One of the significant hurdles in telemedicine, particularly in ophthalmology, is the absence of direct physical examination. This specialty depends extensively on specialized instruments that typically require proficient operators. Visual function tests are crucial for both outpatient and inpatient ophthalmic services, playing a vital role in screening, diagnosing, monitoring treatment effectiveness, and managing follow-ups for various eye conditions. The progress in mobile technology has paved the way for expanding these tests beyond traditional clinic settings, promoting the creation of patient-focused, straightforward, cost-effective, and efficient measurement tools. In light of the swift advancement of digital technologies, this article reviews the characteristics, and reliability of self-administered visual function tests tools, including visual acuity, refractive error assessment, visual field, contrast sensitivity, and color vision, along with other pertinent diagnostic tools that have been developed and validated for accuracy and repeatability through research, with a view to providing ophthalmologists and patients with scientific and practical references when selecting and using these tools, further promoting efficiency and efficacy of teleophthalmology.

Background::Urticaria is a common skin disease characterized by episodes of wheals, and it has a negative effect on patients’ quality of life. Large-scale population-based epidemiological studies of urticaria are scarce in China. The aim of this survey was to determine the prevalence, clinical forms, and risk factors of urticaria in the Chinese population.Methods::This survey was conducted in 35 cities from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities of China. Two to three communities in each city were selected in this investigation. Participants completed questionnaires and received dermatological examinations. We analyzed the prevalence, clinical forms, and risk factors of urticaria.Results::In total, 44,875 questionnaires were distributed and 41,041 valid questionnaires were collected (17,563 male and 23,478 female participants). The lifetime prevalence of urticaria was 7.30%, with 8.26% in female and 6.34% in male individuals ( P < 0.05). The point prevalence of urticaria was 0.75%, with 0.79% in female and 0.71% in male individuals ( P < 0.05). Concomitant angioedema was found in 6.16% of patients. Adults had a higher prevalence of urticaria than adolescents and children. Living in urban areas, exposure to pollutants, an anxious or depressed psychological status, a personal and family history of allergy, thyroid diseases, and Helicobacter pylori infection were associated with a higher prevalence of urticaria. Smoking was correlated with a reduced risk of urticaria. Conclusion::This study demonstrated that the lifetime prevalence of urticaria was 7.30% and the point prevalence was 0.75% in the Chinese population; women had a higher prevalence of urticaria than men. Various factors were correlated with urticaria.

Objective:To investigate the masticatory function and the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in gingival crevicular fluid.Methods:The clinical data of 98 patients with dentition loss admitted to Tongxiang First People′s Hospital from June 2017 to June 2019 were analyzed, and 49 cases were treated with oral implant repair(observation group) and 49 cases were treated with conventional repair(control group). Both groups were followed up for 6 months. The masticatory function, speech function, retention function, quality of life and the changes of MCP-1 and TNF-α in gingival crevicular fluid were compared before treatment and 6 months after treatment.Results:The total effective rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group: 95.92%(47/49) vs. 79.59%(39/49), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=6.078, P<0.05). At 6 months after treatment, the scores of masticatory function, speech function and retention function in the observation group were higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05). The scores of emotional function, social function and physiological function in the observation group were higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05). The levels of MCP-1 and TNF-α in gingival crevicular fluid of the observation group were lower than those of the control group: (32.09 ± 7.65) μg/L vs. (43.62 ± 9.23) μg/L, (2.19 ± 0.38) μg/L vs. (3.20 ± 0.51) μg/L, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Dental implant repair is effective for patients with dentition loss, and it can improve masticatory function and quality of life, and reduce the expression of MCP-1 and TNF-α in gingival crevicular fluid.

Objective:To observe and analyze the clinical features, treatment methods and efficacy of patients with retinopathy associated with incontinentia pigmenti (IP).Methods:A retrospective case study. Twelve clinical confirmed IP patients (24 eyes) in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2015 to December 2018 were included in this study. The best corrected visual acuity and intraocular pressure examination were performed in patients (>4 years old). All patients were examined on the anterior segment, vitreous body, and fundus under topical anesthesia or general anesthesia. Eight cases underwent genetic testing. Patients with active disease should be given anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug treatment, retinal laser photocoagulation or vitrectomy, those without active disease should be observed. All patients were followed up for 1 to 3 months, with an average follow-up time of 18.7 months.Results:All patients were all female, with an average age of 6.3±9.8 years old at the first ophthalmology visit. According to the recommendations of the pediatrician, 3 cases were actively screened for ophthalmology (referrals), with an average age of 0.4±0.5 years (median age: 2 months). A total of 9 cases were not recommended for referrals (non-referrals), including 3 cases of ophthalmology who were diagnosed for the first time due to visual impairment, and 6 cases of undiagnosed IP before the ophthalmology visit, the average age of their first visit was 8.2±10.8 years (medium age: 3 years old). The age of the first visit for non-referred patients was larger than that of referrals, and the difference was statistically significant ( Z=-2.141, P=0.036). Among the 24 eyes of 12 cases, there were no obvious fundus abnormalities in 1 case or 2 eyes, 11 cases of IP-related retinopathy in 22 eyes (91.7%, 22/24), 8 cases of binocular asymmetry (66.7%, 8/12). There were active lesions on the fundus in 7 eyes (29.2%, 7/24). Patients underwent simple retinal laser photocoagulation and/or anti-VEGF drug therapy. During the follow-up, retinal neovascularization recurred in 1 eye. Among the 8 cases that underwent genetic testing, 3 cases (37.5%, 3/8) were deleted in exons 4-10 of the IKBKG gene. Conclusions:IP is more common in women. IP-associated retinopathy is noted with early-onset, asymmetrical retinopathy, which is identified with retinal neovascularization and vitreous proliferation. Early detection and timely treatment are essential.

Objective:To identify the risk factors for early neurological complications after revascularization in adult patients with moyamoya disease.Methods:The medical records of patients of both sexes with moyamoya disease, aged 18-65 yr, of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅱ or Ⅲ, who underwent revascularization in our hospital from January 2017 to June 2019, were retrospectively collected.According to the occurrence of early postoperative neurological complications, patients were divided into early postoperative neurological complication group and non-early postoperative neurological complication group.The factors such as patient′s age, gender, preoperative clinical symptoms, previous history of hypertension, history of diabetes, history of coronary heart disease, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, methods of anesthesia, type of operation, anesthesia time, time for start of operation, operation time, intraoperative urine volume, times of intraoperative vasoactive drugs used, and time of the post-anaesthesia observation room (PACU) stay were collected.Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for postoperative early neurological complications.Results:A total of 510 adult patients with moyamoya disease underwent revascularization were enrolled in this study, and the incidence of early postoperative neurological complications was 9.0%.The results of logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative ischemia, intraoperative use of vasoactive drugs more than 3 times and PACU stay time>90 min were risk factors for postoperative neurological complications ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Preoperative ischemia, intraoperative use of vasoactive drugs >3 times and PACU stay time>90 min are risk factors for early neurological complications after revascularization in the patients with moyamoya disease.

Lycophytes and seed plants constitute the typical vascular plants. Lycophytes have been thought to have no paleo-polyploidization although the event is known to be critical for the fast expansion of seed plants. Here, genomic analyses including the homologous gene dot plot analysis detected multiple paleo-polyploidization events, with one occurring approximately 13-15 million years ago (MYA) and another about 125-142 MYA, during the evolution of the genome of Selaginella moellendorffii, a model lycophyte. In addition, comparative analysis of reconstructed ancestral genomes of lycophytes and angiosperms suggested that lycophytes were affected by more paleo-polyploidization events than seed plants. Results from the present genomic analyses indicate that paleo-polyploidization has contributed to the successful establishment of both lineages-lycophytes and seed plants-of vascular plants.
Evolution, Molecular ; Genome, Plant ; Genomics ; Phylogeny ; Polyploidy ; Selaginellaceae/genetics*

Objective:To explore the mechanism of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells, i.e. CD4 +CXCR5 +T cells, and the secreted cytokine programmed death factor 1 (PD-1) in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis, and to explore the significance of Tfh cells and PD-1 in the treatment of tuberculosis. Methods:Flow cytometry was used to detect the changes of Tfh cells and PD-1 in mononuclear cells during the treatment cycle of tuberculosis.Results:Before treatments, the ratio of Tfh cells/CD4 +T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the pulmonary tuberculosis group was 3.37%±0.45%, which was significantly higher than 2.21%±0.47% of the healthy control group ( P<0.01), and significantly higher than 2.39%±0.38% after treatments ( P<0.01). Before treatments, the ratio of CD4 +CXCR5 +PD-1 +T cells/Tfh cells in the peripheral blood of the tuberculosis group was 25.33%±10.08%, which was significantly higher than 8.42%±2.31% of the healthy control group ( P<0.01), and significantly higher than 11.35%±2.65% after treatments ( P<0.01). After treatments, the levels of Tfh cells and PD-1 in the sputum smear-negative group and the sputum smear-negative group were lower than that before treatments, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The levels of Tfh cells and PD-1 in patients with tuberculosis are significantly higher than those in healthy people, and after drug treatment, the levels of both can be reduced. With the prolongation of the treatment cycle, the sputum smear-transforming group and the non-negative group began to show significant differences. In the course of pulmonary tuberculosis, monitoring changes in Tfh cells and PD-1 levels is helpful for the diagnosis of tuberculosis, and has certain guiding significance for its treatment and outcome.

Objective    To evaluate the strategy of chemoradiotherapy following endoscopic R0 resection for esophageal cancer in M3-T1b stage. Methods    There were 45 esophageal cancer patients with M3-T1b stage with endoscopic R0 resection followed by additional chemoradiotherapy from ECETC (Esophageal Cancer Endoscopic Therapy Consortium) as a trial group with 34 males and 11 females at age of 61.37±7.14 years. There were 90 patients with esophagectomy from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center as a control group with 63 males and 27 females at age of 61.04±8.17 years. Propensity score match (1:2) was used to balance the factors: gender, age, position, depth of invasion and lymphovascular invasion (LVI), which may influence the outcomes. Overall survival (OS) rate, relapse free survival (RFS) rate, and local recurrence rate were compared between the two groups. Result    There was no statistical difference (HR=2.66 with 95%CI 0.87 to 8.11, P=0.179) in terms of OS rate between the two groups. One, two and three years overall survival rate of patients in the control group was 93%, 86%, and 84%, respectively. Nobody died in the trial group within 3 years after surgery. The RFS rate between the two groups didn’t significantly differ (HR=1.48, 95% CI 0.66 to 3.33, P=0.389). One, two and three years RFS rate of patients in the contorl group was 87%, 78%, and 76%, respectively, while 97%, 93%, and 73% in the trial group, respectively. The local recurrence rates between the two groups didn’t significantly differ either ( HR=0.53，95%CI 0.13 to 2.18, P=0.314). One, two and three years local recurrence rate of patients in the control group was 5%, 6% and 6%, respectively, while 0%, 0% and 21% in the trial group, respectively. Conclusion    Similar outcomes are found regarding OS, RFS and local recurrence rates between the two groups. The strategy of endoscopic R0 resection followed by additional chemoradiotherapy has prospect for the treatment of esophageal cancer in M3-T1b stage. And this kind of therapy may be provided for those with risk factors or can not tolerate surgery.

AIM:To detect the endogenous expression of B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 6 member B (BCL6B) in FHC and LoVo cells, and to investigate the effects of BCL6B on proliferation and migration of LoVo cells for further explo-ring the underlying mechanism .METHODS:The endogenous expression of BCL 6B in the FHC and LoVo cells was detec-ted by RT-PCR and Western blot .The methods of MTT assay , colony formation assay , wound healing assay and Transwell chamber experiment were employed to examine the biological functions of BCL 6B in the LoVo cells.The mRNA and protein levels of BCL6B, cyclin D1 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 ( MMP-9) were determined by RT-PCR and Western blot , re-spectively.The level of phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT) was detected by Western blot.RESULTS:BCL6B ex-pression was notably repressed in the LoVo cells as compared with the FHC cells , which were significantly increased by transfection with pcDNA3.1-BCL6B.The abilities of proliferation and migration of the LoVo cells at 72 h were inhibited by 28.33%(P<0.01) and 36.11%(P<0.05) in BCL6B group.The mRNA levels of cyclin D1 and MMP-9 in the cells of BCL6B group were decreased by 39.90%(P<0.01) and 77.36% (P <0.05), and the protein levels of cyclin D1, MMP-9 and p-AKT were reduced by 44.00%(P<0.05), 47.06%(P<0.01) and 32.88% (P<0.05), respectively. CONCLUSION:BCL6B inhibits proliferation and migration of the LoVo cells , and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is in-volved in this process .

Objective To explore a rapid and accurate method for the diagnosis of smear negative tuberculosis meningitis (TBM). Methods Sixty-seven patients with TBM were selected from Tianjin Haihe Hospital from June 2014 to June 2016, and 118 patients with non-tuberculous meningitis (NTBM) in the same period were chosen as control group, including bacterial meningitis (BM) group (n=61) and viral meningitis (VM) group (n=57). The laboratory routine, biochemical and immune indicators were tested with the specimens of both the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of all the patients. The Logistic regression equation was established for the diagnosis of TBM, and the diagnostic efficacy of which was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results The predictive regression equations of the TBM with BM, VM and NTBM (BM + VM) were obtained when BM group was used as a control: PRE_BM=1/1 +e-(-5.298+0.196 × ESAT-6+ 0.119 × CFP-10-2.968 × PCT+2.206 × ADA_CSF+0.705 × GLU_CSF+0.093 × LDH_CSF), PRE_VM=1/1+e-(-6.907+0.394 × ESAT-6-0.120 × Na+2.633 × ADA_CSF-0.088 × Cl_CSF) and PRE_NTBM=1/1+e-(0.683+0.099×ESAT-6+0.063×CFP-10-2.645×PCT+1.393×ADA_CSF+1.342×TbAb_CSF)respectively. When BM group was served as a control, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the regression for the diagnosis of TBM were 97.01%(89.63%-99.64%), 98.36%(91.20%-99.96%), 98.48%(91.84%-99.96%) and 96.77%(88.83%-99.61%), respectively.When VM group was served as a control, which were 94.03%(85.41%-98.35%), 94.74%(85.38%-98.90%), 95.45%(87.29%-99.05%) and 93.10%(83.27%-98.09%), respectively. When NTBM group was served as control, which were 94.03%(85.41%~98.35%), 90.68%(83.93%-95.25%), 85.14%(74.96%-92.34%) and 96.40%(91.03%-99.01%), respectively. Conclusion The predictive regression equation could be used as early diagnostic TBM with high sensitivity and specificity, which should be popularized in clinical practice, while, according to the higher negative predictive value, the negative results of which could be used to rule out of the TBM and non-empirical medication.