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European heart journal / Supplements 24(Supplement_L), L29-L37 (2022). doi:10.1093/eurheartjsupp/suac114 special issue: "#GDMTWorks: The Race to Initiating and Optimizing HFrEF Therapies", Published by Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford

Purpose To describe and present results after a technique for cataract surgery combined with explantation of an iris-fixated phakic intraocular lens (IF-pIOL). Methods The medical records of all patients, who had undergone cataract surgery combined with IF-pIOL explantation and subsequent implantation of a posterior chamber IOL by the Single Incision Technique (SIT), were reviewed. Data collection included preoperative and postoperative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest refraction, and endothelial cell density (ECD) up to a follow-up time of 24 months. Results Fifty myopic eyes (34 patients) and 9 hyperopic eyes (6 patients) had undergone a SIT procedure mainly because of cataract (67%). Postoperative CDVA improved in both the myopic eyes to 0.16 ± 0.37 logMAR, as in the hyperopic eyes to − 0.10 ± 0.55 logMAR with no eyes having loss of Snellen lines. Mean postoperative spherical equivalent was − 0.34 ± 0.72 D and − 0.10 ± 0.55 D, respectively. ECD loss 6 months after surgery was 5% and remained stable thereafter. Conclusion SIT for combined phacoemulsification and IF-pIOL removal yields good visual and refractive results and is a safe procedure in regard to ECD loss. The technique has advantages over the conventional procedure and is easy to perform.

Background Octogenarians are underrepresented or excluded in major implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) trials. The deployment of ICDs and their real-world outcomes in octogenarians is unclear. Purpose To investigate the prevalence and outcomes of ICD implantation in octogenarian or older vs non-octogenarian. Methods We extracted details of all ICD implanted statewide from 2009–2018 including patient's characteristics, in-hospital complications and mortality using the Centre-for-Health-Record-Linkage administrative datasets. Implantation rates were adjusted for the population size by sex, age-groups in decade and calendar-year. Analysis was stratified by age Results There were 9304 admissions (12.1% ≥80yo) for de novo ICD implantation (mean±SD implantation: 1163±122 cases per-annum). The mean age for ≥80 vs Conclusion Despite limited clinical trials data on efficacy of ICD use in octogenarians or older, implantation rate was more than double that of Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Hypoglycemia is a major barrier impeding glycemic control in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus and creates a substantial burden on the healthcare system. Certain populations that require special attention, such as older adults and individuals with renal impairment, a longer duration of diabetes or those who have experienced prior hypoglycemia, may be at a higher risk of hypoglycemia, particularly with insulin treatment. Second-generation basal insulin analogues (insulin glargine 300 U/mL and degludec) have demonstrated reductions in hypoglycemia compared with insulin glargine 100 U/mL although evidence of this benefit across specific populations is less clear. In this review we summarize the literature with respect to the efficacy and safety data for second-generation basal insulin analogues in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are at risk of hypoglycemia or who require special attention. Randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses and real-world evidence demonstrate that the use of second-generation basal insulin analogues is associated with less hypoglycemia compared with insulin glargine 100 U/mL without compromising glycated hemoglobin control. A reduced risk of hypoglycemia with second-generation basal insulin analogues was evident in older adults and in individuals with obesity, renal impairment, a history of cardiovascular disease or a long duration of insulin use. Further studies are needed in other populations, including those with more severe renal impairment or hepatic dysfunction, the hospitalized population and those with cognitive impairment. Overall, less hypoglycemia associated with second-generation basal insulin analogues may help reduce barriers for insulin use, improve adherence and offset the costs of hypoglycemia-related healthcare resource utilization.

This research shows that domain-specific negative feedback motivates consumers to pursue proving goals and demotivates people to pursue enjoyment goals in subsequent, unrelated situations. ...

Iridocorneal endothelial syndrome is a rare ophthalmic disease, most of which are unilateral and common in women. The rate of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis is relatively high due to its various clinical manifestations. In this case, the patient presented uncontrollable high intraocular pressure, corneal edema leading to difficult observation of corneal endothelium morphology, and accompanied by a small amount of iris neovascularization. No clearly diagnosis was made before glaucoma surgery. Further examination was performed after corneal clearance, and the final diagnosis was iris corneal endothelial syndrome (Chandler syndrome).虹膜角膜内皮综合征是一种少见的眼科疾病，多为单眼发病，女性多见，因临床表现多样误诊漏诊率较高。本例患者表现为难以控制的高眼压，角膜水肿导致角膜内皮形态不易观察，且伴有虹膜少量新生血管，青光眼手术前未能明确诊断，术后角膜清亮后进一步完善检查，最终确诊为虹膜角膜内皮综合征（Chandler综合征）。.

textabstractIntroduction: During our clinical practice and research, we encountered an interchangeability problem when using the SP-2000P and SP-3000P TopCon corneal specular microscopes (CSMs) (TopCon Medical Systems, Tokyo, Japan) regarding the endothelial cell count (ECC). We describe a method to improve interchangeability between these CSMs. Methods: Five consecutive good-quality endothelial cell photographs were obtained in 22 eyes of 11 subjects. An ECC comparison between the two CSMs was performed after (I) gauging and calibration by the manufacturer, (II) adjustment of the magnification, (III) correction after external horizontal and vertical calibration. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the ECC of the SP-2000P and SP-3000P at the start. The SP-2000P counted an average of 500 cells/mm2 more than the SP-3000P (p=0.00). After correction for magnification and determining a correction factor based on external calibration, the difference between the ECC of the SP-2000P and the SP-3000P was then found to be 0.4 cells/mm2 and was not statistically significant (p=0.98). Discussion: We propose a method for improving interchangeability, which involves checking magnification settings, re-checking magnification calibration with external calibration devices, and then calculating correction factors. This method can be applied to various specular or confocal microscopes and their associated endothelial cell analysis software packages to be able to keep performing precise endothelial cell counts and to enable comparison of ECCs when a CSM needs to be replaced or when results from different microscopes need to be compared.

Vacuum brazing of NbSS/Nb5Si3 composite was performed with BNi2 and BNi5 filler alloys at 1293-1423 K for 1800 seconds. The joint microstructures were examined by a scanning electron microstructure (SEM) equipped with an X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometer (XEDS), and shear test for the brazed joints was conducted at room temperature. The NbSS/Nb5Si3 joint brazed with BNi2 filler alloy at 1293 K mainly consisted of Ni3Si + Nb3Si, NiSS and borides. As the brazing temperature increased to 1423 K, Cr2Nb and NbNi phases were formed and the shear strength of the joints was increased from 180 to 253 MPa. Concerning the joints brazed with BNi5 filler at 1423 K, they exhibited an average strength of 274 MPa, and the joint micro-hardness was lower than BNi2 filler. The BNi5 filler alloy not only raised the shear strength but also decreased the joint brittleness to some extent. As a new finding in this study, 4-5 at. pct Ni had been dissolved into (Nb,Ti)SS in the NbSS/Nb5Si3 composite, providing a new insight into the design of novel specific filler material for NbSS/Nb5Si3 joining.

Multi-point stretch forming, in contrast to the conventional solid stretching multi-point die, is a crucial flexible technology for sheet metal forming. The most significant advantage of this technology consists in forming many different components on the same machine. The conventional multi-point die generates dimples on the component surface. The three multi-point die arrangements: conventional, inclined, and shifted were discussed to compare the forming effect. The examination was focused on spherical components. Numerical analysis and corresponding experiments were carried out. Simulation results agree well with experimental data. Inclined and shifted arrangements result in smaller stresses, strains, and thickness thinning of the component are all smaller. Stresses are distributed more uniformly. The number of dimples is reduced, and stretching ditches are suppressed, the forming effect is improved best the forming effect is observed for the shifted arrangement. The research results are a strong evidence supporting the feasibility of developing a new multi-point die.

In this paper we study the low-lying states of neutron-rich Cd 122 , 124 , 126 , 128 and Cd 130 , 132 , 134 , 136 , 138 within the nucleon-pair approximation of the shell model. We adopt the phenomenological Hamiltonian for Cd 122 , 124 , 126 , 128 , and the shell-model effective interaction j j 46 for Cd 130 , 132 , 134 , 136 , 138 . The available experimental excitation energies and quadrupole transition probabilities are well reproduced by our calculation, and we also make predictions for very neutron-rich Cd nuclei. Based on our calculation, the B ( E 2 ; 0 g . s . + → 2 1 + ) values exhibit an asymmetric feature with respect to the N = 82 shell closure, which mainly comes from the contributions of the proton transition matrix elements. We also investigate for the eight open-shell Cd nuclei, whether two low-lying yrast states with spins differing by 2 can be connected by a quadrupole-phonon excitation, and here we take the proton and neutron quadrupole operators multiplied by 1 / r 0 2 as our quadrupole phonon operators. We calculate explicit overlaps between the low-lying yrast states and the constructed quadrupole-phonon states based on the low-lying yrast states with lower spins, and the results indicate that, for all eight open-shell Cd nuclei, | 2 1 + 〉 and | 4 1 + 〉 can be well described to be the states constructed by coupling the proton or neutron phonon to | 0 g . s . + 〉 and | 2 1 + 〉 , respectively. Very interestingly, for Cd 126 , 124 , 122 and Cd 136 , 138 , the 2 1 + state can be well described to be both the proton phonon state and the neutron phonon state, which indicates a nonorthogonal feature of these two phonon states. We further present an analytic relation for the overlap between these two phonon states, which implies that the proton and neutron phonon states constructed using the quadrupole operators and the 0 g . s . + state in an open-shell nucleus are almost impossibly orthogonal.

Elevated levels of triglycerides, independent of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and statin therapy, are associated with heightened cardiovascular risk.Mixed omega-3 fatty acid formulations, which contain varying amounts of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), lower triglycerides levels but trial results with omega-3 fatty acids combinations have generally been neutral for cardiovascular outcomes. In contrast, the REDUCE-IT trial with icosapent ethyl (IPE), a highly purified ethyl ester of EPA, demonstrated reduced cardiovascular risk in individuals with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or diabetes with at least one additional risk factor, despite having relatively well controlled LDL-C levels but triglycerides at least 135 mg/dl while on statin therapy. IPE offers an important new avenue for cardiovascular risk management in statin-treated individuals with elevated triglycerides.This review summarizes the results from outcome trials conducted with omega-3 fatty acids, differentiating between those with combinations of EPA/DHA and those with pure EPA, as well as imaging and preclinical data that help explain the different cardiovascular efficacy observed. A list of frequently asked questions with evidence-based responses is provided to assist our colleagues and their patients in the shared-decision process when considering if IPE is appropriate for cardiovascular risk reduction.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is considered to be a crucial gene in the animal development of bone and body size. In this study, a unique synonymous mutation (c.258 A > G) of the IGF-1 gene was modified with an adenine base editor to observe the growth and developmental situation of mutant mice. Significant expression differences and molecular mechanisms among vectors with different alanine synonymous codons were explored. Although modification of a single synonymous codon rarely interferes with animal phenotypes, we observed that the expression and secretion of IGF-1 were different between 8-week-old homozygous (Ho) and wild-type (WT) mice. In addition, the IGF-1 with optimal codon combinations showed a higher expression content than other codon combination modes at both transcription and translation levels and performed proliferation promotion. The gene stability and translation initiation efficiency also changed significantly. Our findings illustrated that the synonymous mutation altered the IGF-1 gene expression in individual mice and suggested that the synonymous mutation affected the IGF-1 expression and biological function through the transcription and translation processes., Graphical abstract, This research reveals the effect of a1 synonymous mutation in IGF-1 on the gene-expression process and its potential mechanism at both animal and cellular levels and suggests that codon collocation is of great significance in influencing gene function.

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Since the introduction of insulin as a life-saving agent for patients with type 1 diabetes, insulin preparations have evolved to approximate physiologic insulin delivery profiles to meet prandial and basal insulin needs. While prandial insulins are designed to have quick time–action profiles that minimize postprandial glucose excursions, basal insulins are designed to have a protracted time–action profile to facilitate basal glucose control over 24 h. Given that all insulins have the same mechanism of action at the target tissue level, the differences in time–action profiles are achieved through different mechanisms of protraction, resulting in different behaviors in the subcutaneous space and different rates of absorption into the circulation. Herein, we evaluate the differences in basal insulin preparations based on their differential mechanisms of protraction, and the resulting clinical action profiles. Multiple randomized control trials and real-world evidence studies have demonstrated that the newer second-generation basal insulin analogs, insulin glargine 300 units/mL and insulin degludec 100 or 200 units/mL, provide stable glycemic control with once-daily dosing and are associated with a reduced risk of hypoglycemia compared with previous-generation basal insulin analogs insulin glargine 100 units/mL and insulin detemir. These advantages can lead to decreased healthcare resource utilization and cost. With this collective knowledge, healthcare providers and payers can make educated and well-informed decisions when determining which treatment regimen best meets the needs of each individual patient. Funding: Sanofi US, Inc.

A retrieval method for deriving the hydrometeor mixing ratio within mesoscale convective system (MCS) is presented in this study. The hydrometeor retrieval method was designed to incorporate the flash extent densities (FED) data from the Feng-Yun-4 geostationary satellite into the S-band radar reflectivity (Zh) and ambient temperature (T) data-based hydrometeor retrieval method. Total lightning data are utilized to better discern regions containing graupel in clouds. In the quantitative estimation of rain mixing ratio, different intercept parameters are used for different ranges of Zh and different estimated precursors of raindrop in cold-cloud microphysical processes (i.e., graupel and snow aggregate). The hydrometeor retrieval method was evaluated through an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) in which the pseudo-input-data for the hydrometeor retrieval (i.e., the FED, Zh and T data) were obtained from the cloud-scale (1-km) simulation of an MCS using explicit electrification implemented within the Weather Research and Forecasting model. By incorporating the FED data as an additional input data source into the Zh and T-based hydrometeor retrieval method, the hydrometeor retrieval accuracy was improved. The hydrometeor retrievals were then assimilated into the model using the Real-Time Four-Dimensional Data Assimilation (RTFDDA) system. Assimilating more accurate hydrometeor fields slightly improved the analyses and forecasts of convective precipitation in the test MCS case. The improvement could be due to the more accurate hydrometeor analysis, which further affected the strength of the cold pool and gust front.

Radar data assimilation is an important method for short-term convection forecasting or nowcasting. To improve the short-term (mainly 0–3 h) precipitation forecasts for severe convective storms, an analysis nudging (Newtonian relaxation) based hydrometeor and latent heat nudging (HLHN) technique was developed to effectively assimilate radar reflectivity data in a Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-based real time four-dimensional data assimilation and short-term forecasting system (RTFDDA). The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of the RTFDDA system with radar data assimilation (RTFDDA-RDA) with rapid-cycling forecasting applications for Shenzhen, a subtropical coastal metropolis in southern China. The RTFDDA-RDA system was run to produce hindcasts for ten severe convective storm events occurred in Guangdong region during the 2017 rainy season. Results show that, through nudging cloud hydrometeors retrieved from radar reflectivity and the associated latent heat release, RTFDDA-RDA is able to produce the meso- and convective-scale features of the convective storms in a good accuracy and improve the short-term precipitation forecasting of the convective storms. Subjective and statistical evaluation results demonstrate that RTFDDA-RDA presents a reasonable capability for forecasting convective systems with improving the initial conditions and resulting in significant improvements of precipitation forecasting skills, especially for the 0–3-h nowcasting range. The sensitivity experiments on different latent heating schemes show that, the convective-stratiform separated heating scheme has the best performance of forecasts. Finally, intercomparison of different radar data assimilation approaches will be conducted in future.

In recent years, adopting renewable energy, such as wind power, has become a national energy policy for many countries due to concerns of pollution and climate change from fossil fuel consumption. However, accurate prediction of wind is crucial in managing the power load. Numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are essential tools for wind prediction, but they need accurate initial conditions in order to produce an accurate forecast. However, NWP models are not guaranteed to have accurate initial conditions over wind farms in isolated locations. This study hypothesizes that short-term, 0–3 h, wind forecast can be improved by assimilating anemometer wind speed observations from wind farm turbines into a numerical weather forecast system. A technique was developed to circumvent the requirement of simultaneously ingesting the wind speed and direction in a data assimilation/weather forecasting system. A six-day case study revealed that assimilating wind speed can improve the 0–3 h wind speed (power) forecast by reducing the mean absolute error up to 0.5–0.6 m s−1 (30–40%).

The iris-fixated phakic intraocular lens (pIOL) has been available for over 25 years. To provide a clear picture of outcomes and risks, for this systematic review and meta-analysis, the literature was searched for reports on middle- and long-term effects. The iris-fixated phakic intraocular lens (pIOL) has been available for over 25 years. To provide a clear picture of outcomes and risks, for this systematic review and meta-analysis, the literature was searched for reports on middle- and long-term effects of iris-fixated pIOLs on myopic and hyperopic eyes with a follow-up of at least 2 to 4 years. Visual and refractive results after implantation for correction of myopia are positive and the complication rate is low. Endothelial cell loss appears to be at an acceptable rate, although the range of endothelial cell change is too wide to draw firm conclusions. Care should be taken when considering an iris-fixated pIOL for hyperopic eyes because complication rates, particularly pigment dispersion, might be higher than those in myopic eyes. More well-designed, long-term studies are needed, especially in hyperopic eyes. The authors advocate for standardized reporting of refractive surgery data. Initiatives proposed by joumal authors and editors to achieve uniformity should be supported. (C) 2019 Published by Wolters Kluwer on behalf of ASCRS and ESCRS

The understanding of correlations between different biometric parameters is essential for personalized eye care in the field of cataract and refractive surgery. This systematic review offers a clear overview of the previous literature assessing these correlations including a meta-analysis. The review is focused on the following five correlations: (1) axial length and refractive error; (2) anterior chamber depth and refractive error; (3) axial length and anterior chamber depth; (4) corneal power and refractive error; (5) corneal power and axial length. An expected strong correlation between axial length and refractive error was found. Correlations including corneal power were weak and might be clinically insignificant.

Telemedicine refers to two or more medical institutions using communication, computer, and network technology to provide remote diagnosis, treatment, and care for patients. The necessity and feasibility of applying telemedicine are determined by the characteristics of burn injury. This paper reviewed the application of telemedicine in burn surgery at home and abroad, then analyzed the significance and problems of using this technology in the field of burns, finally forecasted the future of application of telemedicine in burn surgery.远程医疗是指2个或多个医疗机构运用通讯、计算机及网络技术，为患者提供远程诊断、治疗与护理的医疗方式。烧伤损害的特性决定了其应用远程医疗的必要性和可行性。本文综述了远程医疗在国内外烧伤领域的应用现状，分析了该技术在烧伤领域的应用意义以及存在的问题，并对远程医疗在烧伤外科的应用前景进行了展望。.

In this work we study approximate and exact solutions for nucleons in a single-$j$ shell, from the perspective of nucleon-pair basis states, i.e., those coupled by pairs with good spins. We find that for four, five, and six particles in the $0{h}_{11/2}$ shell, a selected set of independent nucleon-pair basis states leads to approximate solutions of a realistic two-body interaction, without resorting to the diagonalization. We analytically show that for six particles in the $j=\frac{11}{2}$ shell, two nucleon-pair states with $J=3$ and 11---which are coupled by three pairs of spin 0, 2, and 4 and by pairs of spin 0, 2, and 10, respectively---are eigenstates of any two-body interactions. In particular, we construct general analytic expressions for states of definite seniority numbers $\ensuremath{\nu}=3,4,5$ in terms of nucleon-pair basis states, based on which we further derive exact wave functions for a few eigenstates of any two-body interactions in the midshells of $j=\frac{7}{2},\frac{9}{2},\frac{11}{2}$. The exact wave functions given here should be useful in interpreting electromagnetic moment and transition properties of corresponding nuclei.

We investigated the effects of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) H19 on glioma cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis and the underlying mechanisms.H19 expression in glioma tissues, para-carcinoma tissues, and glioma cell lines was analyzed by Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). After transfecting U251 and U87MG cells with siRNA-H19, cell proliferation was detected by the cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) assay. Invasion and migration were detected by a transwell assay; cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry analysis; Dvl2, GSK-3β, cyclin D1, and β-catenin expressions were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting.H19 expression in glioma tissues was higher than that in para-carcinoma tissues and associated with poor prognosis in glioma patients. Cell proliferation, invasion, and migration significantly decreased, the percentage of glioma cells in G0/G1 significantly increased, the percentage of glioma cells in the S phase significantly decreased, and apoptosis significantly increased in U251 and U87MG cells transfected with siRNA-H19 compared to those in the siRNA-NC group. Downregulation of H19 decreased DVL2, cyclin D1, and β-catenin expression and increased GSK-3β expression. The inhibitory effects of downregulation of H19 on glioma cell proliferation, invasion, and migration were reversed by SKL2001 via the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway, which was further enhanced by inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway by XAV939.H19 was overexpressed in glioma tissues and glioma cell lines. Downregulation of H19 inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, arrested cell cycle progression in the G0/G1 phase, and induced cell apoptosis by restraining activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in glioma cells. Therefore, H19 is a potential therapeutic target for glioma therapy.

Wind forecast is an essential part of both weather and renewable energy predictions. This study investigated the performances of the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model real-time four-dimensional data assimilation (RTFDDA) and forecasting system for surface wind forecast over China. The system has been running operationally since 2016 with an analysis/forecast cycle every 3 h. The surface wind forecasting skill of the system was evaluated on the 3 km output with the evaluation period of one year from June 2017 to May 2018. The model outputs were validated against observations from the stations over China objectively. The statistics of the system performance was calculated for both station-by-station and the domain average, which include bias, root mean square errors, mean absolute errors, and the correlation between observation and model outputs. The error statistics show that the high-resolution model has advantages in forecasting the detailed structures of weather features and adding values with rapidly refreshing forecast cycles. The verification results demonstrate that WRF tends to forecast surface winds with positive bias for weak wind regimes and negative for high wind regimes. On the other hand, it tends to produce positive bias for lower topography regions and negative for high topography areas. This feature does not change with seasons although the magnitude of wind bias varies with different seasons. The wind forecast bias has the largest diurnal changes in summer, with positive bias close to the coastal areas and the downstream of Yangtze river.

Past research has examined independently how openness to experience, as a personality trait, and the situational threat triggered by a foreign cultural encounter affect the emergence of creative benefits from a culture-mixing experience. The present research provides the first evidence for the interactive effect of openness to experience and cultural threat following culturally mixed encounters on creative performance. In Study 1, under heightened perceptions of cultural threat, exposing to the mixing of Chinese and American cultures (vs. a non-mixed situation) made close-minded Chinese participants to perform more poorly in a creative generation task. In Study 2, inducing cultural threat by having a foreign cultural icon spatially intrude a sacred space of the local culture caused Chinese participants with lower levels of openness to perform less creatively when the foreign icon was deemed highly symbolic of the foreign culture. These patterns of effects did not emerge among open-minded participants. These findings suggest that trait openness acts as a buffer against foreign cultural threat to sustain the creative benefits of culture mixing.

Contains fulltext : 208588.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) PURPOSE: To evaluate the incidence of Acanthamoeba keratitis in the Netherlands between 2009 and 2015 and to analyse predicting factors for treatment outcome. METHODS: Patient characteristics, diagnostic methods, diagnostic delay, therapy prior to and after diagnosis, and visual outcome were obtained from medical files of all patients diagnosed with Acanthamoeba keratitis in the Netherlands between 2009 and 2015. A logistic regression analysis on treatment failure, defined as a best corrected visual acuity of less than 20/40 Snellen decimals (i.e. >0.3 logMAR or an approximate loss of three lines of visual acuity) and/or the need for keratoplasty, was performed to determine predicting factors. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-four eyes of 224 patients were included. Ninety-five percent of the patients were contact lens wearers, of whom 74% wore soft contact lenses. The number of cases increased from 16 in 2009 to 49 in 2015. This resulted in an estimated incidence of 1 in 21,000 for soft contact lens wearers in 2015. Eighty-seven eyes (39%) met the criteria for treatment failure. In a multivariable regression analysis, higher age at presentation, a higher severity stage and corticosteroid use before diagnosis were positively correlated with treatment failure. Early referral to a cornea specialist was associated with better clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Although Acanthamoeba keratitis is still a relatively uncommon disease, the incidence in soft contact lens wearers has increased to reach 1 in 21,000 in 2015. Treatment failure occurred in 39% of cases, with age, higher severity stage, corticosteroid use before diagnosis and indirect referral to a cornea specialist as important risks factors.

The aberrant expression of microRNA-375 (miR-375) has been proved to be associated with carcinogenesis. However, the role of miR-375 in glioblastoma (GBM) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate biological functions and its molecular mechanisms of miR-375 in GBM cells. In this study, real-time PCR results showed that the level of miR-375 expression in GBM tissues and GBM cell lines (U87 and U251) was decreased. Using MTT assay, Transwell migration and invasion assay, we demonstrated that miR-375 overexpression significantly suppress cell proliferation, cell migration and cell invasion capacity in U87 and U251 cells. However, downregulation of miR-375 had reverse effects on cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Targeting association analysis, dual luciferase assay, RT-PCR and western blot analysis results confirmed that miR-375 could target the 3'UTR of Wnt5a mRNA and regulated its protein expression. Further studies also find overexpression of Wnt5a could significantly reverse miR-375-mediated proliferation, migration and invasion on U87 and U251 cells. Therefore, we concluded that miR-375 inhibited the proliferation and invasion of GBM by regulating Wnt5a and might be a possible therapeutic agent for GBM.

Recently there has been extensive research to address the shortcomings of the widely used phosphor coated Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) such as the slow recombination rate. In-situ Indium rich InGaN quantum dots (QD) was incorporated into multi-quantum wells (MQWs) to generate a broad emission spectrum. In this research, we aim to study the effect of surface plasmon coupling on QD emission by depositing a layer of Silver (Ag) Nanoparticles onto a surface of such MQWs sample. Ag nanoparticles has been shown to be effect in tuning the different intensity and response of these quantum dots incorporated MQWs sample.

Giving effective negative feedback is not only important but also challenging. Often people struggle as to how; and perhaps even more so when the feedback receiver comes from a different culture . Building on the regulatory fit theory, the current research examined how negative feedback framing (gain- vs. loss framed) would affect feedback receivers’ motivation as a function of their regulatory focus. We found that European Americans were in general more promotion-focused than Chinese (Study 1) and Indians (Study 2), such that promotion-focused (vs. prevention-focused) participants showed higher motivation after receiving gain-framed (vs. loss-framed) negative feedback. Across two studies, with student and work samples, our findings answered the question of how to give more effective negative feedback and suggested that regulatory fit can be a universal strategy for increasing motivation across the East and West.