ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: At present, the severity and grade of anterior scleritis are judged mainly based on the area and location of involvement, whether there is necrosis, etc. Quantitative measurement of sclera and surrounding tissues will help to accurately assess the severity of scleritis and provide quantitative indicators for the choice of treatment. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the thickness of sclera and ciliary bodies detected by ultrasound biological microscopy (UBM) in noninfectious anterior scleritis patients who subsequently were treated with topical or systemic treatment, and visited our hospital from March 2014 to March 2021. Age- and sex-matched normal individuals were used as controls. RESULTS: A total of 185 patients (50 males and 135 females) with noninfectious anterior scleritis and 84 (31 males and 53 females) controls were included. In patients with noninfectious scleritis, the thickness of sclera and the ciliary body were significantly greater than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Before treatment, the thickness of sclera and the ciliary body in systemic treatment group was significantly higher than that in topical treatment group (p < 0.05). After treatment, both thicknesses of sclera and the ciliary body decreased significantly (p < 0.05). The ratio of ciliary body thickness from the site of inflammation to the normal position was significantly higher in the systemic treatment group than in the topical treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: UBM quantitatively shows a decrease in AST/CBT in patients with anterior scleritis after treatment. The ratio of ciliary body thickness at the site of information to that at the normal position may be a reference for the choice of treatment.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It has been reported that the gut microbiome is involved in the pathogenesis of uveitis, but the specific pathogenic microbes and metabolites in different types of uveitis are still unclear. METHODS: Microbiome and metabolites were detected using 16S ribosomal DNA and LCâMS/MS (liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry) in 45 individuals, including 16 patients with Vogt Koyanagi Harada (VKH), 11 patients with acute anterior uveitis (AAU) and 18 healthy controls. RESULT: The diversity of intestinal microbes among the VKH, AAU and control groups was not significantly different. Thirteen specific microbes and 38 metabolites were detected in the VKH group, and 7 metabolites (vanillin, erythro-isoleucine, pyrimidine, 1-aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid, beta-tocopherol, (-)-gallocatechin and N1-methyl-4-pyridone-3-carboxamide) significantly changed only in patients with VKH, which mainly acted on nicotinamide and nicotinamide metabolism and biotin metabolism (p<0.05). Compared with the VKH group, the AAU group had milder intestinal changes. Only 11 specific microbes and 29 metabolites changed in the AAU group, while these metabolites were not specific (p<0.05). These metabolites mainly acted on arachidonic acid metabolism. In addition, three microbes and two metabolites had the same changes in the VKH and AAU groups (p<0.05). Multiple correlations were found between gut microbes and metabolites in the VKH and AAU groups. Six microbes (Pediococcus, Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, Photobacterium, Gardnerella and Lawsonia) and two metabolites (pyrimidine and gallocatechin) as biomarkers could effectively distinguish patients with VKH from patients with AAU and healthy individuals, with AUC (area under the curve) values greater than 82%. Four microbes (Lentilactobacillus, Lachnospiraceae_UCG-010, Cetobacterium, Liquorilactobacillus) could distinguish patients with AAU from patients with VKH and healthy controls with AUC>76%. CONCLUSION: Significant differences in intestinal microbes and metabolites suggest their different roles in the pathogenesis of uveitis entities. Changes in the metabolism of certain B vitamins may be involved in the pathogenesis of VKH.
ABSTRACT
The responses of growth and PS II activities in Microcystis aeruginosa (FACHB 905) have been studied under a condition of low light-temperature combination use orthogonal experiment method. The contents and proportions of chlorophyll and carotenoid were determined by colorimetry, the PS II activities were assayed with a Water-PAM, and also, the photosynthesis recovery of M. aeruginosa was verified via reculture under a normal condition. The results showed that recruitment of M. aeruginosa should not be triggered since it could hardly grow under the temperature of 9 degrees C. Under 12 degrees C, the growth was greatly affected by the light intensity. 12 degrees C & 100 lx combination was considered to be the threshold value to induce recruitment of Microcystis due to the physiological responses in growth and photosynthetic system. The growth of alga was obviously inhibited in all samples. However, the biomass under 15 degrees C & 100 lx combination was the largest, which reached about 0.88 mg/L, and it was about 2-17 times compared to the other samples, respectively. We also found FACHB 905 could persist longer under low light intensity (100 lx) than a relative higher intensity (500 lx) under 15 degrees C, since the chlorophyll content, electron transfer rate and yield were relative higher in combination. Reculture of M. aeruginosa was conducted after a 20 d study, samples under the temperatures of 9 degrees C & 12 degrees C recovered soon in growth characters and PS II activities during 5 days. Meanwhile, all the samples of FACHB 905 reached a rather stable growing status, with a fluorescence quantum yield about 0.55-0.6, like other normal cultured samples finally. The present results should be important to determine the tolerance threshold and even to reveal the probable mechanisms in overwintering and recruitment of M. aeruginosa from lake sediments.
