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To explore the feasibility and safety of biomaterials for posterior scleral reinforcement (PSR) in rabbits. Decellularization and genipin crosslink were applied to the fresh bovine pericardium and porcine endocranium, and then mechanical properties, suture retention strength, and stability were tested. PSR operation was performed on 24 rabbit eyes using treated biological materials. Ophthalmic examination was performed regularly before and after PSR operation (1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months). To evaluate the effectiveness, A ultrasound, diopter, and optical coherence tomography were conducted. General condition, fundus photograph, and pathological examination were recorded to evaluate the safety. Compared with genipin crosslinked bovine pericardium (Gen-BP) (21.29 ± 13.29 Mpa), genipin crosslinked porcine endocranium (Gen-PE) (34.85 ± 3.67 Mpa, P < 0.01) showed a closer elastic modulus to that of genipin crosslinked human sclera. There were no complications or toxic reactions directly related to the materials. Capillary hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltration, and collagen fiber deposition were observed, and the content of type I collagen fibers increased after PSR. Overall, the choroidal thickness of treated eyes was significantly thickened at different time points after PSR, which were 96.84 ± 21.08 μm, 96.72 ± 22.00 μm, 90.90 ± 16.57 μm, 97.28 ± 14.74 μm, respectively. The Gen-PE group showed changes that were almost consistent with the overall data. Gen-BP and Gen-PE are safe biological materials for PSR. The Gen-PE group demonstrated more significant advantages over the Gen-BP group in terms of material properties., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors (sirolimus or everolimus) have been demonstrated effective in reducing the size of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-associated retinal astrocytic hamartoma (RAH) in short term. To investigate the long-term efficacy and safety of sirolimus on TSC-associated RAH, 13 TSC-associated RAH patients (59 RAH lesions) who received sirolimus therapy for at least 2 years were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Changes in the maximal thickness (MT) of RAH on optical coherence tomography and the longest base diameter (LBD) of RAH on color fundus photography were assessed. The results showed that for a mean follow-up of 39 months, sirolimus was associated with a mean reduction of 14.6% in MT and 6.8% in LBD of RAHs. The main impacts of sirolimus occurred within the first 6-12 months, with 14.8% reduction in MT and 4.7% reduction in LBD. Mouth ulceration (10 [76.9%]) and acne (9 [69.2%]) were the most common adverse events. These follow-up data support the long-term use of sirolimus in TSC-associated RAH patients, and persistent use of sirolimus possibly prevents tumor regrowth., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhang, Xu, Long, Zhang, Yang, Dai and Zhang.)

Lignin is the most abundant aromatic biopolymer in nature and is a major byproduct from the paper industry. The unlocking of lignin's potential for high-value applications has gained increasing attention in recent years. In this study, alkali lignin (AL), with a rigid conjugated structure and amphiphilic property, was used as a sustainable and eco-friendly encapsulation material for the protection and controlled release of photosensitive abscisic acid (ABA), an important and widely used plant growth regulator. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was used to induce the formation of AL-CTAB nanomicroparticles by self-assembly. The size and morphology of AL-CTAB particles were modified by changing the AL concentration and the dispersion agent. AL (0.3 M) dissolved in tetrahydrofuran could form a uniform size (300 nm) of particles with a regular spherical structure. Subsequently, ABA was loaded on the prepared nanomicroparticles to synthesize the capsule formulation of ABA@AL-CTAB. The controlled-release behavior and the antiphotolysis performance as well as the thermal stability of ABA@AL-CTAB were proved to be superior. Lasting inhibition of Arabidopsis and rice seed germination by ABA@AL-CTAB under light irradiations implied protection of ABA from photolysis. In addition, ABA@AL-CTAB could effectively regulate plant stomata, thereby increasing plant drought resistance. Overall, lignin is suitable for the preparation of agrochemical formulations with excellent controlled release and antiphotolysis performances.

Objective: The objective of the study was to summarize the role of DNA methylation in the development and metastasis of uveal melanoma (UM)., Data Sources: The relevant studies in MEDLINE were searched., Study Selection: In this review, we performed a comprehensive literature search in MEDLINE using "uveal melanoma" AND ("DNA methylation" OR "epigenetics") for original research/review articles published before February 2018 on the relationship between DNA methylation and UM. References of the retrieved studies were also examined to search for potentially relevant papers., Results: Previous studies on the relationship between DNA methylation and UM covered many genes including tumor suppressor genes (TSGs), cyclin-dependent kinase genes, and other genes. Among them, the TSG genes such as RASSF1A and p16INK4a, which encodes a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, are relatively well-studied genes. Specifically, a high percentage of promoter methylation of RASSF1A was observed in UM cell lines and/or patients with UM. Promoter methylation of RASSF1A was also associated with the development of metastasis. Similarly, a high percentage of promoter hypermethylation of p16INK4a was found in UM cell lines. DNA promoter methylation can control the expression of p16INK4a, which affect cell growth, migration, and invasion in UM. Many other genes might also be involved in the pathogenesis of UM such as the Ras and EF-hand domain containing (RASEF) gene, RAB31, hTERT, embryonal fyn-associated substrate, and deleted in split-hand/split-foot 1., Conclusions: Our review reveals the complex mechanisms underlying the tumorigenesis of UM and highlights the great needs of future studies to discover more genes/5'-C-phosphate-G-3' sites contributing to the development/metastasis of UM and explore the mechanisms through which epigenetic changes exert their function in UM., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest

Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.