Optical coherence tomography angiography for microaneurysms in anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treated diabetic macular edema.

Background: We aimed to evaluate microaneurysms (MAs) after treatment with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy to understand causes of chronic edema and anti-VEGF resistance.

Methods: Patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, with or without macular edema were recruited. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) MAs-related parameters were observed, including the maximum diameter of overall dimensions, material presence, and flow signal within the lumen.

Maternal exposure to DON during lactation induces testicular toxicity in pubertal and adult offspring mice.

Deoxynivalenol (DON), a type B trichothecene mycotoxin, commonly occurs in cereal grains, and poses significant health risks to humans and animals. Numerous studies reveal its obvious toxic effects on male reproductive performance as well as its ability to transfer from the lactating mother to the suckling offspring through colostrum and milk. The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxic effect of lactational DON exposure on testicular morphology, hormonal levels, inflammation, apoptosis and proliferation of germ cells, tight junction, and sperm quality in male offspring.

OCTA characteristics in non-arteritic central retinal artery occlusion and correlation with visual acuity.

Aim: To observe the retinal and choroidal circulations in patients with non-arteritic permanent central retinal artery occlusion (NA-CRAO) optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and analyze their correlation with visual acuity.

Methods: Sixty-two eyes with clinically confirmed acute NA-CRAO were included in the study and divided into: A type (mild =29), B type (moderate =27) and C type (severe =6) based on the degree of visual loss, retinal edema, and arterial blood flow delay in fundus fluorescence angiography (FFA). Contralateral healthy eyes were used as the control group.

Visual acuity assessment of central retinal artery occlusion patients with or without paracentral acute middle maculopathy via OCT-A.

Purpose: The association between paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) and visual acuity in patients with central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is still unclear. The present study investigated the visual acuity of CRAO patients with and without PAMM.

Methods: CRAO patients with PAMM or without PAMM were included.

Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy combined with branch retinal vein obstruction: A case report.

Background: Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is an independent disease characterized by edematous optic discs. In eyes with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), the arteries and veins in the ethmoid plate of the optic disc are relatively crowded; however, a combination of the two is clinically uncommon. Herein, we reported a patient with NAION and concealed BRVO, for which the treatment and prognosis were not similar to those for NAION alone.

Loratadine-associated cystoid macular edema: A case report.

Purpose: To report the first known case of bilateral cystoid macular edema in a patient undergoing long-term loratadine treatment.

Observations: A 49-year-old Chinese woman who had been undergoing treatment with loratadine for the past 6 years presented with decreased visual acuity and bilateral cystoid macular edema (CME). Upon cessation of loratadine, macular edema partially resolved, and visual acuity markedly improved.

Characteristics of fixation patterns and their relationship with visual function of patients with idiopathic macular holes after vitrectomy.

To analyze the relationships between the fixation location and the visual function of idiopathic macular hole (IMH) patients with macular integrity assessment (MAIA) examination preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. This was a retrospective case analysis. Forty-three eyes of 43 patients diagnosed with IMH were included in this study.

Effect of amblyopia treatment on macular microvasculature in children with anisometropic amblyopia using optical coherence tomographic angiography.

To measure the retinal microvascular density in patients with anisometropic amblyopia using optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA) and to evaluate the effects of successful amblyopia treatment on microvasculature in retina. 59 children (5-12 years old) including 22 newly diagnosed unilateral anisometropic amblyopia, 16 recovered unilateral anisometropic amblyopia, and 21 control children were imaged with OCTA using 6 × 6-mm macular scan pattern. Vessel densities of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), the deep capillary plexus (DCP), and the overall macular thickness were acquired and compared among the three groups.

Posterior capsular opacification comparison between morphology and objective visual function.

Background: To compare the influence of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) morphology and severity on intraocular stray light and visual function with different levels of contrast.

Methods: Forty-five patients diagnosed with PCO were included in this prospective consecutive case series. The Optical Quality Analysis System II (OQAS II) was adopted to assess the objective visual function including objective scatter index (OSI) and optical quality analysis system values (OVs) with 100, 20, and 9% contrast.

Rice PcG gene OsEMF2b controls seed dormancy and seedling growth by regulating the expression of OsVP1.

The induction and release of seed dormancy are a precisely regulated process that influences seed germination. ABA promotes seed dormancy but suppresses seed germination and seedling growth. However, how chromatin and epigenetic mechanisms regulate the expression of ABA related genes during these processes remains unclear.

Change of Retinal Nerve Layer Thickness in Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Revealed by Fourier Domain Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose: To examine the changes of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) by serial morphometry using Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT).

Materials And Methods: Retrospective study in patients with newly diagnosed NAION (n=33, all unilateral) and controls (n=75 unilateral NAION patients with full contralateral eye vision) who underwent FD-OCT of the optic disk, optic nerve head (ONH), and macula within 1 week of onset and again 1, 3, 6, and 12 months later. The patients showed no improvement in vision during follow-up.

Aqueous Levels of Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor and Macular Choroidal Thickness in High Myopia.

Purpose. To investigate the correlation between aqueous and serum levels of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) and macular choroidal thickness in high myopia patients, both with and without choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Methods.

Short-term and long-term effects of small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) on corneal endothelial cells.

Purpose: Small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) is being used increasingly as a novel approach to correct refractive errors with femtosecond laser. The study was aimed to investigate the corneal endothelial changes 1 day (short term) and 1 year (long term) after SMILE procedure.

Methods: In this prospective study, a total of 56 eyes of 30 patients with myopia ranging from -3.

Correlation of macular choroidal thickness with concentrations of aqueous vascular endothelial growth factor in high myopia.

Purpose: To investigate the association of both aqueous and serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels and macular choroidal thickness in high myopia.

Materials And Methods: VEGF concentrations were measured in aqueous and serum samples via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared between high myopia (n = 36 eyes, 36 patients) and normal control (n = 42 eyes, 42 patients) eyes. Macular choroidal thickness, the distance from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) to the scleral interface, was determined via enhanced depth-imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT).

Study of dynamic sorption and desorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in silty-clay soil.

This study reported a well controlled laboratory experiment of high concentration PAHs solute, containing fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene, through a nearly homogeneous soil column to reveal sorption and desorption behavior of these four PAHs in soil. The duration of the experiment was 64 days and the flow rate through the soil column was a constant which equals to 2000 mL d(-1). The result showed that the mechanism of isothermal sorption and desorption of fluorene can be perfectly described by the Langmuir model, and the correlation coefficients were greater than 0.

High-power ultraviolet 278 nm laser from fourth-harmonic generation of a Nd:YAG laser in CsB3O5.

We demonstrate a high-power UV 278 nm laser by fourth-harmonic generation (FHG) of a 1112 nm Nd:YAG laser in a nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal CsB3O5 (CBO) for the first time, to our best knowledge. A 30 W level diode-pumped Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 1112 nm with beam quality factor M2=1.2 was used as the fundamental light source at a pulse width of 500 ns.

Multiwavelength green-yellow laser based on a Nd:YAG laser with nonlinear frequency conversion in a LBO crystal.

We demonstrate a multiwavelength laser in the green-yellow region by means of a diode-pumped neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser. This laser system combines a homemade 1074 nm and 1112 nm dual-wavelength laser with extracavity second harmonic generation (SHG) or sum-frequency generation in a lithium triborate crystal to generate visible output at any one of three wavelengths, 537 nm, 546 nm, and 556 nm, by simple temperature tuning, which has an important application in detecting carbon monoxide. The maximum average output power at the three wavelengths (537 nm, 546 nm, and 556 nm) was obtained to be 10.

High-power narrow-linewidth quasi-CW diode-pumped TEM00 1064 nm Nd:YAG ring laser.

We demonstrated a high average power, narrow-linewidth, quasi-CW diode-pumped Nd:YAG 1064 nm laser with near-diffraction-limited beam quality. A symmetrical three-mirror ring cavity with unidirectional operation elements and an etalon was employed to realize the narrow-linewidth laser output. Two highly efficient laser modules and a 90° quartz rotator for birefringence compensation were used for the high output power.

Compact high-efficiency 100-W-level diode-side-pumped Nd:YAG laser with linearly polarized TEM00 mode output.

We present a compact high-efficiency and high-average-power diode-side-pumped Nd:YAG rod laser oscillator operated with a linearly polarized fundamental mode. The oscillator resonator is based on an L-shaped convex-convex cavity with an improved module and a dual-rod configuration for birefringence compensation. Under a pump power of 344 W, a linearly polarized average output power of 101.

Yellow-green 52.3W laser at 556nm based on frequency doubling of a diode side-pumped Q-switched Nd:YAG laser.

We demonstrate a high-power 556nm yellow-green laser generated by intracavity frequency doubling of a diode side-pumped Nd:YAG laser at 1112nm. A symmetrical L-shaped flat-flat cavity was employed to implement efficient operation of the low-gain 1112nm transition and to achieve good power scalability. The coatings of the cavity mirrors were carefully designed to optimize the performance of the laser, and a 92W continuous wave laser output at 1112nm was achieved when the pumping power of the laser diodes reached 960W.

A homeobox gene is essential for conidiogenesis of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

Magnaporthe oryzae starts its infection by the attachment of pyriform conidia on rice tissues, and severity of the disease epidemic is proportional to the quantity of conidia produced in the rice blast lesions. However, the mechanism of conidial production is not well understood. Homeodomain proteins play critical roles in regulating various growth and developmental processes in fungi and other eukaryotes.