Differences in choroidal responses to near work between myopic children and young adults.

BACKGROUND: Near work is generally considered as a risk factor for myopia onset and progression. This study aimed to investigate the choroidal responses to a brief-period of near work in children and young adults. METHODS: Thirty myopic medical students (aged 18-28 years) and 30 myopic children (aged 8-12 years) participated in this study. The submacular total choroidal area (TCA), luminal area (LA), stromal area (SA), choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and choriocapillaris flow deficit (CcFD), as well as subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) were measured with swept-source optical coherence tomography/optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCT/OCTA) before and immediately after 20 min, 40 min, 60 min of near work at a distance of 33 cm. RESULTS: In adults, 20 min of near work induced a significant reduction in SFCT (- 5.1 ± 6.5 µm), LA [(- 19.2 ± 18.6) × 103 µm2], SA [(- 8.2 ± 12.6) × 103 µm2] and TCA [(- 27.4 ± 24.9) × 103 µm2] (all P < 0.01). After 40 min of near work, LA was still reduced [(- 9.4 ± 18.3) × 103 µm2], accompanied with a decreased CVI (- 0.39% ± 0.70%) and an increased CcFD (0.30% ± 0.78%) (all P < 0.05). After 60 min of near work, CVI was still reduced (- 0.28% ± 0.59%), and CcFD was still increased (0.37% ± 0.75%) (all P < 0.05). In children, 20 min of near work induced a significant increase in CcFD (0.55% ± 0.64%), while 60 min of near work induced increases in SA [(7.2 ± 13.0) × 103 µm2] and TCA [(9.7 ± 25.3) × 103 µm2] and a reduction in CVI (- 0.28% ± 0.72%) (all P < 0.05). Children exhibited lower near work-induced LA and TCA reduction than adults, with a mean difference of - 0.86% and - 0.82%, respectively (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The temporal characteristics and magnitude of changes of choroidal vascularity and choriocapillaris perfusion during near work was not identical between children and adults. The initial response to near work was observed in choriocapillaris in children, whereas it was observed in the medium- and large-sized vessels in adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR), ChiCTR2000040205. Registered on 25 November 2020, https://www.chictr.org.cn/bin/project/edit?pid=64501 .

Augmentation of scleral glycolysis promotes myopia through histone lactylation.

Myopia is characterized of maladaptive increases in scleral fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transdifferentiation (FMT). Scleral hypoxia is a significant factor contributing to myopia, but how hypoxia induces myopia is poorly understood. Here, we showed that myopia in mice and guinea pigs was associated with hypoxia-induced increases in key glycolytic enzymes expression and lactate levels in the sclera. Promotion of scleral glycolysis or lactate production induced FMT and myopia; conversely, suppression of glycolysis or lactate production eliminated or inhibited FMT and myopia. Mechanistically, increasing scleral glycolysis-lactate levels promoted FMT and myopia via H3K18la, and this promoted Notch1 expression. Genetic analyses identified a significant enrichment of two genes encoding glycolytic enzymes, ENO2 and TPI1. Moreover, increasing sugar intake in guinea pigs not only induced myopia but also enhanced the response to myopia induction via the scleral glycolysis-lactate-histone lactylation pathway. Collectively, we suggest that scleral glycolysis contributes to myopia by promoting FMT via lactate-induced histone lactylation.

Learning technology for detection and grading of cancer tissue using tumour ultrasound images1.

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of breast cancer is crucial to perform effective therapy. Many medical imaging modalities including MRI, CT, and ultrasound are used to diagnose cancer. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate feasibility of applying transfer learning techniques to train convoluted neural networks (CNNs) to automatically diagnose breast cancer via ultrasound images. METHODS: Transfer learning techniques helped CNNs recognise breast cancer in ultrasound images. Each model's training and validation accuracies were assessed using the ultrasound image dataset. Ultrasound images educated and tested the models. RESULTS: MobileNet had the greatest accuracy during training and DenseNet121 during validation. Transfer learning algorithms can detect breast cancer in ultrasound images. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results, transfer learning models may be useful for automated breast cancer diagnosis in ultrasound images. However, only a trained medical professional should diagnose cancer, and computational approaches should only be used to help make quick decisions.

Fufang Fanshiliu Decoction Revealed the Antidiabetic Effect through Modulating Inflammatory Response and Gut Microbiota Composition.

Background: Diabetes mellitus brings serious threats and financial burdens to human beings worldwide. Fufang Fanshiliu decoction (FFSLD), a traditional Chinese medicine formula showing great antidiabetic effects, has been used in clinics for many years. Objective: This study aims to explore the underlying therapeutic mechanisms of FFSLD in Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats induced by high-fat diet feeding combined with streptozotocin injection were used to establish the T2DM model. All rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: control, model, metformin, high dosage, middle dosage, and low dosage of FFSLD. After 4 weeks of treatment, serum, intestinal mucosa, and fecal samples were collected for further analysis. ELISA was used to detect the diabetic-related serum indicators and proinflammation cytokines. Gene or protein expressions of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1ß), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in intestinal mucosa were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or western blot. 16s rRNA gene sequencing was used to detect the changes of gut microbiome in these groups. Intestinal gut microbiota (GM) composition was further analyzed according to the sequencing libraries. Results: FFSLD effectively recovered the diabetic-related biochemical indexes by reducing fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), insulin, and increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Furthermore, FFSLD significantly ameliorated the abnormal levels of proinflammation cytokines including IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-ß. In addition, the GM compositions of rats in control, model, and FFSLD treated groups were different. FFSLD significantly increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Akkermansia, and Proteus, and reduced the relative abundance of Alistipes, Desulfovibrio, and Helicobacter. Moreover, these changed bacteria were closely related to the diabetic-related serum indicators and proinflammatory cytokines. Conclusion: These results suggest that FFSLD alleviates diabetic symptoms in T2DM rats through regulating GM composition and inhibiting inflammatory response, which clarify the therapeutic mechanism of FFSLD on T2DM and provide a theoretical basis for its further clinical application.

Alleviation of Fufang Fanshiliu decoction on type II diabetes mellitus by reducing insulin resistance: A comprehensive network prediction and experimental validation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Fufang Fanshiliu decoction (FFSLD) is a Chinese herbal medicine prescription that has been used in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), while the underlying mechanism remains unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: To validate the efficacy and explore the potential mechanisms of FFSLD in treating T2DM via integrating a network pharmacological approach and experimental evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: T2DM mice model induced by high-fat diet feeding combined with streptozotocin injection was selected to investigate the alleviation of FFSLD against T2DM, via detecting the levels of glucose, insulin, glucagon (GC), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Network pharmacological analysis was used to predict the potential mechanisms, including the pharmacokinetics and drug-likeness screening, active ingredients and potential targets prediction, network analysis, and enrichment analysis. The candidate bioactive molecules of FFSLD, and targets information excavated through TCMSP, Uniprot, GeneCards, OMIM databases, were combined for comprehensive analysis by constructing "drug-compound-target-disease" and "protein-protein interaction" networks. Enrichment analysis was performed via Gene Ontology (GO) and Koto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. HepG2 insulin-resistance (IR) cells model induced by high glucose was used to verify the potential mechanisms of FFSLD against T2DM which were predicted by the network pharmacology. RESULTS: The animal study showed that FFSLD significantly decreased the blood glucose, and reversed the abnormal levels of insulin, GC, TG, TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C in T2DM mice. Network pharmacological analysis indicated that 106 active compounds of FFSLD might be correlated with 628 targets in treating T2DM, and the mechanism would probably be related to insulin resistance that harbored a high response value (P = 5.88844 E-33) though regulating Akt1, ESR1, oxidoreductase activity, and JAK/STAT signalings. Experimental validation showed that FFSLD reduced the ROS level, up-regulated the expressions of p-AKT, Nrf-2, and ESR1, and down-regulated the expressions of JAK2, STAT3, and Keap-1 in the HepG2-IR cells model. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the therapeutic effect of FFSLD on T2DM was related to IR alleviation. The underlying mechanisms were associated with the regulation of PI3K/AKT, JAK/STAT, oxidative stress, and ESR signaling pathways.

Financial toxicity in patients with lung cancer: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer has the second-ranked morbidity rate and the first-ranked mortality rate worldwide. With the progression of the cancer condition and the advancement of new treatments, the corresponding medical expenses have risen sharply. Nowadays, financial toxicity has become one of the most common concerns in patients with cancer. However, by far, the full landscape of studies on financial toxicity is unclear in patients with lung cancer. Thus, this scoping review aims to summarise the degree, affecting factors, outcomes and intervention strategies of financial toxicity in patients with lung cancer. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This scoping review will be developed following the methodology described in the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis on scoping review protocol, which was based on Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework, Levac et al's recommendations for applying this framework and Peters et al's enhancements of the framework. From the day of database building to 31 December 2021, 10 English databases will be searched in the 'Abstract' field with three key search terms: "Lung", "Cancer" and "Financial toxicity". The studies' screening and data extraction will be independently performed by two reviewers (MZ and RZ). Any disagreements between the two reviewers (MZ and RZ) will be resolved by consensus, and a third reviewer (BW) will be invited if necessary. The results will be analysed and presented using tables and figures. This scoping review will be reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: An ethical approval is not required for this scoping review protocol, nor for the scoping review. The results of this scoping review will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal or presentation at conferences. REGISTRATION: This scoping review protocol has been registered in the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/ub45n/?view_only=bb93eb94e1434a0f8196b3b61cffcec2).

Interfacial Assembly and Jamming of Polyelectrolyte Surfactants: A Simple Route To Print Liquids in Low-Viscosity Solution.

Nanoparticle surfactants (NPSs) assembled at the oil-water interface can significantly lower the interfacial tension and be used to structure liquids. However, to realize the three-dimensional printing of one liquid in another, high-viscosity liquids, for example, silicone oil, have been generally used. Here, we present a simple, low-cost approach to print water in low-viscosity toluene by using a new type of polyelectrolyte surfactant, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose surfactant (CMCS), that forms and assembles at the oil-water interface. The interfacial activity of CMCSs can be enhanced by tuning parameters, such as pH and concentration, and the incorporation of a rigid ligand affords excellent mechanical strength to the resultant assemblies. With CMCS jammed at the interface, liquids can be easily printed or molded to the desired shapes, with biocompatible walls that can be used to encapsulate and adsorb active materials. This study opens a new pathway to generate complex, all-liquid devices with a myriad of potential applications in biology, catalysis, and chemical separation.

Glucocorticoid receptor inhibit the activity of NF-κB through p38 signaling pathway in spinal cord in the spared nerve injury rats.

AIMS: The glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) are an active regulator in inflammatory responses. The inflammatory reaction plays an important role in neuropathic pain, but the underlying mechanisms that GR regulates the inflammatory responses in neuropathic pain are still unknown. The activation of GRs has been shown to participate in the p38MAPK-mediated suppression of transcription activation. An unanswered question is whether GRs take part in inflammatory responses in neuropathic pain through p38MAPK signaling pathway. MAIN METHODS: The spared nerve injury (SNI) in rats was used as a model of neuropathic pain. Pain sensitivity was tested by von Frey filaments. The expression of GR, p-p38 and NF-κB were detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence. Elisa was used to examine the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α. KEY FINDINGS: Nerve injury led to p38 activation and GR expression decline in spinal cord of SNI rats. Intrathecal injection of the p38MAPK antagonist SB203580 activated GR and decreased NF-κB, resulting in pain relief since 3 days post-operation in SNI rats. Moreover, Intrathecal injection of the GR antagonist RU38486 counteracted the effect of SB203580 on NF-κB expression along with the release of IL-6 and TNF-α. On the contrary, activation of the GR by intrathecal administration of dexamethasone, a GR agonist, inhibited the expression of NF-κB and the release of IL-6 and TNF-α, resulting in pain relief. SIGNIFICANCE: Activation of p38MAPK in spinal cord could downregulate the GR expression and thereby activate NF-κB, thus promoting the release of IL-6 and TNF-α and participating in the development of neuropathic pain.