Intra-operative optical coherence tomography in corneal lamellar graft reinforcement for Boston type I keratoprosthesis corneal melt

Corneal melt is a sight-threatening complication of Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis (KPro). Severe corneal melt may result in hypotony, choroidal hemorrhage, and even spontaneous extrusion of the KPro, which may lead to a poor visual prognosis. Lamellar keratoplasty is one surgical option for the management of mild corneal melt, especially when a new KPro is not available. Herein, we present a new surgical technique application, intra-operative optical coherence tomography (iOCT) for the management of cornea graft melt after Boston type 1 KPro implantation. The visual acuity and the intra-ocular maintained stable at 6 months post-operatively, and the KPro remained in place without corneal melting, epithelial ingrowth, or infection. iOCT may prove to be a real-time, non-invasive, and accurate treatment for corneal lamellar dissection and suturing beneath the anterior plate of the KPro, which can effectively help the surgeon to make surgical decisions and reduce post-operative complications.

Anti-SSA/SSB-negative primary Sjögren's syndrome showing different clinical phenotypes: a retrospective study of 934 cases

Abstract Background Currently, only a few studies have described the general characteristics of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) who tested negatives for anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies. We aimed to further investigate the clinical characteristics of these patients in a large sample. Methods Data from patients with pSS who were treated at a tertiary hospital in China between 2013 and 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical characteristics of the patients were compared between those with and without anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibody negativity. Factors associated with anti-SSA and anti-SSB negativity were identified by logistic regression analysis. Results Overall, 934 patients with pSS were included in this study, among whom 299 (32.0%) tested negative for anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies. Compared with patients testing positive for anti-SSA or anti-SSB antibodies, that testing negative for the two antibodies had a lower proportion of females (75.3% vs. 90.6%, p < 0.001) and thrombocytopenia (6.7% vs. 13.6%, p = 0.002), but a higher proportion of abnormal Schirmer I tests (96.0% vs. 89.1%, p = 0.001) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) (59.2% vs. 28.8%, p = 0.001). Anti-SSA and anti-SSB negativity was positively associated with male sex (odds ratio [OR] = 1.86, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05, 3.31), abnormal Schirmer I tests (OR = 2.85, 95% CI: 1.24, 6.53), and ILD (OR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.67, 3.85). However, it was negatively related to thrombocytopenia (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.95). Conclusion Approximately one third of pSS patients had anti-SSA and anti-SSB negativity. pSS patients testing negative for anti-SSA and anti-SSB showed a higher risk of abnormal Schirmer I tests and ILD, but a lower risk of thrombocytopenia.

Food safety and risk assessment for prepared beverage around the campus in Wuxi / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the use of additives and microbiologic contamination in prepared beverages around campus in Wuxi City, so as to provide reference for ensuring the physical health of primary and secondary school students.@*Methods@#From August to September 2022, 108 prepared beverage were randomly collected from beverage stores around campus in four districts of Wuxi City. The food additives and microbiologic contamination were detected by the national standard method and evaluated according to the National Food Safety Standards for the Use of Food Additives and Local Food Safety Standards for Ready made Beverages. Chi squared test was used for statistical analysis.@*Results@#The use of 13 additives in prepared beverages didn t exceed the limits specified in relevant standards. The detection rate of preservatives in fruit juice (52.78%) was higher than that in tea (16.67%), and milk tea (27.78%), while the detection rate of pigments in milk tea (16.67%) was lower than that in tea (52.78%) and fruit juice (47.22%)( χ 2=11.24, 11.46, P <0.05). The overlapping use of the same functional additive did not exceed the specified limit. The exceeding rate of total bacterial count was 9.26%, and Escherichia coli was 14.81%.@*Conclusion@#There are certain food safety risks in prepared beverages around the campus in Wuxi City. Relevant enterprises and shops should strengthen supervision and management to ensure food safety for students.

Differential Regulation of Integrin α5 and ß4 in Normal and Psoriatic Epidermal Keratinocytes

Abstract Psoriasis is a chronic skin inflammation, characterized by impaired differentiation, hyperproliferation of keratinocytes involving pro-inflammatory factors interleukin (IL)-13/17A, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ. Among the integrin family, α5 is important for blood vessel formation, and ß4 for proliferation, differentiation of keratinocytes. To investigate the expression and regulation of integrin α5 and ß4 in psoriatic keratinocytes. Skin biopsies were obtained from 14 psoriatic patients and 12 normal volunteers. We compared the immunolocalization and regulation of α5 and ß4 between the psoriatic and normal ones, before and after incubation with MEK/ERK pathway inhibitor U0126 by immunohistochemistry and western blot separately. Immunohistochemistry showed psoriatic keratinocytes had higher α5 than normal ones. According to western blot, IL-17A and IL-13 increased normal keratinocytes' α5 and ß4 respectively, but psoriatic keratinocytes were the exact opposite. Incubated with U0126, normal keratinocytes' α5 was enhanced by the 5 cytokines ; while IL-13/17A, IFN-γ suppressed ß4. Psoriatic keratinocytes' α5 was increased by IL-13/17A, decreased by IFN-γ; but ß4 increased by IL-17A, IFN-γ. IL-13/17A, TNF-α, IFN-γ regulate α5 and ß4 through ERK pathway whether normal or psoriasis. The normal and psoriatic keratinocytes respond to the same cytokines differently

Expression of miR-144 and lncRNA DNAJC3-AS1 in breast cancer tissues and their roles in chemotherapy resistance of breast cancer MCF-7 cells / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#Objective: To investigate the expressions of miR-144 and lncRNA DNAJC3-AS1 in breast cancer tissues and their effects on chemo-resistance of breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Methods: A total of 196 pairs of breast cancer tissues and corresponding adjacent normal tissues collected between January, 2012 and December, 2016 in Department of Oncology, 3201 Hospital were used for this study. The relative expressions of DNAJC3-AS1, DNAJC3 and miR-144 in collected tissues were determined using qPCR, and their impact on the survival of BC patients was also analyzed. The targeted binding relationship between DNAJC3-AS1 and miR-144 was verified by Luciferase reporter gene assay. DNAJC3-AS1 over-expression plasmid and miR-144 mimics were transfected into MCF-7 cell lines respectively, and qPCR was used to verify the transfection efficiency. The effects of DNAJC3-AS1 and miR-144 overexpression on proliferation and cisplatin sensitivity of MCF-7 cells were verified by CCK-8 assay. Results: DNAJC3-AS1 and its host gene DNAJC3 were highly expressed in BC tissues (all P<0.01), and these two were positively correlated (r=0.451, P<0.01); in addition, patients with high expressions of DNAJC3-AS1 and DNAJC3 had a shorter survival period (all P<0.01). miR-144 was highly expressed in BC tissues (P<0.01) and negatively correlated with DNAJC3-AS1 (r=-0.524, P<0.01). The average over-expressionfold for DNAJC3-AS1 was 13.47 (P<0.01), while the fold for miR-144 was 20.27 (P<0.01). Bioinformatics analysis and fluorescence reporter gene assay confirmed that DNAJC3-AS1 could specifically bind to miR-144. MCF-7 cell lines over-expressing DNAJC3-AS1 and miR-14 were successfully constructed; compared with control group, cells in DNAJC3-AS1 over-expression group exhibited significantly enhanced proliferation and reduced cisplatin-sensitivity (all P<0.01), while the cells in miR-144 over-expression group showed significantly enhanced drug sensitivity (P<0.01). Conclusion: miR-144 and lncDNAJC3-AS1 were highly expressed in BC tissues, miR-144 promotes cisplatin sensitivity of BC MCF-7 cells through targeting DNAJC3-AS1.