Exploring the Drought Tolerant Quantitative Trait Loci in Spring Wheat.

Drought-induced stress poses a significant challenge to wheat throughout its growth, underscoring the importance of identifying drought-stable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for enhancing grain yield. Here, we evaluated 18 yield-related agronomic and physiological traits, along with their drought tolerance indices, in a recombinant inbred line population derived from the XC7 × XC21 cross. These evaluations were conducted under both non-stress and drought-stress conditions. Drought stress significantly reduced grain weight per spike and grain yield per plot. Genotyping the recombinant inbred line population using the wheat 90K single nucleotide polymorphism array resulted in the identification of 131 QTLs associated with the 18 traits. Drought stress also exerted negative impacts on grain formation and filling, directly leading to reductions in grain weight per spike and grain yield per plot. Among the identified QTLs, 43 were specifically associated with drought tolerance across the 18 traits, with 6 showing direct linkages to drought tolerance in wheat. These results provide valuable insights into the genetic mechanisms governing wheat growth and development, as well as the traits contributing to the drought tolerance index. Moreover, they serve as a theoretical foundation for the development of new wheat cultivars having exceptional drought tolerance and high yield potentials under both drought-prone and drought-free conditions.

Association between dietary sugar intake and depression in US adults: a cross-sectional study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2018.

BACKGROUND: Studies examining whether diet sugar intake increases the risk of depression have produced inconsistent results. Therefore, we investigated this relationship, using the US' National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 18,439 adults (aged ≥ 20 years) from NHANES (2011-2018). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the nine-item version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Covariates, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, poverty-income ratio, education, marital status, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, alcohol intake, smoking status, physical activity, and dietary energy intake, were adjusted in multivariate logistic regression models. Subgroup and threshold saturation effect analyses were performed. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that a 100 g/day increase in dietary sugar intake correlated with a 28% higher prevalence of depression (odds ratio = 1.28, 95% confidence interval = 1.17-1.40, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Dietary sugar intake is positively associated with depression in US adults.

Non-Additive and Asymmetric Allelic Expression of p38 mapk in Hybrid Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus ♀ × O. aureus ♂).

Hybridization is a widely used breeding technique in fish species that enhances desirable traits in cultured species through heterosis. However, the mechanism by which hybrids alter gene expression to form heterosis remains unclear. In this study, a group of hybrid tilapia was used to elucidate heterosis through interspecies crossing. Specifically, p38 was analyzed to describe the regulation of gene expression variation in hybrid tilapia. Transcripts from the Nile tilapia allele were found to be significantly higher than those from the blue tilapia allele in hybrid individuals, indicating that the expression of p38 was dominated by Nile tilapia sub-genomic alleles. The study also found a compensatory interaction of cis- and trans-acting elements of the Nile tilapia and blue tilapia sub-genomes, inducing a non-additive expression of p38 in hybrids. Eight specific SNPs were identified in the p38 promoter regions of Nile tilapia and blue tilapia, and were found to be promoter differences leading to differences in gene expression efficiencies between parental alleles using a dual-luciferase reporter system. This study provides insights into the non-additive expression patterns of key functional genes in fish hybrids related to growth and immunity response.

Upregulation of Wheat Heat Shock Transcription Factor TaHsfC3-4 by ABA Contributes to Drought Tolerance.

Drought stress can seriously affect the yield and quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum). So far, although few wheat heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) have been found to be involved in the stress response, the biological functions of them, especially the members of the HsfC (heat shock transcription factor C) subclass, remain largely unknown. Here, we identified a class C encoding gene, TaHsfC3-4, based on our previous omics data and analyzed its biological function in transgenic plants. TaHsfC3-4 encodes a protein containing 274 amino acids and shows the basic characteristics of the HsfC class. Gene expression profiles revealed that TaHsfC3-4 was constitutively expressed in many tissues of wheat and was induced during seed maturation. TaHsfC3-4 could be upregulated by PEG and abscisic acid (ABA), suggesting that this Hsf may be involved in the regulation pathway depending on ABA in drought resistance. Further results represented that TaHsfC3-4 was localized in the nucleus but had no transcriptional activation activity. Notably, overexpression of TaHsfC3-4 in Arabidopsis thaliana pyr1pyl1pyl2pyl4 (pyr1pyl124) quadruple mutant plants complemented the ABA-hyposensitive phenotypes of the quadruple mutant including cotyledon greening, root elongation, seedling growth, and increased tolerance to drought, indicating positive roles of TaHsfC3-4 in the ABA signaling pathway and drought tolerance. Furthermore, we identified TaHsfA2-11 as a TaHsfC3-4-interacting protein by yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screening. The experimental data show that TaHsfC3-4 can indeed interact with TaHsfA2-11 in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, transgenic Arabidopsis TaHsfA2-11 overexpression lines exhibited enhanced drought tolerance, too. In summary, our study confirmed the role of TaHsfC3-4 in response to drought stress and provided a target locus for marker-assisted selection breeding to improve drought tolerance in wheat.

Unravelling the interplay of local structure and valence transitions in Ce-doped CaYAlO4 luminescent materials.

Cerium has been widely used as a dopant in luminescent materials due to its unique electronic configurations. It is generally anticipated that the luminescence properties of rare-earth-doped materials are closely related to the local environment of activators, especially for Ce3+ . In addition, it is convenient to modulate its emission wavelength by adjusting the composition and structure. In this study, we systematically analyzed the microstructure of the Ce-doped CaYAlO4 system at atomic resolution. The quantitive results indicated that the structure distortion greatly influenced the valence state of the Ce dopant, which is critical to its luminescence efficiency. In addition, valence variations also exist from surface to inner structure due to the big distortion area around the surface. Our results unravel the interplay of local structure and valence transitions in Ce-doped aluminate phosphors, which has the potential to be applied in other luminescent materials.

Application of artificial intelligence in ultrasound imaging for predicting lymph node metastasis in breast cancer: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the accuracy and effectiveness of ultrasound imaging based on artificial intelligence algorithms in predicting lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients through a meta-analysis. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for literature published up to May 2023. The search terms included artificial intelligence, ultrasound, breast cancer, and lymph node. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were selected, and data were extracted for analysis. The main evaluation indicators included sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and area under the curve (AUC). The heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochrane Q test combined with the I^2 statistic expressing the percentage of total effect variation that can be attributed to the effect variation between studies, as recommended by the Cochrane Handbook for heterogeneity quantification. A threshold p-value of 0.10 was considered to compensate for the low power of the Q test. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the stability of individual studies, and publication bias was determined with funnel plots. Additionally, fagan plots were used to assess clinical utility. RESULTS: Ten studies involving 4726 breast cancer patients were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that ultrasound imaging based on artificial intelligence algorithms had high accuracy and effectiveness in predicting lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients. The pooled sensitivity was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.81-0.93; P < 0.001; I2 = 84.68), specificity was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.66-0.83; P < 0.001; I2 = 91.11), and AUC was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.86-0.91). The positive likelihood ratio was 3.5 (95% CI: 2.6-4.8), negative likelihood ratio was 0.16 (95% CI: 0.10-0.26), and diagnostic odds ratio was 23 (95% CI: 13-40). However, the combined sensitivity of ultrasound imaging based on non-AI algorithms for predicting lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients was 0.78 (95%CI: 0.63-0.88), the specificity was 0.76 (95%CI: 0.63-0.86), and the AUC was 0.84 (95%CI: 0.80-0.87). The positive likelihood ratio was 3.3 (95% CI: 1.9-5.6), the negative likelihood ratio was 0.29 (95% CI: 0.15-0.54), and the diagnostic odds ratio was 11 (95% CI: 4-33). Due to limited sample size (n = 2), meta-analysis was not conducted for the outcome of predicting lymph node metastasis burden. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound imaging based on artificial intelligence algorithms holds promise in predicting lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients, demonstrating high accuracy and effectiveness. The application of this technology helps in the diagnosis and treatment decisions for breast cancer patients and is expected to become an important tool in future clinical practice.

Transient chiral dynamics revealed by two-dimensional circular dichroism spectroscopy.

Chirality has been considered as one of the key factors in the evolution of life in nature. It is important to uncover how chiral potentials of molecular systems play vital role in fundamental photochemical processes. Here, we investigate the role of chirality in photoinduced energy transfer in a model dimeric system, where the monomers are excitonically coupled. To observe transient chiral dynamics and energy transfer, we employ circularly polarized laser pulses in two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy to construct the two-dimensional circular dichroism (2DCD) spectral maps. Tracking time-resolved peak magnitudes in 2DCD spectra allows one to identify chirality induced population dynamics. The dynamics of energy transfer is revealed by the time-resolved kinetics of cross peaks. However, the differential signal of 2DCD spectra shows the magnitude of cross peaks is dramatically reduced at initial waiting time, which indicates the weak chiral interactions between two monomers. The downhill energy transfer is resolved by presenting a strong magnitude of cross peak in 2DCD spectra after long waiting time. The chiral contribution towards coherent and incoherent energy-transfer pathways in the model dimer system is further examined via control of excitonic couplings between two monomers. Applications are made to study the energy-transfer process in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex. Our work uncovers the potential of 2DCD spectroscopy to resolve the chiral-induced interactions and population transfers in excitonically coupled systems.

The selection and application of peduncle length QTL QPL_6D.1 in modern wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) breeding.

KEY MESSAGE: QPL_6D.1b displayed an additive effect with Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b in reducing wheat plant height and peduncle length, which confers shorter peduncle length and more kernels per spike, and had been broadly selected by Chinese modern wheat cultivars. Peduncle length (PL), as the key component of wheat plant height (PH), plays critical role in determining wheat lodging resistance and wheat pathogen resistance; then, its breeding selection and genetic basis remain largely unclear. Here the PH and PL were investigated in 406 wheat accessions in eight environments. In this study, a PL preferentially QTL QPL_6D.1 was identified in six environments by GWAS, which explained 13.6-24.2% of wheat PL variations in natural population. The allele QPL_6D.1b displayed a significantly additive effect with Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b in controlling PH and PL and could freely combined with Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b in current wheat cultivars. Haplotypic analysis demonstrates the QPL_6D.1b has been selected by Chinese modern wheat cultivar and confers shorter PL and more kernels per spike, highlighting its potentials in wheat breeding.

Reduced contrast sensitivity function correlated with superficial retinal capillary plexus impairment in early stage of dysthyroid optic neuropathy.

BACKGROUND: To assess the accuracy of contrast sensitivity function (CSF) in detecting dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) at an early stage in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) patients and to examine potential factors that may be linked to early visual impairments in these individuals. METHODS: A total of 81 TAO patients (50 non-DON and 31 DON), and 24 control subjects participated in the study. CSF was measured with the quick CSF (qCSF) method. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images of the ganglion cell complex layer (GCCL), superficial and deep retinal capillary plexuses (SRCP and DRCP) in a 3 mm diameter area around the macula were evaluated. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, the area under the log contrast sensitivity function (AULCSF) and SRCP density were significantly reduced in non-DON and DON patients (all P < 0.05). The GCCL thickness of the DON patients was thinner than that of the controls and non-DON patients (all P < 0.05). The AULCSF was significantly correlated with spherical equivalent refractive error, muscle index, SRCP density and GCCL thickness in TAO patients, respectively (all P < 0.05). However, stepwise multi-regression analysis showed that the AULCSF was only significantly correlated with SRCP density (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the AULCSF produced the most accurate discrimination between non-DON and DON patients from the controls (AUC = 0.831, 0.987, respectively; all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CSF change in the early stage of DON is related to SRCP density. It can be an early indicator of visual impairments associated with DON in TAO patients.

Study on Epoxy Resin Composite Reinforced with Rice Straw Fiber.

In order to enhance the performance of the epoxy resin-prepared materials, straw fiber was used as the reinforcing base in this study. The principle of this study is to use the cellulose component exposed after the defibrillation of straw fiber can be further combined with the epoxy group. Firstly, the degree of defibrillation of straw fiber under three different pretreatment methods of acid, alkali and moist heat treatment was explored, and a control test was conducted with untreated straw fiber, which showed that the defibrillation of the straw fiber after alkali treatment was better than the other two methods. Secondly, to prove the comprehensive effect of the pretreatment method and straw fiber filling amount on the composite material performance, this paper carried out a tensile, bending, density and water absorption test. The results showed that when the straw fiber filling was 15%, the best performance of the composites was achieved by the alkali treatment, with tensile strength and tensile modulus reaching 1.89 KN and 3.92 MPa, bending strength and bending modulus reaching 2.00 KN and 81.65 MPa, average water absorption reaching 2.77%, and density reaching 0.957 g/cm3. Finally, the results were verified using Image J software was used for verification. After comparison, the material meets the basic requirements of high-density fiberboard material and provides a reference for preparing straw epoxy resin composites.

A computational offloading optimization scheme based on deep reinforcement learning in perceptual network.

Currently, the deep integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing has improved the computing capability of the IoT perception layer. Existing offloading techniques for edge computing suffer from the single problem of solidifying offloading policies. Based on this, combined with the characteristics of deep reinforcement learning, this paper investigates a computation offloading optimization scheme for the perception layer. The algorithm can adaptively adjust the computational task offloading policy of IoT terminals according to the network changes in the perception layer. Experiments show that the algorithm effectively improves the operational efficiency of the IoT perceptual layer and reduces the average task delay compared with other offloading algorithms.

Alternative Splicing of TaHsfA2-7 Is Involved in the Improvement of Thermotolerance in Wheat.

High temperature has severely affected plant growth and development, resulting in reduced production of crops worldwide, especially wheat. Alternative splicing (AS), a crucial post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism, is involved in the growth and development of eukaryotes and the adaptation to environmental changes. Previous transcriptome data suggested that heat shock transcription factor (Hsf) TaHsfA2-7 may form different transcripts by AS. However, it remains unclear whether this post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism of TaHsfA2-7 is related to thermotolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum). Here, we identified a novel splice variant, TaHsfA2-7-AS, which was induced by high temperature and played a positive role in thermotolerance regulation in wheat. Moreover, TaHsfA2-7-AS is predicted to encode a small truncated TaHsfA2-7 isoform, retaining only part of the DNA-binding domain (DBD). TaHsfA2-7-AS is constitutively expressed in various tissues of wheat. Notably, the expression level of TaHsfA2-7-AS is significantly up-regulated by heat shock (HS) during flowering and grain-filling stages in wheat. Further studies showed that TaHsfA2-7-AS was localized in the nucleus but lacked transcriptional activation activity. Ectopic expression of TaHsfA2-7-AS in yeast exhibited improved thermotolerance. Compared to non-transgenic plants, overexpression of TaHsfA2-7-AS in Arabidopsis results in enhanced tolerance to heat stress. Simultaneously, we also found that TaHsfA1 is directly involved in the transcriptional regulation of TaHsfA2-7 and TaHsfA2-7-AS. In summary, our findings demonstrate the function of TaHsfA2-7-AS splicing variant in response to heat stress and establish a link between regulatory mechanisms of AS and the improvement of thermotolerance in wheat.

Ultrafast photoinduced dynamics of a donor-([Formula: see text])bridge-acceptor based merocyanine dye.

Merocyanine dyes are of great interest amongst researchers due to their nonlinear optical (NLO) properties and solvatochromism. Molecular structure of these dyes constitutes conjugated pathway between the donor and acceptor substituents, with lowest energy transition of [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]* character. To rationalize the design of these dyes and deduce structure-property relationship, it is eminent to unravel the excited state dynamics in these complex molecular structures in different solvents. Here we have studied excited state dynamics of a merocyanine dye known as HB194, which has shown commendable efficiency in small molecule based bulk heterojuction solar cells. We have employed femtosecond transient absorption in combination with the quantum chemistry calculations to unravel the solvent dependent charge transfer dynamics of HB194. The excited state decays of the HB194 in different solvents show multi-exponential components. The analysis of the time-resolved data reveals that the polar solvents induce conformationally relaxed intramolecular charge transfer state. In non-polar solvent cyclohexane, only solvent-stabilized ICT state is observed. Additionally, we observe an anomalously red-shifted emission in ethylene glycol centred at [Formula: see text] 750 nm. Our computational calculations suggest the presence of molecular dimers resulting into observed red-shifted emission band. Our work therefore underscores the importance of gathering molecular-level insight into the system-bath interactions for designing next generation merocynanine-based solvatochromic dyes.

Elevated pulse pressure correlated with reduced retinal peripapillary capillary in thyroid-associated ophthalmology with visual field defect.

Purpose: To quantify the retinal vessel density in thyroid-associated ophthalmology (TAO) patients with visual field (VF) defect and examine its associations with mechanical and system vascular risk factors for underlying pathogenesis of VF defect in TAO. Methods: The cohort was composed of 62 TAO eyes (39 with VF defect and 23 without VF defect). The pulse pressure (PP), intraocular pressure (IOP), ophthalmic rectus muscular index (MI), superficial retinal capillary plexus (SRCP), radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) density, and other related parameters were measured. The associations among these factors and VF mean deviation (MD) were analyzed. Results: In TAO patients with VF defect, reduced RPC density, higher PP, and larger horizontal and vertical MI were found (all P < 0.03) when compared to TAO patients without VF defect. The RPC density was correlated with VF MD value (r = 0.242, P = 0.029), while SRCP density was not (P = 0.419). In univariable general estimating equation (GEE) analysis with RPC density as the outcome, PP and its fluctuation showed a significant association (both P < 0.04). In the final RPC model with multivariable GEE analysis, only PP (ß = -0.082, P = 0.029) showed significance while PP fluctuation (P = 0.080) did not. Conclusions: The elevated PP was correlated with reduced retinal peripapillary perfusion in TAO resulting in VF defect. These data suggested that the system vascular factor may be important in the pathogenesis of reduced retinal perfusion resulting in visual impairment in TAO.

Alterations in Spontaneous Neuronal Activity and Microvascular Density of the Optic Nerve Head in Active Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy.

Purpose: To investigate changes in local spontaneous brain activity in patients with active thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) and explore the relationship between such alterations and microvascular indices. Methods: Thirty-six active TAO patients with active phase and 39 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this study. All participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), neuropsychological tests, and ophthalmological examinations. The rs-fMRI-based fractional low-frequency fluctuation amplitude (fALFF) analysis methods were used to assess spontaneous brain activity in both groups. The structure (peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, pRNFL) and microvascular indices (the optic nerve head (ONH) whole image vessel density, ONH-wiVD, and peripapillary vessel density) were analyzed through optical coherence tomographic angiography imaging. The relationship between abnormal spontaneous brain activity and ophthalmological indices was analyzed using the Spearman's rank correlation analysis. Results: Compared with HCs, active TAO patients had increased fALFF in the right inferior temporal gyrus (R.ITG) and left posterior cingulate gyrus (L.PCC), but decreased fALFF in the right calcarine (R.CAL). The fALFF values in L.PCC were positively correlated with peripapillary vessel density, whereas fALFF values in R.CAL were negatively related to peripapillary vessel density. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that changes in spontaneous brain activity of active TAO are accompanied by peripapillary microvascular variations. These results provide insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of active TAO. In addition, the combination of fALFF values and peripapillary vessel density may be served as important references for better clinical decision making.

Population-environment dynamics across world's top 100 urban agglomerations: With implications for transitioning toward global urban sustainability.

Urbanization is a long-term global trend critical for shaping human-Earth sustainability in the Anthropocene. In past decades, much progress has been made in researching urban sustainability, particularly global assessments of the big picture and case studies of individual cities. Here we examine the world's top 100 urban agglomerations (UAs) in terms of size-that rank high on sustainability agendas and cover 28% of the global UA area-regarding four broadly concerned challenges: population shrinkage, slum development, greenness loss, and heat exposure. Instead of merely focusing on global/regional "averages" or individual cases, we take one step further to identify the "anomalies" of urban sustainability among the 100 UAs for each dimension and on the whole as multi-dimensional coupled infrastructure systems. Results show: (1) urban population of the 100 UAs increased by 36% during 2000-2020; (2) urban slums occurred in 85% of 34 examined UAs in the Global South; (3) urban greenness declined in the 100 UAs by 8% during 2000-2019; and (4) 79% of the 100 UAs were projected to have less than 30 EHDs per year during 2021-2030. Our findings provide global baselines for place-based problem-driven policymaking for the examined UAs and suggest improving urban green infrastructure as their top policy imperative. Our findings point to a critical research gap in the urban sustainability literature: Studying sustainability transitions of the "abnormally" sustainable UAs identified in this study that had exceptional performances on the four examined sustainability dimensions, e.g., Beijing of China and Milan of Italy.

Dual Carbon Design Strategy for Anodes of Sodium-Ion Battery: Mesoporous CoS2/CoO on Open Framework Carbon-Spheres with rGO Encapsulating.

Transition metal sulfides and oxides with high theoretical capacities have been regarded as promising anode candidates for a sodium-ion battery (SIB); however, they have critical issues including sluggish electrochemical kinetics and poor long-term stability. Herein, a dual carbon design strategy is proposed to integrate with highly active heterojunctions to overcome the above issues. In this new design, CoS2/CoO hollow dodecahedron heterojunctions are sandwiched between open framework carbon-spheres (OFCs) and a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanomembrane (OFC@CoS2/CoO@rGO). The CoS2/CoO heterojunctions effectively promote electron transfer on their surface and provide more electrochemical active sites through their hierarchical hollow structures assembled by nanodots. Meanwhile, the dual-carbon framework forms a highly conductive network that enables a better rate capability. More importantly, the dual carbon can greatly buffer volume expansion and stable reaction interfaces of electrode material during the charge/discharge process. Benefitting from their synergistical effects, the OFC@CoS2/CoO@rGO electrode achieves a high reversible capacity of 460 mAh g-1 at 0.05 A g-1 and still maintains 205.3 mAh g-1 even when current density is increased by 200 times when used as an anode material for SIBs. Their cycling property is also remarkable with a maintained capacity of 161 mAh g-1 after 3500 charging/discharging cycles at a high current density of 1 A g-1. The dual-carbon strategy is demonstrated to be effective for enhanced reaction kinetics and long-term cycling property, providing siginificant guidance for preparing other high-performance electrode materials.

Deep Learning for Joint Pilot Design and Channel Estimation in MIMO-OFDM Systems.

In MIMO-OFDM systems, pilot design and estimation algorithm jointly determine the reliability and effectiveness of pilot-based channel estimation methods. In order to improve the channel estimation accuracy with less pilot overhead, a deep learning scheme for joint pilot design and channel estimation is proposed. This new hybrid network structure is named CAGAN, which is composed of a concrete autoencoder (concrete AE) and a conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN). We first use concrete AE to find and select the most informative position in the time-frequency grid to achieve pilot optimization design and then input the optimized pilots to cGAN to complete channel estimation. Simulation experiments show that the CAGAN scheme outperforms the traditional LS and MMSE estimation methods with fewer pilots, and has good robustness to environmental noise.

Comparison of Two Tonometers in the Evaluation of 24-Hour Intraocular Pressure and Mean Ocular Perfusion Pressure in Patients with Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to compare a non-contact tonometer (NCT) and goldmann applannation tonometer (GAT) in the evaluation of intraocular pressure (IOP) and mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP) in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). Methods: In this study, a total of 30 patients (16 females and 14 males) were recruited. All patients underwent a routine ophthalmic assessment and their medical history was acquired. Clinical assessment included the 24-hour measurement of intraocular pressure and blood pressure, an orbital computed tomography (CT) scan, and a visual field (VF）test. Patients were divided into two groups according to their visual field test results: a defect group with mean deviation (MD) of visual field -2 dB or lower and a normal group with MD over -2 dB. Results: Bland-Altman's analysis showed similar results of IOP at every time point and revealed an agreement of mean IOP between the two tonometers (the deviation in the mean IOP between the two tonometers was 1 mmHg, with 95% limits of agreement of 8.8 to -6.8 mmHg). The 24-hour MOPP SD value in NCT (2.28) and GAT (1.77) showed that the two instruments had the same diagnostic efficacy (100% sensitivity, 95.8% specificity). The areas under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve of the 24-hour mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP) SD (GAT: 0.778, NCT: 0.713; z = 0.669, P=0.504), 24-hour MOPP fluctuation (GAT:0.683, NCT:0.757; z = 0.963, P=0.336) measured by GAT and NCT had no significant difference between the two tonometers. Conclusions: The measurement of IOPs, MOPPs, and their diagnostic efficacy of visual field defect showed consistency between NCT and GAT. The study highlights the importance of monitoring the 24-hour MOPP and IOP in TAO patients. Furthermore, it suggests that the less invasive NCT can replace GAT as a long-term monitoring device in TAO patients.