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Objectives Methods Results Conclusions Patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) exhibit variability in response to anti‐VEGF therapy. This study aimed to analyse the aqueous humour proteomic profiles of PCV patients and provide preliminary insights for the identification of biomarkers associated with anti‐VEGF drug responsiveness.PCV patients who were treatment‐naïve or untreated for more than 3 months were prospectively recruited from two hospitals in Beijing and Tianjin. Based on the relative changes in central macular thickness (ΔCMT/baseline‐CMT) before and after anti‐VEGF treatment, the PCV patients were divided into a good response (GR) group (≤−25%) and a poor response (PR) group (>−25%). Aqueous humour proteomics was performed by the Data‐independent Acquisition‐Mass Spectrometry (DIA‐MS) method, and differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) analysis between the different PCV groups and the control group was conducted. Key DEPs were selected for preliminary validation in the aqueous humour using the Luminex method retrospectively.A total of 31 PCV patients (31 eyes) were included, 13 in the GR group and 18 in the PR group. A total of 414 DEPs were identified, including 36 significantly upregulated proteins, such as G protein regulatory factor 10 (RGS10), podocin (PODN) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), and 32 downregulated proteins, including RAB11FIP4 (Rab11 family‐interacting protein 4), α‐synuclein (SNCA), haemoglobin subunit δ (HBD) and interleukin 6 (IL6). Compared to the cataract control group (10 eyes), 134 proteins were significantly upregulated, and 72 were downregulated. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the GR and PR groups differ in terms of cell communication, and cell signal transduction. Protein–protein interaction analysis revealed interactions between EGF and various DEPs. Validation of aqueous humour proteins using the Luminex method revealed that changes in the levels of EGF were associated with the anti‐VEGF treatment response in PCV patients.PCV patients with good or poor anti‐VEGF responses exhibit distinct aqueous humour proteomic profiles. Aqueous EGF may serve as a biomarker for the ‘precise treatment’ of PCV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of artificial intelligence technology, explosive research on the recognition of retina diseases with artificial intelligence was published worldwide, among which, diabetic retinopathy attracted most attention. However, evaluation of different artificial intelligence software remains a problem. The Department of Ophthalmology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital published the first standard well-annotated color photo database of diabetic retinopathy for artificial intelligence research in China. We herein present the procedures for the establishment of the database and aim to provide reference for the future development of similar databases.

Objective: To investigate the risk factors of lupus retinopathy (LR) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: This is a retrospective, cross‐sectional study. LR patients admitted at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from June 2013 to April 2023 were reviewed. Age‐ and gender‐matched SLE patients without retinopathy were selected as controls. Medical records including clinical manifestations, laboratory data and ophthalmic examination were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: One hundred and twelve LR patients (198 eyes) were included, with 12 cases (14 eyes) presenting with retinal macrovascular obstruction, and 100 cases (184 eyes) only exhibiting microvasculopathy. Multivariate analysis indicated the presence of haemolytic anaemia, decreased haemoglobin (HGB) and higher relative percentage of neutrophils were independent risk factors for LR (p < 0.05). The first two were also risk factors for retinal microvasculopathy, whereas secondary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) was for macrovascular obstruction. In male group, LR had significant associations with decreased HGB, no matter which types of retinopathy (p < 0.05). In female group, LR was significantly associated with haemolytic anaemia, presence of antiphospholipid antibodies, decreased white blood cells and relative high percentage of neutrophils. Specifically, haemolytic anaemia (p = 0.002) was significantly associated with retinal microvasculopathy, and APS (p = 0.003) was significantly associated with macrovasculature obstruction. Conclusion: LR was related to haemolytic anaemia, decreased HGB levels and higher percentage of neutrophils. Retinal microvasculopathy accounted for most cases and macrovasculature obstructions were rare. Male and female patients have distinct risk factors. Early ophthalmic screening is recommended especially for those with risk factors of LR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new pattern of urbanization, smart cities offer a set of initiatives to achieve a win-win situation for both environmental protection and economic development. This paper aims to explore the influence of smart city policy (SCP) on green technology innovation (GTI) by Chinese listed enterprises. Employing the difference-in-differences (DID) approach, the results show that SCP promotes enterprises' GTI. This finding remains valid after various robustness tests, which include the parallel trend test, PSM-DID, placebo test, the substitution of estimation model, replacement of dependent variable, and the exclusion of the impacts of other policies. Additional tests reveal that SCP improves GTI through government environmental subsidy, corporate environmental awareness, and research and development investments. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis suggests that our findings are more prominent in subsamples during the growth stage, in high-tech industries, and in eastern regions. Our research is vital to the urban ecological environment and high-quality economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pursuit of designing superconductors with high Tc has been a long‐standing endeavor. However, the widespread incorporation of doping in high Tc superconductors significantly impacts electronic structure, intricately influencing Tc. The complex interplay between the structural composition and material performance presents a formidable challenge in superconductor design. Based on a novel generative model, diffusion model, and doping adaptive representation: three‐channel matrix, we have designed a high Tc superconductors inverse design model called Supercon‐Diffusion. It has achieved remarkable success in accurately generating chemical formulas for doped high Tc superconductors. Supercon‐Diffusion is capable of generating superconductors that exhibit high Tc and excels at identifying the optimal doping ratios that yield the peak Tc. The doping effectiveness (55%) and electrical neutrality (55%) of the generated doped superconductors exceed those of traditional GAN models by more than tenfold. Density of state calculations on the structures further confirm the validity of the generated superconductors. Additionally, we have proposed 200 potential high Tc superconductors that have not been documented yet. This groundbreaking contribution effectively reduces the search space for high Tc superconductors. Moreover, it successfully establishes a bridge between the interrelated aspects of composition, structure, and property in superconductors, providing a novel solution for designing other doped materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cationic exchange resins are used in nuclear power circuits to remove the nuclide ions to maintain the safe and efficient operation of nuclear power plants. Meanwhile, the production of spent resins is expanding significantly due to the rapid technological advancements in the nuclear industry, causing the study of resin treatment to be of great significance. This study reveals the catalytic behavior of Mn from cation exchange resins during molten salt oxidation. Mn has many isotopic ions and a catalytic effect on the treatment process. Kinetic analysis reveals that the introduction of Mn decreases the activation energy of the styrene–divinylbenzene skeleton from 48.164 kJ mol−1 to 41.696 kJ mol−1 and decreases the degradation temperature of the resin by 78 °C. Compared to the original resin, the destruction and removal efficiency of Mn-doped cation exchange resin increased from 75.07% to 85.28% during molten salt oxidation at 650 °C. According to the scanning electron microscope analysis and characterization studies, Mn promotes a 55.71% reduction in the average particle diameter of resin structural fragments. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of the resin residues demonstrates that Mn doping influences the catalytic decomposition of –SO2– and S–O within sulfonic acid groups. This catalytic effect induces destabilization and subsequent ring-opening of the benzene ring. These results imply that Mn doping can facilitate molten carbonate oxidation destruction of cation exchange resins. The X-ray diffraction analysis of waste salt reveals that with increasing oxidation time, the transformation of Mn proceeds as (Mn2O6)6− → (MnO3)2− → (MnO2)− at 750 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop a sensitive point-of-care testing (POCT) aqueous vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) detection system, and assess its role for predicting the response to anti-VEGF treatment in macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO-ME) patients. An automatic point-of-care aqueous humor Magnetic Particle Chemiluminescence Enzyme Immuno-Assay (MPCLEIA) VEGF detection system was developed. The predictive values of aqueous cytokine levels, in combination with imaging parameters, on anatomical treatment response (ATR, the relative central macular thickness change [ΔCMT/bl-CMT]) were analyzed. The automatic MPCLEIA system was able to provide results in 45 min with only 20 μL sample. Among the 57 eyes with available pre- and post-treatment evaluation, ATR significantly correlated with levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and VEGF measured by Luminex xMAP platform, and VEGF measured by MPCLEIA. Optimal cut-off values for these biomarkers were 13.26 ng/L, 23.57 ng/L, 1,110.12 ng/L, 105.52 ng/L, and 85.39 ng/L, respectively. Univariate analysis showed significant associations between ATR category (good response if ATR≤−25 % or poor response otherwise) and IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, VEGF-xMAP, and VEGF-MPCLEIA (p<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that ATR category was significantly associated with aqueous VEGF-MPCLEIA (p=0.006) and baseline(bl)-CMT (p=0.008). Receiver operating characteristics analysis yielded an AUC of 0.959 for the regression model combining VEGF-MPCLEIA and bl-CMT, for predicting ATR category. Our novel MPCLEIA-based automatic VEGF detection system enables accurate POCT of aqueous VEGF, which shows promise in predicting the treatment response of RVO-ME to anti-VEGF agents when combined with bl-CMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Marangoni effect on the hydrodynamics and mass transfer was studied in an internal loop airlift reactor with the addition of ethanol under elevated pressure. The overall gas holdup αg increased by ~10% and the gas–liquid volumetric mass‐transfer coefficient kla increased by ~20% on average for each one bar increase in pressure. When the mole fraction of ethanol xE increased from 0 to 0.012, αg increased by ~110% and kla increased by ~50%. However, when xE increased from 0.012 to 0.11, αg decreased by ~40% and kla decreased by ~25%. This volcano‐shaped relationship between both hydrodynamics and mass transfer behavior and ethanol concentration was determined by the Marangoni effect. Semi‐empirical correlations of αg and kla were proposed by including the Marangoni effect in a wide range of ethanol concentration and operating conditions. These correlations gave good predictions of αg and kla compared with extensive experimental data in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aims of the study were to investigate whether first-dose efficacy can predict third-dose anatomical response and analyze the risk factors for first-dose response of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients' medical records from 27 centers of China PCV Research Alliance. PCV patients treated with intravitreal injections of conbercept (IVC) based on the 3+ pro re nata regimen (three initial monthly injections, followed by injections as needed) with complete 3-month injection data were included. Response correlations, risk factor associations, changes in central macular thickness (CMT) or best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and number of injections in the first year of follow-up were evaluated separately in the pachy-PCV and non-pachy-PCV phenotypes. Results: Overall, 165 eligible patients were included. There was a significant correlation between first-dose and third-dose anatomical response in pachy-PCV or non-pachy-PCV patients (rs = 0.611, p < 0.001; rs = 0.638, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed associations of good first-dose anatomical response in pachy-PCV patients with baseline CMT with a predicted area under the curve (AUC) of 0.847, while a good response in non-pachy-PCV patients was associated with baseline BCVA, baseline CMT, pigment epithelial detachment (PED) height, higher proportion of intraretinal fluid, and lower PED minimum diameter with a predicted AUC of 0.940. CMT in the good first-dose response group was significantly decreased from baseline at all first-year follow-up visits in both groups (p < 0.001), and mean BCVA was improved in the good versus poor first-dose anatomical response group (5.4 vs. 1.6 ETDRS letters in pachy-PCV, 10.6 vs. 7.4 letters in non-pachy-PCV) after the third injection. No significant difference was observed in the number of injections in the first year of follow-up between different response groups. Conclusion: In PCV patients receiving IVC, the first- and third-dose responses are significantly correlated, and different factors influence the first-dose response in different subtypes of PCV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]