Re-positioning pretarsal tissue layers for double-eyelid surgery: 6-year experience.

Double-eyelid surgery is a very common practice in East Asian patients. The differential distribution of pretarsal tissue layers is considered to be the anatomical mechanism of natural Asiatic single eyelid, it is possible to form double-eyelid crease by re-positioning the pretarsal structure layers. The author presents a new double-eyelid surgery based on re-positioning of the pretarsal structure layers without tissue removal. Over a 6-year period, 1440 patients underwent new double-eyelid surgeries. With the pretarsal orbicularis oculi muscle incised, the pre-pretarsal levator aponeurosis fascia fibroadipose was first dissected to form a fibroadipose flap, and then repositioned with the eyelid lower lip orbicularis oculi muscle flap. The new composite structure was anchored at 3 points on the pretarsal levator aponeurosis fascia; the skin was sutured to form a smooth crease. Post-operative outcome and follow-up data were analyzed. Patients were followed up for an average of 2 years. esthetic outcomes were satisfactory for 97.91% of patients, who enjoyed new double upper eyelids with smooth creases and invisible incision lines. Outcomes were unsatisfactory for 2.08% of patients (double-eyelid regression, 0.76%; asymmetric creases, 1.32%). All patients who were not satisfied with their esthetic outcomes underwent second correction surgery. This new Pan-flap technique focuses on the correct dissection and repositioning of differentially thickened pre-pretarsal levator aponeurosis fascia fibroadipose tissue in East Asian patients. This new technique can generate broader and tighter attachment between pretarsal orbicularis oculi muscle and levator aponeurosis fascia, and form smooth double-eyelid crease without pretarsal soft tissue removal.

A comprehensive synthesis unveils the mysteries of phosphate-solubilizing microbes.

Phosphate-solubilizing microbes (PSMs) drive the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus (P) and hold promise for sustainable agriculture. However, their global distribution, overall diversity and application potential remain unknown. Here, we present the first synthesis of their biogeography, diversity and utility, employing data from 399 papers published between 1981 and 2017, the results of a nationwide field survey in China consisting of 367 soil samples, and a genetic analysis of 12986 genome-sequenced prokaryotic strains. We show that at continental to global scales, the population density of PSMs in environmental samples is correlated with total P rather than pH. Remarkably, positive relationships exist between the population density of soil PSMs and available P, nitrate-nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon in soil, reflecting functional couplings between PSMs and microbes driving biogeochemical cycles of nitrogen and carbon. More than 2704 strains affiliated with at least nine archaeal, 88 fungal and 336 bacterial species were reported as PSMs. Only 2.59% of these strains have been tested for their efficiencies in improving crop growth or yield under field conditions, providing evidence that PSMs are more likely to exert positive effects on wheat growing in alkaline P-deficient soils. Our systematic genetic analysis reveals five promising PSM genera deserving much more attention.

Novel phosphate-solubilizing bacteria enhance soil phosphorus cycling following ecological restoration of land degraded by mining.

Little is known about the changes in soil microbial phosphorus (P) cycling potential during terrestrial ecosystem management and restoration, although much research aims to enhance soil P cycling. Here, we used metagenomic sequencing to analyse 18 soil microbial communities at a P-deficient degraded mine site in southern China where ecological restoration was implemented using two soil ameliorants and eight plant species. Our results show that the relative abundances of key genes governing soil microbial P-cycling potential were higher at the restored site than at the unrestored site, indicating enhancement of soil P cycling following restoration. The gcd gene, encoding an enzyme that mediates inorganic P solubilization, was predominant across soil samples and was a major determinant of bioavailable soil P. We reconstructed 39 near-complete bacterial genomes harboring gcd, which represented diverse novel phosphate-solubilizing microbial taxa. Strong correlations were found between the relative abundance of these genomes and bioavailable soil P, suggesting their contributions to the enhancement of soil P cycling. Moreover, 84 mobile genetic elements were detected in the scaffolds containing gcd in the 39 genomes, providing evidence for the role of phage-related horizontal gene transfer in assisting soil microbes to acquire new metabolic potential related to P cycling.

Mild to moderate blepharoptosis correction: Outcomes of levator aponeurosis posterior layer plication.

Conventional levator aponeurosis plication is a widely accepted technique for correction of mild to moderate ptosis. However, this method is associated with a high recurrence rate. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of levator aponeurosis posterior layer plication technique for correction of mild to moderate ptosis.A convenience sampling approach was used to recruit 450 patients with mild to moderate blepharoptosis at the Guangzhou Eye-Nose-Face Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Hospital between August, 2015 and December, 2017. All participants were treated with levator aponeurosis posterior layer plication technique. The primary outcome was the postoperative change in marginal reflex distance 1 (MRD1). The paired t test was used to determine the clinical efficacy. Outcomes were assessed at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery.The mean preoperative MRD1 was 1.7 ±â€Š0.5 mm, and the mean postoperative MRD1 at 6-month follow-up was 3.7 ±â€Š0.4 mm (P < .0001). According to the postoperative survey, 427 (94.9%) patients were satisfied with surgical outcomes.This modified levator aponeurosis plication technique is a simple and effective procedure for correction of mild to moderate blepharoptosis. It results in good MRD1 and high patient satisfaction.

Inhibition of SMP30 gene expression influences the biological characteristics of human Hep G2 cells.

Senescence marker protein 30 (SMP30), a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated antigen had been identified by our research group. To study its mechanisms of regulation and associations with the occurrence and development of HCC, we inhibited expression by RNAi technique, and observed effects on the biological characteristics of Hep G2 cells. In cell viability assays, cell growth in the experimental group (with siRNA transfection) was elevated. In Transwell invasion assays, compared with blank and control groups, numbers of invading cells in the experimental group were significantly increased, whereas in apoptosis assays, the percentage apoptosis demonstrated no differences, but after UV irradiation, that in the experimental group was higher than the other two groups. In a word, SMP30 can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of human hepatoma cells and thus can be regarded as a cancer suppressive factor.

Soluble expression of recombinant human SMP30 for detecting serum SMP30 antibody levels in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Senescence marker protein 30 (SMP30), a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated antigen, was earlier shown by our research group to be highly expressed in HCC paracancerous tissues, but have low levels in HCC tissues. In order to detect anti-SMP30 antibody in serum of HCC patients, we established pET30a-SMP30 and pColdIII-SMP30 expression systems in Escherichia coli. However, the expression product was mainly in the form of inclusion bodies. In this research, we used several combinations of chaperones, four molecular chaperone plasmids with pET30a-SMP30 and five molecular chaperone plasmids with pColdIII-SMP30 to increase the amount of soluble protein. Results showed that co-expression of HIS-SMP30 with pTf16, combined with the addition of osmosis-regulator, and a two-step expression resulted in the highest enhancement of solubility. A total of 175 cases of HCC serum were studied by ELISA to detect anti- SMP30 antibody with recombinant SMP30 protein. Some 22 were positive and x2 two-sided tests all showed P>0.05, although it remained unclear whether there was a relationship between positive cases and clinical diagnostic data.