Quantifying peripapillary vessel density and retinal nerve fibre layer in type 1 diabetic children without clinically detectable retinopathy using OCTA

AIM:To quantify changes in radial peripapillary capillary vessel density(ppVD)and the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer(pRNFL)in children with type 1 diabetes without clinical diabetic retinopathy by optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA),providing a basis for early retinopathy in children with type 1 diabetes.METHODS:This was a retrospective study.A total of 30 patients(3–14y)with type 1 diabetes without clinical diabetic retinopathy(NDR group)were included.A total of 30 age-matched healthy subjects were included as the normal control group(CON group).The HbA1c level in the last 3mo was measured once in the NDR group.The pRNFL thickness and ppVD were automatically measured,and the mean pRNFL and ppVD were calculated in the nasal,inferior,temporal,and superior quadrants.The changes in ppVD and pRNFL in the two groups were analyzed.RESULTS:Compared with CON group,the nasal and superior ppVDs decreased in the NDR group(all P<0.01).The thickness of the nasal pRNFL decreased significantly(P<0.01),while the inferior,temporal and superior pRNFLs slightly decreased but not significant in the NDR group(all P>0.05).Person and Spearman correlation analysis of ppVD and pRNFL thickness in each quadrant of the NDR group showed a positive correlation between nasal and superior(all P<0.01),while inferior and temporal had no significant correlation(all P>0.05).There was no significant correlation between the HbA1c level and ppVD and pRNFL in any quadrant(all P>0.05).There was no significant correlation between the course of diabetes mellitus and ppVD and pRNFL in any quadrant(all P>0.05).CONCLUSION:ppVD and pRNFL decrease in eyes of children with type 1 diabetes before clinically detectable retinopathy and OCTA is helpful for early monitoring.

First-principles calculations of solute–vacancy interactions in aluminum

The interactions of solute atoms with vacancies play a key role in diffusion and precipitation of alloying elements,ultimately influencing the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys.In this study,first-principles calculations are systematically performed to quantify the solute–vacancy interactions for the 3d–4p series and the 4d–5p series.The solute–vacancy interaction gradually transforms from repulsion to attraction from left to right.The solute–vacancy binding energy is sensitive to the supercell size for elements at the beginning.These behaviors of the solute–vacancy binding energy can be understood in terms of the combination and competition between the elastic and electronic interactions.Overall,the electronic binding energy follows a similar trend to the total binding energy and plays a major role in the solute–vacancy interactions.

The role of SLC26A8 homozygous variants in male infertility and flagellum abnormalities

Dear Editor,Solute carrier family 26 member 8(SLC26A8)gene belongs to the solute carrier 26(SLC26)family.It demonstrates distinct expression in male spermatozoa.This gene potentially plays a role in the formation of the sperm annulus,a circular structure linking the midpiece and principal piece of mature sperm flagella.1 Studies in mice have shown that the deficiency of Slc26A8 leads to compromised sperm motility,capacitation,and structural anomalies.These include disarray in the mitochondrial sheath,abnormalities in the annulus,and bending of the flagella.2,3 Nevertheless,our comprehension of SLC26A8 mutations in male infertility is still restricted,with only a limited number of studies addressing this aspect.4-6 Therefore,further research is crucial to elucidate the functional significance of mutations in SLC26A8.

Improved open-circuit voltage and ambient stability of CsPbI2Br perovskite solar cells by incorporating CH3NH3Cl

Inorganic cesium metal halide perovskites have gained research interest as absorbers in perovskite solar cells due to their superior thermal stability.Among these,CsPbI2Br,with a narrower band gap than CsPbBr3 and a better phase stability than CsPbI3,has received tremendous interest of the researchers.However,CsPbI2 Br takes adverse phase transfer easily with an exposure to the water vapor in ambient air which not only brings inconvenience for researches but also puts forward very high requirement for encapsulation.Herein,a dense and uniform film is obtained by incorporating hydrophobic CH3NH3Cl(MACl)into the precursor solution.Being attributed to a good passivation effect,the defect density is decreased from3.12×1016 to 1.49×1016 cm-3 and the average photoluminescence lifetime is increased from 8.84 to 20.6 ns.The photovoltaic device achieves a high open-circuit voltage of 1.22 V based on optimized MACl-doped film and accordingly a higher power conversion efficiency(PCE) of 12.9% which is 21.7% higher than the pristine CsPbI2Br device with PCE of 10.6%.In addition,the ambient stability of MACl-doped device has been enhanced,which is greatly attributed to the hydrophobic properties of MACl.This work provides a clue to improve ambient stability of inorganic perovskite solar cells and inspires toward further development of this material.

PLA_(2) mediates the innate immune response in Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis

The eicosanoid signaling pathway mediates insect immune reactions to a wide range of stimuli. This pathway begins with the biosynthesis of arachidonic acid (AA) from the hydrolysis of phospholipids catalyzed by phospholipase A_(2) (PLA_(2)). We report here that the PLA_(2) inhibitor, dexamethasone (DEX), impaired the innate immune response including nodulation, encapsulation, and melanization in Ostrinia furnacalis larvae, while AA partially reversed these effects of DEX. We cloned a full-length complementary DNA encoding a PLA_(2), designated as OfsPLA_(2), from O. furnacalis. The open reading frame of OfsPLA_(2) encodes a 195-amino acid residue protein with a 22-residue signal peptide. Sequence alignment analyses indicated that O. furnacalis PLA_(2) might be a Group III secretory PLA_(2). The highest transcript levels of OfsPLA_(2) were detected in the fat body, and its transcript levels increased dramatically after infection with Escherichia coli, Micrococcus luteus, or Beauveria bassiana. Recombinant OfsPLA_(2) significantly induced prophenoloxidase (PPO) activation in larval hemolymph in the presence of Ca^(2+) and encapsulation of agarose beads. Injection of recombinant OfsPLA_(2) into larvae resulted in increased transcript levels of attacin, defencin, and moricin-3 genes. Our results demonstrate the involvement of the eicosanoid signaling pathway in the innate immune response of O. furnacalis larvae and provide new information about the roles of O. furnacalis secretory PLA_(2) in activating PPO and antimicrobial peptide production.