Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals new subtypes of lens superficial tissue in humans.

Although the cell atlas of the human ocular anterior segment of the human eye was revealed by single-nucleus RNA sequencing, whether subtypes of lens stem/progenitor cells exist among epithelial cells and the molecular characteristics of cell differentiation of the human lens remain unclear. Single-cell RNA sequencing is a powerful tool to analyse the heterogeneity of tissues at the single cell level, leading to a better understanding of the processes of cell differentiation. By profiling 18,596 cells in human lens superficial tissue through single-cell sequencing, we identified two subtypes of lens epithelial cells that specifically expressed C8orf4 and ADAMTSL4 with distinct spatial localization, a new type of fibre cells located directly adjacent to the epithelium, and a subpopulation of ADAMTSL4+ cells that might be lens epithelial stem/progenitor cells. We also found two trajectories of lens epithelial cell differentiation and changes of some important genes during differentiation.

[Effects of Spartina alterniflora invasion in a seaward direction on variations of inorganic sulfur forms in marsh soils of the Minjiang River estuary, China]. / é—½æ±Ÿæ²³å£äº’èŠ±ç±³è‰æµ·å‘å ¥ä¾µå¯¹æ¹¿åœ°åœŸå£¤æ— æœºç¡«èµ‹å­˜å½¢æ€çš„å½±å“.

To explore the effects of Spartina alterniflora invasion in a seaward direction on variations of inorganic sulfur forms in marsh soils, the levels of inorganic sulfur forms (H2O-S, Adsorbed-S, HCl-Soluble-S and HCl-Volatile-S) were determined in bare flat (BF, before invasion), S. alterniflora marsh after seaward invasion for one year (SA') and S. alterniflora marsh after seaward invasion for three years (SA) in Shanyutan of the Minjiang River estuary with the method of space-for-time substitution. Results showed that the seaward invasion of S. alterniflora altered the stocks and distribution of inorganic sulfur form in marsh soils. Compared with BF, the contents of H2O-S, Adsorbed-S and HCl-Volatile-S in soils of SA increased by 52.6%, 78.2% and 21.0%, respectively, while that of HCl-Soluble-S decreased by 3.4%. In contrast, the levels of H2O-S, Adsorbed-S and HCl-Soluble-S in soils of SA' increased by 43.9%, 70.6% and 29.6%, respectively, whereas that of HCl-Volatile-S decreased by 11.6%. The contents of total inorganic sulfur (TIS) in soils of SA and SA' increased by 40.7% and 37.8%, while the stocks of TIS increased by 26.8% and 31.4%, respectively. The key factors affecting different forms of inorganic sulfur in marsh soils had changed due to the seaward invasion of S. alterniflora. In particular, the key factors affecting the variations of H2O-S contents changed from soil grain composition and bulk density in BF to soil organic matter in SA' and SA. The seaward invasion of S. alterniflora significantly increased the content of TIS in marsh soils, which was mainly contributed by H2O-S and Adsorbed-S. Thus, it was concluded that the seaward invasion of S. alterniflora significantly increased the supply capacity of available sulfur in marsh soils, which, to some extent, accelerated its seaward invasion.

Plasma Omentin-1 Level as a Predictor of Good Coronary Collateral Circulation.

AIM: Coronary collateral circulation (CCC) is crucial during an acute ischemic attack. Evidences showed that omentin-1 exhibited remarkable antiatherogenic effects and ischemia-induced revascularization. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between plasma omentin-1 levels and CCC in patients with ≥90% angiography-proven coronary occlusion. METHODS: 142 patients with ≥90% luminal diameter stenosis in at least one major epicardial coronary artery were recruited. Among them, 79 patients with Rentrop 0-1 grade were classified into the poor CCC group and 63 patients with Rentrop 2-3 grade were included into the good CCC group. The association between plasma omentin-1 levels and CCC status was assessed. RESULTS: Plasma omentin-1 level was significantly higher in patients with good CCC than those with poor CCC (566.57±26.90 vs. 492.38±19.70 ng/mL, p=0.024). Besides, omentin-1 was positively correlated with total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein, and gensini score but inversely with hyperlipidemia and body mass index (all p values＜0.05). Multivariate regression analysis indicated that omentin-1 [odds ratio (OR)=1.002, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.000-1.004, p=0.041)], TC, the number of the diseased vessels, a higher frequency of left circumflex artery and right coronary artery, chronic total occlusion, and gensini score remained as the independent predictors of good CCC. CONCLUSION: Higher plasma omentin-1 level was associated with better CCC development. Our findings suggest that omentin-1 may be an alternative marker for adequate CCC in patients with ≥90% coronary occlusion.

Development of new criteria for cortical bone histomorphometry in femoral neck: intra- and inter-observer reproducibility.

Histomorphometry is commonly applied to study bone remodeling. Histological definitions of cortical bone boundaries have not been consistent. In this study, new criteria for specific definition of the transitional zone between the cortical and cancellous bone in the femoral neck were developed. The intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of this method was determined by quantitative histomorphometry and areal overlapping analysis. The undecalcified histological sections of femoral neck specimens (n = 6; from men aged 17-59 years) were processed and scanned to acquire histological images of complete bone sections. Specific criteria were applied to define histological boundaries. "Absolute cortex area" consisted of pure cortical bone tissue only, and was defined mainly based on the size of composite canals and their distance to an additional "guide" boundary (so-called "preliminary cortex boundary," the clear demarcation line of density between compact cortex and sparse trabeculae). Endocortical bone area was defined by recognizing characteristic endocortical structures adjacent to the preliminary cortical boundary. The present results suggested moderate to high reproducibility for low-magnification parameters (e.g., cortical bone area). The coefficient of variation (CV %) ranged from 0.02 to 5.61 in the intra-observer study and from 0.09 to 16.41 in the inter-observer study. However, the intra-observer reproducibility of some high-magnification parameters (e.g., osteoid perimeter/endocortical perimeter) was lower (CV %, 0.33-87.9). The overlapping of three histological areas in repeated analyses revealed highest intra- and inter-observer reproducibility for the absolute cortex area. This study provides specific criteria for the definition of histological boundaries for femoral neck bone specimens, which may aid more precise cortical bone histomorphometry.