Original Research: Pupillary Constriction Velocity and Latency to Predict Excessive Daytime Sleepiness

Background: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is common in adults. A need exists for an easier and faster objective clinical measures of EDS. The autonomic nervous system controls pupil size and prior pupillometry studies have demonstrated associations with sleepiness. We used a novel portable device to assess pupillometry and prospectively evaluated a sleep clinic cohort. Methods: Following IRB approval Pupillometry (The ForSiteTM, NeurOptics, Irvine, CA), was performed on 113 sleep clinic patients. Constriction and dilation velocity and latencies, minimum and maximum aperture were obtained along with Epworth Sleepiness Score (ESS), 10 point Visual Analog Scale (VAS), BMI, gender, age and AHI. Three sets of measures were obtained and analyzed with ANOVA, t-test, Linear Regression and Pearson correlation coefficients (SAS, Cary, NC). Results: Both constriction velocity and latency correlated with VAS (n = 88, r = 0.28, p = 0.007 and r = 0.31, p = 0.004). Only constriction velocity correlated with AHI (n = 78, r = -0.27, p = 0.016). Multivariate linear regression which includes VAS and age predicted constriction velocity (r = 0.36, p = 0.002) and latency (r = 0.38, p = 0.001). Using Pearson correlation, AHI and VAS combined were associated with constriction velocity (-0.273 (0.016), and 0.284 (0.007), respectively). Using a maximum constriction velocity threshold value (age adjusted) of 2.8, VAS ≥ 6 was predicted with a sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 84%. Conclusions: Pupillary constriction velocity and latency predict self-reported VAS state of sleepiness. While both are affected by age, only constriction velocity is affected by apnea severity. These data suggest that a portable pupillometer may provide a method to identify individuals with abnormal sleepiness.

Thirty-gauge needle-guided purse-string suture pupilloplasty:a new technique

AIM:To observe the clinical outcomes of 30-gauge(G)needle-guided 10-0 prolene suture purse-string pupilloplasty for atonic pupil management.METHODS:Eight patients with atonic pupils who underwent suture purse-string pupilloplasty were retrospectively analyzed.Preoperative data and at least 6mo of postoperative data were collected from all the patients.RESULTS:The corrected distance visual acuity(CDVA)before and after surgery was 0.58±0.22 and 0.20±0.10 logMAR,respectively(P=0.002).The pre-and postoperative pupil size was 7.38±0.88 and 3.09±0.71 mm(P=0.000),respectively.The corneal endothelial cell count was 2841±176/mm^(2) before and 2692±143/mm^(2) after surgery(P=0.000).No intraoperative or postoperative complications were reported.During the follow-up period of at least 6mo,all treated pupils were centered and generally or nearly round.Furthermore,the patients did not exhibit photophobia,glare,or diplopia.CONCLUSION:This technique is a simple and effective method for pupil reduction.

Neuralgic amyotrophy with hourglass-like constrictions:A case report

BACKGROUND Neuralgic amyotrophy(NA)is a rare disease with sudden upper limb pain followed by affected muscle weakness.The most commonly affected area in NA is the upper part of the brachial plexus,and the paraspinal muscles are rarely affected(1.5%),making these cases difficult to distinguish from cervical radiculopathy.CASE SUMMARY A 76-year-old male presented to the emergency department with left hip pain post-fall.After undergoing left femoral neck fracture surgery,he experienced sudden left shoulder pain for 10 days with subsequent left arm weakness.Cervical spine computed tomography revealed mild right asymmetric intervertebral disc bulging with a decreased C5-6disc space.Three weeks later,an electrodiagnostic study confirmed brachial plexopathy findings involving the cervical root.Magnetic resonance neurography was performed for a differential diagnosis.Contrast enhancement was identified at the upper trunk of the brachial plexus,including the C5 nerve root.A suprascapular nerve hourglass-like focal constriction(HLFC)was also identified,confirming NA.After being diagnosed with NA,the patient received 15 mg prednisolone,twice daily,for 3 weeks.Physical therapy was initiated,including left arm strengthening exercises and electrical stimulation therapy.Left shoulder muscle strength significantly improved one CONCLUSION NA's unique features like HLFC and paraspinal involvement are crucial for accurate diagnosis,avoiding confusion with cervical radiculopathy.

Advancing automated pupillometry:a practical deep learning model utilizing infrared pupil images

AIM:To establish pupil diameter measurement algorithms based on infrared images that can be used in real-world clinical settings.METHODS:A total of 188 patients from outpatient clinic at He Eye Specialist Shenyang Hospital from Spetember to December 2022 were included,and 13470 infrared pupil images were collected for the study.All infrared images for pupil segmentation were labeled using the Labelme software.The computation of pupil diameter is divided into four steps:image pre-processing,pupil identification and localization,pupil segmentation,and diameter calculation.Two major models are used in the computation process:the modified YoloV3 and Deeplabv 3+models,which must be trained beforehand.RESULTS:The test dataset included 1348 infrared pupil images.On the test dataset,the modified YoloV3 model had a detection rate of 99.98% and an average precision(AP)of 0.80 for pupils.The DeeplabV3+model achieved a background intersection over union(IOU)of 99.23%,a pupil IOU of 93.81%,and a mean IOU of 96.52%.The pupil diameters in the test dataset ranged from 20 to 56 pixels,with a mean of 36.06±6.85 pixels.The absolute error in pupil diameters between predicted and actual values ranged from 0 to 7 pixels,with a mean absolute error(MAE)of 1.06±0.96 pixels.CONCLUSION:This study successfully demonstrates a robust infrared image-based pupil diameter measurement algorithm,proven to be highly accurate and reliable for clinical application.

Robust Facial Biometric Authentication System Using Pupillary Light Reflex for Liveness Detection of Facial Images

Pupil dynamics are the important characteristics of face spoofing detection.The face recognition system is one of the most used biometrics for authenticating individual identity.The main threats to the facial recognition system are different types of presentation attacks like print attacks,3D mask attacks,replay attacks,etc.The proposed model uses pupil characteristics for liveness detection during the authentication process.The pupillary light reflex is an involuntary reaction controlling the pupil’s diameter at different light intensities.The proposed framework consists of two-phase methodologies.In the first phase,the pupil’s diameter is calculated by applying stimulus(light)in one eye of the subject and calculating the constriction of the pupil size on both eyes in different video frames.The above measurement is converted into feature space using Kohn and Clynes model-defined parameters.The Support Vector Machine is used to classify legitimate subjects when the diameter change is normal(or when the eye is alive)or illegitimate subjects when there is no change or abnormal oscillations of pupil behavior due to the presence of printed photograph,video,or 3D mask of the subject in front of the camera.In the second phase,we perform the facial recognition process.Scale-invariant feature transform(SIFT)is used to find the features from the facial images,with each feature having a size of a 128-dimensional vector.These features are scale,rotation,and orientation invariant and are used for recognizing facial images.The brute force matching algorithm is used for matching features of two different images.The threshold value we considered is 0.08 for good matches.To analyze the performance of the framework,we tested our model in two Face antispoofing datasets named Replay attack datasets and CASIA-SURF datasets,which were used because they contain the videos of the subjects in each sample having three modalities(RGB,IR,Depth).The CASIA-SURF datasets showed an 89.9%Equal Error Rate,while the Replay Attack datasets showed a 92.1%Equal Error Rate.

Hourglass-like constriction of the anterior interosseous nerve in the left forearm:A case report

BACKGROUND Hourglass-like constriction neuropathy is a rare neurological disorder.The main clinical manifestation is peripheral nerve injury with no apparent cause,and the pathomorphological change is an unexplained narrowing of the diseased nerve.The diagnosis and treatment of the disease are challenging and there is no accepted diagnostic or therapeutic approach.CASE SUMMARY This report describes a rare hourglass constriction of the anterior interosseous nerve in the left forearm in a 47-year-old healthy male who was treated surgically and gradually recovered function over a 6-mo follow-up period.CONCLUSION Hourglass-like constriction neuropathy is a rare disorder.With the development of medical technology,more examinations are now available for diagnosis.This case aims to highlight the rare manifestations of Hourglass-like constriction neuropathy and provides a reference for enriching the clinical diagnosis and treatment experience.

The Human Eye Pupil Detection System Using BAT Optimized Deep Learning Architecture

The pupil recognition method is helpful in many real-time systems,including ophthalmology testing devices,wheelchair assistance,and so on.The pupil detection system is a very difficult process in a wide range of datasets due to problems caused by varying pupil size,occlusion of eyelids,and eyelashes.Deep Convolutional Neural Networks(DCNN)are being used in pupil recognition systems and have shown promising results in terms of accuracy.To improve accuracy and cope with larger datasets,this research work proposes BOC(BAT Optimized CNN)-IrisNet,which consists of optimizing input weights and hidden layers of DCNN using the evolutionary BAT algorithm to efficiently find the human eye pupil region.The proposed method is based on very deep architecture and many tricks from recently developed popular CNNs.Experiment results show that the BOC-IrisNet proposal can efficiently model iris microstructures and provides a stable discriminating iris representation that is lightweight,easy to implement,and of cutting-edge accuracy.Finally,the region-based black box method for determining pupil center coordinates was introduced.The proposed architecture was tested using various IRIS databases,including the CASIA(Chinese academy of the scientific research institute of automation)Iris V4 dataset,which has 99.5%sensitivity and 99.75%accuracy,and the IIT(Indian Institute of Technology)Delhi dataset,which has 99.35%specificity and MMU(Multimedia University)99.45%accuracy,which is higher than the existing architectures.

Eating Patterns and Daily Dietary Recall of Primary School Pupils: An Empirical Evidence from A School Feeding Scheme

The objective of this study was to experimentally evaluate children’s daily food memory and eating habits.The study found that the gender and school location had an impact on the nutritional condition of primary school students as well as the school food scheme.The investigations were based on three hypotheses and three research questions.In this study,the Eating Habits and Daily Dietary Recall Scale was the tool utilized to gather data(EPDDRS).Four experts—three from the department of vocational education and one lecturer in test and measurement evaluation—validated the instrument’s face.The dependability indices of EPDDRS were calculated using Cronbach’s Alpha.While delivering the instruments,the researcher used the direct administration and retrieval approach.58 instructors and a sample size of 1240 students were selected using a systematic random selection approach.The obtained data was examined using mean and standard deviation to address the research objectives,and the null hypotheses were tested using t-test statistics and Analysis of variance(ANOVA)at the 0.05 level of significance.The main conclusions of this study were that the school meal program had a favorable impact on the students’nutritional status.Also,a balanced ration of nutrient-dense meals that were suitably varied was supplied for the students via the school food program.Also,the findings revealed a substantial difference in the mean assessments of male and female students about their eating patterns.On the school meal program’s dietary recall list,students from high,middle,and low socioeconomic status differ significantly.Recommendations were given to the government,schools,and parents based on the study’s findings.The study’s shortcomings were discussed,and recommendations for more research were made.

A self-made disposable iris retractor in small pupil phacoemulsification

AIM:To explore a simple and low-cost self-made disposable flexible iris retractor and study its clinical efficacy and safety in small pupil phacoemulsification.METHODS:Polyproplyenesutureandscalpacupuncture were used to make iris retractor.A prospective study were carried on 50 patients(50 eyes)with a maximally dilated pupil size of 2.5-4.0 mm which underwent phacoemulsification using this self-made iris retractor.Another 50 cases of phacoemulsification with normal pupil size sever as control group.The mean operation time,ultrasound time and ultrasonic power,volume of irrigation fluid were documented intraoperatively.The visual acuity,pupil size and complication were observed on 1d,1wk,1mo and 1y after operation.Corneal endothelial cell was measured at 1mo postoperatively.·RESULT:Pupils could be expanded to approximately4.5-5.5 mm with our self-made iris retractor in operation.No serious postoperative complication was found.Most(88%)of the pupils returned round or oval shape,light reflex restored to varying degrees at the first day after surgery.Best corrected visual acuity stabilized in 37 eyes(74%)at one day,in 43 eyes(86%)at one week,in 44eyes(88%)at one month and 46 eyes(92%)at one year.Compared with the control,more time was needed to complete the operation in the small pupil group.There was no significant difference of the mean ultrasound time,ultrasonic power,volume of irrigation fluid requiredand corneal endothelial cell loss in 1mo follow up between the two groups.CONCLUSION:Our self-made disposable flexible iris retractor could be easy obtained preoperatively or intraoperatively.It performed both safety and efficacy in our clinical trials.This simple self-made device has shown economic and practical values,especially in primary care hospital of the less developed districts.

Simulation Research of Magnetic Constriction Effect and Controlling by Axial Magnetic Field of Vacuum Arc

Based on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model of vacuum arc, the computer simulation of vacuum arc was carried out in this paper. In the MHD model, mass conservation equation, momentum conservation equations, energy conservation equations, generalized ohm's law and Maxwell equation were considered. MHD equations were calculated by numerical method, and the distribution of vacuum arc plasma parameters and current density were obtained. Simulation results showed that the magnetic constriction effect of vacuum arc is primarily caused by the Hall effect. In addition, the inhibition of axial magnetic field (AMF) on constriction of vacuum arc was calculated and analyzed.

Comparative Characterization of Maxillary Expansion and Alternate Maxillary Expansions and Constrictions in Rats

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the cranial and circumaxillary sutures react differently to maxillary expansion （ME） and alternate maxillary expansions and constrictions （Alt-MEC） in a rat model. Twenty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats （6 weeks old） were used and divided into three groups. In ME group （n=9）, an expander was activated for 5 days. In Alt-MEC group （9 animals）, an al- ternate expansion and constriction protocol （5-day expansion and 5-day constriction for one cycle） was conducted for 2.5 cycles （25 days total）. The control group comprised 4 animals with no appliances used, each of two sacrificed on day 5 and day 25 respectively. Midpalatal suture expansion or constriction levels were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively by bite-wing X-rays and cast models. Distances between two central incisors and two maxillary first molars were measured on cast models after each activation. Circumaxillary sutures （midpalatal, maxillopalatine, premaxillary, zygomaticotemporal and frontonasal suture） in each group were characterized histologically. Results showed that midpalatal suture was wid- ened and restored after each expansion and constriction. At the end of activation, the widths between both central incisors and first molars in Alt-MEC group were significantly larger than those in ME group （P〈0.05）. Histologically, all five circumaxillary sutures studied were widened in multiple zones in Alt- MEC group. However, only midpalatal suture was expanded with cellular fibrous tissue filling in ME group. Significant osteoclast hyperplasia was observed in all circumaxillary sutures after alternate expan- sions and constrictions, but osteoclast count increase was only observed in midpalatal suture in ME group. These results suggested that cranial and circumaxillary sutures were actively reconstructed after Alt-MEC, while only midpalatal suture had active reaction after ME.

Differential Expression of Alpha-Adrenoceptor Subtypes in Rat Dorsal Root Ganglion after Chronic Constriction Injury

Summary： mRNAs of alpha-adrenoceptor （α-AR） subtypes are found in neurons in dorsal root ganglion （DRG） and change after peripheral nerve injury. In this study, the distribution of α-AR subtype proteins was studied in L5 DRG of normal rats and rats with chronic constriction injury of sciatic nerve （CCI）. Using immunofluorescence technique, it was found that α1A-, α1B-, and α2A-AR proteins were expressed in large, medium, and small size neurons in normal DRG, and significantly increased in all size neurons 14 days after CCI. α1D- and α2C-AR was also expressed in all size neurons in normal DRG. However, α1D-AR was significantly increased and α2C-AR was decreased in small size neurons 14 days post CCI. α2B-AR neurons were not detectable in normal and CCI DRG. Co-expression of α1A- and α2A-AR in the same neuron was observed in normal DRG and increased post CCI. Collectively, these results indicated that there is distinct distribution of α-AR subtypes in DRG neurons, and the distribution and levels of expression of α-AR subtypes change differently after CCI. The up-regulation of α-AR subtypes in DRG neurons may play an important role in the process of generating and transmitting neuropathic pain.

Effect of Touch stimulus on the Expression of C-fos and TrkA in Spinal Cord Following Chronic Constriction Injury of the Sciatic Nerve in Rats

Summary: To study the mechanism of the innoxious touch-stimulus on the modulation of hyperalgesia and the expression of the C-fos and the nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor-TrkA in the spinal dorsal horn neurons following the chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in rats, 60 female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group and CCI group, with each group being further divided into 3 subgroups on the 7th,14th and 28th day after operation (n=10). The mechanical and the thermal withdrawal threshold were assessed following the touch stiumulation after the CCI, immunohistochemical methods were employed to observe the expression of the C-fos and TrkA in spinal dorsal horn. Our results showed that the hyperalgesia appeared on the 4th day and reached the maximal level on the 14th day after operation. The expression of the C-fos also increased significantly and reached its maximal level on the 14th day after the touch-stimulus. Meanwhile, the TrkA expression was elevated significantly in both groups, as compared with basic data, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). It is concluded that the level of the C-fos expression changed with the paw withdrawal threshold variation and increased markedly following the innoxious touch-stimulus. The expression of the TrkA receptors also increased gradually following the development of the neuropathic pain. The results suggest that C-fos may play a crucial role in the development of the hyperalgesia in the earlier-time of the neuropathic pain, but TrkA receptors may be involved in the long-lasting adaptive changes of the central pathway in neuropathic pain.

Mechanism of persistent hyperalgesia in neuropathic pain caused by chronic constriction injury

Transmembrane member 16 A(TMEM16 A) is involved in many physiological functions, such as epithelial secretion, sensory conduction, nociception, control of neuronal excitability, and regulation of smooth muscle contraction, and may be important in peripheral pain transmission. To explore the role of TMEM16 A in the persistent hyperalgesia that results from chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain, a rat model of the condition was established by ligating the left sciatic nerve. A TMEM16 A selective antagonist(10 μg T16 Ainh-A01) was intrathecally injected at L5–6. For measurement of thermal hyperalgesia, the drug was administered once at 14 days and thermal withdrawal latency was recorded with an analgesia meter. For measurement of other indexes, the drug was administered at 12 days,once every 6 hours, totally five times. The measurements were performed at 14 days. Western blot assay was conducted to analyze TMEM16 A expression in the L4–6 dorsal root ganglion. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the immunoreactivity of TMEM16 A in the L4–6 dorsal root ganglion on the injured side. Patch clamp was used to detect electrophysiological changes in the neurons in the L4–6 dorsal root ganglion. Our results demonstrated that thermal withdrawal latency was shortened in the model rats compared with control rats.Additionally, TMEM16 A expression and the number of TMEM16 A positive cells in the L4–6 dorsal root ganglion were higher in the model rats, which induced excitation of the neurons in the L4–6 dorsal root ganglion. These findings were inhibited by T16 Ainh-A01 and confirm that TMEM16 A plays a key role in persistent chronic constriction injury-induced hyperalgesia. Thus, inhibiting TMEM16 A might be a novel pharmacological intervention for neuropathic pain. All experimental protocols were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University School of Medicine, China(approval No. A2017-170-01) on February 27, 2017.

Maxillary first premolars:Ⅰ.Morphology of the apical constriction

Objective： To investigated the apical constriction morphology of maxillary first premolars in the Chinese population. Methods： Eighty recently extracted human maxillary first premolars from a native Chinese population were used. The number and shape of apical constrictions were recorded under a dental operating microscope （DOM） at 12.5 × 2.5 magnification. After access preparation, a new K-file was inserted into the canal until the tip of the file was just seen at the apical constriction under the DOM. The teeth with files in the canals were X-rayed from a mesiodistal direction using a direct digital radiography （DDR） system, and the distance between the file tip and the center of radiographic apex was directly measured from the computer screen using DDR measurement software. Results： The percentage of teeth with an apical constriction was 78.5% （102/130）. The most common apical constriction shapes were oval （55.9%） and round （35.3%）. The mean distance between the apical constriction and the anatomical tip of the root was 0.61 mm, and 84.3% （86/102） were within 1 mm. Conclusion： The most common shape of an apical constriction was oval or round, and the distance to the apex was mostly within 1 mm, indicating that root canal therapy should stop 1 mm from the radiographic apex.

Expression and effect of sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter on dorsal root ganglion neurons in a rat model of chronic constriction injury

Sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) and potassium-chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2) are associated with the transmission of peripheral pain.We investigated whether the increase of NKCC1 and KCC2 is associated with peripheral pain transmission in dorsal root ganglion neurons.To this aim,rats with persistent hyperalgesia were randomly divided into four groups.Rats in the control group received no treatment,and the rat sciatic nerve was only exposed in the sham group.Rats in the chronic constriction injury group were established into chronic constriction injury models by ligating sciatic nerve and rats were given bumetanide,an inhibitor of NKCC1,based on chronic constriction injury modeling in the chronic constriction injury + bumetanide group.In the experiment measuring thermal withdrawal latency,bumetanide (15 mg/kg) was intravenously administered.In the patch clamp experiment,bumetanide (10 μg/μL) and acutely isolated dorsal root ganglion neurons (on day 14) were incubated for 1 hour,or bumetanide (5 μg/μL) was intrathecally injected.The Hargreaves test was conducted to detect changes in thermal hyperalgesia in rats.We found that the thermal withdrawal latency of rats was significantly decreased on days 7,14,and 21 after model establishment.After intravenous injection of bumetanide,the reduction in thermal retraction latency caused by model establishment was significantly inhibited.Immunohistochemistry and western blot assay results revealed that the immune response and protein expression of NKCC1 in dorsal root ganglion neurons of the chronic constriction injury group increased significantly on days 7,14,and 21 after model establishment.No immune response or protein expression of KCC2 was observed in dorsal root ganglion neurons before and after model establishment.The Cl^– (chloride ion) fluorescent probe technique was used to evaluate the change of Cl^– concentration in dorsal root ganglion neurons of chronic constriction injury model rats.We found that the relative optical density of N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-6-methoxyquinolinium bromide (a Cl^– fluorescent probe whose fluorescence Cenintensity decreases as Cl– concentration increases) in the dorsal root ganglion neurons of the chronic constriction injury group was significantly decreased on days 7 and 14 after model establishment.The whole-cell patch clamp technique revealed that the resting potential and action potential frequency of dorsal root ganglion neurons increased,and the threshold and rheobase of action potentials decreased in the chronic constriction injury group on day 14 after model establishment.After bumetanide administration,the above indicators were significantly suppressed.These results confirm that CCI can induce abnormal overexpression of NKCC1,thereby increasing the Cl^– concentration in dorsal root ganglion neurons;this then enhances the excitability of dorsal root ganglion neurons and ultimately promotes hyperalgesia and allodynia.In addition,bumetanide can achieve analgesic effects.All experiments were approved by the Institutional Ethics Review Board at the First Affiliated Hospital,College of Medicine,Shihezi University,China on February 22,2017 (approval No.A2017-169-01).

Influence of arc constriction current frequency on tensile properties and microstructural evolution of tungsten inert gas welded thin sheets of aerospace alloy

The main objective of this investigation is to study the influence of arc constriction current frequency(ACCF)on tensile properties and microstructural evolution of aerospace Alloy 718 sheets(2 mm in thickness)joined by constricted arc TIG(CA-TIG)welding process.One variable at a time approach of design of experiments(DOE)was used,in which ACCF was varied from 4 to 20 kHz at an interval of 5 levels while other parameters were kept constant.The joints welded using ACCF of 4 kHz exhibited superior tensile properties extending joint efficiency up to 99.20%.It is attributed to the grain refinement in fusion zone leading to the evolution of finer,discrete Laves phase in interdendritic areas.An increase of ACCF above 12 kHz caused severe grain growth and evolution of coarser Laves phase in fusion zone.Alloy 718 welds showed more obvious tendency for Nb segregation and Laves phase formation at higher levels of ACCF due to the slower cooling rate.The volume fraction of Laves phase was increased by 62.31%at ACCF of 20 kHz compared to that at 4 kHz,thereby reducing the tensile properties of joints.This is mainly due to the stacking of heat input in weld thermal cycles at increased levels of ACCF.

Corneal white-to-white distance and mesopic pupil diameter

·AIM:To study the relationship between corneal white-to- white (WTW) distance and mesopic pupil diameter. ·METHODS:This study is composed of 30 cases that underwent photorefractive keratotomy (PRK). Pupil size measurements were performed with Schwind ORK wavefront analyzer in mesopic conditions. WTW distance was measured with a measuring caliper. Also, A-scan ultrasound examination was performed in all patients. The relationship among the mesopic pupil diameter and age, sex, axial length, lens thickness, anterior chamber depth(ACD), horizontal WTW distance, vertical WTW distance, spherical equivalent, and average keratometry were analyzed with univariate and multivariate regression analysis. ·RESULTS:Mean pupil diameter was (6.39±0.80)mm (range:3.70mm to 7.73mm. Horizontal WTW distance measurements were between 11.00mm and 12.50mm and mean horizontal WTW distance was (11.79±0.43)mm. On the other hand, vertical WTW distances ranged between 10.00mm and 13.00mm, and their mean was(11.42±0.72)mm. Bivariate correlation between pupil diameter and other variables showed that the axial length, ACD, spherical equivalent, and horizontal WTW distance had a moderate correlation with mesopic pupil diameter. Multiple regression analysis revealed that spherical equivalent and horizontal WTW distances were significantly associated with mesopic pupil diameter (R =0.598, R 2=0.358 P =0.02). ·CONCLUSION:This study shows that mesopic pupil diameter is closely related to horizontal WTW distance. These two factors must be taken in consideration together in preoperative ablation zone planning.

Changes in compressed neurons from dogs with acute and severe cauda equina constrictions following intrathecal injection of brain-derived neurotrophic factor-conjugated polymer nanoparticles

This study established a dog model of acute multiple cauda equina constriction by experimental constriction injury （48 hours） of the lumbosacral central processes in dorsal root ganglia neurons. The repair effect of intrathecal injection of brain-derived neurotrophic factor with 15 mg encapsulated biodegradable poly（lactide-co-glycolide） nanoparticles on this injury was then analyzed. Dorsal root ganglion cells （LT） of all experimental dogs were analyzed using hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry at 1,2 and 4 weeks following model induction. Intrathecal injection of brain-derived neurotrophic factor can relieve degeneration and inflammation, and elevate the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in sensory neurons of compressed dorsal root ganglion Simultaneously, intrathecal injection of brain-derived neurotrophic factor obviously improved neurological function in the dog model of acute multiple cauda equina constriction. Results verified that sustained intraspinal delivery of brain-derived neurotrophic factor encapsulated in biodegradable nanoparticles promoted the repair of histomorphology and function of neurons within the dorsal root ganglia in dogs with acute and severe cauda equina syndrome.

Aloin attenuates chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain in rats by inhibiting inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress

Objective:To investigate the effect of aloin against chronic constriction injury(CCI)-induced neuropathic pain in rats.Methods:Rats were randomly divided into 7 groups:GroupⅠ(normal control),GroupⅡ(sham-operated),GroupⅢ(CCI control)and GroupⅣ,Ⅴ,Ⅵ,andⅦ,which underwent CCI surgery and then were administered with aloin(5 mg/kg,p.o.;25 mg/kg,p.o.;125 mg/kg,p.o.)and gabapentin(50 mg/kg,p.o.),respectively for 14 days.Peripheral neuropathy was induced by silk ligatures(4-0)loosely placed around the sciatic nerve.Nociceptive thresholds against mechanical stimuli(Von-Frey filaments)and thermal stimuli(12℃and 40℃)were measured at midplantar paw region ipsilateral to the compressed nerve on day-3,7,11,and 14.The concentration of cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-6,and interleukin-1βwas estimated at day-7.At day 14,motor nerve conduction velocity was determined under urethane anesthesia(1.25 g/kg).Oxidative stress parameters(malondiadehyde,glutathione,catalase,and superoxide dismutase)were estimated in sciatic nerve homogenates at day 14.Representative nerve samples were processed for histological investigations.Results:Aloin significantly reduced CCI-induced mechanical and thermal allodynia.It also improved motor nerve conduction velocity and decreased oxidative stress in nerve tissues.In addition,it decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and restored the histoarchitecture of compressed sciatic nerve.Conclusions:Aloin mitigates CCI-induced neuropathic pain in rats by inhibiting oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the afflicted sciatic nerve.