Using corneal topography design personalized cataract surgery programs

AIM:To investigate how to design personalized cataract surgery programs to achieve surgical correction of preoperative corneal astigmatism with surgical astigmatism under the guidance of corneal topography, improve postoperative visual quality and reduce the cost of treatment. <p>METHODS: Totally 202 cases(226 eyes)cataract patients were divided into randomized treatment group and individualized treatment group. According to the method and location of the incision, randomized treatment group were divided into 8 groups. Surgical astigmatism after different incision were calculated with the use of preoperative and postoperative corneal astigmatism through vector analysis method. Individualized treatment groups were designed personably for surgical method with reference of every surgically induced astigmatism, the surgical method chooses the type of surgical incision based on close link between preoperative corneal astigmatism and surgically induced astigmatism, and the incision was located in the steep meridian. The postoperative corneal astigmatism of individualized treatment group was observed. <p>RESULTS: Postoperative corneal astigmatism of individualized treatment group were lower than that of 3.0mm clear corneal tunnel incision in the randomized treatment group, there were statistically significance difference, while with 3.0mm sclera tunnel incision group there were no statistically significance difference. After 55.8% of patients with the use of individualized surgical plan could undergo the operation of extracapsular cataract extraction with relatively low cost and rigid intraocular lens implantation, the per capita cost of treatment could be reduced. <p>CONCLUSION: Personalized cataract surgery programs are designed to achieve surgical correction of preoperative corneal astigmatism under the use of corneal topography, improve postoperative visual quality and reduce the cost of treatment

Electrochemical Properties of Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes Prepared by Hot Cathode Direct Current Plasma CVD

A series of boron-doped diamond (BDD) films were deposited by using a hot cathode direct current plasma chemical vapor deposition(HCDC-PCVD) system with different ratios of CH4/H2/B(OCH3)3 (trimethylborate) gas mixture. The morphology, structure and quality of BDD films were controled by SEM, XRD and Raman measurements. The electrochemical properties of the BDD films were investigated by electrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammetric performances of the BDD films indicated that the main determinant in the electrochemical characteristics of BDD films was the boron doping amount. The threshold potential for oxygen evolution increased from 1 V to 2.5 V. Meanwhile, the electrochemical potential window of BDD films was enlarged from 2.2 V to 4.5 V when the B content was increased from 1.75 × 1019cm-3 to 2.4 × 1021 cm−3. The cyclic voltammograms of BDD films in K4Fe(CN)6 and K3Fe(CN)6 mixed solution indicated that the behavior of Fe(CN)6-3/-4 redox couple could be regarded as semi-reversible

The use of High-Fat/Carbohydrate Diet-Fed and Streptozotocin-Treated Mice as a Suitable Animal Model of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

This study defined a mouse model of type 2 diabetes that closely simulated the development and metabolic  abnormalities of the human disease. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with diet enriched in fat and simple carbohydrate  for 6 weeks and then injected with streptozotocin (STZ, 150 mg/kg intraperitoneally) to develop type  2 diabetes. High-fat/carbohydrate-fed mice showed similar blood glucose concentrations to chow-fed mice, but  higher insulin concentrations (P&lt;0.01). Hyperglycemia (17.6±3.27 mmol/L) was observed in these mice after  STZ injection, and the insulin concentrations decreased to the level comparable to, or still higher than, the normal.  The model mice showed impaired glucose tolerance in the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and insulin  resistance in the insulin tolerance test (ITT). Moreover, these animals had lower glycogen storage (P&lt;0.001),  higher serum free fatty acid (P&lt;0.001), and higher triglycerides (P&lt;0.05) levels compared with control mice.  Furthermore, the model mice were sensitive to the glucose lowering effect of metformin. In conclusion, this  mouse model could be considered as one of the suitable animal models for type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hence  can reasonably be used for type 2 diabetes pathophysiological research and therapeutic-compound evaluation.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Data. IV. Spectral Lag and its Relation to E p Evolution

The spectral evolution and spectral lag behavior of 92 bright pulses from 84 gamma-ray bursts observed by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) telescope are studied. These pulses can be classified into hard-to-soft pulses (H2S; 64/92), H2S-dominated-tracking pulses (21/92), and other tracking pulses (7/92). We focus on the relationship between spectral evolution and spectral lags of H2S and H2S-dominated-tracking pulses. The main trend of spectral evolution (lag behavior) is estimated with ( ), where E p is the peak photon energy in the radiation spectrum, t + t 0 is the observer time relative to the beginning of pulse −t 0, and is the spectral lag of photons with energy E with respect to the energy band 8–25 keV. For H2S and H2S-dominated-tracking pulses, a weak correlation between and k E is found, where W is the pulse width. We also study the spectral lag behavior with peak time of pulses for 30 well-shaped pulses and estimate the main trend of the spectral lag behavior with . It is found that is correlated with k E . We perform simulations under a phenomenological model of spectral evolution, and find that these correlations are reproduced. We then conclude that spectral lags are closely related to spectral evolution within the pulse. The most natural explanation of these observations is that the emission is from the electrons in the same fluid unit at an emission site moving away from the central engine, as expected in the models invoking magnetic dissipation in a moderately high-σ outflow

A comprehensive analysis of Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Data: IV. Spectral lag and Its Relation to Ep Evolution

The spectral evolution and spectral lag behavior of 92 bright pulses from 84 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) observed by the Fermi GBM telescope are studied. These pulses can be classified into hard-to-soft pulses (H2S, 64/92), H2S-dominated-tracking pulses (21/92), and other tracking pulses (7/92). We focus on the relationship between spectral evolution and spectral lags of H2S and H2S-dominated-tracking pulses. %in hard-to-soft pulses (H2S, 64/92) and H2S-dominating-tracking (21/92) pulses. The main trend of spectral evolution (lag behavior) is estimated with $\log E_p\propto k_E\log(t+t_0)$ (${\hat{\tau}} \propto k_{\hat{\tau}}\log E$), where $E_p$ is the peak photon energy in the radiation spectrum, $t+t_0$ is the observer time relative to the beginning of pulse $-t_0$, and ${\hat{\tau}}$ is the spectral lag of photons with energy $E$ with respect to the energy band $8$-$25$ keV. For H2S and H2S-dominated-tracking pulses, a weak correlation between $k_{{\hat{\tau}}}/W$ and $k_E$ is found, where $W$ is the pulse width. We also study the spectral lag behavior with peak time $t_{\rm p_E}$ of pulses for 30 well-shaped pulses and estimate the main trend of the spectral lag behavior with $\log t_{\rm p_E}\propto k_{t_p}\log E$. It is found that $k_{t_p}$ is correlated with $k_E$. We perform simulations under a phenomenological model of spectral evolution, and find that these correlations are reproduced. We then conclude that spectral lags are closely related to spectral evolution within the pulse. The most natural explanation of these observations is that the emission is from the electrons in the same fluid unit at an emission site moving away from the central engine, as expected in the models invoking magnetic dissipation in a moderately-high-$\sigma$ outflow.Comment: 58 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables. ApJ in pres

Interleukin-22 ameliorates liver fibrosis through miR-200a/beta-catenin

IL-22 ameliorates liver fibrosis by inhibiting hepatic stellate cells (HSC), and loss of miR-200a is associated with the development of liver fibrosis. The study aimed to investigate the interplay between IL-22 and miR-200a in regulating liver fibrosis in vivo and in vitro. We observed that IL-22 significantly reduced the proliferation of HSC and increased the expression of p-STAT3. β-catenin was identified as a target gene of miR-200a by luciferase reporter assay, and upregulation of miR-200a significantly attenuated the proliferation of HSC and reduced β-catenin expression. IL-22 treatment increased expression of miR-200a and decreased expression of β-catenin in HSC. The expression of p-STAT3 and miR-200a was elevated while β-catenin was decreased in fibrotic rat liver after IL-22 treatment. Expression levels of β-catenin and p-STAT3 were inversely correlated in fibrotic rat liver and HSC. Upregulation of β-catenin suppressed expression of p-STAT3 in HSC. We concluded that IL-22 inhibits HSC activation and ameliorates liver fibrosis through enhancing expression of miR-200a and reducing expression of β-catenin, suggesting there may be a crosstalk between IL-22/STAT3 and β-catenin pathway

Experimental Study on Slope Deformation Monitoring Based on a Combined Optical Fiber Transducer

Landslide monitoring is very important in predicting the behavior of landslides, thereby ensuring environment, life, and property safety. On the basis of our previous studies, a novel combined optic fiber transducer (COFT) for landslides monitoring and the related analysis methods are presented. Based on the principles of optical fiber microbending loss, the empirical formula of the shearing displacement of sliding body versus optical loss was established through a stretching test of optical fiber bowknot. Then the COFT grouting direct shearing tests, a large-scale landslide model test, and numerical modeling verification with FLAC3D are carried out. According to the results, the initial measurement precision of the designed COFT in sandy clay is 1 mm; its monitoring sliding distance is larger than 26.5 mm. The calculated values based on empirical formula are in good agreement with the laboratory tests and numerical simulation results. When the ratio of cement and sand in mortar is 1 : 5, the error between the calculated displacement and the measured displacement of sliding surface is the smallest. The COFT with expandable polystyrene (EPS) as its base material performs better in monitoring sandy clay slopes because both the error and the mean square deviation of the empirical formula are smaller

Genetic relationships among twelve Chinese indigenous goat populations based on microsatellite analysis

Twelve Chinese indigenous goat populations were genotyped for twenty-six microsatellite markers recommended by the EU Sheep and Goat Biodiversity Project. A total of 452 goats were tested. Seventeen of the 26 microsatellite markers used in this analysis had four or more alleles. The mean expected heterozygosity and the mean observed heterozygosity for the population varied from 0.611 to 0.784 and 0.602 to 0.783 respectively. The mean FST (0.105) demonstrated that about 89.5% of the total genetic variation was due to the genetic differentiation within each population. A phylogenetic tree based on the Nei (1978) standard genetic distance displayed a remarkable degree of consistency with their different geographical origins and their presumed migration throughout China. The correspondence analysis did not only distinguish population groups, but also confirmed the above results, classifying the important populations contributing to diversity. Additionally, some specific alleles were shown to be important in the construction of the population structure. The study analyzed the recent origins of these populations and contributed to the knowledge and genetic characterization of Chinese indigenous goat populations. In addition, the seventeen microsatellites recommended by the EU Sheep and Goat Biodiversity Project proved to be useful for the biodiversity studies in goat breeds