Understanding Global Rice Trade Flows: Network Evolution and Implications.

Rice holds a significant position as one of the world's most important food crops, and international trade plays a crucial role in regulating rice supply and demand. Analyzing the structural evolution of the global rice trade from a network perspective is paramount for understanding the global rice-trade supply chain and ensuring global food security. This study utilizes international rice-trade data from 2000 to 2021 and employs various network analysis methods to depict the spatial and temporal patterns of the global rice trade, examines the network topologies of the global rice trade, and reveals the impacts of its evolution on food security. The research findings are as follows: (1) Global rice-trade scale has increased over time, indicating a relatively stable development with the gradual formation of complex rice-trade networks. Since 2000, the global rice-trade networks have shown increasing density characterized by Asia as the primary export source and Africa as an important import market. (2) Network analysis indicators demonstrate a growing trend in the size and density of the global rice-trade networks, along with increasingly optimized network structures and improved network connectivity efficiency. Core positions in the networks are occupied by Thailand, Vietnam, India, China, Pakistan, and the United States, while import partners in European and American countries, such as Germany, France, UK, Canada, The Netherlands, and Belgium, show greater diversification. Asia, Europe, and North America form agglomeration regions for rice-exporting countries. Additionally, importing and exporting countries in the global rice-trade networks exhibit certain geographical concentrations. (3) The network backbones of the global rice trade are continuously evolving and being refined, characterized by dominant large rice-exporting countries in Asia and prominent developed countries in Europe and North America. The backbone structures revolve around India as the core, Thailand and Pakistan as the second cores, and critical nodes represented by Italy, the United States, China, and Vietnam. Regional backbone networks have also formed in Asia and Europe. Based on these findings, this paper clarifies the complex network characteristics of the global rice trade and offers insights to promote international rice-trade cooperation and safeguard global food security.

The role of GRP78 in oxidative stress induced by tunicamycin in trabecular meshwork cells.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the regulatory effect of GRP-78 induced by tunicamycin on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. METHODS: Tunicamycin was used to induce ER stress in trabecular meshwork cells (HTMC and GTM3). Cell apoptosis and ROS content were detected by flow cytometry to reveal the effect of tunicamycin on trabecular meshwork cells. RESULTS: Tunicamycin could significantly increase the ROS content and the apoptosis rate in HTMC and GTM3 (p<0.01). The results showed that tunicamycin could increase the Ca2+ flow in cells. Tunicamycin can also increase expression levels of GRP78,VDAC1, ATF4, PERK, eIF2a, and CHOP (p<0.01). Overexpression of GRP78 protected cells from ER stress. Co-IP test showed that GRP78 directly bound to eIF2. These results suggest that GRP78 may play a regulatory role by regulating eIF2. CONCLUSION: Tunicamycin induces oxidative stress in trabecular meshwork cells, and the increase in GRP78 expression can protect the cells during ER stress by regulating eIF2.

Spontaneous suprachoroidal hemorrhage in a high myopia patient with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: a case report and literature review.

Purpose: To report a rare case of spontaneous suprachoroidal hemorrhage (SSCH) in a high myopia patient with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and successful treatment.Methods: We present a case of SSCH that occurred in a 73 woman with high myopia with RRD and discuss the results of a systemic review of the literature published from 1999 to 2017.Results: Phacoemulsification without intraocular lens implantation and vitrectomy combined with silicone oil injection was performed and retinal detachment and choroidal detachment were reattached after oil removed. In the literature review, we found that among a total of 36 patients (37 eyes), acute secondary glaucoma was a complication in 70.3% (26 eyes) of the cases, and over half of the cases (24 eyes, 64.9%) were treated with surgery. Eighteen cases (50%) were characterized by systemic hypertension and 21 cases (58.3%) had abnormal hemostasis. Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) was the most common (12 eyes, 32.4%) ocular disease and was followed by glaucoma (7 cases, 18.9%). Visual acuity was classified as hand motion (HM) or worse in 25 eyes (out of 34 eyes, 73.5%) at initial presentation and in 25 eyes (out of 36 eyes, 69.4%) upon final examination. Nine cases experienced significant visual improvement, including six that underwent vitrectomy.Conclusion: Advanced age, systemic anticoagulation, and hypertension are strong risk factors. RRD associated with massive SSCH is an extremely rare event. Vitrectomy and choroidal blood drainage can effectively remove suprachoroidal hemorrhage (SCH) and promote retinal reattachment in these eyes. However, the final visual prognosis usually remains poor.

Sub-Tenon's urokinase injection-assisted vitrectomy in early treatment of suprachoroidal hemorrhage: Four cases report.

BACKGROUND: Suprachoroidal hemorrhage (SCH) is a rare but potentially catastrophic ocular event. Surgery for SCH is often challenging because of the difficulty in resolving the retinal and choroidal detachment. Here, we describe a novel surgical technique in which urokinase is administered by sub-Tenon's injection to target an organized clot in SCH prior to drainage. CASE SUMMARY: A consecutive case series of four eyes with serous and hemorrhagic choroidal detachments secondary to cataract surgery or trauma was documented to evaluate the feasibility of using a sub-Tenon's urokinase injection-assisted 23-gauge and 20-gauge incision to drain choroidal detachments. Urokinase (2000 IU) was given by sub-Tenon's injection one day before surgery for clot liquefaction. A 23-gauge infusion line was placed in the anterior chamber. A 20-gauge incision was created in the suprachoroidal space 3.5 mm from the limbus. After drainage, pars plana vitrectomy was performed because of concomitant pathology that demanded this additional procedure. Visual acuity, ocular findings, the timing of surgical interventions, surgical procedures, and outcomes were retrospectively reviewed in four patients. Postoperative follow-up of the patients ranged from 6 to 24 mo (mean, 13 mo). After the treatment, all patients achieved excellent anatomical recovery. CONCLUSION: Sub-Tenon's urokinase injection-assisted vitrectomy makes clot liquefaction happen in the early treatment stage, resulting in marked stability during the procedure.

Reperfusion of occluded branch retinal arteries by transluminal Nd:YAG laser embolysis combined with intravenous thrombolysis of urokinase.

PURPOSE: To report successful treatment with transluminal Nd:YAG laser embolysis (TYE) combined with urokinase thrombolysis for reperfusion of occluded branch retinal arteries with visible emboli. METHODS: A total of 34 eyes from 34 patients with acute, severe vision loss secondary to a branch retinal artery occlusion with visible emboli and retinal whitening were examined. Each patient was administered TYE therapy, which focused on the embolus, using an ocular contact lens; a 0.3-0.9 mJ laser pulse was delivered directly and gradually according to the reaction. Fundus photographs and fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) were obtained before and immediately after the laser treatment. All patients received urokinase thrombolysis therapy drops intravenously for 5 days at 10-20 u/d. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 14 months after therapy. The morphological characteristics of FFA associated with obstruction recovery of arterial fluorescence filling and visual function were analyzed. RESULTS: After TYE therapy, FFA examinations showed that the retinal artery and its branches exhibited completely restored blood flow without obstruction in 13 eyes, accounting for 38.2% of the cases. The blood flow was mostly recovered in 11 eyes (32.4% of patients). FFA examinations following the combined intravenous urokinase thrombolysis therapy showed that the retinal artery and its branches exhibited completely restored blood flow after obstruction in 16 eyes (47.1% of patients). The blood flow was mostly recovered in 15 eyes (44.1% of patients). CONCLUSION: TYE combined with urokinase thrombolysis is effective for reperfusion of occluded branch retinal arteries and improving visual recovery in patients with visible emboli.