Effect of shape deprivation on retinal thickness in myopic mice using an OCT method.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to study in retina thickness changes in myopic mice using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods: There were 18 mice in the form-deprivation myopia (FDM) group，in which the left eye was not treated as a control;18 untreated mice served as a normal control group. The diopter of all mice was measured 21 days after birth (P21), before form deprivation. After 4 weeks of form deprivation (P49), the refraction, fundus, and retinal sublayer thickness of all mice were measured. Results: After 4 weeks of form deprivation, the refractive power of the right eye in the FDM group was significantly higher than that in the left eye (p < 0.05). There was no significant change in the refractive power of the left eye in the FDM group compared with the normal control group. The retina, nerve fiber layer (NFL), inner nuclear layer (INL), and outer nuclear layer (ONL) in the right eye of the FDM group were significantly thinner than those of both the FDM and control groups (p < 0.05). There was no significant change in photoreceptor (PR). Conclusion: Our study highlights that the myopic mice have decreased R thickness, which might reflect the potential pathological mechanism of myopia.

Integrated analysis of transcriptome and metabolome reveals molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance in seedlings of upland rice landrace 17SM-19.

Salt stress is a major abiotic stress that threatens global rice production. It is particularly important to improve salt tolerance in upland rice because of its growth environment. Upland rice landrace 17SM-19 with high salt tolerance was obtained from a previous study. In this study, an integrated analysis of transcriptome and metabolome was performed to determine the responses of the rice seedling to salt stress. When treated with 100 mm NaCl, the rice seedling growth was significantly inhibited at 5 d, with inhibition first observed in shoot dry weight (SDW). Changes in potassium (K+) content were associated with changes in SDW. In omics analyses, 1,900 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 659 differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs) were identified at 3 d after salt stress (DAS), and 1,738 DEGs and 657 DAMs were identified at 5 DAS. Correlation analyses between DEGs and DAMs were also conducted. The results collectively indicate that salt tolerance of upland rice landrace 17SM-19 seedlings involves many molecular mechanisms, such as those involved with osmotic regulation, ion balance, and scavenging of reactive oxygen species.

Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and candidate genes of seed Iron and zinc content in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.].

BACKGROUND: Deciphering the hereditary mechanism of seed iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) content in soybean is important and sustainable to address the "hidden hunger" that presently affects approximately 2 billion people worldwide. Therefore, in order to detect genomic regions related to soybean seed Fe and Zn content, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population with 248 lines was assessed in four environments to detect Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) related to soybean seed Fe and Zn content. RESULT: Wide variation was found in seed Fe and Zn content in four environments, and genotype, environment, and genotype × environment interactions had significant influences on both the seed Fe and Zn content. A positive correlation was observed between seed Fe content and seed Zn content, and broad-sense heritability (H2) of seed Fe and Zn content were 0.73 and 0.75, respectively. In this study, five QTLs for seed Fe content were detected with 4.57 - 32.71% of phenotypic variation explained (PVE) and logarithm of odds (LOD) scores ranging from 3.60 to 33.79. Five QTLs controlling the seed Zn content were detected, and they individually explained 3.35 to 26.48% of the phenotypic variation, with LOD scores ranging from 3.64 to 20.4. Meanwhile, 409,541 high-quality single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and 85,102 InDels (except intergenic regions) between two bi-parental lines were identified by whole genome resequencing. A total of 12 candidate genes were reported in one major QTL for seed Fe content and two major QTLs for seed Zn content, with the help of RNA-Seq analysis, gene ontology (GO) enrichment, gene annotation, and bi-parental whole genome sequencing (WGS) data. CONCLUSIONS: Limited studies were performed about microelement of soybean, so these results may play an important role in the biofortification of Fe and Zn and accelerate the development of marker-assisted selection (MAS) for breeding soybeans fortified with iron and zinc.

Research on airport multi-objective optimization of stand allocation based on simulated annealing algorithm.

In this study, a multi-objective optimized mathematical model of stand pre-allocation is constructed with the shortest travel distance for passengers, the lowest cost for airlines and the efficiency of stand usage as the overall objectives. The actual data of 12 flights at Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport are analyzed by application and solved by simulated annealing algorithm. The results of the study show that the total objective function of the constructed model allocation scheme is reduced by 40.67% compared with the actual allocation scheme of the airport, and the distance traveled by passengers is reduced by a total of 4512 steps, while one stand is saved and the efficiency of stand use is increased by 31%, in addition to the reduction of airline cost by 300 RMB. In summary, the model constructed in the study has a high practical application value and is expected to be used for airport stand pre-allocation decision in the future.

Efficacy of shoulder arthroscopic surgery for the treatment of rotator cuff injury: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study will investigate the efficacy and safety of shoulder arthroscopic surgery (SAS) for patients with rotator cuff injury (RCI). METHODS: We will systematically search for randomized controlled trials in the electronic databases of PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. All above databases will be searched from their beginning to March 1, 2020 without language restrictions. Two reviewers will independently scan retrieved records, evaluate study quality and extract data. If possible, we will synthesize the data and conduct a meta-analysis by RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: This systematic review will summarize the most recent evidence to explore the efficacy and safety of SAS for patients with RCI. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study will help to provide a genuine understanding of perspective from a scientific basis on the efficacy and safety of SAS for patients with RCI. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42020170009.

[Sacral nerve stimulation treatment in functional anorectal pain].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the treatment outcomes of sacral nerve stimulation(SNS) for functional anorectal pain(FAP). METHODS: A total of 32 patients of FAP received SNS treatment through S3 from March 2011 to December 2011. Visual analogue scale(VAS), anal pressure measure, and health survey(SF-36) before and after treatment were used to evaluate the outcomes. RESULTS: After treatment, VAS score was significantly decreased, rectal anal reflex threshold volume elevated, and anal maximum contraction pressure (AMCP) and anal rest pressure significantly decreased compared with those before treatment(all P<0.01). Except for general health, the remaining dimension score of the SF-36 increased significantly after treatment, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05 or P<0.01). After SNS treatment, 19 cases were cured, 12 improved, 1 was refractory. The total effective rate was 96.9% during 3 months after treatment. CONCLUSION: SNS is a safe and effective alternative for FAP and can alleviate the pain symptom and improve the quality of life.