A heterogeneous continuous age-structured model of mumps with vaccine.

In classical mumps models, individuals are generally assumed to be uniformly mixed (homogeneous), ignoring population heterogeneity (preference, activity, etc.). Age is the key to catching mixed patterns in developing mathematical models for mumps.

Compounding engineered mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes: A potential rescue strategy for retinal degeneration.

The prevalence of retinal degenerative diseases, including age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, has been increasing globally and is linked to the aging population and improved life expectancy. These diseases are characterized by chronic, progressive neuronal damage or depletion of the photoreceptor cells in the retina, and limited effective treatment options are currently available. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-EXOs) containing cytokines, growth factors, lipids, mRNA, and miRNA, which act as mediators of intercellular communication transferring bioactive molecules to recipient cells, offer an appealing, non-cellular nanotherapeutic approach for retinal degenerative diseases.

Periodontal Ligament Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Regulate Muc5ac Expression in Rat Conjunctival Goblet Cells via Regulating Macrophages Toward an Anti-Inflammatory Phenotype.

Background: Several studies have reported the protective effects of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) in reducing inflammation and decreasing conjunctival goblet cell (CGC) loss in dry eye disease. However, whether MSC-Exos provide anti-inflammatory profiles in macrophages, thus contributing to CGC protection, has remained elusive.

Methods: Macrophages were incubated with PKH26-labeled periodontal ligament mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (PDLSC-Exos) for 12 h, and uptake of PDLSC-Exos by macrophages was observed by a confocal fluorescence microscope.

Dynamics of an epidemic model with general incidence rate dependent on a class of disease-related contact functions.

Starting from the idea of constructing the standard incidence rate, we take the effective contact times of individuals in the population per unit time as a contact function, $ T(\cdot) $, which depends on the population size. Considering the influence of disease on the contact function, the influence intensity factor of the disease affected by the infected person is integrated into the nonlinear incidence rate. We propose an epidemic model with a class of disease-related contact functions.

The Use of Digital PCR for the Diagnosis of Blepharitis.

Purpose: This was a pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of digital polymerase chain reaction detection of in eyelid margin swabs for the diagnosis of blepharitis. This study aims to explore the possibility of digital polymerase chain reaction detection to improve the diagnostic accuracy of blepharitis detection.

Methods: Volunteers were prospectively recruited and classified by experienced doctors into suspected blepharitis or healthy controls using slit-lamp evaluation of the eyelid margin and an inquiry about symptoms.

Tear film instability is associated with weakened colocalization between occludin and MUC5AC in scopolamine-induced dry eye disease (DED) rats.

Purpose: Dry eye disease (DED) is a disease with tear film instability because of multiple factors. This study was conducted to explore roles of occludin and MUC5AC in tear film instability in DED rat model.

Methods: A total of 20 SD rats were divided into DED group (n = 10) and normal control (NC) group (n = 10).

Vaccine failure, seasonality and demographic changes associate with mumps outbreaks in Jiangsu Province, China: Age-structured mathematical modelling study.

Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine program was introduced in Jiangsu province of China in May 2008 and has been greatly contributed to decreasing of mumps cases. However, mumps has been resurging since May 2015. A number of studies have put forward that the resurgence of mumps is due to vaccine failure.

Comparison of 16S rDNA Amplicon Sequencing With the Culture Method for Diagnosing Causative Pathogens in Bacterial Corneal Infections.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore if 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing can improve the conventional diagnosis of causative pathogens for bacterial corneal infection.

Methods: Corneal scraping and conjunctiva and eyelid margin swab samples from infected eyes of patients diagnosed with "bacterial corneal infection" and conjunctiva and eyelid margin swab samples from a random eye of healthy participants were collected. Each swab was used for both aerobic and anaerobic cultures and 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing.

Corneal stromal mesenchymal stem cells: reconstructing a bioactive cornea and repairing the corneal limbus and stromal microenvironment.

Corneal stroma-derived mesenchymal stem cells (CS-MSCs) are mainly distributed in the anterior part of the corneal stroma near the corneal limbal stem cells (LSCs). CS-MSCs are stem cells with self-renewal and multidirectional differentiation potential. A large amount of data confirmed that CS-MSCs can be induced to differentiate into functional keratocytes , which is the motive force for maintaining corneal transparency and producing a normal corneal stroma.

Fiber reinforced GelMA hydrogel to induce the regeneration of corneal stroma.

Regeneration of corneal stroma has always been a challenge due to its sophisticated structure and keratocyte-fibroblast transformation. In this study, we fabricate grid poly (ε-caprolactone)-poly (ethylene glycol) microfibrous scaffold and infuse the scaffold with gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel to obtain a 3 D fiber hydrogel construct; the fiber spacing is adjusted to fabricate optimal construct that simulates the stromal structure with properties most similar to the native cornea. The topological structure (3 D fiber hydrogel, 3 D GelMA hydrogel, and 2 D culture dish) and chemical factors (serum, ascorbic acid, insulin, and β-FGF) are examined to study their effects on the differentiation of limbal stromal stem cells to keratocytes or fibroblasts and the phenotype maintenance, in vitro and in vivo tissue regeneration.

Modeling and control of mosquito-borne diseases with Wolbachia and insecticides.

Mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism. It is estimated that over one million people worldwide die from mosquito-borne diseases every year. With the continuous efforts of many researchers, Wolbachia gets more and more attention due to its characteristics of maternal transmission in mosquito population and it may cause cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) which makes healthy females cannot fertilize normally after mating with infected males.

A Host-Parasite System with Multiple Parasite Strains and Superinfection Revisited: The Global Dynamics.

In this paper, we revisit a host-parasite system with multiple parasite strains and superinfection proposed by Nowak and May (Proc R Soc Lond B 255(1342):81-89, 1994), and study its global dynamics when we relax the two strict conditions assumed therein. As for system with two parasite strains, we derive that the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] is the threshold condition for parasite extinction and the invasion reproduction number [Formula: see text] is the subthreshold condition for coexistence of two parasite strains. As for system with three parasite strains, we are surprised to discover the global stability of parasite-free and coexistence equilibrium, which is distinct from the previous result.

A sex-structured model with birth pulse and release strategy for the spread of Wolbachia in mosquito population.

Dengue fever is one of the most important diseases causing illness and death all over the world, which brings tremendous threat to peoples' life and property security, especially in the undeveloped areas. The main vector, Aedes aegypti, must be controlled to prevent the transmission of dengue. There are a variety of methods to control it.

A reaction-diffusion within-host HIV model with cell-to-cell transmission.

In this paper, a reaction-diffusion within-host HIV model is proposed. It incorporates cell mobility, spatial heterogeneity and cell-to-cell transmission, which depends on the diffusion ability of the infected cells. In the case of a bounded domain, the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text] is established and shown as a threshold: the virus-free steady state is globally asymptotically stable if [Formula: see text] and the virus is uniformly persistent if [Formula: see text].

Modelling the Transmission Dynamics and Control of Mumps in Mainland China.

Mumps is a common childhood viral disease and children have been vaccinated throughout the world since 1967. The incidence of mumps has increased with more than 300,000 young people infected with mumps annually in mainland China since 2005. Therefore, we designed and analyzed long-term mumps surveillance data in an SVEILR (susceptible-vaccinated-exposed-severely infectious-mildly infectious-recovered) dynamic transmission model with optimized parameter values to describe the dynamics of mumps infections in China.

Corneal collagen cross-linking and liposomal amphotericin B combination therapy for fungal keratitis in rabbits.

Aim: To observe the therapeutic effect of corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) in combination with liposomal amphotericin B in fungal corneal ulcers.

Methods: New Zealand rabbits were induced fungal corneal ulcers by scratching and randomly divided into 3 groups, control, treated with CXL, and combined therapy of CXL with 0.25% liposomal amphotericin B (=5 each).

Acellular ostrich corneal stroma used as scaffold for construction of tissue-engineered cornea.

Aim: To assess acellular ostrich corneal matrix used as a scaffold to reconstruct a damaged cornea.

Methods: A hypertonic saline solution combined with a digestion method was used to decellularize the ostrich cornea. The microstructure of the acellular corneal matrix was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining.

Establishment of a novel therapeutic vector targeting the trigeminal ganglion in rats.

Background: In the pathogenesis of herpes simplex keratitis, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection begins in corneal epithelium cells and then progresses through the sensory nerve endings and finally travels up forward to the trigeminal ganglion (TG), where it remains as latent virus. The available anti-HSV therapies do not completely suppress the recurrence of active HSV-1 infection. The aim of this study was to establish a novel replication-defective (rd) HSV-1 (rdHSV) vector (rdHSV-interferon gamma [IFNγ]) that could effectively target the TG.

17β-estradiol ameliorates oxygen-induced retinopathy in the early hyperoxic phase.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major and leading cause of blindness in premature infants. It has been realized that early treatment for ROP is important. However, all the early treatments of ROP are focusing on peripheral retinal ablation which does not surmount the limit of extinguishing retinal neovascularization and protecting the retinas of children with ROP from the injury of ablation.

Global stability of a transport-related infection model with general incidence rate in two heterogeneous cities.

To further understand the effects of travel on disease spread, a transport-related infection model with general incidence rate in two heterogeneous cities is proposed and analyzed. Some analytical results on the global stability of equilibria (including disease free equilibrium and endemic equilibrium) are obtained. The explicit formula for the basic reproduction number R0 is derived and it is proved to be a threshold for disease spread.