Comparison between intravitreal Ranibizumab and Tramicinolone acetonide for macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion

AIM:To compare the efficacy and safety of intravitreal ranibizumab to those of triamcinolone acetonide(TA)injection for the treatment of macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion(CRVO).<p>METHODS:This retrospective study included 40 eyes of 40 patients with macular edema associated with CRVO. Twenty patients 20 eyes were treated with intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide(1mg, 0.1mL), the other 20 patients 20 eyes accepted intravitreal ranibizumab(0.5mg, 0.05mL). The change of best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), central macular thickness(CMT), and intraocular pressure(IOP)before treatment and at 1, 2wk, 1, 2,3,6mo post-injection in the two groups were observed. <p>RESULTS:BCVA was improved at 1, 2wk, 1, 2,3,6mo post-injection in the TA group(<i>P</i><0.05)and ranibizumab group(<i>P</i><0.05). No significant difference was found between the two groups(<i>P</i>>0.05). CMT decreased significantly within each group(<i>P</i><0.05), and no significant difference between groups was found(<i>P</i>>0.05). In the TA group, the IOP was significantly higher at 2wk and 4wk than before treatment(<i>P</i><0.05). In the ranibizumab group, no elevated IOP was observed at 1, 2wk, 1, 2,3,6mo(<i>P</i>>0.05). However, the IOP at 1mo was significantly higher in the TA group than that in the ranibizumb group(<i>P</i><0.05). <p>CONCLUSION:Intravitreal ranibizumab is an effective and safe treatment method for macular edema secondary to CRVO. It can effectively improve BCVA and reduce CMT without ocular and systemic complications compared with intravitreal TA

Expression pattern and activity of six glutelin gene promoters in transgenic rice*

The shortage of strong endosperm-specific expression promoters for driving the expression of recombinant protein genes in cereal endosperm is a major limitation in obtaining the required level and pattern of expression. Six promoters of seed storage glutelin genes (GluA-1, GluA-2, GluA-3, GluB-3, GluB-5, and GluC) were isolated from rice (Oryza sativa L.) genomic DNA by PCR. Their spatial and temporal expression patterns and expression potential in stable transgenic rice plants were examined with β-glucuronidase (GUS) used as a reporter gene. All the promoters showed the expected spatial expression within the endosperm. The GluA-1, GluA-2, and GluA-3 promoters directed GUS expression mainly in the outer portion (peripheral region) of the endosperm. The GluB-5 and GluC promoters directed GUS expression in the whole endosperm, with the latter expressed almost evenly throughout the whole endosperm, a feature different from that of other rice glutelin gene promoters. The GluB-3 promoter directed GUS expression solely in aleurone and subaleurone layers. Promoter activities examined during seed maturation showed that the GluC promoter had much higher activity than the other promoters. These promoters are ideal candidates for achieving gene expression for multiple purposes in monocot endosperm but avoid promoter homology-based gene silencing. The GluC promoter did not contain the endosperm specificity-determining motifs GCN4, AACA, and the prolamin-box, which suggests the existence of additional regulatory mechanism in determining endosperm specificity

The influence of water immersion on the mechanical property of cement asphalt mortar and its implications on the slab track

Dynamic compression test of cement asphalt (CA) mortar specimens, due to water immersion history of 0d, 7d, 14d and 30d, are carried out using a universal electronic test machine, with the strain rates ranging from 1×10-5 s-1 to 1×10-2 s-1. The stress-strain full curves, the compressive strength and the elastic modulus of CA mortar at different strain rates and water immersion durations are analyzed and the effects of strain rates and water immersion duration on these behaviors are studied. Experimental results demonstrate that the compressive strength and elastic modulus increase with the strain rate. In the same strain rate, the compressive strength decreases with the increase of water immersion duration, but the elastic modulus decrease first and then increase with the increase of water immersion duration. The largest reduction of average compressive strength of CA mortar is 46.5 %, and the largest reduction in the average elastic modulus of CA mortar is 47.5 %. A vertical coupling vibration model for a vehicle-railway track-subgrade system was established on the base of wheel-rail coupling dynamics theory and experimental results. The effects of elastic modulus deterioration of CA mortar on the dynamic responses of the vehicle and railway track system were studied. The results show that the reduction of CA mortar has little influence on the dynamic properties of the track and the running stability

Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy of amyloid-β deposits in vivo

Advances in high-resolution imaging have permitted microscopic observations within the brains of living animals. Applied to Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models, multiphoton microscopy has opened a new window to study the real-time appearance and growth of amyloid plaques. Here, we report an alternative technology-optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM)-for in vivo imaging of amyloid plaques in a transgenic AD mouse model. In vivo validation using multiphoton microscopy shows that OR-PAM has sufficient sensitivity and spatial resolution to identify amyloid plaques in living brains. In addition, with dual-wavelength OR-PAM, the three-dimensional morphology of amyloid plaques and the surrounding microvasculature are imaged simultaneously through a cranial window. In vivo transcranial OR-PAM imaging of amyloid plaques is highly likely once the imaging parameters are optimized