Search

Addressing the pressing challenges in agriculture necessitates swift advancements in breeding programs, particularly for perennial crops like grapevines. Moving beyond the traditional biparental quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) encompassing 588 Vitis vinifera L. cultivars from a Chilean breeding program, spanning three seasons and testing 13 key yield-related traits. A strong candidate gene, Vitvi11g000454, located on chromosome 11 and related to plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses through jasmonic acid signaling, was associated with berry width and holds potential for enhancing berry size in grape breeding. We also mapped novel QTL associated with post-harvest traits across chromosomes 2, 4, 9, 11, 15, 18, and 19, broadening our grasp on the genetic intricacies dictating fruit post-harvest behavior, including decay, shriveling, and weight loss. Leveraging gene ontology annotations, we drew parallels between traits and scrutinized candidate genes, laying a robust groundwork for future trait-feature identification endeavors in plant breeding. We also highlighted the importance of carefully considering the choice of the response variable in GWAS analyses, as the use of best linear unbiased estimators (BLUEs) corrections in our study may have led to the suppression of some common QTL in grapevine traits. Our results underscore the imperative of pioneering non-destructive evaluation techniques for long-term conservation traits, offering grape breeders and cultivators insights to improve post-harvest table grape quality and minimize waste., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nanjing Agricultural University.)

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intracorneal ring segments (ICRS) for correction of residual refractive error in patients previously operated with laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK)., Methods: Thirteen postoperative LASIK eyes (eight patients) with residual myopic refractive error underwent implantation with INTACS (Keravision) intracorneal ring segments. Correction of the residual error was the first goal, but also improved best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was obtained by correcting residual irregular astigmatism., Results: Mean spherical equivalent refraction improved from -3.25 to +0.75 D and mean uncorrected visual acuity improved from 0.2 to 0.6 after ICRS insertion. Best spectacle-corrected visual acuity remained stable or improved; no eyes lost lines of corrected visual acuity. In one of the 13 eyes, the intracorneal ring segments were removed because of progressive stromal melting., Conclusions: The use of corneal ring segments in selected eyes with residual myopic refractive errors after LASIK was safe and effective.

A 15-year-old girl had a new variation of Andogsky syndrome (unilateral cataract and atopic dermatitis) in which atopic dermatitis was associated with primary bilateral cataracts and retinal degeneration with primary left retinal detachment before cataract surgery. She had no history of systemic steroid treatment.

We report a rare case of orbital metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma and review previously documented cases of this condition. The clinical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma metastatic to the orbit are described. Results from histopathological examination and histochemical findings of the orbital mass established the diagnosis. A review of 10 cases of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma to the eye and orbit disclosed painful proptosis as the most common clinical sign of hepatocellular carcinoma metastatic to the orbit. In 5 (56%) of the 9 cases that had orbital metastasis (including the present case), the diagnosis was made after the patient first was examined with symptoms from the orbital mass. Metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma should be considered as a rare cause of painful proptosis. While patients usually are seen with signs and symptoms of widespread metastatic carcinoma, patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with orbital involvement may be first examined by the ophthalmologist because of the clinical manifestations of the disease, proptosis and pain. Other orbital lesions associated with painful proptosis are discussed briefly.