Multimodal imaging diagnosis and analysis of prognostic factors in patients with adult-onset Coats disease

AIM:To describe the multimodal imaging features,treatment,and outcomes of patients diagnosed with adultonset Coats disease.METHODS:This retrospective study included patients first diagnosed with Coats disease at≥18 years of age between September 2017 and September 2021.Some patients received anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)therapy(conbercept,0.5 mg)as the initial treatment,which was combined with laser photocoagulation as needed.All the patients underwent best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)and intraocular pressure examinations,fundus color photography,spontaneous fluorescence tests,fundus fluorescein angiography,optical coherence tomography(OCT),OCT angiography,and other examinations.BCVA alterations and multimodal image findings in the affected eyes following treatment were compared and the prognostic factors were analyzed.RESULTS:The study included 15 patients who were aged 24-72(57.33±12.61)y at presentation.Systemic hypertension was the most common associated systemic condition,occurring in 13(86.7%)patients.Baseline BCVA ranged from 2.0 to 5.0(4.0±1.1),which showed improvement following treatment(4.2±1.0).Multimodal imaging revealed retinal telangiectasis in 13 patients(86.7%),patchy hemorrhage in 5 patients(33.3%),and stage 2B disease(Shield’s staging criteria)in 11 patients(73.3%).OCT revealed that the baseline central macular thickness(CMT)ranged from 129 to 964μm(473.0±230.1μm),with 13 patients(86.7%)exhibiting a baseline CMT exceeding 250μm.Furthermore,8 patients(53.3%)presented with an epiretinal membrane at baseline or during follow-up.Hyper-reflective scars were observed on OCT in five patients(33.3%)with poor visual prognosis.Vision deteriorated in one patient who did not receive treatment.Final vision was stable in three patients who received laser treatment,whereas improvement was observed in one of two patients who received anti-VEGF therapy alone.In addition,8 of 9 patients(88.9%)who received laser treatment and conbercept exhibited stable or improved BCVA.CONCLUSION:Multimodal imaging can help diagnose adult-onset Coats disease.Anti-VEGF treatment combined with laser therapy can be an option for improving or maintaining BCVA and resolving macular edema.The final visual outcome depends on macular involvement and the disease stage.

High-performance amorphous In–Ga–Zn–O thin-film transistor nonvolatile memory with a novel p-SnO/n-SnO_(2) heterojunction charge trapping stack

Amorphous In–Ga–Zn–O(a-IGZO)thin-film transistor(TFT)memories with novel p-SnO/n-SnO_(2) heterojunction charge trapping stacks(CTSs)are investigated comparatively under a maximum fabrication temperature of 280℃.Compared to a single p-SnO or n-SnO_(2) charge trapping layer(CTL),the heterojunction CTSs can achieve electrically programmable and erasable characteristics as well as good data retention.Of the two CTSs,the tunneling layer/p-SnO/nSnO_(2)/blocking layer architecture demonstrates much higher program efficiency,more robust data retention,and comparably superior erase characteristics.The resulting memory window is as large as 6.66 V after programming at 13 V/1 ms and erasing at-8 V/1 ms,and the ten-year memory window is extrapolated to be 4.41 V.This is attributed to shallow traps in p-SnO and deep traps in n-SnO_(2),and the formation of a built-in electric field in the heterojunction.

Experimental animal models of pulmonary hypertension:Development and challenges

Pulmonary hypertension(PH) is clinically divided into 5 major types, characterized by elevation in pulmonary arterial pressure(PAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance(PVR), finally leading to right heart failure and death. The pathogenesis of this arteriopathy remains unclear, leaving it impossible to target pulmonary vascular remodeling and reverse the deterioration of right ventricular(RV) function. Different animal models have been designed to reflect the complex mechanistic origins and pathology of PH, roughly divided into 4 categories according to the modeling methods: noninvasive models in vivo, invasive models in vivo, gene editing models, and multi-means joint modeling. Though each model shares some molecular and pathological changes with different classes of human PH, in most cases the molecular etiology of human PH is poorly known. The appropriate use of classic and novel PH animal models is essential for the hunt of molecular targets to reverse severe phenotypes.

Band Alignment at the Al2O3/β-Ga2O3 Interface with CHF3 Treatment

The energy band alignment at the atomic layer deposited Al2O3/β-Ga2O3 interface with CHF3 treatment was characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry(SIMS).With additional CHF3 plasma treatment,the conduction band offset increases from 1.95±0.1 eV to 2.32±0.1 eV;and the valence band offset decreases from 0.21±0.1 eV to-0.16±0.1 eV.As a result,the energy band alignment changes from type I to type II.This energy band alignment transition could be attributed to the downshift of the core-level of Ga 3d,resulting from the Ga–F bond formation in the F-rich interfacial layer,which is confirmed by the SIMS results.

Morphologies of secondary austenite in 2507 duplex stainless steel after heat treatment

The microstructure evolution of secondary austenite in 2507 duplex stainless steel was investigated by means of optical metallography,scanning electron microscopy and confocal scanning laser microscopy.Four types of secondary austenite(γ2)morphologies including partially transformed austenite,grain boundary austenite,Widmannstätten austenite(WA)and intragranular austenite could be formed during cooling after solution treatment.It was concluded that secondary austenite morphology was mainly dependent on cooling rates.Two mechanisms of WA formation were proposed.WA nucleated at grain boundary of ferrite or at the formed phase boundary.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)analysis displayed that WA grew in parallel to the ferrite.The effects of Cr_(2)N on secondary austenite precipitation were discussed in detail.Once Cr_(2)N was involved,a mechanism was proposed that secondary austenite formed by element diffusion,leading to the migration of the austenite–ferrite interface.Cr_(2)N acted as the nucleation sites forγ2 and provided the nitrogen for the transformation;meanwhile,the precipitation of Cr_(2)N during the rapid cooling was captured by TEM.A process of nucleation followed by diffusion was concluded to be the formation of secondary austenite with no Cr_(2)N precipitated.The decomposition of secondary austenite was also studied,which was found to be a diffusion mechanism followed by displacement in connection with the element distribution.

Co-cultured adventitious roots of Echinacea pallida and Echinacea purpurea inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation via MAPK pathway in mouse peritoneal macrophages

Objective:In order to elucidate the biological activity of the Co-cultured adventitious roots(ARs) of Echinacea pallida and Echinacea purpurea and provide theoretical basis for its application,and the antiinflammatory activities and potential mechanisms of Co-cultured ARs were studied.Methods:The experimental materials were obtained by bioreactor co-culture technology and used in the activity research.In this study,mouse macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS) were used as in vitro model.Different concentrations of AR extract(50-400 g/mL) were used to treat cells.The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was determined using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.The inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression,mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) phosphorylation,and the inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappa B-a levels were determined by the Western blot analysis.Results:In the co-cultured ARs,total flavonoids and total caffeic acid were determined,and the contents of both bioactive compounds were significantly higher than those ARs from the single-species culture.Compared with the control group,the large amount of pro-inflammatory mediators was released after LPS stimulation.However,in the extract groups with different concentrations(25,50,and 100 g/mL),the production of these pro-inflammatory mediators was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner.Furthermore,the levels of phosphorylation of MAPK proteins,including p-p38, p-c-Jun N-terminal kinase,and p-extracellular regulated protein kinases were significantly(P <0.05) decreased in the extract groups,revealing that the AR extract probably involved in regulating the MAPK signaling pathway.Conclusion:Collectively,our findings suggested that the co-cultured ARs of E.pallida and E.purpurea can inhibit production of pro-inflammatory mediators in mouse peritoneal macrophages and possess the anti-inflammatory effect by regulating MAPK signaling pathways.