Predictors of visual outcome in eyes with choroidal neovascularization secondary to age related macular degeneration treated with intravitreal bevacizumab monotherapy

AIM:To evaluate the predictors of visual improvement in eyes with naive choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration (CNV -AMD) treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) monotherapy. METHODS:Fifty eyes with naive CNV-AMD with pretreatment best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) better than 20/200 and treated with IVB monotherapy were evaluated. Several variables including age, sex, pre-treatment BCVA, CNV type and lesion size on fluorescein angiogram as well as SD-OCT parameters including pre-treatment central macular thickness (CMT), inner-segment/outer-segment (IS/OS) junction integrity, and external limiting membrane (ELM) integrity were analyzed to predict visual outcome.RESULTS:On univariate regression, pretreatment ELM damage was associated with less visual improvement after treatment (P =0.0145). However, ELM damage predicted only 10% of the visual outcome. On multivariate regression, pretreatment BCVA, IS/OS junction, and ELM integrity on SD-OCT were the significant predictors for the treatment effect and together predicted 37% of visual improvement. CONCLUSION:Pretreatment BCVA, ELM and IS/OS junction integrity on SD-OCT are of significant value inpredicting the visual improvement in naive wet AMD patients treated with IVB monotherapy.

Temporal pattern of resolution/recurrence of choroidal neovascularization during bevacizumab therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration

AIMTo characterize temporal pattern of resolution and recurrence of naive choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated with intravitreal bevacizumab on as needed regimen, and to analyze baseline risk factors for CNV resolution or recurrence.

非诺贝特对糖尿病视网膜病变的防治研究及其临床转化

糖尿病是全球性的常见疾病,糖尿病视网膜病变(DR)是糖尿病的眼部常见并发症之一,严重威胁视力,甚至致盲.目前DR的治疗方法包括激光光凝治疗、玻璃体切割手术治疗、玻璃体内抗血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)药物治疗,但这些治疗方法效果不理想,也无法达到根治的目的.非诺贝特是一类口服降血脂药物,在体内可代谢为非诺贝特酸,从而发挥降脂作用.2个大规模的临床试验FIELD和ACCORD-Eye研究发现,口服非诺贝特可以改善DR状况,减少患者首次激光光凝治疗的需求,并延缓DR的发展进程.基于动物实验和细胞水平的研究结果提示,非诺贝特可以抑制细胞基底膜和VEGF在组织中的过度表达,保护血管细胞间的紧密连接,降低细胞的通透性,抑制细胞迁移和新生血管生成以及炎性因子产生,其作用机制可能与PPAR-α途径的激活、MAPK通路的调节以及核因子-кB(NF-кB)的激活有关.由于血-眼屏障的存在,全身给药后药物到达视网膜的量受到限制.眼局部应用非诺贝特酸可以提高其在眼内的有效治疗浓度,从而达到更好的治疗效果,如滴眼液点眼以及结膜下或筋膜下缓释给药等.

Identification of two glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase genes in maize leaf phosphorus remobilization

Phosphate deficiency is one of the leading causes of crop productivity loss.Phospholipid degradation liberates phosphate to cope with phosphate deficiency.Glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterases(GPX-PDEs)hydrolyse the intermediate products of phospholipid catabolism glycerophosphodiesters into glycerol-3-phosphate,a precursor of phosphate.However,the function of GPX-PDEs in phosphate remobilization in maize remains unclear.In the present study,we characterized two phosphate deficiency-inducible GPX-PDE genes,ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5,in maize leaves.ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5 were transcriptionally regulated by ZmPHR1,a well-described phosphate starvation-responsive transcription factor of the MYB family.Complementation of the yeast GPX-PDE mutant gde1Δindicated that ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5 functioned as GPX-PDEs,suggesting their roles in phosphate recycling from glycerophosphodiesters.In vitro enzyme assays showed that ZmGPX-PDE1 and ZmGPX-PDE5 catalysed glycerophosphodiester degradation with different substrate preferences for glycerophosphoinositol and glycerophosphocholine,respectively.ZmGPX-PDE1 was upregulated during leaf senescence,and more remarkably,loss of ZmGPXPDE1 inmaize compromised the remobilization of phosphorus fromsenescing leaves to young leaves,resulting in a stay-green phenotype under phosphate starvation.These results suggest that ZmGPX-PDE1 catalyses the degradation of glycerophosphodiesters in maize,promoting phosphate recycling from senescing leaves to new leaves.This mechanism is crucial for improving phosphorus utilization efficiency in crops.

Reliability improvement of gas discharge tube by suppressing the formation of short-circuit pathways

After cumulative discharge of gas discharge tube(GDT),it is easy to form a short circuit pathway between the two electrodes,which increases the failure risk and causes severe influences on the protected object.To reduce the failure risk of GDT and improve cumulative discharge times before failure,this work aims to suppress the formation of two short-circuit pathways by optimizing the tube wall structure,the electrode materials and the electrode structure.A total of five improved GDT samples are designed by focusing on the insulation resistance change that occurs after the improvement;then,by combining these designs with the microscopic morphology changes inside the cavity and the differences in deposition composition,the reasons for the differences in the GDT failure risk are also analyzed.The experimental results show that compared with GDT of traditional structure and material,the method of adding grooves at both ends of the tube wall can effectively block the deposition pathway of the tube wall,and the cumulative discharge time before device failure is increased by 149%.On this basis,when the iron-nickel electrode is replaced with a tungsten-copper electrode,the difference in the electrode’s surface splash characteristics further extends the discharge time before failure by 183%.In addition,when compared with the traditional electrode structure,the method of adding an annular structure at the electrode edge to block the splashing pathway for the particles on the electrode surface shows no positive effect,and the cumulative discharge time before the failure of the two structures is reduced by 22.8%and 49.7%,respectively.Among these improved structures,the samples with grooves at both ends of the tube wall and tungsten-copper as their electrode material have the lowest failure risk.

Green intelligent fertilizers——A novel approach for aligning sustainable agriculture with green development

This review addresses the growing disparity between the current state of fertilizer production in China and the evolving demands of green agriculture in the 21st century. It explores major advances in fertilizers, proposes the concept of green intelligent fertilizers and develops new strategies aligned with the principles of green development in fertilizer industry and agriculture.Green intelligent fertilizers may be designed to maximize the synergistic effects among plants, soils, microorganisms, nutrient sources and the environment. This concept emphasizes the integration of industry and agriculture toward green development for entire industry chain, using an interdisciplinary approach to drive the green transformation of fertilizer industry, and promote green and sustainable development of agriculture. By bridging the gap between the current state of fertilizer industry and a growing need for environmentally responsible agricultural practices, this review highlights a path toward harmonizing fertilizer production with the imperatives of green agriculture.