Crystalline lens nuclear age prediction as a new biomarker of nucleus degeneration.

BACKGROUND: The crystalline lens is a transparent structure of the eye to focus light on the retina. It becomes muddy, hard and dense with increasing age, which makes the crystalline lens gradually lose its function. We aim to develop a nuclear age predictor to reflect the degeneration of the crystalline lens nucleus. METHODS: First we trained and internally validated the nuclear age predictor with a deep-learning algorithm, using 12 904 anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) images from four diverse Asian and American cohorts: Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center with Machine0 (ZOM0), Tomey Corporation (TOMEY), University of California San Francisco and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. External testing was done on three independent datasets: Tokyo University (TU), ZOM1 and Shenzhen People's Hospital (SPH). We also demonstrate the possibility of detecting nuclear cataracts (NCs) from the nuclear age gap. FINDINGS: In the internal validation dataset, the nuclear age could be predicted with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 2.570 years (95% CI 1.886 to 2.863). Across the three external testing datasets, the algorithm achieved MAEs of 4.261 years (95% CI 3.391 to 5.094) in TU, 3.920 years (95% CI 3.332 to 4.637) in ZOM1-NonCata and 4.380 years (95% CI 3.730 to 5.061) in SPH-NonCata. The MAEs for NC eyes were 8.490 years (95% CI 7.219 to 9.766) in ZOM1-NC and 9.998 years (95% CI 5.673 to 14.642) in SPH-NC. The nuclear age gap outperformed both ophthalmologists in detecting NCs, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.853 years (95% CI 0.787 to 0.917) in ZOM1 and 0.909 years (95% CI 0.828 to 0.978) in SPH. INTERPRETATION: The nuclear age predictor shows good performance, validating the feasibility of using AS-OCT images as an effective screening tool for nucleus degeneration. Our work also demonstrates the potential use of the nuclear age gap to detect NCs.

Resveratrol ameliorates nutritional steatohepatitis through the mmu­miR­599/PXR pathway.

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the effect of resveratrol on non­alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and the molecular basis in mice and Hepa1­6 cells, in order to verify its therapeutic effect. C57BL/6J mice were fed a methionine­choline­deficient (MCD) diet to induce steatohepatitis and were treated with resveratrol. Mouse sera were collected for biochemical analysis and enzyme­linked immunosorbent assay, and livers were obtained for histological observation, and mmu­microRNA (miR)­599 and inflammation­related gene expression analysis. Hepa1­6 cells were treated with palmitic acid to establish a NASH cell model, and were then treated with resveratrol, or transfected with mmu­miR­599 mimic, mmu­miR­599 inhibitor or recombinant pregnane X receptor (PXR) plasmid. Subsequently, the cells were collected for mmu­miR­599 and inflammation­related gene expression analysis. Reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to assess mmu­miR­599 expression levels, and the mRNA and protein expression levels of PXR and inflammation­related genes. The binding site of mmu­miR­599 in the PXR mRNA was verified by the luciferase activity assay. Mice fed an MCD diet for 4 weeks exhibited steatosis, focal necrosis and inflammatory infiltration in the liver. Resveratrol significantly reduced serum aminotransferase and malondialdehyde levels, and ameliorated hepatic injury. These effects were associated with reduced mmu­miR­599 expression, enhanced PXR expression, and downregulated levels of nuclear factor­κB, tumour necrosis factor­α, interleukin (IL)­1ß, IL­6, NOD­like receptor family pyrin domain­containing protein 3 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3. Administration of the mmu­miR­599 mimic inhibited PXR expression in Hepa1­6 cells, whereas the mmu­miR­599 inhibitor exerted the opposite effect. A binding site for mmu­miR­599 was identified in the PXR mRNA sequence. Furthermore, overexpression of PXR inhibited the expression of inflammatory factors in Hepa1­6 cells. The present study provided evidence for the protective role of resveratrol in ameliorating steatohepatitis through regulating the mmu­miR­599/PXR pathway and the consequent suppression of related inflammatory factors. Resveratrol may serve as a potential candidate for steatohepatitis management.