Guidelines for the application of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis of anterior segment diseases(2023) / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

This paper aims to delve deeply into the practical guidelines for the application of artificial intelligence(AI)in the diagnosis of anterior ocular diseases in ophthalmology. Given the complexities and variability inherent in the images associated with the research of anterior segment diseases, AI has traditionally found its principal application in the sphere of posterior segment diseases within ophthalmology. However, with the evolution and advancement of AI technologies, notably machine learning and deep learning, alongside an exponential surge in anterior segment electronic image data, the implementation of AI in the domain of corneal, conjunctival, lens, and eyelid disease is not only feasible but has become a reality. The Ophthalmic Imaging and Intelligent Medicine Branch of the Chinese Medical Education Association, in tandem with the Ophthalmology Professional Committee of the International Translational Medicine Association, have orchestrated a consortium of experts. These specialists have synthesized the most recent progressions, both nationally and internationally, in the application of AI in the diagnosis of anterior ocular diseases. This includes its use in corneal, conjunctival, lens, and eyelid diseases, and provides an analysis of the current challenges faced as well as the future directions of development. This guideline has been formulated through several iterations of thoughtful discussion and revisions. Its purpose is to empower clinical ophthalmologists with a reliable framework to facilitate the enhanced application of AI in diagnostic decision-making and clinical research for anterior ocular diseases.

Emphasizing clinical investigation on anti-inflammatory therapy of dry eye / 中华实验眼科杂志

Inflammation is a defensive reaction and the most common pathological manifestation of dry eye.In addition,excessive inflammatory response is considered to be the most common pathogenic factor and main cause of dry eye.Currently,the active mechanism of anti-inflammatory drugs has been well-known,and topical antiinflammatory therapy for dry eye is exerting a role at certain extend.However,some adverse responses of these drugs are emerging during the treating procedure.Therefore,it is emphasized that a large sample size of and multicenter randomized-controlled clinical trial is needed to identify the different effects of various anti-inflammatory drugs for different types of dry eye diseases,which will offer a basis for standardized anti-inflammatory treatment for dry eye.

Menin expression is regulated by transforming growth factor beta signaling in leukemia cells / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Menin is a ubiquitously expressed protein encoded by the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) gene. Besides its importance in endocrine organs, menin has been shown to interact with the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) protein, a histone H3 lysine 4 methyltransferase, and plays a critical role in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis. Previous studies have shown that menin promotes transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling in endocrine cells. However, little is known regarding the impact of TGF-β pathway on menin in hematopoietic system. Here, with leukemia cell lines generated from conditional MEN1 or TGF-β receptor (TβRII) knockout mouse models, we investigated the possible cross-talk of these two pathways in leukemia cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>MEN1 or TβRII conditional knockout mice were bred and the bone marrow cells were transduced with retroviruses expressing oncogeneic MLL-AF9 (a mixed lineage leukemia fusion protein) to generate two leukemia cell lines. Cell proliferation assays were performed to investigate the effect of TGF-β treatment on MLL-AF9 transformed leukemia cells with/without MEN1 or TβRII excision. Menin protein was detected with Western blotting and mRNA levels of cell proliferation-related genes Cyclin A(2) and Cyclin E(2) were examined with real-time RT-PCR for each treated sample. In vivo effect of TGF-β signal on menin expression was also investigated in mouse liver tissue after TβRII excision.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>TGF-β not only inhibited the proliferation of wild type MLL-AF9 transformed mouse bone marrow cells, but also up-regulated menin expression in these cells. Moreover, TGF-β failed to further inhibit the proliferation of Men1-null cells as compared to Men1-expressing control cells. Furthermore, excision of TβRII, a vital component in TGF-β signaling pathway, down-regulated menin expression in MLL-AF9 transformed mouse bone marrow cells. In vivo data also confirmed that menin expression was decreased in liver samples of conditional TβRII knockout mice after TβRII excision.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results provided the first piece of evidence of cross-talk between menin and TGF-β signaling pathways in regulating proliferation of leukemia cells, suggesting that manipulating the cross-talk of the two pathways may lead to a novel therapy for leukemia.</p>

Cytological study on rat corneal new blood vessel after alkali burn / 中华实验眼科杂志

Background Microvessels are composed of two interacting cell types: endothelial cells and pericytes. Over the past decades, studies of corneal angiogenesis have concentrated mainly on endothelial cells, while interest in pericytes has lagged behind. Objective The present study aimed to investigate the recruitment of vascular endothelial cells and pericytes in rat corneas after alkali burn. Methods Corneal alkali burn models were established in the right eyes of 36 adult SPF SD rats by putting 4 mm medicators containing a 1% 1 mol/L NaOH solution at the central corneas for 30 seconds, and 3 matched normal rats were used as controls. Corneas were excised 1,2,3,5,7 and 10 days after surgery. Frozen sections that parallel with the corneoscleral limbus were constructed. Double immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the dynamic expression of CD31 and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in corneal tissue for the evaluation of the number of endothelial cells and pericytes. The pericyte coverage index (PCI) was calculated to quantify the recruitment of pericytes to neovascular sites. The use of experimental animals followed the Statement of Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. Results CD31 was expressed in the superficial stromal layer of the cornea on the 1 st day, showing the presence of red fluoresence. The positive cell number for CD31 was gradually increased with the passage of time and proceeded into the deep stromal layer from days 2 through 5 but decreased after that. However,α-SMA was positively expressed on the 2nd day in the cornea after alkali burn with the presence of green fluorescence. The positive cell number for α-SMA was less than those of CD31 throughout the experimental period. The PCI was 0, 16.07%, 11.95%, 43.84%, 73.97% and 86. 21% , respectively, 1,2,3,5,7 and 10 days after surgery. Conclusion Pericytes recruitment to corneal new vessels may play a key role in the stabilization and maturation of angiogeneis.

Angiogenesis induced by micropocket assay on rat cornea / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To explore the skills and characteristics of corneal neovascular model in rat induced by micropocket assay. ·METHODS: Nine eyes of nine Sprague-Dawley rats were studied. Pellets made of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), poly-2-hydroxylethylmethacrylate and sucralfate were implanted into the corneal stroma nocloser than 1mm from the limbus. Biomicroscopic features of corneal neovascular were observed on 1,3, 5, 7th day after the implantation. ·RESULTS: On day 1 after operation, the limbal vessels were dilated, with no angiogenesis appeared. On day 3, angiogenesis began to invade peri-cornea with a brush shape, the area of CNV was (2.23±0.59) mm2. On day 5, new vessels reached the lower margin of pellet densely, the area of CNVwas (6.81±1.35)mm2. On day 7, new vessels continued to elongate, parts of them extended as loops toward the pellet, the area of CNV was (8.92± 1.79)mm2. Neither hyphema or other complications occurred.·CONCLUSION: Corneal neovascular induced by micropocket assay in rat grows steadily, with no complication, and is suitable for quantitative researches.

Pericytes are correlated with the permeability of rat corneal neovascular vessels induced by alkali burn / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Corneal neovascular leakage can lead to edema and secondary scarring. Previous studies have shown that pericytes play a key role in maturation of angiogenesis. The present studies investigate the relationship between vascular permeability and pericyte coverage of endothelial cells in rat corneal neovascular induced by alkali burns.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Corneal neovascular vessels induced by alkali burns was performed in Sprague-Dawley rats. Corneas were excised on 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 days after cauterization. The vascular permeability rate was measured by the Evans blue method. The microvessel pericyte coverage index (MPI) was applied to quantify the pericyte coverage through double immunofluorescent staining of frozen sections of corneas with CD31 as the endothelial and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) as the pericyte markers. The correlation between permeability rate and MPI was analyzed. Pericyte coverage was confirmed ultrastructually using transmission electron microscopy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The vascular permeability rate was (1.14 +/- 0.17), (0.24 +/- 0.08), (0.29 +/- 0.16), (0.14 +/- 0.10), (0.09 +/- 0.06) and (0.05 +/- 0.04) microg x ml(-1) x mm(-2) respectively on 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 days after cauterization. The MPI was 0, 16.07%, 11.95%, 43.84%, 73.97% and 86.21% respectively at the above mentioned time points. The correlation coefficient between MPI and the permeability rate was -0.943 (P = 0.005).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Pericyte recruitment was significantly correlated with the permeability of corneal neovascularization induced by alkali burns in rats. Therapeutic strategies aiming at anti-leakage should be most effective if they promote pericytes proliferation in the course of corneal neovascularization.</p>

Functional recovery after rhesus monkey spinal cord injury by transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal-stem cell-derived neurons / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The treatment of spinal cord injury is still a challenge. This study aimed at evaluating the therapeutical effectiveness of neurons derived form mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for spinal cord injury.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In this study, rhesus MSCs were isolated and induced by cryptotanshinone in vitro and then a process of RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) gene. The induced MSCs were tagged with Hoechst 33342 and injected into the injury site of rhesus spinal cord made by the modified Allen method. Following that, behavior analysis was made after 1 week, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months. After 3 months, true blue chloride retrograde tracing study was also used to evaluate the re-establishment of axons pathway and the hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry were performed after the animals had been killed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In this study, the expression of mRNA of GAD gene could be found in the induced MSCs but not in primitive MSCs and immunohistochemistry could also confirm that rhesus MSCs could be induced and differentiated into neurons. Behavior analysis showed that the experimental animals restored the function of spinal cord up to grade 2-3 of Tarlov classification. Retrograde tracing study showed that true blue chollide could be found in the rostral thoracic spinal cords, red nucleus and sensory-motor cortex.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>These results suggest that the transplantation is safe and effective.</p>