Strip meniscometry: a new and simple method of tear meniscus evaluation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci

PURPOSE. To investigate the applicability and efficacy of a new and simple method of quantification of the volume of tear meniscus, termed "strip meniscometry," in the diagnosis of the dry eye syndromes in a prospective controlled study. METHODS. One hundred eyes of 50 patients with dry eye (19 males; 31 females) aged between 18 and 76 years (mean, 54.3 years), as well as 80 eyes of 40 normal subjects aged from 15 to 70 years (mean, 50.8 years; 12 males, 28 females) were recruited in this study. The patients and the control subjects underwent strip meniscometry for 5 seconds, tear film lipid layer interferometry, tear film break-up time measurement, and ocular surface vital staining with fluorescein and rose bengal dyes and the Schirmer-1 test. RESULTS. Strip meniscometry scores correlated with tear quantity and stability, ocular surface staining scores, and lipid layer interferometry grades and improved after 2 weeks of punctal plug occlusion. CONCLUSIONS. Strip meniscometry is a swift, noninvasive, promising new method that is expected to find application in the diagnosis and evaluation of the outcome of treatment of dry eye syndromes. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci

Effects of the rigid and sterically bulky structure of non-fused nonfullerene acceptors on transient photon-to-current dynamics

Non-fused electron-accepting π-conjugated compounds have been investigated recently for application to nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) in organic solar cells (OSCs). However, the establishment of rational molecular design for non-fused NFAs is still lagging because the influence of flexible non-fused structures on the dynamics of electron–hole pairs in OSCs is not entirely understood. In this study, we utilized cyclopentene-annelated thiophene with spiro-substituted 2,7-bis(2-ethylhexyl)fluorene (FT) as a rigid and sterically bulky linker unit and developed a non-fused NFA (TT–FT–DCI) containing FT units. Photophysical measurements indicated that the introduction of the FT unit leads to the formation of rigid molecular structure. OSCs based on donor polymer (PBDB-T) and TT–FT–DCI showed an improved power conversion efficiency of 7.13% due to the increase in the short-circuit current density and fill factor. Time-resolved optical and microwave spectroscopies showed that the FT unit contributes to the long lifetimes of excited state and charge-separated state in the PBDBT:TT–FT–DCI blend films. Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance measurements showed that the distant charge-separated states of the face-to-face PBDB-T:TT–FT–DCI structure, which is derived by avoiding over-crystallization by the steric bulkiness of TT–FT–DCI, can interact with the cathodes for preferential electron injection following charge generations. This study highlights that by using the rigid π-conjugated framework and suppressed self-aggregation of the non-fused acceptor, effective molecular design for the appropriate dynamics of photocurrent generation is possible

Effect of Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles on the Quorum-Sensing System of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> PAO1 and PA14

The increase in multidrug-resistant microorganisms represents a global threat requiring the development novel strategies to fight bacterial infection. This study aimed to assess the effect of silver nanoparticles (bio-AgNPs) on bacterial growth, biofilm formation, production of virulence factors, and expression of genes related to the quorum-sensing (QS) system of P. aeruginosa PAO1 and PA14. Biofilm formation and virulence assays were performed with bio-AgNPs. RT-qPCR was carried out to determine the effect of bio-AgNPs on the QS regulatory genes lasI, lasR, rhlI, rhlR, pqsA, and mvfR. Bio-AgNPs had an MIC value of 62.50 μM, for both strains. Phenotypic and genotypic assays were carried out using sub-MIC values. Experimental results showed that treatment with sub-MICs of bio-AgNPs reduced (p P. aeruginosa PAO1. In PA14, bio-AgNPs stimulated swarming and twitching motilities as well as biofilm formation and elastase and pyocyanin production. Bio-AgNP treatment increased (p P. aeruginosa, consequently inducing the production of virulence factors such as elastase, pyocyanin, and biofilms

Protective effect of bevacizumab on chemotherapy-related acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease in patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract Background Acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease (AE-ILD) is the most serious complication in lung cancer patients with pre-existing ILD receiving chemotherapy. The role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in pathogenesis of AE-ILD is conflicting. The influence of bevacizumab (Bev), a monoclonal antibody against VEGF, on lung cancer patients with pre-existing ILD remains unclear. We examined the effect of Bev on reducing AE-ILD risk in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods We analysed incidence of AE-ILD and outcomes of 48 patients with advanced non-squamous NSCLC with ILD who received first-line chemotherapy with (Bev group, n = 17) and without (non-Bev group, n = 31) Bev between July 2011 and July 2016. Gray’s test, which was competing risk analysis during the study period, was performed for both groups. Results The most common regimen used for first-line chemotherapy was the combination of carboplatin plus pemetrexed (PEM) in both groups. The incidences of chemotherapy-related AE-ILD 120 days after first-line chemotherapy initiation were significantly lower in the Bev than in the non-Bev groups (0% vs. 22.6%, p = 0.037, Gray’s test). However, there were no differences in development of progressive disease of lung cancer and other events as the competing risk factors of AE-ILD between the two groups. Only patients receiving PEM-containing regimens also showed a significant difference in the incidence of AE-ILD between the two groups (p = 0.044). The overall-cumulative incidence of AE-ILD during the first-line and subsequent chemotherapy was 29.2% (14 of the 48). The median progression-free survival was significantly longer in the Bev than in the non-Bev groups (8.0 vs. 4.3 months, p = 0.026). Conclusions The addition of Bev to chemotherapy regimens may reduce the risk of chemotherapy-related AE-ILD in patients with lung cancer

Raftlin Is Involved in the Nucleocapture Complex to Induce Poly(I:C)-mediated TLR3 Activation*

The double-stranded RNA analog, poly(I:C), extracellularly activates both the endosomal Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3 and the cytoplasmic RNA helicase, melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5, leading to the production of type I interferons (IFNs) and inflammatory cytokines. The mechanism by which extracellular poly(I:C) is delivered to TLR3-positive organelles and the cytoplasm remains to be elucidated. Here, we show that the cytoplasmic lipid raft protein, Raftlin, is essential for poly(I:C) cellular uptake in human myeloid dendritic cells and epithelial cells. When Raftlin was silenced, poly(I:C) failed to enter cells and induction of IFN-β production was inhibited. In addition, cellular uptake of B-type oligodeoxynucleotide that shares its uptake receptor with poly(I:C) was suppressed in Raftlin knockdown cells. Upon poly(I:C) stimulation, Raftlin was translocated from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane where it colocalized with poly(I:C), and thereafter moved to TLR3-positive endosomes. Thus, Raftlin cooperates with the uptake receptor to mediate cell entry of poly(I:C), which is critical for activation of TLR3