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Objective  Hypoxic–ischemic (HI)-related brain injury, especially HI encephalopathy (HIE) is a leading cause of morbidity and disability in newborns. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in the progress of HI brain damage. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulatory effects of lncRNA H19 on autophagy in HIE remain unknown. This study was designed to identify the potential mechanisms involving lncRNA H19 in HIE. Study Design  We selected three HIE newborns and three healthy newborns for neonatal behavioral neurological assessment and screened the differentially expressed lncRNAs by microarray analysis and detected H19 expression in serum. After that, neonatal HIE rats were established and injected with H19 overexpression lentivirus vector or autophagy activator Rapa. The structure and apoptotic levels of brain tissue were observed, and righting reflex and geotaxis reflex were utilized to evaluate the short-term neurological function of HIE rats. The Morris water maze was performed to measure the long-term neurological functions of HIE rats. The binding relationships among H19/miR-19b/protein kinase B3 (Akt3) were verified. Levels of Akt3- and autophagy-related proteins were measured. Results  H19 was upregulated in HIE newborns and rat models. The areas of cerebral infarction and apoptosis in neonatal HIE rats were increased, and the nerve functions were compromised. The overexpression of H19 alleviated nerve damage of neonatal HIE rats, and reduced autophagy of brain tissue. H19 upregulated Akt3 as a miR-29b sponge. The protective effects of overexpression of H19 on brain tissue and nerve functions of neonatal HIE rats were partially reversed by autophagy activator. Conclusion  H19 improved the brain tissue and alleviated nerve damage of neonatal HIE rats by upregulating the Akt3/mTOR pathway as a miR-29b sponge. Key Points H19 overexpression reduces the nerve damage in neonatal HIE rats. H19 reduces autophagy in neonatal HIE rats by the miR-29b/Akt3/mTOR axis. Autophagy activator reverses the protection of H19 in neonatal HIE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To comparatively evaluate the safety and satisfaction of bandage contact lens (BCL) and eye patching in patients after cataract surgery. Methods. Sixteen (32 eyes) patients who planned to undergo bilateral cataract surgery were recruited. The two eyes of each patient were randomly divided into 2 groups. Group A and Group B were instructed to wear BCLs immediately at the end of the surgery until one week and eye patch immediately after surgery until one day, respectively. Visual analog scales of ten specific symptoms, Visual Function Index (VF-14) questionnaire, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were conducted on the first day before the surgery and Day 1 and Day 7 after surgery. Oculus keratography was conducted on the first day before surgery and on Day 7. Patient satisfaction was determined on Day 1. Moreover, bacterial species in the conjunctival sac, meibomian gland secretions, and BCLs were subsequently identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results. The patient satisfaction scores of Group A were higher than Group B. Group A were more motivated to choose the same treatment and were more likely to recommend BCLs to others. No statistically significant differences were found in bacterial culture positivity between the groups. The differences in ocular signs and symptoms between the two groups were not statistically significant. There were no significant differences in the BCVA and VF-14 between the groups at any time point. Conclusions. BCLs could be safely and effectively used in patients after cataract surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Photocatalytic degradation of 2, 4-dichlorophenol (DCP) using granular activated carbon (GAC) supported TiO2 (Ti–GAC, using sol–gel method) is investigated. Operation parameters including annealing temperature, catalyst loading, air flow rate, initial pH and DCP concentration are optimized. The results show that DCP removal increases with the increase of Ti–GAC while decreases with the increase of initial DCP concentration. DCP is removed much faster in neutral conditions than in acidic or alkaline conditions. Comprehensive comparison among adsorption, photolysis and photocatalysis in DCP removal is conducted to reveal the synergistic effect in the photocatalysis process, and the results indicate that the DCP is removed by the joint effect of adsorption and HO∙ oxidation. In addition, the photocatalysis is applied in a continuous form to treat DCP polluted real raw water for drinking water production, and it is found to have potentially advantageous on dissolved pollutants in drinking water, and would have great potential for a wide range of practical applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]