Comparison of corneal biomechanics in Sjogren's syndrome and non-Sjogren's syndrome dry eyes by Scheimpflug based device

AIM：To compare the corneal biomechanics of Sj？gren＇s syndrome（SS） and non-SS dry eyes with Corneal Visualization Scheimpflug Technology（CorV is ST）.METHODS：Corneal biomechanics and tear film parameters, namely the Schirmer I test value, tear film break-up time（TBUT） and corneal staining score（CSS） were detected in 34 eyes of 34 dry eye patients with SS（SSDE group） and 34 dry eye subjects without SS（NSSDE group） using CorV is ST. The differences of the above parameters between the two groups were examined, and the relationship between corneal biomechanics and tear film parameters were observed. RESULTS：The differences in age, sex, intraocular pressure（IOP） and central corneal thickness（CCT） were not significant between the two groups（P〉0.05）. The tear film parameters had significant differences between the SSDE group and NSSDE group（all P〈0.05）. Patients in the SSDE group had significantly lower A1-time and HC-time, but higher DA（P=0.01, 0.02, and 0.02, respectively） compared with the NSSDE group. In the SSDE group, DA was negatively correlated with TBUT（rho=-0.38, P=0.03）; HC-time was negatively correlated with CSS（rho=-0.43, P=0.02）. In the NSSDE group, HC-time was again negatively correlated with CSS（rho=-0.39, P=0.02）.CONCLUSION：There are differences in corneal biomechanical properties between SSDE and NSSDE. The cornea of SSDE tends to show less ＂stiffness＂, as seen by a significantly shorter A1-time and HC-time, but larger DA, compared with the cornea of NSSDE. Biomechanical parameters can be influenced by different tear film parameters in both groups.

Power and Gaze in Xu Bing’s Dragonfly’s Eye

On August 18,2019,Xu exhibited“The Dragonfly’s Eye”in Today Art Museum.As a respectable writer,Xu drew attention to his elaboration to his illustration of the dragonfly through his own work through incorporating his own artistic interpretation as the new creative mode and idea in art media,further highlighting features of“The Dragonfly’s Eye”.The aesthetic feeling of human nature is emphasized in the creation of Dragonfly’s Eye.Unlike typical contemporary art video works,Dragonfly Eye delivers a whole course of illustration with exceptional production method-through the utilization of existing downloadable videos on the Internet.The project utilizes the romantic story between a young couple to comment on views of life and soul in the contemporary society.Seemingly novelty,the project ultimately centralizes at the idea of the critiquing human nature in the modern ages.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines levels in tears and dry eye disease in Parkinson’s disease

Background:Neuroinflammation is an essential event in Parkinson’s disease(PD).Identifying affordable and less invasive biomarkers to make an early diagnosis and monitor therapeutic strategies should be a priority among researchers.The study’s objective was to measure tear levels of cytokines in subjects with PD and their association with motor features and the presence of dry eye symptoms.Methods:A total of 16 subjects with PD and 16 age-and sex-matched controls were included.Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale(MDS-UPDRS),Hoehn and Yahr(HY)stage scale,Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA),tear break-up time(TBUT),blink rate(BR),Dry Eye Questionnaire 5(DEQ-5)were examined,and pro-inflammatory cytokines[interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10,IL-12p70 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α)]were quantified in tears using the BD Cytometric Bead Array Human Inflammatory Cytokine Kit.Results:Higher tear TNF-αwere quantified in PD compared to controls(2.94±3.95 vs.0.33±0.49 pg/mL,P=0.008).According to DEQ-5,50.0%(n=8)of PD subjects and 12.5%(n=2)controls had dry eye disease(DED).No differences were found in cytokines concentrations between PD patients with DED compared to those without DED.IL-8 was associated with the HY stage,TBUT,DEQ-5,and a better MoCA score.A higher BR correlated moderately with a lower HY stage(r=−0.645,P=0.007),and DED patients have lower BR in PD(12.14±2.54 vs.9.0±2.06 blinks/minute,P=0.031).Conclusions:PD patients have higher levels of TNF-αin tears than age-and sex-matched HC.IL-8 in tears may be both involved in the severity of the disease and in the development of DED in PD.In addition,our findings suggest that as HY stage increases,indicating a more advanced stage,BR decreases,indicating greater motor impairment.Conversely,the presence of DED is associated with higher levels of bradykinesia in PD patients,suggesting a potential relationship between DED and motor impairment severity.

Dry environment on the expression of lacrimal gland S100A9,Anxa1,and Clu in rats via proteomics

●AIM:To investigate the underlying mechanism of dry environment(autumn dryness)affecting the lacrimal glands in rats.●METHODS:Twenty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups.The rats were fed in specific pathogen free environment as the control group(n=10),and the rats fed in dry environment as the dryness group(n=10).After 24d,lacrimal glands were collected from the rats.The tissues morphology was observed by hematoxylineosin(HE)staining.Tandem mass tags(TMT)quantitative proteomics analysis technology was used to screen the differential expressed proteins of lacrimal glands between the two groups,then bioinformatics analysis was performed.Further,the immunohistochemical(IHC)method was used to verify the target proteins.●RESULTS:In dryness group,the lacrimal glands lobule atrophied,the glandular cavities enlarged,the sparse nuclear distribution and scattered inflammatory infiltration between the acinus were observed.The proteomics exhibited that a total of 195 up-regulated and 236 downregulated differential expressed proteins screened from the lacrimal glands of rats.It was indicated that the biological processes(BP)of differential expressed proteins mainly included cell processes and single BP.The cellular compositions of differential expressed proteins mainly located in cells,organelles.The molecular functions of differential expressed proteins mainly included binding,catalytic activity.Moreover,the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway analysis showed that the differential expressed proteins mainly involved lysosome,complement and coagulation cascade,and ribosome pathway.The IHC result verified that the up-regulated expression proteins of Protein S100A9(S100A9),Annexin A1(Anxa1),and Clusterin(Clu)in lacrimal glands of rats in dryness group were higher than control group.●CONCLUSION:The up-regulated expression proteins of S100A9,Anxa1,and Clu may be the potential mechanisms of dry eye symptoms caused by dry environment.This study provides clues of dry environments causing eye-related diseases for further studies.

The Ancient and Modern Silk Roads in a Historian’s Eyes

FOUR years ago, the publication of a book created a great sensation in Western media. The Silk Roads: A New History of the World written by the Oxford University professor of history Peter Frankopan quickly topped bestseller lists in the English world after its launching.

CHINA'S RISE IN THE EYES OF WESTERN OBSERVERS

An innate sensitivity to and phobia of China’s rise seem to have gripped someWestern observers for years.Early back in the 19th century,Napoleon warned the West to“let Chinasleep”.“There lies a sleeping giant,”begins his well-known remark.“Let hersleep.For when she wakes,she will shake the world.”In the 1990s,these

New and Unusual Cat's Eyes and Asteriated Gems

The article describes 6 types of gemstones which show phenomena such as chatoyancy and asterism.The gemstones have not been described before,either because they come from new sources,or because the phenomenon has not been seen before in the type of gemstone described.Gems from the new sources are star garnet from the Karelia Province in Russia,and star garnet from the Jiangsu Province in China.Grandidierite usually does not show a cat’s eye effect,but the two described samples display a weak cat’s eye.An unusual white quartz from Brazil with a sharp cat’s eye is described,as well as a star sapphire with two differently coloured stars on each side of the cabochon,as well as a trapiche-type quartz.The stones were tested with gemmological,microscopic,and advanced techniques and the results are presented.

20th Century China Through Maugham’s Eyes

TO break cultural barriers is to shorten distances between hearts. Along with the times, the Westerners’ understanding of China has changed, which is also refected in literature. Foreigners who traveled around China and wrote about the Chinese from their own perspectives and cultures created a quan-tity of literary works about China on their return.

My Father’s Eyes——天地父子情

父亲之爱相较于母亲的细致与唠叨,往往显得隐忍、含蓄。所以,我们常说严父慈母、父爱如山。对于儿女而言,很多人常常是长大成年甚至为人父母后才真正理解父爱的厚重与不易。但无论如何,有父爱就是幸福的,那是一种如钢似铁的精神支柱与寄托。然而,不是所有人都能幸运地享受到父爱。譬如英国摇滚布鲁斯歌手Eric Clapton,他一生未与父亲谋面,中年又尝丧子之痛,这种无父爱眷顾、亲情又无处安放的痛苦全都寄托在歌曲《父亲的眼睛》（My Father’s Eyes）里。

For the Bright Eyes of Kids——An eye specialist's care for kids

Worries ＂I had not known that my kid had a nearsightedness of 800 degrees. Consequences would have been unthinkable if eye specialists from the city had not treated him,＂ said Yun Za, father of a student attending the No.5 Middle School of Jarud Banner （county） in Tongliao Municipality, Inner Mongolia. He is all gratitude tor doctors of the Tongliao Prevention and Treatment Center for Students＇ Eye Diseases （Tongliao Eye Center）.

China Through the Eyes of a U.S. Businessman

Although the Msisippi is nearly halfway across the planet from the Yellow River in China,Unita Blackwell,now in her 60s,has helped to build,through 20 years of hard work,a special friendship bridge between these two regions.She has won the respect and acclaim of not only many in the United States,but also of many people in China.

Corneal sensitivity,ocular surface health and tear film stability after punctal plug therapy of aqueous deficient dry eye

AIM： To evaluate the effect of punctal occlusion using thermosensitive（smart plug） versus silicone plug for management of aqueous deficient dry eye on cornea sensitivity, ocular surface health and tear film stability.METHODS： A comparative prospective interventiona case study included 45 patients with bilateral severe form of aqueous deficient dry eye. In each patient, the smar plug was inserted in the lower punctum of the right eye which was considered as study group 1 and silicone plug was inserted in the lower punctum of the left eye o the same patient which was considered as study group2. All patients were subjected to careful history taking and questionnaire for subjective assessment of severity of symptoms. Corneal sensitivity, corneal fluorescein rose bengal staining, Schirmer＇s I test, tear film break up time and conjunctival impression cytology were performed pre and 1, 3 and 6mo post plug insertion.RESULTS： A statistically significant improvement in subjective and objective manifestations occurred following treatment with both types of plugs（P 〈0.01）The thermosensitive plug caused significant overal improvement, decrease in frequency of application o tear substitutes and improvement of conjunctiva impression cytology parameters in the inserted side（P 〈0.01）. Canaliculitis was reported in two eyes（4.4% following punctal occlusion using thermosensitive plug（study group 1）. Spontaneous plug loss occurred in 21eyes（46.6%） in the silicone plug group（study group 2）.CONCLUSION： Improvement of subjective and objective manifestations of aqueous deficient dry eye occurs following punctal plug occlusion. Thermosensitive plug has good patient＇s compliance with fewer complications and lower rates of loss compared to the silicone plug.

Assessing gray matter volume in patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder

Idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder(iRBD) is often a precursor to neurodegenerative disease. However, voxel-based morphological studies evaluating structural abnormalities in the brains of iRBD patients are relatively rare. This study aimed to explore cerebral structural alterations using magnetic resonance imaging and to determine their association with clinical parameters in iRBD patients. Brain structural T1-weighted MRI scans were acquired from 19 polysomnogram-confirmed iRBD patients(male:female 16:3; mean age 66.6 ± 7.0 years) and 20 age-matched healthy controls(male:female 5:15; mean age 63.7 ± 5.9 years). Gray matter volume(GMV) data were analyzed based on Statistical Parametric Mapping 8, using a voxel-based morphometry method and two-sample t-test and multiple regression analysis. Compared with controls, iRBD patients had increased GMV in the middle temporal gyrus and cerebellar posterior lobe, but decreased GMV in the Rolandic operculum, postcentral gyrus, insular lobe, cingulate gyrus, precuneus, rectus gyrus, and superior frontal gyrus. iRBD duration was positively correlated with GMV in the precuneus, cuneus, superior parietal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, lingual gyrus, middle occipital gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, and cerebellum posterior lobe. Furthermore, phasic chin electromyographic activity was positively correlated with GMV in the hippocampus, precuneus, fusiform gyrus, precentral gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, cuneus, inferior parietal lobule, angular gyrus, superior parietal gyrus, paracentral lobule, and cerebellar posterior lobe. There were no significant negative correlations of brain GMV with disease duration or electromyographic activity in iRBD patients. These findings expand the spectrum of known gray matter modifications in iRBD patients and provide evidence of a correlation between brain dysfunction and clinical manifestations in such patients. The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Huashan Hospital(approval No. KY2013-336) on January 6, 2014. This trial was registered in the ISRCTN registry(ISRCTN18238599).

PCR Detection of the Three <i>Neofabraea</i>Pathogenic Species Responsible for Apple Bull’s Eye Rot

Apple bull’s eye rot is caused by pathogenic Neofabraea species including N. malicorticis, N. perennans and N. alba. Fruits carrying this fungal quarantine disease are prohibited from entering China. The host plants for the pathogens include several Rosaceae fruits including apple and pear. Disease symptoms and pathogen morphology are often insufficient to determine the identity of the pathogen, particularly at the species level. In the current study, we analyzed the inter-species sequence variations in the β-tublin gene, and designed specific primers to allow PCR amplification of 554 bp fragments from pathogenic Neofabraea species. The PCR products were recovered and sequenced, and Blast search was conducted using the DNA sequences in the Genbank database. The results indicated precise PCR amplification of the target sequences from the host pathogen, which allowed unambiguous identification of the species.

How non-rapid eye movement sleep and Alzheimer pathology are linked

Alzheimer's disease(AD)is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the presence of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.Research attempts to identify characteristic factors that are associated with the presence of the AD pathology on the one hand and that increase the risk of developing AD on the other.Changes in non-rapid eye movement(NREM)sleep may meet both requirements for various reasons.First,NREM-sleep is important for optimal memory function.In addition,studies report that the presence of AD pathology is associated with NREM-sleep changes.Finally,more and more results appear to suggest that sleep problems are not only a symptom of AD but can also increase the risk of AD.Several of these studies suggest that it is primarily a lack of NREM-sleep that is responsible for this increased risk.However,the majority investigated sleep only through subjective reporting,as a result of which NREMsleep could not be analyzed separately.The aim of this literature study is therefore to present the results of the studies that relate the AD pathology and NREM-sleep(registered by electroencephalography).Furthermore,we try to evaluate whether NREM-sleep analysis could be used to support the diagnosis of AD and whether NREM-sleep deficiency could be a causal factor in the development of AD.

Cat's Eye:An Old Comedy

Northrop Frye' s four narrative forms:romance,tragedy,irony,and comedy can help explain the problematic structure of Margaret Atwood' s novel Cat' s Eye,in which the narrative,as well as certain other literary features,indicates that it is essentially a come dy - a story of how a hero forms a desirable new society in the face of strong opposition.But this comedy is also ironic.

The structures of eye and surrounding tissues of Longman's beaked whale,Indopacetus pacificus

Observations were made on one eye from a Longman’s beaked whale Indopacetus pacificus, which was probably one of the least known extant cetaceans. The whale died shortly after swimming aground on the coast in the Nishikata Beach, Sendai-shi, Kagoshima-ken Prefecture, Japan, on July 26, 2002. It was a mature female with body length 6.45 m. This paper documented the basic structural characteristics of her visual organ of the whale in order to better understand this animal.

Infrared Absorption Spectra of Serpentine Cat's Eye from Sichuan Province of China

Infrared （IR） absorption spectra and X-ray powder diffraction （XRD） patterrns of sexpenfine cat＇s eye from Sichuan Province have been investigated, and infrared absorption bands of the serpentine have been assigned in this paper. The results indicate that the bands near 3 600 - 3 700 cm^-1 belong to the stretching absorption band VOH, the bands in 948 - 1 100 cm^-1 axe assigned to the stretching vibraling band Usvo, and the bands at 600 570 and 440 cm^-1 respectively belong to the bending vibration band VOH, δMg-O and δSi-O. The serpentine cat＇ s eye includes two types： chrysotile and antigorite. Chrysotile has a sharp and intensive band at 3 688 cm^-1 and a weak band at 3 643 cm^-1 , while antigorite has only one intensive band in the region. At vibration band VSi-O, chrysotile and antigorite have a similar feature at 1 071 cm^-1, but the band at 980 cm^-1 in anfigorite has been split into two bands in chrysotile - a strong one at 1 027 cm^-1 and a weak one at 949 cm^-1. In addition, antigorite has a characteristic bending vibrating band δMg-O at 570 cm^-1. Based on the analysis of the feature of crystal structure, their IR differences axe well explained.