Vitrectomy for retinal detachment associated with macular hole: Prognostic factor analysis under different axial length conditions.

PURPOSE: To identify prognostic factors for complete anatomical success (CAS) under different axial length (AL) conditions after vitrectomy plus internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling for retinal detachment associated with macular hole (MHRD). METHODS: This retrospective study included 243 patients (251 eyes) with MHRD who underwent primary vitrectomy plus ILM peeling. Multivariate logistic regression explored prognostic factors for CAS in AL <30 mm and ≥ 30 mm groups. RESULTS: Overall, 113 eyes (45.0% of 251) exhibited complete CAS after initial surgery. Eyes with CAS had greater best-corrected visual acuity improvement than eyes without CAS (p < 0.001). CAS was more common in eyes with AL < 30 mm (50.3% of 155) than in eyes with AL ≥ 30 mm (36.5%, 35/96; p = 0.032). In the AL < 30 mm group, CAS was associated with ILM insertion (odds ratio [OR], 2.824, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.189-6.710; p = 0.019), silicone oil (SO)/perfluoropropane (C3F8) tamponade (SO: OR, 0.408, 95% CI, 0.191-0.873; C3F8: OR, 2.448, 95% CI, 1.145-5.234; p = 0.021) and staphyloma (OR, 0.318, 95% CI, 0.143-0.707; p = 0.005). In the AL ≥30 mm group, CAS was associated with ILM insertion (OR, 11.621, 95% CI, 2.557-52.813; p = 0.001), SO /C3F8 tamponade (SO: OR, 5.305, 95% CI, 1.206-23.334; C3F8: OR, 0.188, 95% CI, 0.043-0.829; p = 0.027) and age (OR, 0.928, 95% CI, 0.876-0.983; p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: Vitrectomy plus ILM peeling can effectively treat MHRD but has limited efficacy in eyes with AL ≥ 30 mm. ILM insertion was associated with more frequent CAS at any AL. C3F8 tamponade yielded better outcomes with AL < 30 mm; SO tamponade yielded better outcomes with AL ≥ 30 mm.

Nomogram for predicting non-proliferative vitreoretinopathy probability after vitrectomy in eyes with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

AIM: To identify the risk factors for postoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) in patients with primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and develop a nomogram for predicting postoperative PVR-free probability. METHODS: A total of 741 patients (741 eyes) diagnosed with primary RRD who underwent first surgery in the same hospital were retrospectively reviewed and randomly assigned with 521 to the training set and 220 to the validation set. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed in the training cohort to determine risk factors to construct a nomogram for predicting the 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-month postoperative PVR-free probabilities. Nomogram performance was estimated by the concordance index (C-index), calibration plot, and the area receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: A nomogram was constructed based on the preoperative PVR, silicone oil tamponade time (SOTT), photocoagulation energy (PE), retinal tear size (RTS), and hypertension. In the training set, the C-index of the nomogram was 0.896, 0.936, 0.961, and 0.972 at 3, 4, 5, and 6mo, respectively. The C-index values in the validation set were 0.860, 0.936, 0.951, and 0.965 at 3, 4, 5, and 6mo, respectively. Decision-curve analysis indicated that only the 4-, 5-, and 6-month nomograms had significant net benefits over a large threshold probabilities interval. CONCLUSION: Preoperative PVR, SOTT, PE, RTS, and hypertension are significant risk factors for postoperative PVR formation in patients with primary RRD. The proposed nomogram can effectively predict the 4-, 5-, and 6-month PVR-free probabilities after surgery and assist in making clinical decisions during follow-up.

Removal of sticky silicone oil adhered to the retinal surface: comparison of methodological safety and effectiveness.

PURPOSE: To compare safety and effectiveness among methods to remove sticky silicone oil bubbles adhered to the retinal surface. METHODS: This retrospective nonrandomised case series included 14 eyes of 14 patients who had sticky silicone oil residue during silicone oil removal surgery. For small sticky silicone oil bubbles (< 2-disc diameter), aspiration was performed with a 23-gauge vitreous cutter. Residual tiny oil bubbles were then removed with a silicone-tipped flute needle or internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling. For large sticky silicone oil bubbles (≥ 2-disc diameter) that could not be removed with a 23-gauge vitreous cutter, we devised a more efficient active removal method involving a modified 22-gauge venous indwelling cannula device. RESULTS: The mean preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA; logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]) significantly improved from 1.28 ± 0.63 logMAR to 0.77 ± 0.58 logMAR (p = 0.014). The postoperative BCVA and improvement in BCVA were significantly better in the ILM peeling group than in the non-ILM peeling group (p = 0.004 and p = 0.045, respectively). Postoperative complications included residual sticky silicone oil bubbles in seven eyes without ILM peeling (50.0%), retinal neuroepithelial layer damage in two eyes (14.3%), and temporary hypotony in five eyes (35.7%). CONCLUSION: Various methods can safely and efficiently remove sticky silicone oil bubbles adhered to the retinal surface. A 22-gauge venous indwelling cannula enabled simple and safe removal of large sticky silicone oil bubbles, while small residual sticky silicone oil bubbles could be completely removed by ILM peeling.

Metabolic Flux Redirection and Transcriptomic Reprogramming in the Albino Tea Cultivar 'Yu-Jin-Xiang' with an Emphasis on Catechin Production.

In this study, shade-induced conversion from a young pale/yellow leaf phenotype to a green leaf phenotype was studied using metabolic and transcriptomic profiling and the albino cultivar 'Yu-Jin-Xiang' ('YJX') of Camellia sinensis for a better understanding of mechanisms underlying the phenotype shift and the altered catechin and theanine production. Shaded leaf greening resulted from an increase in leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid abundance and chloroplast development. A total of 1,196 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between the 'YJX' pale and shaded green leaves, and these DEGs affected 'chloroplast organization' and 'response to high light' besides many other biological processes and pathways. Metabolic flux redirection and transcriptomic reprogramming were found in flavonoid and carotenoid pathways of the 'YJX' pale leaves and shaded green leaves to different extents compared to the green cultivar 'Shu-Cha-Zao'. Enhanced production of the antioxidant quercetin rather than catechin biosynthesis was correlated positively with the enhanced transcription of FLAVONOL SYNTHASE and FLAVANONE/FLAVONOL HYDROXYLASES leading to quercetin accumulation and negatively correlated to suppressed LEUCOANTHOCYANIDIN REDUCTASE, ANTHOCYANIDIN REDUCTASE and SYNTHASE leading to catechin biosynthesis. The altered levels of quercetin and catechins in 'YJX' will impact on its tea flavor and health benefits.

Thermosensitive PEG-PCL-PEG (PECE) hydrogel as an in situ gelling system for ocular drug delivery of diclofenac sodium.

Development of efficient ocular drug delivery systems was still a challenging task. The objective of this article was to develop a thermosensitive PEG-PCL-PEG (PECE) hydrogel and investigate its potential application for ocular drug delivery of diclofenac sodium (DIC). PECE block polymers were synthesized by coupling MPEG-PCL co-polymer using IPDI reagent, and then its sol-gel transition as a function with temperature was investigated by a rheometer. The results showed that 30% (w/v) PECE aqueous solution exhibited sol-gel transition at approximately 35 °C. In vitro release profiles showed the entrapped DIC was sustained release from PECE hydrogels up to 7 days and the initial drug loading greatly effect on release behavior of DIC from PECE hydrogels. MTT assay results indicated that no matter PECE or 0.1% (w/v) DIC-loaded PECE hydrogels were nontoxic to HCEC and L929 cells after 24 h culturing. In vivo eye irritation test showed that the instillation of either 30% (w/v) PECE hydrogels or 0.1% (w/v) DIC-loaded PECE hydrogels to rabbit eye did not result in eye irritation within 72 h. In vivo results showed that the AUC0-48 h of 0.1% (w/v) DIC-loaded PECE hydrogels exhibited 1.6-fold increment as compared with that of commercial 0.1% (w/v) DIC eye drops, suggesting the better ophthalmic bioavailability could be obtained by the instillation of 0.1% (w/v) DIC-loaded PECE hydrogels.

[Histone deacetylase inhibits the growth and migration of human osteosarcoma cells].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) on human osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: HDACI suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and sodium butyrate (SB) were employed to examine the effects on human osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro effects of HDACI SAHA and SB were evaluated in SaOS2 and U2OS human osteosarcoma cell lines. Cell growth, cell cycle progression and histone acetylation were examined by methyl tolyl sulfide (MTS), flow cytometry and Western blot respectively.In addition, SAHA or SB was administered for 4 weeks in a murine xenograph model for assessing the in vitro effects. RESULTS: MTS assay revealed that SAHA and SB significantly suppressed the growth of SaOS2 and U2OS cells in a concentration-dependent manner.Western blot analysis indicated that the levels of acetylated H3 increased after HDACI treatment.Flow cytometry showed that SAHA arrested the cell cycle in G1 and G2/M phase, while SB arrested the cell cycle in G2/M phase. The tumor growth of murine xenograph model with SaOS2 was inhibited by SAHA and SB compared with vehicle control. CONCLUSION: HDACI SAHA and SB significantly inhibit the growth of human osteosarcoma cells and induce cell cycle arrest. Meanwhile, the tumor inhibitory effects were also validated in a murine xenograft model.

Evaluation of Ca3Co2O6 as cathode material for high-performance solid-oxide fuel cell.

A cobalt-based thermoelectric compound Ca(3)Co(2)O(6) (CCO) has been developed as new cathode material with superior performance for intermediate-temperature (IT) solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Systematic evaluation has been carried out. Measurement of thermal expansion coefficient (TEC), thermal-stress (σ) and interfacial shearing stress (τ) with the electrolyte show that CCO matches well with several commonly-used IT electrolytes. Maximum power density as high as 1.47 W cm(-2) is attained at 800°C, and an additional thermoelectric voltage of 11.7 mV is detected. The superior electrochemical performance, thermoelectric effect, and comparable thermal and mechanical behaviors with the electrolytes make CCO to be a promising cathode material for SOFC.