Ocular biometric characteristics of Han ethnicity in Tianjin and Uyghur ethnicity in Xinjiang undergoing cataract surgery.

Aim: To analyze and compare the differences among ocular biometric parameters in Han and Uyghur populations undergoing cataract surgery.

Methods: In this hospital-based prospective study, 410 patients undergoing cataract surgery (226 Han patients in Tianjin and 184 Uyghur patients in Xinjiang) were enrolled. The differences in axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), keratometry [steep K (Ks) and flat K (Kf)], and corneal astigmatism (CA) measured using IOL Master 700 were compared between Han and Uyghur patients.

Role of glycolysis in retinal vascular endothelium, glia, pigment epithelium, and photoreceptor cells and as therapeutic targets for related retinal diseases.

Glycolysis produces large amounts of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in a short time. The retinal vascular endothelium feeds itself primarily through aerobic glycolysis with less ATP. But when it generates new vessels, aerobic glycolysis provides rapid and abundant ATP support for angiogenesis, and thus inhibition of glycolysis in endothelial cells can be a target for the treatment of neovascularization.

Follistatin-like protein 1 functions as a potential target of gene therapy in proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

The degree of retinal fibrosis increased in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients after administration of anti-Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections. Previous studies showed that the balance between connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and VEGF plays an important role. Therefore, in a high-glucose state, an anti-VEGF and CTGFshRNA dual-target model was used to simulate clinical dual-target treatment in PDR patients, and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology was used for whole transcriptome sequencing.

Sequential Isolation of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Environmental Waters by Membrane Filtration, Followed by Cloud-Point Extraction.

Respective detection of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) is of great importance for their different environmental behaviors and toxicities. Using spherical polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) plastics as models, the efficiency for sequential isolation of MPs and NPs by membrane filtration and cloud-point extraction was evaluated. After filtering through a glass membrane (1 μm pore size), over 90.

Protective Effect and Mechanism of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-4 on Apoptosis of Human Lens Epithelium Cells under Oxidative Stress.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), a member of the transforming growth factor (TGF-) superfamily, are abundant in human ocular tissues and play an important role in lens development. Targeted deletion of BMP-4 in mice results in failure of lens placode formation. Following lens maturation, the formation of senile cataracts is demonstrably associated with free radical-related oxidative stress.

Speciation Analysis of the Uptake and Biodistribution of Nanoparticulate and Ionic Silver in .

A new method was developed to determine the nanoparticulate and ionic silver (Ag) species in bacteria (, ). By removal of the cell wall with lysozyme, the cell surface-adsorbed Ag species were separated from the intracellular Ag species, which were extracted by tetramethylammonium hydroxide and determined by size-exclusion chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS). The detection limit is 3 ng/10 CFU/mL (where CFU is colony-forming unit) for both silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and ionic Ag(I) species.

Intracellular Dissolution of Silver Nanoparticles: Evidence from Double Stable Isotope Tracing.

To track transformations of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in vivo, HepG2 and A549 cells were cocultured with two enriched stable Ag isotopes (AgNPs and AgNO) at nontoxic doses. After enzymatic digestion, AgNPs, ionic Ag and Ag in exposed cells could be separated and quantified by liquid chromatography combined with ICP-MS. We found that ratios of Ag to total Ag and proportions of Ag/ Ag in cells increased gradually after exposure, proving that the Trojan-horse mechanism occurred, i.

Canonical Wnt Signaling Promotes Neovascularization Through Determination of Endothelial Progenitor Cell Fate via Metabolic Profile Regulation.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) contribute to blood vessel formation. Canonical Wnt signaling plays an important role in physiological and pathological angiogenesis and EPC fate regulation. However, the mechanism for Wnt signaling to regulate EPC fate in neovascularization (NV) has not been clearly defined.

miRNA-451a regulates RPE function through promoting mitochondrial function in proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of microRNA-451a (miR-451a) in diabetic retinopathy through activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2). The epiretinal membrane samples from patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) were immunolabeled with an antibody for Ki-67 to identify the proliferative cells. The expression of miR-451a was measured by qRT-PCR in the retina of Akita mice and in RPE cells under diabetic conditions.

Research progress on the role of connective tissue growth factor in fibrosis of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most important types of diabetic microangiopathy, which is a specific change of fundus lesions and is one of the most serious complications of diabetes. When DR develops to proliferative DR, the main factors of decreasing vision, and even blindness, include retinal detachment and vitreous hemorrhage caused by contraction of blood vessels by fiber membrane. Recent studies reported that the formation of fiber vascular membrane is closely related to retinal fibrosis.

[Influence of Dust Events on the Concentration and Size Distribution of Microorganisms in Bioaerosols].

In order to study the influence of dust events on the airborne microbes in atmospheric bioaerosols, bioaerosol samples were continuously collected from March to April 2015 during two dust events using size-fractionated bioaerosol samplers in Lanzhou and Qingdao. The concentration of airborne microbes were measured using an epifluorescence microscope after staining with DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole). The results showed that the concentration of airborne microbes increased significantly during the period of dust (<0.

[Effects of centellaasiatica granule on the expression of Smad 2/3, Smad 7 and collagen Ⅳ in the mesangial cells stably expressed TGF-β1].

Objectives: Stably expressed transforming growth factor -beta 1(TGF-β1)MCs were obtained and the effects of centellaasiatica (CA) granule on the expressions of Smad 2/3, Smad 7 and collagen Ⅳ and the level of Smad 2/3 phosphorylation were observed.

Methods: Lipofectin method was used to transfect TGF-β1 vector into MC, and the stably expressed TGF-β1 cell lines were selected by G418. The cells were divided into three groups.

Therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells administered at later phase of recurrent experimental autoimmune uveitis.

Aim: To test the therapeutic effects of delayed treatment of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in recurrent experimental autoimmune uveitis (rEAU).

Methods: The efficacy of different regimens of MSC administration in rEAU were tested by evaluation of clinical and pathological intraocular inflammation, as well as retinal structural and functional integrity using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and electroretinogram (ERG). The retinal sections were also immunostained with antibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and rhodopsin (RHO).

Achromatopsia caused by novel missense mutations in the CNGA3 gene.

Aim: To identify the genetic defects in a Chinese family with achromatopsia.

Methods: A 2.5-year-old boy, who displayed nystagmus, photophobia, and hyperopia since early infancy, was clinically evaluated.

Surgical induced astigmatism correlated with corneal pachymetry and intraocular pressure: transconjunctival sutureless 23-gauge versus 20-gauge sutured vitrectomy in diabetes mellitus.

Aim: To determine the difference of surgical induced astigmatism between conventional 20-gauge sutured vitrectomy and 23-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy, and the influence of corneal pachymetry and intraocular pressure (IOP) on surgical induced astigmatism in diabetic patients.

Methods: This retrospective, consecutive case series consisted of 40 eyes of 38 diabetic subjects who underwent either 20-gauge or 23-gauge vitrectomy. The corneal curvature and thickness were measured with Scheimpflug imaging before surgery and 1wk; 1, 3mo after surgery.

Temporal and spatial changes in VEGF, αA- and αB-crystallin expression in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy.

Objective: Retinal neovascularization is an iconic change in retinopathies. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and α-crystallins have been identified to mediate the pathogenesis of retinopathy. However, the special and temporal changes in their expression associated with retinal neovascularization have not yet been determined.

[Expression and function of microRNA in the eye].

MicroRNA (miRNA), about 22 nt in length, are small single-strand RNA discovered in recent years that universally exist in the genome of creatures. They control physiological and pathological processes through regulation of gene expression at either posttranscriptional or translational level. Hundreds of miRNA have been confirmed to express in ocular tissues, and function as important regulators in physiological processes, including development, differentiation, regeneration after injury, as well as control of circadian rhythms in the eye.

Development of retinal pigment epithelium from human parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells and microRNA signature.

Purpose: We investigated the potential of human parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells (hPESCs) to differentiate into RPE cells, and identified development-regulating microRNAs (miRNAs).

Methods: RPE cells were derived from hPESCs. The expression of markers and miRNA expression profiles during differentiation were studied by immunocytochemistry, real-time RT-PCR, and miRNA expression array at three time points.

Novel second-harmonic-generation-active lead(II) phosphinate based on 2-carboxyethyl(phenyl)phosphinate ligand.

The hydrothermal reaction of PbCl(2) with the achiral 2-carboxyethyl(phenyl)phosphinate ligand (H(2)L) afforded a novel lead(II) phosphinate that contains two enantiomers as a racemic mixture, namely, [Pb(HL)(2)] (Λ- and Δ-1). Each enantiomer features a two-fold symmetrical chiral chain, in which the adjacent Pb(2+) ions are doubly bridged by pairs of HL(-) ligands. The uni-oriented stacking of such 1D chains by edge-to-face π···π interactions results in its crystallization in the chiral C2 space group.

MicroRNA-34a targets notch1 and inhibits cell proliferation in glioblastoma multiforme.

Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been implicated in cancer initiation and progression. In this study, we found that microRNA-34a (miR-34a) is significantly downregulated in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) specimens compared with normal brain tissues. Growth curve and colony formation assays revealed that miR-34a suppresses proliferation of U373MG and SHG44 glioblastoma cells.

Reciprocal regulation of 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone, interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 during proliferation of epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

Androgens have been associated with the risk for epithelial ovarian cancer (OVCA). Both IL-6 and IL-8 are also likely involved in the progression of OVCA. In order to discover the underline molecular mechanism, we investigated the modulation of androgen and two cytokines in the growth of epithelial OVCA.