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AIM: To evaluate the effects of antiglaucoma eye drops on corneal nerves by in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). METHODS: This study comprised 79 patients diagnosed with glaucoma and 16 healthy control individuals. Among the glaucoma patients, 54 were treated with medication, while 25 remained untreated. Central corneal images were evaluated by IVCM, and then ACCMetrics was used to calculate the following parameters: corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), branch density (CNBD), fiber length (CNFL), total branch density (CTBD), fiber area (CNFA), fiber width (CNFW), and fractal dimension (CNFrD). The correlation between IVCM parameters and drugs was evaluated using non-parametric measurements of Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The CNFD was reduced in glaucoma groups compared to healthy subjects (P

AIM: To examine the change of iris volume measured by CASIA2 anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) in glaucoma patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and explore if there is a correlation between hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level and iris volume. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 72 patients (115 eyes) were divided into two groups: primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) group (55 eyes) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) group (60 eyes). Patients in each group were separately classified into patients with or without T2DM. Iris volume and glycosylated HbA1c level were measured and analyzed. RESULTS: In the PACG group, diabetic patients' iris volume was significantly lower than those of non-diabetics (P=0.02), and there was a significant correlation between iris volume and HbA1c level in the PACG group (r=-0.26, P=0.04). However, diabetic POAG patients' iris volume was noticeably higher than those of non-diabetics (P=0.01), and there was a significant correlation between HbA1c level and iris volume (r=0.32, P=0.02). CONCLUSION: Diabetes mellitus impact iris volume size, as seen by increased iris volume in the POAG group and decreased iris volume in the PACG group. In addition, iris volume is significantly correlated with HbA1c level in glaucoma patients. These findings imply that T2DM may compromise iris ultrastructure in glaucoma patients.

AIM: To investigate the distribution of conjunctival lymphatic vessels in New Zealand white rabbits and its relationship with age.METHODS: Subconjunctival trypan blue was injected in four quadrants(nasal, superior, temporal, and inferior)and recorded videos. The number of lymphatic outflow pathways arising from the blebs was counted. The difference in the number of lymphatic outflow pathways across the quadrants of each group was tested by single-factor analysis of variance. Paired t-test was used to compare the differences in the number of lymphatic outflow pathways in the same rabbit quadrants across different ages.RESULTS: In New Zealand white rabbits, thick annular lymphatic vessels were mainly distributed near the limbus part of the conjunctiva. The single collecting lymphatic vessels were primarily distributed in the peripheral parts. Although the lymphatic vessels of juvenile rabbits have fewer branches, the number of lymphatic vessels in the different quadrants was no significant difference in each group(all P>0.05)and was no difference between the two age groups(all P >0.05).CONCLUSION:The lymphatic vessels were abundant in rabbit conjunctiva. The number of lymphatic vessels in each quadrant and between two age groups had no significant difference.

Glaucoma is a common irreversible blinding eye disease, pathological elevated intraocular pressure is the main clinical feature. The formation of intraocular pressure, related to aqueous circulation, will be pathologically elevated when the aqueous cycle is abnormal. Trabecular network, which plays a key role in maintaining normal intraocular pressure, is the main component of aqueous outflow channel. Imbalance of oxidative stress manifested as oxidation and antioxidant effects is a direct risk factor for elevated intraocular pressure in glaucoma. When it comes to the trabecular meshwork cells, a series of changes such as deposition and degeneration of extracellular matrix, autophagy and aging will eventually occur, and finally the dysfunction of trabecular meshwork cells and increased aqueous outflow resistance, causing intraocular pressure pathological elevated. In this paper, we reviewed the research progress on the relationship between oxidative stress in trabecular meshwork cells and the pathogenesis of glaucoma, in order to provide evidence for further research and reference for exploring the pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of glaucoma.

AIM: To investigate the association of axial length (AL), lens thickness (LT), and lens vault (LV) with postoperative anterior chamber angle metrics after laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI). METHODS: Prospective observational study of 69 patients (97 eyes) were diagnosed as primary angle-closure suspect (PACS), primary angle closure (PAC) or primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG). AL, LT, anterior central chamber depth (ACD), angle opening distance (AOD), trabecular iris angle (TIA), and angle recess area (ARA) were measured before and 1wk after LPI. The association between AL, LT, LV with ACD, AOD, TIA, ARA were analyzed by comparing the differences between preoperative and postoperative measurements for anterior segment biometric parameters. RESULTS: ACD, AOD, TIA, and ARA were significantly increased after LPI (all P

AIM: To provide statistical evidence for the use of antibiotics in ophthalmology by assessing the distribution and antibiotic sensitivity of bacterial isolates from ocular specimens with suspected microbial infections. METHODS: This study applied a retrospective analysis of 3690 bacterial isolates from ocular specimens, which were obtained from the conjunctiva, cornea, aqueous humor, vitreous body, and other ocular sites of the patients at Shandong Eye Institute in northern China from January 2013 to December 2017. The parameters assessed mainly included the distribution of isolated bacteria and the results of susceptibility tests for antibiotics. In the analysis of antibiotic sensitivities, the bacteria were divided into four groups according to gram staining, and statistical methods were used to compare their antibiotic sensitivities. RESULTS: Among the 3690 isolated bacterial strains, Staphylococcus epidermidis (2007, 54.39%) accounted for the highest proportion. As for the total isolates, their sensitivity rate to gatifloxacin was up to 90.01%, with four types of gram-stained bacteria being all highly sensitive to it, but their sensitivity rate to levofloxacin was only 51.91%. The sensitivity rate of gram-negative bacilli (G-B) to levofloxacin was 83.66%, significantly higher than the other three types of gram-stained bacteria (P

AIM: To summarize the phenotypes and identify the underlying genetic cause of the fibrillin-1 (FBN1) gene responsible for congenital ectopia lentis (EL) in two Chinese families in northern China. METHODS: A detailed family history and clinical data from all participants were collected by clinical examination. The candidate genes were captured and sequenced by targeted next-generation sequencing, and the results were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Haplotyping was used to confirm the mutation sequence. Real-time PCR was used to determine the FBN1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels in patients with EL and in unaffected family members. RESULTS: The probands and other patients in the two families were affected with congenital isolated EL. A heterozygous FBN1 mutation in exon 21 (c.2420_IVS20-8 delTCTGAAACAinsCGAAAG) was identified in FAMILY-1. A heterozygous FBN1 mutation in exon 14 (c.1633C>T, p.R545C) was identified in FAMILY-2. Each mutation co-segregated with the affected individuals in the family and did not exist in unaffected family members and 200 unrelated normal controls. CONCLUSION: The insertion-deletion mutation (c.2420 IVS20-8delTCTGAAACA insCGAAAG) in the FBN1 gene is first identified in isolated EL. The mutation (c.1633C>T) in the FBN1 gene was a known mutation in EL patient. The variable phenotypes among the patients expand the phenotypic spectrum of EL in a different ethnic background.

AIM: To summarize the phenotypes and identify the underlying genetic cause of the CRYBB1 and CRYBB2 gene responsible for congenital cataract in two Chinese families. METHODS: Detailed family histories and clinical data were collected from patients during an ophthalmologic examination. Of 523 inheritable genetic vision system-related genes were captured and sequenced by targeted next-generation sequencing, and the results were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The possible functional impacts of an amino acid substitution were performed with PolyPhen-2 and SIFT predictions. RESULTS: The patients in the two families were affected with congenital cataract. Sixty-five (FAMILY-1) and sixty-two (FAMILY-2) single-nucleotide polymorphisms and indels were selected by recommended filtering criteria. Segregation was then analyzed by applying Sanger sequencing with the family members. A heterozygous CRYBB1 mutation in exon 4 (c.347T>C, p.L116P) was identified in sixteen patients in FAMILY-1. A heterozygous CRYBB2 mutation in exon 5 (c.355G>A, p.G119R) was identified in three patients in FAMILY-2. Each mutation co-segregated with the affected individuals and did not exist in unaffected family members and 200 unrelated normal controls. The mutation was predicted to be highly conservative and to be deleterious by both PolyPhen-2 and SIFT. CONCLUSION: The CRYBB1 mutation (c.347T>C) and CRYBB2 mutation (c.355G>A) are novel in patients with congenital cataract. We summarize the variable phenotypes among the patients, which expanded the phenotypic spectrum of congenital cataract in a different ethnic background.

AIM: To describe a Chinese family affected by a severe form of Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome (ARS) and characterize the molecular defect in PITX2 in the family. METHODS: Patients presented with typical ARS from a Chinese family were investigated. We performed genome-wide linkage scan and exome sequencing to identify the pathogenic mutations. Candidate mutations were verified for co-segregation in the whole pedigree using Sanger sequencing. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting were performed to verify the expression of the pathogenic gene. RESULTS: Genome-wide linkage and exome sequencing analyses showed PITX2 as the disease candidate gene. A>G substitution at position -11 of 3’ss of exon 5 (IVS5-11A>G) that co-segregated with the disease phenotype was discovered in the family. The PITX2 messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels were about 50% lower in patients with ARS than in unaffected family members in the family. CONCLUSION: Our findings implicate the first intronic mutation of the PITX2 gene in the pathogenesis of a severe form of ARS in a Chinese family. This study highlights the importance of a systematic search for intronic mutation in ARS cases for which no mutations in the exons of PITX2 have been found.

AIM: To determine the epidemiological characteristics, clinical signs, laboratory findings, and outcomes in patients with corneal infection in Shandong peninsula of China. METHODS: The medical records of 578 inpatients (578 eyes) with corneal infection were reviewed retrospectively for demographic characteristics, risk factors, seasonal variation, clinical signs, laboratory findings, and treatment strategy. Patient history, ocular examination findings using slit-lamp biomicroscopy, laboratory findings resulted from microbiological cultures, and treatment. RESULTS: Fungal keratitis constituted 58.48% of cases of infectious keratitis among the inpatients, followed by herpes simplex keratitis (20.76%), bacterial keratitis (19.03%) and acanthamoeba keratitis (1.73%). The most common risk factor was corneal trauma (71.80%). The direct microscopic examination (338 cases) using potassium hydroxide (KOH) wet mounts was positive in 296 cases (87.57%). Among the 298 fungal culture-positive cases, Fusarium species were the most common isolates (70.47%). A total of 517 cases (89.45%) received surgical intervention, including 255 (44.12%) cases of penetrating keratoplasty, 74 (12.80%) cases of lamellar keratoplasty which has become increasingly popular, and 77 cases (13.32%) of evisceration or enucleation. CONCLUSION: At present, infectious keratitis is a primary corneal disease causing blindness in China. With Fusarium species being the most commonly identified pathogens, fungal keratitis is the leading cause of severe infectious corneal ulcers in Shandong peninsula of China.

AIM: To compare the results of 4 methods for measuring angle of exodeviation in the three types of intermittent exotropia, including when looking at indoor distance target of 6m, looking at indoor distance target of 30m, looking at outdoor far distance target, after 1h diagnostic occlusion test. METHODS: Prospective case series study. Sixty-five patients with intermittent exotropia between June 2013 and June 2014 were enrolled in the Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Hospital to Qingdao University, included 37 males and 28 females with average age(12.5±6.2)years. All the patients were measured when looking at indoor distance target of 6m, looking at indoor distance target of 30m, looking at outdoor far distance target, after 1h diagnostic occlusion test. Intermittent exotropia was divided into basic type, convergence insufficiency type and divergence excess type, which was based on the different result of between the distance and near measurements. The One-way test was applied to analyze the four methods of measuring angle of exodeviation in the three types of intermittent exotropia. LSD-t test was applied to compare the differences between each two methods in each type.RESULTS: The distance exodeviations tested with looking at indoor distance target of 6m, looking at indoor distance target of 30m, looking at outdoor far distance target, after 1h diagnostic occlusion test were basic type(45.4±21.0, 55.0±15.0, 64.68±17.7, 68.75±16.6PD), convergence insufficiency type(33.3±14.0, 44.9±12.9, 43.6±11.8, 54.6±11.2PD), divergence excess type(55.6±17.4, 66.3±18.8, 76.9±16.4, 78.1±15.6PD). There were obviously differences between each two methods in each type(basic type F=9.649, P=0.00; convergence insufficiency type F=6.886, P=0.001; divergence excess type F=7.989, P=0.00). Compared with looking at indoor distance target of 30m, looking at outdoor far distance target(basic type P=0.044, divergence excess type P=0.048)and after 1h diagnostic occlusion test(basic type P=0.04, divergence excess type P=0.027)had the statistical difference in the basic type and divergence excess type, and there was no obviously difference between looking at outdoor far distance target and after 1h diagnostic occlusion test(basic type P=0.353, divergence excess type P=0.815). Compared with the other three measurements, 1h diagnostic occlusion test can elicit larger angle of deviation in the convergence insufficiency type. CONCLUSION: Both measurement with looking at outdoor far distance target and after 1h diagnostic occlusion test can elicit the larger angle of deviation in the basic type and divergence excess type; The measurement with after 1 hour diagnostic occlusion test can elicit the larger angle of deviation in the convergence insufficiency type.

Terminal equipment represented by inspection robots is widely used in substations. In the future, 5th-Generation (5G) mobile terminals will be more and more used in substations with the fast development of 5G technology. The performance of the communication system is closely related to the wireless channel. Therefore, it is very important to study the 5G communication channel characteristics of the mobile terminal in the substation. Aiming at the characteristics of the communication channel of 5G mobile terminals in the Three-Dimension (3D) scattering environment of substations, based on the multiple input multiple output technology, the article proposes to use geometric analysis to establish a 3D channel model, and derive the time autocorrelation function and spatial cross correlation function of the channel. Based on the 5G frequency band, the autocorrelation and cross-correlation characteristics of the wireless channel are simulated and analyzed. The influence of the Rice factor of different sizes on the wireless channel characteristics is also studied. The above simulation results show the availability of 5G terminals in substations, and broaden the research on mobile terminals using 5G communication technology in substation scenarios.

Tubulin has been regarded as an attractive and successful molecular target in cancer therapy and drug discovery. Vicinal diaryl is a simple scaffold found in many colchicine site tubulin inhibitors, which is also an important pharmacophoric point of tubulin binding and anti-cancer activity. As the continuation of our research work on colchicine binding site tubulin inhibitors, we designed and synthesized a series of diarylamide N-containing heterocyclic derivatives by the combination of vicinal diaryl core and N-containing heterocyclic skeletons into one hybrid though proper linkers. Among of these compounds, compound 15b containing a 5-methoxyindole group exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity against the tested three human cancer cell lines (MGC-803, PC-3 and EC-109) with IC50 values of 1.56 μM, 3.56 μM and 14.5 μM, respectively. Besides, the SARs of these compounds were preliminarily studied and summarized. The most active compound 15b produced the inhibition of tubulin polymerization in a dose-dependent manner and caused microtubule network disruption in MGC-803 cells. Therefore, compound 15b was identified as a novel tubulin polymerization inhibitor targeting the colchicine binding site. In addition, the results of molecular docking also suggested compound 15b could tightly bind into the colchicine binding site of β-tubulin.

FAK is a nonreceptor intracellular tyrosine kinase which plays an important biological function. Many studies have found that FAK is overexpressed in many human cancer cell lines, which promotes tumor cell growth by controlling cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and survival. Therefore, targeting FAK is considered to be a promising cancer therapy with small molecules. Many FAK inhibitors have been reported as anticancer agents with various mechanisms. Currently, six FAK inhibitors, including GSK-2256098 (Phase I), VS-6063 (Phase II), CEP-37440 (Phase I), VS-6062 (Phase I), VS-4718 (Phase I), and BI-853520 (Phase I) are undergoing clinical trials in different phases. Up to now, there have been many novel FAK inhibitors with anticancer activity reported by different research groups. In addition, FAK degraders have been successfully developed through “proteolysis targeting chimera” (PROTAC) technology, opening up a new way for FAK-targeted therapy. In this paper, the structure and biological function of FAK are reviewed, and we summarize the design, chemical types, and activity of FAK inhibitors according to the development of FAK drugs, which provided the reference for the discovery of new anticancer agents.

Chalcone is a common scaffold found in many biologically active compounds. The chalcone scaffold was also frequently utilized to design novel anticancer agents with potent biological efficacy. Aiming to continue the research of effective chalcone derivatives to treat cancers with potent anticancer activity, fourteen amino chalcone derivatives were designed and synthesized. The antiproliferative activity of amino chalcone derivatives was studied in vitro and 5-Fu as a control group. Some of the compounds showed moderate to good activity against three human cancer cells (MGC-803, HCT-116 and MCF-7 cells) and compound 13e displayed the best antiproliferative activity against MGC-803 cells, HCT-116 cells and MCF-7 cells with IC50 values of 1.52 μM (MGC-803), 1.83 μM (HCT-116) and 2.54 μM (MCF-7), respectively which was more potent than the positive control (5-Fu). Further mechanism studies were explored. The results of cell colony formatting assay suggested compound 10e inhibited the colony formation of MGC-803 cells. DAPI fluorescent staining and flow cytometry assay showed compound 13e induced MGC-803 cells apoptosis. Western blotting experiment indicated compound 13e induced cell apoptosis via the extrinsic/intrinsic apoptosis pathway in MGC-803 cells. Therefore, compound 13e might be a valuable lead compound as antiproliferative agents and amino chalcone derivatives worth further effort to improve amino chalcone derivatives’ potency.

Aims and objectives: During the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak period, there was increasing presentation in the number of patients with acute primary angle closure (APAC). This study aimed to report the occurrence of APAC during the COVID-19 post-restriction period and investigate the related characteristics of these patients with APAC. Methods: This retrospective, multi-center study included consecutive patients seeking APAC treatment at two eye centers in China from December 7, 2022 to January 13, 2023 (post-restriction period) and from December 7, 2021 to January 13, 2022 (control period). Electronic medical records were reviewed, and ocular data of the affected eye(s) were analyzed for patients with unilateral or bilateral APAC. Information including COVID-19 related symptoms, medications used for COVID-19 infection, and living habits and emotions related to the COVID-19 outbreak during the post restriction period were collected using a questionnaire. Results: Overall, 189 (219 APAC eyes) and 51 (54 APAC eyes) patients with APAC were identified during the post-restriction and control periods, respectively. The patients identified during the post-restriction period were younger (P = 0.043) and had a longer duration from symptoms to treatment (P = 0.039), shorter axial length (P = 0.002), larger pupil diameter (P = 0.004), larger vertical cup disc ratio (P = 0.004), poorer mean deviation values (P = 0.003), and more glaucomatous optic neuropathy diagnoses (P = 0.032) compared with the patients with APAC identified during the control period. Among 151 included patients with APAC who completed the questionnaires, 130 patients with APAC were diagnosed with concurrent COVID-19 infection, of which 54 (41.5 %) had coughing and/or vomiting as the main symptoms. Of these, 89.2 % spent 0 h per day on outdoor activity; 44.6 % drank more water than usual, with 14.6 % drinking more than twice the amount of water than usual; 91.5 % used antipyretics; and 20.0 % had mood swings, including anxiety, depression, and tension, during the concurrent COVID-19 infection. Conclusion: In our study, a significant increase in the number of patients presenting with APAC with certain characteristics was observed during the COVID-19 post-restriction period. And whether COVID-19 symptoms, such as coughing and vomiting, and behavioral and psychological changes caused by COVID-19 infection contributing to the concurrence of APAC and COVID-19 recurrence require further investigation.

The Na atom of the title complex, [Na2(ClO4)2(C10H8N2O2)2(H2O)4], is six-coordinate in a distorted octa­hedron. The N, N′-bis­(furan-2-ylmethyl­ene)hydrazine ligand is approximately planar, with a transoid configuration. Two coordinated water mol­ecules bridge two Na atoms, with an Na⋯Na separation of 3.542 (2) Å. The mol­ecule lies on an inversion centre. Inter­molecular π–π stacking inter­actions and O—H⋯O, O—H⋯N and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules together to form a three-dimensional structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ni atom in the title complex, [Ni(SCN)2(C6H14N4)(CH4O)2(H2O)], is six-coordinate in a slightly distorted octahedral environment. The hexamethylenetetramine ligand binds to the Ni atom through only one of its N atoms, trans to the coordinated water molecule. The thiocyanate and methanol ligands are also mutually trans. In the crystal structure, complex molecules are linked by four different kinds of hydrogen bonds (O—H...S, O—H...N, C—H...N and C—H...O) to form a three-dimensional network structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]