Optical development in the murine eye lens of accelerated senescence-prone SAMP8 and senescence-resistant SAMR1 strains.

The eye lens is responsible for focusing objects at various distances onto the retina and its refractive power is determined by its surface curvature as well as its internal gradient refractive index (GRIN). The lens continues to grow with age resulting in changes to the shape and to the GRIN profile. The present study aims to investigate how the ageing process may influence lens optical development. Murine lenses of accelerated senescence-prone strain (SAMP8) aged from 4 to 50 weeks; senescence-resistant strain (SAMR1) aged from 5 to 52 weeks as well as AKR strain (served as control) aged from 6 to 70 weeks were measured using the X-ray interferometer at the SPring-8 synchrotron Japan within three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022. Three dimensional distributions of the lens GRIN were reconstructed using the measured data and the lens shapes were determined using image segmentation in MatLab. Variations in the parameters describing the lens shape and the GRIN profile with age were compared amongst three mouse strains. With advancing age, both the lens anterior and posterior surface flattens and the lens sagittal thickness increase in all three mouse strains (Anterior radius of curvature increase at 0.008 mm/week, 0.007 mm/week and 0.002 mm/week while posterior radius of curvature increase at 0.002 mm/week, 0.007 mm/week and 0.003 mm/week respectively in AKR, SAMP8 and SAMR1 lenses). Compared with the AKR strain, the SAMP8 samples demonstrate a higher rate of increase in the posterior curvature radius (0.007 mm/week) and the thickness (0.015 mm/week), whilst the SAMR1 samples show slower increases in the anterior curvature radius (0.002 mm/week) and its thickness (0.013 mm/week). There are similar age-related trends in GRIN shape in the radial direction (in all three types of murine lenses nr2 and nr6 increase with age while nr4 decrease with age consistently) but not in the axial direction amongst three mouse strains (nz1 of AKR lens decrease while of SAMP8 and SAMR1 increase with age; nz2 of all three models increase with age; nz3 of AKR lens increase while of SAMP8 and SAMR1 decrease with age). The ageing process can influence the speed of lens shape change and affect the GRIN profile mainly in the axial direction, contributing to an accelerated decline rate of the optical power in the senescence-prone strain (3.5 D/week compared to 2.3 D/week in the AKR control model) but a retardatory decrease in the senescence-resistant strain (2.1 D/week compared to the 2.3D/week in the AKR control model).

Serum IgE anti-dsDNA autoantibodies in patients with proliferative lupus nephritis are associated with tubulointerstitial inflammation.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the overproduction of multiple autoantibodies. Lupus nephritis (LN), the most common cause of morbidity and mortality, requires early detection. However, only a limited number of serum biomarkers have been associated with the disease activity of LN. Serum IgE anti-dsDNA autoantibodies are prevalent in patients with SLE and may be associated with the pathogenesis of LN. In this study, serum samples from 88 patients with biopsy-proven proliferative LN were collected along with complete clinical and pathological data to investigate the clinical and pathological associations of anti-dsDNA IgE autoantibodies using ELISA. This study found that the prevalence of IgE anti-dsDNA autoantibodies in patients with proliferative LN was 38.6% (34/88). Patients with anti-dsDNA IgE autoantibodies were more prone to acute kidney injury (17/34 vs. 14/54; p = .025). Levels of anti-dsDNA IgE autoantibodies were associated with interstitial inflammation (r = 0.962, p = .017). Therefore, anti-dsDNA IgE autoantibody levels are associated with tubulointerstitial inflammation in patients with proliferative LN.

Custom machine learning algorithm for large-scale disease screening - taking heart disease data as an example.

Heart disease accounts for millions of deaths worldwide annually, representing a major public health concern. Large-scale heart disease screening can yield significant benefits both in terms of lives saved and economic costs. In this study, we introduce a novel algorithm that trains a patient-specific machine learning model, aligning with the real-world demands of extensive disease screening. Customization is achieved by concentrating on three key aspects: data processing, neural network architecture, and loss function formulation. Our approach integrates individual patient data to bolster model accuracy, ensuring dependable disease detection. We assessed our models using two prominent heart disease datasets: the Cleveland dataset and the UC Irvine (UCI) combination dataset. Our models showcased notable results, achieving accuracy and recall rates beyond 95 % for the Cleveland dataset and surpassing 97 % accuracy for the UCI dataset. Moreover, in terms of medical ethics and operability, our approach outperformed traditional, general-purpose machine learning algorithms. Our algorithm provides a powerful tool for large-scale disease screening and has the potential to save lives and reduce the economic burden of heart disease.

Refractive surprise of irregular astigmatism following cataract surgery in two patients with neglected subclinical corneal ectasia: two case reports.

BACKGROUND: Corneal ectatic diseases are a group of corneal disorder characterized by the steepening and thinning of the cornea. Older people are not a high-risk population for corneal ectatic diseases; due to the lack of typical preoperative topographic manifestations, there is a high possibility that corneal ectasia is undetected. CASE PRESENTATION: Two patients with subclinical corneal ectasia and senile cataracts presented with irregular astigmatism after steep-axis incision during cataract surgery. The two cases presented in this case report are rare because both patients experienced tremendous changes in astigmatism after cataract surgery. CONCLUSION: This case report may shed some light on astigmatism-correcting steep-axis incisions in cataract surgeries.

Genomic structure, expression, and functional characterization of the Fem-1 gene family in the redclaw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus.

The Fem-1 (Feminization-1) gene, encoding an intracellular protein with conserved ankyrin repeat motifs, has been proven to play a key role in sex differentiation in Caenorhabditis elegans. In the present study, three members of the Fem-1 gene family (designating Fem-1A, Fem-1B, and Fem-1C, respectively) were cloned and characterized in the redclaw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus. Sequence analysis showed that all three Fem-1 genes contained the highly conserved ankyrin repeat motifs with variant repeat numbers, which shared similarity with other reported crustaceans. In addition, a phylogenetic tree revealed that the Fem-1 proteins from C. quadricarinatus were clustered with the crustacean Fem-1 homologs, and had the closest evolutionary relationship with Eriocheir sinensis. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results demonstrated that Fem-1B exhibited a significant higher expression abundance in the ovary than in other tissues. In addition, a regular mRNA expression pattern of the Fem-1B gene appeared in the reproductive cycle of ovarian development. Furthermore, RNA interference experiments were employed to investigate the role of Fem-1B in ovarian development. Moreover, knockdown of Fem-1B by RNAi decreased the expression of VTG in the ovaries and hepatopancreas. In summary, this study pointed out that Fem-1B was involved in the sex differentiation process through regulating VTG expression in C. quadricarinatus, and provided new insights into the role of Fem-1B in ovary development.

Investigation of a multiresistance gene cfr that fails to mediate resistance to phenicols and oxazolidinones in Enterococcus faecalis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the basis of susceptibility to phenicols and oxazolidinones of the porcine Enterococcus faecalis CPPF5 despite the presence of the multiresistance gene cfr. METHODS: Southern blotting, conjugation and transformation analyses were conducted to confirm the plasmid location and transferability of cfr in CPPF5. The genetic environment of cfr was determined by sequence analysis. Transcription and translation of cfr were examined by RT-PCR and western blotting, respectively, and modifications at A2503 within the 23S rRNA sequence were identified by primer extension. RESULTS: Electrotransformation and Southern blotting indicated that CPPF5 and its transformant 5B2-3 contained two cfr-carrying plasmids ∼ 50 and ∼ 12 kb in size. The complete 12,270 bp sequence of the smaller plasmid, pCPPF5, was determined and shared 99.9% (12,269/12,270 bp) identity with the corresponding region of the cfr-carrying plasmid pEF-01 in E. faecalis of cattle origin. Moreover, the genetic environment of cfr in the ∼ 50 kb plasmid was the same as that in pCPPF5 according to sequencing results. Although cfr mRNA, Cfr protein and a modification at the A2503 site were detected, the cfr-carrying transformant 5B2-3 did not have elevated MICs of chloramphenicol, florfenicol and linezolid, indicating that cfr fails to mediate resistance to the respective antibiotics in E. faecalis. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of the cfr gene failing to elevate MICs of the corresponding antibiotics. Although the genetic basis for the apparent 'no resistance' phenotype remains to be determined, this finding may have implications for surveillance studies that target the cfr gene.