Clinical investigation on angle-closure glaucoma patients with cataract treated by phacoemulsification combined with trabeculectomy

AIM: To investigate the effectiveness of phacoemulsification with intraocular lens(IOL)implantation combined with trabeculectomy in patients with cataract and angle-closure glaucoma.<p>METHODS: In 36 cases(46 eyes)of angle-closure glaucoma with cataract, phacoemulsification with foldable IOL implantation combined with trabeculectomy was performed. Data of pre- and post-operation, including visual acuity, intraocular pressure, filtering bleb, anterior chamber depth, chamber angle, and funds were all recorded and analyzed in detail.<p>RESULTS: During the follow-up of 3 months to 2 years,visual acuity of 43 eyes(93.5%)got improved, and intraocular pressure in 44 eyes(95.7%)were controlled in normal range(<21mmHg). Mean anterior chamber depth of 35 patients(46 eyes)got deeper from 2.1mm to 3.8mm(average 2.1±0.3mm to 3.8±0.4mm)after operation, with chamber angle opened to some extent. Six eyes(13.0%)got mild to moderate corneal edema, without corneal endothelial decompensation.<p>CONCLUSION: Phacoemulsification with IOL implantation combined with trabeculectomy is an effective and safe surgical technique for patients with angle-closure glaucoma and cataract, with satisfied control of intraocular pressure, deepening of anterior chamber, opening of anterior chamber angle, and improving visual function

A Novel Aptamer LL4A Specifically Targets Vemurafenib-Resistant Melanoma through Binding to the CD63 Protein.

Melanoma is a highly aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis, and half of all melanoma patients harbor BRAF mutations. A BRAF inhibitor, vemurafenib (PLX4032), has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) to treat advanced melanoma patients with BRAFV600E mutation. However, the efficacy of vemurafenib is impeded by adaptive resistance in almost all patients. In this study, using a cell-based SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) strategy, we obtained a DNA aptamer (named LL4) with high affinity and specificity against vemurafenib-resistant melanoma cells. Optimized truncated form (LL4A) specifically binds to vemurafenib-resistant melanoma cells with dissociation constants in the nanomolar range and with excellent stability and low toxicity. Meanwhile, fluorescence imaging confirmed that LL4A significantly accumulated in tumors formed by vemurafenib-resistant melanoma cells, but not in control tumors formed by their corresponding parental cells in vivo. Further, a transmembrane protein CD63 was identified as the binding target of aptamer LL4A using a pull-down assay combined with the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. CD63 formed a supramolecular complex with TIMP1 and β1-integrin, activated the nuclear factor кB (NF-кB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, and contributed to vemurafenib resistance. Potentially, the aptamer LL4A may be used diagnostically and therapeutically in humans to treat targeted vemurafenib-resistant melanoma

Ceiling-fan-integrated air conditioning: Airflow and temperature characteristics of a sidewall-supply jet interacting with a ceiling fan

Ceiling-Fan-Integrated Air Conditioning (CFIAC) is a proposed system that can greatly increase buildings’ cooling efficiency. In it, terminal supply ducts and diffusers are replaced by vents/nozzles, jetting supply air toward ceiling fans that serve to mix and distribute it within the room. Because of the fans’ air movement, the system provides comfort at higher room temperatures than in conventional commercial/ institutional/retail HVAC. We have experimentally evaluated CFIAC in a test room. This paper covers the distributions of air-speed, temperature, and calculated comfort level throughout the room. Two subsequent papers report tests of human subject comfort and ventilation effectiveness in the same experimental conditions. The room’s supply air emerged from a high-sidewall vent directed toward a ceiling fan on the jet centerline; we also tested this same jet on a fan located off to the side of the jet. Primary variables are: ceiling fan flow volumes in downward and upward directions, supply air volume, and room-vs-supply temperature difference. Velocity, turbulence, and temperature distributions are presented for vertical and horizontal transects of the room. The occupied zone is then evaluated for velocity and temperature non-uniformity, and for comfort as predicted by the ASHRAE Standard 55 elevated air speed method. We show that temperatures are well-mixed and uniform across the room for all of the fan-on configurations, for fans both within or out of the supply jet centerline. The ceiling fan flow dominates the CFIAC airflow, and even though non-uniform is capable of providing comfortable conditions throughout the occupied area of the room

Dibromidobis(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)cadmium(II)

The title compound, [CdBr2(C12H8N2)2], synthesized by the hydro­thermal reaction of Cd(CH3COO)2·2H2O with NaBr and 1,10-phenanthroline, has the CdII cation coordinated by two Br− anions and four N atoms from two 1,10-phenanthroline ligands in a distorted octa­hedral geometry. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular π–π inter­actions with centroid–centroid distances 3.572 (1) and 3.671 (1) Å together with C—H⋯Br hydrogen bonds

Water-Soluble Flexible Organic Frameworks That Include and Deliver Proteins.

Four water-soluble hydrazone-based three-dimensional (3D) flexible organic frameworks FOF-1-4 have been synthesized from a semirigid tetracationic tetraaldehyde and four flexible dihydrazides. 1H NMR spectroscopy indicated the quantitative formation of FOF-1-4 in D2O, while dynamic light scattering experiments revealed that, depending on the concentration, these porous frameworks display hydrodynamic diameters ranging from 50 to 120 nm. The porosity of the frameworks is confirmed by ethanol vapor adsorption experiments of the solid samples as well as the high loading capacity for a 2.3 nm porphyrin guest in water. The new water-soluble frameworks exhibit low cytotoxicity and form inherent pores with diameters of 5.3 or 6.7 nm, allowing rapid inclusion of proteins such as bovine serum albumin and green and orange fluorescent proteins, and efficient delivery of the proteins into normal and cancer cells. Flow cytometric analysis reveals percentages of the delivered cells up to 99.8%