Low expression of NR1D1 and NR2E3 is associated with advanced features of retinoblastoma.

PURPOSE: To investigate the expression of nuclear receptor subfamily 1 group D member 1 (NR1D1) and nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group E Member 3 (NR2E3) in retinoblastoma (RB) and their correlation with the clinical and pathological features of RB. METHODS: Immunohistochemical (IHC) assays were performed to detect and evaluate the expression levels of NR1D1 and NR2E3 in paraffin-embedded tissue samples. The relationship between the expression levels and clinicopathological characteristics of RB patients was analyzed using the χ2 test or Fisher exact test. RESULTS: A total of 51 RB patients were involved in this research. The expression levels of NR1D1 (P = 0.004) and NR2E3 (P = 0.024) were significantly lower in RB tumor tissues than in normal retina. The expression levels of NR1D1 and NR2E3 were less positive in RB patients with advanced stages (P = 0.007, P = 0.015), choroidal infiltration (P = 0.003, P = 0.029), and optic nerve infiltration (P = 0.036, P = 0.003). In addition, a low expression level of NR2E3 was associated with high-risk pathology (P = 0.025) and necrosis (P = 0.035) of RB tissues. CONCLUSION: The expression levels of NR1D1 and NR2E3 were decreased in RB and closely associated with the clinical stage and high invasion of the disease. These findings provide new insights into the mechanism of RB progression and suggest that NR1D1 and NR2E3 could be potential targets for treatment strategies.

The Implementation of Glasses-free 3D Display in ICL Surgery: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and safety of the glasses-free three-dimensional (3D) display and conventional optical microscope in Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL; STAAR Surgical) surgery. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial enrolled 51 eyes of 26 patients who received ICL surgery. After random allocation, patients received surgery under either a glasses-free 3D display (16 eyes) or a conventional optical microscope (35 eyes). The surgical duration, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), intraocular pressure, vault, postoperative manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE), and complications were evaluated. RESULTS: Mean surgical time was 5.04 ± 2.74 minutes for the glasses-free 3D group and 4.65 ± 2.63 minutes for the conventional microscope group (P = .639). Postoperative UDVA was -0.02 ± 0.04 and -0.04 ± 0.05 logMAR (P = .169), CDVA was -0.03 ± 0.04 and -0.02 ± 0.05 logMAR (P = .434), and IOP was 17.01 ± 3.15 and 14.82 ± 2.20 mm Hg (P = .055) at 1 month of follow-up, respectively. Vault was 562.86 ± 192.89 and 520.18 ± 215.19 µm, and MRSE was +0.25 ± 0.21 and +0.10 ± 0.51 diopters, respectively, at 1 month postoperatively; all were comparable between the glasses-free 3D group and conventional microscope group (all P > .05). No complication occurred in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The glasses-free 3D group achieved similar efficacy and safety compared to the conventional microscope group, and glasses-free 3D surgery is expected to show a significant advantage in clinical and medical education. [J Refract Surg. 2023;39(9):612-619.].

Three patterns for identifying the posterior plane of a lenticule during SMILE.

PURPOSE: To describe three patterns of posterior plane edge identification in small-incision lenticule extraction and to prevent lenticule mis-dissection. METHODS: Femtosecond laser application was performed for small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) by one surgeon. The surgical videos of SMILE were recorded and re-watched by the surgeon after operation. RESULTS: Small-incision lenticule extraction was performed in 52 eyes of 28 patients, and no patient had cap-lenticular adhesion. Three patterns of posterior plane of lenticule were noticed when the surgical videos were re-watched. A "double lines" attached to the dissector were visible, signifying the reflective tape of the edge of the lenticule and the cap. During the expansion of the posterior lamellar separation, a fusiform opening between the lenticule edge and the underlying matrix layer was assumed to be a "leaf sign." With some unintentional operation, the posterior lamella was pushed away from the surgeon. The edge of the lenticule away from the anatomical part, the marking of the femtosecond laser cut, and the edge of the cap layer showed three reflective bands, which formed a "triple lines." The "double lines," "leaf sign," and "triple lines" were observed in 30 eyes (57.7%), 21 eyes (40.4%), and 1 eye (1.9%), respectively. CONCLUSION: These three signs cover possible situations and provide visual landmarks to identify the correct dissection of the posterior plane, which can help shorten the learning curve of novice doctors.

Impact of unintended initial dissection of the posterior plane during SMILE surgery on surgery time and visual outcomes.

BACKGROUND: To study the impact of unintended initial dissection of the posterior plane (UIDPP) on operation time and surgical outcomes during small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) surgery. METHODS: This was a retrospective study. Based on the SMILE procedure video, the operating eyes were assigned to the normal and UIDPP groups according to the presence or absence of UIDPP signals during surgery. The UIDPP group was further separated into early and late detection based on whether the complete dissection of the lenticule posterior plane or not. Patient's demographic data, preoperative evaluation data, operation time and postoperative outcomes were collected. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients (66 eyes) who underwent SMILE were included, with 24 eyes with UIDPP (13 in the early detection group and 11 in the late group). The optical zone was smaller (median 6.5 vs. 6.6, P = 0.007), and the operation time was longer (median, 189.5 vs. 91.0 s, P < 0.001) in the UIDPP group compared with normal group. There were significant differences in operation time between the late detection group and early detection group (median, 489.0 vs. 139.0 s, P < 0.05) and between the late detection group and normal group (median 489.0 vs. 91.0 s, P < 0.05), while the optical zone was different only between the late detection and normal groups (median, 6.5 vs. 6.6, P < 0.05). At the one-year follow-up, UDVA was better than or equal to 20/20 in 87.5% of eyes, and 75% of eyes were within ± 0.5 D of the intended refractive target. One eye lost one Snellen line. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of UIDPP will significantly prolong the operation time, but not affect the recovery of long-term visual acuity after surgery. Detecting UIDPP earlier could help shorten the operation time.

Cryogenic technology for infrared detection in space.

Cryogenic technology has been developed cooperatively with infrared detection technology, which is of great significance for the development of space science and technology. To illustrate this coordinated development, the relationships between the infrared wavelength and the dark current in detectors with cryogenic temperature are analyzed, which shows the importance of cryogenic technology for infrared detection. Based on an analysis of infrared detection characteristics and cryogenic temperature requirements in different temperature zones, the development direction of cryogenic technology for infrared detection in space is analyzed and combined with the application of cryogenic technology in several key infrared space missions.

Verticillium dahliae effector VDAL protects MYB6 from degradation by interacting with PUB25 and PUB26 E3 ligases to enhance Verticillium wilt resistance.

Verticillium wilt is a severe plant disease that causes massive losses in multiple crops. Increasing the plant resistance to Verticillium wilt is a critical challenge worldwide. Here, we report that the hemibiotrophic Verticillium dahliae-secreted Asp f2-like protein VDAL causes leaf wilting when applied to cotton leaves in vitro but enhances the resistance to V. dahliae when overexpressed in Arabidopsis or cotton without affecting the plant growth and development. VDAL protein interacts with Arabidopsis E3 ligases plant U-box 25 (PUB25) and PUB26 and is ubiquitinated by PUBs in vitro. However, VDAL is not degraded by PUB25 or PUB26 in planta. Besides, the pub25 pub26 double mutant shows higher resistance to V. dahliae than the wild-type. PUBs interact with the transcription factor MYB6 in a yeast two-hybrid screen. MYB6 promotes plant resistance to Verticillium wilt while PUBs ubiquitinate MYB6 and mediate its degradation. VDAL competes with MYB6 for binding to PUBs, and the role of VDAL in increasing Verticillium wilt resistance depends on MYB6. Taken together, these results suggest that plants evolute a strategy to utilize the invaded effector protein VDAL to resist the V. dahliae infection without causing a hypersensitive response (HR); alternatively, hemibiotrophic pathogens may use some effectors to keep plant cells alive during its infection in order to take nutrients from host cells. This study provides the molecular mechanism for plants increasing disease resistance when overexpressing some effector proteins without inducing HR, and may promote searching for more genes from pathogenic fungi or bacteria to engineer plant disease resistance.

Analysis of factors associated with unintended initial dissection of the posterior plane during small incision lenticule extraction.

BACKGROUND: To investigate potential risk factors for unintended initial dissection of the posterior plane in the initial learning curve of small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). METHODS: Data were derived from consecutive 263 eyes of 136 patients who underwent SMILE at the beginning of the surgeon's learning curve. Probabilities of unintended initial dissection of the posterior plane in left and right eyes were analyzed. Preoperative sphere, cylinder, spherical equivalent (SE), J0, J45, lenticular diameter, lenticular thickness, corneal thickness, and axial length were assessed between eyes in which posterior plane dissection was unintended and those in which it was not. RESULTS: Unintended initial dissection of the posterior plane occurred in 29 eyes, corresponding to an incidence rate of 11.03%. The probability of difficulty in plane dissection in the left eye was significantly higher than that in the right eye (P=0.003). Significant differences were found in sphere (T =2.8, P=0.006), SE (T =2.37, P=0.019), J0 (T =2.05, P=0.043) and axial length (T =-2.79, P=0.006) between eyes with and without unintended initial dissection of the posterior plane. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, difficulty in plane dissection during SMILE was encountered significantly more often in left eyes for a right-hand doctor, and in eyes with low SE or high J0 values. Special attention should be paid to prevent unintended initial dissection of the posterior plane in such situations.

An Epidemic of Hepatitis A - Liaoning Province, 2020.

What is already known about this topic? Hepatitis A (HA) is caused by acute hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection and was once very common in China. Following the 2008 introduction of the HA vaccine into the national Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), the incidence of reported HA in China decreased markedly. However, HA epidemics still occur in Liaoning Province every 3-5 years, although with far fewer cases than in the pre-HA-vaccination era. What is added by this report? Between January 1, 2020 and March 18, 2020, the number of reported cases of HA in Dalian and Dandong cities of Liaoning Province increased significantly compared with the same period in previous years. All cases were sporadic, and cases were seen in nearly every township. The increase in HA occurred one month after local fresh seafood became available with most cases being among adults. A case-control study showed that consuming raw or undercooked seafood, clams, snapping shrimp, and oysters were significantly associated with the increase in HA. What are the implications for public health practices? Strengthening health education for residents to avoid consumption of raw seafood and encouraging HAV vaccination of adults aged 20 to 54 years are important to prevent periodic HAV endemic outbreaks. Further multisectoral cooperation must be emphasized on HA surveillance in areas with a high prevalence of HA.

Identification of separated lenticular planes using optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: To discuss how optical coherence tomography can be used to identify separated lenticular planes during small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). METHODS: SMILE procedures were performed on 26 eyes of 13 patients. An anterior segment optical coherence tomography examination was performed after laser scan. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography examinations were conducted again both after separation of the anterior lenticular plane in the right eye and after separation of the posterior lenticular plane in the left eye. Lenticule extraction was then completed, followed by another anterior segment optical coherence tomography examination. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography was also conducted on both eyes on the first day after surgery. Each measurement consisted of four line scans along the 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180° meridians. The brightness scores were compared between the two planes after the separation of one plane. RESULTS: Anterior segment optical coherence tomography showed two bright lines after laser scan. Along with all meridians, the brightness of the anterior plane was less in the right eye, for which only the anterior plane was separated, and the brightness of the posterior plane was less in the left eye, for which only the posterior plane was separated (all P < 0.001). After lenticule extraction in both eyes, anterior segment optical coherence tomography revealed that a smooth hyperreflective line existed between the cap and the residual stromal bed, and this line remained throughout the first day after surgery. CONCLUSION: The bubbles produced by the creation of the lenticule in SMILE mostly disappear by manual separation, and anterior segment optical coherence tomography can help the surgeon identify the separated lenticular planes.

miR-124 regulates STAT3-mediated cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis in bladder cancer.

The etiology and pathogenesis of bladder cancer (BCa) is complex. MicroRNA (miRNA) has been implicated in BCa. Targeting of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) by miR-124 to regulate tumorigenesis has been demonstrated in other types of cancer. In the present study, miR-124 levels were downregulated in the BCa T24 cell line and STAT3 was increased in BCa cell lines. Transfection of miR-124 mimics into T24 cells significantly inhibited STAT3 expression. A luciferase assay confirmed that miR-124 directly targeted the STAT3 3'untranslated region to inhibit STAT expression. Knockdown of STAT3 expression led to increased apoptosis of T24 cells and reduced tumor growth in vitro. The results demonstrated the molecular mechanisms and biological functions of the miR-124/STAT3 signal pathway at the cellular level and indicate the potential of miR-124 as a therapeutic target for BCa.

Acquired distance esotropia associated with myopia in the young adult.

BACKGROUND: To describe the clinical features of acquired progressive esotropia, with a larger angle at distance than near, associated with myopia in young adults. METHODS: Eleven adults (ages ranging from 18 to 37 years) with constant or intermittent horizontal diplopia at distance were recruited. Subjective refraction, ocular alignment, fusional amplitudes and horizontal eye movements were measured at distance and near. RESULTS: Distance esotropia varied from 20 to 60 prism diopters (PD). At near, the esotropic deviation ranged from 10 to 30 PD. Spherical equivalents (SE) of the right eye ranged from - 3.50 to - 8.25 diopters (D) while SE of the left eye ranged from - 0.375 to - 7.25 D. Ten of the eleven patients presented with constant diplopia at distance. Horizontal ductions and versions were full in all patients. The pathological report of seven patients who underwent lateral rectus resection showed that there were no muscle fibres, but rather, collagenous fibres. CONCLUSIONS: This unusual sub-type of strabismus is a benign entity with slow progression that can occur in young adults with myopia. The cause of this condition is still unknown, and may be related to long periods of near work.

First Report of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Tuberculosis Patients in China.

In recent years, coinfection of tuberculosis (TB) and parasitosis in humans is an emerging problem in coendemic areas, which has been increasingly highlighted in developing countries. However, there is limited information about the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in TB patients. Therefore, through a case-control study, 924 TB patients hospitalized for diacrisis or treatment in northeastern and eastern China, and 924 control subjects from the general population of the same region matched with gender, age, and residence were examined for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to T. gondii and associated sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics in a population of TB patients. Seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to T. gondii in TB patients (122/924, 13.2%) was significantly higher than control subjects (90/924, 9.7%) (p = 0.019), and 26 (2.8%) TB patients and 19 (2.1%) controls were positive for anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies (p = 0.291), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that T. gondii infection was associated with keeping cats at home, presence of stray cats, and consumption of raw/undercooked meat. The present study first revealed the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in TB patients in China. Moreover, parasitological surveys should be regularly carried out among TB patients, aiming to prevent the possibility of severe toxoplasmosis.

The nuclear hormone receptor gene Nr2c1 (Tr2) is a critical regulator of early retina cell patterning.

Nuclear hormone receptors play a major role in the development of many tissues. This study uncovers a novel role for testicular receptor 2 (Tr2, Nr2c1) in defining the early phase of retinal development and regulating normal retinal cell patterning and topography. The mammalian retina undergoes an overlapping yet biphasic period of development to generate all seven retinal cell types. We discovered that Nr2c1 expression coincides with development of the early retinal cells. Loss of Nr2c1 causes a severe vision deficit and impacts early, but not late retina cell types. Retinal cone cell topography is disrupted with an increase in displaced amacrine cells. Additionally, genetic background significantly impacts phenotypic outcome of cone photoreceptor cells but not amacrine cells. Chromatin-IP experiments reveal NR2C1 regulates early cell transcription factors that regulate retinal progenitor cells during development, including amacrine (Satb2) and cone photoreceptor regulators thyroid and retinoic acid receptors. This study supports a role for Nr2c1 in defining the biphasic period of retinal development and specifically influencing the early phase of retinal cell fate.

Corneal densitometry changes in a patient with interface fluid syndrome after small incision lenticule extraction.

BACKGROUND: To report a case of interface fluid syndrome (IFS) following small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) evaluated with corneal densitometry and optical coherence tomography (OCT). CASE PRESENTATION: An 18-year-old man reported sudden vision loss 24 days after SMILE procedure. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was 36.3 mmHg (OD) and 36.7 mmHg (OS) by noncontact tonometry. Moderate corneal edema, interface fluid pocket and haze were observed by OCT and confirmed by corneal densitometry values. Discontinuation of steroids and addition of hypotensive medication were offered immediately. The symptoms were cured after the medication. Changes of corneal densitometry were consistent with the clinical course of IFS. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates that it is crucial to be aware that a history of SMILE can also cause IFS. Both OCT and corneal densitometry can serve as auxiliary means to evaluate the clinical course of IFS, and appropriate IOP management is an effective approach.

Genetic analysis of 17 Y-STR loci in Han and Korean populations from Jilin Province, Northeast China.

In this study, 17 Y chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) were analyzed in 302 male individuals from the Chinese Han and Korean populations of Jilin Province. The haplotype diversities of two populations reached 0.99969 and 0.99874, respectively. The Jilin Han and Korean populations differed from each other significantly. The Jilin Han population showed no significant difference from almost any other Han population, but it did show significant differences from most other Chinese ethnic populations. The haplotype frequencies in the Jilin Korean population studied here showed significant differences from all reference populations in earlier reports. These data provide a reference for the Y-STR database in Jilin Province, and they may be valuable for population genetic analysis.

Characterization of a spontaneous retinal neovascular mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Vision loss due to vascular disease of the retina is a leading cause of blindness in the world. Retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) is a subgroup of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), whereby abnormal blood vessels develop in the retina leading to debilitating vision loss and eventual blindness. The novel mouse strain, neoretinal vascularization 2 (NRV2), shows spontaneous fundus changes associated with abnormal neovascularization. The purpose of this study is to characterize the induction of pathologic angiogenesis in this mouse model. METHODS: The NRV2 mice were examined from postnatal day 12 (p12) to 3 months. The phenotypic changes within the retina were evaluated by fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography, and immunohistochemical and electron microscopic analysis. The pathological neovascularization was imaged by confocal microscopy and reconstructed using three-dimensional image analysis software. RESULTS: We found that NRV2 mice develop multifocal retinal depigmentation in the posterior fundus. Depigmented lesions developed vascular leakage observed by fluorescein angiography. The spontaneous angiogenesis arose from the retinal vascular plexus at postnatal day (p)15 and extended toward retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). By three months of age, histological analysis revealed encapsulation of the neovascular lesion by the RPE in the photoreceptor cell layer and subretinal space. CONCLUSIONS: The NRV2 mouse strain develops early neovascular lesions within the retina, which grow downward towards the RPE beginning at p15. This retinal neovascularization model mimics early stages of human retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) and will likely be a useful in elucidating targeted therapeutics for patients with ocular neovascular disease.

[Landscape regionalization of agro-pastoral transitional zone using self-organizing feature maps (SOFM) network: a case study of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China].

Taking the agro-pastoral transitional zone of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which has the most extrusive landscape differentiation in Northern China, as the object, a landscape spatial differentiation index was established based on the NDVI, integrated index of land use degree, and aridity index, and the characteristics of the landscape spatial differentiation were quantitatively identified by using SOFM network. The study area could be divided into six landscape zones, i. e., forest zone, forest-steppe transitional zone, agro-steppe mixed zone, typical steppe zone, steppe-desert transitional zone, and desert zone. As compared with the traditional schemes of physical geographical regionalization, our landscape regionalization could quickly regionalize the large scale landscape spatial differentiation in a quantitative way, and the regionalization results were basically in accordance with the original landscape characteristics and the landscape spatial differentiation pattern of the study area.

Vegetation coverage change and associated driving forces in mountain areas of Northwestern Yunnan, China using RS and GIS.

The dynamics of vegetation coverage and associated driving forces are one of the key issues in global environmental change. In the study, taking Lijiang County as a case, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index was used to quantify vegetation coverage change in mountain areas of Northwestern Yunnan, China, with the application of remote sensing data and GIS technologies. And associated driving forces of vegetation coverage change were also analyzed, with a focus on land use change and elevation. The results showed that there was high vegetation coverage with a significant increase in the whole county during 1986-2002. However, due to economic development and the implementation of environmental protection polices, vegetation coverage change in the county showed distinct spatial diversity, which mainly behaved as the increasing in the northwest of the county with low human activities, and the decreasing in the south with high economic development. The results also showed that as a restrictive factor, elevation was of great signification on the spatial distribution of vegetation coverage in a broad scale; while in the county level, it was land use that determined the vegetation coverage, since the change of vegetation coverage grades in the study area was mainly associated with the change of land use types.