Objective To evaluate the effect of two polymer membranes, polyhydroxyalkanoates(PHA)and polylactic acid(PLA)during glaucoma filtration surgery(GFS),and to evaluate the morphology of membranous PHA after interlamellar implantation. Methods Twenty-eight New Zealand white rabbits were chosen and twenty-four of them were randomly divided into 6 groups(n=4):the PHA-low group,PHA-high group,PLA-low group,PLA-high group,positive control group(MMC group)and blank control group. The rabbits in each group received GFS. The corresponding polymer membranes were implanted under the scleral flap,while the MMC group was treated with 0.2 mg/mL mitomycin C(MMC) for 3 minutes,and the blank control group was treated without extra drugs. The intraocular pressure(IOP)was examined at 0 d,1 d, 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, 28 d and 84 d after GFS. The corneal layers of four rabbits were implanted with PHA membranes and the corneal morphological changes were observed after 84 d. Results The IOP of the PHA-low and PLA-high groups was lower than that of the blank control group at 84 d after GFS(P < 0.05),and was similar with that of the MMC group(P> 0.05). Morphological studies showed that there were no collagenous fibers filling in the duct, and the collagenous fibers around the membranes were generally arranged in parallel. There were no obvious changes in the peripheral collagen structure after implantation of PHA membranes between the corneal layers. Conclusions Application of PHA and PLA membranes during GFS in rabbits may maintain the level of IOP,and the effect is similar with MMC. The mechanism may be achieved through the mechanical blocking of fibrous tissue.

Background::Although existing mycological tests (bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] galactomannan [GM], serum GM, serum (1,3)-β-D-glucan [BDG], and fungal culture) are widely used for diagnosing invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in non-hematological patients with respiratory diseases, their clinical utility in this large population is actually unclear. We aimed to resolve this clinical uncertainty by evaluating the diagnostic accuracy and utility of existing tests and explore the efficacy of novel sputum-based Aspergillus assays. Methods::Existing tests were assessed in a prospective and consecutive cohort of patients with respiratory diseases in West China Hospital between 2016 and 2019 while novel sputum assays (especially sputum GM and Aspergillus-specific lateral-flow device [LFD]) in a case-controlled subcohort. IPA was defined according to the modified European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycoses Study Group criteria. Sensitivity and specificity were computed for each test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed. Results::The entire cohort included 3530 admissions (proven/probable IPA = 66, no IPA = 3464) and the subcohort included 127 admissions (proven/probable IPA = 38, no IPA = 89). Sensitivity of BAL GM (≥1.0 optical density index [ODI]: 86% [24/28]) was substantially higher than that of serum GM (≥0.5 ODI: 38% [39/102]) ( χ2 = 19.83, P < 0.001), serum BDG (≥70 pg/mL: 33% [31/95]) ( χ2 = 24.65, P < 0.001), and fungal culture (33% [84/253]) ( χ2 = 29.38, P < 0.001). Specificity varied between BAL GM (≥1.0 ODI: 94% [377/402]), serum GM (≥0.5 ODI: 95% [2130/2248]), BDG (89% [1878/2106]), and culture (98% [4936/5055]). Sputum GM (≥2.0 ODI) had similar sensitivity (84% [32/38]) (Fisher’s exact P = 1.000) to and slightly lower specificity (87% [77/89]) ( χ2 = 5.52, P = 0.019) than BAL GM (≥1.0 ODI). Area under the ROC curve values were comparable between sputum GM (0.883 [0.812-0.953]) and BAL GM (0.901 [0.824-0.977]) ( P = 0.734). Sputum LFD had similar specificity (91% [81/89]) ( χ2 = 0.89, P = 0.345) to and lower sensitivity (63% [24/38]) ( χ2 = 4.14, P = 0.042) than BAL GM (≥1.0 ODI), but significantly higher sensitivity than serum GM (≥0.5 ODI) ( χ2 = 6.95, P = 0.008), BDG ( χ2 = 10.43, P = 0.001), and fungal culture ( χ2 = 12.70, P < 0.001). Conclusions::Serum GM, serum BDG, and fungal culture lack sufficient sensitivity for diagnosing IPA in respiratory patients. Sputum GM and LFD assays hold promise as rapid, sensitive, and non-invasive alternatives to the BAL GM test.