Clinical characteristics,risk factors,and prognoses of fungal keratitis caused by three common fungal species in Northern China

Background:To evaluate the clinical characteristics,risk factors,and treatment outcomes of fungal keratitis(FK)caused by three common fungal species in northern China.Methods:A total of 203 cases of FK caused by Fusarium,Aspergillus or Alternaria treated at Shandong Eye Institute were included.Clinical features were analyzed in the following aspects:(I)risk factors,including physical trauma,ocular surface diseases,contact lens wear,and non-identified risk factors;(II)clinical manifestations;(III)treatment approaches and prognosis.Results:There were 151 cases of Fusarium keratitis,35 cases of Aspergillus keratitis,and 17 cases of Alternaria keratitis.Trauma(71.9%)ranked first among the risk factors for all 3 kinds of FK(P=0.015).Plant matter was most common in FK caused by Fusarium(54.1%)and Alternaria(63.6%),while grit was predominant in Aspergillus keratitis(61.5%).The main clinical manifestations were pseudopodia(74.2%in Fusarium keratitis and 64.7%in Alternaria keratitis)and hypopyon(51.4%in Aspergillus keratitis).The lesion area was less than 10 mm2 in 64.7%of Alternaria infection and more than 10 mm2 in 60.9%of Fusarium infection.Recurrence was found in Fusarium(9.9%)and Aspergillus(5.7%)keratitis,but not in Alternaria keratitis.Conclusions:FK associated with Fusarium,Aspergillus,and Alternaria seems to have various risk factors,clinical characteristics,and prognoses.Awareness of the specific differences may help to guide the clinical treatment before the results of culture and susceptibility testing are available.

The Development of Intelligent Home Furnishing Entrance Guard System based on B/S Architecture

This paper detailed describes the design of intelligent Home Furnishing system based on B/S architecture. According to the existing development mode of intelligent Home Furnishing system and the analysis of functional requirements, the paper puts forward the general framework of intelligent Home Furnishing system, and designed the communication scheme of the system, and gives the system each function module realization. This paper mainly completes the design of networking, each function module of embedded intelligent family gateway server in the system building and CGI intelligent interactive program and CGI interactive program. Experiments show that each function module of the system meet to design requirements, the overall system can satisfy the actual demand Home Furnishing user, validated the feasibility of the B/S architecture in intelligent Home Furnishing system.

The role of corneal endothelium in macular corneal dystrophy development and recurrence

Macular corneal dystrophy(MCD)is a progressive,bilateral stromal dystrophic disease that arises from mutations in carbohydrate sulfotransferase 6(CHST6).Corneal transplantation is the ultimate therapeutic solution for MCD patients.Unfortunately,postoperative recurrence remains a significant challenge.We conducted a retrospective review of a clinical cohort comprising 102 MCD patients with 124 eyes that underwent either penetrating keratoplasty(PKP)or deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty(DALK).Our results revealed that the recurrence rate was nearly three times higher in the DALK group(39.13%,9/23 eyes)compared with the PKP group(10.89%,11/101 eyes),suggesting that surgical replacement of the corneal endothelium for treating MCD is advisable to prevent postoperative recurrence.Our experimental data confirmed the robust m RNA and protein expression of CHST6 in human corneal endothelium and the rodent homolog CHST5 in mouse endothelium.Selective knockdown of wild-type Chst5 in mouse corneal endothelium(AC^(siChst5)),but not in the corneal stroma,induced experimental MCD with similar extracellular matrix synthesis impairments and corneal thinning as observed in MCD patients.Mice carrying Chst5 point mutation also recapitulated clinical phenotypes of MCD,along with corneal endothelial abnormalities.Intracameral injection of wild-type Chst5 rescued the corneal impairments in AC^(siChst5)mice and retarded the disease progression in Chst5 mutant mice.Overall,our study provides new mechanistic insights and therapeutic approaches for MCD treatment by highlighting the role of corneal endothelium in MCD development.

Study on the Tangential Tensile Mechanical Properties of Moso Bamboo

In this work,we used tensile tests to analyze the tangential failure forms of raw bamboo and determine a relationship between tangential tensile strength,elastic modulus,position,density,and moisture content.We found that the tangential mechanical properties of the culm wall were mainly dependent on the mechanical properties of the basic structure of the thin wall.Formulas for calculating the tangential tensile strength of moso bamboo and adjusting the moisture content were also determined.The tangential tensile strength and the tangential tensile modulus of elasticity(TTMOE)followed:outer>middle>inner,and diaphragm>bamboo node>culm wall.Below the fiber saturation point,the tangential tensile strength and TTMOE values of the bamboo gradually decreased with increasing moisture content.When the moisture content was 15%,the tangential tensile strengths of the inner,middle,outer,culm wall,bamboo node,and diaphragm samples of the five-year-old moso bamboo were 3.17,3.29,3.31,3.24,3.67,and 8.85 MPa,respectively.Furthermore,their TTMOE values were 215.09,227.98,238.45,224.04,267.21,and 559.27 MPa,respectively.Hence,this study provides a theoretical basis for future research on bamboo cracking.

Study on the Bonding Performance of the Moso Bamboo Dowel Welded to a Poplar Substrate Joint by High-Speed Rotation

The wood friction welding technique with its high bonding strength,low cost,high efficiency,and without any adhesive has been increasing concern in China.Moso bamboo(Phyllostachys pubescens)and poplar(Populus sp.)are widely planted and used in the furniture industry,interior decoration,and wood structure construction in China.The aim of this work was to investigate the bonding performance of moso bamboo dowel rotation welded joints with different dowel/receiving hole diameter ratios.The results indicated that the ratio of dowel/receiving hole diameter was an important parameter that influenced the welding performance.The bonding strength of the bamboo-to-poplar welded joints at the optimal ratio of 10/7 was as high as 7.50 MPa,which was higher than that of the beech(Fagus sylvatica,L.),schima(Schima superba)dowels and PVAc glued joints.The temperature measurement results showed a peak temperature of bamboo dowel welding as high as 350–360°C.Some differences in the temperature curves between each dowel/hole diameter ratio group were observed at the three different hole depths,such as the friction time,peak temperatures,and stabilization time at the maximum temperature,which could explain the differences in welding strengths between different ratios.The SEM results showed the temperature-induced softening,melting and flowing of cell-interconnected polymer material in the wood and bamboo structure.In addition,the bamboo fibers(mainly vascular bundles)were wrapped to form a dense continuous bonding layer,similar to the reinforced concrete,thus producing a good bonding effect.The Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR)analyses showed that the high temperature resulted in the increase of the lignin relative content due to the degradation reaction of cellulose in the welding zone,which improved the bonding properties.

Auricular vagus nerve acupressure for patients with emotional distress under the COVID-19 pandemic:A smartphone-based,randomized controlled trial

Objective: To confirm whether self-administered AVNA treatment is effective in improving emotional distressunder the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: A smartphone-based online, randomized, controlled trial was designed from 26 February 2020 to 28April 2020 in four study sites, including Wuhan, Beijing, Shenyang, and Guangzhou of China. Local residentswho had considerable emotional distress with a score of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) ≥9 were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned to three times of AVNA (n = 191) per day, in morning,around noon, and in evening or usual care (UC, n = 215) once daily for 14 days. The primary outcome was theresponse rate, which was the proportion of participants whose Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)score reduced from baseline by ≥ 50%. The assessment was conducted at baseline, 3 days, and 14 days.Results: The AVNA group had a markedly higher response rate than the UC group at 3 days (35.6% vs. 24.9%,P = 0.02) and at 14 days (70.7% vs. 60.6%, P = 0.02). The AVNA group showed significantly greater reductionin scores of HADS at the two measurement points and BAI at 3 days (P ≤ 0.03), with average respective effectsize of 0.217 and 0.195. Participants with AVNA spent less time falling asleep and rated their sleep qualitybeing remarkably higher than those with UC at endpoint.Conclusion: During COVID-19 pandemic period, treatment with self-administrated AVNA was more effectivethan UC in reducing emotional distress of isolated populations. These findings support self-administered AVNAas a treatment option for patients with emotional distress under the COVID-19 pandemic or other emergentevents.

EGFR / HER2 / HER3 expression in tumour and gefitinib treatment in Chinese patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Objective： Biological markers performable in routine practice and able to predict the clinical outcome of advanced non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） treated with gefitinib are urgently needed. Methods： We analyzed EGFR / HER2 / HER3 primary tumour immunohistochemical expression in a prospective and consecutive series of 90 Chinese patients. Platinumpretreated patients received a 250 mg oral dose of gefitinib once daily until disease progression; EGFR / HER2 / HER3 tumour status was related with the clinical outcome in terms of response rate （RR）, time to disease progression （TTP）, and overall survival （OS）. Results： A high expression （scores 2-3） of EGFR, HER2 and HER3 was venfied in 16.7%, 43.3% and 21.1% of tumors, respectively. EGFR and HER3 status were not significantly related with response, while the HER2 overexpression result was significantly associated with a higher RR （35.9% vs. 15.7%, P = 0.027）. The RR in the 13 patients with both HER2 and HER3 expression was also significantly higher than in the other 77 patients （53.8% vs. 22.1%, P = 0.036）. EGFR / HER2 / HER3 status was not significantly correlated with TTP or OS. Conclusion： The HER2 immunohistochemical expression can play a role in the clinical management of Chinese patients with advanced NSCLC who are candidates for gefitinib therapy.

Acute toxicity of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in the anxious mood of rats

BACKGROUND： The long-term neurotoxicity of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine （MDMA） mainly caused by repeated exposure to MDMA or a single big dose of MDMA, which results in degeneration of serotonin terminal of central nervous system, and someone believe that the great release of serotonin transmitter in central nervous system will lead to anxious mood. OBJECTIVE： To observe the changes of anxiety related behaviors in rats after single administration of different doses of MDMA. DESIGN： A randomized control study SETTING： Laboratory of Psychopharmacology of the Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University. MATERIALS： Thirty male adult Wistar rats, weighing （251.3＋18.34） g, were used, MDMA were obtained from the National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products, and dissolved in saline. All the doses of the drug were administered in a volume of 1 mg/kg. METHODS ： The experiment was carried out in the Laboratory of Psychopharmacology of the Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University in July 2003. ①The rats were randomly divided into control group （n=6） and experimental group （n=24）, and then those in the latter were randomly assigned into four subgroups of MDMA 3, 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg groups, with 6 rats in each, which were administrated by single intraperitoneal injection of MDMA 3, 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg respectively, and those in the control group were administrated by single intraperitoneal injection of saline of the same volume. ② The open field test, elevated plus-maze test and social interaction test were performed immediately after administration. For the open field test, the apparatus was situated in a darkened room, illuminated by a single 60 W white light bulb located approximately 60 cm above the center of the open field. Before administration, all the rats were placed into the open field to be familiar with the open field for 5 minutes. They were observed for 45 minutes after administration. The locomotion （number of squares the rat passes）, rearing response, time spent in central squares and defecation were observed, 1 minute for each time for a total of 9 times. For the elevated plus-maze test, the maze was situated in a quiet darkened room, illuminated by a single 60 W white light bulb located approximately 50 cm above the center of the maze. Arm entries were only counted when all the four paws had entered either a closed or an open arm within 5 minutes, and the time spent in the arms were observed. For the social interaction test, the matched rats were put into the arena head-to-head in opposite direction, and aggressive-type behaviors, avoidance, passive and exploration were observed. ③ The one-way analysis of variance was performed with the SPSS 10.0 software. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The results of open field test, elevated plus-maze test and social interaction test were observed. RESULTS： All the 30 rats were involved in the analysis of results. ① Results of open field test： After single administration of MDMA of 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, the dose-dependent Iocomotors （number of squares the rat passes） in the experimental groups were obviously higher than those in the control group [（21.67±17,55）, （34.44±19.47）, （33.48±23.34）, （7.31 ±6,02） s; P 〈 0.05], and the rearing responses were markedly lower than those in the control group [（0.70±1.71）, （0.96±1.68）, （0.39±0.88）, （1.37±1.59） s, P 〈 0.05]. ② Results of the elevated plus-maze test： After acute administration of MDMA, there were no differences between the MDMA subgroups and saline group in the number of open-arms entries, the open-arms time, the percent of number of open arm entries/total arm entries, and the percent of time spent on the open arms/total time （P 〉 0.05）.③ Results of the social international test： After acute administration of MDMA, there were no differences between the MDMA subgroups and saline group in the aggressive-type behaviors, avoidance, passive, exploration and total time of interaction （P 〉 0.05） CONCLUSION： The acute administration of MDMA has no obvious influence on the anxiety-related behaviors of rats.

An analytical biomarker for treatment of patients with recurrent B-ALL after remission induced by infusion of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T(CAR-T) cells

Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-modified T(CAR-T-19) cells have emerged as a powerful targeted immunotherapy for B-cell lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a remarkable clinical response in recent trials. Nonetheless, few data are available on the subsequent clinical monitoring and treatment of the patients, especially those with disease recurrence after CAR-T-19 cell infusion. Here, we analyzed three patients who survived after our phase I clinical trial and who were studied by means of biomarkers reflecting persistence of CAR-T-19 cells in vivo and predictive factors directing further treatment. One patient achieved 9-week sustained complete remission and subsequently received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Another patient who showed relapse after 20 weeks without detectable leukemia in the cerebrospinal fluid after CAR-T-19 cell treatment was able to achieve a morphological remission under the influence of stand-alone low-dose chemotherapeutic agents. The third patient gradually developed extensive extramedullary involvement in tissues with scarce immune-cell infiltration during a long period of hematopoietic remission after CAR-T-19 cell therapy. Long-term and discontinuous increases in serum cytokines(mainly interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein) were identified in two patients(Nos. 1 and 6) even though only a low copy number of CAR molecules could be detected in their peripheral blood. This finding was suggestive of persistent functional activity of CAR-T-19 cells. Combined analyses of laboratory biomarkers with their clinical manifestations before and after salvage treatment showed that the persistent immunosurveillance mediated by CAR-T-19 cells would inevitably potentiate the leukemia-killing effectiveness of subsequent chemotherapy in patients who showed relapse after CAR-T-19-induced remission.