[Influence of tert-butylhydroquinone on the islets function and expression of HO-1 and VEGF in retina of type 2 diabetic rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ) on the islets function and expression of HO-1 and VEGF in retina of type 2 diabetic rats. METHODS: Experimental study. Forty healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats with 6 weeks old were given high-fat and high-sugar diet for 4 weeks and then intraperitoneal injection with streptozotocin(STZ) 30mg/kg to induce diabetic model. Model group were further randomly divided into normal group and model group. Ten age matched health rats were chosen as control group. 4 and 12 weeks later, weight of rats , fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting serum insulin (FINS), the levels of serum liqids were measured. The HO-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in retina were determined by immunohistochmistry and quantitative real-time PCR. The differences of the mean values among the three groups were analyzed by one-factor analysis of variance. The multiple comparisons of the mean values among the three groups were analyzed by LSD-t analysis. RESULTS: Type 2 diabetic model was successfully established in 32 rats, the success rate was 80.0%. Compared with normal gourp, plasma triglyceride (TG), plasma total cholesterol (TC) and plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) of diabetic rats increased dramatically, and plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) decreased. FBG was significant different between all groups(χ(2)4w=10.631, P4W=0.005; χ(2)12w=15.053, P12w=0.001), and was significantly increased in tBHQ intervention group than that in diabetic group at the end of 12 week. The levels of FINS and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were significantly higher , and insulin sensitivity index (ISI) was significantly lower in diabetic and tBHQ intervention group compared with normal group(P<0.05), but there is no significantly difference between diabetic and tBHQ intervention group(P>0.05). The immunohistochemistry staining results showed the protein leveI of retinal HO-1 (F4w=689.535, P4w=0.000; F12w=287.988, P12w=0.000)and VEGF(F4w=1084.956, P4w=0.000; F12w= 1107.553, P12w=0.000) was significant different beteween all groups. The expression of HO-1 mRNA increased significantly in diabetic group(t4w=10.21, t12w=9.95)and tBHQ intervention group(t4w=14.01, t12w= 25.64)than that in normal group(P<0.05). The expression of HO-1 mRNA increased significantly in tBHQ intervention group(t4w=6.04, t12w=19.00)than that in diabetic group(P<0.05). The expression of VEGF mRNA increased significantly in diabetic group(t4w=11.92, t12w=29.27)and tBHQ intervention group(t4w=12.50, t12w= 11.24)than that in normal group(P<0.05). The expression of VEGF mRNA increased significantly in tBHQ intervention group(t4w=-6.36, t12w=-20.22)than that in diabetic group(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: tBHQ can promote the secretion of insulin in diabetic rats, lowered glucose levels, also induce the expression of HO-1 and suppress the expression of VEGF in retina to confer protection to islets function and retina of type 2 diabtic rats.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles in wound care: a review of mechanisms and therapeutic applications.

Skin wound healing is a complex and tightly regulated process. The frequent occurrence and reoccurrence of acute and chronic wounds cause significant skin damage to patients and impose socioeconomic burdens. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to promote interdisciplinary development in the fields of material science and medicine to investigate novel mechanisms for wound healing. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) are a type of nanomaterials that possess distinct properties and have broad application prospects. They are recognized for their capabilities in enhancing wound closure, minimizing scarring, mitigating inflammation, and exerting antibacterial effects, which has led to their prominence in wound care research. In this paper, the distinctive physicochemical properties of CeO2 NPs and their most recent synthesis approaches are discussed. It further investigates the therapeutic mechanisms of CeO2 NPs in the process of wound healing. Following that, this review critically examines previous studies focusing on the effects of CeO2 NPs on wound healing. Finally, it suggests the potential application of cerium oxide as an innovative nanomaterial in diverse fields and discusses its prospects for future advancements.

Therapeutic potential of iron chelators in retinal vascular diseases.

Iron is one of the necessary metal elements in the human body. There are numerous factors that control the balance of iron metabolism, and its storage and transportation mechanisms are intricate. As one of the most energy-intensive tissues in the body, the retina is susceptible to iron imbalance. The occurrence of iron overload in the retina leads to the generation of a significant quantity of reactive oxygen species. This will aggravate local oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions and even lead to ferroptosis, eventually resulting in retinal dysfunction. The blood-retina-retinal barrier is eventually harmed by oxidative stress and elevated inflammation, which are characteristics of retinal vascular disorders. The pathophysiology of retinal vascular disorders may be significantly influenced by iron. Recently, iron-chelating agents have been found to have antioxidative and anti-inflammatory actions in addition to iron chelating. Therefore, iron neutralization is considered to be a new and potentially useful therapeutic strategy. This article reviews the iron overload in retinal vascular diseases and discusses the therapeutic potential of iron-chelating agents.

Identification and validation of tumor microenvironment-related lncRNA prognostic signature for uveal melanoma.

AIM: To investigate the role of tumor microenvironment (TME)-related long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in uveal melanoma (UM), probable prognostic signature and potential small molecule drugs using bioinformatics analysis. METHODS: UM expression profile data were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and bioinformatics methods were used to find prognostic lncRNAs related to UM immune cell infiltration. The gene expression profile data of 80 TCGA specimens were analyzed using the single sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) method, and the immune cell infiltration of a single specimen was evaluated. Finally, the specimens were divided into high and low infiltration groups. The differential expression between the two groups was analyzed using the R package 'edgeR'. Univariate, multivariate and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) Cox regression analyses were performed to explore the prognostic value of TME-related lncRNAs. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional analyses were also performed. The Connectivity Map (CMap) data set was used to screen molecular drugs that may treat UM. RESULTS: A total of 2393 differentially expressed genes were identified and met the criteria for the low and high immune cell infiltration groups. Univariate Cox analysis of lncRNA genes with differential expression identified 186 genes associated with prognosis. Eight prognostic markers of TME-included lncRNA genes were established as potentially independent prognostic elements. Among 269 differentially expressed lncRNAs, 69 were up-regulated and 200 were down-regulated. Univariate Cox regression analysis of the risk indicators and clinical characteristics of the 8 lncRNA gene constructs showed that age, TNM stage, tumor base diameter, and low and high risk indices had significant prognostic value. We screened the potential small-molecule drugs for UM, including W-13, AH-6809 and Imatinib. CONCLUSION: The prognostic markers identified in this study are reliable biomarkers of UM. This study expands our current understanding of the role of TME-related lncRNAs in UM genesis, which may lay the foundations for future treatment of this disease.

Clinical characteristics, rates of blindness, and geographic features of PACD in China.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the rates of blindness with the demographics and clinical characteristics of patients with primary angle-closure disease (PACD) to provide a comprehensive epidemiologic reference in China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted in the Chinese Glaucoma Study Consortium database, which is a national multicenter glaucoma research alliance of 111 hospitals participating between December 21, 2015 and September 9, 2018. The diagnosis of PACD was made by qualified physicians through examination. Comparison of sex, age, family history, subtypes of PACD, and blindness were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 5762 glaucoma patients were included, of which 4588 (79.6%) had PACD. Of PACD patients, 72.1% were female with the sex ratio (F/M) of 2.6, and the average age of patients was 63.8±9.3 years with the majority between 60 and 70 years. Additionally, 30% of these patients had low vision in one eye, 8.8% had low vision in both eyes, 1.7% had blindness in one eye, and 0.3% had blindness in both eyes. There were statistical differences with regards to age between male and female patients with PACD, with male patients being older on average. Primary angle-closure glaucoma was more commonly diagnosed in males (60%) compared to females (35.9%), whereas acute primary angle closure (APAC) was more commonly diagnosed in females (54.3%) compared to males (37.7%). The visual acuity in APAC patients was lower and the rate of low vision and blindness was higher than other subtypes. CONCLUSION: PACD was the major type of glaucoma in Chinese hospitals. There were more female patients with PACD, mostly between 60 and 70 years old, with higher rates of APAC in women. APAC resulted in the worst visual outcomes of all PACD subtypes.

Evaluation of traumatic retinopathy with ultra-wide field imaging under corneal scar or fixed small pupil.

AIM: To evaluate the value of ultra-wide field (UWF) imaging in the management of traumatic retinopathy under the condition of corneal scar or fixed small pupil after complicated ocular trauma. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients (28 eyes) with complicated ocular trauma were enrolled in the study from June 2016 to May 2017, including 19 males and 9 females with age ranged from 11 to 64 (43.42±12.62)y. All patients were treated with secondary vitrectomy after emergency operation for wound repair of open ocular trauma. Direct ophthalmoscopy and 45-degree fundus photography were taken at each time point of follow up for comparison of findings with UWF images. Routine eye examination including visual acuity, intraocular pressure, slit lamp examination were performed and analyzed as well. RESULTS: Among the 28 traumatized eyes, the positive rate for identification of traumatic retinopathed was 32.1% (9 cases), 14.9% (5 cases), and 85.7% (24 cases) with direct ophthalmoscopy, 45-degree fundus photography, and UWF imaging, respectively. The detective rate of UWF imaging under the condition of corneal scar or fixed small pupil was statistically greater than that of 45-degree fundus photography and direct ophthalmoscopy (Bonferroni correction, P<0.001). UWF image was obtained in 19 eyes with opaque corneal scar, otherwise their fundus could not be seen by conventional methods. The additional findings of traumatic retinopathies by UWF imaging included periretinal membranes or pre-retinal proliferating strip, retinal holes, hemorrhage in the vitreous or sub-retinal space. CONCLUSION: UWF imaging is superior to traditional fundus photography in the evaluation of traumatic retinopathies under the condition of corneal scar or fixed small pupil after complicated ocular trauma.