Arabidopsis BTB-A2s Play a Key Role in Drought Stress.

Drought stress significantly impacts plant growth, productivity, and yield, necessitating a swift fine-tuning of pathways for adaptation to harsh environmental conditions. This study explored the effects of Arabidopsis BTB-A2.1, BTB-A2.2, and BTB-A2.3, distinguished by their exclusive possession of the Broad-complex, Tramtrack, and Bric-à-brac (BTB) domain, on the negative regulation of drought stress mediated by abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. Promoter analysis revealed the presence of numerous ABA-responsive and drought stress-related cis-acting elements within the promoters of AtBTB-A2.1, AtBTB-A2.2, and AtBTB-A2.3. The AtBTB-A2.1, AtBTB-A2.2, and AtBTB-A2.3 transcript abundances increased under drought and ABA induction according to qRT-PCR and GUS staining. Furthermore, the Arabidopsis btb-a2.1/2/3 triple mutant exhibited enhanced drought tolerance, supporting the findings from the overexpression studies. Additionally, we detected a decrease in the stomatal aperture and water loss rate of the Arabidopsis btb-a2.1/2/3 mutant, suggesting the involvement of these genes in repressing stomatal closure. Importantly, the ABA signaling-responsive gene levels within Arabidopsis btb-a2.1/2/3 significantly increased compared with those in the wild type (WT) under drought stress. Based on such findings, Arabidopsis BTB-A2s negatively regulate drought stress via the ABA signaling pathway.

Incidence of Cytomegalovirus Infection After Repeat Keratoplasty and Associated Rate of Graft Failure.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this work was to compare the prognosis and characteristics of patients with Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection (CMV+) with those of patients without virus infection (Virus-) undergoing repeat keratoplasty. METHODS: This prospective propensity score-matched cohort study enrolled patients who underwent repeat keratoplasty for graft failure at the Peking University Third Hospital between January 2016 and May 2022. Patients with prior viral keratitis before the first keratoplasty were excluded. The primary outcome measure was the graft failure rate. The secondary outcome measures included the anterior segment characteristics, intraocular pressure (IOP), and endothelial cell density. RESULTS: Ninety-four matched patient pairs were included. The graft failure rate in the CMV+ group (71%) was higher than that in the Virus- group (29%) (P < 0.001). CMV infection in the cornea increased the risk of repeat graft failure and shortened the median survival time (hazard ratio, 3.876; 95% confidence intervals, 2.554-5.884; P < 0.001). The characteristics of graft failure included exacerbation of ocular surface inflammation, neovascularization, and opacification. Epithelial defects, high IOP, and endothelial decompensation were observed at an increased frequency in the CMV+ group (all P < 0.005). Recurrent CMV infection presented as early endothelial infection in the CMV+ group. Recurrence of CMV infection was confined to the graft endothelium without involving the stroma and epithelium post-repeat endothelial keratoplasty. CONCLUSIONS: CMV infection post-keratoplasty leads to persistent endothelial damage and graft opacification and significantly increases the risk of repeat graft failure. Localized recurrence of CMV infection in the endothelial grafts underscores the importance of monitoring and treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR1800014684.

Association of meibomian gland morphology with orifice plugging and lid margin thickening in meibomian gland dysfunction patients.

PURPOSE: We sought to investigate the association of meibomian gland morphology with lid margin abnormalities in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction. METHODS: This retrospective study included 368 eyes of 184 patients. Meibography was used to evaluate meibomian gland (MG) morphological features, such as dropout, distortion, thickened ratio and thinned ratio. Lid margin photography was used to evaluate lid margin abnormalities including orifice plugging, vascularity, irregularity and thickening. The association between MG morphological features and lid margin abnormalities was analyzed using a mixed linear model. RESULTS: The study found a positive correlation between plugging of gland orifices grade and MG dropout grade in both the upper lids (B = 0.40, p = 0.007) and the lower lids (B = 0.55, p = 0.001). Plugging of gland orifices grade was also positively correlated to MG distortion grade in the upper lids (B = 0.75, p = 0.006). In the upper lids, MG thickened ratio increased first (B = 0.21, p = 0.003) and then decreased (B = - 0.14, p = 0.010) with a higher lid margin thickening grade. MG thinned ratio was negatively correlated with lid margin thickening (B = - 0.14, p = 0.002, B = - 0.13, p = 0.007). MG distortion grade decreased with lid margin thickening (B = - 0.61, p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Orifice plugging was correlated to meibomian gland distortion and dropout. Lid margin thickening was associated with meibomian gland thickened ratio, thinned ratio, and distortion. The study also suggested that distorted and thinned glands may be transitional phases between thickened glands and glands dropout.

Destructive effects on endothelial cells of grafts in cytomegalovirus DNA-positive patients after keratoplasty.

AIM: To investigate corneal graft survival rate and endothelial cell density (ECD) loss after keratoplasty in cytomegalovirus (CMV) positive patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. We analyzed the clinical data of patients who underwent viral DNA detection in aqueous humor/corneal tissue collected during keratoplasty from March 2015 to December 2018 at the Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China. To further evaluate the effect of CMV on graft survival rate and ECD loss, patients were divided into three groups: 1) CMV DNA positive (CMV+) group; 2) viral DNA negative (virus-) group, comprising virus- group eyes pairwise matched to eyes in the CMV+ group according to ocular comorbidities; 3) control group, comprising virus- group eyes without ocular comorbidities. The follow-up indicators including graft survival rate, ECD, ECD loss, and central corneal thickness (CCT), were analyzed by Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) test. RESULTS: Each group included 29 cases. The graft survival rate in CMV+ group were lowest among the three groups (P=0.000). No significant difference in donor graft ECD was found among three groups (P=0.54). ECD in the CMV+ group was lower than the virus- group at 12 (P=0.009), and 24mo (P=0.002) after keratoplasties. Furthermore, ECD loss was higher in the CMV+ group than in the virus- group in the middle stage (6-12mo) post-keratoplasty (P=0.017), and significantly higher in the early stage (0-6mo) in the virus- group than in the control group (P=0.000). CONCLUSION: CMV reduces the graft survival rate and exerts persistent detrimental effects on the ECD after keratoplasty. The graft ECD loss associate with CMV infection mainly occurrs in the middle stage (6-12mo postoperatively), while ocular comorbidities mainly affects ECD in the early stage (0-6mo postoperatively).

Clinical Manifestations and Long-term Outcomes of Endothelial Keratoplasty in Patients with Proven VZV-related Endothelial Decompensation.

PURPOSE: To report the clinical manifestations, postoperative complications and long-term outcomes of endothelial keratoplasty in VZV-related endothelial decompensation. METHODS: In this retrospective study, thirteen eyes undergoing endothelial keratoplasty (EK) for VZV-related endothelial decompensation were compared with controls for Fuchs endothelial dystrophy or pseudophakic bullous keratopathy. RESULTS: Twelve patients did not have typical dermal pain or blisters. Ten patients had obvious iris abnormalities. Glaucoma was noted in eight patients before surgery. The best spectacle-corrected visual acuity improved from 1.12 ± 0.47 to 0.39 ± 0.43 (p = .002), whereas endothelial cell (EC) loss was 65% ±15% at 12 months that higher than that in the controls (p < .05). Postoperative complications included graft detachment (2/13), recurrence of endotheliitis (3/13), neurotrophic ulcer (1/13) and scleritis (1/13). CONCLUSIONS: The onset of VZV-related endothelial decompensation is generally insidious. Iris segmental atrophy, glaucoma and pigment KPs are highly suspected to be associated with VZV. EK is a reasonable option to rehabilitate vision.

Xanthate-Modified Magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2-Based Polyvinyl Alcohol/Chitosan Composite Material for Efficient Removal of Heavy Metal Ions from Water.

Chitosan has several shortcomings that limit its practical application for the adsorption of heavy metals: mechanical instability, a challenging separation and recovery process, and low equilibrium capacity. This study describes the synthesis of a magnetic xanthate-modified polyvinyl alcohol and chitosan composite (XMPC) for the efficient removal and recovery of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. The XMPC was synthesized from polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan, and magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles. The XMPC was characterized, and its adsorption performance in removing heavy metal ions was studied under different experimental conditions. The adsorption kinetics fit a pseudo-second-order kinetic model well. This showed that the adsorption of heavy metal ions by the XMPC is a chemical adsorption and is affected by intra-particle diffusion. The equilibrium adsorption isotherm was well described by the Langmuir and Freundlich equations. The XMPC reached adsorption equilibrium at 303 K after approximately 120 min, and the removal rate of Cd(II) ions was 307 mg/g. The composite material can be reused many times and is easily magnetically separated from the solution. This makes the XMPC a promising candidate for widespread application in sewage treatment systems for the removal of heavy metals.

Establishing an Animal Model of Cytomegalovirus Keratouveitis in Rats: Broad Infection of Anterior Segment Tissue by Cytomegalovirus.

Purpose: Considering the difficulty of obtaining adequate biological tissue in clinical practice, we established an animal model of cytomegalovirus (CMV) keratouveitis in rats and investigated the viral infection sites and corresponding imaging and histopathological features. Methods: Subconjunctival injection and topical use of dexamethasone were used to induce ocular immunosuppression in rats followed by intracameral inoculation of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). The clinical manifestations, intraocular pressure (IOP) and imaging changes were observed. Infected eyes were further examined by immunofluorescence, light microscopy, and electron microscopy. MCMV RNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results: Typical keratouveitis occurred in the experimental rats and was characterized by corneal edema, keratic precipitates, and iridocyclitis with increased IOP. Corneal endothelial lesions displayed as "black holes," enlarged intercellular gaps, and high-intensity cellular infiltration by confocal microscopy, consistent with the pathological changes of "ballooning degeneration," endothelial cell detachment, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Mitochondrial edema was the most prominent organelle lesion in endothelial cells. Trabeculitis, mechanical obstruction of Schlemm's canal, and anterior chamber angle stenosis accounted for elevated IOP. Inflammation of the iris and ciliary body tended to transform into a chronic form. Immunofluorescence revealed that corneal endothelial cells, iris cells, trabecular meshwork cells, and monocytes could be infected by MCMV. MCMV RNA was found in the anterior segments after infection. Conclusions: CMV can widely infect anterior segment tissue, including the corneal endothelium, iris, and trabecular meshwork, in vivo, inducing the corresponding clinical manifestations. Corneal endotheliitis and hypertensive anterior uveitis could be the specific stage of anterior segment infection of CMV.

Tacrolimus dye drop treatment for the management of early post-operative intraocular inflammation after therapeutic keratoplasty for severe infectious keratitis.

The current study investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of 0.1% tacrolimus eye drops for the treatment of therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty (TPK) for severe infectious keratitis during early disease stages and reported the long-term clinical outcomes. The present retrospective study included 20 eyes from patients diagnosed with severe keratitis who underwent TPK surgery. Patients were followed-up for up to 12-18 months. Tacrolimus eye drops were administered 4 times/day starting on the first day post-surgery. Glucocorticoid eye drops were subsequently added to treatment plans one-month post-surgery. All patients were followed-up for the first 3 post-operative days, then examined once a week thereafter for the first month. In early post-operative stages, the states of the grafts (ΔS) and the absorption of intraocular inflammation (S) were observed. ΔS was defined as the difference between the states of the grafts on the first post-operative day (SS1d) and those at one month post-surgery (SS1m). S was calculated as the difference between the inflammation score mean one day post-surgery (T1d) and the mean one-month post-surgery (T1m). For long term clinical outcomes, graft failure rates and complications were recorded. Among the 20 eyes analyzed, the mean T1d, T1m and S were 7.4±2.06, 2.0±2.47 and 5.4±2.13 (P<0.01), respectively. The mean SS1d, SS1m and ΔS were 5.3±1.56, 3.8±1.24 and 1.5±1.5 (P<0.01), respectively. During follow-up, there were 6 cases of corneal graft failure, 4 of which were due to immune rejection and 2 of which were due to complications. The current study concluded that tacrolimus eye drops facilitated the absorption of intraocular inflammation in the early post-operative period of TPK and may extend long term survival of grafts in cases of severe infectious keratitis.

Graft survival and endothelial outcomes after penetrating keratoplasty and Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The present study aimed to compare the outcomes of graft survival, endothelial cell loss and vision improvement between penetrating keratoplasty (PK) and Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) for treating corneal endothelium diseases. The PubMed, CENTRAL (Cochrane) and Embase databases were searched for records added until September 20, 2019. The studies considered were two-arm prospective and retrospective studies comparing outcomes of interest between PK and DSAEK. Ultimately, 10 studies were included with a total of 2,634 patients (910 eyes treated with DSAEK; 1,804 eyes treated with PK). Assessment of the summary effect by meta-analysis suggested that, compared with PK treatment, DSAEK was associated with a greater improvement from baseline in best spectacle-corrected visual acuity [difference (diff.) in means of change from baseline=-0.225, 95% CI=-0.341 to -0.109, P<0.001] and a reduced loss of endothelial cell density (diff. in means=-292.05 cells/mm2, 95% CI=-419.53 to -146.57 cells/mm2, P<0.001). Graft survival rates were similar using either PK or DSAEK (odds ratio=1.005, 95% CI=0.329-3.071, P=0.993). The overall results suggested that DSAEK may have an advantage over PK for corneal endothelial dysfunction in terms of the visual acuity outcome. The absence of definite time frames in the comparisons limits the conclusions on endothelial cell loss and graft survival.

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy with Optimal Pulse Technology as an Adjunct Therapy for Moderate to Severe Blepharitis-Associated Keratoconjunctivitis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy with optimal pulse technology (OPT, M22™, Lumenis, USA) as an adjunct therapy for the prevention of recurrences in moderate to severe blepharokeratoconjunctivitis (BKC). METHODS: This open-label nonrandomized clinical trial evaluated 33 patients diagnosed with BKC. Twenty-one patients received four bilateral OPT therapy sessions with Meibomian gland expression (MGX) (treatment group), and 11 patients received MGX alone (controls). This trial was initiated after a four-week pharmacotherapy for BKC in both groups and was scheduled at four-week intervals. Efficacy outcome measures included meibum quality, Meibomian gland (MG) secretion function, eyelid margin signs, corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) score, noninvasive keratography breakup time (NIKBUT), ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score, Schirmer I test (SIT), classification of tear film lipid layer (TFLL), and Meibomian gland dropout (MGDR). Safety outcome measures included visual acuity, intraocular pressure, eye structure damage, and facial skin appearance at each visit. RESULTS: Quality of meibum, MG expressibility, eyelid margin signs, and OSDI score showed a statistically significant greater improvement in the treatment group after one to three treatment sessions, compared to controls (p < 0.05). While these improved in both groups in comparison to baseline, the NIKBUT and upper and lower eyelid MGDRs significantly improved only in the treatment group (p < 0.05). No adverse events occurred in both groups. No BKC recurrences were noted in the treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: IPL is a safe and effective adjuvant treatment for BKC and possibly more effective in reducing eyelid margin inflammation and prevents recurrences than MGX alone. This trial is registered with ChiCTR-ONN-17013864.