Impaired blood flow of optic nerve head in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.

This study prospectively analysed the difference in the blood flow of the optic nerve head (ONH) between patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSA) and control subjects by laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG), and determined the correlations between LSFG variables and the severity of OSA. A total of 100 participants consecutively underwent full-night polysomnography, ophthalmologic examinations, and LSFG measurements. The LSFG parameters were summarised as the mean blur rate in all areas of the ONH (MA), in the big vessel area of ONH (MV), and in the tissue area of ONH (MT).

Effects of multilevel OSA surgery on patients with poor cardiopulmonary performance: A prospective pilot study.

Objective: Multilevel airway surgery for obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSA) has benefits in improving sleep quality, but its effect on polysomnography (PSG) and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) parameters, including walking distance and cardiopulmonary performance, in patients with poor pre-operative cardiopulmonary performance remains understudied, which should be further investigated.

Methods: This prospective pilot study enrolled 27 consecutive OSA patients with poor pre-operative 6MWT results. All patients received multilevel OSA surgery, and the alterations of sleep parameters and 6MWT profiles were studied.

The role of Atg5 gene in tumorigenesis under autophagy deficiency conditions.

Autophagy is a self-recycling machinery to maintain cellular homeostasis by degrading harmful materials in the cell. Autophagy-related gene 5 (Atg5) is required for autophagosome maturation. However, the role of Atg5 in tumorigenesis under autophagy deficient conditions remains unclear.

Revealing potential Rab proteins participate in regulation of secretory autophagy machinery.

Autophagy can be classified as degradative and secretory based on distinct functions. The small GTPase proteins Rab8a and Rab37 are responsible for secretory autophagy-mediated exocytosis of IL-1β, insulin, and TIMP1 (tissue inhibitor of 54 metalloproteinase 1). Other Rab family members participating in secretory autophagy are poorly understood.

Evaluation of Optic Nerve Head Microcirculation in Open-Angle Glaucoma Patients with Unilateral Visual Field Defect.

Introduction: Microcirculation of optic nerve head (ONH) in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients with unilateral visual field (VF) loss has yet to be fully investigated, especially the perimetrically unaffected fellow eyes.

Methods: Thirty-eight OAG patients with VF defect in one eye and normal VF in the other eye, and thirty-one healthy participants were analyzed. All participants underwent laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging, and VF test for further analyses.

High G9a Expression in DLBCL and Its Inhibition by Niclosamide to Induce Autophagy as a Therapeutic Approach.

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a malignant lymphoid tumor disease that is characterized by heterogeneity, but current treatment does not benefit all patients, which highlights the need to identify oncogenic genes and appropriate drugs. G9a is a histone methyltransferase that catalyzes histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methylation to regulate gene function and expression in various cancers.

Methods: TCGA and GTEx data were analyzed using the GEPIA2 platform.

The Prevalence of Optical Coherence Tomography Artifacts in High Myopia and its Influence on Glaucoma Diagnosis.

Prcis: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) artifacts occur much more frequently in highly myopic eyes compared with non-highly myopic eyes. A longer axial length is predictive of having OCT artifacts.

Purpose: To investigate the types and prevalence of artifacts on OCT scans in patients with and without high myopia.

Inflammatory biomarkers of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios in 563 severe OSA patients before and after surgery.

Background: Evidence has proved that high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were risk factors for cardiovascular comorbidities. The alterations of NLR and PLR following obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment were under studied and thus should be investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the changes of inflammatory biomarkers including NLR and PLR in severe OSA patients after surgical interventions of the upper airway, and their relationships with improvements in polysomnographic (PSG) parameters.

Temporal transition trends of cord blood lead levels in various human development index countries and in the Taipei metropolitan area.

Since low-level lead exposure is still of concern for neonates, it is worth further characterizing the temporal transition trends of cord blood lead levels (CBLLs) globally and locally in Taipei, Taiwan, after the cessation of leaded gasoline use. A literature review on CBLLs around the world was performed by searching three databanks, i.e.

Homocysteine Levels in Severe OSA Patients Before and After TORS-OSA Surgery.

Objective: The increased risk of cardiovascular diseases owing to a high level of serum homocysteine has been widely reported. Literature has demonstrated that patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSA) had a higher homocysteine level than control group. This study aimed to investigate the alteration of serum homocysteine levels in severe OSA patients receiving transoral robotic surgery (TORS).

Formosanin C suppresses cancer cell proliferation and migration by impeding autophagy machinery.

Formosanin C (FC) is a natural compound extracted from Paris formosana Hayata with anticancer activity. FC induces both autophagy and apoptosis in human lung cancer cells. FC-induced depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) may trigger mitophagy.

Decreased Peripapillary and Macular Vascular Densities in Patients with Moderate/Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome.

Purpose: To compare peripapillary and macular vascular densities (PVDs and MVDs) between patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSA) and control subjects with symptoms of sleep-related breathing disorders only by swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Participants And Methods: In this prospective study, 192 participants underwent a full-night polysomnography to determine OSA severity and subsequently received OCTA measurements as well as AngioTool software analysis.

Results: A total of 146 patients with OSA (51 mild, 43 moderate, 52 severe) and 24 control subjects (apnea/hypopnea index, AHI <5) were enrolled.

Alterations of Ocular Surface and Tear Film in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome.

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSA) results in repeated oxygen desaturation, repeated arousals, and episodic nocturnal activation of sympathetic nervous system during sleep. Untreated OSA is strongly associated with an increase of cardio- and cerebrovascular disorders, as well as the damages of ophthalmological microstructures. However, previous literature only simply studied the association between the ophthalmic disorders and OSA.

Effects of TORS-OSA Surgery on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, Overactive Bladder Symptoms, and Nocturia in Male Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome.

Objective: To determine the presence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), and overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms in men with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSA) and the effects of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for the treatment of OSA on these conditions.

Materials And Methods: One hundred twenty-three patients with a diagnosis of OSA were prospectively enrolled. The evaluations of LUTS and OAB symptoms were based on self-administered questionnaires containing international prostate symptom score (IPSS) and OAB symptom score (OABSS), respectively.

Targeted activation of androgen receptor signaling in the periosteum improves bone fracture repair.

Low testosterone level is an independent predictor of osteoporotic fracture in elderly men as well as increased fracture risk in men undergoing androgen deprivation. Androgens and androgen receptor (AR) actions are essential for bone development and homeostasis but their linkage to fracture repair remains unclear. Here we found that AR is highly expressed in the periosteum cells and is co-localized with a mesenchymal progenitor cell marker, paired-related homeobox protein 1 (Prrx1), during bone fracture repair.

OSA Treatment on Cardio- and Cerebrovascular Comorbidities: A Long-term Nationwide Cohort Study.

Objective: To compare the cardio- and cerebrovascular outcomes and survival rates of surgical and nonsurgical interventions for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on a national population-based database.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.

Autophagy Upregulates miR-449a Expression to Suppress Progression of Colorectal Cancer.

Many studies reported that microRNAs (miRNAs) target autophagy-related genes to affect carcinogenesis, however, autophagy-deficiency-related miRNA dysfunction in cancer development remains poorly explored. During autophagic progression, we identified miR-449a as the most up-regulated miRNA. MiR-449a expression was low in the tumor parts of CRC patient specimens and inversely correlated with tumor stage and metastasis with the AUC (area under the curve) of 0.

The Autophagosomes Containing Dengue Virus Proteins and Full-Length Genomic RNA Are Infectious.

Autophagic machinery is involved in selective and non-selective recruitment as well as degradation or exocytosis of cargoes, including pathogens. Dengue virus (DENV) infectioninduces autophagy that enhances virus replication and vesicle release to evade immune systemsurveillance. This study reveals that DENV2 induces autophagy in lung and liver cancer cells andshowed that DENV2 capsid, envelope, NS1, NS3, NS4B and host cell proinflammatory high mobilitygroup box 1 (HMGB1) proteins associated with autophagosomes which were purified by gradientcentrifugation.

In vitro genome editing rescues parkinsonism phenotypes in induced pluripotent stem cells-derived dopaminergic neurons carrying LRRK2 p.G2019S mutation.

Background: The c.G6055A (p.G2019S) mutation in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) is the most prevalent genetic cause of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Retinal Thickness Asymmetry in Highly Myopic Eyes with Early Stage of Normal-Tension Glaucoma.

Purpose: To investigate the retinal thickness asymmetry parameters of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) and macular layers measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in highly myopic (HM) patients with an early stage of normal-tension glaucoma (NTG).

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 55 eyes of HM patients with early NTG and 37 eyes of HM normal participants. High myopia was defined as spherical equivalence more myopic than -6 diopters.

The severity of visual field defect and the defective angles of localized retinal nerve fiber layer using a novel approach.

Background/purpose: A modified novel analytical method for evaluating photographic retinal nerve fiber layer defect (RNFLD) was developed for the purpose of estimating the severity of early glaucomatous eyes. This new method was then compared with the original method, as described below, in relation to the visual field defect severity.

Methods: The clinical records of 47 glaucomatous eyes with qualified photographs were obtained from a prior retrospective study.

Autophagy and metabolism.

Metabolism consists of diverse life-sustaining chemical reactions in living organisms. Autophagy is a highly conservative process that responds to various internal and external stresses. Both processes utilize surrounding resources to provide energy and nutrients for the cell.