Changes in effective optical zone after small-incision lenticule extraction in high myopia.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the four measurement approaches on the determination of effective optical zone (EOZ) using Scheimpflug tomography after small-incision lenticule extraction surgery in eyes with high myopia. SETTING: Corneal refractive surgery conducted in an eye hospital in southern China. DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study. METHODS: In total, 74 subjects were recruited. EOZ was measured at 3 months postoperatively using vertex-based (EOZV), pupil-based (EOZP), 4 mm-ring-based total corneal refraction method (EOZ4) and tangential curvature difference map method (EOZD), and their consistencies were compared. EOZs and planned optical zone (POZ) were compared and analyzed with eccentricity, ablation degree (AD) and total corneal aberrations. RESULTS: At 3 months after surgery, the mean root mean square of ΔHOA, ΔComa, ΔTrefoil and ΔSA were 0.53 ± 0.27 µm, 0.36 ± 0.20 µm, 0.01 ± 0.84 µm and 0.16 ± 0.14 µm, respectively. EOZV, EOZP, EOZ4 and EOZD were 5.87 ± 0.44 mm, 5.85 ± 0.45 mm, 4.78 ± 0.40 mm and 5.29 ± 0.27 mm, respectively, which were significantly smaller than POZ 6.48 ± 0.16 mm. Bland-Altman plots showed a good consistency among the four EOZs. The difference between the EOZV and EOZP was 0.02 mm within the range of clinically acceptable difference. In addition, the eccentricity was positively correlated with ΔHOA, ΔComa and ΔSA. CONCLUSIONS: All 4 measurement approaches demonstrated the reduction of EOZs compared to POZ. The EOZV was the closest to POZ, followed by EOZP. The ΔEOZs showed no significant difference with eccentricity, AD and corneal aberrations.

Comparative Transcriptomics and Metabolites Analysis of Two Closely Related Euphorbia Species Reveal Environmental Adaptation Mechanism and Active Ingredients Difference.

Roots of Euphorbia fischeriana and Euphorbia ebracteolata are recorded as the source plant of traditional Chinese medicine "Langdu," containing active ingredients with anticancer and anti-AIDS activity. However, the two species have specific patterns in the graphic distribution. Compared with E. ehracteolata, E. fischeriana distributes in higher latitude and lower temperature areas and might have experienced cold stress adaptation. To reveal the molecular mechanism of environmental adaptation, RNA-seq was performed toward the roots, stems, and leaves of E. fischeriana and E. ehracteolata. A total of 6,830 pairs of putative orthologs between the two species were identified. Estimations of non-synonymous or synonymous substitution rate ratios for these orthologs indicated that 533 of the pairs may be under positive selection (Ka/Ks > 0.5). Functional enrichment analysis revealed that significant proportions of the orthologs were in the TCA cycle, fructose and mannose metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and terpenoid biosynthesis providing insights into how the two closely related Euphorbia species adapted differentially to extreme environments. Consistent with the transcriptome, a higher content of soluble sugars and proline was obtained in E. fischeriana, reflecting the adaptation of plants to different environments. Additionally, 5 primary or secondary metabolites were screened as the biomarkers to distinguish the two species. Determination of 4 diterpenoids was established and performed, showing jolkinolide B as a representative component in E. fischeriana, whereas ingenol endemic to E. ebracteolate. To better study population genetics, EST-SSR markers were generated and tested in 9 species of Euphorbia. A total of 33 of the 68 pairs were screened out for producing clear fragments in at least four species, which will furthermore facilitate the studies on the genetic improvement and phylogenetics of this rapidly adapting taxon. In this study, transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed the evolution of genes related to cold stress tolerance, biosynthesis of TCA cycle, soluble sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids, consistent with the molecular strategy that genotypes adapting to environment. The key active ingredients of the two species were quantitatively analyzed to reveal the difference in pharmacodynamic substance basis and molecular mechanism, providing insights into rational crude drug use.