Background Ultra-long scan depth OCT can achieve imaging of full range of human ocular anterior segment.However,the measurement of the dimension of anterior segment from the OCT image with high speed and precision is a challenge at present.The software of automatic data processing is still lack in analyzing spectral domain OCT.Objective This study was to perform the automatic biometry and data processing of human ocular anterior segment OCT image by using self-developed automatic detection software and evaluate the accuracy and repeatability of this method.Methods Twenty eyes of 10 normal subjects were included in Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from June to July 2013.The OCT image of anterior eye segments were obtained with custom-made ultra-long scan depth OCT under the informed consent.Anautomatic software algorithm was developed for the biometric measurement on these OCT images,including boundary segmentation,image registration and optical correction of OCT images.The boundary segmentation algorithm utilized the axial gradient information of OCT images and the shortest path search principal based on the dynamic programming to optimize edge finding.Central corneal thickness (CCT),anterior chamber depth (ACD),pupil diameter (PD),lens thickness (LT),radius of lens anterior curvatures (LAC) and radius of lens of posterior curvatures (LPC) were automatically and manually measured,and the validity of automatic detection algorithm was assessed by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between the automatic and manual measurements,and the repeatability was validated by calculating the coefficient of repeatability (COR) between repeated measurement.This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Wenzhou Medical University and informed consent was obtained from all subjects.Results There were no significant differences in the results of CCT,ACD,PD,LT,LAC and LPC between the automatic and manual measurements (P =0.205,0.167,0.285,0.127,0.102,0.074).The results were consistent between automatic and manual measurements (all at ICC＞0.75).The repeated measurement values were consistent in CCT,ACD and LT in both automatic and manual modes (all at ICC＞0.75).The reproducibilities of automatic biometry in PD and LAC (ICC =0.793,0.872;COR =2.90,5.79) were better than those of manual mode (ICC =0.631,0.579;COR =5.62,10.46);while the reproducibility of automatic biometry in LPC (ICC =0.663;COR =6.17) was lower than that of manual mode (ICC =0.794,COR =4.79).Conclusions Self-developed automatic detection software appears to be accurate and repeatable in measuring dimension of spectral domain OCT images.This automatic software algorithm can be used for the biometry and monitor of human ocular anterior segment.

Background Tear meniscus gained by OCT device is essential to the dry eye diagnosis.Currently,RTVue Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) is commercially available to image the tear menisci.However,there were few studies to report the repeatability and reproducibility of lower and upper tear meniscus parameters measured by RTVue FD-OCT.Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the repeatability and reproducibility of lower and upper tear meniscus parameters measured by RTVue FD-OCT in normal and dry eyes.Methods In this prospective study,20 dry eyes of 20 patients were finally recruited,and 20 normal eyes of 20 age-and gender-matched healthy subjects were included during the same period.Successive three-time scans were performed at a 3-minute interval with RTVue FD-OCT in optional eye by one well-trained examiner,and the other operator performed the same measurement 10-15 minutes later.Six parameters of tear meniscus were yielded by custom software,including upper meniscus curvature (UMC),upper meniscus height(UMH),upper meniscus area (UMA),lower meniscus curvature (LMC),lower meniscus height (LMH) and lower meniscus area (LMA).The between-image repeatability was assessed using mean coefficient of repeatability (MCOR),while between-operator reproducibility were evaluated using coefficient of repeatability (COR) and interclass correlation of coefficients (ICC).Results As for the between-image repeatability,the results of MCOR for UMH,UMA,LMH and LMA were 5.11％,3.58％,4.98％ and 4.82％ respectively in the normal eyes and 5.60％,5.80％,5.03％ and 5.74％ respectively in the dry eyes.As for the between-operator reproducibility,the results of COR and ICC for UMA were 5.38％ and O.975,the COR and ICC for LMA were 5.28％ and 0.961 respectively in the normal eyes,and the results of COR and ICC for LMA were 9.69％ and 0.964 in the dry eyes.Conclusions The UMA,LMH and LMA tear meniscus parameters obtained by RTvue FD-OCT show good between-image repeatability,and LMA also presents good between-operator reproducibility.Measurement of tear meniscus parameters with RTVue FD-OCT measuring is a potential diagnostic index for the diagnosis of dry eye.

This study was aimed to provide references for techniques in future application of traditional and natural drugs for tumor prevention and treatment. Domestic and foreign literatures on applications of gene chip technology in antitumor studies with natural and traditional medicine from 2000 to 2014 were reviewed. Corresponding database was established from aspects of published articles, drug intervention types, study fields, sample sources, chip technology platforms, repeatability of gene chip experiments, criteria of differential genes, and validation of gene chip experiments. Application experiences of gene chip in antitumor natural and traditional drugs were summarized. Shortcomings of gene chip technology application were analyzed deeply. The results showed that experimental gene screening was limited at the cellular level. More attentions should be paid to experiments at the animal and clinical levels. Scholars had paid more attention to expression level of mRNA and less attention to gene regulation level and epigenetic research of microRNA chip and DNA methylation chip. Gene chip experiments were lack of repeatability, which directly affected the evaluation results of difference gene and reduced reliability of gene screening. Screening results of genes should be verified not only at the mRNA level, but also increased at the protein level. It was concluded that gene chip was one of the most mature technologies to detect the level of gene expression, which was widely used in the research field of traditional and natural antitumor drug studies. Researchers should try to avoid deficiencies mentioned above in experiments related to gene chip technology.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of apoptosis stimulating protein 2 of p53 (ASPP2) phosphorylation status in the regulation of ASPP2-p53 apoptotic pathway activity.

METHODSCells were individually transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-encoding vector, constitutively non-phosphorylatable ASPP2 mutant-ASPP2 (Am)-encoding vector, and wild type ASPP2 (Aw)-encoding vector) plasmids, respectively, to make them overexpressing phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated ASPP2 proteins, respectively. Cell apoptosis was induced by oxaliplatin. The apoptosis rate of cells was determined by flow cytometry after staining with FITC-conjugated annexin V and PI. ASPP2 protein level and its phosphorylation status were observed by Western blot. The interaction between ASPP2 and p53 was observed by immunoprecipitation assay.

RESULTSOxaliplatin induced cell apoptosis and caused phosphorylation of ASPP2 at ser92/ser361 in the HCT116 cells. The apoptosis rate of Aw and Am plasmids-transfected cells were (3.8 ± 1.0)% and (3.9 ± 1.2)% respectively, statistically with a non-significant difference (P > 0.05) in comparison with that of the GFP plasmid-transfected cells [(4.0 ± 0.8)%]. After oxaliplatin treatment, the apoptosis rate of Aw plasmid-transfected cells was (46.7 ± 3.9)%, significantly higher than that of the Am and GFP plasmid-transfected cells [(40.1 ± 10.2)% and (37.1 ± 6.9)%, respectively, P < 0.05], however, there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) between Am and GFP plasmid-transfected cells. These results indicate that phosphorylated ASPP2 promoted the oxaliplatin-induced apoptosis of HCT116 cells through a p53-dependent pathway. Phosphorylation status of ASPP2 influenced its binding activity to p53.

CONCLUSIONPhosphorylation status of ASPP2 modulates p53 apoptotic function in oxaliplatin-induced apoptosis of colorectal cancer HCT116 cells.

Apoptosis ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; metabolism ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; HCT116 Cells ; Humans ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; Phosphorylation ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; genetics ; metabolism

On June 16, 2023, National Disease Control and Prevention Administration of the People’s Republic of China, in collaboration with other ministries, formulated and issued the Action Plan to Accelerate the Elimination of Schistosomiasis in China (2023—2030). The implementation of this plan provides an important basis for achieving the targets set in the “Healthy China 2030” action plan and the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy. This paper describes the background, principles, targets, control strategies, safeguard measures and effectiveness evaluation of the plan, in order to guide the scientific and standardized implementation of actions for schistosomiasis elimination at the grassroots level, and facilitate the progress towards elimination of schistosomiasis in China with a high quality.