The effect of different potency glucocorticosteroids treatments on tear inflammatory factors and corneal optical density after femtosecond-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis.

To assess the impact of glucocorticosteroids with varying potencies on inflammatory mediators in tears and corneal optical density after femtosecond-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK). In a prospective study, 110 patients (220 eyes) who underwent FS-LASIK were divided into 2 groups: 55 patients (110 eyes) received dexamethasone, and another 55 patients (110 eyes) received fluorometholone. Visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and corneal optical density were measured before, 1 week, and 1 month after surgery. Tear fluid samples were also collected to assess expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-6, and TGF-ß1. One week after the procedure, the dexamethasone group exhibited elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) levels (P > .05) and a decreased expression of TNF-α in tears (P < .001) compared to the fluorometholone group. Within the 0 to 2 mm range from the corneal apex, the anterior corneal layer's optical density in the fluorometholone group surpassed that of the dexamethasone group (P < .05). At 1 month post-surgery, the IOP in the fluorometholone group was higher than that in the dexamethasone group (P < .05). In both the 0 to 2 mm and 2 to 6 mm intervals from the corneal apex, the optical density of the anterior corneal layer was significantly higher in the fluorometholone group compared to the dexamethasone group (P < .05). There was no statistically significant difference in visual acuity between the 2 groups at any postoperative time point. Short-term use of potent corticosteroids after FS-LASIK can swiftly address ocular surface inflammation, enhance corneal wound healing, reduce corneal edema, and accelerate the restoration of corneal transparency, in contrast to prolonged use of milder corticosteroids post-surgery.

Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma of the lacrimal gland: A case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: The most common subtype of primary lymphoma of the ocular adnexa is the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) subtype. MALT lymphoma of the lacrimal gland is relatively rare among the lacrimal gland tumors, and the early clinical symptoms are atypical, which can easily lead to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. Here, we report a case of MALT lymphoma of the lacrimal gland and explore its clinical manifestations, pathological characteristics, management, and pathogenesis, with the aim of helping clinicians gain an in-depth understanding of ocular adnexal MALT lymphoma. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 60-year-old man presented to our hospital with proptosis and diplopia. The right eye deviated and shifted toward the lower part of the nose. DIAGNOSIS: Orbital enhanced magnetic resonance imaging suggested a mass with a maximum cross-section of 3.2 × 2.1 cm. T1 weighted image was isointense, and the enhancement was more uniform and obvious. INTERVENTIONS: The right orbital mass was treated surgically, and the final pathology report was MALT lymphoma. After the pathological report was released, the patient was transferred to the hematology department for further diagnosis and no further treatment was given eventually. OUTCOMES: Seven months later, the patient did not complain of discomfort. Whole-body positron emission tomography-computed tomography, superficial lymph node examination and orbital magnetic resonance imaging revealed no abnormal changes. LESSONS: The clinical manifestations of MALT lymphoma are heterogeneous. Imaging examination is important for assessing the size of the tumor and its relationship with adjacent tissues. Postoperative pathological examination may provide further evidence for the evaluation of the patient's surgical efficacy and prognosis. Management of MALT lymphoma of the lacrimal gland requires a multidisciplinary approach involving ophthalmologists, hematologists, and radiotherapists.

THE DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF MULTISPECTRAL FUNDUS IMAGING IN HYPERTENSIVE RETINOPATHY.

PURPOSE: To observe the diagnostic value of multispectral fundus imaging (MSI) in hypertensive retinopathy (HR). METHODS: A total of 100 patients with HR were enrolled in this cross-sectional study, and all participants received fundus photography and MSI. Participants with severe HR received fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA). The diagnostic consistency between fundus photography and MSI in the diagnosis of HR was calculated. The sensitivity of MSI in the diagnosis of severe HR was calculated by comparison with FFA. Choroidal vascular index was calculated in patients with HR using MSI at 780 nm. RESULTS: MSI and fundus photography were highly concordant in the diagnosis of HR with a Kappa value = 0.883. MSI had a sensitivity of 96% in diagnosing retinal hemorrhage, a sensitivity of 89.47% in diagnosing retinal exudation, a sensitivity of 100% in diagnosing vascular compression indentation, and a sensitivity of 96.15% in diagnosing retinal arteriosclerosis. The choroidal vascular index of the patients in the HR group was significantly lower than that of the control group, whereas there was no significant difference between the affected and fellow eyes. CONCLUSION: As a noninvasive modality of observation, MSI may be a new tool for the diagnosis and assessment of HR.

Ptosis Caused by Local Injection of Human Rabies Immunoglobulin.

Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease. Patients with grade III injuries after exposure need timely injection of rabies vaccine and human rabies immunoglobulin treatment. This article introduces the diagnosis and therapy of ptosis caused by local injection of human rabies immunoglobulin in a patient bitten by a dog.

Acquired Ocular Toxoplasmosis: a Case Report and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic illness caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Ocular infection frequently manifests as acute necrotizing retinal chorioretinitis. In this paper, we describe a case of retinal chorioretinitis caused by Toxoplasma gondii infection, as well as the most recent diagnostic and treatment techniques. METHODS: Serum and vitreous fluid were collected and analyzed, and PCR for Toxoplasma gondii DNA, ELISA for Toxoplasma gondii IgG and Goldmann-Witmer coefficient, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), and fundus autofluorescence were done (FAF). RESULTS: Toxoplasma gondii DNA (-), serum and vitreous IgG from Toxoplasma gondii (+) cells, and the Goldmann-Witmer coefficient of Toxoplasma gondii were all considerably enhanced, indicating Toxoplasma gondii infection. Antiparasitic infection in combination with an anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid were given, laser treatment of the fundus was provided, and the patient's condition has been stable with no indication of recurrence to date following conclusion of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Toxoplasma gondii can infect the whole retina, causing variable degrees of visual impairment; thus, rapid diagnosis and tailored therapy are necessary to enhance prognosis and reduce disease recurrence.

A Pseudo-near isogenic F2 population strategy for rapid QTL cloning.

Near isogenic F2 (NIF2) population frequently developed by conventional backcross has dramatically contributed to QTL identification in plants. Developing such a NIF2 population is time-consuming. Thus, it is urgent to rapidly produce a NIF2 population for QTL cloning. Here, we proposed a rapid QTL cloning strategy by generating a Pseudo-near isogenic F2 population (Pseudo-NIF2), which segregates at the target QTL but is fixed at other QTLs for the target trait. Nineteen QTLs for GL, GW, and TGW were detected in the F2 population from the cross between Zhenshan 97 and Egy316. To verify the efficiency of Pseudo-NIF2 in QTL quick cloning, the novel moderate QTL qGL10.1 which explained 9.1% and 5.6% of grain length variation in F2 and F2:3 populations was taken as an example. An F2 plant (F2-120), which segregated at qGL10.1 but fixed at other 8 QTLs for grain length, was screened to generate a Pseudo-NIF2 population by selfing cross. In the Pseudo-NIF2 population, the segregation ratio of plants with long grains to short grains fits 3:1, indicating that one gene controlled the variation of grain length. Based on the Pseudo-NIF2 and its progeny, qGL10.1 was fine mapped to a 19.3-kb region, where a gene OsMADS56 was verified as the candidate by functional polymorphism between parental alleles. Pseudo-NIF2 strategy is a rapid way for QTL cloning, which saves 3 to 4 cropping seasons compared to the conventional way. Applying the method for cloning QTL with moderate or major effects is promising. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01408-x.

The CCT transcriptional activator Ghd2 constantly delays the heading date by upregulating CO3 in rice.

CONSTANS, CO-like, and TOC1 (CCT) family genes play important roles in regulating heading date, which exerts a large impact on the regional and seasonal adaptation of rice. Previous studies have shown that Grain number, plant height, and heading date2 (Ghd2) exhibit a negative response to drought stress by directly upregulating Rubisco activase and exerting a negative effect on heading date. However, the target gene of Ghd2 regulating heading date is still unknown. In this study, CO3 is identified by analyzing ChIP-seq data. Ghd2 activates CO3 expression by binding to the CO3 promoter through its CCT domain. EMSA experiments show that the motif CCACTA in the CO3 promoter was recognized by Ghd2. A comparison of the heading dates among plants with CO3 knocked out or overexpressed and double mutants overexpressing Ghd2 with CO3 knocked out shows that CO3 negatively and constantly regulates flowering by repressing the transcription of Ehd1, Hd3a, and RFT1. In addition, the target genes of CO3 are explored via a comprehensive analysis of DAP-seq data and RNA-seq data. Taken together, these results suggest that Ghd2 directly binds to the downstream gene CO3, and the Ghd2-CO3 module constantly delays heading date via the Ehd1-mediated pathway.

Tear inflammation related indexes after cataract surgery in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative studies on the changes in inflammation-related content in tears, especially the effect of diabetes, are lacking. In this study, we measured the preoperative and postoperative tear inflammatory mediator levels in cataract patients, focusing on the expression of inflammatory factors in postoperative cataracts in the diabetic, and investigated the effect of drugs on the control of postoperative inflammation. AIM: To study the expression of inflammatory factors in elderly people with type 2 diabetes after cataract surgery. METHODS: Patients with a mean age of 70.3 ± 6.3 years were divided into group A (composed of elderly patients with cataracts and type 2 diabetes, n = 20 eyes) and group B (patients with age-related cataract, n = 20 eyes). Their tears were collected before each operation and on days 1 and 3, and weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4 post-surgery. Saline (150 µL) was dropped into the conjunctival sac of the surgical eye, followed by oculogyration in four directions. The fluid in the conjunctival sac was extracted using a sterile syringe and stored in Eppendorf tubes at -80 °C until measurement. The expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), TIMP-2, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-20 in tear fluid were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: The postoperative expression levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-2, IL-6, and IL-20 in group A were significantly higher than those in group B, whereas the concentration of TIMP-1 in group A remained lower than that in group B. The levels of MMP-2 and IL-6 in both groups continuously increased until the peak in the first postoperative week, and then gradually decreased over the next three weeks. Ultimately, MMP-2 declined to a lower level than that preoperatively at week 4, but IL-6 decreased to the same level as that preoperatively. The level of MMP-9 peaked in the first two weeks postoperative and then returned to the same level as 1-day post-operation. The concentration of TIMP-1 post-operation remained constant at a lower level than before surgery, and TIMP-2 Levels remained stable in both groups. IL-20 content started to increase in the third week after surgery. CONCLUSION: Inflammatory factor levels in tears fluctuated before and post-operation, which indicated more severe postoperative inflammation in the first two weeks.

The amino acid residue E96 of Ghd8 is crucial for the formation of the flowering repression complex Ghd7-Ghd8-OsHAP5C in rice.

Ghd7 is an important gene involved in the photoperiod flowering pathway in rice. A Ghd7-involved transcriptional regulatory network has been established, but its translational regulatory pathway is poorly understood. The mutant suppressor of overexpression of Ghd7 (sog7) was identified from EMS-induced mutagenesis on the background of ZH11 overexpressing Ghd7. MutMap analysis revealed that SOG7 is allelic to Ghd8 and delayed flowering under long-day (LD) conditions. Biochemical assays showed that Ghd8 interacts with OsHAP5C and Ghd7 both in vivo and in vitro. Surprisingly, a point mutation E96K in the α2 helix of the Ghd8 histone fold domain (HFD) destroyed its ability to interact with Ghd7. The prediction of the structure shows that mutated amino acid is located in the interaction region of CCT/NF-YB/YC complexes, which alter the structure of α4 of Ghd8. This structural difference prevents the formation of complex NF-YB/YC. The triple complex of Ghd8-OsHAP5C-Ghd7 directly bound to the promotor of Hd3a and downregulated the expression of Ehd1, Hd3a and RFT1, and finally resulted in a delayed heading. These findings are helpful in deeply understanding the Ghd7-involved photoperiod flowering pathway and promote the elucidation of rice heading.

A long transcript mutant of the rubisco activase gene RCA upregulated by the transcription factor Ghd2 enhances drought tolerance in rice.

The transcription factor Ghd2 increases rice yield potential under normal conditions and accelerates leaf senescence under drought stress. However, its mechanism on the regulation of leaf senescence under drought stress remains unclear. In the present study, to unveil the mechanism, one target of Ghd2, the Rubisco activase gene RCA, was identified through the combined analysis of Ghd2-CRISPR transcriptome data and Ghd2-overexpression microarray data. Ghd2 binds to the 'CACA' motif in the RCA promoter by its CCT domain and upregulates RCA expression. RCA has alternative transcripts, RCAS and RCAL, which are predominantly expressed under normal conditions and drought stress, respectively. Similar to Ghd2-overexpressing plants, RCAL-overexpressing plants were more sensitive to drought stress than the wild-type. However, the plants overexpressing RCAS showed a weak drought-sensitive phenotype. Moreover, RCAL knockdown and knockout plants did not show yield loss under normal conditions, but exhibited enhanced drought tolerance and delayed leaf senescence. The chlorophyll content, the free amino acid content and the expression of senescence-related genes in the RCAL mutant were lower than those in the wild-type plants under drought stress. In summary, Ghd2 induces leaf senescence by upregulating RCAL expression under drought stress, and the RCAL mutant has important values in breeding drought-tolerant varieties.

OsPRR37 Alternatively Promotes Heading Date Through Suppressing the Expression of Ghd7 in the Japonica Variety Zhonghua 11 under Natural Long-Day Conditions.

Heading date is an important agronomic trait of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and is regulated by numerous genes, some of which exhibit functional divergence in a genetic background-dependent manner. Here, we identified a late heading date 7 (lhd7) mutant that flowered later than wild-type Zhonghua 11 (ZH11) under natural long-day (NLD) conditions. Map-based cloning facilitated by the MutMap strategy revealed that LHD7 was on the same locus as OsPRR37 but exhibited a novel function as a promoter of heading date. A single-nucleotide mutation of G-to-A in the coding region caused a substitution of aspartic acid for glycine at site 159 within the pseudo-receiver (PR) domain of OsPRR37. Transcriptional analysis revealed that OsPRR37 suppressed Ghd7 expression in both ZH11 background under NLD conditions and the Zhenshan 97 background under natural short-day conditions. Consistently, the expression of Ehd1, Hd3a and RFT1 was enhanced by OsPRR37 in the ZH11 background. Genetic analysis indicated that the promotion of heading date and reduction in grain yield by OsPRR37 were partially dependent on Ghd7. Further investigation showed that the alternative function of OsPRR37 required an intact Ghd7-related regulatory pathway involving not only its upstream regulators OsGI and PhyB but also its interacting partner Hd1. Our study revealed the distinct role of OsPRR37 in the ZH11 background, which provides a more comprehensive understanding of OsPRR37 function and enriches the theoretical bases for improvement of rice heading date in the future.

OsHOX1 and OsHOX28 Redundantly Shape Rice Tiller Angle by Reducing HSFA2D Expression and Auxin Content.

Tiller angle largely determines plant architecture, which in turn substantially influences crop production by affecting planting density. A recent study revealed that HEAT STRESS TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR2D (HSFA2D) acts upstream of LAZY1 (LA1) to regulate tiller angle establishment in rice (Oryza sativa). However, the mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation of HSFA2D remain unknown. In this study, two class II homeodomain-Leu zipper genes, OsHOX1 and OsHOX28, were identified as positive regulators of tiller angle by affecting shoot gravitropism. OsHOX1 and OsHOX28 showed strong transcriptional suppressive activity in rice protoplasts and formed intricate self- and mutual-transcriptional negative feedback loops. Moreover, OsHOX1 and OsHOX28 bound to the pseudopalindromic sequence CAAT(C/G)ATTG within the promoter of HSFA2D, thus suppressing its expression. In contrast to HSFA2D and LA1, OsHOX1 and OsHOX28 attenuated lateral auxin transport, thus repressing the expression of WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX 6 (WOX6) and WOX11 in the lower side of the shoot base of plants subjected to gravistimulation. Genetic analysis further confirmed that OsHOX1 and OsHOX28 act upstream of HSFA2D Additionally, both OsHOX1 and OsHOX28 inhibit the expression of multiple OsYUCCA genes and decrease auxin biosynthesis. Taken together, these results demonstrated that OsHOX1 and OsHOX28 regulate the local distribution of auxin, and thus tiller angle establishment, through suppression of the HSFA2D-LA1 pathway and reduction of endogenous auxin content. Our finding increases the knowledge concerning fine tuning of tiller angles to optimize plant architecture in rice.

OsMFT2 is involved in the regulation of ABA signaling-mediated seed germination through interacting with OsbZIP23/66/72 in rice.

Seed germination is a complex process involving various physical and biochemical cues, determined by exogenous and endogenous factors. Here, we identified a gene, OsMFT2, that negatively regulates seed germination in rice. OsMFT2 knock-out lines exhibited pre-harvest sprouting, whereas OsMFT2 overexpression lines showed delayed germination. RNA expression profiling showed that OsMFT2 was specifically expressed in seeds. Subcellular localization indicated that OsMFT2 was a nuclear protein. Exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) treatment of imbibed seeds and seedlings indicated that OsMFT2 altered ABA sensitivity during seed germination and post-germination growth. In vivo and in vitro assays showed that three bZIP transcription factors, OsbZIP23, OsbZIP66 and OsbZIP72, interacted with OsMFT2. OsbZIP23/66/72 bound to the promoter of Rab16A, a typical gene containing the ABA-responsive element, and OsMFT2 enhanced the binding to the Rab16A promoter. Moreover, several ABA-responsive genes were differentially expressed in the imbibed seeds of OsMFT2 transgenic lines and the wild type. The performance of the transgenic plants demonstrated that overexpressing OsbZIP23 rescued the pre-harvest sprouting phenotype and the decrease in ABA-signaling genes expression caused by OsMFT2 knock-out. All of these results demonstrate that OsMFT2 positively regulates ABA-responsive genes through interacting with OsbZIP23/66/72 and functions in seed germination.

Lessons from natural variations: artificially induced heading date variations for improvement of regional adaptation in rice.

KEY MESSAGE: New strategy of breeding by modulating key heading date gene Ehd1 to enhance the variations of heading date regardless of genetic background for better adaptation to local environment in rice. Flowering time (or heading date) is an important quantitative trait in rice (Oryza sativa) that determines its adaptation to specific cultivation areas and growing seasons. However, breeding of flowering time is currently relying on laborious selections and combinations of different alleles of various genes. Here, we cloned a cis-variant allele of Ehd1 that regulated not only heading date but also yield potential. Genetic analysis revealed that Ehd1 acted downstream of Ghd7 as a negative regulator of yield potential, and expression divergence of Ehd1 negatively correlates with phenotype variations including heading date and grain yield. Moreover, regardless of genetic background, manipulations of the expression of a single gene, Ehd1, are sufficient for recreating beneficial heading date variations which could be subjected to the selection of best suitable lines for local environment conditions. Beyond a deeper understanding of transcriptional control of quantitative traits, this study provided an effective and flexible strategy for breeding rice cultivars to maximize grain production for any region of cultivation.

Genome-wide association studies reveal that members of bHLH subfamily 16 share a conserved function in regulating flag leaf angle in rice (Oryza sativa).

As a major component of ideal plant architecture, leaf angle especially flag leaf angle (FLA) makes a large contribution to grain yield in rice. We utilized a worldwide germplasm collection to elucidate the genetic basis of FLA that would be helpful for molecular design breeding in rice. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified a total of 40 and 32 QTLs for FLA in Wuhan and Hainan, respectively. Eight QTLs were commonly detected in both conditions. Of these, 2 and 3 QTLs were identified in the indica and japonica subpopulations, respectively. In addition, the candidates of 5 FLA QTLs were verified by haplotype-level association analysis. These results indicate diverse genetic bases for FLA between the indica and japonica subpopulations. Three candidates, OsbHLH153, OsbHLH173 and OsbHLH174, quickly responded to BR and IAA involved in plant architecture except for OsbHLH173, whose expression level was too low to be detected; their overexpression in plants increased rice leaf angle. Together with previous studies, it was concluded that all 6 members in bHLH subfamily 16 had the conserved function in regulating FLA in rice. A comparison with our previous GWAS for tiller angle (TA) showed only one QTL had pleiotropic effects on FLA and TA, which explained low similarity of the genetic basis between FLA and TA. An ideal plant architecture is expected to be efficiently developed by combining favorable alleles for FLA from indica with favorable alleles for TA from japonica by inter-subspecies hybridization.