Diffusion tensor imaging of horizontal extraocular muscles in patients with concomitant and paralytic esotropia.

AIM: To assess metrics of diffusion tensor imagining (DTI) in evaluating microstructural abnormalities of horizontal extraocular muscles (EOM) in esotropia. METHODS: Six adult concomitant esotropia patients, 5 unilateral abducent paralysis patients and 2 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DTI were performed on all subjects using 3T MR scanner. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) of medial and lateral rectus muscles were measured and compared between patients group and control group. RESULTS: Medial rectus MD and RD within the adducted eye of concomitant patients was significantly greater than that in unilateral abducent paralysis patients (0.259×10-2 mm2/s vs 0.207×10-2 mm2/s, P=0.014; 0.182×10-2 mm2/s vs 0.152×10-2 mm2/s, P=0.017). Both strabismus patients showed a significantly decreased MD and AD than that obtained in normal controls for lateral rectus muscles (P<0.05). Medial rectus MD of the adducted eye in concomitant strabismus patients was significantly decreased than that in healthy controls (0.259×10-2 mm2/s vs 0.266×10-2 mm2/s, P=0.010). Lateral rectus AD of the adducted eye in concomitant strabismus patients was significantly decreased as compared with that in healthy controls (0.515×10-2 mm2/s vs 0.593×10-2 mm2/s, P=0.013). No statistically significant differences were present between the adducted and fixating eyes in concomitant strabismus patients. CONCLUSION: DTI represents a feasible technique to assess tissue characteristics of EOM. The effects of eye position changes on DTI parameters are subtle. Decreased MD and RD could be evidence for remodeling of the medial rectus muscle contracture. Lower medial and lateral recuts MD of concomitant esotropia patients indicates a thinner fibrous structure of the EOM. Lower MD and AD should be general character of esotropia.

Identifies KCTD5 as a novel cancer biomarker associated with programmed cell death and chemotherapy drug sensitivity.

BACKGROUND: More and more studies have demonstrated that potassium channel tetramerization domain-containing 5 (KCTD5) plays an important role in the development of cancer, but there is a lack of comprehensive research on the biological function of this protein in pan-cancer. This study systematically analyzed the expression landscape of KCTD5 in terms of its correlations with tumor prognosis, the immune microenvironment, programmed cell death, and drug sensitivity. METHODS: We investigated a number of databases, including TCGA, GEPIA2, HPA, TISIDB, PrognoScan, GSCA, CellMiner, and TIMER2.0. The study evaluated the expression of KCTD5 in human tumors, as well as its prognostic value and its association with genomic alterations, the immune microenvironment, tumor-associated fibroblasts, functional enrichment analysis, and anticancer drug sensitivity. Real-time quantitative PCR and flow cytometry analysis were performed to determine the biological functions of KCTD5 in lung adenocarcinoma cells. RESULTS: The results indicated that KCTD5 is highly expressed in most cancers and that its expression is significantly correlated with tumor prognosis. Moreover, KCTD5 expression was related to the immune microenvironment, infiltration by cancer-associated fibroblasts, and the expression of immune-related genes. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that KCTD5 is associated with apoptosis, necroptosis, and other types of programmed cell death. In vitro experiments showed that knockdown of KCTD5 promoted apoptosis of A549 cells. Correlation analysis confirmed that KCTD5 was positively correlated with the expression of the anti-apoptotic genes Bcl-xL and Mcl-1. Additionally, KCTD5 was significantly associated with sensitivity to multiple antitumor drugs. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that KCTD5 is a potential molecular biomarker that can be used to predict patient prognosis, immunoreactions and drug sensitivity in pan-cancer. KCTD5 plays an important role in regulating programmed cell death, especially apoptosis.

Polymeric nano-system for macrophage reprogramming and intracellular MRSA eradication.

Intracellular Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a major factor of refractory and recurrent infections, which cannot be well addressed by antibiotic therapy. Here, we design a cellular infectious microenvironment-activatable polymeric nano-system to mediate targeted intracellular drug delivery for macrophage reprogramming and intracellular MRSA eradication. The polymeric nano-system is composed of a ferrocene-decorated polymeric nanovesicle formulated from poly(ferrocenemethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PFMMA-b-PMPC) copolymer with co-encapsulation of clofazimine (CFZ) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). The cellular-targeting PMPC motifs render specific internalization by macrophages and allow efficient intracellular accumulation. Following the internalization, the ferrocene-derived polymer backbone sequentially undergoes hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic transition, charge reversal and Fe release in response to intracellular hydrogen peroxide over-produced upon infection, eventually triggering endosomal escape and on-site cytosolic drug delivery. The released IFN-γ reverses the immunosuppressive status of infected macrophages by reprogramming anti-inflammatory M2 to pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype. Meanwhile, intracellular Fe2+-mediated Fenton reaction together with antibiotic CFZ contributes to increased intracellular hydroxyl radical (•OH) generation. Ultimately, the nano-system achieves robust potency in ablating intracellular MRSA and antibiotic-tolerant persisters by synchronous immune modulation and efficient •OH killing, providing an innovative train of thought for intracellular MRSA control.

In Situ Sprayed Biotherapeutic Gel Containing Stable Microbial Communities for Efficient Anti-Infection Treatment.

Systematic administration of antibiotics to treat infections often leads to the rapid evolution and spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Here, an in situ-formed biotherapeutic gel that controls multidrug-resistant bacterial infections and accelerates wound healing is reported. This biotherapeutic gel is constructed by incorporating stable microbial communities (kombucha) capable of producing antimicrobial substances and organic acids into thermosensitive Pluronic F127 (polyethylene-polypropylene glycol) solutions. Furthermore, it is found that the stable microbial communities-based biotherapeutic gel possesses a broad antimicrobial spectrum and strong antibacterial effects in diverse pathogenic bacteria-derived xenograft infection models, as well as in patient-derived multidrug-resistant bacterial xenograft infection models. The biotherapeutic gel system considerably outperforms the commercial broad-spectrum antibacterial gel (0.1% polyaminopropyl biguanide) in pathogen removal and infected wound healing. Collectively, this biotherapeutic strategy of exploiting stable symbiotic consortiums to repel pathogens provides a paradigm for developing efficient antibacterial biomaterials and overcomes the failure of antibiotics to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.

Defects and asymmetries in the visual pathway of non-human primates with natural strabismus and amblyopia.

Strabismus and amblyopia are common ophthalmologic developmental diseases caused by abnormal visual experiences. However, the underlying pathogenesis and visual defects are still not fully understood. Most studies have used experimental interference to establish disease-associated animal models, while ignoring the natural pathophysiological mechanisms. This study was designed to investigate whether natural strabismus and amblyopia are associated with abnormal neurological defects. We screened one natural strabismic monkey ( Macaca fascicularis) and one natural amblyopic monkey from hundreds of monkeys, and retrospectively analyzed one human strabismus case. Neuroimaging, behavioral, neurophysiological, neurostructural, and genovariation features were systematically evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), behavioral tasks, flash visual evoked potentials (FVEP), electroretinogram (ERG), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and whole-genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Results showed that the strabismic patient and natural strabismic and amblyopic monkeys exhibited similar abnormal asymmetries in brain structure, i.e., ipsilateral impaired right hemisphere. Visual behavior, visual function, retinal structure, and fundus of the monkeys were impaired. Aberrant asymmetry in binocular visual function and structure between the strabismic and amblyopic monkeys was closely related, with greater impairment of the left visual pathway. Several similar known mutant genes for strabismus and amblyopia were also identified. In conclusion, natural strabismus and amblyopia are accompanied by abnormal asymmetries of the visual system, especially visual neurophysiological and neurostructural defects. Our results suggest that future therapeutic and mechanistic studies should consider defects and asymmetries throughout the entire visual system.

LncRNA Gaplinc promotes the pyroptosis of vascular endothelial cells through SP1 binding to enhance NLRP3 transcription in atherosclerosis.

Pyroptosis, characterized by activation of the Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and its downstream effector inflammatory factors, has been shown to play a crucial role in atherosclerosis development. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the progression of pyroptosis. However, the role and mechanism of the novel lncRNA gastric adenocarcinoma associated, positive CD44 regulator (Gaplinc), in endothelial cell pyroptosis during atherosclerosis development remain unexplored. Bioinformatics was performed to evaluate dysregulated lncRNAs in atherosclerotic mice fed a high-fat diet. The effect of Gaplinc on atherosclerosis progression in vivo was assessed via Oil Red O staining and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Its function in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced pyroptosis of endothelial cells was determined through ectopic expression. Additionally, RNA pull-down and immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were performed to determine Gaplinc and transcription factor SP1 interactions. Then the pyroptosis pathway proteins were analyzed via immunofluorescence and western blotting. We found that lncRNA Gaplinc was highly expressed in ox-LDL-induced endothelial cells as well as in the plaque and plasma of high-fat diet-treated ApoE-/- mice. Gaplinc silencing significantly inhibited endothelial cell pyroptosis and atherosclerotic plaque formation. Mechanistically, Gaplinc could interact with SP1 to bind to the NLRP3 promoter and upregulate the target gene expression of NLRP3, facilitating endothelial cell pyroptosis and atherosclerotic plaque enlargement in high- fat diet-fed mice. In conclusion, our results revealed the underlying mechanism of the lncRNA Gaplinc /SP1/NLRP3 axis in endothelial cell pyroptosis, which may provide new potential targets for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

Hierarchy-Assembled Dual Probiotics System Ameliorates Cholestatic Drug-Induced Liver Injury via Gut-Liver Axis Modulation.

Cholestatic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) induced by drugs or other xenobiotics is a severe and even fatal clinical syndrome. Here, living materials of hierarchy-assembled dual probiotics system are fabricated by sequentially encapsulating probiotic Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (LDB) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) into Ca2+ -complexed polymer microspheres for effective prevention of cholestatic DILI. Upon entering intestinal tract of the constructed living materials, LGG is released because of pH-triggered dissolution of outer enteric polymer coating. The released LGG can inhibit hepatic bile acids (BAs) synthesis by activating intestinal farnesoid X receptor-fibroblast growth factor 15（FGF-15) signaling pathway. BAs excretion is also facilitated by LGG through increasing the abundance of bile salt hydrolase (BSH)-active gut commensal bacteria. Furthermore, exposed positively-charged chitosan shell can absorb the excessive BAs via electrostatic interaction, which leads to steady BAs fixation by the imprisoned LDB, decreasing the total BAs amounts in enterohepatic circulation. Together, the fabricated living materials, obtained here, can effectively prevent cholestatic DILI through dredging cholestasis via gut-liver axis modulation. The therapeutic effect is demonstrated in α-naphthylisothiocyanate and clinical antiepileptic drug valproate acid-induced cholestatic DILI mouse models, which reveal the great potential for effective cholestatic DILI management.

Congenital dysplasia involving both medial and inferior recti: clinical features and surgical outcomes.

AIM: To investigate the clinical features and surgical outcomes of congenital dysplasia involving both inferior recti (IR) and medial recti (MR) muscles. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted including cases of simultaneous congenital dysplasia of IR and MR that were diagnosed and surgically treated at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, China, from July 2009 to November 2019. Ocular motility, ocular alignment at distance (6 m) and near (33 cm) by prism alternating cover test and stereoacuity were assessed in all patients before and after surgery. RESULTS: A total of five patients (four males and one female; three with right eye and two with left eye congenital dysplasia) were included in this review. The patients ranged in age from 10 to 42y (21±13.4y). The main clinical findings were hypertropia and exotropia of the affected eye, along with motility limitations in adduction and depression. Lateral rectus (LR) recession/transposition combined with IR resection was performed in one case. Two scheduled surgeries were performed in four cases, with one involving superior rectus recession and IR resection and the others LR recession and MR resection. Mean±SD pre-surgical exotropia of 51.0±31.11 prism diopter (PD) and hypertropia of 29.20±7.12 PD in the primary position were decreased to 3.6±12.90 and 3.2±10.09 PD, respectively, at two years after surgery, with a success rate of 60% and an under-correction rate of 40%. CONCLUSION: The main clinical features associated with simultaneous MR/IR congenital dysplasia are hypertropia and exotropia of the affected eye along with motility limitations in adduction and depression. Scheduled two-stage surgeries achieved a success rate of 60%.

Superior rectus recession for hypertropia in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.

PURPOSE: To assess the outcomes of superior rectus-weakening surgery in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). METHODS: The medical records of patients with TAO who were treated with surgical weakening of the superior rectus muscle at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center from 2008 to 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. Data collected included sex, age at surgery, duration of deviation, ocular alignment, ocular motility, surgical procedures, and outcomes. Surgical success was defined as the absence of diplopia and a vertical deviation of ≤5Δ in primary and reading positions. RESULTS: A total of 33 patients (mean age 45.7 years; 17 males) were included. Of the 33 patients, 28 received unilateral superior rectus recession, with a success rate for primary surgery of 79%. The mean preoperative hypertropia of 35.1Δ ± 19.3Δ was significantly reduced to 3.9Δ ± 9.7Δ. Ocular infraduction restriction significantly improved from a preoperative average of -5.3 ± 1.9 to -1.3 ± 1.3 postoperatively. Five patients underwent superior rectus tenotomy, with only 2 cases having a successful final outcome. For 27 of 33 cases, only a single surgery was required; 6 cases required a second surgery. The overall final success rate was 76%. CONCLUSIONS: In our study cohort, superior rectus recession with or without traction suture for hypertropia in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy resulted in a high rate of success.

Adsorption and thermal degradation of microplastics from aqueous solutions by Mg/Zn modified magnetic biochars.

Microplastics (MPs) derived from plastic wastes have attracted wide attention throughout the world due to the wide distribution, easy transition, and potential threats to organisms. This study proposes efficient Mg/Zn modified magnetic biochar adsorbents for microplastic removal. For polystyrene (PS) microspheres (1 µm, 100 mg/mL) in aqueous solution, the removal efficiencies of magnetic biochar (MBC), Mg modified magnetic biochar (Mg-MBC), and Zn modified magnetic biochar (Zn-MBC) were 94.81%, 98.75%, and 99.46%, respectively. It is supposed that the adsorption process was a result of electrostatic interaction and chemical bonding interaction between microplastics and biochar. The coexisting H2PO4- and organic matters in real water significantly affected the removal efficiency of Zn-MBC due to competitive adsorption effect. Microplastic degradation and adsorbent regeneration were accomplished by thermal treatment simultaneously. The degradation of adsorbed MPs was promoted by the catalytic active sites originated from Mg and Zn, releasing adsorption sites. Thermal regeneration maintained the adsorption capability. Even after five adsorption-pyrolysis cycles, MBC (95.02%), Mg-MBC (94.60%), and Zn-MBC (95.79%) showed high microplastic removal efficiency. Therefore, the low-cost, eco-friendly, and robust Mg/Zn-MBCs have promising potential for application in microplastic removal.

Congenital ocular counter-roll: a review of cases treated exclusively by ophthalmologists.

AIM: To review the demographics, clinical manifestations, and surgical experiences of patients with congenital ocular counter-roll, whose treatments were performed exclusively by ophthalmologists. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted consisting of patients who received strabismus surgery between 2017 to 2019. Patients with obvious ocular counter-roll were included. RESULTS: A total of 7008 patients who received strabismus surgery, 28 (12 males, 16 females) were diagnosed as congenital ocular counter-roll, accounting for 0.40%. All patients were initially misdiagnosed: 21 patients were misdiagnosed as superior oblique palsy (SOP), 3 as inferior oblique overaction, 2 as dissociated vertical deviation (DVD), 1 as superior oblique overaction with A-pattern exotropia, and 1 as medial rectus palsy. The mean±SD age was 12.4±9.4y (range 2.5-36y). The most common clinical findings included ocular counter-roll, vertical deviation or vertical deviation combined with outward deviation and head tilt. At follow-up, an excellent surgical result was achieved in 20 patients. Preoperative horizontal deviation of 26±24 prism diopter (PD) and vertical deviation of 18±12 PD were reduced to 0±12 PD (P=0.0001) and 3±4 PD (P=0.001), respectively. CONCLUSION: Congenital ocular counter-roll is a rare supranuclear vertical strabismus caused by congenital abnormalities involving vestibule-ocular reflex pathways. In addition to ocular counter-roll, the most salient clinical features included, but are not limited to, hyperdeviation, outward deviation, overelevation in adduction and head tilt.

Evaluation of Propofol in Inhibiting Proliferation of Cardiac Fibroblasts in Angiotensin II-Induced Mouse.

The present study was conducted to investigate the molecular mechanism of propofol in inhibiting the proliferation of mouse cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) induced by angiotensin II (Ag II). The ventricles of SPF mice from Kunming were cultured for the second to third generation of CFs under aseptic condition. On the basis of the different adding conditions, the mice were divided into five groups: (1) control group: no drug were added; (2) Ag II group: 100 nmol/L Ag II were added; (3) 10 µmol/L propofol + 100 nmol/L Ag II group; (4) 30 µmol/L propofol + 100 nmol/L Ag II group; (5) 50 µmol/L propofol + 100 nmol/L Ag II group. The effects of propofol on the proliferation of CFs induced by Ag II, the expression of CFs ET-1, the activity of NADPH oxidase and the formation of ROS were analyzed. In addition, our study also explored the potential role of Akt-eNOS-nitric oxide pathway regarding the inhibition of proliferation of Ag II induced CFs by propofol. We found that the proliferation of CFs, the secretion of ET-1, the activity of NADPH oxidase and the level of intracellular ROS and fibronectin expression were significantly increased after CFs exposure to Ag II for 24 h. The abovementioned indexes decreased significantly in CFs after treated with propofol for 24 h (10, 30, or 50 µmol/L) with significant statistical difference (P < 0.05). Akt and eNOS siRNA transfection significantly decreased the levels of Akt and eNOS protein, respectively. Blocking pathway of Akt-eNOS-nitric oxide decreased the inhibitory effect of propofol on Ag II-induced cell proliferation of CFs. Propofol exerts effect in inhibiting ET-1 and fibronectin expression and the formation of ROS induced by Ag II. Moreover, Akt-eNOS-nitric oxide signaling pathway may be involved in the effect of propofol on the proliferation of CFs induced by Ag II.

Diagnosis and surgical management of isolated inferior oblique palsy.

AIM: To describe the etiology, clinical characteristics, surgical options and surgical outcomes of isolated inferior oblique palsy (IOP). METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on patients with isolated IOP who were seen between January 2010 and June 2017. The following clinical data were obtained from the patients' charts: visual acuity, ocular alignment, ocular motility, cyclotorsion, stereoacuity, Parks three-step test, surgical methods, surgical outcomes and complications. Surgical success was defined as horizontal deviation ≤10 prism diopters (PD) and a vertical deviation ≤5 PD in primary gaze at both near and distant vision as assessed at last follow-up. RESULTS: The records from a total of 18 patients (8 males and 10 females) with an average age of 27.56y were included in this study. The right eye was affected in 11 patients, the left in 6 patients and both eyes in 1 patient. Twelve cases (66.7%) were congenital and 6 (33.3%) were acquired IOP. The 6 acquired cases involved 2 resulting from orbital trauma/surgery, 2 from midbrain microvascular ischemia, 1 from myasthenia gravis and 1 of unknown etiology. Strabismus surgery was performed in 13 cases. Surgical techniques included weakening of superior oblique and vertical rectus recession and resection. After a mean follow-up of 15.11mo, the corrected vertical deviation in primary position was 19.92±8.52 PD (P=0.000) and the corrected horizontal deviation was 14.31±12.68 PD (P=0.002). The surgical success rate was 61.5% and no surgical complications were present. CONCLUSION: Isolated IOP represents a rare condition, with most cases (66.7%) involving a congenital basis. The acquired cases included vascular, orbital trauma/surgery and myasthenia gravis. Weakening of the ipsilateral superior oblique muscle and/or contralateral superior rectus recession often resulted in favorable surgical outcomes with a surgical success rate of 61.5%.

The effect of intravenous high-dose glucocorticoids and orbital decompression surgery on sight-threatening thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.

AIM: To report the effects of intravenous high-dose glucocorticoids (ivGC) and orbital decompression (OD) surgery for treatment of sight-threatening thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records from patients with sight-threatening TAO [definite or highly suspected dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON)] treated with ivGC (60 cases) and OD (25 cases) was conducted at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center between January 2001 and January 2009. Patients were initially treated with ivGC (ivGC group). If no significant improvement in visual function was obtained, they then received OD surgery (OD group). The pre- versus post-treatment efficacies of either ivGC or OD in these patients were assessed using several indices, including visual acuity, intraocular pressure, ocular alignment, ocular motility, and exophthalmos. RESULTS: Nighty-one eyes had definite DON while 79 were considered to have highly suspected DON. In the ivGC group, 51 individuals (85.0%) eventually demonstrated normal vision, while 10 patients (16.7%) demonstrated a reduction in deviation (P<0.01), and 35 cases (58.3%) showed slight improvements in ocular motility (P<0.01). In OD group, visual acuity improved in 24 cases (96.0%, P<0.01) and all patients showed varying reductions of exophthalmos (mean: 4.35±1.13 mm, P<0.01). Eight cases (32.0%) experienced an 8-15 PD reduction of deviation and ocular motility improved in 12 cases (48.0%), while 3 patients (12.0%) developed new-onset strabismus with diplopia post-surgically (P<0.01). Patients were followed up at an average of 1.55±1.07y. CONCLUSION: Both ivGC and OD show good therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of sight-threatening TAO. The presence of extremely poor eyesight (≥0.5logMAR) was corrected in some patients with ivGC alone, thus sparing these patients from subsequent OD surgery. In patients who were refractory to steroids, subsequent OD surgery often provided satisfactory outcomes, however, new-onset strabismus with diplopia was observed in 12.0% of these cases.

Imaging characteristics and surgical management of orbital neurilemmomas.

AIM: To review imaging characteristics and surgical outcomes of orbital neurilemmoma. METHODS: Retrospective review of 21 patients with orbital neurilemmoma managed at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University from June 2005 to December 2016. All patients underwent surgical excision following preoperative imaging including ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). RESULTS: Among these patients, 11 were male and 10 were female, with age ranging from 12 to 75y (average, 40.3y). Ultrasound of the orbit showed a roundish well-demarcated orbital mass with low or middle internal reflectivity in each case. Dark inner liquid fields were detected in 28.6% of these cases. Doppler ultrasound demonstrated blood flow signals in these masses. CT showed that the tumors were either homogeneous or heterogeneous. MRI of T1WI revealed isointense or hypointense tumors, while the T2WI indicated heterogeneous hyperintense lesions. Gd contrast MRI demonstrated heterogenous or homogeneous enhancement initiating from the wide area of the lesion. Six patients underwent lateral orbitotomy and 15 anterior orbitotomy. All tumors were completely removed. After a mean follow-up of 1.8y, 3 patients experienced reduced vision while the remaining 10 patients showed improved vision after surgery. One patient experienced a mild limitation of upward motility. No recurrence occurred. CONCLUSION: Orbital neurilemmoma is a relatively rare, benign orbital tumor. Effective diagnosis requires a combination of ultrasonography, CT and/or MRI. These imaging techniques are also vital to differentiate neurilemmomas from other orbital masses like that of cavernous hemangiomas and meningiomas. Successful treatment requires complete resection of the neurilemmomas as performed either by lateral or anterior orbitotomy. Recurrence is rare after complete removal.

Remediation of PCB-contaminated soil using a combination of mechanochemical method and thermal desorption.

The combination of mechanochemical method and thermal desorption for remediating polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in contaminated soil was tested in this study. The effects of grinding time and heating time on PCB removal efficiency were investigated. The contaminated soil, mixed with CaO powder at a weight ratio of 1:1, was first ground using a planetary ball mill. After 4 h of grinding, the total PCB concentration and its toxic equivalence quantity (TEQ) decreased by 74.6 and 75.8%, respectively. Then, after being heated at 500 °C for 60 min, the residual PCBs in mechanochemical + thermal treated soil decreased to 247 ng/g, resulting in a removal efficiency of 99.95%. The removal effect can be promoted by longer grinding time and heating time; however, increased energy consumption was inevitable. The combination of grinding time and heating time should be optimized in a practical remediation process.

[Numerical Simulation on the Radiative Characteristics of the Particles in the Pulverized Coal Furnace].

The radiative characteristics of char and ash in the pulverized coal furnace at the wavelength of 560 nm are analyzed here. The particles' radiative coefficients are calculated in the exit of the burner and in the upper part of the furnace separately according to the Mie theory. It can be inferred that in the exit of the burner, char has a great effect on the particles' radiative coefficient, which accounts for a percentage of 90%. While in the upper of the furnace, ash dominates the particles' radiative coefficient. The scattering ratio of the ash is calculated to be 91.6 and the scattering ratio of the char is only 50%.

Larger rate dependence of late sodium current in cardiac Purkinje cells: A potential link to arrhythmogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Purkinje cells (PCs) have a steeper rate dependence of repolarization and are more susceptible to arrhythmic activity than do ventricular myocytes (VMs). Late sodium current (INaL) is rate dependent and contributes to rate dependence of repolarization. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to test our hypothesis that PCs have a larger rate dependence of INaL, contributing to their steeper rate dependence of repolarization and higher susceptibility to arrhythmic activity, than do VMs. METHODS: INaL was recorded in isolated rabbit PCs and VMs with the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Action potential was examined using the microelectrode technique. RESULTS: Compared with VMs, PCs exhibited a significantly larger rate dependence of INaL with a larger INaL to basic cycle length (BCL) slope. Moreover, PCs had a larger rate dependence of INaL decay and slower recovery kinetics. Interestingly, the larger rate dependence of INaL matched to a steeper rate dependence of action potential duration (APD) in PCs. The INaL blocker tetrodotoxin significantly blunted, while the INaL enhancer anemone toxin (ATX-II) significantly increased, the rate dependence of INaL and APD in PCs and VMs. In the presence of ATX-II, the rate dependence of INaL in PCs was markedly larger than that in VMs, causing a much steeper rate dependence of APD in PCs. Accordingly, PCs exhibited greater rate-dependent electrical instability and were more prone to ATX-II-induced early afterdepolarizations, which were completely inhibited by the INaL inhibitor ranolazine. CONCLUSION: PCs have a significantly larger rate dependence of INaL than do VMs because of distinctive INaL decay and recovery kinetics, which contributes to their larger rate adaptation, and simultaneously predisposes them to a higher risk of arrhythmogenesis.

Recycling ash into the first stage of cyclone pre-heater of cement kiln.

Fly ash collected from the bag filter could be recycled into the first stage of the cyclone pre-heater of the cement kiln, resulting in the possible enrichment of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). In this study, soxhlet fly ash (SFA) and raw meal (RM) were selected as the basis for the PCDD/F formation experiments. The levels of 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs formed on the SFA and RM were observed to be 2550pg/g (157pg I-TEQ/g) and 1142pg/g (55pg I-TEQ/g), respectively. While less 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs was detected when SFA was mixed with RM, suggesting that recycling cement kiln ash would not largely increase the concentration of PCDD/Fs in flue gas. Furthermore, the possible influencing factors on the PCDD/F formation were also investigated. The formation of 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs was up to 10,871pg/g (380pg I-TEQ/g) with the adding of CuCl2, which was much higher than the results of CuO and activated carbon. Most importantly, the homologue, congener and gas/particle distribution of PCDD/Fs indicated that de novo synthesis was the dominant PCDD/F formation pathway for SFA. Lastly, principal component analysis (PCA) was also conducted to identify the relationship between the compositions of reactant and the properties of PCDD/Fs produced.

Effects of bypass system on PCDD/F emission and chlorine circulation in cement kilns.

A bypass at the kiln inlet allows the effective reduction of alkali chloride cycles and thus perhaps affects the emission of PCDD/Fs. Effects of bypass system on PCDD/F emission and chlorine circulation were studied in two typical dry cement kilns with 5000 ton/day clinker capacity in China and named CK1 and CK2, respectively. Firstly, the emission level of PCDD/Fs with the operation of bypass system was estimated in CK1, to certify that bypass system has a perfect adaption to the cement kiln regarding the PCDD/F emission even with the refuse derived fuel (RDF) as the replacement of fuel. On the other hand, the operating conditions in the CK2 were scrutinised by monitoring the concentrations of SO2, NH3 and HCl. In addition, the characteristics of raw meal, clinker, bag filter ash and bypass ash were also investigated by Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS), metal and chlorine analysis. The balance of chlorine showed that 18 % of the possible accumulated chlorine could be ejected from the cement kiln system when 2 % of kiln exhaust gas was extracted. Furthermore, the emission level of PCDD/Fs in the main flue gas also decreased from 0.037 ± 0.035 ng I-TEQ/Nm(3) to 0.019 ± 0.007 ng I-TEQ/Nm(3) with a reduction efficiency of 48.2 %. Most importantly, PCDD/F emission from the bypass system was proven to have rather minor effect on the total emission factor. The congener distributions of PCDD/Fs were also analysed in the flue gas and fly ash, before and after application of bypass system, to find cues to the formation mechanism.