measured. Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Seventeen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were replicated by association analysis and used to compute the GR score (GRS). Possible confounders were assessed by a questionnaire that collected information about the children and their parents. Generalized linear models were used to analyse the sleep quality, the GR, and their interaction effects on the risk of myopia. RESULTS: Out of 1354 children included in this study, 353 (26.07%) had sleep disturbances. The GRS ranged from 4.49 to 12.89 with a mean of 7.74±1.23, and the participants were divided into a low GR group, a moderate GR group and a high GR group according to the GRS quartile. In the generalized linear model, the children with sleep disturbances and high GR had a higher risk of myopia than those without sleep disturbances and with low GR (OR=1.59, 95%CI: 1.12-2.25; OR=1.88, 95%CI: 1.23-2.88, respectively). Compared to those with low GR and SDs, children with high GR with or without SDs had a higher risk of myopia (OR=4.88, 95%CI: 2.03-11.71; OR=1.70, 95%CI: 1.06-2.72, respectively). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of sleep disturbances in elementary school students in Wenzhou was 26.07%. There is a significant interaction between sleep disturbances and a high GR of myopia, suggesting that a high GR of myopia may increase children's sensitivity to sleep disturbances. This study indicates that children with a high GR of myopia need to achieve adequate sleep duration and excellent sleep quality.

Differences in close-work activities and optical axis length between only children and non-only children: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the differences in optical axial length and close-work activities between only children and children with siblings in Wenzhou. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional population-based study. In total, 2913 school-aged children and their parents in Wenzhou were included as study subjects from April to May 2021. Data regarding the optical axial length, spherical equivalent refraction, number of children in a family, parental myopia, and close-work activities were collected through eye examinations and questionnaires. A multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the association between the number of children in a family and optical axial length. RESULTS: The children were aged 9.80 ± 3.41 years. The overall percentage of children with an axial length > 24 mm was 38.9%, 44.5% in only children and 35.6% in multiples. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of having an AL > 24 mm were 1.24 times higher in only children than in multiples (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.025-1.480, P = 0.028). Only children were 1.331 times more likely to perform homework > 1 h on weekends than multiples (OR: 1.331, 95% CI: 1.049-1.688, P = 0.019). Only children in upper grades were 1.543 times more likely to perform homework > 1 h on weekends than multiples (OR: 1.543, 95% CI: 1.065-2.235, P = 0.025). Boys who were only children were more likely to attend three or more extracurricular classes for academic subjects than multiples (OR: 1.224, 95% CI: 1.011-1.562, P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Being an only child may be associated with a higher risk of myopia and higher odds of close-work behaviors. Only children, especially those in upper grades, are more likely to spend more time on homework than their peers who are multiples. Only children, especially boys, are more likely to attend extracurricular classes in academic subjects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered as ChiCTR1900020584 at www.Chictr.org.cn .

Metagenomic Analysis Reveals Changes in Bacterial Communities and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in an Eye Specialty Hospital and a General Hospital Before and After Wastewater Treatment.

The spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in hospital wastewater poses a great threat to public health, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play an important role in reducing the levels of ARB and ARGs. In this study, high-throughput metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze the bacterial community composition and ARGs in two hospitals exposed to different antibiotic use conditions (an eye specialty hospital and a general hospital) before and after wastewater treatment. The results showed that there were various potential pathogenic bacteria in the hospital wastewater, and the abundance and diversity of the influent ARGs in the general hospital were higher than those in the eye hospital. The influent of the eye hospital was mainly composed of Thauera and Pseudomonas, and sul1 (sulfonamide) was the most abundant ARG. The influent of the general hospital contained mainly Aeromonas and Acinetobacter, and tet39 (tetracycline) was the most abundant ARG. Furthermore, co-occurrence network analysis showed that the main bacteria carrying ARGs in hospital wastewater varied with hospital type; the same bacteria in wastewater from different hospitals could carry different ARGs, and the same ARG could also be carried by different bacteria. The changes in the bacterial community and ARG abundance in the effluent from the two hospitals showed that the activated sludge treatment and the direct chlorination disinfection can effectively remove some bacteria and ARGs in wastewater but have limitations. The species diversity increased significantly after the activated sludge treatment, while the direct chlorination disinfection did not increase the diversity. The activated sludge treatment has a better effect on the elimination of ARGs than the direct chlorination disinfection. In summary, we investigated the differences in bacterial communities and ARGs in wastewater from two hospitals exposed to different antibiotic usage conditions, evaluated the effects of different wastewater treatment methods on the bacterial communities and ARGs in hospital wastewater, and recommended appropriate methods for certain clinical environments.

A Comparative Genomic Approach to Determine the Virulence Factors and Horizontal Gene Transfer Events of Clinical Acanthamoeba Isolates.

Acanthamoeba species are among the most ubiquitous protists that are widespread in soil and water and act as both a replicative niche and vectors for dispersal. They are the most important human intracellular pathogens, causing Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) and severely damaging the human cornea. The sympatric lifestyle within the host and amoeba-resisting microorganisms (ARMs) promotes horizontal gene transfer (HGT). However, the genomic diversity of only A. castellanii and A. polyphaga has been widely studied, and the pathogenic mechanisms remain unknown. Thus, we examined 7 clinically pathogenic strains by comparative genomic, phylogenetic, and rhizome gene mosaicism analyses to explore amoeba-symbiont interactions that possibly contribute to pathogenesis. Genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis showed differences in functional characteristics between the "open" state of T3 and T4 isolates, which may contribute to the differences in virulence and pathogenicity. Through comparative genomic analysis, we identified potential genes related to virulence, such as metalloprotease, laminin-binding protein, and HSP, that were specific to the genus Acanthamoeba. Then, analysis of putative sequence trafficking between Acanthamoeba and Pandoraviruses or Acanthamoeba castellanii medusaviruses provided the best hits with viral genes; among bacteria, Pseudomonas had the most significant numbers. The most parsimonious evolutionary scenarios were between Acanthamoeba and endosymbionts; nevertheless, in most cases, the scenarios are more complex. In addition, the differences in exchanged genes were limited to the same family. In brief, this study provided extensive data to suggest the existence of HGT between Acanthamoeba and ARMs, explaining the occurrence of diseases and challenging Darwin's concept of eukaryotic evolution. IMPORTANCEAcanthamoeba has the ability to cause serious blinding keratitis. Although the prevalence of this phenomenon has increased in recent years, our knowledge of the underlying opportunistic pathogenic mechanism maybe remains incomplete. In this study, we highlighted the importance of Pseudomonas in the pathogenesis pathway using comprehensive a whole genomics approach of clinical isolates. The horizontal gene transfer events help to explain how endosymbionts contribute Acanthamoeba to act as an opportunistic pathogen. Our study opens up several potential avenues for future research on the differences in pathogenicity and interactions among clinical strains.

Characterization of the Ocular Surface Microbiome in Keratitis Patients after Repeated Ophthalmic Antibiotic Exposure.

In human medicine, antibiotics have been widely used to treat microbial infections. The extensive use of antibiotics is a leading cause of antibiotic resistance. Currently, the influence of the use of antibiotics on the ocular surface microbiome in the course of keratitis treatment remains to be explored in depth. We performed metagenomic analyses in a cohort of 26 healthy controls (HCs), 28 keratitis patients (KPs) who received antibiotics [KP (abx+) group], and 12 KPs who were antibiotic naive [KP (abx-) group]. We identified that the dissimilarities in microbial community structure (Bray-Curtis and Jaccard analyses) between the KP (abx+) group and the HC group were greater than those between the KP (abx-) group and the HC group. Pseudomonas lactis, P. aeruginosa, Pseudomonas sp. FDAARGOS_380, Pseudomonas sp. J380, Corynebacterium simulans, Streptococcus pyogenes, Finegoldia magna, and Aspergillus oryzae had no statistically significant differences between the KP (abx+) and KP (abx-) groups but did have statistically significant differences between the KP (abx+) and HC groups and between the KP (abx-) and HC groups. Among them, Pseudomonas lactis, P. aeruginosa, Pseudomonas sp. FDAARGOS_380, and Pseudomonas sp. J380 were identified as possible hosts carrying multidrug-resistant genes. The total abundance and number of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were greater in the KP (abx+) group than in the HC and KP (abx-) groups. The functional profile analysis of ocular surface microbiota revealed that pathogenesis-related functional pathways and virulence functions were enriched in KPs. In conclusion, our results show that empirical antibiotic treatment in KPs leads to increases in the antibiotic resistance of ocular surface microbiota. IMPORTANCE Treatment for keratitis is based on appropriate antimicrobial therapy. A direct correlation between antibiotic use and the extent of antibiotic resistance has been reported. Therefore, knowledge of the antibiotic resistance patterns of ocular surface microbial flora in KPs is important for clinical treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to use metagenomic approaches to investigate the associations between ophthalmic antibiotic use and the ocular surface microbiome of KPs. Monitoring the microbiota and antibiotic resistome profiles for the ocular surface has huge potential to help ophthalmologists choose the appropriate antibiotics and will thereby improve the efficacy of treatment regimens, which has important implications for reducing the development of antibiotic resistance of the ocular surface to a certain extent.

Comparative Genomic and Pan-Genomic Characterization of Staphylococcus epidermidis From Different Sources Unveils the Molecular Basis and Potential Biomarkers of Pathogenic Strains.

Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) is the most common pathogen causing traumatic endophthalmitis. Among which, Staphylococcus epidermidis is the most common species that colonizes human skin, eye surfaces, and nasal cavity. It is also the main cause of nosocomial infection, specially foreign body-related bloodstream infections (FBR-BSIs). Although some studies have reported the genome characteristics of S. epidermidis, the genome of ocular trauma-sourced S. epidermidis strain and a comprehensive understanding of its pathogenicity are still lacking. Our study sequenced, analyzed, and reported the whole genomes of 11 ocular trauma-sourced samples of S. epidermidis that caused traumatic endophthalmitis. By integrating publicly available genomes, we obtained a total of 187 S. epidermidis samples from healthy and diseased eyes, skin, respiratory tract, and blood. Combined with pan-genome, phylogenetic, and comparative genomic analyses, our study showed that S. epidermidis, regardless of niche source, exhibits two founder lineages with different pathogenicity. Moreover, we identified several potential biomarkers associated with the virulence of S. epidermidis, including essD, uhpt, sdrF, sdrG, fbe, and icaABCDR. EssD and uhpt have high homology with esaD and hpt in Staphylococcus aureus, showing that the genomes of S. epidermidis and S. aureus may have communicated during evolution. SdrF, sdrG, fbe, and icaABCDR are related to biofilm formation. Compared to S. epidermidis from blood sources, ocular-sourced strains causing intraocular infection had no direct relationship with biofilm formation. In conclusion, this study provided additional data resources for studies on S. epidermidis and improved our understanding of the evolution and pathogenicity among strains of different sources.

Association of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Genes With Myopia: A Longitudinal Study of Chinese Children.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to investigate whether the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway, a downstream component of dopamine signaling, is involved in myopia among Chinese children. METHODS: During a 3.5-year follow-up, 488 primary school students were enrolled in this study. Non-cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction (SE) and other ocular parameters were assessed. Four variants of four genes in the ERK signaling pathway were selected: RASGRF1 rs6495367, PTPN5 rs1550870, PTPRR rs11178469, and PDGFRA rs6554163. SNPscan was used to genotype single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). PLINK software was used to assess the associations of the genetic variants with the occurrence or development of myopia, SE, and other ocular parameters. We created a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and microRNA (miRNA)-gene network using String and Cytoscape and conducted enrichment analyses on the genes in these networks. RESULTS: In total, 426 children (baseline age: 7.28 ± 0.26 years; 236 (55.4%) boys and 190 girls) wereenrolled. After adjusting for confounding factors with 10,000 permutations, children with the CT or TT genotype of PTPN5 rs1550870 were more susceptible to myopia than those with the CC genotype (adjusted p = 0.011). Additionally, PTPN5 rs1550870 was correlated with significant myopic shift and increasing axial length (AL) and lens thickness (LT) but had a negative effect on central corneal thickness (CCT). RASGRF1 rs6495367 was negatively associated with myopic shift (additive: adjusted p = 0.034; dominant: adjusted p = 0.020), myopic SE and AL. PDGFRA rs6554163 TA or AA was negatively associated with increasing LT (adjusted p = 0.033). Evaluation of the effects of SNP-SNP combinations on incident myopia revealed a statistically significant one-locus model: PTPN5 rs1550870 [cross-validation consistency (CVC) = 10/10, adjusted p = 0.0107]. The genes in the PPI and miRNA-gene interaction networks were subjected to enrichment analyses, which suggested that these genes are involved mainly in eye development and dopaminergic synapse-related processes. CONCLUSION: We identified genetic variants of crucial ERK signaling pathway genes that were significantly correlated with myopia and ocular parameter alterations in Chinese children. A combination of gene and miRNA functional analyses with enrichment analyses highlights the regulatory effects associated with ocular development and dopamine biological functions. This study offers novel clues to understand the role of dopamine in the molecular mechanisms of myopia.

Association of Myopia and Genetic Variants of TGFB2-AS1 and TGFBR1 in the TGF-ß Signaling Pathway: A Longitudinal Study in Chinese School-Aged Children.

BACKGROUND: Myopia is a complex multifactorial condition which involves several overlapping signaling pathways mediated by distinct genes. This prospective cohort study evaluated the associations of two genetic variants in the TGF-ß signaling pathway with the onset and progression of myopia and ocular biometric parameters in Chinese school-aged children. METHODS: A total of 556 second grade children were examined and followed up for 3.5 years. Non-cycloplegic refraction and ocular biometric parameters were measured annually. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess the effect of the TGFBR1 rs10760673 and TGFB2-AS1 rs7550232 variants on the occurrence and progression of myopia. A 10,000 permutations test was used to correct for multiple testing. Functional annotation of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was performed using RegulomeDB, HaploReg, and rVarBase. RESULTS: A total of 448 children were included in the analysis. After adjustments for gender, age, near work time and outdoor time with 10,000 permutations, the results indicated that the C allele and the AC or CC genotypes of rs7550232 adjacent to TGFB2-AS1 were associated with a significantly increased risk of the onset of myopia in two genetic models (additive: P' = 0.022; dominant: P' = 0.025). Additionally, the A allele and the AA or AG genotypes of rs10760673 of TGFBR1 were associated with a significant myopic shift (additive: P' = 0.008; dominant: P' = 0.028; recessive: P' = 0.027). Furthermore, rs10760673 was associated with an increase in axial length (AL) (P' = 0.013, ß = 0.03) and a change in the ratio of AL to the corneal radius of curvature (AL/CRC) (P' = 0.031, ß = 0.003). Analysis using RegulomeDB, HaploReg, and rVarBase indicated that rs7550232 is likely to affect transcription factor binding, any motif, DNase footprint, and DNase peak. CONCLUSION: The present study indicated that rs10760673 and rs7550232 may represent susceptibility loci for the progression and onset of myopia, respectively, in school-aged children. Associations of the variants of the TGFBR1 and TGFB2-AS1 genes with myopia may be mediated by the TGF-ß signaling pathway; this hypothesis requires validation in functional studies. This trial was registered as ChiCTR1900020584 at www.Chictr.org.cn.

Strain heterogeneity, cooccurrence network, taxonomic composition and functional profile of the healthy ocular surface microbiome.

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence indicating that the microbial communities that dwell on the human ocular surface are crucially important for ocular surface health and disease. Little is known about interspecies interactions, functional profiles, and strain heterogeneity across individuals in healthy ocular surface microbiomes. METHODS: To comprehensively characterize the strain heterogeneity, cooccurrence network, taxonomic composition and functional profile of the healthy ocular surface microbiome, we performed shotgun metagenomics sequencing on ocular surface mucosal membrane swabs of 17 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: The healthy ocular surface microbiome was classified into 12 phyla, 70 genera, and 140 species. The number of species in each healthy ocular surface microbiome ranged from 6 to 47, indicating differences in microbial diversity among individuals. The species with high relative abundances and high positivity rates were Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Propionibacterium acnes, Corynebacterium accolens, and Enhydrobacter aerosaccus. A correlation network analysis revealed a competitive interaction of Staphylococcus epidermidis with Streptococcus pyogenes in ocular surface microbial ecosystems. Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus pyogenes revealed phylogenetic diversity among different individuals. At the functional level, the pathways related to transcription were the most abundant. We also found that there were abundant lipid and amino acid metabolism pathways in the healthy ocular surface microbiome. CONCLUSION: This study explored the strain heterogeneity, cooccurrence network, taxonomic composition, and functional profile of the healthy ocular surface microbiome. These findings have important significance for the future development of probiotic-based eye therapeutic drugs.

miR-30a can inhibit DNA replication by targeting RPA1 thus slowing cancer cell proliferation.

Cell proliferation was inhibited following forced over-expression of miR-30a in the ovary cancer cell line A2780DX5 and the gastric cancer cell line SGC7901R. Interestingly, miR-30a targets the DNA replication protein RPA1, hinders the replication of DNA and induces DNA fragmentation. Furthermore, ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2) were phosphorylated after DNA damage, which induced p53 expression, thus triggering the S-phase checkpoint, arresting cell cycle progression and ultimately initiating cancer cell apoptosis. Therefore, forced miR-30a over-expression in cancer cells can be a potential way to inhibit tumour development.

Flow injection analysis system equipped with a newly designed electrochemiluminescent detector and its application for detection of 2-thiouracil.

A new flow injection analysis (FIA) system equipped with an electrochemiluminescent (ECL) detector has been developed and applied for the ECL detection of 2-thiouracil. The FIA-ECL system used a specially designed flow-through ECL thin-layer cell to reduce the dead volume, the IR drop across the cell, and the probability of accumulation of gas bubbles in the cell. It was thus envisioned to improve the detection limit of the FIA-ECL method. After being established, the new FIA-ECL system was used to investigate the ECL response of 2-thiouracil in the presence of the ECL of Ru(bpy)3(2+). It was found that 2-thiouracil could enhance the ECL of Ru(bpy)3(2+) over a wide pH range (pH 4.0-12.0). A highly sensitive method for detection of 2-thiouracil in biological samples was developed by the new FIA-ECL system after optimizing several experimental conditions, such as the applied potential of the working electrode, the pH value of the aqueous solution, the flow rate of carrier solution, and the concentration of Ru(bpy)3(2+).