[Relationship between Myopia and Light Exposure].

Epidemiological studies found that the incidence of myopia was increasing year by year and the age of onset of myopia was showing a trend of affecting increasingly younger children. Reducing the occurrence of myopia and controlling the increase of myopia diopter have always been the focus of research on the prevention and control of myopia. Large randomized controlled clinical trials have found that outdoor activities can effectively reduce the incidence of myopia and delay the progression of myopia. Basic experiments also revealed that there were certain connections between light exposure and myopia. We herein review the research progress, limitations and future directions of research on light exposure and myopia. From the perspective of light properties, increasing the intensity of light can slow the progression of myopia and reduce the occurrence of experimentally induced myopia. However, the actual mechanism of action is still unclear. The rhythmic changes of light exposure caused by the light/dark cycle may cause abnormalities in the secretion of melatonin and dopamine, and changes in the circadian rhythm of intraocular pressure and choroidal thickness, thus affecting myopia. The red light, with relatively longer wavelength and forming images behind the retina, tends to induce myopia more easily, while the blue light, with medium and short wavelength and forming images before the retina, tends to delay myopia progression. However, different species respond differently to lights of different wavelengths, and the relationship between light wavelength and myopia needs further investigation. Future research can be done to further explore the mechanism of action of how light exposure changes the progression of myopia, including the following aspects: how light changes dopamine levels, causing changes in downstream signal pathways, and thus controlling the growth of the axial length of the eye; how retinal photoreceptor cells receive light signals of different wavelengths in order to adjust the refractive power of the eyes; and how to design artificial lighting of reasonable intensity, composition and properties, and apply the design in myopia prevention and control.

[Fabrication of La-MHTC Composites for Phosphate Removal: Adsorption Behavior and Mechanism].

Lanthanum (La)-based materials have shown great potential for phosphate removal owing to the strong affinity between La and phosphate. In this study, magnetic hydrothermal biochar immobilized La(OH)3 (La-MHTC) were prepared and used as phosphate adsorbents. Hydrochar was produced by the hydrothermal carbonization process (220℃, 2 h). Magnetic La-MHTC with different La-to-Fe mass ratios were synthesized by the co-precipitation method. Subsequently, La-MHTC was applied to remove phosphate from wastewater. Results indicate that La-MHTC (with a La-to-Fe mass ratio of 2:1) exhibited excellent magnetic properties for easy recovery and high phosphate adsorption capacity up to 100.25 mg·g-1. Effective phosphate removal was obtained over a wide pH range of 3-10. The absorption isotherm and kinetics were better fitted by the Langmuir model and the pseudo second-order model, respectively, which showed a fast adsorption rate and exhibited superior La utilization efficiency. The La-MHTC has strong selectivity for phosphate in the presence of coexisting ions (Cl-, NO3-, and SO42-). The adsorption-desorption experiment suggested its excellent stability and cyclic utilization. In addition, La-MHTC was applied to treat real domestic wastewater, efficiently reducing the phosphate concentration (from 0.87 mg·L-1 to 0.05 mg·L-1). Electrostatic attraction and inner-sphere complexation between La(OH)3 and P via ligand exchange were the main mechanisms of phosphate adsorption by La-MHTC.

Decreased expression of gap junction delta-2 (GJD2) messenger RNA and connexin 36 protein in form-deprivation myopia of guinea pigs.

BACKGROUND: More than ten genome-wide association studies have identified the significant association between the gap junction delta-2 (GJD2) gene and myopia. However, no functional studies have been performed to confirm that this gene is correlated with myopia. This study aimed to observe how this gene changed in mRNA and protein level in the form-deprivation myopia (FDM) animal model. METHODS: Four-week-old guinea pigs were randomly divided into two groups: control and FDM groups (n = 12 for each group). The right eyes of the FDM group were covered with opaque hemispherical plastic lenses for 3 weeks. For all the animals, refractive status, axial length (AL), and corneal radius of curvature were measured at baseline and 3 weeks later by streak retinoscope, A-scan ultrasonography, and keratometer, respectively. Retinal GJD2 mRNA expression and connexin 36 (Cx36) levels in FDM and control groups were measured by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analyses, respectively. Those results were compared using independent t test, Mann-Whitney U test, or paired t test. A significance level of P < 0.05 was used. RESULTS: Three weeks later, the FDM group (form-deprived eyes) showed about a myopic shift of approximately -6.75 (-7.94 to -6.31) D, while the control group remained hyperopic with only a shift of -0.50 (-0.75 to 0.25) D (Z = -3.38, P < 0.01). The AL increased by 0.74 (0.61-0.76) and 0.10 (0.05-0.21) mm in FDM and control groups, respectively (Z = -3.37, P < 0.01). The relative mRNA expression of GJD2 in the FDM group decreased 31.58% more than the control group (t = 11.44, P < 0.01). The relative protein expression of CX36 on the retina was lowered by 37.72% in form-deprivation eyes as compared to the controls (t = 17.74, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Both the mRNA expression of GJD2 and Cx36 protein amount were significantly decreased in the retina of FDM guinea pigs. This indicates that Cx36 is involved in FDM development, providing compensating evidence for the results obtained from genome-wide association studies.

[Interaction of both hypertriglyceridemic waist and impaired fasting glucose on the incidence of diabetes mellitus].

OBJECTIVE: To study the use of hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTGW) to predict the occurrence of diabetes. Also to independently study whether there was an interaction between HTGW and impaired fasting glucose impaired fasting glucose (IFG) on the cause of diabetes. METHODS: We undertook a cohort study based on data from the "Prevention of Multiple Metabolic Disorders and Metabolic Syndrome (MS) Study in Jiangsu Province, China". We used the logistic regression model to analyze the relations between both HTGW, IFG and diabetes mellitus and to evaluate the multiplied interaction between HTGW and IFG to include product terms method. Counting additive interaction was carried out under the Excel Calculation Sheet, compiled by Anderson and his colleagues. RESULTS: After adjusted for general risk factors and baseline fasting plasma glucose (FPG), results showed that subjects with HTGW had a 2.10 (95% CI: 1.36 - 3.25) adjusted relative risk (HR) of developing a diabetes when compared with those individuals without HTGW at the baseline study. When IFG was stratified, participants with HTGW were significantly associated with diabetes, regardless of IFG. The multi-adjusted HRs of diabetes were 3.09 (1.70 - 5.61) and 2.09 (1.08 - 4.02), respectively. Compared to the participants with non-HTGW and their FPG level below the threshold, those having HTGW and their FPG level was above the threshold, had the highest adjusted HR values [12.05 (95% CI: 6.89 - 21.07)]. Data from the additive interaction analysis showed that RERI as 7.00 (95% CI: 0.49 - 13.51), AP as 0.57 (95% CI: 0.32 - 0.82) and SI as 2.66 (95% CI: 1.36 - 5.21). CONCLUSION: HTGW could predict the occurrence of diabetes, independent from IFG while the presence of HTGW with IFG could have an additive interaction on the cause of diabetes.