Enhancing Circularly Polarized Luminescence in Quantum Dots through Chiral Coordination-Mediated Growth at the Liquid/Liquid Interface.

Here, we develop a novel methodology for synthesizing chiral CdSe@ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with enhanced circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) by incorporating l-/d-histidine (l-/d-His) ligands during ZnS shell growth at the water/oil interface. The resulting chiral QDs exhibit exceptional absolute photoluminescence quantum yield of up to 67.2%, surpassing the reported limits of 40.0% for chiral inorganic QDs, along with absorption dissymmetry factor (|gabs|) and luminescence dissymmetry factor (|glum|) values of 10-2, exceeding the range of 10-5-10-3 and 10-4-10-2, respectively. Detailed investigations of the synthetic pathway reveal that the interface, as a binary synthetic environment, facilitates the coordinated ligand exchange and shell growth mediated by chiral His-Zn2+ coordination complexes, leading to a maximum fluorescent brightness and chiroptical activities. The growth process, regulated by the His-Zn2+ coordination complex, not only reduces trap states on the CdSe surface, thereby enhancing the fluorescence intensity, but also significantly promotes the orbital hybridization between QDs and chiral ligands, effectively overcoming the shielding effect of the wide bandgap shell and imparting pronounced chirality. The proposed growth pathway elucidates the origin of chirality and provides insights into the regulation of the CPL intensity in chiral QDs. Furthermore, the application of CPL QDs in multilevel anticounterfeiting systems overcomes the limitations of replication in achiral fluorescence materials and enhances the system's resistance to counterfeiting, thus opening new opportunities for chiral QDs in optical anticounterfeiting and intelligent information encryption.

Prevalence and associated health and lifestyle factors of myopic maculopathy in northern China: the Kailuan eye study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the prevalence and associated health and lifestyle factors of myopic maculopathy (MM) in a northern Chinese industrial city. METHODS: The cross-sectional Kailuan Eye Study included subjects who participated in the longitudinal Kailuan Study in 2016. Ophthalmologic and general examinations were performed on all the participants. MM was graded based on fundus photographs using the International Photographic Classification and Grading System. The prevalence of MM was evaluated. Univariate and multiple logistic regression were adopted to evaluated risk factors of MM. RESULTS: The study included 8330 participants with gradable fundus photographs for MM and ocular biometry data. The prevalence of MM was 1.11% (93/8330; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89-1.33%). Diffuse chorioretinal atrophy, patchy chorioretinal atrophy, macular atrophy, and plus lesions were observed in 72 (0.9%), 15 (0.2%), 6 (0.007%), and 32 eyes (0.4%), respectively. MM was more common in eyes with longer axial length (OR 4.517; 95%CI 3.273 to 6.235) and in participants with hypertension (OR 3.460; 95%CI 1.152 to 10.391), and older age (OR 1.084; 95%CI 1.036 to 1.134). CONCLUSIONS: The MM was present in 1.11% of the northern Chinese individuals 21 years or older and the associate factors include longer axial length, older age, and hypertension.

Immunoprofiling of Severity and Stage of Bacterial Infectious Diseases by Ultrabright Fluorescent Nanosphere-Based Dyad Test Strips.

Bacterial infectious diseases are common clinical diseases that seriously threaten human health, especially in countries and regions with poor environmental hygiene. Due to the lack of characteristic clinical symptoms and signs, it is a challenge to distinguish a bacterial infection from other infections, leading to misdiagnosis and antibiotic overuse. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a specific method for detection of bacterial infections. Herein, utilizing ultrabright fluorescent nanospheres (FNs) as reporters, immunochromatographic dyad test strips are developed for the early detection of bacterial infections and distinction of different stages of bacterial infectious diseases in clinical samples. C-reactive protein (CRP) and heparin-binding protein (HBP) are quantified and assayed because their levels in plasma are varied dynamically and asynchronously during the progression of the disease. The detection limits of CRP and HBP can reach as low as 0.51 and 0.65 ng/mL, respectively, due to the superior fluorescence intensity of each FN, which is 570 times stronger than that of a single quantum dot. The assay procedure can be achieved in 22 min, fully meeting the needs of rapid and ultrasensitive detection in the field. This constructed strip has been successfully used to profile the stage and severity of bacterial infections by monitoring the levels of CRP and HBP in human plasma samples, showing great potential as a point-of-care biosensor for clinical diagnosis. In addition to bacterial infections, the developed ultrabright FN-based point-of-care testing can be readily expanded for rapid, quantitative, and ultrasensitive detection of other trace substances in complex systems.

Spatiotemporal Quantification of Endosomal Acidification on the Viral Journey.

Many enveloped viruses utilize endocytic pathways and vesicle trafficking to infect host cells, where the acidification of virus-containing endosomes triggers the virus-endosome fusion events. Therefore, simultaneous correlation of intracellular location, local pH, and individual virus dynamics is important for gaining insight into viral infection mechanisms. Here, an imaging approach is developed for spatiotemporal quantification of endosomal acidification on the viral journey in host cells using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer based ratiometric pH sensor consisting of a photostable and high-brightness QD, pH-sensitive fluorescent dyes, and virus-binding proteins. Ratiometric analysis of sensor-based single-virus tracking data enables to dissect a two-step endosomal acidification process during the infection of influenza viruses and elucidates the occurrence of the fission and sorting of virus-containing endosomes to recycling endosomes after initial acidification. This technique should serve as a robust approach for in situ quantification of endosomal acidification on the viral journey.

Primary optic neuropathy in Behçet's syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Primary optic neuropathy in Behçet's syndrome (PONBS) is limited to a few case reports. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes, and visual prognosis of PONBS. METHODS: Sixty-one patients who presented with first onset of optic neuritis and fulfilled the International Criteria for Behçet's Disease (ICBD) were evaluated. RESULTS: The female-to-male ratio was 1.7:1. No patient had other central nervous system (CNS) disease. In 67 eyes with optic nerve abnormalities on MRI scan, perineural enhancement around the orbital optic nerve (46 eyes, 68.7%) was significantly more frequent than was increased signal in the optic nerve itself (31 eyes, 46.3%; p = 0.000), typically with sunflower-like appearance on coronal view (33 eyes, 71.7%). Two patients (3.6%) relapsed during follow-up (median 12 months). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis estimated the cumulative risk of severe visual loss (⩽0.1) at 24 months was 14.7% in females versus 62.5% in males (hazard ratio (HR), 0.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.54). CONCLUSION: PONBS frequently presents with isolated optic neuropathy in females. The sunflower-like sign might be a distinctive MRI feature. Short-term recurrence is very rare. Males have a higher cumulative risk of severe visual loss.

Altered Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness and Choroid Thickness in Patients with Migraine.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder. However, its pathogenesis is still unclear. This study aimed to measure the posterior ocular structure in patients with migraine using enhanced depth imaging (EDI)-optical coherence tomography (OCT) and explore the probable pathogenesis of migraine. METHODS: A total of 115 patients diagnosed with migraine and 50 healthy volunteers were recruited. These participants underwent an ocular examination to exclude the ocular diseases. Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, macular thickness, and choroid thickness were assessed using EDI-OCT. RESULTS: The nasal peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) was significantly thinner in the migraine with aura group (p = 0.001) than that in the control group. The inferior inner macular layer was thinner in the migraine with aura group (p = 0.005). The 3 subfields of choroid were significantly thinner in the migraine with aura group (p = 0.044, 0.008, and 0.029). However, there was no difference between the migraine without aura group and the control group. The nasal pRNFL in migraine with aura was negatively correlated with the product of duration (months) and number of attacks/month (p = 0.039). CONCLUSION: The changes in the ocular posterior structure may serve as evidence of the trigeminovascular system mechanism underlying migraine and transneuronal retrograde degeneration of the primary visual cortex, which reflects the cortical spreading depression.

Development and utilization of a new chemically-induced soybean library with a high mutation density .

Mutagenized populations have provided important materials for introducing variation and identifying gene function in plants. In this study, an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-induced soybean (Glycine max) population, consisting of 21,600 independent M2 lines, was developed. Over 1,000 M4 (5) families, with diverse abnormal phenotypes for seed composition, seed shape, plant morphology and maturity that are stably expressed across different environments and generations were identified. Phenotypic analysis of the population led to the identification of a yellow pigmentation mutant, gyl, that displayed significantly decreased chlorophyll (Chl) content and abnormal chloroplast development. Sequence analysis showed that gyl is allelic to MinnGold, where a different single nucleotide polymorphism variation in the Mg-chelatase subunit gene (ChlI1a) results in golden yellow leaves. A cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence marker was developed and may be applied to marker-assisted selection for the golden yellow phenotype in soybean breeding. We show that the newly developed soybean EMS mutant population has potential for functional genomics research and genetic improvement in soybean.

Aflibercept versus ranibizumab for diabetic macular edema: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of aflibercept (AFL) versus ranibizumab (RAN) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). METHODS: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CNKI databases were searched up to September 2022 to identify prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing AFL with RAN for the treatment of DME. Review Manager 5.3 software was used for data analysis. We used the GRADE system to evaluate the quality of the evidence for each outcome. RESULTS: A total of 8 RCTs involving 1067 eyes (939 patients) were included; there were 526 eyes in the AFL group and 541 eyes in the RAN group. Meta-analysis revealed that there was no significant difference between RAN and AFL in the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of DME patients at 6 months (WMD: -0.05, 95% CI = -0.12 to 0.01, moderate quality) and 12 months after injection (WMD: -0.02, 95% CI = -0.07 to 0.03, moderate quality). Additionally, there was no significant difference between RAN and AFL in the reduction of central macular thickness (CMT) at 6 months (WMD: -0.36, 95% CI = -24.99 to 24.26, very low quality) and 12 months after injection (WMD: -6.36, 95% CI = -16.30 to 3.59, low quality). Meta-analysis showed that the number of intravitreal injections (IVIs) for AFL was significantly lower than that for RAN (WMD: -0.47, 95% CI = -0.88 to -0.05, very low quality). There were fewer adverse reactions to AFL than to RAN, but the difference was not significant. CONCLUSION: This study found that there was no difference in BCVA, CMT or adverse reactions between AFL and RAN at 6 and 12 months of follow-up, but AFL needed fewer IVIs than RAN.

[Changes of choroidal thickness in central serous chorioretinopathy].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the quantitative changes of choroidal thickness in central serous chorioretinopathy. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Twenty-three patients with unilateral central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) in acute and chronic stages were diagnosed after fluorescein angiography, indocyanine angiography and enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI OCT). EDI OCT scan across the fovea was performed in each eye and the result was compared with that from an age-, sex-matched and spherical equivalent-matched control subject. Subfoveal thickness of choroid was calculated by a onboard software in HRA2. RESULTS: Choroidal thickness in the CSC eyes and the fellow eyes was (464.43 ± 97.15) µm and (399.91 ± 124.01) µm, respectively. No significant difference between the two groups (t = 4.653, P < 0.05). Choroidal thickness was (313.09 ± 70.67) µm in the control group. There was statistically significant difference in thickness between the CSC group and the control group (t = 5.077, -2.085; P < 0.05). Choroidal thickness in the fellow eyes with choroidal vascular hyperpermeability was (506.44 ± 75.66) µm, which was differed significantly (t = 4.749, P < 0.05)from the non-hypermeability eyes (331.43 ± 97.94) µm. CONCLUSIONS: Subfoveal choroid thickness in the symptomatic eye and the fellow eyes in CSC group is thicker than that of the control group. The subfoveal choroidal thickness of eyes with hypermeability is thicker than that in the non-hypermeability eyes. EDI-OCT is a noninvasive procedure which can be used to evaluate the choroidal hypermeability in CSC.

Quantum Dots with a Compact Amphiphilic Zwitterionic Coating.

Generally speaking, it is difficult to keep nanomaterials encapsulated in amphiphilic polymers like octylamine-grafted poly(acrylic acid) (OPA) compact in coating-layer, with a small hydrodynamic size. Here, we prepared stable hydrophilic quantum dots (QDs) via encapsulation in ∼3 nm-long amphiphilic and zwitterionic (AZ) molecules. After encapsulation with AZ molecules, the coated QDs are only 2.1 nm thicker in coating, instead of 5.4 nm with OPA. Meanwhile, the hydrodynamic sizes of CdSe/CdS, ZnCdSeS, ZnCdSe/ZnS, and CdSe/ZnS QDs encapsulated in AZ molecules (AZ-QDs) are less than 15 nm, and 6-7 nm smaller than those of QDs in OPA (OPA-QDs). Notably, both extracellular and intracellular nonspecific binding of AZ-QDs is approximately 100-folds lower than that of OPA-QDs.

Ocular Adverse Events after Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccination.

Purpose: To report the clinical characteristics of ocular adverse events that have occurred, in China, after vaccination with inactivated COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional observational study was conducted of ocular disorders that occurred within 15 days from any dose of an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine. Information on gender, age, the interval between the vaccination and ocular symptoms, laterality, duration of the ocular symptoms, primary visual acuity, and clinical diagnosis were retrospectively collected. Results: Twenty-four patients were involved in the study, including 15 females and 9 males, with a mean age of 41 ± 16 years (range of 8−71 years). The patients all denied a prior history of COVID-19 infection. Ocular adverse events occurred after the first dose of vaccine in 18 patients and, after the second or third doses, in six patients. The interval between vaccination with the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine and ocular symptoms was 6 ± 5 days; six patients were bilaterally involved and 18 patients were unilaterally involved. Regarding the diagnosis, 10 patients were diagnosed with white dot syndrome (WDS), 9 patients were diagnosed with uveitis, and 5 patients were diagnosed with retinal vascular disorders. The ages of patients with WDS were younger than those with uveitis or retinal vascular disorders (32 ± 10 vs. 48 ± 18, p < 0.05). For patients diagnosed with WDS, the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.74 ± 0.73 LogMAR. For patients diagnosed with retinal vascular disorders or uveitis, the BCVA was 1.44 ± 1.26 LogMAR. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05). Conclusions: A relationship cannot be established between inactivated COVID-19 vaccines and ocular disorders; therefore, further investigation of the clinical spectrum of ocular adverse events after vaccination with an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine is necessary.

[Clinical observation on Tongdu Tiaoqi acupuncture combined with warming acupuncture for postoperative urinary retention].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the therapeutic effect of Tongdu Tiaoqi acupuncture (acupuncture for unblocking governor vessel and regulating qi ) combined with warming acupuncture, Tongdu Tiaoqi acupuncture, abdominal moxibustion and oral tamsulosin hydrochloride sustained release capsule on postoperative urinary retention. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with postoperative urinary retention were randomized into an acupuncture-moxibustion group, an acupuncture group, a moxibustion group and a medication group, 30 cases in each group. Tongdu Tiaoqi acupuncture combined with warming acupuncture were applied in the acupuncture-moxibustion group. Tongdu Tiaoqi acupuncture was applied at Baihui (GV 20), Shuigou (CV 26) etc. in the acupuncture group. Moxibustion was applied at Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Shuidao (ST 28) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) in the moxibustion group. Tamsulosin hydrochloride sustained release capsule was given orally in the medication group. The treatment was once a day, and 5-day treatment was required in each group. Before and after treatment, the residual urine volume of bladder, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score and the time of first urethral catheter removal were observed, and the clinical efficacy was compared in the 4 groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the residual urine volume of bladder was decreased compared before treatment in the 4 groups (P<0.05), and that in the acupuncture-moxibustion group was less than the other 3 groups (P<0.05). After treatment, the VAS scores were decreased compared before treatment in the acupuncture-moxibustion group, the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group (P<0.05), and those in the 3 groups were lower than the medication group (P<0.05). The time of first urethral catheter removal in the acupuncture-moxibustion group was earlier than the other 3 groups (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 93.3% (28/30) in the acupuncture-moxibustion group, which was superior to 63.3% (19/30) in the acupuncture group, 60.0% (18/30) in the moxibustion group and 66.7% (20/30) in the medication group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The therapeutic effect of Tongdu Tiaoqi acupuncture combined with warming acupuncture on postoperative urinary retention is superior to simple acupuncture, abdominal moxibustion and tamsulosin hydrochloride sustained release capsule.

Water-Soluble High-Quality Ag2Te Quantum Dots Prepared by Mutual Adaptation of Synthesis and Surface Modification for In Vivo Imaging.

Near-infrared (NIR) in vivo fluorescence imaging has exhibited the distinct advantage of high optical resolution at deeper penetration into biological tissues. Ag2Te quantum dots (QDs), with a relatively narrow band gap, show great promise for fluorescence emission at long wavelengths in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window for bioimaging. However, existing Ag2Te QDs have severely hindered the application of in vivo bioimaging due to their poor fluorescence brightness and stability, so it is important to prepare Ag2Te QDs with high quantum yield and stability as well as high biocompatibility in the NIR-II window. Herein, we designed an integrated method for the preparation of water-soluble Ag2Te QDs by mutual adaptation of QD synthesis and surface modification. We first synthesized high-quality Ag2Te QDs with different NIR-II emission wavelengths and the photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) up to 6.51% by rapidly injecting the TBP-Te precursor into a hot solvent to form a highly fluorescent Ag2Te core. Then water-dispersible Ag2Te QDs were obtained by direct exchange of the hydrophobic Ag2Te QD surface ligands with thiol ligands. The PLQY of the water-soluble Ag2Te QDs obtained by this method can still be maintained at 4.94%. With these highly bright and stable Ag2Te QDs, the abdominal vessels, hindlimb arterial vessels, venous vessels, sacral lymph nodes, and tumor vessels were visualized non-invasively in vivo in the NIR-II window in mice. The results demonstrate that the integrated strategy of QD synthesis and modification provides valuable technical support for further in-depth applications of Ag2Te QDs.

Prevalence of Retinal Vein Occlusions and Estimated Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure: The Kailuan Eye Study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of retinal vein occlusions (RVOs) and associated factors in a Chinese population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The cross-sectional community-based Kailuan Eye Study included individuals who participated in the Kailuan Study. RVOs were diagnosed on the fundus photographs. Estimated cerebrospinal fluid pressure (eCSFP) was calculated as "eCSFP=0.44*Body Mass Index+0.16*Diastolic Blood Pressure-0.18*Age". RESULTS: The study included 12,499 participants with a mean age of 52.9±13.1 years. The overall prevalence of RVO was 120/12,499 or 0.96%, with branch RVOs observed in 116/12,499 individuals and central RVOs in 4/12,499 individuals. RVOs started at the optic disc in 19 participants (15.8% of all RVOs), and in 101 (84.2%) individuals arterio-venous crossings outside the optic disc. In multivariable analysis, a higher RVO prevalence was associated with older age (P<0.001), higher eCSFP (P<0.001), and higher fasting serum glucose concentration (P<0.001). Differentiating between RVOs at arterio-venous crossings and RVOs at the optic disc revealed that the prevalence of both RVO types was associated with higher eCSFP (P<0.001 and P=0.004, respectively) after adjusting for age and fasting serum glucose concentration. CONCLUSION: In this adult Chinese population recruited on a community basis, the prevalence of any RVO (mean: 0.96) was associated with older age, higher eCSFP and higher fasting serum glucose concentration. Higher eCSFP may play an etiologic role in RVOs.

[Clinical analysis of macular disease involved by Coats disease].

OBJECTIVE: To study the characteristic and rule of macular disease involved by Coats disease and macular changes after photocoagulation. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on patients firstly diagnosis in our hospital from October 2004 to June 2007. 25 cases (26 eyes) were included in this study. Enrollment criteria: all the cases had examination of regular anterior segment and indirect biomicroscopy associated with fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography. The relationship among macular disease extent, distance from macular to peripheral disease, ratio of retinal vessel leakage scale to the whole retina, and different age group was analyzed through cumulative odds logistic regression with SAS 8.0. RESULTS: The distance between the border of macular disease and posterior border of peripheral leakage ranges from 0-9 PD. There was negative relationship between macular disease extent and the distance from macular to peripheral disease (chi(2) = 7.3212, P = 0.0068). The ratio of retinal leakage scale to the whole retina ranges from 1/8 to 1/1. There was positive relationship between macular disease extent and ratio of retinal vessel leakage scale to the whole retina (chi(2) = 4.8853, P = 0.0271). Macular disease extent shows no significant difference between different age group (chi(2) = 0.1491, P = 0.6994). The follow-up time after photocoagulation range from 1 to 4 years. 10 cases (11 eyes) of macular edema complicated with hard exudate showed apparent decrease in size and extent of macular disease. The best corrected visual acuity stay unchanged or get better. CONCLUSIONS: Macular disease involved in Coats disease progresses from peripheral fundus to posterior pole, early diagnosis and treatment can avoid or reduce the incidence of macular disease. The key point of treatment is to photocoagulated the dilated blood vessel.

High expression of CD47 in triple negative breast cancer is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition and poor prognosis.

CD47 functions as a dominant anti-engulfment signal on tumour cells and is overexpressed in various malignant tumours. However, the expression and functional significance of CD47 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is not completely understood. In the present study, CD47 was demonstrated to be overexpressed in TNBC solid tumours. Moreover, increased CD47 expression was significantly associated with an advanced tumour-node-metastasis stage, lymph node involvement and recurrence. Moreover, CD47 was an unfavourable and independent prognostic factor for 5-year disease-free survival in patients with TNBC. In addition, the expression of CD47 was associated with several markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The present study was the first to demonstrate an association between increased expression of CD47 with EMT and poor prognosis of TNBC. Thus, CD47 may be a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for TNBC.

[Analysis of clinical features of choroidal neovascularization].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in different classifications. METHODS: In this retrospective case series, 393 eyes of 312 patients with CNV between May 2005 and March 2007 in our department was classified based on their etiology, location, fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) findings. RESULTS: The relative frequency of various causes in CNV was as follows: there were 153 cases (49.04%) from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) , 94 cases (30.13%) from idiopathic CNV, 37 cases (11.86%) from pathologic myopia, 15 cases (4.81%) from inflammatory disorders, 7 cases (2.24%) from polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), 3 cases (0.96%) from angioid streaks and 1 case (0.32%) from either hereditary disease or trauma or tumor, respectively. The majority cases from AMD was male (64.71%), whereas most from pathologic myopia, idiopathic CNV and inflammatory disorders were female (78.38%, 73.40%, 73.33%). The age range of the cases from AMD was 49-95 years (68.73 +/- 8.31), and 98.04% of them were at least 50 years old. Patients with idiopathic CNV aged 13-43 years old (29.86 +/- 6.45), and 84.04% of them were between 20 and 40 years old. The sex (chi2 = 57.17, P<0.05) and age (F=172.57, P< 0.05) had significant difference in each etiological group. FFA showed that CNV in 43.48% from AMD and 66.67% from PCV were occult and non-classic. CNV in 91.67% from pathologic myopia, 76.19% from inflammatory disorders and 95.00% from idiopathic CNV was classic. In each group, most of the CNV was subfoveal type (58.00%-100.00%), followed by juxtafoveal type (0%-35.00%). In the ICGA of 54 eyes with AMD, 11 eyes (20.37%) were occult CNV (plaque, spot and mixed CNV), 17 eyes (31.48%) were CNV fibrosis. CNV was active in most cases. The frequency of active and inactive CNV in AMD was approximately 61.11% and 37.04%, respectively, no lesions were noted in 1 eye (1.85%) in ICGA. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical characteristics and frequency of various types of CNV are different due to different causes. Classification of CNV based on its etiology, FFA and ICGA findings, location, and activity in detail is important for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis judgment in CNV.

[Acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking therapy for post stroke depression:a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effects of acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking based on the western medication for post stroke depression (PSD). METHODS: Sixty patients with PSD were randomly assigned into an acupuncture plus auricular application group (a combination group) and a medication group, 30 cases in each one. 20 mg paroxetine hydrochloride was prescribed orally in the medication group, once a day for continuous 8 weeks. Based on the above treatment, 30-minute acupuncture was used in the combination group for 8 weeks at Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Shenting (GV 24), Yintang (GV 29), Shenmen (HT 7), Neiguan (PC 6), Taichong (LR 3), Hegu (LI 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Fenglong (ST 40), once the other day and three times a week. Auricular point sticking therapy for 8 weeks was applied at shenmen (TF4), pizhixia (AT4), xin (CO15), and gan (CO12), with pressing 3 times a day and once 3-5 days. The total score and each factor scores of Hamilton's depression scale (HAMD) were observed in the two groups before and after treatment, and Asberg's antidepressant side-effect rating scale (SERS) and clinical effect were evaluated. RESULTS: After treatment, the total HAMD scores of the two groups decreased compared with those before treatment (both P<0.05), with better effect in the combination group (P<0.05). The scores of the combination group after treatment were lower than those in the medication group, including the anxiety/somatization factor, sleep disturbance factor, hopelessness factor (all P<0.05). The total effective rate of the combination group was 86.7% (26/30), which was better than 66.7% (20/30) of the medication group (P<0.05). The SERS score of the combination group was lower than that of the medication group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking can improve the clinical symptoms and are effective and safe for PSD.

Successful use of intravitreal ranibizumab injection and combined treatment in the management of Coats' disease.

PURPOSE: To observe the efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) combined with another ablative therapy, such as laser photocoagulation, for Coats' disease. METHODS: Patients younger than 16 years of age who were diagnosed with Coats' disease were included in this study. They were treated with IVR (0.5 mg, monthly in the first 3 months) as an initial treatment, which was combined with another ablative therapy, such as laser photocoagulation or cryotherapy, as needed. The main data evaluation and outcome measurements included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) before and after treatment, fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), the number of treatment sessions, and ocular and systemic side-effects during follow-up. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were included in this study; the average age was 7.9 ± 3.8 years, and the average follow-up time was 9.7 ± 3.3 months. The mean number of IVR treatments was 3.9 ± 1.0. Sixteen patients (94.1%) needed another treatment. Eleven patients (64.7%) were stable at the final follow-up. The BCVA at the last follow-up was significantly improved compared to baseline (p < 0.001). Telangiectasia regression was found in all patients. Partial and total retinal attached was found in 14 patients (82.4%), and exudate resolution was found in eight patients (47.1%). There were no severe ocular or systemic side-effects during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal ranibizumab combined with other ablative therapies as an initial treatment is an effective and safe treatment approach for Coats' disease that may improve the visual acuity and reduce the subretinal fluid, exudates and telangiectasia.

Dissecting the Genetic Basis of Resistance to Soybean Cyst Nematode Combining Linkage and Association Mapping.

A set of 585 informative single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci was used to genotype both a panel of diverse accessions and a set of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) bred from the cross Zhongpin03-5373 (ZP; resistant to SCN) × Zhonghuang13 (ZH; susceptible). The SNP loci are mostly sited within genic sequence in regions of the soybean [ (L.) Merr.] genome thought to harbor genes determining resistance to the soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Ichinohe). The three strongest quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) identified by association mapping (AM) involved the genes (a component of the multigene locus ), and (an paralog), as well as some other loci with smaller effects. The linkage mapping (LM) analysis performed using the RILs revealed two putative quantitative trait loci (QTL): one mapping to and the other to an paralog; both of these loci were also identified by AM. The former locus explained 25.5% of the phenotypic variance for SCN resistance and the latter 5.8%. In combination, the two major loci acted nonadditively, providing a high level of SCN resistance.