STING controls nociception via type I interferon signalling in sensory neurons.

The innate immune regulator STING is a critical sensor of self- and pathogen-derived DNA. DNA sensing by STING leads to the induction of type-I interferons (IFN-I) and other cytokines, which promote immune-cell-mediated eradication of pathogens and neoplastic cells1,2. STING is also a robust driver of antitumour immunity, which has led to the development of STING activators and small-molecule agonists as adjuvants for cancer immunotherapy3. Pain, transmitted by peripheral nociceptive sensory neurons (nociceptors), also aids in host defence by alerting organisms to the presence of potentially damaging stimuli, including pathogens and cancer cells4,5. Here we demonstrate that STING is a critical regulator of nociception through IFN-I signalling in peripheral nociceptors. We show that mice lacking STING or IFN-I signalling exhibit hypersensitivity to nociceptive stimuli and heightened nociceptor excitability. Conversely, intrathecal activation of STING produces robust antinociception in mice and non-human primates. STING-mediated antinociception is governed by IFN-Is, which rapidly suppress excitability of mouse, monkey and human nociceptors. Our findings establish the STING-IFN-I signalling axis as a critical regulator of physiological nociception and a promising new target for treating chronic pain.

Compact engineered human mechanosensitive transactivation modules enable potent and versatile synthetic transcriptional control.

Engineered transactivation domains (TADs) combined with programmable DNA binding platforms have revolutionized synthetic transcriptional control. Despite recent progress in programmable CRISPR-Cas-based transactivation (CRISPRa) technologies, the TADs used in these systems often contain poorly tolerated elements and/or are prohibitively large for many applications. Here, we defined and optimized minimal TADs built from human mechanosensitive transcription factors. We used these components to construct potent and compact multipartite transactivation modules (MSN, NMS and eN3x9) and to build the CRISPR-dCas9 recruited enhanced activation module (CRISPR-DREAM) platform. We found that CRISPR-DREAM was specific and robust across mammalian cell types, and efficiently stimulated transcription from diverse regulatory loci. We also showed that MSN and NMS were portable across Type I, II and V CRISPR systems, transcription activator-like effectors and zinc finger proteins. Further, as proofs of concept, we used dCas9-NMS to efficiently reprogram human fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells and demonstrated that mechanosensitive transcription factor TADs are efficacious and well tolerated in therapeutically important primary human cell types. Finally, we leveraged the compact and potent features of these engineered TADs to build dual and all-in-one CRISPRa AAV systems. Altogether, these compact human TADs, fusion modules and delivery architectures should be valuable for synthetic transcriptional control in biomedical applications.

Engineering the Coordination Environment of Ir Single Atoms with Surface Titanium Oxide Amorphization for Superior Chlorine Evolution Reaction.

The chlorine evolution reaction (CER) is essential for industrial Cl2 production but strongly relies on the use of dimensionally stable anode (DSA) with high-amount precious Ru/Ir oxide on a Ti substrate. For the purpose of sustainable development, precious metal decrement and performance improvement are highly desirable for the development of CER anodes. Herein, we demonstrate that surface titanium oxide amorphization is crucial to regulate the coordination environment of stabilized Ir single atoms for efficient and durable chlorine evolution of Ti monolithic anodes. Experimental and theoretical results revealed the formation of four-coordinated Ir1O4 and six-coordinated Ir1O6 sites on amorphous and crystalline titanium oxides, respectively. Interestingly, the Ir1O4 sites exhibited a superior CER performance, with a mass activity about 10 and 500 times those of the Ir1O6 counterpart and DSA, respectively. Moreover, the Ir1O4 anode displayed excellent durability for 200 h, far longer than that of its Ir1O6 counterpart (2 h). Mechanism studies showed that the unsaturated Ir in Ir1O4 was the active center for chlorine evolution, which was changed to the top-coordinated O in Ir1O6. This change of active sites greatly affected the adsorption energy of Cl species, thus accounting for their different CER activity. More importantly, the amorphous structure and restrained water dissociation of Ir1O4 synergistically prevent oxygen permeation across the Ti substrate, contributing to its long-term CER stability. This study sheds light on the importance of single-atom coordination structures in the reactivity of catalysts and offers a facile strategy to prepare highly active single-atom CER anodes via surface titanium oxide amorphization.

3.05 kW, 13.7 GHz linewidth fiber amplifier based on PRBS phase modulation for SBS suppression.

In this paper, we establish a multi-stage fiber amplifier with pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS) phase modulation. The stimulated Brillouin gain spectra of the main amplifier with both the unmodulated and pseudo-random binary sequence phase modulated configuration are measured (with corresponding output power), and the stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) threshold is investigated experimentally and theoretically. The pseudo-random binary sequence phase modulation parameters are optimized by theoretical simulation. With a two-stage preamplifier chain and a counter-pumping main amplifier stage, a maximum 3.05 kW output power with a slope efficiency of 85.9% is obtained experimentally. The central wavelength of the fiber amplifier is 1050 nm, associated with a full-width at half-maximum linewidth of 13.7 GHz. The stimulated Brillouin scattering reflectivity is below 0.01% at 3.05 kW at 13.7 GHz, which indicates that stimulated Brillouin scattering can be suppressed efficiently at this power and linewidth level.

Systematic comparison of CRISPR-based transcriptional activators uncovers gene-regulatory features of enhancer-promoter interactions.

Nuclease-inactivated CRISPR/Cas-based (dCas-based) systems have emerged as powerful technologies to synthetically reshape the human epigenome and gene expression. Despite the increasing adoption of these platforms, their relative potencies and mechanistic differences are incompletely characterized, particularly at human enhancer-promoter pairs. Here, we systematically compared the most widely adopted dCas9-based transcriptional activators, as well as an activator consisting of dCas9 fused to the catalytic core of the human CBP protein, at human enhancer-promoter pairs. We find that these platforms display variable relative expression levels in different human cell types and that their transactivation efficacies vary based upon the effector domain, effector recruitment architecture, targeted locus and cell type. We also show that each dCas9-based activator can induce the production of enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) and that this eRNA induction is positively correlated with downstream mRNA expression from a cognate promoter. Additionally, we use dCas9-based activators to demonstrate that an intrinsic transcriptional and epigenetic reciprocity can exist between human enhancers and promoters and that enhancer-mediated tracking and engagement of a downstream promoter can be synthetically driven by targeting dCas9-based transcriptional activators to an enhancer. Collectively, our study provides new insights into the enhancer-mediated control of human gene expression and the use of dCas9-based activators.

Regulating Reactive Oxygen Intermediates of Fe-N-C SAzyme via Second-Shell Coordination for Selective Aerobic Oxidation Reactions.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulation for single-atom nanozymes (SAzymes), e.g., Fe-N-C, is a key scientific issue that determines the activity, selectivity, and stability of aerobic reaction. However, the poor understanding of ROS formation mechanism on SAzymes greatly hampers their wider deployment. Herein, inspired by cytochromes P450 affording bound ROS intermediates in O2 activation, we report Fe-N-C containing the same FeN4 but with tunable second-shell coordination can effectively regulate ROS production pathways. Remarkably, compared to the control Fe-N-C sample, the second-shell sulfur functionalized Fe-N-C delivered a·2.4-fold increase of oxidase-like activity via the bound Fe=O intermediate. Conversely, free ROS (•O2-) release was significantly reduced after functionalization, down to only 17% of that observed for Fe-N-C. The detailed characterizations and theoretical calculations revealed that the second-shell sulfur functionalization significantly altered the electronic structure of FeN4 sites, leading to an increase of electron density at Fermi level. It enhanced the electron transfer from active sites to the key intermediate *OOH, thereby ultimately determining the type of ROS in aerobic oxidation process. The proposed Fe-N-Cs with different second-shell anion were further applied to three aerobic oxidation reactions with enhanced activity, selectivity, and stability.

Cobalt Single-Atom Reverse Hydrogen Spillover for Efficient Electrochemical Water Dissociation and Dechlorination.

Efficient water dissociation to atomic hydrogen (H*) with restrained recombination of H* is crucial for improving the H* utilization for electrochemical dechlorination, but is currently limited by the lack of feasible electrodes. Herein, we developed a monolithic single-atom electrode with Co single atoms anchored on the inherent oxide layer of titanium foam (Co1-TiOx/Ti), which can efficiently dissociate water into H* and simultaneously inhibit the recombination of H*, by taking advantage of the single-atom reverse hydrogen spillover effect. Experimental and theoretical calculations demonstrated that H* could be rapidly generated on the oxide layer of titanium foam, and then overflowed to the adjacent Co single atom for the reductive dechlorination. Using chloramphenicol as a proof-of-concept verification, the resulting Co1-TiOx/Ti monolithic electrode exhibited an unprecedented performance with almost 100 % dechlorination at -1.0 V, far superior to that of traditional indirect reduction-driven commercial Pd/C (52 %) and direct reduction-driven Co1-N-C (44 %). Moreover, its dechlorination rate constant of 1.64 h-1 was 4.3 and 8.6 times more active than those of Pd/C (0.38 h-1) and Co1-N-C (0.19 h-1), respectively. Our research sheds light on the rational design of hydrogen spillover-related electrocatalysts to simultaneously improve the H* generation, transfer, and utilization for environmental and energy applications.

Decoupling of the Confused Complex in Oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-Tetramethylbenzidine for the Reliable Chromogenic Bioassay.

Regulation of the reaction pathways is a perennial theme in the field of chemistry. As a typical chromogenic substrate, 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) generally undertakes one-electron oxidation, but the product (TMBox1) is essentially a confused complex and is unstable, which significantly hampers the clinic chromogenic bioassays for more than 50 years. Herein, we report that sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-based micelles could drive the direct two-electron oxidation of TMB to the final stable TMBox2. Rather than activation of H2O2 oxidant in the one-electron TMB oxidation by common natural peroxidase, activation of the TMB substrate by SDS micelles decoupled the thermodynamically favorable complex between TMBox2 with unreacted TMB, leading to an unusual direct two-electron oxidation pathway. Mechanism studies demonstrated that the complementary spatial and electrostatic isolation effects, caused by the confined hydrophobic cavities and negatively charged outer surfaces of SDS micelles, were crucial. Further cascading with glucose oxidase, as a proof-of-concept application, allowed glucose to be more reliably measured, even in a broader range of concentrations without any conventional strong acid termination.

Cell-Based Drug Delivery Systems Participate in the Cancer Immunity Cycle for Improved Cancer Immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy aims to activate the cancer patient's immune system for cancer therapy. The whole process of the immune system against cancer referred to as the "cancer immunity cycle", gives insight into how drugs can be designed to affect every step of the anticancer immune response. Cancer immunotherapy such as immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, cancer vaccines, as well as small molecule modulators has been applied to fight various cancers. However, the effect of immunotherapy in clinical applications is still unsatisfactory due to the limited response rate and immune-related adverse events. Mounting evidence suggests that cell-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) with low immunogenicity, superior targeting, and prolonged circulation have great potential to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Therefore, with the rapid development of cell-based DDSs, understanding their important roles in various stages of the cancer immunity cycle guides the better design of cell-based cancer immunotherapy. Herein, an overview of how cell-based DDSs participate in cancer immunotherapy at various stages is presented and an outlook on possible challenges of clinical translation and application in future development.

Monensin Enhanced Generation of Extracellular Vesicles as Transfersomes for Promoting Tumor Penetration of Pyropheophorbide-a from Fusogenic Liposome.

The current state of antitumor nanomedicines is severely restricted by poor penetration in solid tumors. It is indicated that extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by tumor cells can mediate the intercellular transport of antitumor drug molecules in the tumor microenvironment. However, the inefficient generation of EVs inhibits the application of this approach. Herein, we construct an EV-mediated self-propelled liposome containing monensin as the EV secretion stimulant and photosensitizer pyropheophorbide-a (PPa) as a therapeutic agent. Monensin and PPa are first transferred to the tumor plasma membrane with the help of membrane fusogenic liposomes. By hitchhiking EVs secreted by the outer tumor cells, both drugs are layer-by-layer transferred into the deep region of a solid tumor. Particularly, monensin, serving as a sustainable booster, significantly amplifies the EV-mediated PPa penetration by stimulating EV production. Our results show that this endogenous EV-driven nanoplatform leads to deep tumor penetration and enhanced phototherapeutic efficacy.

Bioengineered Platelets Combining Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy for Postsurgical Melanoma Treatment: Internal Core-Loaded Doxorubicin and External Surface-Anchored Anti-PD-L1 Antibody Backpacks.

The pivotal factors affecting the survival rate of patients include metastasis and tumor recurrence after the resection of the primary tumor. Anti-PD-L1 antibody (aPD-L1) has promising efficacy but with some side effects for the off-target binding between aPD-L1 and normal tissues. Here, inspired by the excellent targeting capability of platelets with respect to tumor cells, we propose bioengineered platelets (PDNGs) with inner-loaded doxorubicin (DOX) and outer-anchored aPD-L1-cross-linked nanogels to reduce tumor relapse and metastatic spread postoperation. The cargo does not impair the normal physiological functions of platelets. Free aPD-L1 is cross-linked to form nanogels with a higher drug-loading efficiency and is sustainably released to trigger the T-cell-mediated destruction of tumor cells, reversing the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment. PDNGs can reduce the postoperative tumor recurrence and metastasis rate, prolonging the survival time of mice. Our findings indicate that bioengineered platelets are promising in postsurgical cancer treatment by the tumor-capturing and in situ microvesicle-secreting capabilities of platelets.

Insight into Iron Leaching from an Ascorbate-Oxidase-like Fe-N-C Nanozyme and Oxygen Reduction Selectivity.

Ascorbate (H2 A) is a well-known antioxidant to protect cellular components from free radical damage and has also emerged as a pro-oxidant in cancer therapies. However, such "contradictory" mechanisms underlying H2 A oxidation are not well understood. Herein, we report Fe leaching during catalytic H2 A oxidation using an Fe-N-C nanozyme as a ferritin mimic and its influence on the selectivity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Owing to the heterogeneity, the Fe-Nx sites in Fe-N-C primarily catalyzed H2 A oxidation and 4 e- ORR via an iron-oxo intermediate. Nonetheless, trace O2 ⋅- produced by marginal N-C sites through 2 e- ORR accumulated and attacked Fe-Nx sites, leading to the linear leakage of unstable Fe ions up to 420 ppb when the H2 A concentration increased to 2 mM. As a result, a substantial fraction (ca. 40 %) of the N-C sites on Fe-N-C were activated, and a new 2+2 e- ORR path was finally enabled, along with Fenton-type H2 A oxidation. Consequently, after Fe ions diffused into the bulk solution, the ORR at the N-C sites stopped at H2 O2 production, which was the origin of the pro-oxidant effect of H2 A.

Inhibition of post-surgery tumour recurrence via a sprayable chemo-immunotherapy gel releasing PD-L1 antibody and platelet-derived small EVs.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer, and surgery is an effective method to treat melanoma. Unfortunately, local residual micro-infiltrated tumour cells and systemic circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are significant causes of treatment failure, leading to tumour recurrence and metastasis. METHODS: Small EVs were isolated from platelets by differential centrifugation, and doxorubicin-loaded small EVs (PexD) was prepared by mixing small EVs with doxorubicin (DOX). PexD and an anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody (aPD-L1) were co-encapsulated in fibrin gel. The synergistic antitumour efficacy of the gel containing PexD and aPD-L1 was assessed both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: Herein, we developed an in situ-formed bioresponsive gel combined with chemoimmunotherapeutic agents as a drug reservoir that could effectively inhibit both local tumour recurrence and tumour metastasis. In comparison with a DOX solution, PexD could better bind to tumour cells, induce more tumour immunogenic cell death (ICD) and promote a stronger antitumour immune response. PexD could enter the blood circulation through damaged blood vessels to track and eliminate CTCs. The concurrent release of aPD-L1 at the tumour site could impair the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and restore the tumour-killing effect of cytotoxic T cells. This chemoimmunotherapeutic strategy triggered relatively strong T cell immune responses, significantly improving the tumour immune microenvironment. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that the immunotherapeutic fibrin gel could "awaken" the host innate immune system to inhibit both local tumour recurrence post-surgery and metastatic potential, thus, it could serve as a promising approach to prevent tumour recurrence.

[Herbal textual research on Rubi Fructus].

Rubi Fructus is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. The origin of Rubi Fructus is the dried fruit of Rubus chingii, a plant of the family Rosaceae, according to the 2015 edition of Chinese pharmacopoeia. There are some differences in the plant origin of Rubi Fructus in ancient herbal literature, to trace back its sources, we conducted a textual research on its origin, producing areas, quality evaluation, processing and concocting, properties, tastes and efficacy etc. based on the records of ancient herbal literatures and combined with plant morphology and related investigation. RESULTS:: showed that the variety of Rubi Fructus was more complex among ancient herbal literature, including R. coreanus, R. hirsutus, R. corchorifolius, R. foliolosus and other mixed varieties. Most scholars believe that the R. chingii has not been recorded in ancient herbal literature, while R. chingii was recorded as early as the Ming Dynasty in Compendium of materia medica through our textual research. Ancient Chinese herbs recorded that Rubi Fructus was mostly produced in Hubei, Shandong, Shanxi and Jiangsu provinces, while R. chingii mainly produced in Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian and other provinces nowadays. Also, it was recorded that Rubi Fructus harvested in wheat field during May were the best. Besides, R. chingii with big, full, grain integrate, firm, yellow and green color, sour taste and impurity free possess the best quality in the contemporary. The ancient records of processing and concocting, properties, tastes and efficacy were basically the same as modern ones.These results provide the basis for the correct utilization and further development of Rubi Fructus.

HYR-2 plays an anti-lung cancer role by regulating PD-L1 and Akkermansia muciniphila.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a vital part in cancer treatment due to its unique superiority. Huoxue Yiqi Recipe-2 (HYR-2) was supposed to have therapeutic effect on lung cancer, which came from Ze Qi Decoction in one of the four great classics of TCM called "Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber". Network pharmacology demonstrated that the targets of active components from HYR-2 were significantly enriched in the signaling pathways, which were closely associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). Then, data about NSCLC was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and DisGeNET was analyzed by bioinformatics, and 214 biomarkers for NSCLC were obtained, containing 14 targets of active components from HYR-2 (which were significantly enriched in the PD-L1 related signaling pathway). In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that HYR and HYR-2 could inhibit the growth of lung cancer and down-regulate the expression of PD-L1, which might be related to the blocking effect of HYR-2 on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Furthermore, HYR-2 promoted the transformation of M2 macrophages into M1 macrophages as well. It is deserved to be mentioned that the level of Akkermansia muciniphila was also significantly elevated by HYR-2, which was believed to enhance the therapeutic effect of PD-L1 antibodies. To sum up, HYR-2 might play an anti-lung cancer effect by down-regulating PD-L1 together with up-regulating Akkermansia muciniphila.

A surface modifier enhances the performance of the all-inorganic CsPbI2Br perovskite solar cells with efficiencies approaching 15.

All-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are attracting considerable attention due to their promising thermal stability, but their inferior power-conversion efficiencies (PCE) hinder their realistic application. Here, we propose an approach through surface modification based on methyl ammonium halide (MAX) for inorganic CsPbI2Br solar cells processed at a low temperature. The combined benefits of the introduced MAX modifier enable the boosting of the power conversion efficiency to 14.8% with an impressive FF of 82.2% in CsPbI2Br PSCs. Our experimental analyses coupled with optical modeling indicate that the incorporated MAX leads to an effective passivation of the surface traps originating from Pb2+ and I- ions in CsPbI2Br and simultaneously mediates the crystallization of CsPbI2Br with slightly enlarged grains and reduced numbers of structural defects and pinhole. As a result, the interfacial trap-assisted recombination is suppressed and the charge extraction is promoted. Mechanistically, we show that in the presence of MAX, the deep-level traps in the perovskites are passivated, leaving the energy of the trapping centers to become shallower. In this situation, the negative impacts of the traps on carrier transport and recombination are mitigated.

Preparation and Characterization of Nanosized Bi-Doped SnO2/Reduced Graphene Oxide 3D Hybrids for Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysis.

The nanosized Bi-doped SnO2/reduced graphene oxide 3D hybrids have been synthesized via one-step hydrothermal method. The structures, morphologies, photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared samples were discussed, respectively. The formation mechanism of the as-prepared hybrids was also proposed. Experimental results indicated that the usage amount of Bi2Sn2O7 obviously affected the photocatalytic performance of the as-prepared products. When it was 450 mg, the as-prepared sample possessed the band gap energy of 1.9 eV and the photocatalytic efficiency of 90% in 210 min for degradation of rhodamine B solution. In addition, triethylene tetramine and the as-prepared carbon hydrogel could act as reductant to synergistically reduce Bi2Sn2O7 into Bi-doped SnO2 particles during the formation of the hybrids.

Effects of ulinastatin on early postoperative cognitive function after one-lung ventilation surgery in elderly patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

We investigated the effects of ulinastatin on early postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) after one-lung ventilation (OLV) surgery in elderly patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Eighty elderly patients with preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy scheduling for radical esophagectomy under OLV were recruited. They were randomly divided into an ulinastatin pretreatment group (U group, n = 40) and a control group (C group, n = 40). The U group received 10,000 U/kg ulinastatin before anesthesia and 5000 U/kg daily on postoperative days 1 to 3, while C group received saline. Levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, C-reactive protein (CRP), and S-100ß protein were assayed before surgery, at the end of surgery, and on postoperative days 1 and 3. Patients underwent cognitive assessment 1 day before and 7 days after surgery. 38 patients in U group and 37 patients in C group completed the neuropsychological tests. The U group had a lower incidence of POCD than C group (23.7 % versus 45.9 %, P = 0.043). The levels of S-100ß protein, IL-6, IL-10, and CRP in both groups increased after surgery. The postoperative concentrations of S-100ß protein, IL-6, and CRP in U group were lower than those in C group. On postoperative day 3, compared with C group, the level of CRP in U group was lower, while that of IL-10 was higher. These findings demonstrate that ulinastatin can attenuate the elevation of S100ß protein levels and the incidence of POCD, most likely by the mechanism of reducing serum IL-6 and CRP levels and increasing IL-10 levels.

Modified Hotz Procedure Combined With Modified Z-Epicanthoplasty Versus Modified Hotz Procedure Alone for Epiblepharon Repair.

PURPOSE: To compare the outcomes of the modified Hotz procedure alone and combined with modified Z-epicanthoplasty for correction of epiblepharon. METHODS: Seventy-one Chinese patients who underwent epiblepharon repair were divided into 2 groups. In group 1, 33 patients (59 eyes) were operated on with the modified Hotz procedure. In group 2, 38 patients (71 eyes) were operated on with the modified Hotz procedure combined with modified Z-epicanthoplasty. Treatment outcomes were classified as "excellent" with no cilium-ocular surface touching, "fair" with 5 or fewer cilia-ocular surface touchings, and "poor" with more than 5 cilia-ocular surface touchings. Incision scars were evaluated by the Vancouver scar scale (VSS). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the age or sex distribution between the two groups. For group 1, the outcome was excellent for 46 eyes (78%) and fair or poor for 13 eyes (22%). For group 2, the outcome was excellent for 70 eyes (98.6%) and fair for only 1 eye (1.4%). Thus, group 2 had significantly more excellent outcomes compared with group 1 (p < 0.001). The Vancouver scar scale of the lower eyelids in group 1 was 1.10 ± 0.30 and 1.04 ± 0.20 in group 2 after correcting for the follow-up period (p = 0.292). The medial canthus Vancouver scar scale in group 2 was 1.13 ± 0.37, which was not different from the lower eyelid Vancouver scar scale (p = 0.471). CONCLUSIONS: The modified Hotz procedure combined with modified Z-epicanthoplasty is more effective in correcting lower eyelid epiblepharon than the modified Hotz procedure alone. The combined procedure does not produce obvious lower eyelid or medial canthus scars.

Diffraction phase microscopy: monitoring nanoscale dynamics in materials science [invited].

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) utilizes the fact that the phase of an imaging field is much more sensitive than its amplitude. As fields from the source interact with the specimen, local variations in the phase front are produced, which provide structural information about the sample and can be used to reconstruct its topography with nanometer accuracy. QPI techniques do not require staining or coating of the specimen and are therefore nondestructive. Diffraction phase microscopy (DPM) combines many of the best attributes of current QPI methods; its compact configuration uses a common-path off-axis geometry which realizes the benefits of both low noise and single-shot imaging. This unique collection of features enables the DPM system to monitor, at the nanoscale, a wide variety of phenomena in their natural environments. Over the past decade, QPI techniques have become ubiquitous in biological studies and a recent effort has been made to extend QPI to materials science applications. We briefly review several recent studies which include real-time monitoring of wet etching, photochemical etching, surface wetting and evaporation, dissolution of biodegradable electronic materials, and the expansion and deformation of thin-films. We also discuss recent advances in semiconductor wafer defect detection using QPI.