Posterior scleral reinforcement surgery was found effective in slowing down high myopic axial progression in young patients within the study period, but the size of the effect was small. The surgical procedure is well tolerated without vision-threatening complications.

PURPOSE. Myopia has become a global public health problem, particularly in East Asia where myopic retinopathy has become one of the leading causes of blindness and visual impairment in the elderly population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of posterior scleral contraction/reinforcement (PSCR) surgery on controlling the progressive elongation of axial length of highly myopic eyes in young patients.METHODS. This is a prospective self-controlled interventional case series. Forty young patients (<18-years old) with progressive high myopia received PSCR with a genipin-crosslinked donor scleral strip for one eye and the fellow eye served as concurrent control without surgery. The main outcome measurement was the change of axial length over 2 to 3 years of follow-up. RESULTS.Immediately after the surgery, axial length was shortened and subsequently increased by 0.32 mm over the follow-up period. In contrast, axial length of the fellow eyes increased by 0.82 mm over the same period (P < 0.001, paired t-test). PSCR delayed axial elongation in eyes with or without staphyloma. No significant change of visual acuity, cornea refractive power, or retina thickness was noted between the surgery and fellow eyes. None of the patients lost visual acuity compared with the baseline. The procedure was well tolerated with only temporary corneal refractive axis shifts that recovered by the 6-month postsurgical visit.CONCLUSIONS. PSCR with genipin-crosslinked sclera is safe and effective to restrain eye globe elongation in young patients within a 2-to 3-year follow-up period.

For at least a 1 year period of follow-up, PSR with genipin cross-linked sclera was safe and effective to treat macular detachment and retinoschisis in high myopia when a macular hole was not present. The reinforcement effect tended to be stabilised and maintained for 6 months after treatment.

Background and ObjectiveFemtosecond laser‐assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) is rapidly gaining popularity due to the improved consistency and predictability for capsulorhexis. This study aimed to investigate the preliminary clinical outcomes of FLACS with a noncontact femtosecond laser system.Patients and MethodsThis prospective study enrolled 25 eyes in the trial group underwent FLACS (LLS‐fs 3D, LENSAR, USA), and 29 eyes in the control group underwent conventional cataract surgery (Stellaris, Bausch & Lomb, USA). The phacoemulsification time, energy, and complications during operation were recorded. Postoperative refraction at 1 day, 1 week, 1 and 3 months, the capsulorhexis size and corneal endothelial density at 1 and 3 months were also measured.ResultsCompared to the control group, reduction in phacoemulsification time was 51.5% (P = 0.02), and in overall energy, 65.1% (P = 0.02) in the trial group. In the trial group and the control group, total time of cataract procedure was 10.04 ± 1.37 minutes, 10.52 ± 1.92 minutes, respectively (P = 0.31); the absolute difference between attempted and achieved capsulorhexis diameter at 1 month was 192.9 ± 212.0 µm, 626.9 ± 656.6 µm, respectively (P = 0.04), and at 3 months, 256.6 ± 181.9 µm, 572.1 ± 337.0 µm, respectively (P= 0.03); the absolute difference between attempted and achieved spherical equivalent at 3 months was 0.16 ± 0.16 D, 0.74 ± 0.65 D, respectively (P < 0.01); mean corneal endothelial cell loss at 1 month was 15.6% and 14.2%, respectively (P = 0.77), and at 3 months, 2.9%, 4.2%, respectively (P = 0.50).ConclusionsWith the noncontact femtosecond laser system, FLACS can significantly improve the accuracy and repeatability of capsulorhexis, reduce the phacoemulsification time and overall energy, and enhance the predictability and stability of postoperative refraction. Lasers Surg. Med. 47:698–703, 2015. © 2015 The Authors. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tamoxifen(TAM) is one of the most effective endocrine treatment for estrogen receptor(ER)-positive breast cancer, however drug resistance greatly limits benefit of it. Our purpose is to uncover the role of Beclin 1 in tamoxifen resistance and prognosis of ER positive breast cancer. We established a tamoxifen resistant ER-positive breast cancer cell subline MCF-7R presenting with higher Beclin 1 and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2) levels than MCF-7. Silencing Beclin 1 decreased levels of HER2 and significantly promoted TAM sensitivity of MCF-7 and MCF-7R in vitro. Overexpression of HER2 could reverse TAM sensitivity, which was formerly increased in Beclin 1 downregulated cell. Beclin 1 level was not only positively correlated with level of HER2 but also negatively correlated with overall survival of ER-positive breast cancer patients. Using bioinformatic methods, Beclin 1 mRNA was found to be negatively correlated with overall survival in breast cancer patients receiving TAM treatment. This study indicated for the first time that lower HER2 expression by Beclin 1 downregulation contributes to alteration of tamoxifen sensitivity and low Beclin 1 predicts favorable outcome in ER-positive breast cancer.

For at least a 1-year period of follow-up, PSR with genipin-cross-linked sclera should be considered as a preferred surgical approach to treat MHRD in highly myopic eyes, especially when foveal retinoschisis is also documented.

Chemically synthetic receptors that establish cells a new sense-and-respond capability to interact with outer worlds are highly desired, but rarely reported. In this work, we develop a membrane-anchored synthetic receptor (Ts-pHLIP-Pr) using DNA and peptide as the building block to equip cells with artificial signaling pathways. Upon sensing external pH stimuli, the Pr module can be translocated across the cell membrane via the conformation switch of pHLIP, enabling membrane-proximal recruitment of specific proteins to trigger downstream signaling cascades. Our experimental results demonstrate the capability of Ts-pHLIP-Pr for regulating PKCε-related signaling events upon responding to external pH reduction. With a modular feature, this receptor can be extended to elicit T cell activation through low-pH environment-induced directional movement of cytoplasmic ZAP70. Our work is expected to offer a new paradigm for intelligent synthetic biology and customized cell engineering.

Posterior scleral contraction is safe and effective for recurrent and persistent macular detachment after previous vitrectomy in highly myopic eyes. The silicone oil is removed after PSC, and vision can be preserved in these refractory cases.