ICL V4c矫正超高度近视术后视觉质量的短期观察

目的：短期观察超高度近视患者植入 ICL V4c术后的视觉质量。

方法：收集植入ICL V4c的超高度近视患者78例100眼的临床资料,术前近视屈光度数为-11.25～-20.00(-13.25±2.05)D,术前裸眼视力<0.10,术前和术后1mo对患者进行视力及屈光状态、对比敏感度及波前像差检查。

结果：术后裸眼视力≥0.7者97眼(97%),≥1.0者37眼(37%)。裸眼视力≥术前矫正视力者90眼(90%)。术后1mo各空间频率的对比敏感度和眩光对比敏感度均明显提高,差异均有统计学意义(均为P<0.05)。术后1mo患者总的高阶像差、彗差、球差、二次彗差及二次球差与术前相比,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。术后出现2眼自身晶状体混浊; 2眼眼压增高; 3眼出现角膜反应; 1眼出现夜间眩光和光晕,术后6mo上述症状基本稳定或消失。

结论：短期内超高度近视患者植入ICL V4c术后视觉质量得到了明显提高。     

Biocompatible surface modification of nano-scale zeolitic imidazolate frameworks for enhanced drug delivery

Recently, nanoscale metal organic frameworks have attracted considerable attention as a novel drug delivery system platform owing to their highly efficient drug loading and delivery capacities. However, their low dispersity in aqueous media, poor biocompatibility, and non-active targeting ability seriously limit their further clinical application. To address these issues, a hyaluronic acid (HA)-coated ZIF-8 nanocomposite (CCM@ZIF-8/HA) was successfully developed for use in anti-cancer treatment through efficient curcumin (CCM) delivery. The resultant CCM@ZIF-8/HA showed a long-term pH-dependent controlled drug release based on the core–shell structure of the encapsulation by HA. Moreover, compared to bare CCM@ZIF-8, the obtained ternary assembly showed enhanced dispersity in PBS, promoted cellular uptake, and greater growth inhibition against HeLa cells. Thus, CCM@ZIF-8/HA can not only serve as an ideal drug carrier, but it can also provide a general surface modification strategy to promote the performance of metal organic frameworks for efficient drug delivery.

In this study, we present a general approach for harnessing the surface of ZIF-8 with hyaluronic acid (HA) for enhanced anti-cancer treatment by efficient curcumin (CCM) delivery.     

Prevalence of Hyperhomocysteinemia in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy, total homocysteine concentrations > 15 μmol/L) has been associated with increased risk of many diseases. A systematic review was performed to summarize the prevalence of HHcy in China. We searched multiple international and Chinese scientific databases for relevant literature, and further manually screened reference lists and corresponded with original authors. Pooled prevalence of HHcy was calculated using random effects model. Subgroup analysis, meta-regression and sensitivity analysis were also performed. A total of 36 studies consisting 60,754 subjects (57.3% male; age range, 3–97 years) were finally included. The overall pooled prevalence of HHcy was 27.5%. Geographically, the prevalence was high in north areas, intermediate in central areas, and low in south areas, and was higher in inland versus coastal areas. The prevalence increased with age and was significantly higher in men than in women. Rural residents had a slightly higher HHcy prevalence than urban residents, and the studies conducted during 2006 to 2012 presented a higher HHcy prevalence than those during 1990 to 2005. In summary, the prevalence of HHcy in China is high, particularly in northern populations, the inlanders, males, and the elderly. Homocysteine-lowering strategies are necessary to reduce this highly preventable disorder.     

Evaluation of the Chinese Adult Strabismus-20 （CAS-20） questionnaire using Rasch analysis

ObjectiveTo further refine the Chinese Adult Strabismus-20 （CAS-20） health-related quality of life（HRQOL） questionnaire using Rasch analysis. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, the CAS-20 questionnaire was independently completed by 246 adult strabismus patients. Based on the score for each item, Rasch analysis was performed on the original CAS-20 using the following aspects： dimensionality, response order, local dependence, infit and outfit analysis, differential item function, subject targeting and confirmatory dimensionality. ResultsThe original CAS-20 was divided into 4 subscales, which were labeled ″self-perception″, ″interaction″, ″reading function″, and ″general function″. Response ordering was appropriate for all of the 4 subscales. As a result of infit and outfit analysis, 3 items were removed, one each from ″self-perception″, ″reading function″, and ″general function″. No significant differential item function was found for sex or age. Compared with the ability of the patients and item difficulty, the 3 subscales matched well except for ″reading function″. ConclusionThe original CAS-20 was reduced to 17 items, and divided into 4 subscales, which were ″self-perception″, ″interaction″, ″reading function″, and ″general function″. Subject response choices saved 5 test options. The refined CAS-20 may prove to be more responsive to HRQOL changes in adult strabismus patients.     

Determination of uric acid in biological samples by high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry and study on pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension in pulmonary artery endothelium cells

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe cardiovascular disease that can lead to vascular remodelling and hypertension. Clinical diagnosis of PAH is very difficult. Uric acid (UA) can act as a biological marker for screening of PAH in patients. Multiple studies have indicated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in the development of PAH. Thus, it is important to study the relationship between UA and ROS based on the pathogenesis of PAH. For monitoring PAH, a high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed to measure the concentration of UA from rat models and pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs) models, which were induced by monocrotaline (MCT) and hypoxia, respectively. In addition, the treatment groups were treated by N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger. With the confirmation from hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, the HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method was adopted to successfully analyze the concentration of UA. In this study, for the first time, thymine was used as an internal standard (I.S.) of uric acid. The results showed that the UA concentration in the PAH groups was higher than that in the normal groups, while the UA concentration in the treatment groups decreased compared to that in the PAH group (p < 0.05). It was experimentally proven that the HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method is a rapid, efficient and reliable quantitative method to detect PAH. Furthermore, our results indicated that UA and ROS have a double-regulator role.

Thymine firstly was used as an internal standard for uric acid.     

Synthesis of switchable intelligent molecularly imprinted polymers with selective adsorption of ethyl carbamate and their application in electrochemical sensor analysis

A cyclodextrin aldehyde based molecularly imprinted polymer with thermally responsive Diels–Alder (DA) linkages of grafted furan-type dienes was polymerized. The synthesized DA-MIP has dienophile characteristics and the specific absorption of ethyl carbamate (EC) can be switched on or off simply by thermal adjustment to 130 °C and 60 °C, respectively. The imprinting factors (α) of the MIP and rDA-MIP to EC were 6.2 and 5.0, and the selection factors (β) were 5.2 and 4.0, respectively. The restoration of the molecular target ratio was 88%, as determined by absorption and desorption experiments. The thermal restoration ratio, determined by thermal cycling experiments, was 78%. A new electrochemical sensor was prepared using the DA-MIP and its responsiveness for detecting trace amounts of EC was investigated. The results indicate that the electrode response has good affinity and excellent specific recognition performance for template molecular chemicals.

A cyclodextrin aldehyde based molecularly imprinted polymer with thermally responsive Diels–Alder (DA) linkages of grafted furan-type dienes was polymerized. The synthesized DA-MIP has dienophile characteristics and the specific adsorption of ethyl carbamate (EC) can be switched on or off simply by thermal adjustment.      

Preparation of porous calcium phosphate microspheres with phosphate-containing molecules at room temperature for drug delivery and osteogenic differentiation

Calcium phosphate (CaP) has similar chemical properties to those of the inorganic component of human bone tissue, for potential application in drug delivery for the chemotherapy of osteosarcoma. In this work, CaP with a porous microsphere structure has been synthesized using fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) as the phosphorus source by a simple wet-chemical strategy at room temperature. The CaP porous microspheres, as an organic–inorganic hybrid nano-platform, exhibit good doxorubicin (Dox) loading capacity, and Dox-loading CaP, enhancing the in vitro chemotherapy of osteosarcoma cells. The CaP porous microspheres show high biocompatibility, and induce the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1. These results indicate that the CaP porous microspheres reported in this study are promising for application as an anti-osteosarcoma drug carrier and osteoinductive material for bone regeneration in the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Porous calcium phosphate microspheres were prepared at room temperature, and displayed potential for application in the chemotherapy of osteosarcoma and osteogenic differentiation.     

Salidroside ameliorates insulin resistance through activation of a mitochondria-associated AMPK/PI3K/Akt/GSK3β pathway

Background and Purpose

Recent reports have suggested that salidroside could protect cardiomyocytes from oxidative injury and stimulate glucose uptake in skeletal muscle cells by activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of salidroside on diabetic mice and to explore the underlying mechanisms.

Experimental Approach

The therapeutic effects of salidroside on type 2 diabetes were investigated. Increasing doses of salidroside (25, 50 and 100 mg·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹) were administered p.o. to db/db mice for 8 weeks. Biochemical analysis and histopathological examinations were conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effects of salidroside. Primary cultured mouse hepatocytes were used to further explore the underlying mechanisms in vitro.

Key Results

Salidroside dramatically reduced blood glucose and serum insulin levels and alleviated insulin resistance. Hypolipidaemic effects and amelioration of liver steatosis were observed after salidroside administration. In vitro, salidroside dose-dependently induced an increase in the phosphorylations of AMPK and PI3K/Akt, as well as glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) in hepatocytes. Furthermore, salidroside-stimulated AMPK activation was found to suppress the expression of PEPCK and glucose-6-phosphatase. Salidroside-induced AMPK activation also resulted in phosphorylation of acetyl CoA carboxylase, which can reduce lipid accumulation in peripheral tissues. In isolated mitochondria, salidroside inhibited respiratory chain complex I and disturbed oxidation/phosphorylation coupling and moderately depolarized the mitochondrial membrane potential, resulting in a transient increase in the AMP/ATP ratio.

Conclusions and Implications

Salidroside exerts an antidiabetic effect by improving the cellular metabolic flux through the activation of a mitochondria-related AMPK/PI3K/Akt/GSK3β pathway     

Development of a Pichia pastoris whole-cell biocatalyst with overexpression of mutant lipase I PCLG47I from Penicillium cyclopium for biodiesel production

Penicillium cyclopium lipase I (PCL) is a thermolabile triacylglycerol lipase with very low activity against monoacylglycerols, and there have been no reports on the transesterification of oil to produce biodiesel. A mutant PCL^G47I with an improved thermostability was previously obtained through replacing Gly47 with Ile in PCL. In this study, a novel Pichia pastoris whole-cell biocatalyst (WCB) with overexpression of PCL^G47I was constructed and characterized for biodiesel production from soybean oil. The optimum conditions for biodiesel preparation were 1 g soybean oil, 1 : 2 initial oil/methanol molar ratio with 3 times methanol addition of 1 : 0.75 oil/methanol molar ratio at 4 h intervals, 7% water content, 400 U lipase, temperature of 25 °C, and reaction time of 20 h. Under the optimum conditions, the FAME yield reached 60.7% and remained 47.3% after 4 batch cycles, and no glycerol was generated as a byproduct. These findings indicated that this WCB is a promising biocatalyst for biodiesel production in a relatively cost-effective manner. Additionally, the resulting enzymatic process may provide a potential method for biodiesel production at an industrial scale.

Biodiesel is efficiently produced by a lipase whole-cell biocatalyst with high activity and thermostability at low temperature.