Retinal microvascular and microstructural alterations in the diagnosis of dermatomyositis: a new approach.

Purpose: To study the relationship between fundus alterations, including retinal thickness and microvascular changes, and dermatomyositis (DM) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Methods: A total of 16 patients with DM (32 eyes) and 16 healthy controls (HCs; 32 eyes) participated in this study. Based on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study subzones, OCTA fundus data were divided into different layers and regions for comparison.

Altered Temporal Dynamics of the Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations in Comitant Exotropia Patients.

Purpose: Growing evidence reported that patients with comitant exotropia (CE) were accompanied by static cerebral neural activity changes. However, whether the dynamic time-varying of neural activity changes in patients with CE remains unknown.

Methods: A total of 36 patients with CE (25 men and 11 women) and 36 well-matched healthy controls are enrolled in the study.

Brain Activity in Different Brain Areas of Patients With Dry Eye During the Female Climacteric Period According to Voxel-Based Morphometry.

We aim to investigate potential morphological alterations of the brain in female climacteric patients with dry eye (DE) and their relationship to behavioral performances. Twenty-five female patients with DE disease during the female climacteric period and 25 age and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Imaging data were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to identify group differences in DE patients and HCs.

Altered Brain Activity in Patients With Comitant Strabismus Detected by Analysis of the Fractional Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation: A Resting-State Functional MRI Study.

More and more studies showed that strabismus is not simply an ocular disease, but a neuro-ophthalmology disease. To analyze potential changes in brain activity and their relationship to behavioral performance in comitant strabismus patients and healthy controls. Our study recruited 28 patients with comitant strabismus and 28 people with matched weight, age range, and sex ratio as healthy controls.

Study of normal-tension glaucoma based on OCTA and VBM-DARTEL analysis.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the detection value of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and voxel-based morphometry with diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated lie algebra (VBM-DARTEL) in normal-tension glaucoma (NTG), as well as the correlation between the two functional indicators. A total of 30 patients (15 males, 15 females) with NTG and 30 (15 males, 15 females) age-, sex- and education-matched healthy controls underwent OCTA and 3.0 T MRI scanning.

Gray matter volume alterations in patients with strabismus and amblyopia: voxel-based morphometry study.

This study proposes the use of the voxel-based morphometry (VBM) technique to investigate structural alterations of the cerebral cortex in patients with strabismus and amblyopia (SA). Sixteen patients with SA and sixteen healthy controls (HCs) underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Original whole brain images were analyzed using the VBM method.

Altered spontaneous brain activity in patients with diabetic optic neuropathy: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study using regional homogeneity.

Background: Diabetes is a common chronic disease. Given the increasing incidence of diabetes, more individuals are affected by diabetic optic neuropathy (DON), which results in decreased vision. Whether DON leads to abnormalities of other visual systems, including the eye, the visual cortex, and other brain regions, remains unknown.

Use of rsfMRI-fALFF for the detection of changes in brain activity in patients with normal-tension glaucoma.

Background: We know little about the changes of brain activity in patients with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG).

Purpose: To investigate the altered spontaneous brain activity in patients with NTG through the resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging-fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (rsfMRI-fALFF) technique, and to explore the relationship with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and field of vision.

Material And Methods: Twenty patients with NTG and 20 healthy controls (HCs) (matched for sex, age, and level of education) were enrolled.

The atrophy of white and gray matter volume in patients with comitant strabismus: Evidence from a voxel-based morphometry study.

To compare the difference in white matter volume (WMV) and gray matter volume (GMV) between the comitant strabismus (CS) patients and health controls by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and the relationship with behavioral performance. A total of 20 patients with comitant strabismus (10 males and 10 females), and 20 healthy subjects (10 males and 10 females) with matched age, sex status underwent magnetic resonance examination. The authors analyzed the original 3D T1 brain images using the VBM module.

Clinical observation of the efficacy of Bevacizumab combined with argon green laser in treating fundus macular edema.

We studied the clinical efficacy of Bevacizumab combined with argon green laser in treating fundus macular edema. From May 2009 to April 2013, 78 patients seeking treatment for macular edema in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: i) The experimental group (n=39) and the control group (n=39).

Disturbed spontaneous brain-activity pattern in patients with optic neuritis using amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Objective: To use the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) technique to investigate the local features of spontaneous brain activity in optic neuritis (ON) and their relationship with behavioral performance.

Materials And Methods: Twelve patients with ON (four male, eight female) and twelve age-, sex-, and education status-matched healthy controls (HCs) (four male, eight female) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans. The ALFF technique was used to assess local features of spontaneous brain activity.

Altered intrinsic regional spontaneous brain activity in patients with optic neuritis: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Objective: To investigate the underlying regional homogeneity (ReHo) in brain-activity deficit in patients with optic neuritis (ON) and its relationship with behavioral performance.

Materials And Methods: In total, twelve patients with ON (four males and eight females) and twelve (four males and eight females) age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. The ReHo method was used to assess the local features of spontaneous brain activity.

Xanthatin, a novel potent inhibitor of VEGFR2 signaling, inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in breast cancer cells.

Anti-angiogenesis targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) has emerged as an important tool for cancer treatment. In this study, we described a novel VEGFR2 inhibitor, xanthatin, which inhibits tumor angiogenesis and growth. The biochemical profiles of xanthatin were investigated using kinase assay, migration assay, tube formation, Matrigel plug assay, western blot, immunofluorescence and human tumor xenograft model.

Analysis of corneal topography in patients with pure microphthalmia in Eastern China.

Objectives: To determine the typical corneal changes in pure microphthalmia using a corneal topography system and identify characteristics that may assist in early diagnosis.

Methods: Patients with pure microphthalmia and healthy control subjects underwent corneal topography analysis (Orbscan IIZ® Corneal Topography System; Bausch and Lomb, Bridgewater, NJ, USA) to determine degree of corneal astigmatism (mean A), simulation of corneal astigmatism (sim A), mean keratometry (mean K), simulated keratometry (sim K), irregularities in the 3 - and 5-mm zone, and mean thickness of nine distinct corneal regions.

Results: Patients with pure microphthalmia (n = 12) had significantly higher mean K, sim K, mean A, sim A, 3.

Disturbed spontaneous brain activity pattern in patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma using amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation: a fMRI study.

Objective: The aim of this study is to use amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) as a method to explore the local features of spontaneous brain activity in patients with primary angle -closure glaucoma (PACG) and ALFFs relationship with the behavioral performances.

Methods: A total of twenty one patients with PACG (eight males and 13 females), and twenty one healthy subjects (nine males and twelve females) closely matched in age, sex, and education, each underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. The ALFF method was used to assess the local features of spontaneous brain activity.

[Experimental study on efficiency of Spanishneedles Herb eye drops in treating perimenopausal xerophthalmia in rabbits].

Objective: To investigate the efficiency of Spanishneedles Herb eye drops in treating perimenopausal xerophthalmia in rabbits.

Method: Totally 36 rabbits (36 right eyes) were ovariectomized, and 2 months later divided into three groups: the experimental group (group A, n = 12) given Spanishneedles Herb eye drops, the control group (group B, n = 12) given PBS and the model group (group C, n = 12) given no drug. The Schirmer I test (SIT), fluorescent (FL), total tear protein, diastase activity, lactoferrin and lysozyme contents and confocal scanning microscopy were performed at before the treatment and at 1 w, 2 w, 1 mo, 2 mo after the treatment.

Inhibition of miR-134 Protects Against Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Apoptosis in Retinal Ganglion Cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been suggested to play an important role in neurological diseases. Particularly, miR-134 is reportedly involved in regulating neuron survival. However, the association between miR-134 and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival under adverse stimulus has not been extensively investigated.

Rhamnazin, a novel inhibitor of VEGFR2 signaling with potent antiangiogenic activity and antitumor efficacy.

Anti-angiogenesis targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) has emerged as an important tool for cancer therapy. The identification of new drugs from natural products has a long and successful history. In this study, we described a novel VEGFR2 inhibitor, rhamnazin, which inhibits tumor angiogenesis and growth.

Effects of Honghua preserved amniotic membrane on scar healing in experimental glaucoma surgery.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy and safety of Honghua preserved amniotic membrane (AM) for preventing scar formation of the filtering bleb in a rabbit model of glaucoma trabeculectomy surgery.

Methods: Totally 36 rabbits (36 eyes) were randomly divided into 3 groups: the experimental group (ocular trabeculectomy in combination with Honghua preserved AM transplantation), the control group (ocular trabeculectomy surgery in combination with AM implantation), and the blank group (single trabeculectomy). Clinical observations [including intraocular pressure (IOP), filtering blebs and complications], Masson-Trichrome staining, real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR), Western blot were performed on different time points (D1, D7, D14, D21 and D56) after the surgery.

[Clinical study on spanishneedles leaves in treatment of middle and severe xerophthalmia of menopausal females].

Objective: To investigate the clinical effect of spanishneedles leaves on middle and severe xerophthalmia of menopausal females.

Method: This study was a prospective random controlled trial. Ninty-six menopausal females diagnosed with xerophthalmnia (aged from 40 to 50) were randomly divided into in two groups: group A' the spanishneedles leaves group (n=48) and group B' the control group (n=48).

The expression and distribution of α-Gal gene in various species ocular surface tissue.

Aim: To examine the α-Gal gene expression and distribution in the different species/genus and developing phase animal ocular surface tissue.

Methods: α-Gal binding assay were carried out on various animal eye sections. Photograph, slit-lamp observation on various eye showed normal corneal transparence.

Evaluation of novel decellularizing corneal stroma for cornea tissue engineering applications.

Aim: To develop a new decellularization method depended upon the natural corneal structure and to harvest an ideal scaffold with good biocompatibilities for corneal reconstruction.

Methods: The acellular cornea matrix (ACM) were prepared from de-epithelium fresh porcine corneas (DFPCs) by incubation with 100% fresh human sera and additional electrophoresis at 4°C. Human corneal epithelial cells (HCEs) were used for the cytotoxicity tests of ACM.

Aerocyst urethral catheter insertion compared to expansion sponges application in external dacryocystorhinostomy.

Aim: To evaluate the clinical effect and complications of two different filling materials (aerocyst urethral catheter and expansion sponges) applying in external dacryocystorhinostomy (EXT-DCR) and compare their advantages and disadvantages.

Methods: A retrospective study was made in the period from April, 1 2000 to April, 1 2005. Totally 180 patients (240 eyes) underwent the EX-DCR using different filling materials and divided into three groups randomly: negative control groups (group 1), expansion sponges group (group 2) and aerocyst urethral catheter group (group 3).

Novel sutureless transplantation for primary pterygium associated with cysts.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a novel sutureless AMT (amniotic membrane transplantation) or CAT (conjunctivolimbal autograft transplantation) using fibrin glue for reconstructing corneoconjunctival surfaces for primary pterygium associated with cysts.

Methods: A prospective descriptive study was made of the period 1 January 2006-1 May 2009. Nine patients with primary pterygium associated with cysts underwent pterygium and cyst excision followed by sutureless AMT or CAT using fibrin glue.

Therapeutic efficacy of intracameral amphotericin B injection for 60 patients with keratomycosis.

Aim: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of intracameral amphotericin B (ICAMB) injection in the treatment of keratomycosis.

Methods: The study design was a prospective controlled clinical trial. A total of 60 eyes of 60 patients were divided into two groups, 30 in the ICAMB injection group (group A) and 30 in the control group-topical application amphotericin B (group B).