Effect of refractive status on retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in Chinese Population.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and other related parameters measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and the refractive error of eyes. METHODS: A total of 5394 subjects were enrolled in this population-based cohort study, who were divided into three groups by refractive state after they underwent a standardized ophthalmic examination: emmetropia (the absolute value should range from 0 to 0.5 D), low-moderate myopia (the absolute value of myopic error should range from 0.5 to 6 D), and high myopia (the absolute value of myopic error should be over than 6 D). R 3.6.1 software was adopted for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Two thousand five hundred fifty-two subjects (4548 eyes) were collected in this study, with an average age of 53.14 ± 10.64 years. There were significant differences among groups in average central corneal curvature, spherical equivalent, and axial length (P < 0.001). The measurements of average retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) were 113.95 ± 10.62 µm, 112.97 ± 11.59 µm, and 101.88 ± 15.67 µm, respectively, in the emmetropia, low-moderate, and high myopia groups (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, there was a decreasing trend of cup area, cup volume, disc area, and rim area in the high myopia group compared with the emmetropia group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The measurements of RNFL thickness vary greatly with refractive error, and this study indicated that it is of great significance for the accurate diagnosis of glaucoma to establish an individualized RNFL thickness database.

Burden of visual impairment in mainland China: the Handan Eye Study and Beijing Eye Study.

PURPOSE: To determine the impact of visual impairment (VI) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to compare the health burden of VI in different areas in mainland China. METHODS: A cohort of 6830 people from rural villages and a cohort of 3251 people from an urban city were included to receive comprehensive ophthalmologic examinations and complete the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions 3 Levels (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire. For urban and rural populations, a unified VI grouping standard was adopted: the eyes were classified into normal group, mild-moderate group, and severe group according to WHO standards, and then divided into 6 groups considering both eyes. We estimated the effects of VI on the EQ-5D index score using linear regression models and the association between VI and self-reported EQ-5D health problems using logistic regression models. Associations were assessed by the Spearman correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The prevalence of VI and the index scores of EQ-5D-3L for each subgroup of VI were higher for the rural cohort. In these two cohorts, the severity of VI in rural population (Spearman r = 0.205; p < 0.0001) and urban population (Spearman r = 0.164; p < 0.0001) is correlated with the EQ-5D index score. In the rural cohort, the difference in index scores with bilateral severe VI compared to those without VI, after adjusting for covariates, was - 0.053 for the rural cohort and - 0.084 for the urban cohort, respectively. In the rural cohort, the odds ratio for bilateral severe VI was 4.39 for mobility, 6.33 for self-care, and 5.88 for usual activities. The incidence of anxiety or depression and pain or discomfort in the urban cohort was greater; the OR for bilateral severe VI in the urban cohort was 4.75. CONCLUSIONS: VI has a negative impact on HRQoL in the rural and urban areas of China, especially in urban population. It is also more likely to cause anxiety or depression among the urban cohort, which deserves special attention.

PKCα regulates vasopressin-induced aquaporin-2 trafficking in mouse kidney collecting duct cells in vitro via altering microtubule assembly.

AIM: Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is a vasopressin-regulated water channel located in the collecting tubule and collecting duct cells of mammalian kidney. The aim of this study is to investigate whether PKCα plays a role in vasopressin-induced AQP2 trafficking in mouse inner medullary collecting duct 3 (mIMCD3) cells. METHODS: AQP2-mIMCD3 stable cell line was constructed by transfection of mouse inner medullary collecting duct 3 (mIMCD3) cells with AQP2-GFP construct. Then the cells were transfected with PKCα shRNA, PKCα A/25E, or PKCα scrambled shRNA. The expression levels of PKCα, AQP2, and phospho-S256-AQP2 were analyzed using Western blot. The interaction between AQP2 and PKCα was examined using immunoprecipitation. The distribution of AQP2 and microtubules was studied using immunocytochemistry. The AQP2 trafficking was examined using the biotinylation of surface membranes. RESULTS: Treatment of AQP2-mIMCD3 cells with 100 µmol/L of 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (DdAVP) for 30 min stimulated the translocation of AQP2 from the cytoplasm to plasma membrane through influencing the microtubule assembly. Upregulation of active PKCα by transfection with PKCα A/25E plasmids resulted in de-polymerization of α-tubulin and redistributed AQP2 in the cytoplasm. Down-regulation of PKCα by PKCα shRNA partially inhibited DdAVP-stimulated AQP2 trafficking without altering α-tubulin distribution. Although 100 µmol/L of DdAVP increased AQP2 phosphorylation at serine 256, down-regulation of PKCα by PKCα shRNA did not influence DdAVP-induced AQP2 phosphorylation, suggesting that AQP2 phosphorylation at serine 256 was independent of PKCα. Moreover, PKCα did not physically interact with AQP2 in the presence or absence of DdAVP. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that PKCα regulates AQP2 trafficking induced by DdAVP via microtubule assembly.

Spatio-temporal pattern and driving forces of ecosystem services in coalfields of Shanxi Pro-vince, China.

Although coal has made a huge contribution to the development of the economy and socie-ty and its economic benefits have often attracted much attention, little research has focused on the ecosystem services of coalfields. Based on remote sensing data, meteorological data, and soil data in Shanxi coalfields during 1986, 2000, and 2015, we estimated soil conservation and water yield using the InVEST model, assessed the net primary productivity of vegetation using the CASA mo-del, and estimated sand fixation using the RWEQ model. Further, we simulated the spatial patterns of ecosystem services (ESs) using the k-means cluster analysis method and analyzed the influence factors of ESs using the Geodetector model in Shanxi coalfield areas. The results showed that soil conservation service, water yield service, and sand fixation service increased continuously. The high-value area of soil conservation service was mainly concentrated in the north of Hedong coalfield and the northeast of Qinshui coalfield, while the low-value area was distributed in the southwestern edge of Datong coalfield. The high-value area of water yield service was mainly concentrated in the northeast of Qinshui coalfield, while the low-value area was distributed in the northeast of Qinshui coalfield, Xishan coalfield and northwestern Qinshui coalfield. The high-value area for vegetation production service was mainly concentrated in the southeast of Qinshui coalfield, while the low-value area was distributed in Datong coalfield, Ningwu coalfield, Xishan coalfield, and northern Hedong coalfield. The distribution of low- and high-value areas of sand fixation service was unfixed. Ecosystem service bundles could be divided into four categories. The first category belonged to soil conservation service bundle, mainly distributed in the northern Ningwu coalfield, the northern Hedong coalfield, and the northern Qinshui coalfield. The second was water yield service bundle, mainly distributed in Huoxi coalfield and southern Qinshui coalfield. The third category belonged to vegetation production service bundle, mainly distributed in parts of Qinshui coalfield. The fourth category belonged to sand fixation service bundle, mainly distributed in the southern part of Hedong coalfield and Qinshui coalfield. Soil conservation service was greatly affected by temperature, digital elevation model (DEM), and industrial output value, with q values of 0.5, 0.3, and 0.2, respectively. Water yield service was greatly affected by precipitation, temperature, and DEM, with q values of 0.8, 0.3, and 0.2, respectively. The industrial output value, precipitation, and temperature q values of vegetation production service were 0.7, 0.6, and 0.2, respectively. The main influen-cing factors of sand fixation service were precipitation, temperature, and DEM, while the q values were 0.7, 0.3, and 0.3, respectively. The spatial distribution of coalfields ESs and the relationship between multiple ESs were closely related to natural and human factors. Therefore, maintaining the coordination relationship between natural-human factors and ecological services would be helpful to the management of the land reclamation, ecological reconstruction, and the sustainable development of coalfields ecosystem.

SGK1 inhibits cellular apoptosis and promotes proliferation via the MEK/ERK/p53 pathway in colitis.

AIM: To investigate the role of serum-and-glucocorticoid-inducible-kinase-1 (SGK1) in colitis and its potential pathological mechanisms. METHODS: SGK1 expression in mucosal biopsies from patients with active Crohn's disease (CD) and normal controls was detected by immunohistochemistry. We established an acute colitis model in mice induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonicacid, and demonstrated the presence of colitis using the disease activity index, the histologic activity index and hematoxylin and eosin staining. The cellular events and potential mechanisms were implemented with small interference RNA and an inhibitor of signaling molecule (i.e., U0126) in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). The interaction between SGK1 and the signaling molecule was assessed by co-immunoprecipitation. RESULTS: SGK1 expression was significantly increased in the inflamed epithelia of patients with active CD and TNBS-induced colitis model (0.58 ± 0.055 vs 0.85 ± 0.06, P < 0.01). At the cellular level, silencing of SGK1 by small interference RNA (siSGK1) significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK1) and the downstream molecule extracellular signal regulated protein kinase (ERK) 1/2, which induced the upregulation of p53 and Bcl-2-associated X protein, mediating the subsequent cellular apoptosis and proliferation in IECs. Cells treated with MEK1 inhibitor (i.e., U0126) before siSGK1 transfection showed a reversal of the siSGK1-induced cellular apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that SGK1 may protect IECs in colitis from tumor necrosis factor-α-induced apoptosis partly by triggering MEK/ERK activation.