Effects of congenital ptosis on the refractive development of eye and vision in children

AIM:To investigate the influence of unilateral congenital ptosis on the development of the eye and vision in children.METHODS:In this prospective observational study,41 patients with unilateral congenital ptosis were enrolled(age range 3-15y).The blepharoptosis was divided into 3 subgroups according to the margin reflex distance-1(MRD-1),including mild group(MRD-1>2 mm),moderate group(0<MRD-1<2 mm),and severe group(MRD-1<0 mm).The fellow eyes served as controls.All subjects underwent ocular examinations,including axial length,keratometry,and refractive error.RESULTS:The incidence of astigmatism(ptotic eyes:58.5%vs fellow eyes:24.4%,P=0.002)and magnitude of cylindrical power(ptotic eyes:-0.86±0.79 D vs fellow eyes:-0.43±0.63 D,P=0.003)differed significantly between the ptotic eyes and the fellow eyes.The spherical equivalent refraction(P=0.006),spherical power(P=0.01),cylindrical power(P=0.011),axial length-corneal radius(AL/CR)ratio(P=0.009),frequency of hyperopia(P=0.002)and astigmatism(P=0.004)were significantly different among the ptotic eye subgroups and the fellow eye group.In addition,in patients with congenital ptosis,the incidence of amblyopia is 43.9%and the incidence of anisometropia is 24.4%.More importantly,the ratio of AL/CR showed significantly positive correlation with the severity of ptosis(P=0.002).CONCLUSION:Congenital ptosis may lead to a delayed eyeball development in the aspect of AL/CR.The risk of amblyopia is also increased due to visual deprivation and aggravated anisometropia,particularly in severe ptosis case.

Characteristics of central visual field defect after macular hole surgery

AIM: To investigate the characteristics of postoperative central visual field defect(cVFD) in patients with macular hole(MH).METHODS: Eighteen eyes from 18 MH patients were involved in this retrospective study which reviewed square root of loss variance(sLV) and mean defect(MD) of the visual field test in all subjects. The relationship between cVFD and MH stage, as well as the postoperative ellipsoid zone disruption were evaluated using Spearman's correlation test. RESULTS: Our analysis determined Spearman coefficient is 0.705 for the correlation between sLV and MH stage(P<0.01), 0.877 for the correlation between sLV and postoperative ellipsoid zone disruption(P<0.01) and 0.721 for the correlation between MD and postoperative ellipsoid zone disruption(P<0.01). A significant relationship was also detected between postoperative ellipsoid zone disruption and MH stage(r=0.470, P<0.05). Univariate regression analysis indicated that sLV and MD were associated with postoperative ellipsoid zone disruption(P<0.01, P<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: Postoperative cVFD is highly correlated with MH stage and postoperative ellipsoid zone disruption in patients with MH.

Preparation and characterization of oil-soluble In_2O_3 nanoparticles and In_2O_3–SnO_2 nanocomposites and their calcined thin films

Oil-soluble In2O3 nanoparticles and In2O3-SnO2 nanocomposites were prepared in oleylamine via decomposition of metal acety- lacetonate precursors. Thin films of In2O3 and In2O3-SnO2 were obtained by spin-coating solutions of the oil-soluble In2O3 nanoparticles and In2O3-SnO2 nanocomposites onto substrates and then calcining them. Transmission electron microspectroscopy, scanning electron mi- crospectroscopy, atomic force microspectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible absorption, and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used to investigate the properties of the nanoparticles and thin films. The In2O3 nanoparticles were cubic-phased spheres with a diame- ter of-8 nm; their spectra exhibited a broad emission peak centered at 348 nm. The In2O3-SnO2 nanocomposites were co-particles composed of smaller In2O3 particles and larger SnO2 particles; their spectra exhibited a broad emission peak at 355 nm. After the In2O3-SnO2 nano- composites were calcined at 400℃, the obtained thin films were highly transparent and conductive, with a thickness of 30-40 nm; the sur- faces of the thin films were smooth and crack-free.

Effect of different fertilization time after human chorionic gonadotropin injection on fertilization outcome of patients in vitro fertilizationembryo transfer

Objective:To explore the effect of different fertilization time after human chorionic gonadotropin(HCG)injection on the outcome of fertilization in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer(IVF-ET).Methods:One thousand one hundred and forty IVF-ET cycles from January 2016 to August 2018 were analyzed retrospectively.According to the different fertilization time after injection of HCG divided into four groups:Group A(38.0 h~39.0 h),Group B(39.1 h~40.0 h),Group C(40.1 h~41.0 h),and Group D(41.1 h~42.0 h).The normal fertilization rate,the normal cleavage rate,the embryo utilization rate,the high-quality embryo rate,the clinical pregnancy rate,the implantation rate,and the spontaneous abortion rate were analyzed among the groups.Then we investigated the effect of different promotion methods on the outcome of fertilization during the optimal fertilization time.Results:There was no significant difference in 2PN cleavage rate,available embryo rate,clinical pregnancy rate,implantation rate and abortion rate among the four groups(P>0.05).The high-quality embryo rate in Group D(44.6%)was the highest,and was significantly different among the four groups(P<0.05).The normal fertilization rate in Group D(71.6%)was the highest,and was significantly different among the four groups(P<0.05).The normal fertilization rate(78.1%)of antagonist group was significantly higher than other groups(P<0.05).Conclusion:The different fertilization time after HCG injection have effects on high-quality embryo rate and normal fertilization rate of patients in IVF-ET.The appropriate fertilization time of patients in IVF-ET was 41 h~42 h after HCG injection in our reproductive center,improved the clinical pregnancy rate and reduced the early abortion rate.The GnRH-ant protocol is superior to other protocol in IVF-ET.

Progress in the study of animal models of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is corporate in clinical practice,and it can cause a series of complications such as coronary heart disease,which seriously threatens human health.Due to the relatively complex factors of its treatment,there is no exact etiology at present.It is essential to establish an animal model of atherosclerosis that can be evaluated and reproducible to study its pathogenesis and clinical treatment guidance.This article reviews the selection of atherosclerotic model animals and the established methods of models to explore more in-depth research and clinical practice of atherosclerosis.

Effects of Mn and Cr contents on microstructures and mechanical properties of low temperature bainitic steel

The effects of Mn and Cr contents on bainitic transformation kinetics,microstructures and mechanical properties of high-carbon low alloy steels after austempered at 230,300 and 350 ℃ were determined by dilatometry,optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction and tensile tests. The results showed that Mn and Cr can extend bainitic incubation period and completion time,and with the increase of Mn and Cr content,the bainitic ferrite plate thickness decreased and the volume fraction of retained austenite increased. TRIP（ transformation induced plasticity） effect was observed during tensile testing which improved the overall mechanical property. The increase of Mn concentration can improve the strength to a certain extent,but reduce the ductility. The increase of Cr concentration can improve the ductility of bainitic steels which transformed at a low temperature. The low temperature bainitic steel austempered at 230 ℃ exhibited excellent mechanical properties with ultimate tensile strength of（ 2146 ± 11） MPa and total elongation of（ 12. 95 ± 0. 15） %.

Photo-grafting Poly(acrylic acid) onto Poly(lactic acid) Chains in Solution

Poly(lactic acid)(PLA)is one of the most important bio-plastics,and chemical modification of the already-polymerized poly(lactic acid)chains may enable optimization of its material properties and expand its application areas.In this study,we demonstrated that poly(lactic acid)can be readily dissolved in acrylic acid at room temperature,and acrylic acid can be graft-polymerized onto poly(lactic acid)chains in solution with the help of photoinitiator benzophenone under 254 nm ultraviolet(UV)irradiation.Similar photo-grafting polymerization of acrylic acid(PAA)has only been studied before in the surface modification of polymer films.The graft ratio could be controlled by various reaction parameters,including irradiation time,benzophenone content,and monomer/polymer ratios.This photo-grafting reaction resulted in high graft ratio(graft ratio PAA/PLA up to 180%)without formation of homopolymers of acrylic acid.When the PAA/PLA graft ratio was higher than 100%,the resulting PLA-g-PAA polymer was found dispersible in water.The pros and cons of the photo-grafting reaction were also discussed.

Abnormal expression of miR-331 leads to impaired heart function

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in maintaining normal heart function. Abnormal expression of miR-331 has been observed in the hearts of patients with atrial fibrillation and Marfan syndrome. However, whether miR-331 regulates cardiac function under physiological and pathological conditions still remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the function and underlying mechanisms of miR-331 in a pressure overload-induced heart failure model and miR-331 transgenic rat model. First, we found that the expression of miR-331-3p exhibited a 1.7-fold increase in hypertrophy compared with that in the sham group (P<0.01), yet the expression of miR-331-5p remained unchanged. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-331 in cardiomyocytes and defective excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling efficiency were observed. Luciferase assays showed that miR-331-3p suppressed JPH2 expression by binding to the coding region of JPH2 mRNA. Finally, in the miR-331 transgenic rat model, JPH2 expression was suppressed at both the mRNA and protein levels in vivo, which resulted in impairment of both the E-C coupling efficiency of cardiomyocytes and systolic function of the heart. This finding mechanistically linked miR-331 to JPH2 downregulation and suggested an important role for the abnormal expression of miR-331 leading to the dysfunction of E-C coupling in heart failure.