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AIM: To observe the clinical outcomes of 30-gauge (G) needle-guided 10-0 prolene suture purse-string pupilloplasty for atonic pupil management. METHODS: Eight patients with atonic pupils who underwent suture purse-string pupilloplasty were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative data and at least 6mo of postoperative data were collected from all the patients. RESULTS: The corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) before and after surgery was 0.58±0.22 and 0.20±0.10 logMAR, respectively (P=0.002). The pre- and postoperative pupil size was 7.38±0.88 and 3.09±0.71 mm (P=0.000), respectively. The corneal endothelial cell count was 2841±176/mm2 before and 2692±143/mm2 after surgery (P=0.000). No intraoperative or postoperative complications were reported. During the follow-up period of at least 6mo, all treated pupils were centered and generally or nearly round. Furthermore, the patients did not exhibit photophobia, glare, or diplopia. CONCLUSION: This technique is a simple and effective method for pupil reduction.

IntroductionHypnic headache (HH) is a rare primary headache that is characterized by strict sleep-related attacks. However, the pathophysiology of HH remains unclear. The nocturnal nature of this activity suggests a hypothalamic involvement. The pathogenesis of HH may involve the brain structure that regulates circadian rhythms and is related to an imbalance between hormones, such as melatonin and serotonin. Currently, evidence-based medicine for HH pharmacotherapy is lacking. Acute and prophylactic treatment of HH is based on only a few case reports. Here, we report a case study in which agomelatine showed desirable responsiveness for the prophylactic treatment of HH for the first time.Case descriptionWe present the case of a 58-year-old woman with a 3-year history of nocturnal left temporal pain that awakened her during the wee hours. Brain magnetic resonance imaging did not reveal any midline structural abnormalities associated with circadian rhythms. Polysomnography revealed headache-related awakening at approximately 5:40 am, after the last rapid eye movement phase. No sleep apnea-hypopnea events were observed, without oxygen saturation or blood pressure abnormalities. The patient was prescribed agomelatine 25 mg at bedtime as a prophylactic treatment. In the following month, the frequency and severity of the headaches decreased by 80%. After 3 months, the patient’s headache completely resolved, and the medication was discontinued.ConclusionHH only occurs during sleep in the real world, leading to substantial sleep disturbances in older populations. Headache center neurologists need to focus on the prophylactic treatment of patients before bedtime to avoid nocturnal awakening. Agomelatine is a potential prophylactic treatment option for patients with HH.

Chemosensory genes play important roles in insect behaviors and have thus become potential molecular targets for pest control based on the manipulation of chemoreception-driven behaviors. The great gray weevil Sympiezomias velatus (Chevrolat) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is an important agricultural pest that causes serious economic losses to many crops in China, but its chemosensory genes have not been reported. Here we assembled the antennal transcriptomes of female and male adult S. velatus and revealed the major chemosensory genes necessary for olfaction. A total of 138 candidate chemosensory genes in six families were identified, including 41 encoding odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), 11 encoding chemosensory proteins (CSPs), 62 encoding odorant receptors (ORs), 15 encoding gustatory receptors (GRs), six encoding ionotropic receptors (IRs), and three encoding sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). We analyzed their phylogenetic relationship based on the amino acid sequences of these chemosensory-related protein families in S. velatus and other insects, and the expression profiles based on their antennal transcriptomes. Chemosensory genes that show antenna-abundant/specific or sex-biased expression were observed, suggesting that these genes might have functions in olfaction. Furthermore, we chose an antenna-abundant OBP belonging to ABPX subfamily, SvelOBP15, to investigate its binding property. The results showed that among 33 tested compounds, SvelOBP15 displayed high binding affinities (Ki = 7.36–12.94 μmol/L) with farnesol, nerolidol, limonene and diisobutyl phthalate, indicating that SvelOBP15 plays olfactory roles by binding and transporting specific plant volatiles. These findings will help us better understand the olfactory systems of S. velatus, and provide a basis for functional elucidation of these chemosensory genes.

Pectolytic enzymes are found mainly in fungi and bacteria. The most widely occurring enzymes are polygalacturonase (PGs), pectin methylesterase (PMEs) and pectate lyase (PLs) produced during the infection process and during culturing. The secretion of these enzymes results in the disorganization of the plant cell walls, which is responsible for the pathogenicity of the pathogens. These enzymes degrade the pectin of plants causing maceration of plant tissues and the enzyme activity increases under favourable environmental conditions. We have found that Phytophthora capsici, a pathogenic oomycete, produces levels of these three enzymes equal to those produced by soft-rotting Erwinia chrysanthemi. The activity of PGs, PLs and PMEs was investigated at the optimum temperature, pH and ionic strength in highly pathogenic P. capsici strains cultivated in two kinds of liquid medium containing either crude pepper extracts plus pectin or pectin as the carbon source. Virulence tests and enzymes activity showed that there was a high correlation between the enzyme activity and the pathogenicity of P. capsici. The effects of different carbon sources on the enzyme activity showed that pepper extract plus pectin was the best source for the carbon source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate a method of selectively enhancing the single mode signal of a Lamb wave by using a meander-coil electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) with a new magnetic configuration. We use the Lamb antisymmetric (A0) mode and symmetric (S0) mode as an example for analysis. The analytical expression of the magnitude of the spatial Fourier transform of the Lorentz force generated by different meander coils is used to determine the optimal driving frequency for single mode generation. The numerical calculation is used to characterize the new magnetic configuration and the conventional EMAT magnet. Experimental examinations of each meander coil in combination with the conventional and new magnetic configuration show that the Lamb wave signal can be selectively enhanced by choosing the appropriate driving frequency and coil parameters through using the improved meander-coil EMAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]