EXPRESS: Clinical Outcomes and Clinico-Pathological Correlations in Children with MPO-ANCA-Associated Glomerulonephritis Showing Renal Arteritis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features, pathological characteristics and prognosis in myeloperoxidase (MPO)-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated glomerulonephritis (AAGN) with renal arteritis. METHODS: The study involved 97 children from five pediatric clinical centers with MPO-AAGN who exhibited distinct clinical features. The patients were divided into AAGN-A+ and AAGN-A-, based on the presence or absence of arteritis, and the disparities in clinical, histopathological characteristics, and prognosis between the two groups were evaluated. RESULT: In contrast to the AAGN-A- group, the children in the AAGN-A+ group exhibited more pronounced clinical symptoms and renal pathological injury. Arteritis positively moderately correlated with the serum creatinine (Scr), IL-6 (interleukin-6), urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), negatively moderately correlated with serum complement C3. The renal survival rate in the AAGN-A+ group was significantly poorer than AAGN-A- group (χ2=4.278, P=0.039). Arteritis showed a good predictive value for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), and C3 deposition and arteritis were independent risk factors for the development of ESKD in children with MPO-AAGN. CONCLUSION: Arteritis is a significant pathological change observed in children with MPO-AAGN, and the formation of arteritis may be related to the inflammatory response and activation of the complement system.

Insect cells of Spodoptera frugiperda support WSSV gene replication but not progeny virion assembly.

The lacking of stable and susceptible cell lines has hampered research on pathogenic mechanism of crustacean white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). To look for the suitable cell line which can sustain WSSV infection, we performed the studies on WSSV infection in the Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells. In consistent with our previous study in vitro in crayfish hematopoietic tissue cells, the WSSV envelope was detached from nucleocapsid around 2 hpi in Sf9 cells, which was accompanied with the cytoplasmic transport of nucleocapsid toward the cell nucleus within 3 hpi. Furthermore, the expression profile of both gene and protein of WSSV was determined in Sf9 cells after viral infection, in which a viral immediate early gene IE1 and an envelope protein VP28 exhibited gradually increased presence from 3 to 24 hpi. Similarly, the significant increase of WSSV genome replication was found at 3-48 hpi in Sf9 cells after infection with WSSV, indicating that Sf9 cells supported WSSV genome replication. Unfortunately, no assembled progeny virion was observed at 24 and 48 hpi in Sf9 cell nuclei as determined by transmission electron microscope, suggesting that WSSV progeny could not be assembled in Sf9 cell line as the viral structural proteins could not be transported into cell nuclei. Collectively, these findings provide a cell model for comparative analysis of WSSV infection mechanism with crustacean cells.

Evaluating the consistency in different methods for measuring left atrium diameters.

BACKGROUND: The morphological information of the pulmonary vein (PV) and left atrium (LA) is of immense clinical importance for effective atrial fibrillation ablation. The aim of this study is to examine the consistency in different LA diameter measurement techniques. METHODS: Retrospective imaging data from 87 patients diagnosed with PV computed tomography angiography were included. The patients consisted of 50 males and 37 females, with an average age of (60.74 ± 8.70) years. Two physicians independently measured the anteroposterior diameter, long diameter, and transverse diameter of the LA using six different methods. Additionally, we recorded the post-processing time of the images. Physician 1 conducted measurements twice with a one-month interval between the measurements to assess intra-rater reliability. Using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the consistency of each LA diameter measurement by the two physicians was evaluated. We compared the differences in the LA diameter and the time consumed for measurements using different methods. This was done by employing the rank sum test of a randomized block design (Friedman M test) and the q test for pairwise comparisons among multiple relevant samples. RESULTS: (1) The consistency of the measured LA diameter by the two physicians was strong or very strong. (2) There were statistical differences in the anteroposterior diameter, long diameter, and transverse diameter of LA assessed using different methods (χ2 = 222.28, 32.74, 293.83, P < 0.001). (3) Different methods for measuring the diameters of LA required different amounts of time (χ2 = 333.10, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of left atrium (LA) diameter measurements conducted by different physicians were found to be reliable. However, the LA diameters obtained through various techniques exhibited variations. It was observed that measuring LA long diameters using only the VR (volume rendering) picture was the most clinically applicable method.

The crustacean DNA virus tegument protein VP26 binds to SNAP29 to inhibit SNARE complex assembly and autophagic degradation.

Autophagy generally functions as a cellular surveillance mechanism to combat invading viruses, but viruses have evolved various strategies to block autophagic degradation and even subvert it to promote viral propagation. White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is the most highly pathogenic crustacean virus, but little is currently known about whether crustacean viruses such as WSSV can subvert autophagic degradation for escape. Here, we show that even though WSSV proliferation triggers the accumulation of autophagosomes, autophagic degradation is blocked in the crustacean species red claw crayfish. Interestingly, the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex including CqSNAP29, CqVAMP7, and the novel autophagosome SNARE protein CqSyx12 is required for autophagic flux to restrict WSSV replication, as revealed by gene silencing experiments. Simultaneously, the expressed WSSV tegument protein VP26, which likely localizes on autophagic membrane mediated by its transmembrane region, binds the Qb-SNARE domain of CqSNAP29 to competitively inhibit the binding of CqSyx12-Qa-SNARE with CqSNAP29-Qb-SNARE; this in turn disrupts the assembly of the CqSyx12-SNAP29-VAMP7 SNARE complex, which is indispensable for the proposed fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes. Consequently, the autophagic degradation of WSSV is likely suppressed by the expressed VP26 protein in vivo in crayfish, thus probably protecting WSSV components from degradation via the autophagosome-lysosome pathway, resulting in evasion by WSSV. Collectively, these findings highlight how a DNA virus can subvert autophagic degradation by impairing the assembly of the SNARE complex to achieve evasion, paving the way for understanding host-DNA virus interactions from an evolutionary point of view, from crustaceans to mammals.IMPORTANCEWhite spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is one of the largest animal DNA viruses in terms of its genome size and has caused huge economic losses in the farming of crustaceans such as shrimp and crayfish. Detailed knowledge of WSSV-host interactions is still lacking, particularly regarding viral escape from host immune clearance. Intriguingly, we found that the presence of WSSV-VP26 might inhibit the autophagic degradation of WSSV in vivo in the crustacean species red claw crayfish. Importantly, this study is the first to show that viral protein VP26 functions as a core factor to benefit WSSV escape by disrupting the assembly of the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex, which is necessary for the proposed fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes for subsequent degradation. These findings highlight a novel mechanism of DNA virus evasion by blocking SNARE complex assembly and identify viral VP26 as a key candidate for anti-WSSV targeting.

Chemical fingerprint analysis and quality assessment of Tibetan medicine Triphala from different origins by high-performance liquid chromatography.

INTRODUCTION: Although the Tibetan medicine Triphala (THL) is widely used in many countries, insufficient progress has been made in quality control. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to propose a methodology for quality control of THL based on HPLC fingerprinting combined with an orthogonal array design. METHODS: Seven identified peaks were used as indicators to examine the effects of temperature, extraction time, and solid-liquid ratio on the dissolution of active ingredients in THL. Fingerprint analysis was performed on 20 batches of THL from four geographical areas (China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam). For further chemometric assessment, analysis techniques including similarity analysis, hierarchical clustering analysis, principal component analysis, and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to classify the 20 batches of samples. RESULTS: Fingerprints were established and 19 common peaks were identified. The similarity of 20 batches of THL was more than 0.9 and the batches were divided into two clusters. Four differential components of THL were identified based on OPLS-DA, including chebulinic acid, chebulagic acid, and corilagin. The optimal extraction conditions were an extraction time of 30 min, a temperature of 90°C, and a solid-liquid ratio of 30 mL/g. CONCLUSION: HPLC fingerprinting combined with an orthogonal array design could be used for comprehensive evaluation and quality assessment of THL, providing a theoretical basis for further development and utilization of THL.

Targeted modulation of gut microbiota by traditional Chinese medicine and natural products for liver disease therapy.

The gut microbiota not only constitutes intestinal microenvironment homeostasis and human health but also exerts indispensable roles in the occurrence and progression of multiple liver diseases, including alcohol-related liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, autoimmune liver disease and liver cancer. Given the therapeutic status of these diseases, their prevention and early therapy are crucial, and the detailed mechanism of gut microbiota in liver disease urgently needs to be explored. Meanwhile, multiple studies have shown that various traditional Chinese medicines, such as Si Miao Formula, Jiangzhi Granules, Liushen Capsules, Chaihu-Shugan Power, Cassiae Semen and Gynostemma, as well as some natural products, including Costunolide, Coprinus comatus polysaccharide, Antarctic krill oil, Oridonin and Berberine, can repair liver injury, improve fatty liver, regulate liver immunity, and even inhibit liver cancer through multiple targets, links, and pathways. Intriguingly, the aforementioned effects demonstrated by these traditional Chinese medicines and natural products have been shown to be closely related to the gut microbiota, directly driving the strategy of traditional Chinese medicines and natural products to regulate the gut microbiota as one of the breakthroughs in the treatment of liver diseases. Based on this, this review comprehensively summarizes and discusses the characteristics, functions and potential mechanisms of these medicines targeting gut microbiota during liver disease treatment. Research on the potential effects on gut microbiota and the regulatory mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine and natural products provides novel insights and significant references for developing liver disease treatment strategies. In parallel, such explorations will enhance the comprehension of traditional Chinese medicine and natural products modulating gut microbiota during disease treatment, thus facilitating their clinical investigation and application.

Autophagy and white spot syndrome virus infection in crustaceans.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process of degradation in eukaryotes, which can form double-membrane vesicles for delivering the trapped cargo to lysosome for degradation, also facilitate host cells against the invasion of foreign pathogens. Recently, autophagy was reported to participate in viral infection in crustaceans. White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is the most severely viral pathogen for farmed crustaceans, particularly in crayfish and shrimp. In this review, we summarized and discussed the current findings of autophagy involved in WSSV infection in crustaceans, particularly focusing on the identified autophagy-related molecules and their effects on viral infection. We hope this summary will provide us a better understanding of autophagy and its contribution to antiviral immunity in crustaceans.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Induces Interferon-ß Production to Promote Intracellular Survival.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is known as one kind of extracellular pathogens. However, more evidence showed that PA encounters the intracellular environment in different mammalian cell types. Little is known of innate immune factors modulating intracellular PA survival. In the present study, we proposed that interferon-ß (IFN-ß) is beneficial to the survival of PA in the cytoplasm of macrophages. Furthermore, we found that interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) induced by PA suppresses IFN-ß response driven by the cGAS-STING-TBK1 pathway. Mechanistically, IL-1ß decreased the production of cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) by activating AKT kinase. cGAMP is necessarily sufficient to stimulate the transcription of IFN-ß via the STING adaptor-TBK1 kinase-IRF3 transcription factor axis. Thus, our findings uncovered a novel module for PA intracellular survival involving IFN-ß production restricted by IL-1ß and provided a strong rationale for a potential clinical strategy against pulmonary PA infection patients. IMPORTANCE The link between innate immunity and intracellular Pseudomonas aeruginosa is unclear. Our studies illuminated the role of interferon-ß (IFN-ß) in remote intracellular PA infection. Furthermore, our experimental evidence also indicated that IL-1ß is a negative regulator of IFN-ß production and, in particular, P. aeruginosa infection. The inhibition of IFN-ß may be used as a potential therapeutic method against pulmonary PA infection.

Femtosecond Laser Modification of Silica Optical Waveguides for Potential Bragg Gratings Sensing.

The optimum femtosecond laser direct writing of Bragg gratings on silica optical waveguides has been investigated. The silica waveguide has a 6.5 × 6.5 µm2 cross-sectional profile with a 20-µm-thick silicon dioxide cladding layer. Compared with conventional grating inscribed on fiber platforms, the silica planar waveguide circuit can realize a stable performance as well as a high-efficiency coupling with the fiber. A thin waveguide cladding layer also facilitates laser focusing with an improved spherical aberration. Different from the circular fiber core matching with the Gaussian beam profile, a 1030-nm, 400-fs, and 190-nJ laser is optimized to focus on the top surface of the square silica waveguide, and the 3rd-order Bragg gratings are inscribed successfully. A 1.5-mm long uniform Bragg gratings structure with a reflectivity of 90% at a 1548.36-nm wavelength can be obtained. Cascaded Bragg gratings with different periods are also inscribed in the planar waveguide. Different reflection wavelengths can be realized, which shows great potential for wavelength multiplexing-related applications such as optical communications or sensing.

Arabinogalactan enhances Mycobacterium marinum virulence by suppressing host innate immune responses.

Arabinogalactan (AG) participates in forming the cell wall core of mycobacteria, a structure known as the mAGP complex. Few studies have reported the virulence of inartificial AG or its interaction with the host immune system. Using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats interference gene editing technology, conditional Mycobacterium marinum mutants were constructed with a low expression of embA or glfT2 (EmbA_KD or GlfT2_KD), which are separately involved in the biosynthesis of AG arabinose and galactose domains. High-performance gel permeation chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography assays confirmed that the EmbA_KD strain showed a remarkable decrease in AG content with fragmentary arabinose chains, and the GlfT2_KD strain displayed less reduction in content with cut-down galactose chains. Based on transmission and scanning electron microscopy observations, the cell walls of the two mutants were found to be dramatically thickened, and the boundaries of different layers were more distinct. Phenotypes including the over-secretion of extracellular substances and enhanced spreading motility with a concomitant decreased resistance to ethambutol appeared in the EmbA_KD strain. The EmbA_KD and GlfT2_KD strains displayed limited intracellular proliferation after infecting murine J774A.1 macrophages. The disease progression infected with the EmbA_KD or GlfT2_KD strain significantly slowed down in zebrafish/murine tail infection models as well. Through transcriptome profiling, macrophages infected by EmbA_KD/GlfT2_KD strains showed enhanced oxidative metabolism. The cell survival measured using the CCK8 assay of macrophages exposed to the EmbA_KD strain was upregulated and consistent with the pathway enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes in terms of cell cycle/apoptosis. The overexpression of C/EBPß and the increasing secretion of proinflammatory cytokines were validated in the macrophages infected by the EmbA_KD mutant. In conclusion, the AG of Mycobacterium appears to restrain the host innate immune responses to enhance intracellular proliferation by interfering with oxidative metabolism and causing macrophage death. The arabinose chains of AG influence the Mycobacterium virulence and pathogenicity to a greater extent.

Airway acidification impaired host defense against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection by promoting type 1 interferon ß response.

Airway microenvironment played an important role in the progression of chronic respiratory disease. Here we showed that standardized pondus hydrogenii (pH) of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) of bronchiectasis patients was significantly lower than that of controls and was significantly correlated with bronchiectasis severity index (BSI) scores and disease prognosis. EBC pH was lower in severe patients than that in mild and moderate patients. Besides, acidic microenvironment deteriorated Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) pulmonary infection in mice models. Mechanistically, acidic microenvironment increased P. aeruginosa outer membrane vesicles (PA_OMVs) released and boosted it induced the activation of interferon regulatory factor3 (IRF3)-interferonß (IFN-ß) signalling pathway, ultimately compromised the anti-bacteria immunity. Targeted knockout of IRF3 or type 1 interferon receptor (IFNAR1) alleviated lung damage and lethality of mice after P. aeruginosa infection that aggravated by acidic microenvironment. Together, these findings identified airway acidification impaired host resistance to P. aeruginosa infection by enhancing it induced the activation of IRF3-IFN-ß signalling pathway. Standardized EBC pH may be a useful biomarker of disease severity and a potential therapeutic target for the refractory P. aeruginosa infection. The study also provided one more reference parameter for drug selection and new drug discovery for bronchiectasis.

Invasion and Propagation of White Spot Syndrome Virus: Hijacking of the Cytoskeleton, Intracellular Transport Machinery, and Nuclear Import Transporters.

The pathogenesis of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is largely unclear. In this study, we found that actin nucleation and clathrin-mediated endocytosis were recruited for internalization of WSSV into crayfish hematopoietic tissue (Hpt) cells. This internalization was followed by intracellular transport of the invading virions via endocytic vesicles and endosomes. After envelope fusion within endosomes, the penetrated nucleocapsids were transported along microtubules toward the periphery of the nuclear pores. Furthermore, the nuclear transporter CqImportin α1/ß1, via binding of ARM repeat domain within CqImportin α1 to the nuclear localization sequences (NLSs) of viral cargoes and binding of CqImportin ß1 to the nucleoporins CqNup35/62 with the action of CqRan for docking to nuclear pores, was hijacked for both targeting of the incoming nucleocapsids toward the nuclear pores and import of the expressed viral structural proteins containing NLS into the cell nucleus. Intriguingly, dysfunction of CqImportin α1/ß1 resulted in significant accumulation of incoming nucleocapsids on the periphery of the Hpt cell nucleus, leading to substantially decreased introduction of the viral genome into the nucleus and remarkably reduced nuclear import of expressed viral structural proteins with NLS; both of these effects were accompanied by significantly inhibited viral propagation. Accordingly, the survival rate of crayfish post-WSSV challenge was significantly increased after dysfunction of CqImportin α1/ß1, also showing significantly reduced viral propagation, and was induced either by gene silencing or by pharmacological blockade via dietary administration of ivermectin per os. Collectively, our findings improve our understanding of WSSV pathogenesis and support future antiviral designing against WSSV. IMPORTANCE As one of the largest animal DNA viruses, white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) has been causing severe economical loss in aquaculture due to the limited knowledge on WSSV pathogenesis for an antiviral strategy. We demonstrate that the actin cytoskeleton, endocytic vesicles, endosomes, and microtubules are hijacked for WSSV invasion; importantly, the nuclear transporter CqImportin α1/ß1 together with CqRan were recruited, via binding of CqImportin ß1 to the nucleoporins CqNup35/62, for both the nuclear pore targeting of the incoming nucleocapsids and the nuclear import of expressed viral structural proteins containing the nuclear localization sequences (NLSs). This is the first report that NLSs from both viral structure proteins and host factor are elaborately recruited together to facilitate WSSV infection. Our findings provide a novel explanation for WSSV pathogenesis involving systemic hijacking of host factors, which can be used for antiviral targeting against WSSV disease, such as the blockade of CqImportin α1/ß1 with ivermectin.

Composition and assembly of the bacterial community in the overlying waters of the coral reef of China's Xisha Islands.

Coral reef ecosystems are one of the most diverse and productive habitats on Earth. Microbes in the reef-overlying waters are key players in maintaining this ecosystem through regulating biogeochemical and ecological processes. However, the composition structure and assembly mechanism of microbial community in the reef-overlying waters remain largely unknown. In the present study, the bacterial communities from the overlying waters of atolls and fringing reefs as well as the surface waters of the adjacent open ocean of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea were investigated using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing combined with a size-fractionation strategy. The results showed that environments of all sampling stations were similar, characterized by an almost complete lack of inorganic nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla, and Synechococcus was most abundant at the genus level in both large fraction (LF; 1.6-200 µm) and small fraction (SF; 0.2-1.6 µm) communities. Only a slight difference in community composition between LF and SF samples was observed. The bacterial communities among the three habitat types showed noticeable differences, and the bacterial composition among the atoll reefs was more varied than that among the fringing reefs. The similarity of bacterial communities significantly declined with the increasing geographic distance, and stochastic processes were more important than deterministic processes in bacterial community assembly. This study sheds lights on the bacterial biodiversity of coral reefs and the importance of stochastic process in structuring bacterial communities.

Clinical significance of long noncoding RNA MNX1-AS1 in human cancers: a meta-analysis of cohort studies and bioinformatics analysis based on TCGA datasets.

MNX1-AS1 expression has been proposed to be abnormally upregulated in multiple human malignancies and be linked with the survival outcome of patients. However, relevant conclusions were yielded based on the limited samples. Therefore, we herein implemented a meta-analysis of the published cohort studies to further decipher the relationship of MNX1-AS1 level to prognosis and clinicopathological features in various cancers. Additionally, using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets we carried out a bioinformatics analysis to make a further evaluation on the prognostic value of MNX1-AS1 expression. The results of meta-analysis indicated elevated MNX1-AS1 level closely correlated with poorer overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.97, 95% CI, 1.73-2.24; P < 0.00001), and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR = 2.24, 95% CI, 1.48-3.38; P = 0.0001) in cancers, which was confirmed by the bioinformatics analysis. Besides, it was observed the upregulated MNX1-AS1 level was significantly related to invasion depth, disease stage, tumor metastasis, and differentiation. Collectively, high MNX1-AS1 level correlated with poor survival outcome and aggressive clinicopathological characteristics in various cancers, suggesting that MNX1-AS1 may be applied as a prognostic marker and even a therapeutic target. Nevertheless, more high-quality studies designed with a large sample size should be conducted to further determine the clinical role of MNX1-AS1 in specific cancer types.

Prognostic Value of Combination of Inflammatory and Tumor Markers in Resectable Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory response and tumor marker levels have been shown to correlate with the prognosis in several human tumors. However, only a few studies on these markers have been performed in gastric cancer (GC) patients; the clinical significance of the combined markers is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the role of the combination of preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) for predicting the prognosis of patients with GC. METHODS: This retrospective study included 458 patients who underwent gastrectomy with curative intent between January 2013 and July 2014 in the second hospital of Lanzhou University. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was performed to determine the cut-off values for biomarkers, and their prognostic values were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier curve. The combined score indicators were established based on the optimal cut-off values, which range from 0 to 2. Prognostic significances for overall survival (OS) were assessed by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Nomogram was used as a visual supplement for the prognostic score system, and the predictive accuracy and discriminative ability were determined by the concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve. RESULTS: The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS were 66.2% (n = 303), 42.8% (n = 196), and 40.2% (n = 184) in all 458 patients, respectively. The high NLR (≥1.96), PLR (≥126), CA19-9 (≥27 U/mL), and CEA (≥ 5 ng/mL) were associated with poor prognosis of GC patients. The NLR + CA19-9 score indicator proved to be related to tumor size, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, perineural invasion, T stage, N stage, TNM stage, PLR, and CEA in patients with GC and an independent prognostic factor for prediction of 5-year OS (score 1: HR = 1.423, 95%CI: 1.049-1.929, P = 0.023; score 2: HR = 2.740, 95%CI: 1.882-3.990, P < 0.001). NLR + CA19-9 has a better predictive ability than other combined or single score indicators based on inflammation and tumor markers (AUC = 0.662, 95%CI: 0.616-0.705, P < 0.001). Moreover, a nomogram was established by the significant characteristics in the multivariate analysis for OS, which represented high accuracy (C-index = 0.692, 95%CI: 0.675-0.708). CONCLUSION: NLR + CA19-9 can independently predict the overall survival of patients with gastric cancer after surgery. The prognostic nomogram based on NLR + CA19-9 is a convenient, economical, and effective prognostic system for clinical practice.

A Reverse Orbicularis-Tarsus Fixation Technique in Double-Eyelid Blepharoplasty: A Novel Fixation Technique Different From Park's Technique.

BACKGROUND: Although Park's "orbicularis-levator fixation technique" has been widely used as a mature double-eyelid surgery in China recently. Shortcomings related to this method cannot be ignored. Thus, a reverse orbicularis-tarsus fixation technique in double-eyelid blepharoplasty has now been devised. The method is to create a physiological double-eyelid fold based on the formation mechanism of double-eyelid creases. METHODS: A retrospective study of 112 Chinese patients who underwent double-eyelid surgery between October 2017 and September 2019 was undertaken through a review of medical records. All these patients underwent a reverse tarsus and orbicularis oculi muscle fixation technique, with postoperative follow-up ranging from 6 months to 2 years. Postoperative outcomes were reviewed, evaluated, and analyzed. RESULTS: Altogether, 112 patients who underwent the double-eyelid surgery were reviewed. Among them, the results were judged as excellent in 104 cases (92.9%), good in 4 cases (3.6%), fair in 3 cases (2.7%), and poor in 1 case (0.8%). Clinical effectiveness was satisfactory in most of the patients (104/112, 92.9%). Only 5 patients (4.5%) expressed subjective dissatisfaction with postoperative outcomes; of these, 3 patients complained of eyelids asymmetry (2.7%). Two patients complained of eyelids scar formation (1.7%); Whereas surgical revision was required in only 1 patient (0.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The reverse orbicularis-tarsus fixation technique for upper eyelid blepharoplasty is safe and effective, with better biomechanics and a satisfying aesthetic outcome. Therefore, this provides an alternative option in Chinese double-eyelid surgery.Level of Evidence: Level IV, case studies.

Recent insights into hematopoiesis in crustaceans.

Hematopoiesis refers to the phenomenon that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) continuously form and produce blood cells with multiple functions. In crustacean, the hematopoietic process produces a variety of hemocytes that form the core and basis of cellular and humoral immunity, which is crucial for crustacean to maintain their lives and protect themselves against microbial infection. The expression of many factors, in the form of transcription factors and humoral factors, are altered during hematopoiesis, which are involved in the regulation of hematopoiesis. Meanwhile, there are also factors that, although not directly involved in the HSCs differentiation or hemocytes production and release, play an essential role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on the hematopoietic lineage of crustacean, with a particular focus on the molecular regulation of hematopoiesis, including transcriptional regulation, humoral factors involved in the differentiation of HSCs and the maintenance of hematopoietic homeostasis, which contributes to a systematic understanding of the crustacean hematopoiesis.

Role of Orbicular Oculi Muscle Resection in Double Eyelid Surgery to Correct Ptosis of Young Adults: A Retrospective Review in 121 Chinese Patients.

BACKGROUND: A plump single eyelid with ptosis is the morphological feature of Asians. Orbicularis oculi muscle (OOM) technique can correct ptosis and get a good appearance. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in 121 Chinese patients who underwent double eyelid surgery with medial epicanthoplasty using OOM resection technique from December 2016 to December 2019. Preoperatively, all the patients had good or excellent levator function while skin fold overlapping the upper eyelid margin was found. Palpebral fissure height, upper eyelid margin reflex distance, complications, and cosmetic results were evaluated. Comparisons were performed preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS: The study included 121 patients. Mean follow-up time was 12.8 months (range, 6-32 months). Mean margin reflex distance increased from 1.96 ± 0.60 mm preoperatively to 3.74 ± 0.50 mm postoperatively (P < 0.001), mean palpebral fissure height increased from 6.31 ± 0.51 mm preoperatively to 8.33 ± 0.52 mm postoperatively (P < 0.001). Most patients obtained satisfactory results. Only 1 patient was under correction, 2 patients were with mild asymmetry 6 months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Ptosis of the upper eyelid can be corrected by the OOM resection technique without any procedure on levator muscle. This technique can be an alternative method for the correction of ptosis of the upper eyelid.