Evaluation of Dry Eye After Refractive Surgery According to Preoperative Meibomian Gland Status.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of the preoperative meibomian gland (MG) status on dry eye symptoms after corneal refractive surgery. Methods: This is a prospective, observational study. Subjects were enrolled and classified into 3 groups according to their MG loss grades. Ocular surface parameters were measured preoperatively and at 1, 3, and 6 months, postoperatively, including the ocular surface disease index questionnaire (OSDI), non-invasive tear film break up time (NIBUT), tear meniscus height and Schirmer I test. All the parameters were analyzed among the three groups, and different time points. Results: Seventy-eight patients were included in this study. The grade of MG loss varied from 0 to 2, thus the subjects were divided into group 1-3 corresponding to the MG loss. There were no significant differences in all parameters at baseline. The OSDI score increased in all groups at 1 month postoperatively and then decreased after other follow-ups. The OSDI was higher in group 3 than group 1 at all time points postoperatively (P = 0.005, 0.002, 0.034). Besides, it was higher in group 2 at 3 months and 6 months, compared with group 1 (P = 0.006, 0.029). The average NIBUT was shorter in group 3, compared with group 1 and group 2 since 1 month after surgery. At 1 and 3 month postoperatively, the grade of MG loss was positively correlated with the total OSDI and the vision-related scores. And it showed a positive correlation only with the environmental score at 6 months postoperatively. Conclusions: The dry eye discomfortable symptoms significantly differed post operatively according to their preoperative MG loss grade, though no difference was found at baseline. Dry eye was associated more with vision-related discomfort at first and environmental factors later.

Corneal Vertical and Horizontal Thickness Profiles Generated by UHR-OCT for Suspected and Subclinical Keratoconus Diagnosis.

PURPOSE: To verify the diagnostic power of vertical and horizontal thickness profiles of the corneal sublayers generated by ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography (UHROCT) in subclinical and suspected keratoconus. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 25 eyes with confirmed keratoconus, 63 eyes with suspected keratoconus, 15 eyes with subclinical keratoconus, and 42 normal eyes were investigated. Vertical and horizontal thickness profiles of the corneal epithelium, Bowman's layer, and stroma were measured by UHR-OCT. Diagnostic indices included ratios of thickness distribution and multimeric discriminant functions calculated by multiple logistic regression based on them. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to verify the predictive accuracy by the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: Function consisting of two indices (vertical maximum ectasia index of epithelium and horizontal maximum ectasia index of Bowman's layer) performed well to discriminate subclinical keratoconus (AUC = 0.967) and suspected keratoconus (AUC = 0.932) from normal. In addition, when four indices were combined, the diagnostic power for subclinical keratoconus (AUC = 0.984) and suspected keratoconus (AUC = 0.971) was further increased. However, both binary and quaternary functions could not adequately discriminate suspected from subclinical keratoconus. CONCLUSIONS: UHR-OCT-generated thickness indices from the vertical and horizontal thickness profiles of the corneal epithelium and Bowman's layer showed an evident diagnostic efficacy in discriminating suspected and subclinical keratoconus from normal eyes. The early changes in keratoconus might prefer thickness distribution in corneal sublayers rather than corneal thickness or topography. [J Refract Surg. 2021;37(7):438-445.].

Spatio-temporal trajectory estimation based on incomplete Wi-Fi probe data in urban rail transit network.

This study presents a methodology for estimating passenger's spatio-temporal trajectory with personalization and timeliness by using incomplete Wi-Fi probe data in urban rail transit network. Unlike the automatic fare collection data that only records passenger's entries and exits, the Wi-Fi probe data can capture more detailed passenger movements, such as riding a train or waiting on a platform. However, the estimation of spatio-temporal trajectories remains as a challenging task because a few unfavorable situations could result into deficient data. To address this problem, we first describe the Wi-Fi probe data and summarize their common defects. Then, the n-gram method is developed to infer missing spatio-temporal location information. Next, an estimation algorithm is designed to generate feasible spatio-temporal trajectories for each individual passenger by integrating multiple data sources, i.e., urban rail transit network topology, Wi-Fi probe data, train schedules, etc. This proposed method is tested on both simulated data in blind experiments and real-world data from a complex urban rail transit network. The results of case study show that 93% of passengers' unique physical routes can be estimated. Then, for 80% of passengers, the number of feasible spatio-temporal trajectories can be reduced to one or two. Potential applications of the trajectory estimation approach are also identified.

Immunohistochemical quantification of expression of a tight junction protein, claudin-7, in human lung cancer samples using digital image analysis method.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Tight junction proteins are correlated with cancer development. As the pivotal proteins in epithelial cells, altered expression and distribution of different claudins have been reported in a wide variety of human malignancies. We have previously reported that claudin-7 was strongly expressed in benign bronchial epithelial cells at the cell-cell junction while expression of claudin-7 was either altered with discontinued weak expression or completely absent in lung cancers. Based on these results, we continued working on the expression pattern of claudin-7 and its relationship with lung cancer development. We herein proposed a new Digital Image Classification, Fragmentation index, Morphological analysis (DICFM) method for differentiating the normal lung tissues and lung cancer tissues based on the claudin-7 immunohistochemical staining. METHODS: Seventy-seven lung cancer samples were obtained from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University and claudin-7 immunohistochemical staining was performed. Based on C++ and Open Source Computer Vision Library (OpenCV, version 2.4.4), the DICFM processing module was developed. Intensity and fragmentation of claudin-7 expression, as well as the morphological parameters of nuclei were calculated. Evaluation of results was performed using Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: Agreement between these computational results and the results obtained by two pathologists was demonstrated. The intensity of claudin-7 expression was significantly decreased while the fragmentation was significantly increased in the lung cancer tissues compared to the normal lung tissues and the intensity was strongly positively associated with the differentiation of lung cancer cells. Moreover, the perimeters of the nuclei of lung cancer cells were significantly greater than that of the normal lung cells, while the parameters of area and circularity revealed no statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our DICFM approach may be applied as an appropriate approach to quantify the immunohistochemical staining of claudin-7 on the cell membrane and claudin-7 may serve as a marker for identification of lung cancer.

Roles of toll-like receptors: From inflammation to lung cancer progression.

Lung cancer is among the most common malignant tumors worldwide, and is characterized by a low survival rate compared with other cancers. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are highly conserved in evolution and widely expressed on immune cells, where they serve an important role in the innate immune system by evoking inflammatory responses. Evasion of immune destruction is an important hallmark in the development of cancer. There is an established association between chronic inflammation and cancer, with TLRs serving important roles in the immune response against tumor cells. Recently, TLRs have been identified on tumor cells, where their activation may orchestrate the downstream signaling pathways that serve crucial functions in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The present review summarizes the roles of TLRs as sensors on lung cancer cells that regulate lung cancer progression with regard to cell growth and invasion, angiogenesis and cancer stem cell behavior. This aimed to provide theoretical support for the development of therapies that target TLR signaling pathways for the treatment of lung cancer.