Research progress in the prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy based on retinal neurovascular unit damage and its coupling imbalance / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Diabetic retinopathy(DR), one of the common complications of diabetes, is a major cause of blindness. Traditionally, DR has been considered primarily a microvascular disease, and as research has progressed, it is now believed that disruption of the neuro-glia-vascular unit(NVU)and imbalance in its coupling mechanisms(coupling)play a key role in the early onset of DR. Understanding the cellular and molecular basis of NVU and how diabetes alters normal cellular communication and disrupts the cellular environment is important for the early prevention and treatment of DR. This paper summarizes the retinal NVU and its involvement in the molecular mechanism of DR pathogenesis, DR treatment based on retinal NVU repair, and discusses the future prospects and problems of DR.

Optimization of the scan delay time of 64-slice spiral CT portal venography / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To optimize scan delay time of multi-slice spiral CT portal venography (MSCTP) using test bolus injection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty individuals with no hepatic diseases were randomly divided into 4 groups (A, B, C and D). The time-density curves (TDC) of the portal vein (PV) were acquired by test bolus (15 ml, 5 ml/s) at the level of liver hilus. In the 4 groups, the MSCTP were delayed for 4, 6, 8 and 10 s according to the peak time of TDC, respectively. The maximum CT value of the portal vein and liver parenchyma were recorded. The maximum intensity projection (MIP) and volume rendering (VR) were employed for three-dimensional reconstruction and the image quality of the 4 groups was estimated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The average peak time of healthy individuals ranged between 24 and 32 s (95% confidence interval) by means of the test bolus (15 ml). Group C (delay time of 8 s) had a much better image quality of the portal vain than the other groups, and the small branches of the portal vein (6th and 7th orders) were clearly visualized; the major portal vein branches (1st to 4th orders) were also enhanced with sharp edges. Although the hepatic vein was also observed in the portal venous phase in group D, the details of the portal vein on the hepatic edge were distinct and well defined.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>At the injection rate of 5 ml/s, the optimum scan time delayed is 8 to 10 s in normal individuals according to the peak time of the test bolus.</p>