Evaluating the safety and operability of asymmetric trapezoid and near-square side-port incision in cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: To compare the accuracy, safety, and consistency of asymmetric trapezoid and near-square side-port incision in cataract surgery. SETTING: Aier Eye Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. DESIGN: Prospective pilot study. METHODS: This study included patients who underwent phacoemulsification between January 2022 and August 2022. They were divided into Group A and Group B using the random number table method. Group A was given a near-square side-port incision and Group B was given an asymmetric trapezoid side-port incision. We contrasted the differences in incision length, width, and shape; surgical time; and postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) between the 2 groups. RESULTS: 220 eyes of 220 patients were included. The mean external width of the incision in Group A was much smaller than that in Group B ( P < .01), and the consistency of the incision diameter in Group A was better than that in Group B. There was no statistically significant difference in incision length between the 2 groups ( P = .75). 1 day after surgery, there was no statistically significant difference in incision morphology between the 2 groups ( P = .72). The operating time for Group A was significantly shorter than that of Group B ( P < .01). There was no obvious incision leakage in both groups after surgery, and the IOP was generally elevated after surgery, but there was no significant statistical difference between the 2 groups ( P = .98). CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that a near-square side-port results in better consistency of incision width and shorter surgical time.

Ecological risk assessment of aquatic organisms induced by heavy metals in the estuarine waters of the Pearl River.

With the rapid economic development of China's coastal areas and the growth of industry and population, the problem of heavy metal contamination in estuarine waters is increasing in sensitivity and seriousness. In order to accurately and quantitatively describe the current status of heavy metal contamination and identify sensitive aquatic organisms with high ecological risks, five heavy metals in eight estuaries of the Pearl River were monitored at monthly intervals from January to December in 2020, and the ecological risks of aquatic organisms induced by heavy metals were evaluated using Risk quotients (RQ) and species sensitivity distributions (SSD) methods. The results showed that the concentrations of As, Cu, Pb, Hg and Zn in estuaries of the Pearl River were (0.65-9.25) µg/L, (0.07-11.57) µg/L, (0.05-9.09) µg/L, (< 0.40) µg/L and (0.67-86.12) µg/L, respectively. With the exception of Hg in Jiaomen water, the other heavy metals in each sampling site met or exceed the water quality standard of Grade II. The aquatic ecological risks of As, Pb and Hg were generally low in the waters of the Pearl River estuary, but individual aquatic organisms are subject to elevated ecological risks due to Cu and Zn. The content of Zn has a lethal effect on the crustaceans Temora Stylifera, and the content of Cu has a serious impact on the mollusks Corbicula Fluminea and has a certain impact on the crustaceans Corophium sp. and the fish Sparus aurata. Heavy metal levels and joint ecological risks (msPAF) in the Humen, Jiaomen, Hongqimen, and Hengmen estuaries were slightly higher than in other estuaries, and the Yamen estuary had the lowest contration of heavy metals and ecological risk. Research findings can serve as a basis for formulating water quality standards for heavy metals and for protecting aquatic biodiversity in the Pearl River Estuary.

Femtosecond Laser Combined with Double-Flange Polypropylene Suture Capsular Tension Ring Suspension for the Treatment of Subluxation of Lens in Marfan Syndrome.

Purpose: To evaluate the use of femtosecond laser combined with double-flange polypropylene suture capsular tension ring (CTR) suspension to treat subluxation of lens in Marfan syndrome. The objective is to provide safer and more effective surgical procedures for patients. Setting. Eye Hospital, Aier Eye Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. Methods: In this retrospective study, we observed sixteen patients (16 eyes) with Marfan syndrome who had undergone this operation. Femtosecond laser incision was performed on the anterior capsule with the lens as the center. The suspending CTR was clipped to anterior capsule to support it, which was secured to the sclera with a double-flange polypropylene suture. Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), tilt, and decentration of the intraocular lens (IOL) and postoperative complications were evaluated. Results: All 16 patients were successfully implanted with suspended CTR and IOL after femtosecond laser assisted surgery. Visual acuity improved significantly after surgery (p < 0.01). At 1 month, 3 months and 6 months postoperatively, the tilt of the IOL was 2.70 ± 0.934, 2.65 ± 0.897, and 2.66 ± 0.781, and the decentration of the IOL was 0.30 ± 0.770, 0.30 ± 0.682, and 0.29 ± 0.737; both had no statistically significant difference between the three groups. After the operation, 4 patients had hyphema and 2 patients experienced a temporary postoperative IOP increase. Only one flange was exposed one month after operation and recovered right after secondary adjustment. Conclusion: Femtosecond laser combined with double-flange polypropylene suture CTR suspension was effective in fixing the lens capsule to the scleral wall in cases of subluxation of lens seen in Marfan syndrome during our short-term observation. The long-term efficacy of this operation needs further observation and follow-up.

Renewable biochar derived from mixed sewage sludge and pine sawdust for carbon dioxide capture.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main anthropogenic greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. In this study, a series of KOH-modified biochars derived from feedstock mixtures (i.e., S3W7 biomass consisting of 70% pine sawdust and 30% sewage sludge; S5W5 biomass consisting of 50% pine sawdust and 50% sewage sludge) at different temperature (i.e., 600-800 °C) were prepared for evaluating CO2 adsorption performance. The KOH-activated biochars prepared with S3W7 biomass displayed larger surface areas and micropore volumes compared to those of S5W5 biochars. In particular, the highest CO2 adsorption capacity (177.1 mg/g) was observed on S3W7 biomass at 700 °C (S3W7-700K), due to the largest surface area (2623 m2/g) and the highest micropore volume (0.68 cm3/g). Furthermore, surface functional groups, hydrophobicity, and aromaticity of biochar and presence of hetero atoms (N) also were actively involved in CO2 adsorption of biochar. In addition, in situ DRIFTS analysis advanced current understanding for the chemical sorption mechanisms by identifying the transformation composites of CO2 on biochars, and characterizing the weakly adsorbed and newly formed mineral species (e.g., carbonates) during the CO2 sorption process. This study may provide an insight into the research of CO2 capture by identifying physical and chemical adsorption, and expand the effective utilization of natural biomass-based biochar for mitigation greenhouse gas emission.

Insights into CO2 adsorption on KOH-activated biochars derived from the mixed sewage sludge and pine sawdust.

The environment issues associated with global warming and climate change caused by continuous increase in greenhouse gas emissions have attracted worldwide concerns. As renewable resources with good adsorption property, biochar is an efficient and environmental friendly adsorbsent for CO2 capture. In this study, the CO2 adsorption behavior of biochars derived from feedstock mixtures of 70% pine sawdust and 30% sewage sludge by KOH modification was investigated. The textual properties and functional groups of the pristine biochars have been significantly enhanced after KOH activation. With highly developed microporosity, the specific surface area (SSA) of the KOH-modified biochars increased by 3.9-14.5 times. Furthermore, higher CO2 adsorption capacities of 136.7-182.0 mg/g were observed for the modified biochars, compared to pristine ones (35.5-42.9 mg/g). The development of micropores by KOH activation significantly increased the CO2 adsorption capacity. Meanwhile, the presence of hetero atoms (O and K) also positively influenced CO2 adsorption capacity of biochar. Noticeably, both physical and chemical adsorption played a crucial role in CO2 capture, which was verified by different characterization methods including high resolution scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy. The Findings of this study demonstrate the -significance of chemical sorption by identifying the transformation of CO2 by biochar composites and in situ characterization of weakly adsorbed and newly formed mineral species during the CO2 sorption process. Moreover, BC700K showed 97% recyclability during 10 consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles at 25 °C, 1 bar. The results obtained in the present study may inspire new research interest and provide a comprehensive insight into the research subject to biochars derived from feedstock mixtures for CO2 capture.

Case report: Double-armed flanged polypropylene suture for repairing wide iridodialysis.

Purpose: To describe a new technique for repairing wide iridodialysis (>180°) with a double-armed flanged polypropylene suture. Setting: Private practice, Wuhan, China. Design: Case report. Methods: Adjacent to the iridodialysis side, the sclera was punctured 2 mm exterior to the corneal limbus into the anterior chamber with a 30-G needle, then the root of the de-inserted iris was punctured. A 7-0 polypropylene thread was placed into the anterior chamber through a corneal incision on the opposite side and inserted into the needle. The needle was withdrawn, leaving one side of the suture out of the eye. Then, the sclera was punctured by a new needle 2 mm from the first puncture site and passed through the iris root 2 mm from the original iris puncture point. The other end of the thread was inserted into the needle and taken out of the eye. The suture was tightened to make the iris root adhere to the corneal limbus. Finally, the suture is was cut, and the ends were cauterized and left inside the sclera. This procedure can be repeated until the iridodialysis is solved. Results: The abovementioned technique was applied in four cases. At the end of the operations, the pupils of all patients were nearly round, with a diameter of about 3 mm. No patient suffered from intraoperative and postoperative complications. Conclusions: The double-armed flanged polypropylene suture is a simple and safe operation method that can be applied to repair wide iridodialysis.

A meta-analysis of the rate and related factors of glaucomatous optic nerve damage in patients with Glaucomatocyclitic Crisis.

PURPOSE: To systematic analysis of domestic and foreign literature on the incidence and related factors of glaucomatous optic nerve damage (GOND) in patients with Glaucomatocyclitic Crisis (PSS). METHODS: A computerized literature search was carried out in PubMed database, Wanfang Medical Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure to collected domestic and foreign research studies on the incidence and related factors of glaucomatous optic nerve damage of Glaucomatocyclitic Crisis. Using Stata 15.1 software, select the indicators: incidence, gender, age, single/double eyes, duration of disease, and intraocular pressure (IOP) at onset for meta-analysis. OR (odds risk) was used as the effect variable for the binary variables, and mean difference was used as the effect variable for the continuous variables. The results are expressed by each effect amount and its 95% Confidence interval (CI). If there was heterogeneity among the original studies, a random effects model was used; otherwise, a fixed effects model was used. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies were included. The incidence of GOND in PSS was 0.251 (95%CI: 0.175-0.327). Three studies include the relevant factor analysis and the results showed: there was a statistically significant difference in age, and duration of disease in PSS patients with/without GOND (p = 0.000, p = 0.000), there was no statistical difference between the two groups in gender, single /double eyes, and IOP at onset (p = 0.468, 0.053, 0.065). CONCLUSION: Glaucomatocyclitic Crisis can cause glaucomatous optic nerve damage. GOND is more likely to occur in patients who are older, and have a long course of the disease. For such patients, special attention should be paid to the detailed examination of visual function and follow-up.

The characteristic of intraocular pressure dynamic change in patients with glaucomatocyclitic crisis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the characteristic of intraocular pressure (IOP) dynamic change from episode to intermittent period in patients with Posner-Schlossman syndrome (PSS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventeen cases of typical PSS were collected in this study. Both their random IOP in episodes/intermittent period and 24-h IOP in intermittent period were measured. The mean IOP as well as the peak and the valley value of 24-h IOP were calculated. Those data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The IOP in affected eye in episodes is higher than that of the contralateral eye statistically; while in intermittent period the mean IOP (p = 0.001), the peak (p = 0.029) and the valley (p = 0.004) value of 24-h IOP in affected eye are statistically different with that of the contralateral eye. All of these parameters of the affected eye in intermittent period are lower than that of the contralateral eye obviously. CONCLUSION: The dynamic observations of IOP in episodes and intermittent period confirmed the IOP crossover phenomenon inpatients with typical PSS and this observation may be important in the differential diagnosis of PSS.

Artificial neural network model for identifying taxi gross emitter from remote sensing data of vehicle emission.

Vehicle emission has been the major source of air pollution in urban areas in the past two decades. This article proposes an artificial neural network model for identifying the taxi gross emitters based on the remote sensing data. After carrying out the field test in Guangzhou and analyzing various factors from the emission data, the artificial neural network modeling was proved to be an advisable method of identifying the gross emitters. On the basis of the principal component analysis and the selection of algorithm and architecture, the Back-Propagation neural network model with 8-17-1 architecture was established as the optimal approach for this purpose. It gave a percentage of hits of 93%. Our previous research result and the result from aggression analysis were compared, and they provided respectively the percentage of hits of 81.63% and 75%. This comparison demonstrates the potentiality and validity of the proposed method in the identification of taxi gross emitters.

A remote sensing system of vehicle emissions based on tunable diode laser technology.

As being an effective real-time method of monitoring vehicle emissions on-road, a remote sensing system based on the tunable diode laser (TDL) technology was presented, and the key technologies were discussed. A field test in Guangzhou (Guangdong, China) was performed and was found that the factors, such as slope, instantaneous speed and acceleration, had significant influence on the detectable rate of the system. Based on the results, the proposal choice of testing site was presented.