Natural History and Risk Factors for Glaucoma Progression in Chinese Patients With Normal-Tension Glaucoma.

Purpose: To characterize the natural history of normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) in Chinese patients. Methods: The prospective observational cohort study included patients with untreated NTG with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Functional progression was defined by visual field (VF) deterioration, while structural progression was characterized by thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) or ganglion cell inner plexiform layer (GCIPL). Results: Among 84 participants (mean age, 60.5 years; mean deviation, -5.01 decibels [dB]) with newly diagnosed NTG followed for an average of 69.7 months, 63.1% progressed during the observation period. Specifically, 29.8% progressed by VF, and 48.8% progressed by either RNFL or GCIPL. In Cox proportional hazards analysis, disc hemorrhage (hazard ratio [HR], 2.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48-5.35), female gender (HR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.08-3.62), and mean IOP during the follow-up period (HR, 1.14 per mm Hg; 95% CI, 1.00-1.31) were significant predictors of glaucomatous progression. Additionally, longer axial length (AL; HR, 0.57 per millimeter; 95% CI, 0.35-0.94) was protective against VF progression faster than -0.50 dB/y, and higher minimum diastolic blood pressure (DBP; HR, 0.96 per mm Hg; 95% CI, 0.92-1.00) was protective against structural progression. Conclusions: Nearly two-thirds of untreated Chinese patients with NTG progressed over an average follow-up of 70 months by VF, RNFL, or GCIPL. Disc hemorrhage, female gender, higher mean IOP, shorter AL, and lower minimum DBP were significant predictors for disease progression.

Progressive peripapillary capillary vessel density loss and long-term visual field progression in Normal tension glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To explore the association between progressive peripapillary capillary vessel density (pcVD) reduction and the progression of visual field (VF) impairment in individuals with normal tension glaucoma (NTG). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: The study enrolled 110 participants with one eye each, totalling 110 NTG eyes. VF defects were evaluated using standard automated perimetry mean deviation (MD), while pcVD measurements were obtained using optical coherence tomography angiography throughout the follow-up period. Estimates of VF progression were determined by event-based and trend-based analyses. Fast VF progression was defined as an MD slope steeper than -0.5 dB/year, while the slow progression or stable VF was defined as an MD slope better or equal to -0.25 dB/year. Linear mixed-effects models were employed to analyse the rates of change in pcVD reduction and VF MD decline over time. Additionally, univariable and multivariable linear models were used to examine the relationship between pcVD changes and VF loss rates in NTG. RESULTS: Slow VF progression or stable VF was observed in 45% of subjects, while 25% had moderate progression and 30% showed fast progression. Patients with VF progression exhibited faster rate of pcVD reduction in peripapillary global region (-0.73 ± 0.40%/year vs. -0.56 ± 0.35%/year, p = 0.022). Moreover, this rate positively correlated with VF MD decline in NTG (estimate 0.278, 95% CI 0.122-0.433, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: In individuals with NTG, faster VF progression was linked to a quicker reduction in pcVD, suggesting a positive correlation between pcVD decline and VF deterioration.

Impact of primary glaucoma on health-related quality of life in China: the handan eye study.

BACKGROUND: We assessed health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and its determinants among rural glaucoma participants compared to age-matched normal controls in the population-based Handan Eye Study (HES), in rural Yongnian County, northern China. METHODS: We enrolled 99 adults with glaucoma (mean age 63.0 ± 11.0 years), including primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG, n = 67) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG, n = 32) and 102 controls (mean age 58.5 ± 5.3 years) with normal visual acuity and visual field and no history of glaucoma. Results of ophthalmic examinations and socioeconomic data were recorded. HRQOL was measured using the EQ-5D (converted to utility valves, UVs), and visual function (VF) and vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) were evaluated using the visual function-quality of life (VF-QOL) instrument. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: EQ-5D and VF-QOL scores. RESULTS: The mean UVs, VF, and VRQOL scores for glaucoma cases were 0.98 ± 0.04, 87.9 ± 15.2, and 95.5 ± 12.8, respectively, significantly worse than VF (94.4 ± 4.4) and VRQOL (100.0 ± 0.0) among controls, even after adjusting for age, gender, educational level, and family income (P = 0.015, P = 0.033). UVs were significantly lower among glaucoma participants with impaired VRQOL (55.4 ± 11.5) compared to those with normal VRQOL scores (99.1 ± 2.8) (UVs: 0.92 ± 0.08 vs. 0.99 ± 0.03, P = 0.036), also after adjustment for age and family income (P = 0.006). Participants with PACG had significantly lower VF and VRQOL scores compared to POAG (77.8 ± 21.4 vs. 92.9 ± 6.8, P < 0.001; 89.0 ± 18.1 vs. 98.7 ± 7.5, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Participants with glaucoma have worse visual function and related quality of life compared to age-matched normal population controls. Participants with PACG have lower VF and VRQOL compared to those with POAG. UVs can be used for cost-effectiveness research and to support public health strategies for glaucoma in rural China.

The correlation between modifications to corneal topography and changes in retinal vascular density and retinal thickness in myopic children after undergoing orthokeratology.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship among changes in corneal topography, retinal vascular density, and retinal thickness in myopic children who underwent orthokeratology for 3 months. Method: Thirty children with myopia wore orthokeratology lenses for 3 months. Using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), the retina was imaged as 6 × 6 mm en-face images at baseline and 3 months after orthokeratology. Cornea data was acquired by topography and analyzed by customer MATLAB software. The cornea was divided into 3 zones and 9 sectors. The relative corneal refractive power shift (RCRPS) was used in this study. Changes in retinal vascular density (RVDC) and retinal thickness change (RTC) were associated with RCRPS by using spearman test. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Result: A significant correlation was observed between the RVDC and the RCRPS in many regions (the r was 0.375 ~ 0.548, all p value <0.05). Significant positive correlations were found between RVDC in inner and outer temple regions with RCRPS at inner and outer nasal sectors. There were no significant correlations between RTC and RCRPS in other sectors except in the central cornea and the outer nasal retina (r:0.501, p:0.006). At baseline and 3 months after wearing the orthokeratology lens, no significant differences in the retinal microvasculature or thickness (p > 0.05) were observed at any regions. Conclusion: The correlation between the cornea and the retina was observed after orthokeratology. Cornea changes may affect regional retinal responses accordingly，which may explain how orthokeratology delays myopia progression partially.

Choroidal vasculature act as predictive biomarkers of long-term ocular elongation in myopic children treated with orthokeratology: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Despite receiving orthokeratology (ortho-k), the efficacy of retarding ocular elongation during myopia varies among myopic children. The current study aimed to investigate the early changes of choroidal vasculature at one month after ortho-k treatment and its association with one-year ocular elongation, as well as the role of such choroidal responses in predicting the one-year control efficacy of ortho-k treatment. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted in myopic children treated with ortho-k. Myopic children aged between 8 and 12 years who were willing to wear ortho-k lenses were recruited consecutively from the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. Subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), submacular total choroidal luminal area (LA), stromal area (SA), choroidal vascularity index (CVI), choriocapillaris flow deficit (CcFD) were evaluated by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography over a one-year period. RESULTS: Fifty eyes from 50 participants (24 males) who finished one-year follow-ups as scheduled were included, with a mean age of 10.31 ± 1.45 years. The one-year ocular elongation was 0.19 ± 0.17 mm. The LA (0.03 ± 0.07 mm2), SA (0.02 ± 0.05 mm2) increased proportionally after one-month of ortho-k wear (both P < 0.01), as did the SFCT (10.62 ± 19.98 µm, P < 0.001). Multivariable linear regression analyses showed that baseline CVI (ß = - 0.023 mm/1%, 95% CI: - 0.036 to - 0.010), one-month LA change (ß = - 0.009 mm/0.01 mm2, 95% CI: - 0.014 to - 0.003), one-month SFCT change (ß = - 0.035 mm/10 µm, 95% CI: - 0.053 to - 0.017) were independently associated with one-year ocular elongation during ortho-k treatment after adjusting with age and sex (all P < 0.01). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of prediction model including baseline CVI, one-month SFCT change, age, and sex achieved 0.872 (95% CI: 0.771 to 0.973) for discriminating children with slow or fast ocular elongation. CONCLUSIONS: Choroidal vasculature is associated with ocular elongation during ortho-k treatment. Ortho-k treatment induces increases in choroidal vascularity and choroidal thickness as early as one month. Such early changes can act as predictive biomarkers of myopia control efficacy over a long term. The utilization of these biomarkers may help clinicians identify children who can benefit from ortho-k treatment, and thus has critical implications for the management strategies towards myopia control.

A comparative study on two methods of ocular surface microbial sampling.

PURPOSE: To compare the effect of traditional conjunctival sac swab sampling (A) with aerosolization ocular surface microorganism sampling (B),a novel microbial sampling method, in detecting ocular microbial infection. METHODS: The study included 61 participants (122 eyes) enrolled at the Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University from December, 2021 to March, 2023. Each eye of the participants underwent sampling first with method A then B.Before aerosolization sampling, the air environment was disinfected and sampled as blank air control sample. Subsequently, the air pulses impinging the ocular surface causes dehiscence of the tear film covering the ocular surface and aerosols are formed.The microorganisms from the ocular surface attach to the aerosols generated as aerosolization ocular surface microorganism and be sampled as subject sample by bio-aerosol sampler.The samples were collected and incubated at 25℃ for 3-5 days and 37℃ for 24-48 h.The colonies were counted and identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The accuracy in Group B was higher than that in Group A (45.8% vs. 38.3%, P = 0.289). There was a slight level of agreement between the results from both the sampling methods (k = 0.031, P = 0.730). The sensitivity in Group B was higher than that in Group A (57.1% vs. 35.7%, P = 0.453). The specificity results in Group B was higher than that in Group A (44.3% vs. 38.7%, P = 0.480). There were 12 and 37 types of microbes detected in Groups A and B, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with traditional swab sampling, the novel aerosolization sampling method shows higher accuracy and more comprehensive detection of microbes; however, it cannot completely replace swab sampling. The novel method can be a novel conducive strategy and supplement swab sampling to auxiliary diagnose ocular surface infection.

Decreased macular deep capillary plexus is associated with functional progression of normal tension glaucoma patients with unilateral visual field loss.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) metrics of the superficial/deep macular retina are associated with the development of visual field (VF) loss in the fellow eyes of normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients with unilateral VF loss. METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted in which 61 eyes with normal VF (mean VF mean deviation -0.7±1.6 dB) from 61 NTG patients were included. All subjects underwent OCTA imaging, spectral-domain-OCT imaging and VF testing. OCTA metrics of superficial capillary plexus and deep capillary plexus (DCP) in the macular region were measured. Relationships between baseline OCTA metrics, demographics and ocular characteristics and the risk of VF glaucoma progression were analysed with a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 38 months, 11 fellow eyes (18.0%) with normal VF at baseline were determined to have VF progression, while 21.3% of affected eyes had VF progression. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, decreased baseline DCP in the fellow eyes was significantly associated with future VF progression (HR 1.33, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.73, p=0.031). CONCLUSION: Decreased DCP was associated with a higher risk of developing VF damage in NTG patients with unilateral VF loss. Assessments of DCP may help improve the evaluation of the risk of functional deterioration in fellow eyes with an initially normal VF.

Prevalence and Ocular Biometric Characteristics of Myopia in Primary Angle Closure Disease in Rural China: The Handan Eye Study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of myopia among patients with primary angle closure disease (PACD) in rural China and their ocular biometric characteristics. Methods: Study subjects were recruited from the Handan Eye Study. A/B-mode scan (Cine Scan, Quantel Medical, Cedex, France) was used to measure the axial length, anterior chamber depth (ACD), and lens thickness (LT). PACD was defined as the anterior chamber angle being considered closed when 180 degrees or more of the posterior pigmented trabecular meshwork were not visible on the gonioscopy. Myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent (SE) refractive error ≤-0.5 diopter (D). Persons who did not meet PACD definition were classified as the open-angle (OA) group. Results: The overall prevalence of myopia in persons with PACD was 13.7% (11.6% in primary angle closure suspect [PACS], 21.6% in primary angle closure [PAC], 62.5% in primary angle closure glaucoma [PACG]). The age-specific prevalence of myopia in PACD eyes was 41.7% at 30 to 39 years old, 12.3% at 40 to 49 years old, 8.7% at 50 to 59 years old, 10.7% at 60 to 69 years old, and 31.7% at age 70 years and over. PACD had shorter AL (22.2 ± 0.8 vs. 22.9 ± 0.9 mm, P < 0.001), shallower ACD (2.3 ± 0.3 vs. 2.8 ± 0.4 mm, P < 0.001), and greater LT (5.0 ± 0.5 vs. 4.7 ± 0.5 mm, P < 0.001). PACD had even thicker lenses and deeper ACD with age than those with OA (all P ≤ 0.025) from 30 years to 70 years of age and over. Conclusions: Myopia was common among persons with PACD who were less than 40 years of age in this rural Chinese population, and over half of those with PACG were myopic.

Pulmonary Nodule Clinical Trial Data Collection and Intelligent Differential Diagnosis for Medical Internet of Things.

In this paper, the medical Internet of things (IoT) is used to pool data from clinical trials of pulmonary nodules, and on this basis, intelligent differential diagnosis techniques are investigated. A filtered orthogonal frequency division multiplexing model based on polarisation coding is proposed, where the input data are fed to a modulator after polarisation cascade coding, and the system performance is analysed under a medical Internet of things modulated additive Gaussian white noise channel. The above polarisation-coded filtered orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system components are applied to electroencephalogram (EEG) signal transmission, to which a threshold compression module and a vector reconstruction module are added to address the system power burden associated with the acquisition and transmission of large amounts of real-time EEG data in the medical IoT. In the threshold compression module, the inherent characteristics of EEG signals are analysed, and the generated EEG data are decomposed into multiple symbolic streams and compressed by applying different thresholds to improve the compression ratio while ensuring the quality of service of the application. A deep neural network-based approach is proposed for the detection and diagnosis of lung nodules. Automatic identification and measurement of simulated lung nodules and the corresponding volumes of nodules in images under different conditions are applied. The sensitivity of each AIADS in identifying lung nodules under different convolution kernel conditions, false positives (FP), false negatives (FN), relative volume errors (RVE), the miss detection rate (MDR) for different types of lung nodules, and the performance of each system in predicting the four types of nodules are calculated. In this paper, an interpretable multibranch feature convolutional neural network model is proposed for the diagnosis of benign and malignant lung nodules. It is demonstrated that the proposed model not only yields interpretable lung nodule classification results but also achieves better lung nodule classification performance with an accuracy rate of 97.8%.

miR-498/DNMT3b Axis Mediates Resistance to Radiotherapy in Esophageal Cancer Cells.

Objective: To explore the role of miR-498 in the radiotherapy resistance of esophageal cancer (EC) and its underlying mechanism. Methods: In vivo models of EC tissues with radioresistance or radiosensitivity were isolated from 72 EC patients who received radiotherapy. In vitro models were established after irradiation of KYSE30 cells. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were employed to measure the expression levels of miR-498 and DNMT3b in EC cells sensitive or resistant to irradiation. Then, protein expression of DNMT3b was verified by immunohistochemistry. The cell viability, colony formation rate, and cell apoptotic rate of EC were correspondingly assessed by CCK-8, colony formation assay, and Annexin V/PI (propidium iodide) double staining. Western blot was utilized to perform the expression levels of PI3K, p-PI3K, AKT, and p-AKT in EC cell lines after irradiation. Results: Highly expressed DNMT3b and lowly expressed miR-498 were found in EC tissues. EC tissues with radiosensitivity had higher miR-498 level and lower DNMT3b expression than EC tissues with radioresistance. Overexpression of miR-498 or knockdown of DNMT3b enhanced the radiosensitivity of EC cells. DNMT3b was a target gene of miR-498. DNMT3b diminished the radiosensitization of miR-498 in EC cells. Conclusions: MiR-498 enhances the sensitivity of EC cells to radiation by DNMT3b inhibition, and exerts biological functions by inactivating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Choroidal blood perfusion as a potential "rapid predictive index" for myopia development and progression.

Myopia is the leading cause of visual impairment worldwide. The lack of a "rapid predictive index" for myopia development and progression hinders the clinic management and prevention of myopia. This article reviews the studies describing changes that occur in the choroid during myopia development and proposes that it is possible to detect myopia development at an earlier stage than is currently possible in a clinical setting using choroidal blood perfusion as a "rapid predictive index" of myopia.

Transcription factor YY1 enhances the stemness of lung cancer cells by stabilizing hypoxia factor HIF-1α under a hypoxic microenvironment.

The hypoxic microenvironment can facilitate the tumor progression, and transcription factor YY1 holds promoting effects in various tumors. This work aims to investigate whether YY1 is involved in hypoxia-induced stemness of lung cancer cells. We showed that hypoxic microenvironment induced the expression of HIF-1α and YY1, and the stemness of lung cancer cells, which was attenuated by YY1 knockdown. Additionally, we found that YY1 regulates the hypoxia-induced stemness in a HIF-1α-dependent manner, but independent on p53 expression. Further analysis revealed that YY1 physically interacted with HIF-1α protein and stabilized HIF-1α protein. Our work indicates a novel YY1/HIF-1α axis regulating the stemness of lung cancer cells.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to seeking medical eyecare services by adults with moderate-to-severe visual impairment in rural Yueqing, Wenzhou, China: a cross-sectional survey.

AIM: To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding eye-care seeking practices of visually impaired adults in a rural area Yueqing, and explore factors influencing their behavior. METHODS: A stratified sampling method was used to select 48 villages in Yueqing, from which 2400 people were selected to receive vision screenings conducted by oculists during a household visit. Those presenting visual acuity ≥0.5 logMAR in either eye completed a self-designed questionnaire investigating their knowledge about medical eye-care seeking, attitudes about eye health and eye-care-seeking behavior. RESULTS: Totally 165 people with moderate-to-severe visual impairment were identified (6.9%, 165/2400), and 146 eligible participants were recruited (response rate: 88.4%, mean age: 68.6±15.0y), among which 88 (60.3%) were female. They had 82 (56.2%) and 64 (43.8%) monocular and binocular visual impairments respectively. A total of 67 (45.9%) subjects demonstrated a high knowledge level about medical eye-care seeking and 88 (60.3%) had self-rated poor vision, with 23 (15%) receiving regular vision checks. The 105 (71.9%) subjects had never been to hospital for an eye examination. "No need" and "schedule conflicts" were the main reasons for not seeking eye care. Having extensive knowledge of medical eye-care seeking was positively associated with high education levels (OR=3.73, P=0.045) and negatively correlated with older age (OR=0.97, P=0.043). Both the self-perceived vision condition (OR=2.59, P=0.03) and regular vision check behavior (OR=6.50, P<0.01) were related with seeking eye care services. CONCLUSION: In rural Yueqing, intervention is required to increase public knowledge about seeking medical eye care among people with moderate-to-severe visual impairment, especially for the elderly and poorly education. Regular vision checks may be useful to promote their medical eye-care utilization.

Validity and feasibility of a self-administered home vision examination in Yueqing, China: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the validity and feasibility of a self-administered home vision examination programme in China. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Yueqing, China. PARTICIPANTS: A two-stage convenience sampling procedure was used to randomly select 600 households from 30 communities participating in the Yueqing Eye Study (YES). The aim of YES is to encourage home-based vision screening, reporting of visual acuity (VA) annually through social media and encouraging people to attend follow-up clinic appointments as a way to improve eye care access for adults with VA ≤+0.5 log of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR). INTERVENTIONS: Household screeners (one per household) who tested other family members' VA completed a questionnaire on family structure, demographic information and knowledge about screening procedures. Other family members then underwent confirmatory VA testing by researchers. OUTCOME MEASURES: The completion rate of home-based VA screening, its sensitivity and specificity were used to evaluate validity. Factors that determined whether families participated in the self-VA screening were used to evaluate feasibility. RESULTS: 345 (66%) of the 523 (87.2%) households with valid data form their home-based vision examinations also were retested by researchers. There was no statistically significant difference in scores on the family-administerd or researcher-administerd VA test (VA≤+0.5 logMAR, p=0.607; VA >+0.5 logMAR, p=0.612). The sensitivity and specificity of home-based vision screening were 80.5% (95% CI 70.2% to 86.9%) and 95.1% (95% CI 92.6% to 96.8%), respectively. 14.7% (77/523) of tested respondents had VA ≤+0.5 logMAR. Predictors of performing home screening for VA remaining in regression models included higher economic status ('fair and above' vs 'poor': OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.08 to 2.76; p=0.022), age (<45 years vs ≥45 years: OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.25 to 0.85; p=0.014) and living in a nuclear (OR 5.17; 95% CI 2.86 to 9.36; p<0.001) or extended family (OR 8.37; 95% CI 4.93 to 14.20; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Self-administered home vision screening is reliable and highly accepted by Chinese adults.

Characterization of Soft Contact Lens Edge Fitting during Daily Wear Using Ultrahigh-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography.

PURPOSE: To determine conjunctival overlap over the edge of soft contact lens and to visualize the peripheral postlens tear film (PoLTF) underneath soft contact lenses using ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT). METHODS: Twenty participants (4 males and 16 females, 23.0 ± 3.7 years) were fitted with two different types of soft contact lenses randomly. The limbus with lens was imaged with the UHR-OCT at the horizontal meridian every two hours up to 6 hours during lens wear. The conjunctival overlap was ranked as the percentage of the edge covered by the conjunctiva. The frequency of occurrence for visualized peripheral PoLTF was determined. RESULTS: The average conjunctival overlaps at insertion were 49% and 73% for galyfilcon A and balafilcon A lenses and increased significantly to 84% and 90% by 6 hours of lens wear (P < 0.001). Lenses with rounded edges had more conjunctival overlap than the lenses with angled edges (P=0.014). There were significant decreases for PoLTF on the conjunctiva (P=0.014) and peripheral cornea (P=0.004) over the study period compared to insertion. The percentage of subjects with PoLTF on the conjunctiva (32.5%) and peripheral cornea (36%) were greater in subjects wearing balafilcon A lenses (P=0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Increased conjunctival overlap over the lens edges and reduced PoLTF underneath the peripheral region of soft contact lenses were shown during lens daily wear. The lens edge configuration may play a role in conjunctival response and peripheral PoLTF.

Parental absence predicts suicide ideation through emotional disorders.

The objectives of the study were to investigate the association between the parental absence and suicide ideation and to examine the roles of emotional disorders in the aforementioned relationship. Four thousand five hundred and thirteen children from rural areas in Jiangsu Province, China, participated in the study. Among the participants, 2416 were non-left-behind children (children living with both parents) and 1997 were left-behind children (children living with the absence of at least one parent). All participants responded to the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children, the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, and a question regarding respondents' suicide ideation. Results indicated that as compared with non-left-behind children, the left-behind children with both-parents absence were statistically more likely to show suicide ideation. Furthermore, all the three types parental absence-father absence, mother absence, and both-parents absence were significantly associated with negative emotional outcomes. Moreover, depression, social anxiety, and physical anxiety were shown to be significant mediators in the relationship of parental absence and suicide ideation of children. The stress of parental absence and its negative impact on children's mental health are discussed.

miR-192-5p mediates hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyocytes via targeting of FABP3.

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-192-5p in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. H9c2 cardiomyocytes were subjected to H/R and tested for miR-192-5p expression. Overexpression and knockdown experiments were performed to determine the effects of manipulating miR-192-5p on apoptotic responses. H/R-treated H9c2 cells exhibited a 2.2-fold increase in miR-192-5p levels. Overexpression of miR-192-5p significantly augmented apoptosis in H9c2 cells after H/R, which was accompanied by a significant increase in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. In contrast, delivery of anti-miR-192-5p inhibitors significantly reduced apoptosis induced by H/R. FABP3 was identified to be a functional target of miR-192-5p. Restoration of FABP3 prevented apoptosis in miR-192-5p-transfected H9c2 cells, whereas downregulation of FABP3 enhanced apoptosis in H/R-exposed H9c2 cells. In conclusion, miR-192-5p mediates H/R-induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes by targeting FABP3 and represents a potential target for prevention of myocardial I/R injury.

Inhibiting PI3K-AKt signaling pathway is involved in antitumor effects of ginsenoside Rg3 in lung cancer cell.

Lung cancer is recognized as the most prevalent type of cancer with high death rate. Ginsenoside Rg3 isolated from Traditional Chinese Medicine Panax Ginseng has significant anticancer effects on many tumors. In this study, the effects of ginsenoside Rg3 on cells viability, apoptosis and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in lung cancer cells were investigated in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, the viability of lung cancer cell lines A549，H23 was examined by CCK-8 kits; The proportion of cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. The expression of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt was evaluated with Western blot. In vivo, A549，H23 cells were subcutaneously injected into the nude mice. Histopathological analysis was stained with HE, and TUNEL assay was used to detect cell apoptosis. The results showed that Rg3 obviously inhibited cell viability, induced apoptosis and inhibited PI3K/Akt signalling pathway on A549, H23 cells in vitro and in vivo. Rg3 effectively inhibited the volume and weight of tumor in xenografts model, which may be related with inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling pathways.

High Expression of PTGR1 Promotes NSCLC Cell Growth via Positive Regulation of Cyclin-Dependent Protein Kinase Complex.

Lung cancer has been the most common cancer and the main cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide for several decades. PTGR1 (prostaglandin reductase 1), as a bifunctional enzyme, has been involved in the occurrence and progression of cancer. However, its impact on human lung cancer is rarely reported. In this study, we found that PTGR1 was overexpressed in lung cancer based on the analyses of Oncomine. Moreover, lentivirus-mediated shRNA knockdown of PTGR1 reduced cell viability in human lung carcinoma cells 95D and A549 by MTT and colony formation assay. PTGR1 depletion led to G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and increased the proportion of apoptotic cells in 95D cells by flow cytometry. Furthermore, silencing PTGR1 in 95D cells resulted in decreased levels of cyclin-dependent protein kinase complex (CDK1, CDK2, cyclin A2, and cyclin B1) by western blotting and then PTGR1 is positively correlated with cyclin-dependent protein by using the data mining of the Oncomine database. Therefore, our findings suggest that PTGR1 may play a role in lung carcinogenesis through regulating cell proliferation and is a potential new therapeutic strategy for lung cancer.