Histopathologic changes of Reis-Bücklers corneal dystrophy

AIM: To explore the histopathologic changes of Reis-Bücklers corneal dystrophy(RBCD). METHODS: Cornea buttons were obtained from patients in 1 pedigree who underwent lamella keratoplasty. Sections with HE and special staining which included symplectic blue staining and Masson staining and Congo red staining were observed under light microscope. Two normal cornea specimens(donated corneas from eye bank)were used as control. RESULTS: In those patients, the bowman's membrane disappeared. The main lesion was in bowman's membrane through HE staining, positive through PAS Congo red staining and Masson staining, negative through symplectic blue staining.CONCLUSION: The Reis - Bücklers corneal dystrophy is characterized as geographic map-like lesion of bowman's membrane, and the abnormal extracellular deposit is amyloid protein fiber

Survival trends and prognostic factors for patients with extramedullary plasmacytoma: A population-based study

BackgroundExtramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) is a localized plasma cell neoplasm that originates from tissues other than bone. The survival trends and prognostic factors of patients with EMP in recent years remain unreported.MethodsWe used the SEER databases to extract the data. Survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and a nomogram was created based on the Cox’s proportional hazards model.ResultsA total of 1676 cases of EMP were identified. Patients in period-2 (2008-2016) show similar survival (p=0.8624) to those in period-1(1975-2007). Age, gender, race, and sites were prognostic of patient outcomes. And the use of surgery was associated with improved survival. The patients were randomly assigned to the training cohort and the validation cohort in a ratio of 2:1. Four factors including age, gender, race, and sites were identified to be independently predictive of the overall survival of patients with EMP. A prognostic model (EMP prognostic index, EMP-PI) comprising these four factors was constructed. Within the training cohort, three risk groups displayed significantly different 10-year survival rates: low-risk (73.0%, [95%CI 66.9-78.2]), intermediate-risk (39.3%, [95%CI 34.3-44.3]), and high-risk (22.6%, [95%CI 15.3-30.9]) (p<0.0001). Three risk groups were confirmed in the internal validation cohort. We also constructed a 5-factor nomogram based on multivariate logistic analyses.ConclusionThe survival of patients with EMP did not improve in recent years. The EMP-PI will facilitate the risk stratification and guide the risk-adapted therapy in patients with EMP

Intermittent sliding-lock-knot suture for limbal conjunctival autograft fixation in pterygium surgery: a technique note

AIM: To report a technique used with intermittent sliding-lock-knot (ISLK) fixation for limbal conjunctival autografts in pterygium surgery and compared with those of routine intermittent (RI) fixation. METHODS: Consecutive patients with primary pterygium who had undergone pterygium excision combined with limbal conjunctival autograft transplantation between March 2021 and March 2022 at our institute were retrospectively analyzed. Primary outcome measures were mean duration of surgery and suture removal, degree of conjunctival hyperemia on postoperative day 1, pain score at suture removal, postoperative symptoms at 6mo, including conjunctival hyperemia, foreign body sensation, and graft stability. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients underwent monocular surgery and were divided into ISLK (51 eyes) and RI (47 eyes) groups according to the type of conjunctiva autograft fixation method planned. There was no significant difference in mean duration of surgery between the two groups (18.59±2.39min vs 18.15±2.20min, P=0.417); however, compared to the RI group, shorter suture removal times were observed in the ISLK group [0.58min (0.42-0.87) vs 3.00min (2.21-4.15), P<0.001]. The degree of conjunctival hyperemia on postoperative day 1 was milder in the ISLK group (P<0.001). Pain scores at suture removal were lower in the ISLK group than in RI group [1 (0-3) vs 2 (1-4), P<0.001]. Postoperative symptoms at 6mo were comparable between the groups (P=0.487), with no recurrence. CONCLUSION: ISLK is an innovative method for limbal conjunctival autograft fixation after pterygium excision. Compared to RI fixation, ISLK facilitates suture removal and reduces discomfort, with comparable surgery duration and less conjunctival hyperemia

Characterization of Structure and Antioxidant Activity of Polysaccharides From Sesame Seed Hull

Sesame seed hull is the major by-product of sesame seed processing and is rich in polysaccharides. In this work, sesame hull polysaccharides (SHP) were extracted by ultrasound-assisted alkali extraction methods with a yield of 6.49%. Three purified polysaccharide fractions were obtained after decolorization, deproteinization, and column chromatography. Then, their main composition and antioxidant activity were investigated. The dominant fraction was SHP-2 with a yield of 3.78%. It was composed of galacturonic acid (51.3%), glucuronic acid (13.8%), rhamnose (8.9%), glucose (8.4%), and others. The linkage types of SHP-2 have the α-D-GalpA-(1,4)-linked, α-D-GlcpA-(1,2)-linked, β-T-D-Rhap-linked, β-D-Glcp-(1,6)-linked, β-T-D-Galp-linked, α-L-Xylp-(1,4)-linked, α-L-Araf-(1,3,5)-linked, and β-D-Manp-(1,4)-linked. This study might provide some useful basic data for developing applications for sesame seed hull polysaccharides in the food and pharmaceutical industries

Hydrogen Sulfide Alleviates Postharvest Senescence of Grape by Modulating the Antioxidant Defenses

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been identified as an important gaseous signal in plants. Here, we investigated the mechanism of H2S in alleviating postharvest senescence and rotting of Kyoho grape. Exogenous application of H2S released from 1.0 mM NaHS remarkably decreased the rotting and threshing rate of grape berries. H2S application also prevented the weight loss in grape clusters and inhibited the decreases in firmness, soluble solids, and titratable acidity in grape pulp during postharvest storage. The data of chlorophyll and carotenoid content suggested the role of H2S in preventing chlorophyll breakdown and carotenoid accumulation in both grape rachis and pulp. In comparison to water control, exogenous H2S application maintained significantly higher levels of ascorbic acid and flavonoid and total phenolics and reducing sugar and soluble protein in grape pulp. Meanwhile, H2S significantly reduced the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and superoxide anion (O2∙-) in grape pulp. Further investigations showed that H2S enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT) and decreased those of lipoxygenase (LOX) in both grape peels and pulp. In all, we provided strong evidence that H2S effectively alleviated postharvest senescence and rotting of Kyoho grape by modulating antioxidant enzymes and attenuating lipid peroxidation

Serum microRNA characterization identifies miR-885-5p as a potential marker for detecting liver pathologies

Circulating miRNAs (microRNAs) are emerging as promising biomarkers for several pathological conditions, and the aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using serum miRNAs as biomarkers for liver pathologies. Real-time qPCR (quantitative PCR)-based TaqMan MicroRNA arrays were first employed to profile miRNAs in serum pools from patients with HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) or LC (liver cirrhosis) and from healthy controls. Five miRNAs (i.e. miR-885-5p, miR-574-3p, miR-224, miR-215 and miR-146a) that were up-regulated in the HCC and LC serum pools were selected and further quantified using real-time qPCR in patients with HCC, LC, CHB (chronic hepatitis B) or GC (gastric cancer) and in normal controls. The present study revealed that more than 110 miRNA species in the serum samples and wide distribution ranges of serum miRNAs were observed. The levels of miR-885-5p were significantly higher in sera from patients with HCC, LC and CHB than in healthy controls or GC patients. miR-885-5p yielded an AUC [the area under the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve] of 0.904 [95% CI (confidence interval), 0.837–0.951, P<0.0001) with 90.53% sensitivity and 79.17% specificity in discriminating liver pathologies from healthy controls, using a cut off value of 1.06 (normalized). No correlations between increased miR-885-5p and liver function parameters [AFP (α-fetoprotein), ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and GGT (γ-glutamyl transpeptidase)] were observed in patients with liver pathologies. In summary, miR-885-5p is significantly elevated in the sera of patients with liver pathologies, and our data suggest that serum miRNAs could serve as novel complementary biomarkers for the detection and assessment of liver pathologies

Preparations and Electrochemical Properties of BC/CoNi2S4@PPy Flexible Composites for Supercapacitors

本文采用溶剂热、原位聚合和真空抽滤相结合的方法制备了用于超级电容器的细菌纤维素/镍钴硫化物/聚吡咯(BC/CoNi2S4@PPy)柔性电极材料,通过X射线衍射、场发射扫描电镜、红外光谱、氮气吸脱附、拉伸强度和接触角表征了材料的形貌结构、组成、机械性能和亲水性,并采用循环伏安法和恒电流充放电测试了复合材料的电化学性能。结果表明,表面含氧官能团丰富的BC纤维网络结构对氧化还原活性物质CoNi2S4的生长和导电聚合物PPy的分布具有引导作用,CoNi2S4均匀分布在BC网络中,且PPy均匀包覆在BC纤维和CoNi2S4纳米球表面构成具有丰富孔隙结构的三维导电网络,使得该复合材料具有较好的机械性(抗拉强度达28.0±0.1 MPa)、亲水性(对6 mol·L-1 KOH的瞬间接触角为43.6°)及良好的导电性。该电极材料在1 A·g-1下比电容高达2670 F·g-1,充放电循环10000次后比电容的保持率为82.73%,且经1000次反复弯曲后电化学性能保持不变。此外,将其与活性炭组成的非对称超级电容器,在1 A·g-1下比电容为1428 F·g-1,最高能量密度和功率密度分别达49.8 Wh·kg-1和741.8 W·kg-1。Flexible supercapacitor is one of the most promising energy storage devices for portable and wearable electronic products due to its advantages of high power density, fast charging and long cycle life. Therefore, self-supporting flexible electrode materials with high performance have attained more and more attention both in academia and in industry recently. In this work, using bacterial cellulose (BC) as a flexible substrate, the bacterial cellulose/nickel-cobalt sulfide@polypyrrole (BC/CoNi2S4@PPy) flexible composites with three-dimensional porous network and good conductivity were prepared by a combined solvothermal-in-situ polymerization-vacuum filtration method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, N2 physisorption, tensile strength and contact angle measurements. Their electrochemical performances were tested by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge testing and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show that the three-dimensional porous network of BC fibers with rich oxygen-containing surface groups play a guiding role in the growth of the redox active material CoNi2S4 and the distribution of conductive polymer PPy, resulting in uniformly distributed CoNi2S4 nanospheres in the network of BC fibers, both coated evenly with a layer of conductive PPy. The resulting BC/CoNi2S4@PPy composites, a three-dimensional conductive network with high porosity, displayed good mechanical property (tensile strength up to 28.0±0.1 MPa), hydrophilicity (the instantaneous contact angle in 6 mol·L-1 KOH is 43.6°), as well as excellent electrochemical performance. The specific capacitance of the flexible BC/CoNi2S4@PPy was 2670 F·g-1 at 1 A·g-1 in a three-electrode system, and retained 82.7% after 10000 charge and discharge cycles. In addition, the electrochemical performance remained unchanged after 1000 times of repeated bending. In an asymmetric supercapacitor composed of BC/CoNi2S4@PPy and activated carbon, the area specific capacitance was 1428 F·g-1 at 1 A·g-1. The asymmetric supercapacitor achieved the maximum energy density of 49.8 Wh·kg-1 and power density of 741.8 W·kg-1.国家重点基础研究发展计划项目(2014CB239702);国家自然科学基金项目(21676082)通讯作者:周静红E-mail:[email protected]:Jing-HongZhouE-mail:[email protected]华东理工大学化工学院,上海 200237School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, Chin