Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Humans

Diabetes mellitus has become one of the diseases which threaten the heath of human being in the 21st century.A goal of research in diabetes is to find a way to increase the number of functional insulin-producing cells. Islet transplantation has been considered to be the most effective approach to cure type Ⅰ and part of type Ⅱ diabetes mellitus.This approach, however, is severely limited by an inadequate supply of donor islets available for transplantation.Moreover, recent progress of stem cells research has shown that stem cells may act as a new source of islet transplantation in diabetes mellitus treatment. Recent evidence indicates that Glucagon-Like PeptideⅠ(GLP-1) plays a very important role in targeted differentiation of stem cells into Insulin-Producing Cells and pancreatic development. GLP-1 is an intestine-derived insulinotropic hormone that stimulates glucose dependent insulin production and secretion. GLP-1 can induce differentiation of stem cells into insulin-producing cells, which is achieved by up regulation of PDX-1 expression.PDX-1 is a transcription factor critical for pancreatic development and endocrine cell neogenesis and a marker for pancreatic stem cells. These new findings suggest an approach to create Insulin-Producing cells in vitro by expanding stem/progenitor cells and then to convert them into Insulin-Producing cells by treatment with GLP-1. Thus GLP-1 may be a means by which to create Insulin-Producing cells ex vivo for transplantation into patients with insulinopenic type Ⅰ diabetes and severe forms of type Ⅱ diabetes. This article reviews recent progress about GLP-1 and targeted differentiation of stem cells induced by GLP-1.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Busulfan ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Transplantation Conditioning ; methods ; Young Adult

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Gluconates ; pharmacology ; Lactate Dehydrogenases ; metabolism ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; prevention & control ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

?AIM: To discuss the effect of laser exposure on visual acuity and macula.?METHODS: Retrospective and consecutive case series. A retrospective analysis of 11 patients (11 eyes) with laser retinal injury was carried out from January 2014 to June 2015 in Ophthalmology Department of No. 474 Hospital of Chinese PLA. All individuals underwent visual acuity, best corrected visual acuity ( BCVA ) , and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography ( SD-OCT) for macular at first visit, and fundus fluorescein angiography ( FFA ) , visual field, and multifocal electroretinogram ( mf ERG ) were perform if necessary. Symptomatic therapies, supportive therapies and pars plana vitrectomy ( PPV ) were performed depended on the patient’s condition. The patients were followed-up at 1, 3 and 6mo after the first visit, and patients were undertaken visual acuity, BCVA, macular SD-OCT and so on.?RESULTS: Eight patients ( 73%) were under 18 years old and all patients were young males, who were injured by laser pointers when playing. Three patients ( 27%) over 18 years old were injured accidentally at work. Ten (91%) patients’ BCVA were ≤0. 3, while one ( 9%) patient’s BCVA was higher ≥0. 3. Full-thickness macular holes ( the diameter 224-519 μm ) were detected in 10 patients (91%), while sub-foveal RPE changes and IS/OS injury in 1 patient ( 9%) . Macular hole with traction or cystoid edema in 6 eyes (55%) were received PPV, while the other 5 eyes ( 4 eyes with stable macular hole and 1 eyes with RPE injury ) received conservative treatment. Macular hole closed successfully in 1 eye ( 17%) after PPV, while macular hole in the other 5 eyes ( 83%) were stable after PPV of which the cystoid edema faded. The 4 patients with macular hole and 1 patient with RPE injury were stable during follow-up period. However, the BCVA in all patients had no significant improvement at end.?CONCLUSION: Exposure to laser devices could lead to severe macula injury that could reduce central vision, which is permanent.

Aortic Aneurysm ; diagnosis ; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic ; diagnosis ; Carotid Body Tumor ; diagnosis ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

Objective To analyze the correlation of visual acuity and metamorphopsia with foveal morphology before and after vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling (ILMP) in idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane (IMEM) eyes.Methods This is a retrospective case series of 47 IMEM patients (49 eyes).All the patients underwent 25G pars plana vitrectomy with IMEM removal and ILMP.The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was measured using the international standard visual acuity chart,and the results were converted to the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity.The severity of metamorphopsia was measured using M-charts.The central macular thickness (CMT),inner nuclear layer thickness (INT),inner retinal layer thickness (IRT),outer retinal layer thickness (ORT),the status of ellipsoid zone (EZ) were assessed with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography at baseline and each month postoperatively.The differences in BCVA,CMT,INT,IRT,ORT and status of EZ before and after surgery were analyzed,so did the correlations between these indexes at the same time.Results Compared with baseline,the postoperative BCVA was significantly increased (F=6.133,P＜0.001),but the M value,CMT,INT,IRT,ORT were significantly decreased (F=12.481,10.565,15.739,6.046,10.569;P＜0.001);the integrity of EZ was improved significantly (x2=12.309,P＜0.001).Preoperative BCVA was positively related to the CMT (r=0.720) and ORT (r=0.720,0.887;P＜0.05),while negatively related to preoperative integrity of EZ (r=-0.295,P＜0.05).The postoperative BCVA was positively related to the preoperative BCVA and postoperative CMT,ORT (r=0.774,0.754,0.842;P＜0.05),while negatively related to postoperative integrity of EZ (r=-0.676,P＜0.05).The preoperative M value was positively related to the preoperative CMT,INT,IRT,and ORT (r=0.931,0.668,0.840,0.637;P＜ 0.05).The postoperative M value was positively related to the preoperative M value and postoperative CMT,INT,IRT,and ORT (r=0.723,0.722,0.767,0.825,0.387;P＜0.05).Conclusions Vitrectomy with ILMP for IMEM can improve the visual acuity,metamorphopsia and foveal morphology.Both visual acuity and metamorphopsia correlate with foveal morphology.

Objective To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of vitrectomy combined with internal limiting membrane (ILM) tamping on macular hole and retinal detachment (MHRD) in highly myopic eyes.Methods 23 patients (23 eyes) were retrospectively reviewed,who were diagnosed as MHRD through examination of the ocular ftmdus,optic coherence tomography (OCT) and B-mode ultrasonography.There were 5 males (5 eyes) and 18 females (18 eyes).The mean age was (62.35 ± 8.28) years.The mean course of disease was 1.1 months.The logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 2.31 ± 0.72.The mean axial length was (28.66 ± 1.99) mm.All patients underwent 23G microincision vitrectomy.After vitreous gel and cortex were gently resected,the ILM around the edges of the macular hole was stained with indocyanine green,and was folded and pushed to fill the macular hole gently.Then silicone oil or C3F8 gas tamponade was applied in 18 eyes and 5 eyes,respectively.The silicone oil was removed after 3 months.The follow-up was 6 months.The BCVA,macular hole closure,retinal anatomical reattachment were retrospectively observed,and were used to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the surgery.Results At the 6 months after surgery,the logMAR BCVA was improved to 1.13 ± 0.38,the difference was significant (t=l 5.33,P=0.00).The postoperative macular hole closure rate and retinal anatomical reattachment rate were 100％.There were no ocular or systemic adverse events observed in all patients.Conclusion Vitrectomy combined with ILM tamping is an effective and safe treatment for the high myopic eyes with MHRD.

Animals ; Astragalus membranaceus ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Intestine, Small ; blood supply ; Lipid Peroxidation ; drug effects ; Male ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation ; Reperfusion Injury ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism