Expression of overall survival-EMT-immune cell infiltration genes predict the prognosis of glioma.

This study investigates the crucial role of immune- and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated genes and non-coding RNAs in glioma development and diagnosis, given the challenging 5-year survival rates associated with this prevalent CNS malignant tumor. Clinical and RNA data from glioma patients were meticulously gathered from CGGA databases, and EMT-related genes were sourced from dbEMT2.0, while immune-related genes were obtained from MSigDB. Employing consensus clustering, novel molecular subgroups were identified. Subsequent analyses, including ESTIMATE, TIMER, and MCP counter, provided insights into the tumor microenvironment (TIME) and immune status. Functional studies, embracing GO, KEGG, GSVA, and GSEA analyses, unraveled the underlying mechanisms governing these molecular subgroups. Utilizing the LASSO algorithm and multivariate Cox regression, a prognostic risk model was crafted. The study unveiled two distinct molecular subgroups with significantly disparate survival outcomes. A more favorable prognosis was linked to low immune scores, high tumor purity, and an abundance of immune infiltrating cells with differential expression of non-coding RNAs, including miRNAs. Functional analyses illuminated enrichment of immune- and EMT-associated pathways in differentially expressed genes and non-coding RNAs between these subgroups. GSVA and GSEA analyses hinted at abnormal EMT status potentially contributing to glioma-associated immune disorders. The risk model, centered on OS-EMT-ICI genes, exhibited promise in accurately predicting survival in glioma. Additionally, a nomogram integrating the risk model with clinical characteristics demonstrated notable accuracy in prognostic predictions for glioma patients. In conclusion, OS-EMT-ICI gene and non-coding RNA expression emerges as a valuable indicator intricately linked to immune microenvironment dysregulation, offering a robust tool for precise prognosis prediction in glioma patients within the OBMRC framework.

Physical examination and CT to assess thoracic injury in 137 cats presented to UK referral hospitals after trauma.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to describe clinical examination and thoracic CT (TCT) findings in cats after trauma, and to identify physical examination findings associated with both abnormalities on TCT and the need for therapeutic interventions. METHODS: A multicentre, retrospective, observational study was conducted. Cats admitted to the participating hospitals with a history of blunt trauma and that underwent TCT were eligible. Data were collected on signalment, history, physical examination, TCT findings and subsequent interventions. RESULTS: In total, 137 cats were included. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) were the most frequently reported cause of trauma (69%). Tachypnoea (32%), pale mucous membranes (22%) and dyspnoea (20%) were the most common abnormal findings on thoracic examination. The most frequently identified thoracic pathologies on TCT were atelectasis (34%), pulmonary contusions (33%), pneumothorax (29%) and pleural effusion (20%). Thoracocentesis was the most commonly performed intervention (12%), followed by chest drain placement (7%). A total of 45 (33%) cats had no physical examination abnormalities but did have abnormalities detected on TCT; six of these cats required interventions. Increasing numbers of thoracic abnormalities on clinical examination were associated with increasing likelihood of having abnormal findings on TCT (odds ratio [OR] 2.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-3.44, P = 0.008) and of requiring an intervention (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.32-2.51, P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: RTAs were the most common reported cause of blunt trauma. Atelectasis, pulmonary contusions and pneumothorax were the most common abnormalities identified on TCT, and thoracic drainage was the most utilised intervention. TCT may be useful in identifying cats with normal thoracic physical examination findings that have significant thoracic pathology, and a high number of abnormal findings on thoracic examination should raise suspicion for both minor and major thoracic pathology. The results of this study can be used to assist in selecting appropriate cases for TCT after blunt trauma.

Use of chalazion clamp for excision of the eyelid margin lesion.

PURPOSE: Reconstruction after eyelid lesion excision is very important. It calls for preserving normal eyelid function for the protection of the eye and restoring good cosmesis. It is important to precisely align the tarsal plate. However, the unique anatomy of eyelids often makes haemostasis difficult and surgical field obscured. We report an effective method to solve this problem. METHOD: This retrospective study included 25 patients who underwent eyelid margin lesion excision using the chalazion clamp between March 2020 and October 2021. The chalazion clamp is placed on the desired location and tightened, providing a bloodless field for eyelid lesion removal. Without bleeding, visibility of the cut edges is improved considerably. It facilitates anatomical anastomosis of the tarsal plate. RESULTS: All 25 patients maintained normal eyelid function and good cosmesis, with no recurrence during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: The use of the chalazion clamp during excision of the eyelid margin lesion could stabilize the eyelid, protect the eyeball from accidental injury and, and provide a clear bloodless operative field. It can ensure the neatness of the cut edges and offer better incision alignment for suture. It also avoids wasting too much time on haemostasis, without additional expensive equipment.

Repositioning of the Severe Prolapsed Silicone Tubes after Bicanalicular Nasal Intubation: A Novel Technique.

BACKGROUND: Bicanalicular nasal intubation is widely used in lacrimal drainage system surgery. Its common complication is lateral displacement or spontaneous prolapse. When the distal part of the silicone tubes cannot be seen in the nose endoscopically, either repositioning or removal could be a challenge. We developed a simple technique to reposition the severe prolapsed silicone tubes. METHOD: This retrospective study included 6 patients with severe prolapsed silicone tubes who had undergone bicanalicular nasal intubation between January 2017 and December 2019. We used a memory wire probe to pull a nylon suture through the lacrimal passage retrograde. Then, the nylon suture was cut into two lines. One line was coiled to the prolapsed tube and tied to another line. This nylon turned into a "lasso" to capture the silicone tube and then lock its knot. By pulling the nylon suture, the severe prolapsed silicone tube was repositioned to the nasal cavity. RESULTS: Using this technique, we successfully repositioned severe prolapsed silicone tubes without any complication in 6 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Silicone tube reposition guiding by using a memory wire probe is an optional technique in the treatment of prolapse of silicone tubes, particularly if the distal part of the silicon tube was embedded in the lacrimal sac and cannot be seen in the nose by endoscopy. It is a feasible, minimally invasive, safe, and effective method, avoiding premature tube removal.

Detection of crown-like structures in breast adipose tissue and clinical outcomes among African-American and White women with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Crown-like structures in breast adipose tissue (CLS-B), composed of necrotic adipocytes encircled by macrophages, are associated with obesity and hypothesized to worsen breast cancer prognosis; however, data are sparse, particularly in multi-racial populations. METHODS: We assessed specimens for CLS-B from 174 African-American and 168 White women with stage I-III breast cancer treated by mastectomy. Benign breast tissue from an uninvolved quadrant was immunohistochemically stained for CD68 to determine CLS-B presence and density (per cm2 of adipose tissue). Demographic and lifestyle factors, collected via medical record review, were analyzed for associations with CLS-B using logistic regression. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between CLS-B and overall (OS) or progression-free (PFS) survival. RESULTS: Detection of any CLS-B was similar between African-American (32%) and White (29%) patients with no evidence of an association between race and CLS-B in multivariable models (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.49-1.36). Detection of CLS-B was associated with obesity (OR = 4.73, 95% CI = 2.48-9.01) and age ≥ 60 years at diagnosis (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 0.99-3.21). There was some evidence of associations with parity and current smoking status. Detection of CLS-B was not associated with OS (HR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.55-1.87) or PFS (HR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.59-1.67). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show a strong, positive association between BMI and CLS-B in non-tumor tissue similar to previous findings. Detection of CLS-B did not vary by race and was not associated with worse OS or PFS.

Simultaneous enhancement of vascularization and contact-active antibacterial activity in diopside-based ceramic orbital implants.

Rapid vascularization and long-term antibacterial property are desirable characteristics of the next-generation implants in orbital reconstruction. In this study, the new diopside-based orbital implants were developed by direct ink writing of diopside (CaMgSi2O6; DIO) and low-melt bioactive glass (BG)-assisted sintering approaches. The mechanical tests showed that the addition 5% or 10% BG could readily enhance the compressive strength of the DIO porous bioceramics after sintering at 1150 °C. The Tris buffer immersion test in vitro indicated that the porous bioceramics exhibited appreciable mechanical stability and very limited mass loss (<3.5%) after 8 weeks. The DIO/10BG porous bioceramic sintered at 1150 °C or 1250 °C could promote appreciable angiogenesis response at the early stage (2-6 weeks) of implantation in the rabbit panniculus carnosus muscle models in vivo. It is interesting that the steam autoclaved bioceramics exhibited outstanding contact-active inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but as-sintered bioceramics showed no antibacterial effect. It is reasonable to consider that our strategy paves the way toward a simple and effective approach to fabricate the multifunctional tailormade implants for orbital implantation, thus accelerating the clinical translation of biomaterials research.

Application of lacrimal endoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of primary canaliculitis: Practical technique and graphic presentation.

To investigate the efficacy of lacrimal endoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of primary canaliculitis.This is a retrospective, interventional study. Fifteen patients diagnosed as primary canaliculitis were investigated, who underwent surgery with lacrimal endoscopy from January 2015 to December 2017 at Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital. Patients were subsequently followed post-operatively for at least 6 months. Pre- and post-operative main measurement included ocular surface symptoms, signs of canaliculitis, intraoperative images, treatment response and complications.Twelve patients (12 eyes) were enrolled. Endoscopy was successful in revealing the residual concretion and pathological change of lacrimal duct. With its unique direct vision and micro drill, all concretions got removed and lacrimal ducts got patent. On postoperative month 6, all of the patients got cured with no signs of redness, swelling of the punctum and eyelid, epiphora with discharge and pain. None serious complications such as false canalicular passage were observed.Lacrimal endoscopy is indispensable in diagnosis, treatment and follows up of primary canaliculitis. With less iatrogenic injury, higher resolution rate and direct observation of canalicular mucosa, lacrimal endoscopy should be widely applied in the management of lacrimal diseases.

Milk/dairy products consumption and gastric cancer: an update meta-analysis of epidemiological studies.

The relationship between dairy consumption and gastric cancer risk has not been well studied. We therefore performed a update meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship. Published cohort and case-control studies were identified via computer searches and reviewing the reference lists of the key articles. Random effects meta-analysis was used to pool effects from 5 cohort and 29 case-control studies. The odds ratio for the overall association between dairy consumption and gastric cancer was 1.20 (95%confidence interval: 1.04-1.39). The combined risk estimate was similar for population-based case-control studies (odds ratio = 1.27, 95%confidence interval: 1.00-1.61), but was reduced for hospital-based studies (odds ratio = 1.22; 95%confidence interval: 0.95-1.57) and cohort studies (odds ratio = 0.99; 95%confidence interval: 0.77-1.28). There was high heterogeneity in overall analyses. In the population-based subgroup analyses, the odds ratio was 0.96 (95%confidence interval: 0.69-1.34) when considering five studies assessing exposure two or more years before interview, and the association strengthened (odds ratio = 1.91, 95%confidence interval: 1.60-2.28) when dairy consumption was evaluated one year or less prior to interview. In conclusion, we found adverse effect of dairy consumption associated with gastric cancer.

Synergistic Effect of Copper-Containing Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Coating on Stimulating Vascularization of Porous Hydroxyapatite Orbital Implants in Rabbits.

Rapid and complete vascularization of the porous orbital implants after enucleation is vital for reducing postoperative complications, such as exposure and infection. In this study, the porous hydroxyapatite (pHA) scaffolds modified with the mesoporous bioactive glass with and without adding copper (MBG, Cu-MBG) were prepared by sol-gel technique and followed by evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) process. The macro-/microstructure analysis of the modified scaffolds (i.e., MBG/pHA, Cu-MBG/pHA) showed highly interconnected macropores, and unique mesoporous structures in the pore wall with higher surface area. A primary angiogenic test in a panniculus carnosus muscle model in rabbit indicated that the Cu-MBG coating was significantly beneficial for the vascularization in the porous architecture of the scaffolds in the early stage. These results suggest that the Cu-MBG modification provides a simple and effective strategy to endow favorable biological performances with pHA implants and greater potential for future application in orbit reconstruction.

Riboflavin and ultraviolet A irradiation for the prevention of progressive myopia in a guinea pig model.

In this study, we evaluated the effect of oral administration of riboflavin combined with whole-body ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation on the biochemical and biomechanical properties of sclera in a guinea pig model to control the progression of myopia. Experimental groups were administered 0.1% riboflavin solution with or without vitamin C by gavage from 3 days before myopic modeling and during the modeling process. Guinea pigs underwent 30 min of whole-body UVA irradiation after each gavage for 2 weeks. For control groups, guinea pigs were administered vitamin C and underwent either whole-body UVA irradiation without 0.1% riboflavin solution or whole-body fluorescent lamp irradiation with or without 0.1% riboflavin solution. Resultantly, myopia models were established with an increased axial length and myopic diopter. Compared with myopic eyes in the control groups, the net increase in axial length, diopter and strain assessment decreased significantly, and the net decrease in sclera thickness, ultimate load, and stress assessment decreased significantly in experimental groups. MMP-2 expression showed a lower net increase, while TIMP-2 expression showed a lower net decrease. In addition, hyperplasia of scleral fibroblasts was more active in myopic eyes of experimental groups. Overall, our results showed that oral administration of riboflavin with whole-body UVA irradiation could increase the strength and stiffness of sclera by altering the biochemical and biomechanical properties, and decreases in axial elongation and myopic diopter are greater in the guinea pig myopic model.

Wnt agonist stimulates liver regeneration after small-for-size liver transplantation in rats.

AIM: Liver regeneration is inhibited in small-for-size grafts, which plays a role in the failure of partial liver grafts after transplantation. The Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway plays a critical role in liver development, regeneration and homeostasis. In this study, we investigated whether pharmacological activation of Wnt signaling improves liver regeneration after small-for-size liver transplantation. METHODS: The livers of male Sprague-Dawley rats were reduced to approximately 50% and 30% of their original sizes and transplanted. A Wnt agonist (2-amino-4-[3,4-[methylenedioxy]benzylamino]-6-[3-methoxyphenyl] pyrimidine], 5 mg/kg bodyweight) or an equal volume of vehicle was administrated i.p. into the donor 1 h before the transplantation. Tissue and blood samples were collected at various times after transplantation, and a survival study was performed. RESULTS: Hepatic expression of active ß-catenin and its downstream target gene Axin2 were decreased in 30% of liver grafts after transplantation while the Wnt agonist increased their expression similar to the 50% liver grafts. The Wnt agonist reversed inhibition of cyclin D1 expression and adenosine triphosphate production in the 30% liver grafts compared with the 50% grafts. The Wnt agonist also attenuated hepatocellular injury and increased the hepatocyte proliferation response, liver regeneration rate and survival after transplantation of the 30% liver graft. CONCLUSION: Activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in liver grafts by pharmacological pretreatment can accelerate regeneration in a partial liver transplant model.

Exposure rate of unwrapped hydroxyapatite orbital implants in enucleation surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To document the long-term exposure rate of unwrapped coralline hydroxyapatite (HA) orbital implants and explore possible risk factors. DESIGN: This retrospective case series (May 2008-April 2013) reviewed the 234 patients with anophthalmia who underwent insertion of an unwrapped HA orbital implant by one of two different surgical closing techniques. RESULTS: Of the 234 cases, 151 underwent a rectus end-to-end suturing closure technique and 83 underwent a rectus orthotopic suturing closure technique. The time of follow-up ranged from 25 months to 69 months (mean 41.9 months). Implant exposure developed in 11 cases. Three in the rectus end-to-end suturing closure group (2.0%) and eight in the rectus orthotopic suturing closure group (9.6%). In the rectus end-to-end suturing technique, a crosswise fixation of vascularised rectus muscle tissue is formed across the front of the implant; in this group the incidence of implant exposure was reduced (OR=8.11, p=0.013). Prior ocular surgery was found to be a factor increasing the incidence of HA exposure (OR=2.73, p=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: The placement of an unwrapped HA orbital implant with rectus end-to-end suturing in enucleation surgery was associated with a low rate of exposure in most cases. The end-to-end suturing creates a joint-like structure over the HA sphere, protecting the Tenon's capsule and conjunctiva from its rough surface and reducing the risk of implant exposure. Prior ocular surgery may be another risk factor for HA exposure.

Phytoestrogens and risk of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic studies have reported various results relating phytoestrogens to prostate cancer (PCa). The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive meta-analysis on the extent of the possible association between phytoestrogens (including consumption and serum concentration) and the risk of PCa. METHODS: Eligible studies were retrieved via both computer searches and review of references. The summary relative risk ratio (RR) or odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated with random effects models. RESULTS: A total of 11 studies (2 cohort and 9 case-control studies) on phytoestrogen intake and 8 studies on serum concentration were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratio (OR) showed a significant influence of the highest phytoestrogens consumption (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.70-0.91) and serum concentration (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70-0.99) on the risk of PCa. In stratified analysis, high genistein and daidzein intake and increased serum concentration of enterolactone were associated with a significant reduced risk of PCa. However, no significant associations were observed for isoflavone intake, lignans intake, or serum concentrations of genistein, daidzein, or equol. CONCLUSIONS: The overall current literature suggests that phytoestrogen intake is associated with a decreased risk of PCa, especially genistein and daidzein intake. Increased serum concentration of enterolactone was also associated with a significant reduced risk of PCa. Further efforts should be made to clarify the underlying biological mechanisms.

Comparison of Methods for the Reconstruction of the Hepatic Artery in Mouse Orthotopic Liver Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The mouse model of arterialized orthotopic liver transplantation (AOLT) has played an important role in biomedical research. The available methods of sutured anastomosis for reconstruction of the hepatic artery are complicated, resulting in a high incidence of complications and failure. Therefore, we developed and evaluated a new model of AOLT in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male inbred C57BL/6 mice were used in this study. A continuous suture approach was applied to connect the suprahepatic inferior vena cava (SHVC). The portal vein and infrahepatic inferior vena cava (IHVC) were connected according to the "two-cuff" method. The common bile duct was connected by a biliary stent. We used the stent (G3 group) or aortic trunk (G2 group) to reconstruct the hepatic artery. The patency of the hepatic artery was verified by transecting the artery near the graft after one week. The survival rate of the recipients and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, hepatic pathologic alterations, apoptosis and necrosis were observed at one week postoperatively. RESULTS: The patency of the hepatic artery was verified in eight of ten mice in G3 and in six of ten mice in G2. The 7-day survival rate, extents of necrosis and apoptosis, and TGF-ß levels were not significantly different among the three groups (P>0.05). However, the serum ALT levels and operation time were markedly lower in G3 compared with G2 or G1 (both P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Reconstruction of the hepatic artery using a stent can be performed quickly with a high rate of patency. This model simplifies hepatic artery anastomosis and should be promoted in the field of biomedical research.

Body mass index and risk of age-related cataract: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Age-related cataract (ARC) is the leading cause of blindness in the world. The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and risk of ARC is controversial across observational studies. We therefore performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the association between BMI and risk of ARC. METHODS: Eligible studies were identified through an electronic search of PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library. We pooled study-specific relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to determine the risk of ARC associated with BMI categories and per 1 kg/m² increase in BMI. RESULTS: A total of 17 prospective cohort studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled RRs of ARC were 1.08 (95% CI, 1.01-1.16) for overweight and 1.19 (95% CI, 1.10-1.28) for obesity compared with normal weight. These findings were robust when stratified by sex, sample source, outcome types and confounders, while significantly differed by assessment of BMI and ARC, and duration of follow-up. The summary RR suggested that per 1 kg/m² increase in BMI was associated with a 2% increased risk of ARC (RR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03). Pooled estimates of RRs consistently indicated a trend for subjects with a high BMI to develop posterior subcapsular cataracts (RR 1.19, 95% CI 1.06-1.35, for overweight; RR 1.50, 95% CI 1.24-1.81, for obesity; RR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.06, per 1 kg/m² increase in BMI) other than nuclear or cortical cataracts. CONCLUSIONS: The overall findings suggest that elevated BMI may increase the risk of ARC, especially posterior subcapsular cataracts. Further trials are needed to investigate the effect of weight reduction in obese populations on the risk of ARC.

Association between aspirin use and age-related macular degeneration: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies to evaluate the association between aspirin use and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: The pertinent studies were identified via literature search through four databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase) and reference lists of retrieved studies. Randomized controlled trials and cohort and case-control studies meeting the predefined criteria were included. We extracted relative risk (RR) or odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) from each study. Overall and study-specific risk estimates were pooled using fixed-effects and random-effects models, respectively. Subgroup analyses based on several stratified factors were also performed. RESULTS: In total, two RCTs, three cohort studies, and four case-control studies involving 177,683 subjects were included. The pooled effect of all nine studies showed no significant association between aspirin use and occurrence of AMD (RR, 1.00; 95% CI 0.96-1.04), and no significant association was observed in any specific study design (RR, 0.93; 95% CI 0.71-1.22 for RCT; RR, 1.02; 95% CI 0.87-1.20 for cohort study; RR, 1.00; 95% CI 0.96-1.04 for case-control study). However, subgroup analysis showed aspirin use to be significantly associated with an increased risk of neovascular AMD (RR, 1.59; 95% CI 1.09-2.31). CONCLUSIONS: The pooled effects from current literature suggest that aspirin use is not associated with AMD, but it increased the risk of the neovascular form of AMD.

Copper-containing mesoporous bioactive glass coatings on orbital implants for improving drug delivery capacity and antibacterial activity.

Anophthalmic orbit restoration with artificial implants is usually accompanied with the risks of bacterial penetration and implant exposure. Here, we develop a facile evaporation-inducing self-assembly approach to modify the porous hydroxyapatite (pHA) orbital implants by using sol-gel derived CuO-containing mesoporous bioactive glass (Cu-MBG). The Cu-MBG coatings with 0-5 mol% CuO were prepared in the pore wall of pHA by immersion-evaporation-ageing route in the sol precursor of Cu-MBG. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller and Barrette-Joyner-Halenda analyses showed that the specific surface area and pore volume were slightly decreased with increasing CuO content, while the Cu-MBG-modified pHA maintained a sustained release of ofloxacin and significantly inhibited the bacterial viability (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli). These studies demonstrate that the Cu-MBG modification provides an effective and facile strategy to endow combined biological performances of pHA orbital implants and potentially reduce implant-related side effects.

Acute exposure to thimerosal induces antiproliferative properties, apoptosis, and autophagy activation in human Chang conjunctival cells.

BACKGROUND: Previously we have shown that acute exposure to thimerosal (Thi) can induce oxidative stress and DNA damage in a human conjunctival cell line. However, the long-term effect of Thi on Chang conjunctival cells is not clear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to further investigate the fate of the cells after acute exposure to Thi. METHOD: Cells were first exposed to various concentrations of Thi (0.00001 % ∼ 0.001 %) for 30 min, and then cells were assessed after a 24-h recovery period. Morphologic changes were observed under a light microscope and cell viability was evaluated. Cell apoptosis, cell cycle distribution and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) (rhodamine 123 assay) were detected by flow cytometry analysis. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), activation of caspase-3 and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC-3) were examined by western blot analysis. RESULTS: DNA strand breaks were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner with 30 min exposure to Thi, although no significant cell death was detected. However, after 24-h recovery, the ratio of apoptotic cells was significantly increased to 0.0005 % and 0.001 % in Thi treated groups (p < 0.001 compared to the control group). Apoptosis was confirmed by the cleavage of PARP and caspase-3 activation. In addition, G2/M cell cycle arrest and decrease of MMP were recorded. Finally, the LC-3 results indicated the occurrence of autophagy in Thi-treated cells. CONCLUSION: Acute exposure to Thi can induce DNA damage, and eventually can lead to cell death, probably through the caspase-dependent apoptosis pathway, while autophagy might also be involved.

Clinicopathologic features and prognostic factors of malignant eyelid tumors.

AIM: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with malignant eyelid tumors. METHODS: This was a retrospective, non-randomized, clinical reviews. Between January, 2002 and December, 2011, 75 cases with histologically confirmed malignant eyelid tumors were evaluated. Patients' charts were reviewed for clinical information, treatment procedure, and disease course. Survival analysis in terms of recurrence-free survival was performed using age, sex, location of tumor and histopathological type. The follow-up ranged from 1 to 78 months (mean=21 months). RESULTS: The 75 eyelid tumors included 35 basal cell carcinoma (BCC, 46.7%), 22 sebaceous gland carcinoma (SGC, 29.3%), 7 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, 9.3%), 10 malignant melanoma (MM, 13.3%), and 1 Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC, 1.3%). Recurrence developed in 17 cases (22.7%). The recurrence rate of BCC (4/35, 11.4%) was significant lower than MM (6/10, 60.0%, P<0.001). The mean interval of recurrence was 21 months (range 3-62) for all eyelid tumors. Tumor located at canthus had higher recurrence rate (50%) compared with those located at eyelid (19%, P<0.05). Histological type was independent variable for recurrence by Cox regression analysis. CONCLUSION: It is important to achieve a negative tumor margin in canthus located malignant eyelid tumor. Clinicians should have a high level of suspicion for recurrence according to histological type when treating patients with eyelid tumor.

Cytoprotective effect of hyaluronic acid and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose against DNA damage induced by thimerosal in Chang conjunctival cells.

BACKGROUND: To investigate genotoxicity of the preservative thimerosal (Thi), and the cytoprotective and antioxidant effects of hyaluronic Acid (HA) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) on Chang conjunctival cells. METHOD: Cells were divided into three groups. One group was exposed to Thi at various concentrations (0.00001 %∼0.001 %) for 30 min; the other two groups were pretreated with 0.3 % HA or 0.3 % HPMC for 30 min before the Thi exposure. After cell viability was evaluated, alkaline comet assay and detection of the phosphorylated form of the histone variant H2AX (γH2AX) foci were used to determine DNA damage. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was assessed by the fluorescent probe, 2', 7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA). RESULTS: A significant change of cell viability was observed after exposure to 0.001 % Thi for 30 min. DNA single- and double-strand breaks were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner with Thi exposure. In addition, intracellular ROS induced by Thi was dose-dependent, except at 0.001 % less ROS was induced than at 0.0005 %. However, cells pretreated with 0.3 % HA or 0.3 % HPMC showed significantly increased cell survival, decreased DNA damage, and decreased ROS production compared to cells exposed to Thi alone. Pretreatment with 0.3 % HA was found to be even more protective than 0.3 % HPMC. CONCLUSION: Thi can induce DNA damage in human conjunctival epithelial cells, probably due to oxidative stress. HA and HPMC are protective agents that have antioxidant properties and can decrease DNA damage induced by Thi. Pretreatment of 0.3 % HA may be more protective of the ocular surface than 0.3 % HPMC.