Improved thickness measurement method for choroidal hyperpermeability in central serous chorioretinopathy

AIM:To observe choroidal thickness changes in the choroidal hyperpermeability area(CHA)in patients with central serous chorioretinopathy(CSC)after photodynamic therapy(PDT)using indocyanine green angiography(ICGA)combined with optical coherence tomography(OCT).METHODS:This was a cohort study of 17 eyes(17 patients)with CSC.In all patients,the range of CHA was determined by ICGA.The patients were divided into two groups based on CHA covered the fovea(group A)or not(group B).All patients received half-dose verteporfin PDT over CHA in ICGA.Choroidal thickness was measured by OCT before,1,and 3 mo after treatment.The choroidal thickness values of the fovea and CHAs were obtained for each measurement.Secondary outcomes were changes in the best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA)and amount of subretinal fluid(SRF).RESULTS:The differences in center choroidal thickness at baseline and at 1 and 3 mo post-PDT were statistically significant in group A and all patients(both P<0.001).There was no significant difference in group B(P=0.059).The differences of thickness of CHA and BCVA at baseline and1 and 3 mo post-PDT were statistically significant in group A,group B,and all patients(all P<0.01).All patients showed complete SRF absorption at 3 mo post-PDT.CONCLUSION:Center choroidal thickness does not accurately reflect changes in CHA of patients whose CHA does not covered the fovea center.Using CHA as the observation target can make up for this limitation,expand the scope of application,and reduce bias.

Clinical features of retinal amyloid angiopathy with transthyretin Gly83Arg variant

AIM:To report on the clinical features of patients with retinal amyloid angiopathy(RAA)who were identified to be caused by the transthyretin(TTR)Gly83Arg variant.METHODS:Case series of five patients diagnosed with RAA was collected at Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from January 2010 to December 2021.The clinical features,therapeutic strategies,and prognoses of all patients were reviewed.RESULTS:Five patients with a mean age of 52.00±7.23y were diagnosed as RAA.These patients were previously diagnosed with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis caused by the TTR Gly83Arg variant.Vitreous opacity was found in all 10 eyes,and 7 eyes developed RAA 2 to 20y after the onset of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis.The clinical manifestations were recurrent vitreous hemorrhage in 2 eyes(29%),neovascular glaucoma in 2 eyes(29%),and iris neovascularization in 1 eye(14%).Microangioma lesions were found in all affected eyes that underwent fundus fluorescein angiography(FFA)in this group of cases,and the incidence of the retinal non-perfusion area was 67%.Although no cases of retinal neovascularization were found,the prognosis of visual acuity was not ideal.CONCLUSION:This is the first report of RAA in patients with the TTR Gly83Arg variant.Complications such as RAA and glaucoma will seriously affect the visual prognosis of patients.Thereafter,regular ophthalmic follow-up of patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis is essential.And FFA after vitrectomy is very important,which can help ophthalmologists detect RAA earlier and treat it in time.

Highly in-plane anisotropic optical properties of fullerene monolayers

Both the intrinsic anisotropic optical materials and fullerene-assembled 2D materials have attracted much interest in fundamental science and potential applications.The synthesis of a monolayer(ML)fullerene makes the combination of these two features plausible.In this work,using first-principles calculations,we systematically study the electronic structure and optical properties of quasi-hexagonal phase(qHP)ML and quasi-tetragonal phase(qTP)ML fullerenes.The calculations of q HP ML show that it is a semiconductor with small anisotropic optical absorption,which agrees with the recent experimental measurements.However,the results for qTP ML reveal that it is a semimetal with highly in-plane anisotropic absorption.The dichroic ratio,namely the absorption ratio of x-and y-polarized lightα_(xx)/α_(yy),is around 12 at photon energy of 0.29 eV.This anisotropy is much more pronounced when the photon energy is between 0.7 and 1.4 eV,whereα_(xx)becomes nearly zero whileα_(yy)is more than two orders of magnitude larger.This indicates qTP ML as a candidate for long-pursuit lossless metal and a potential material for atomically thin polarizer.We hope this will stimulate further experimental eforts in the study of qTP ML and other fullerene-assembled 2D materials.

Study on the evaluation method of diffuse radiation models——taking 5 typical cities in China as examples

Diffuse solar radiation models play an extremely important role in solar photothermal utilization,resource assess-ment and energy consumption simulation,etc.The accuracy of these diffuse solar radiation models usually need to be evaluated by various statistical parameters.Among these statistical parameters,the Global Performance In-dex(GPI)has been extensively employed in recent years because of its comprehensiveness and wide applicability.This paper takes five cities in China as representatives of 5 typical climate regions,and 12 solar scattered radia-tion models are fitted with the meteorological data of 5 cities.Based on the comparative analysis of the existing GPI calculation methods,this paper points out that there are some defects in the existing GPI,and modifies the existing GPI based on the comprehensive consideration of statistical parameters,normalization preprocessing of statistical parameters,unified evaluation direction of parameters,weight redistribution of statistical parameters,and adjustment of extreme coefficient.12 types of new GPI are established in this paper,and the performance of diffuse solar radiation models are compared based on these GPI.The rationality of GPI corrective measures is analyzed by means of the method reasonable index(MRI).The results show that the GPI calculation method(N10)which takes five corrective measures has the best performance,and the accuracy of the existing GPI can be improved by 13.33 to 65%.

医学遗传学线上线下混合教学模式改革

线上课程是新时代医学教学不可或缺的组成部分,拥有很好的发展前景,但目前在实践中也存在着一定的问题。医学遗传学作为重要的医学基础课程,既有基础理论知识,又有临床病例,既涉及基本原理,又包括了最新进展。单一的线上课程或线下教学模式,都无法满足学科发展和培养新一代医学人才的需求,因此,积极探讨线上和线下混合式教学模式是目前医学教学改革的重要课题之一。

Preparation and evaluation of bis(diallyl alkyl tertiary ammonium salt) polymer as a promising adsorbent for phosphorus removal

Problems associated with water eutrophication due to high phosphorus concentrations and related environmentally safe solutions have attracted wide attention.A novel bis(diallyl alkyl tertiary ammonium salt)polymer,particularly poly(N1,N1,N6,N6-tetraallylhexane-1,6-diammonium dichloride)(PTAHDADC),was synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,nuclear magnetic resonance,scanning electron microscopy,mercury intrusion method,and thermogravimetric analysis.The adsorption characteristics in phosphorus were evaluated in dilute solution,and the recycling properties of PTAHDADC were investigated.Results showed that PTAHDADC possessed macropores with a size distribution ranging from 30 to 130μm concentrating at 63μm in diameter and had 46.52%of porosity,excellent thermal stability below 530 K,and insolubility.PTAHDADC could effectively remove phosphorus at p H=7–11 and had a removal efficiency exceeding 98.4%at pH=10–11.The adsorption equilibrium data of PTAHDADC for phosphorus accorded well with the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order kinetic models.Maximum adsorption capacity was 52.82 mg/g at 293 K.PTAHDADC adsorbed phosphorus rapidly and reached equilibrium within 90 min.Calculated activation energy Eawas 15.18 k J/mol.PTAHDADC presented an excellent recyclability with only 8.23%loss of removal efficiency after five adsorption–desorption cycles.The morphology and structure of PTAHDADC slightly changed as evidenced by the pre-and post-adsorption of phosphorus,but the process was accompanied by the partial deprotonation of the(–CH2)3-NH+group of PTAHDADC.The adsorption was a spontaneous exothermic process driven by entropy through physisorption,electrostatic attraction,and ion exchange.Survey results showed that PTAHDADC was a highly efficient and fast-adsorbing phosphorus-removal material prospective in treating wastewater.

Identification of two novel mutations in the ATP7B gene that cause Wilson's disease

Background:Wilson's disease is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by liver disease and/or neurologic deficits due to copper accumulation and is caused by pathogenic mutations in the ATP7B gene.Methods:Two unrelated Chinese patients born to nonconsanguineous parents who were diagnosed with earlyonset Wiison's disease.DNA sequencing and bioinformation analysis were conducted.Results:We have identified four mutations in two family trios,of which two were novel,namely,c.3028A>G(p.K1010E) and c3992T>G (p.Y1331X),in each patient.Conclusions:Gene testing is playing an important role in diagnosis of Wilson's disease.The early-onset of Wilson's disease is apparently not associated with P-ATPase domain in the ATP7B protein.Our findings further widen the spectrum of mutations involving the ATP7B gene.

Thermodynamics of spin-1/2 Kagomé Heisenberg antiferromagnet:algebraic paramagnetic liquid and finite-temperature phase diagram

Quantum fluctuations from frustration can trigger quantum spin liquids(QSLs) at zero temperature.However, it is unclear how thermal fluctuations affect a QSL. We employ state-of-the-art tensor network-based methods to explore the ground state and thermodynamic properties of the spin-1=2 kagomé Heisenberg antiferromagnet(KHA). Its ground state is shown to be consistent with a gapless QSL by observing the absence of zero-magnetization plateau as well as the algebraic behaviors of susceptibility and specific heat at low temperatures, respectively. We show that there exists an algebraic paramagnetic liquid(APL) that possesses both the paramagnetic properties and the algebraic behaviors inherited from the QSL. The APL is induced under the interplay between quantum fluctuations from geometrical frustration and thermal fluctuations. By studying the temperature-dependent behaviors of specific heat and magnetic susceptibility, a finite-temperature phase diagram in a magnetic field is suggested, where various phases are identified. This present study gains useful insight into the thermodynamic properties of the spin-1/2 KHA with or without a magnetic field and is helpful for relevant experimental studies.

The atlas of ferroicity in two-dimensional MGeX_(3) family:Room-temperature ferromagnetic half metals and unexpected ferroelectricity and ferroelasticity

Two-dimensional(2D)ferromagnetic and ferroelectric materials attract unprecedented attention due to the spontaneous-symmetry-breaking induced novel properties and multifarious potential applications.Here we systematically investigate a large family(148)of 2D MGeX3(M=metal elements,X=O/S/Se/Te)by means of the high-throughput first-principles calculations,and focus on their possible ferroic properties including ferromagnetism,ferroelectricity,and ferroelasticity.We discover eight stable 2D ferromagnets including five semiconductors and three half-metals,212D antiferromagnets,and 11 stable 2D ferroelectric semiconductors including two multiferroic materials.Particularly,MnGeSe3 and MnGeTe3 are predicted to be room-temperature 2D ferromagnetic half metals with Tc of 490 and 308 K,respectively.It is probably for the first time that ferroelectricity is uncovered in 2D MGeX3 family,which derives from the spontaneous symmetry breaking induced by unexpected displacements of Ge-Ge atomic pairs,and we also reveal that the electric polarizations are in proportion to the ratio of electronegativity of X and M atoms,and IVB group metal elements are highly favored for 2D ferroelectricity.Magnetic tunnel junction and water-splitting photocatalyst based on 2D ferroic MGeX3 are proposed as examples of wide potential applications.The atlas of ferroicity in 2D MGeX3 materials will spur great interest in experimental studies and would lead to diverse applications.