Case Report: Multimode Imaging of Chronic Syphilitic Chorioretinitis.

SIGNIFICANCE: The clinical manifestations of ocular syphilis may mimic those of other diseases, which may result in a missed diagnosis and delayed treatment. PURPOSE: We describe multimodal imaging findings and treatment outcomes of a patient with chronic syphilitic chorioretinitis. CASE REPORT: A 40-year-old male patient complained of progressive decreased visual acuity of his left eye for more than 1 year. The best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye and 3/50 in the left eye. Relative afferent pupillary defect and 1+ vitreous cells were detected in the left eye. The authors performed fundus examination, fluorescence angiography, ultrawide-field fundus autofluorescence, structure optical coherence tomography, wide-field montage optical coherence tomography angiography, and visual field. Laboratory tests including a toluidine red unheated serum test (1:32) and the Treponema pallidum antibody (9.01S/CO) showed positive results. Chronic syphilitic chorioretinitis was diagnosed in both eyes. The patient was admitted for administration of intravenous penicillin G for 14 days, followed by intramuscular benzathine penicillin G weekly for three doses. Six months after treatment, the toluidine red unheated serum test ratio had decreased to 1:2 (positive). The best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye and 6/20 in the left eye. The reexamination results showed that the ocular structure and capillaris flow partially recovered. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic syphilitic chorioretinitis profoundly affects the structure of the retina and choroid; however, eyes may partially recover after an effective treatment. Ultrawide-field imaging technology has several advantages, such as broader imaging field and more details provided, in determining syphilis-induced ocular disorders.

Identification and detection of microplastic particles in marine environment by using improved faster R-CNN model.

Microplastics refer to plastic particles measuring less than 5 mm, which has led to serious environmental problem and the detection of these tiny particles is crucial for understanding the corresponding distribution and impact on the marine environment. In this paper, an improved faster region-based convolutional neural network (R-CNN) model was developed for the identification and detection of microplastic particles. In the proposed model, the residual network-50 (ResNet-50) is employed as the backbone with the replacement of the traditional one to enhance the feature extraction capability and the feature pyramid networks (FPN) module is introduced together for solving the multi-scale target detection. By using the improved Faster R-CNN model, the network model performance is enhanced where the average confidence of detecting unique microplastic particles in the marine environment reaches as high as 99%. Moreover, the microparticles mixture was bounded precisely via the predicted bounding boxes without missing detection and wrong detection. In this way, the successful identification of polystyrene microplastic particles from the particles suspension with similar shapes but various conditions of backgrounds, brightness, distributions and object sizes, was achieved by employing the proposed improved Faster R-CNN model, enabling the accurate detection of microplastic particles in marine environment.

Feasibility of laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy with piggyback jejunal interposition double-tract reconstruction for proximal gastric cancer: A propensity score-matching analysis.

Background: The feasibility of using laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy (LPG) for the treatment of proximal early gastric cancer (EGC) has not been addressed. This study aimed to comparatively evaluate the effects on LPG with piggyback jejunal interposition double-tract reconstruction (PJIDTR) versus laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) with Roux-en-Y reconstruction (overlap method) using propensity score matching for proximal EGC. Materials and Methods: We examined the clinical outcomes of LPG with PJIDTR for proximal EGC. We retrospectively collected data from patients with proximal EGC who were treated at Shanxi Cancer Hospital between January 2012 and December 2015. The complication rate, nutritional indicators, reflux oesophagitis incidence and overall survival were compared between LTG and LPG with PJIDTR. Results: Of the 424 patients, 200 were excluded, and 50 of the remaining patients received LPG with PJIDTR. Fifty matched LTG patients were screened. The incidence of early complications was 14% in the LPG group and 16% in the LTG group (P > 0.05). At 1 year after surgery, nutrition indices in the LPG group were significantly better than those in the LTG group (P < 0.05). One year after surgery, the Visick score II rate was 2% and 4%, and the endoscopic oesophagitis rate was 4% and 6% in the LPG and LTG groups, respectively. No tumour recurrence was observed in either group. The 5-year overall survival rates of the two groups were 98% and 90% (P = 0.08). Conclusions: LPG with PJIDTR may be suitable for proximal EGC.

[Clinical characteristics and prognosis in 12 children with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy]. / 12ä¾‹æ–°åž‹å† çŠ¶ç— æ¯’Omicronå˜å¼‚æ ªæ„ŸæŸ“ç›¸å ³æ€¥æ€§åæ­»æ€§è„‘ç— å„¿ç«¥çš„ä¸´åºŠç‰¹ç‚¹åŠé¢„åŽåˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical characteristics and prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) in children. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical data of 12 children with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection-associated ANE who were admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital from December 18 to 29, 2022. The children were divided into two groups based on outcomes: death group (7 cases) and survival group (5 cases). The clinical manifestations and auxiliary examination results were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The median age of the 12 patients was 30 months, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1. All patients presented with persistent high fever, with a median highest body temperature of 41℃. The median time from fever onset to seizure or consciousness disturbance was 18 hours. The death group had a higher proportion of neurogenic shock, coagulation dysfunction, as well as elevated lactate, D-dimer, interleukin-6, interleukin--8, and interleukin-10 levels compared to the survival group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Children with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection-associated with ANE commonly present with persistent high fever, rapidly progressing disease, and have a high likelihood of developing consciousness disorders and multiorgan dysfunction within a short period. The occurrence of neurogenic shock, coagulation dysfunction, and significantly elevated cytokine levels suggests an increased risk of mortality.

Intestinal Microbiota Is Altered in Patients with Gastric Cancer from Shanxi Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Many diseases have been associated with intestinal microbial dysbiosis. Host-microbial interactions regulate immune function, which influences the development of gastric cancer. AIMS: The aims were to investigate the characteristics of intestinal microbiota composition in gastric cancer patients and correlations between the intestinal microbiota and cellular immunity. METHODS: Fecal samples were collected from 116 gastric cancer patients and 88 healthy controls from Shanxi Province, China. The intestinal microbiota was investigated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Peripheral blood samples were also collected from the 66 gastric cancer patients and 46 healthy controls. The populations of peripheral T lymphocyte subpopulations and NK cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The intestinal microbiota in gastric cancer patients was characterized by increased species richness, decreased butyrate-producing bacteria, and the enrichment of other symbiotic bacteria, especially Lactobacillus, Escherichia, and Klebsiella. Lactobacillus and Lachnospira were key species in the network of gastric cancer-associated bacterial genera. The combination of the genera Lachnospira, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Veillonella, and Tyzzerella_3 showed good performance in distinguishing gastric cancer patients from healthy controls. There was no significant difference in enterotype distribution between healthy controls and gastric cancer patients. The percentage of CD3+ T cells was positively correlated with the abundance of Lactobacillus and Streptococcus, and CD3+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, and NK cells were associated with Lachnospiraceae taxa. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed a dysbiotic intestinal microbiota in gastric cancer patients. The abundance of some intestinal bacterial genera was correlated with the population of peripheral immune cells.

Comparison of three digestive tract reconstruction methods for the treatment of Siewert II and III adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction: a prospective, randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG) has recently risen worldwide, including in Eastern Asia. The aim of the study was to explore the short-term and long-term clinical efficacy of piggyback jejunal interposition reconstruction single-tract reconstruction (PJIRSTR), piggyback jejunal interposition reconstruction double-tract reconstruction (PJIRDTR), and total gastrectomy esophageal jejunal Roux-en-Y anastomosis (TGRY) for the treatment of Siewert II and III AEG patients. METHODS: A total of 300 Siewert II and III AEG patients admitted to Shanxi Tumor Hospital from June 2015 to December 2017 were prospectively selected. Patients were randomly divided into PJIRSTR group (n = 98), PJIRDTR group (n = 103), and TGRY group (n = 99) using the random number table method. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in total operation time, intraoperative blood loss, time of first anal exhaust, and postoperative hospital stay among the three groups (F = 2.526, 0.457, 0.234, 0.453; P > 0.05). The reconstruction time of PJIRSTR group and PJIRDTR group was longer than that of TGRY group (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in cases of anastomotic leakage, anastomotic bleeding, abdominal infection, incision infection, ileus, and dumping syndrome in three groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of reflux esophagitis at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after surgery in the PJIRSTR group and the PJIRDTR group were significantly lower than TGRY group in the same period (P < 0.05). Compared with PJIRDTR group and TGRY group, PJIRSTR group had a small fluctuation range of postoperative nutrition indexes and had basically recovered to the preoperative level at 18 months. Four patients of Visick grade IV presented in TGRY group 18 months postoperatively, which was significantly higher compared with the other two groups. CONCLUSION: Compared with PJIRDTR and TGRY, PJIRSTR can significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative reflux esophagitis and improve the long-term nutritional status of patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-IIR-16007733. Registered 07 November 2015 - Retrospectively registered, http://www.chictr.org.cn/searchproj.aspx.

Association between thyroid autoimmunity and antinuclear antibody prevalence among pregnant women: a cross-sectional study in Qingdao, China.

Objective: To identify the relationship between thyroid autoimmunity and antinuclear antibody (ANA) prevalence in Chinese pregnant women. Methods: The study involved 1923 first-trimester women who were measured for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level, thyroid autoantibodies (thyroperoxidase antibody [TPOAb] and thyroglobulin antibody [TgAb]) and ANA titer. Social demographic data were collected through standardized questionnaires. Results: In this study, 23.3% of pregnant women tested positive for TPOAb and 9.9% tested positive for TgAb. Women with a positive ANA were more likely to be TPOAb-positive or TgAb-positive than women with a negative ANA (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.47-2.62 for TPOAb [+]; AOR 3.12, 95% CI 2.18-4.48 for TgAb[+]). In addition, ANA titers were closely associated with thyroid autoimmunity. Women with an ANA titer of >1:320 had a significant higher risk of being TPOAb positive or TgAb positive (AOR 4.49, 95% CI 1.48-13.66 for TPOAb [+]; AOR 5.51, 95% CI 1.65-18.49 for TgAb [+]). The higher the ANA titer, the greater the risk of developing thyroid autoimmunity, especially for those with a high ANA titer. Conclusions: ANA positivity is strongly correlated with thyroid autoimmunity. Further study is warranted to clarify the causal relationship between thyroid autoimmunity and ANA in pregnant women.This research is essential to evaluate and predict the risk of co-existing autoimmune disorders,leading to improved care for pregnancy and neonatal health.

Tenacissoside H repressed the progression of glioblastoma by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most common intracranial primary malignancies with the highest mortality rate, and there is a lack of effective treatments. In this study, we examined the anti-GBM activity of Tenacissoside H (TH), an active component isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Wight & Arn (MT), and investigated the potential mechanism. Firstly, we found that TH decreased the viability of GBM cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and inhibited the migration of GBM cells. Furthermore, combined with the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO) and network pharmacology as well as molecular docking, TH was shown to inhibit GBM progression by directly regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which was further validated in vitro. In addition, the selective PI3K agonist 740 y-p partially restored the inhibitory effects of TH on GBM cells. Finally, TH inhibited GBM progression in an orthotopic transplantation model by inactivating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in vivo. Conclusively, our results suggest that TH represses GBM progression by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo, and provides new insight for the treatment of GBM patients.

Columbianadin suppresses glioblastoma progression by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant glioma among brain tumors with low survival rate and high recurrence rate. Columbianadin (CBN) has pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, thrombogenesis-inhibiting and anti-tumor effects. However, it remains unknown that the effect of CBN on GBM cells and its underlying molecular mechanisms. In the present study, we found that CBN inhibited the growth and proliferation of GBM cells in a dose-dependent manner. Subsequently, we found that CBN arrested the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase and induced the apoptosis of GBM cells. In addition, CBN also inhibited the migration and invasion of GBM cells. Mechanistically, we chose network pharmacology approach by screening intersecting genes through targets of CBN in anti-GBM, performing PPI network construction followed by GO analysis and KEGG analysis to screen potential candidate signaling pathway, and found that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Protein Kinase-B (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway was a potential target signaling pathway of CBN in anti-GBM. As expected, CBN treatment indeed inhibited the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in GBM cells. Furthermore, YS-49, an agonist of PI3K/Akt signaling, partially restored the anti-GBM effect of CBN. Finally, we found that CBN inhibited GBM growth in an orthotopic mouse model of GBM through inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Together, these results suggest that CBN has an anti-GBM effect by suppressing PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and is a promising drug for treating GBM effectively.

Dual targeting agent Thiotert inhibits the progression of glioblastoma by inducing ER stress-dependent autophagy.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal type of tumor in the central nervous system, characterized by a high incidence and poor prognosis. Thiotert, as a novel dual targeting agent, has potential inhibitory effects on various tumors. Here, we found that Thiotert effectively inhibited the proliferation of GBM cells by inducing G2/M cell cycle arrest and suppressed the migratory ability in vitro. Furthermore, Thiotert disrupted the thioredoxin (Trx) system while causing cellular DNA damage, which in turn caused endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-dependent autophagy. Knockdown of ER stress-related protein ATF4 in U251 cells inhibited ER stress-dependent autophagy caused by Thiotert to some extent. Orthotopic transplantation experiments further showed that Thiotert had the same anti-GBM activity and mechanism as in vitro. Conclusively, these results suggest that Thiotert induces ER stress-dependent autophagy in GBM cells by disrupting redox homeostasis and causing DNA damage, which provides new insight for the treatment of GBM.

Reversible deposition of inflammatory cells on the surface of an intraocular lens in a patient with uveitis: Case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: The deposition of inflammatory cells on an intraocular lens (IOL) is a rare but potentially serious complication. We report a patient who presented with reversible severe deposition of inflammatory cells on the anterior surface of a hydrophobic IOL. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 68-year-old woman with remissive uveitis presented with blurred vision in her right eye that persisted for 1 month. She had undergone cataract surgery and hydrophobic IOL (ZA9003, Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision) implantation 3 months before presentation. Deposition of inflammatory cells was diagnosed by ocular examination. The IOL became transparent after 6 months of treatment with combined antibiotic/steroid eyedrops (tobramycin/dexamethasone eyedrops) and atropine. However, the cellular deposition recurred after either discontinuing the tobramycin/dexamethasone eyedrops or switching to steroid-only eyedrops (fluorometholone). Therefore, she was prescribed continuous tobramycin/dexamethasone eyedrops, twice-daily, and her IOL remained transparent at the time of submission of this article. CONCLUSIONS: We have reported a case of reversible severe deposition of inflammatory cells on the anterior surface of a hydrophobic IOL in a patient with uveitis that was managed by continuous administration of combined antibiotic/steroid eyedrops. The morphology of the inflammatory cells deposits and the treatment differed from those of previously reported cases.

Temporal artery biopsy for suspected giant cell arteritis: A mini review.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a granulomatous inflammation involving medium and large vessels that can lead to serious clinical manifestations associated with tissue ischemia. Temporal artery biopsy (TAB) is currently the gold standard method for the diagnosis of GCA, with a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 77%. However, the false-negative rate for TAB ranges from 9% to 61%. False negatives may be related to the timing of biopsy, the length of specimen, and the existence of "skip lesions." We reviewed the relevant evidence for methods to improve the sensitivity and reduce the false-negative rate for TAB. To reduce the false-negative rate for TAB, it is recommended to perform TAB within 1 week of starting corticosteroid therapy. Although there is currently no consensus, we suggest that the temporal artery is cut to a length of 20‒30 mm and to prepare serial pathological sections. It is necessary to attach great importance to patients suspected of having GCA, and complete TAB should be performed as soon as possible while starting corticosteroid therapy promptly. We also discuss the clinical value of non-invasive vascular imaging technologies, such as DUS, CTA, MRA, and 18F-FDG-PET/CT, as auxiliary methods for GCA diagnosis that could partially replace TAB.

Serum glutathione peroxidase 4 as a novel biomarker for nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head: A retrospective case-control study.

There are no serum biomarkers available in nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head in clinical practice. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of serum glutathione peroxidase 4 in nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head. This retrospective study analyzed serum glutathione peroxidase 4 levels and clinical data of 80 patients with nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head and 80 healthy controls between August 2021 and May 2022. Serum glutathione peroxidase 4 levels were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The Association Research Circulation Osseous classification system determined disease progression. Clinical severity was assessed by Harris hip score and visual analogue scale. Correlations between serum glutathione peroxidase 4 and disease progression as well as clinical severity were evaluated statistically. The diagnostic accuracy of serum glutathione peroxidase 4 in nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head was determined using receiver operating characteristic analysis. The baseline characteristics of participants between 2 groups were comparable. Patients with nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head displayed a decreased glutathione peroxidase 4 level compared with healthy controls (11.87 ±â€…2.76 µU/mL vs 16.54 ±â€…4.89 µU/mL, P < .01). The levels of glutathione peroxidase 4 were inversely correlated with Association Research Circulation Osseous stage (P < .01) and visual analogue scale scores (P < .01), and positively correlated with Harris score (P < .01). Receiver operating characteristic analyses showed that area under curves of glutathione peroxidase 4 was 0.808 (95% CI 0.721-0.858) and 0.847 (95% CI 0.743-0.951) with regard to diagnosis and collapse prediction in nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head, respectively. Serum glutathione peroxidase 4 could serve as a novel biomarker for diagnosing nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head and predicting collapse of the femoral head.

Changes of Peripapillary Capillary Density in Patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease Evaluated by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

Objective: To analyze the longitudinal changes in peripapillary capillary density in patients with acute VKH with or without optic disc swelling by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Methods: Retrospective case series. 44 patients (88 eyes) were enrolled and were divided into two groups according to presence/absence of optic disc swelling before treatment. Peripapillary capillary images were obtained by OCTA before and after 6 months of corticosteroid treatment and used to determine the radial peripapillary capillary (RPC), retinal plexus, and choriocapillaris vessel perfusion densities. Results: Optic disc swelling was present in 12 patients (24 eyes) and absent in 32 patients (64 eyes). The sex distribution, age, intraocular pressure, and best-corrected visual acuity before and after treatment were not significantly different between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Compared to those in nonoptic disc swelling group, the percentages of decreased vessel perfusion densities after treatment in the supranasal (RPC, 100.00% vs. 75.00%), infranasal (RPC, 100.00% vs. 56.25%), infratemporal (RPC, 66.67% vs. 37.50%), and infranasal quadrants (retinal plexus, 83.33% vs. 56.25%) were significantly more in optic disc swelling group. The choriocapillaris vessel perfusion density increased after treatment in both groups. Conclusions: Decreases in vessel perfusion densities of the RPC and retinal plexus after treatment in VKH patients with optic disc swelling were more common than in those without optic disc swelling. The choriocapillaris vessel perfusion density increased after treatment, regardless of the presence/absence of optic disc swelling.

Multi-Band Emission of Pr3+-Doped Ca3Al2O6 and the Effects of Charge Compensator Ions on Luminescence Properties.

Multi-band emission luminescence materials are of great significance owing to their extensive application in diverse fields. In this research, we successfully prepared a series of Pr3+-doped Ca3Al2O6 multi-band emission phosphors via a high-temperature solid-state method. The phase structure, morphology, luminescence spectra and decay curves were investigated in detail. The Ca3Al2O6:Pr3+ phosphors can absorb blue lights and emit lights in the 450-750 nm region, and typical emission bands are located at 488 nm (blue), 525-550 nm (green), 611-614 nm (red), 648 nm (red) and 733 nm (deep red). The influence of the Pr3+ doping concentration was discussed, and the optimal Pr3+ doping concentration was determined. The impacts of charge compensator ions (Li+, Na+, and K+) on the luminescence of Pr3+ were also investigated, and it was found that all the charge compensator ions contributed positively to the emission intensity. More importantly, the emission intensity of the as-prepared phosphors at 423 K can still maintain 65-70% of that at room temperature, and the potential application for pc-LED was investigated. The interesting results indicate that the prepared phosphors may serve multifunctional and advanced applications.

Optimal Timing of Repositioning Surgery for a Plate-Haptic Toric Intraocular Lens: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate risk factors for significant rotation and determine optimal timing for repositioning surgery following a plate-haptic toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled patients who underwent the plate-haptic toric IOL implantation at seven hospitals in Shanghai. IOL rotation and residual astigmatism were compared before and after repositioning surgery. Risk factors for significant IOL rotation after cataract surgery were identified by stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. Spearman's and linear regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with IOL rotation after repositioning. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the optimal timing for repositioning surgery. RESULTS: Among 2,745 eyes implanted with the toric IOL, 46 eyes (1.68%) of 45 patients underwent repositioning surgery. Axial length and lens thickness were significantly associated with IOL rotation before repositioning. After repositioning surgery, IOL rotation and residual astigmatism were significantly reduced (all P < .001). IOL rotation after repositioning was negatively associated with the timing of repositioning surgery (all P < .001). The ROC curve showed that the optimal cut-off for the timing of repositioning surgery was 15 days or greater. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of repositioning surgery after the plate-haptic toric IOL implantation was 1.68%, and the optimal timing for repositioning surgery was recommended to be 2 to 3 weeks after cataract surgery. [J Refract Surg. 2023;39(2):120-126.].

Elevated Serum Immunoglobulin E Levels are Associated with the Severity of Newly Diagnosed, Acute Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and severity of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease. METHODS: The medical records of patients with VKH disease between 2015 and 2020 were reviewed. Serum immunoglobulins (IgA, IgE, IgG, and IgM), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Patients were divided into IgE-positive (IgE ≥ 100 IU/mL) and IgE-negative (IgE < 100 IU/mL) groups. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and macular morphologic characteristics including foveal thickness (FT), serous retinal detachment (SRD), sensory retinal thickness (SRT), central foveal thickness (CFT), cube volume (V), and cube average thickness (AT) were determined in patients in both groups. RESULTS: Of 128 patients included in the study, 35 (27.34%) patients were IgE-positive, BCVA (logMAR) was worse in the IgE-positive group. The mean CRP (P= .012) and TNFα (P≤ 0.001) levels were greater in the IgE-positive group than in the IgE-negative group. Regarding macular morphologic characteristics, FT (P= .010), SDR (P= .004), CFT (P= .008), V (P= .013), and AT (P= .006) were significantly greater in the IgE-positive group than in the IgE-negative group. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated serum IgE levels were associated with more severe macular changes in patients with VKH disease. These findings suggest that IgE may be involved in the progression of VKH disease.

Surgical Strategies for Siewert Type II Esophagogastric Junction Carcinomas: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Aim: To determine the ideal surgical approach for Siewert type II EGJ carcinomas. Methods: We conducted the randomized controlled trial (RCT) at Shanxi Cancer Hospital from January 2014 to August 2016. A total of 105 patients with T1-4N1-3M0 Siewert type II EGJ carcinomas were initially recruited. The final follow-up was up to June 30, 2019. Patients were randomized to undergo either a proximal gastrectomy plus jejunal interposition (PG+JI), proximal gastrectomy plus esophagogastrostomy (PG+EG), or total gastrectomy plus Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy (TG+RY). The primary endpoint was postoperative complications. Secondary endpoints were 5-year survival and recovery indexes. Results: Among 105 patients, 100 patients (95.2%; mean age, 56.2 years) with tumors <3cm in size underwent surgery: PG+JI (n=33) vs. PG+EG (n=33) and TG+RY (n=34); 91 patients completed the study. Among the groups, the PG+JI group had the longest reconstruction time: 34.11 ± 6.10 min vs. 21.97 ± 3.30 min (PG+EG) vs. 30.56 ± 4.26 min (TG+RY); p<0.001. There was no postoperative mortality. In the per-protocol analysis, the PG+JI group showed a decreased tendency in complication rate: 6.9% vs. 23.3% (PG+EG) vs. 18.8% (TG+RY), but there was no significant difference. For recovery indexes, the TG+RY group had the lowest values of the amount of single meal, weight loss, hemoglobin, albumin, pepsin, and gastrin among the three groups. There was no significant difference among the three groups in 5-year survival. Conclusions: Proximal gastrectomy is preferable for T1-4N1-3M0 Siewert type II EGJ carcinomas with tumors <3cm in size because of its better nutrition status under similar postoperative complication to total gastrectomy. Jejunal interposition can be recommended as a optional reconstruction approach after proximal gastrectomy. Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/, identifier ChiCTR-IIR-16007733.

Application of the Concept of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery in Total Laparoscopic Radical Gastrectomy.

To explore the clinical effects of total laparoscopic radical gastrectomy under the guidance of the concept of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). Fifty-five patients were perioperatively treated under the concept of ERAS (ERAS group), while the remaining 55 patients were treated under the traditional perioperative concept (control group). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, the time of first anal exhaust and first postoperative off-bed activity, postoperative length of stay, and incidence of postoperative complications were recorded in both groups. The pain of patients was assessed using VAS system. The nausea and vomiting and abdominal distension were assessed using the NVDS and abdominal distension score, respectively, within 24 h after operation. The patient's daily living ability was evaluated by the ADL scale at 3 d after the operation. The time of first anal exhaust, the time of first postoperative off-bed activity time, and the postoperative in-hospital time were all significantly shorter in the ERAS group than those in the control group (P < 0.001). The VAS score in the ERAS group was significantly lower than that in the control group at 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after operation (P < .001). The ERAS group had significantly lower NVDS score and abdominal distension score than the control group (P < 0.001). The postoperative ADL score in the ERAS group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.001). ERAS during the perioperative period of total laparoscopic radical gastrectomy can promote the postoperative rehabilitation of patients and alleviate postoperative pain and gastrointestinal reactions, which is safe and effective.

Separation and characterization of microplastic and nanoplastic particles in marine environment.

Microplastics (<5 mm) are divided into primary and secondary microplastics, which are further degraded into nanoplastics. The microplastic particles are widely distributed in marine environment, terrestrial ecosystem and biological organism, leading to damages to whole environmental system. Microplastics are not only difficult to degrade, but also able to adsorb pollutants. Due to the tiny size and various properties, the separation and characterization of microplastic particles has become more and more challenging. This review introduces the sources and destinations of the microplastic particles and summarizes the general methods for the sorting and characterization of microplastics, especially the manipulation of microplastic particles on microfluidic chip, showing possibility to deal with smaller nanoplastic particles over traditional methods. This review focuses on studies of the size-based separation and property-dependent characterization of microplastics in marine environment by utilizing the microfluidic chip device.