Retro-orbital injection of FITC-dextran combined with isolectin B4 in assessing the retinal neovascularization defect.

BACKGROUND: A reliable and effective method is required to deliver agent that can aid the in vivo imaging of retinal vessels. The aim of the present study was to evaluate retro-orbital (RO) injection of fluorescein-labeled isothiocyanate dextran (FITC-dextran) as a method of demonstrating retinal neovascularization (NV) and avascular areas in oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mice. METHODS: Different concentrations of FITC-dextran were used to compare the efficacy of this agent in perfusing the retinal vessels. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to evaluate the safety of RO injection. The vitreous blood vessels and extent of NV were assessed in P17 OIR mice using FITC-dextran and compared with the corresponding measurements obtained following isolectin B4 staining or the combination of both methods. RESULTS: The fluorescence of small vessels and neovascular tufts could be observed clearly following RO injection of 0.05 ml of 25 mg/ml or 50 mg/ml FITC-dextran. No visible damage to tissues adjacent to the injection site was discovered. Vitreous blood flow was gradually reduced from P0 to P5 and eventually disappeared in P17 OIR mice, as demonstrated by FITC-dextran perfusion. The retinal NV areas assessed by isolectin B4 were larger than those assessed by FITC-dextran, but the retinal avascular areas were smaller. The combination of both methods could conduce to distinguish non-functional blood vessels. CONCLUSIONS: RO injection of FITC-dextran combined with isolectin B4 is an effective, optimal method for assessing the NV area and avascular area.

Rs3842530 Polymorphism in MicroRNA-205 Host Gene in Lung and Breast Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND The expression of miR-205 is closely related to the occurrence, development, and prognosis of lung cancer and breast cancer. However, studies show that it plays opposite roles in different tumor types. Because the expression and regulation of miR-205 are primarily confined to epigenetic areas, whether genetic variation of miR-205 is related to the occurrence or to the development of tumors has not been reported. The aim of this study was to screen genetic variation of miR-205 gene and to investigate its association with the risk and development of lung and breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS Genomic DNA was extracted from cultured tumor cell lines and formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded lung and breast tissue samples. Bisulfite Clone Sequencing (BCS) and qRT-PCR were employed to detect the DNA methylation status and gene expression of the miR-205 gene, respectively. Genetic variation of miR-205 and miR-205HG were genotyped with PCR-sequencing method. Immunohistochemical analysis for ER, PR, and HER2 was performed on breast tissue samples. RESULTS These results indicate that the functional association of rs3842530 in miR-205HG and lung cancer might provide a possible explanation for the tissue-dependent function of miR-205 in different tumors. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the functional association of rs3842530 in miR-205HG and lung cancer might provide a possible explanation for the tissue-dependent function of miR-205 in different tumors.

Effects of narrow-wide row planting patterns on canopy photosynthetic characteristics, bending resistance and yield of soybean in maize‒soybean intercropping systems.

With the improvements in mechanization levels, it is difficult for the traditional intercropping planting patterns to meet the needs of mechanization. In the traditional maize‒soybean intercropping, maize has a shading effect on soybean, which leads to a decrease in soybean photosynthetic capacity and stem bend resistance, resulting in severe lodging, which greatly affects soybean yield. In this study, we investigated the effects of three intercropping ratios (four rows of maize and four rows of soybean; four rows of maize and six rows of soybean; six rows of maize and six rows of soybean) and two planting patterns (narrow-wide row planting pattern of 80-50 cm and uniform-ridges planting pattern of 65 cm) on soybean canopy photosynthesis, stem bending resistance, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and related enzyme activities. Compared with the uniform-ridge planting pattern, the narrow-wide row planting pattern significantly increased the LAI, PAR, light transmittance and compound yield by 6.06%, 2.49%, 5.68% and 5.95%, respectively. The stem bending resistance and cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and PAL, TAL and CAD activities were also significantly increased. Compared with those under the uniform-ridge planting pattern, these values increased by 7.74%, 3.04%, 8.42%, 9.76%, 7.39%, 10.54% and 8.73% respectively. Under the three intercropping ratios, the stem bending resistance, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin content and PAL, TAL, and CAD activities in the M4S6 treatment were significantly greater than those in the M4S4 and M6S6 treatments. Compared with the M4S4 treatment, these variables increased by 12.05%, 11.09%, 21.56%, 11.91%, 18.46%, 16.1%, and 16.84%, respectively, and compared with the M6S6 treatment, they increased by 2.06%, 2.53%, 2.78%, 2.98%, 8.81%, 4.59%, and 4.36%, respectively. The D-M4S6 treatment significantly improved the lodging resistance of soybean and weakened the negative impact of intercropping on soybean yield. Therefore, based on the planting pattern of narrow-wide row maize‒soybean intercropping planting pattern, four rows of maize and six rows of soybean were more effective at improving the lodging resistance of soybean in the semiarid region of western China.

Systemic Risk Factors for Vitreous Hemorrhage Secondary to Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy.

INTRODUCTION: It remains unclear whether systemic factors are associated with an increased risk of vitreous hemorrhage (VH) secondary to polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), and there is no method to predict the possibility of VH occurrence in patients with PCV. This study aimed to investigate and visualize systemic risk factors for VH in patients with PCV. METHODS: Data on the sex, age, history of systematic diseases, best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and laboratory data of patients with PCV were collected from the medical record system. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were applied to investigate independent risk factors for VH in patients with PCV. Receiver operating characteristic analysis and nomograms were used to visualize the independent risk factors. RESULTS: The patient population comprised 115 patients with VH secondary to PCV and 181 patients with PCV without VH. Binary logistic regression analyses showed that higher white blood cell count [WBC; odds ratios (OR) 1.247], higher aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio (AST/ALT; OR 2.339), and longer activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT; OR 1.196) were independent risk factors of VH in patients with PCV. Integrated application of APTT, AST/ALT, and WBC as markers showed the best performance for distinguishing patients with VH, with an area under the curve of 0.723. The nomogram was created for doctors to calculate the possibility of VH in a patient with PCV. CONCLUSIONS: Higher WBC, higher AST/ALT, and longer APTT are independent serum risk factors of VH secondary to PCV, which may shed light on VH prevention in patients with PCV.

Preoperative laser reduces silicone oil use in primary diabetic vitrectomy.

AIM: To identify the predictive factors and laser photocoagulation associated with the use of silicone oil as endotamponade during primary diabetic vitrectomy. METHODS: The medical and surgical records of 690 patients (798 eyes) who underwent primary diabetic vitrectomy at a tertiary eye hospital in China from January 2018 to December 2018 were reviewed in this retrospective cohort study. The patients' baseline characteristics and preoperative treatments were recorded. The binary Logistic regression model was used to evaluate the risk factors for the use of silicone oil as endotamponade agent during primary vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)-related complications. RESULTS: Among 690 patients with mean age of 52.1±10.5y (range: 18-85y), 299/690 (43.3%) were female. The 31.6% of the eyes received preoperative laser treatment, and 72.4% of the eyes received preoperative anti-VEGF adjuvant therapy. Non-clearing vitreous haemorrhage (VH) alone or combined with retinal detachment was the main surgical indication (89.5%) for primary vitrectomy. Silicone oil was used as endotamponade in 313 (39.2%) eyes. Lack of preoperative laser treatment [odds ratio (OR) 0.66, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.48-0.92; P=0.015] and older age (OR 0.96, 95%CI: 0.95-0.98; P<0.001) were predictors of silicone oil tamponade during primary vitrectomy for PDR. CONCLUSION: The lack of preoperative laser treatment is a significant predictor of silicone oil tamponade during primary vitrectomy for PDR. However, the severity of PDR relevant to silicone oil use should be further evaluated.

Effects of the Implementation of an Emergency Surgical Pattern in Patients with Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: To analyze the effects of the implementation of emergency surgical patterns in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and provide evidence for promoting emergency surgical patterns for RRD. Methods: We reviewed the electronic medical records of 346 patients (348 eyes) who underwent surgical repair of RRD at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center in Southern China. A total of 140 patients (140 eyes) in the routine inpatient surgery group were collected at the fundus disease department between January 2019 and December 2019, and 206 patients (208 eyes) in the emergency surgery group were collected at the ophthalmic emergency department between January 2021 and December 2021. Demographics, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) expressed as the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR), the status of the macula before surgery, time to presentation, treatment interval, and postoperative BCVA measured at least three months follow-up were compared. Results: The preoperative BCVA (logMAR) of the emergency surgery group and the inpatient surgery group were 1.0 (0.4-1.7) and 1.4 (0.7-1.7), respectively, with significant differences between groups (P < 0.001). However, patients had a shorter time to presentation (7 days vs. 21 days, P < 0.001), shorter treatment interval (2 days vs. 12 days, P < 0.01), and significantly better postoperative BCVA (logMAR 0.5 vs. logMAR 1.0, P < 0.001) in the emergency surgery group than in the inpatient surgery group. There was no significant difference in primary anatomical success between the two groups (P=0.802). The median follow-up for the emergency surgery group and the inpatient surgery group were 6.08 months and 6.2 months, respectively, with no significant differences (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Patients who underwent emergency surgical patterns of RRD had better visual outcomes after surgery than patients with routine inpatient surgery, which might be attributed to a shorter duration, shorter treatment interval, and the preoperative status of the macula in the emergency surgery pattern. Emergency surgical patterns for RRD should be considered to achieve better surgical outcomes in suitable patients.

Multimodal imaging and genetic analysis of adult-onset best vitelliform macular dystrophy in Chinese patients.

Compared to juvenile-onset best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD), adult-onset BVMD is not well characterized and lacks strict diagnostic criteria. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical and genetic characteristics of four advanced-age Chinese patients with adult-onset BVMD by combining multimodal imaging and genetic analysis. The four patients (all older than 50 years) were diagnosed with adult-onset BVMD at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (Guangzhou, China). Comprehensive ophthalmic examinations were performed, including analyses of best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, slit-lamp examination, fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, fundus fluorescein angiography and electrooculography. Genomic DNA was extracted from leukocytes isolated from peripheral blood obtained from these patients, their family members and 200 unrelated subjects from the same population. A total of 11 exons of the bestrophin-1 (BEST1) gene were amplified using PCR and sequenced. All of the four patients presented with lesions in the macular area. The patients were diagnosed with adult-onset BVMD based on multimodal imaging and genetic analysis. A total of four recurrent mutations, namely c.763C>T (p.Arg255Trp, p.R255W) in exon 7, c.584C>T (p.Ala195Val, p.A195V) in exon 5, c.910_912del GAT (p.304delAsp, p.D304del) in exon 8 and c.310G>C (p.Asp104His, p.D104H) in exon 4 of BEST1, were identified. Sorting intolerant from tolerant predicted that the amino acid substitutions p.R255W, p.A195V and p.D104H in the BEST1 protein were causing the damage. Combining multimodal imaging and genetic analysis was helpful in confirming the diagnosis of patients with adult-onset BVMD. These results maybe valuable for clinical and genetic counseling and for the development of therapeutic interventions for patients with BVMD.

Microinvasive pars plana vitrectomy versus panretinal photocoagulation in the treatment of severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (the VIP study): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the main cause of adult visual impairment worldwide. Severe non-proliferative DR (sNPDR) is an important clinical intervention stage. Currently, panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) is the standard treatment for sNPDR. However, PRP alone cannot completely prevent NPDR progression. One explanation might be that PRP does not remove the detrimental vitreous that plays an important role in DR progression. Microinvasive pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) was shown to be a safe and effective method to treat late-stage proliferative DR (PDR) by completely removing the pathological vitreous. However, whether PPV is effective in controlling sNPDR remains unknown. In this trial, we aim to compare the effectiveness of microinvasive PPV with that of PRP for sNPDR progression control. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This single centre, parallel group, randomised controlled trial aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of microinvasive PPV in preventing the progression of sNPDR compared with PRP. A total of 272 adults diagnosed with sNPDR will be randomised 1:1 to the microinvasive PPV and PRP groups. The primary outcome is the disease progression rate, calculated as the rate of sNPDR progressed to PDR from baseline to 12 months after treatment. The secondary outcomes include the change in best-corrected visual acuity, re-treatment rate, diabetic macular oedema occurrence, change in central retinal thickness, change in the visual field, cataract occurrence and change in the quality of life. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Ethics Committee of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center approved this study (2019KYPJ108). The results will be presented at scientific meetings and submitted for publication to peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04103671.