[Keratoconus after transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy: a case report].

A 24-year-old male was treated with transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy for myopia in both eyes 5 years ago. He had allergic conjunctivitis for 3 years. The night vision of both eyes was decreased for 2 years. The clinical diagnosis was keratoconus binoculus. Therefore, corneal collagen cross-linking was performed in both eyes, and the follow-up was 6 months. Confocal microscopy showed that the cross-linking of riboflavin and fiber amino was successful, and the keratoconus did not progress during the follow-up. Although there have been few case reports of keratoconus after transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy at home and abroad, great importance should be attached to the early and comprehensive screening of keratoconus in the candidates of refractive surgery in order to improve the long-term safety.

[Emphasizing the critical issues in perioperative management of children with congenital cataract].

Cataract is the main cause of treatable visual impairment in children. Children face more risks during the perioperative period of cataract surgery than adults because of their anatomical, physiological, behavioral, and developmental characteristics; therefore, special attention and management are required. This article comprehensively discusses the perioperative management of children's cataract surgery on the base of relevant literatures and the authors' clinical experience, including the indications and timing of surgery, preoperative examination, prevention and treatment of surgical complications, and postoperative visual function reconstruction. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 481-486).

[Emphasizing the prevention and management of dry eye during the perioperative period of cataract surgery].

Dry eye is a common ocular surface disease that can occur in more than half of cataract patients before surgery. The perioperative damage to ocular surface can lead to tear film insufficiency and a series of dry eye symptoms, which reduce the visual outcome and life quality of the patients. Therefore, clinicians should standardize the management of dry eye disease during the perioperative period of cataract surgery to further improve patients' satisfaction with surgery, in terms of the evaluation and optimization of preoperative ocular surface, the protection of ocular surface during surgery, and the diagnosis and treatment of postoperative dry eye disease. ( Chin J Ophthalmol, 2020, 56: 409-413).

[Transcriptome profiling of differentiated lenses through RNA sequencing].

Objective: To gain insight into the transcriptional landscape including mRNA, long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), and circular RNA (circRNA) of the differentiated lens. Methods: Experiment research. The total RNAs of the differentiated lenses were extracted and purified. Total RNAs of 16-week, 23-week, and 25-week differentiated lenses were then sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 2500, and analyzed using bioinformatics tools. The top expressed and differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs were screened. The expressions of overlap genes among the 16-week, 23-week, and 25-week lenses were analyzed by Venn diagram. The expression tendency of lens-specific genes was obtained and verified with real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: A total of 67 518 311 mapped reads were obtained from differentiated lenses at 16 weeks, 99 440 160 at 23 weeks, and 67 262 320 at 25 weeks. The gene overlap expression analysis showed 740 of the top 1 000 highly expressed mRNAs, 170 of the top 300 highly expressed lncRNAs, and 69 of the top 100 highly expressed circRNAs overlapping expressed in lenses at 16, 23, and 25 weeks, respectively. Lens specific gene expression analysis revealed that the expression of crystallin (CRY) AA, CRYGA, CRYGB, CRYGC, CRYGD, CRYGEP, and CRYGS was upregulated, while the expression of gap junction (GJ) A3 and GJA8 was downregulated with the differentiation of lenses. Conclusion: The lens transcriptome profile shows that more than half of the high expressed mRNA, lncRNA and circRNA at different differentiation stages are overlapping expressed, and all of them have high expression of lens specific protein genes, such as CRY, GJ etc. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2020, 56: 356-363).

[Emphasizing the overall management of cataract surgery in patients with diabetes].

Cataract is one of the common cause of vision decrease in diabetic patients, which occurs earlier and develops faster than in common patients, and often requires surgery for treatment. However, diabetic patients are more likely to have fundus lesions, and are more prone to have complications, such as infection, posterior capsular opacity, cystoid macular edema, etc. Diabetic patients have a higher risk of cataract surgery than ordinary cataract patients. Therefore, clinicians should be conscious about the particularity of diabetic cataract surgery, develop an appropriate and individual diagnosis and treatment plan according to its characteristics, and regulate the overall management to prevent possible risks and ensure the safety of patients.(Chin J Ophthalmol, 2019, 55: 481-484).

[Value of double contrast-enhanced ultrasound QontraXt three-dimensional pseudocolor quantitative analysis to therapeutic effect evaluation of preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer patients].

Objective: To investigate the value of tumor perfusion parameter measured by using double contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCEUS) QontraXt three-dimensional pseudocolor quantitative analysis to the therapeutic effect evaluation of preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients. Methods: Eighty-nine AGC patients underwent 3 cycles of preoperative NAC (XELOX) followed by complete resection of lesion. The DCEUS QontraXt three-dimensional pseudocolor was performed one or two weeks before the NAC and operation were applied, respectively. The peak enhancement (PE), time to peak (TP), sharpness of the bolus (ß) and area under the enhancement curve (AUC) of primary gastric tumor were measured by QontraXt three-dimensional pseudocolor quantitative analysis. These DCEUS parameters between respond and non-respond groups before and after NAC therapy were compared. The prediction accuracy of DCEUS to the therapeutic effect evaluation of preoperative NAC was determined by the receive operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: Among 89 AGC patients, 52 patients responded to NAC therapy, while 37 patients resisted to NAC therapy. Twelve cases in respond group and 26 cases in non-respond group were mucinous carcinoma. Forty cases in respond group and 11 cases in non-respond group were non-mucinous carcinoma (P<0.05). In responder group, the PE and TP before NAC were (53.7±9.3)% and (14 521±2 667) ms, and (32.2±5.5)% and (17 235±1 898) ms after NAC. The ratio of changes of PE (ΔPE) and TP (ΔTP) were 0.43±0.17 and 0.36±0.14, respectively. In non-respond group, the PE and TP before NAC were (54.4±7.2)% and (13 869±3 247) ms, and (45.3±6.1)% and (15 127±1 423) ms after NAC therapy. The ratio of ΔPE and ΔTP were 0.24±0.20 and 0.22±0.12. The PE and TP after NAC, the ratio of ΔPE and ΔTP were significant different among these two groups (all of P<0.05). The ROC curves showed that the ratio of ΔPE in assessing the respond of gastric cancer patients to NAC was superior compared to other parameters (AUC=0.784, P=0.004). The optimal cut-off value of the ratio of ΔPE was 24% and its sensitivity and specificity to the therapeutic effect evaluation of NAC in gastric cancer were 82.7% and 64.9%. Conclusion: DCEUS QontraXt three-dimensional pseudocolor quantitative analysis might be a novel, noninvasive and reliable method to evaluate the therapeutic effect of preoperative NAC in AGC patients.

[Research Progress of Age Estimation Based on Age-related Changes of Dentin-pulp Complex].

Age estimation is a hot and difficult issue in forensic practice. Teeth are the most solid organs in human body and can be kept in vitro for a long time. With age, the secondary dentin gradually generates and the volume of pulp cavity constantly decreases. Therefore, forensic dentists proposed that age-related changes of dentin-pulp complex could be used to estimate age, which has been widely applied in forensic practice over the years. Due to the development of imaging technology, a variety of methods have been advocated by forensic dentists to detect the age-related changes of dentin-pulp complex for age estimation. However, different methods have their own advantages and limitations, forensic scientists should combine the use of different methods for improving the accuracy of age estimation according to the actual situation. This paper reviews current research of age estimation based on dentin-pulp complex, so as to provide reference for related research.

Analysis of specific serum markers of colon carcinoma using a Bhattacharyya-based support vector machine.

We aimed to evaluate the specificity of 12 tumor markers related to colon carcinoma and identify the most sensitive index. Bhattacharyya distance was used to evaluate the index. Then, different index combinations were used to establish a support vector machine (SVM) diagnosis model of malignant colon carcinoma. The accuracy of the model was checked. High accuracy was assumed to indicate the high specificity of the index. The Bhattacharyya distances of carcinoembryonic antigen, neuron-specific enolase, alpha-feto protein, and CA724 were the largest, and those of CYFRA21-І, CA125, and UGT1A83 were the second largest. The specificity of the combination of the above seven indexes was higher than that of other combinations, and the accuracy of the established SVM identification model was high. Using Bhattacharyya distance detection and establishing an SVM model based on different serum marker combinations can increase diagnostic accuracy, providing a theoretical basis for application of mathematical models in cancer diagnosis.

Clinical significance of angiopoietin-like protein 3 expression in patients with glioblastoma.

There is strong evidence that angiopoietin-like peptide family is involved in the invasiveness and metastasis of cancer. Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) is proven to be involved in angiogenesis and tumor development. However, there is no published data on the role ANGPLT3 plays in glioblastomas. The present study was conducted to examine ANGPLT3 proteins expression and its association with clinicopathological factors and prognosis in human glioblastomas. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the expression of ANGPTL3, EGFR and VEGFR. We found that 33 cases (57.9%) that showed strong immunostaining for ANGPTL3 proteins. However, there was no significant difference between the expression of ANGPTL3 and the proangiogenic factors, including EGFR or VEGFR. Patients with high/moderate expression of ANGPTL3 had a significantly shorter survival time (6.3 months) than those (median survival time 13.8 months) with low/negative expression. The overall survival (OS) was also investigated and analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method, which showed a significant difference (P=0.0045, Breslow test). The present data leads to new insights into the role of ANGPTL3 in glioblastomas and provides an independent predictive factor.

LINC00887 aggravates the malignant progression of glioma via upregulating CCND1.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the impact of LINC00887 on the malignant progression of glioma via upregulating CCND1. PATIENTS AND METHODS: LINC00887 and CCND1 levels in glioma patients in different tumor grades or metastasis statuses were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Kaplan-Meier curves were depicted for analyzing the prognostic potential of LINC00887 in glioma patients. Meanwhile, Pearson correlation test was conducted to assess the expression correlation between LINC00887 and CCND1 in glioma tissues. After knockdown of LINC00887 in LN229 and U251 cells, proliferative abilities were examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and 5-Ethynyl-2'- deoxyuridine (EdU) assays. Subcellular distribution of LINC00887 was determined. Thereafter, RNA Binding Protein Immunoprecipitation (RIP) was performed to uncover the interaction between LINC00887 and CCND1. After α-amanitin induction in glioma cells overexpressing LINC00887, RNA degradation of CCND1 was examined at 0, 6, 12 and 24 h, respectively. Finally, the synergistic regulation of both LINC00887 and CCND1 on glioma proliferation was explored by CCK-8 assay. RESULTS: It was found that LINC00887 was upregulated in glioma tissues, especially in stage III+IV or metastatic glioma cases. Overall survival was remarkably worse in glioma patients expressing a high level of LINC00887 than those with a low level. CCND1 was upregulated in glioma tissues as well, showing a positive correlation to LINC00887. In addition, LINC00887 was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm and interacted with CCND1, and it shortened the half-life of CCND1. Moreover, the knockdown of LINC00887 inhibited glioma cell proliferation, and this inhibitory effect was abolished by overexpression of CCND1. CONCLUSIONS: LINC00887 is upregulated in glioma tissues, and it aggravates the malignant progression of glioma by upregulating CCND1.

MiR-376a-3p alleviates the development of glioma through negatively regulating KLF15.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to uncover the role of microRNA-376a-3p (miR-376a-3p) in mediating migratory and invasive capacities of glioma, as well as the underlying mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: MiR-376a-3p levels in 39 collected glioma tissues were detected. After collecting clinical data of included glioma patients, the relationship between miR-376a-3p level and clinical features of glioma was analyzed. Next, regulatory effects of miR-376a-3p on proliferative and metastatic capacities of U251 and T98-G cells were assessed. Downstream genes of miR-376a-3p were searched by bioinformatics approach. At last, the involvement of KLF15 in the development of glioma regulated by miR-376a-3p was explored. RESULTS: It was found that miR-376a-3p was lowly expressed in glioma tissues. Low level of miR-376a-3p was linked to high metastasis rate and poor prognosis in glioma. Besides, overexpression of miR-376a-3p suppressed proliferative and metastatic capacities of glioma cells. KLF15, the downstream gene binding miR-376a-3p, was highly expressed in glioma, and displayed a negative correlation to miR-376a-3p. Notably, KLF15 was able to abolish the regulatory effects of miR-376a-3p on phenotypes of glioma cells. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-376a-3p is related to lymphatic metastasis and distant metastasis of glioma, and alleviates metastasis of glioma by negatively regulating KLF15.

Evaluation of correlation between NF-κB mediated PAI-1 gene and sepsis.

OBJECTIVE: The present study is aimed to explore the correlation between PAI-1 gene mediated by NF-κB signaling pathway and human sepsis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, we used 74 cases of sepsis patients preserved by the laboratory as the observation group, and 68 cases of healthy people served the control group. Further methods like fluorescence quantitative PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western-blotting were used to determine NF-B expression, NF-κB gene mRNA analyses and protein expression on different research subjects. Further, the positive expression rates of PAI-1 gene in the observation group and the control group were determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The expression levels of NF-κB and PAI-1 gene mRNA in the blood of the observation group significantly increased in comparison to control group (X2 = 3.24, p < 0.05; X2 = 2.81, p < 0.05). Also, NF-κF and PAI-1 gene protein expressions (0.14 ug/l, 0.32 ug/l) were significantly higher in the observation group in comparison to control group (p < 0.05). The results of blood glucose measurement showed that the fasting blood glucose (14.3 mmol/l) in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (4.6 mmol/l). Immunohistochemical were also in sync with above results. CONCLUSIONS: The present study concludes that PAI-1 gene expression gets significantly increased via NF-κF signaling pathway during sepsis.

[HLA-DRB alleles polymorphism in Han, Hui, Uygur and Tibetan populations in northwestern China].

According to the 11th THW standard, we designed a pair of primers by which a segment of 256bp of HLA-DRB1, B3, B4, and B5 could be amplified simultaneously. Twenty-seven oligonucleotide probes were designed and synthesized for 39 loci on DRB1, 3 on DRB3, 1 on DRB4 and 3 on DRB5. A PCR-SSO DNA typing protocol was built, which met the standard of HLA class II DNA typing in 11th IHW. With this method, 186 of Chinese (Han) in Xi'an, 169 of Hui in Ningxia, 200 of Uygur in Xinjiang, and 188 of Tibetan in Tibet were detected with a comparison study. The genetic distribution of 46 loci of DRB in four ethnic healthy populations were surveyed. No diversity has been found between Han and Hui in DRB. DRB1 * 02(16.9%), DRB1 * 07 (13.1%), and DRB1 * 09(12.0%) were the higher frequent loci in Han. More DRB loci were detected in Tibetan but without higher loci as in Han and Hui. The DRB polymorphism of Uygur population was similar to Caucasian. A discriminative highest frequency of DRB1 * 07(23.8%) was found in Uygur, which implied a selection happened.

Expression of aquaglyceroporins in epithelial ovarian tumours and their clinical significance.

Protein levels of aquaglyceroporins AQP3, AQP7 and AQP9 were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting in epithelial ovarian tumour tissue from 98 patients and in normal ovary tissue from 20 persons with uterine myoma. AQP3 and AQP9 proteins were detected immunohistochemically in the basolateral membranes of benign and borderline tumour cells and were found to be distributed throughout the plasma membranes of malignant tumour cells. AQP7 protein was localized in the plasma membranes of benign tumour cells but, in borderline and malignant tumour cells, it was selectively stained in the nuclear membrane. Western blotting showed significantly higher AQP7 and AQP9 protein expression in malignant and borderline tumours than in benign tumour and normal ovarian tissue. AQP9 expression level was positively and significantly correlated with tumour grade and histological type. It was concluded that a high level of aquaglyceroporin expression may be an important factor in ovarian carcinogenesis.