The present research primarily focuses on Brassica juncea\'s physiological and cytological responses to low and high temperature stress at 4 °C and 44 °C respectively, along with elucidating the protective role of 28-Homobrassinolide (28-homoBL). Cytological investigations performed in floral buds of Brassica juncea L. under temperature (24, 4, 44 °C) stress conditions depict the presence of some abnormalities associated with cytomixis such as chromosome stickiness or agglutination, pycnotic nature of chromatin, irregularities in spindle formation, disoriented chromatins, and non-synchronous chromatin material condensation in Brassicaceae family that subsisted at diploid level (2n = 36). Spindle abnormalities produce various size pollen grains such as sporads micronuclei at some stages of microsporogenesis, polyads, triads, dyads that irrupted the productiveness of pollen grains. Furthermore, sugars play an imperative role in protecting plants under stress besides being energy sources. Therefore, the present study revealed accumulation of total soluble sugars (TSS), with 28-homoBL treatment which pinpoints protective role of 28-homoBL under temperature stress. Sugar profiling was done by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) which helped in analyzing different sugars both quantitatively and qualitatively under 28-homoBL and temperature stress conditions. The results indicate that the 28-homoBL treatment substantially enhances plant tolerance to heat stress, as evident by higher mitotic indices, fewer chromosomal abnormalities, and significantly more sugar accumulation. The findings of the study acknowledge the potential of 28-homoBL in inducing temperature stress tolerance in B. juncea along with improving the metabolic stability thereby implying application of 28-homoBL in crop strengthening under variable temperature conditions.

OBJECTIVE: Magnetic resonance guided transcranial focused ultrasound holds great promises for treating neurological disorders. This technique relies on skull aberration correction which requires computed tomography (CT) scans of the skull of the patients. Recently, ultra-short time-echo (UTE) magnetic resonance (MR) sequences have unleashed the MRI potential to reveal internal bone structures. In this study, we measure the efficacy of transcranial aberration correction using UTE images. Approach. We compare the efficacy of transcranial aberration correction using UTE scans to CT based correction on four skulls and two targets using a clinical device (Exablate Neuro, Insightec, Israel). We also evaluate the performance of a custom ray tracing algorithm using both UTE and CT estimates of acoustic properties and compare these against the performance of the manufacturer\'s proprietary aberration correction software. Main results. UTE estimated skull maps in Hounsfield units (HU) had a mean absolute error of 242 ± 20 HU (n=4). The UTE skull maps were sufficiently accurate to improve pressure at the target (no correction: 0.44 ± 0.10, UTE correction: 0.79 ± 0.05, manufacturer CT: 0.80 ± 0.05), pressure confinement ratios (no correction: 0.45 ± 0.10, UTE correction: 0.80 ± 0.05, manufacturer CT: 0.81 ± 0.05), and targeting error (no correction: 1.06 ± 0.42 mm, UTE correction 0.30 ± 0.23 mm, manufacturer CT: 0.32 ± 0.22) (n=8 for all values). When using CT, our ray tracing algorithm performed slightly better than UTE based correction with pressure at the target (UTE: 0.79 ± 0.05, CT: 0.84 ± 0.04), pressure confinement ratios (UTE: 0.80 ± 0.05, CT: 0.84 ± 0.04), and targeting error (UTE: 0.30 ± 0.23 mm, CT: 0.17 ± 0.15). Significance. These 3D transcranial measurements suggest that UTE sequences could replace CT scans in the case of MR guided focused ultrasound with minimal reduction in performance which will avoid ionizing radiation exposure to the patients and reduce procedure time and cost. .

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety, efficacy and postoperative visual quality of small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and Wavefront-Guided Laser in situ keratomileusis (WFG-LASIK) and to analyze their efficacy in correcting astigmatism.
METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed using Cochrane Collaboration methodology. Databases searched included PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science. RevMan software version 5.3.0 was used for meta-analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 976 eyes were included in 8 studies, of which 539 eyes underwent SMILE and 437 eyes underwent WFG-LASIK. There were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of eyes achieving uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20/20 or better (P=0.18), the proportion of eyes within±0.50 diopter of target refraction postoperatively (P=0.10), or the postoperative magnitude of cylinder (P=0.10). Regarding the Alpins vector analysis of astigmatism, there was no statistically significant difference in the surgical magnitude of error (P=0.09) between the two groups. WFG-LASIK has a lower surgical angle of error (P= 0.002) and higher surgical correction index of cylinder (P=0.03) than SMILE. In terms of aberrations, higher order aberrations (P=0.46), spherical aberrations (P=0.22) and trefoil (P=0.56) were not statistically different, while WFG-LASIK induced less coma than SMILE surgery (P=0.02).
CONCLUSIONS: Both SMILE and WFG-LASIK are safe and effective ways to correct myopia and astigmatism. Compared with SMILE, WFG-LASIK has a lower surgical angle of error, higher surgical correction index of cylinder and induces less coma.

The study assesses the potential influence of refractive errors in keratoconus (KC) on the results of tomographic methods of studying the structures of the posterior eye segment.
The study included 30 patients with bilateral stabilized KC of stages I-IV in classification by M. Amsler. Spherical and cylindrical components of refractions were determined using automatic refractometry, keratometry measurements - based on scanning keratotopography with Scheimpflug analyzer. Aberrometry was performed to evaluate corneal wave front according to the following parameters: root mean square for lower order aberrations (RMS LOA), root mean square for higher order aberrations (RMS HOA), vertical trefoil, vertical coma, horizontal coma and spherical aberrations. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and laser confocal scanning ophthalmoscopy (HRT 3) data was used in morphometric analysis of the optic nerve head and peripapillary retina. The following morphometric parameters were analyzed: optic nerve head (ONH) area, optic disc cup area, optic disc cup volume, ratio of optic disc cup area to ONH area, neuroretinal rim area, neuroretinal rim volume, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness. All studies were performed first without correction, and 30 minutes after installing customized scleral hard contact lenses (SHCL).
Compensation of the refractive errors characteristic for KC was achieved as expected with contact correction. OCT revealed a general trend for reduction in the area and volume of the optic disc cupping, ratio of area to volume of the optic disc cupping, as well as an increase in other parameters. As such, with correction the values for area and volume of the neuroretinal rim according to OCT were 2.2 and 13%, HRT 3 - 18 and 51.6%; comparable increase in mean RNFL thickness - 2.8 and 28.5%, respectively (p<0.001). According to HRT 3 data, the area and volume of optic disc cupping statistically significantly decreased (by 21 and 28%, respectively), while OCT showed statistically significant decrease only in cupping area (by 5.7%). The ratio of cupping to ONH area decreased by 6.6 and 23% relative to the initial data obtained with OCT and HRT 3, respectively. Significant decrease in ONH area amid SHCL correction was observed only with HRT 3. The revealed changes in morphometric parameters were analyzed using the fundamental principles of physiological optics. Changes in interference pattern and, consequently, morphometric parameters of structures of the eye fundus in KC are of multifactorial nature, and are mostly associated with refractive and wave artefacts occurring when the rays pass through the irregular corneal surface and cannot be optically compensated by the device. The use of SHCL as means for making the optic system relatively regular can significantly decrease the artefacts in morphometric measurements.
The results obtained in this study demonstrate the practicality of tomographic examination in KC with contact correction. The optimal choice is custom-fit SHCL, which along with proper correction of refractive errors also ensures stable position of the lens on the cornea. In standard examination specialists should take into account the «false» decrease in parameters of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and increase in ONH cupping.
Оценка потенциального влияния оптических нарушений при кератоконусе (КК) на результаты томографических методов исследования структур заднего сегмента глаза.
Исследование проведено в группе из 30 пациентов с двусторонним стабилизированным КК I—IV стадии по классификации M. Amsler. Сферический и цилиндрический компоненты рефракции определяли с помощью автоматической рефрактометрии, а кератометрические показатели роговицы — на основе сканирующей кератотопографии с помощью Шаймпфлюг-анализатора. Проводили аберрометрию для оценки волнового фронта роговицы с помощью следующих показателей: общие аберрации низших порядков (RMS LOA), общие аберрации высших порядков (RMS HOA), вертикальный трефойл, вертикальная кома, горизонтальная кома и сферические аберрации. Для морфометрического анализа диска зрительного нерва и перипапиллярной области сетчатки использовали данные оптической когерентной томографии (ОКТ) и лазерной конфокальной сканирующей офтальмоскопии (HRT 3). Анализировали следующие морфометрические показатели: площадь диска зрительного нерва (ДЗН), площадь экскавации, объем экскавации, отношение площади экскавации диска к площади диска, площадь нейроретинального пояска, объем нейроретинального пояска, толщину перипапиллярного слоя нервных волокон сетчатки (СНВС). Исследования проводили без коррекции и через 30 мин после установки кастомизированных склеральных жестких контактных линз (СЖКЛ).
На фоне контактной коррекции отмечена ожидаемая компенсация характерных для КК рефракционных нарушений. При проведении ОКТ общая тенденция заключалась в уменьшении показателей площади и объема экскавации, отношения площади экскавации диска к площади диска и увеличении остальных показателей. Так, на фоне коррекции повышение значений площади и объема нейроретинального пояска, по данным ОКТ, составило 2,2 и 13%, HRT 3 — 18 и 51,6%; а аналогичное увеличение средних значений СНВС — 2,8 и 28,5% соответственно (p<0,001). По данным HRT 3, статистически значимо уменьшились площадь и объем экскавации ДЗН (на 21 и 28% соответственно), в то время как при проведении ОКТ достоверное снижение зарегистрировали только для площади экскавации (на 5,7%). Соотношение экскавации к площади ДЗН снизилось на 6,6 и 23% относительно исходных данных при использовании ОКТ и HRT 3 соответственно. Значимое уменьшение показателя площади ДЗН на фоне коррекции СЖКЛ отмечено только при применении технологии HRT 3. Выявленные изменения морфометрических показателей проанализированы с учетом основных положений физиологической оптики. Изменения интерференционной картины и, как следствие, морфометрических показателей структур глазного дна при КК имеют мультифакторную природу, в большей степени связаны с рефракционными и волновыми артефактами при прохождении лучей через иррегулярную поверхность роговицы и не могут быть оптически компенсированы прибором. Использование СЖКЛ как средства, приводящего оптическую систему глаза к условно регулярной, способно существенно снижать артефакты морфометрических измерений.
Результаты свидетельствуют о целесообразности проведения томографических исследований при КК в условиях контактной коррекции. Оптимальным является вариант кастомизированного подбора СЖКЛ, к преимуществам которого помимо полноценной коррекции оптических нарушений следует отнести стабильность положения линзы на роговице. При стандартном исследовании необходимо принимать во внимание «ложное» уменьшение показателей перипапиллярного слоя нервных волокон сетчатки и увеличение экскавации ДЗН.

UNASSIGNED: To evaluate the refractive and visual outcomes of eyes implanted with monofocal, optimized, aspheric, hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses (IOL) following cataract surgery.
UNASSIGNED: The study assessed 55 eyes implanted with CT LUCIA® 621P IOLs (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany) at 3-months postsurgery. The main outcome measures were refractive error, monocular corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), monocular uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity, and wavefront aberrations. Patients were asked to complete the Catquest-9SF questionnaire.
UNASSIGNED: At 3 months, the cumulative Snellen visual acuity was 20/20 in 94.55% of eyes and 20/25 or better in 100%. The difference between the UDVA and CDVA was either the same (70.91%) or better (29.09%) in all eyes. The mean Snellen decimal UDVA and DCVA were 1.07 ± 0.15 and 1.13 ± 0.11, respectively. The safety and efficacy indexes were 1.48 and 1.40, respectively. 47.27% of eyes showed a spherical equivalent ±0.13 D, with 92.73% of the eyes were within ±0.50 D and all eyes were within ±1.00 D. The mean spherical equivalent was -0.03 ± 0.30 D and the mean refractive cylinder -0.36 ± 0.34 D. The log photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity functions were good and similar for all spatial frequencies. All patients reported being either fairly satisfied (score 3) or very satisfied (score 4) with their vision (mean = 3.64 ± 0.49). No intra- and postoperative complications were reported during the 3 months of follow-up.
UNASSIGNED: The current study demonstrates that excellent visual and refractive outcomes, as well as patient satisfaction, can be achieved after cataract surgery with optimized, aspheric CT LUCIA 621P monofocal IOLs.

Fusion genes are key cancer driver genes that can be used as potential drug targets in precision therapies, and they can also serve as accurate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. The fusion genes can cause microRNA (miRNA/miR) aberrations in many types of cancer. Nevertheless, whether fusion genes incite miRNA aberrations as one of their many critical oncogenic functionalities for driving carcinogenesis needs further investigation. Recent discoveries of miRNA genes that are present within the regions of genomic rearrangements that initiate fusion gene-based intronic miRNA dysregulation have brought the fusion genes into the limelight and revealed their unexplored potential in the field of cancer biology. Fusion gene-based \'promoter-switch\' event aberrantly activate the miRNA-related upstream regulatory signals, while fusion-based coding region alterations disrupt the original miRNA coding loci. Fusion genes can potentially regulate the miRNA aberrations regardless of the protein-coding capability of the resultant fusion transcript. Studies on out-of-frame fusion and nonrecurrent fusion genes that cause miRNA dysregulation have attracted the attention of researchers on fusion genes from an oncological perspective and therefore could have potential implications in cancer therapies. This review will provide insights into the role of fusion genes and miRNAs, and their possible interrelationships in cancer.

UNASSIGNED: Anterior iris-claw phakic intraocular lens (pIOL) implantation is a treatment option for refractive, ametropic patients. However, the postoperative accommodative ability has not been systematically researched. Dynamic stimulation aberrometry allows the objective and dynamical measurement of accommodation by observing ocular aberrations during the accommodation process. We investigated the dynamic accommodative ability after pIOL implantation compared with a healthy age- and gender-matched control group.
UNASSIGNED: Clinical, comparative case-control study.
UNASSIGNED: We included patients aged 18-50 years that either underwent pIOL implantation > 1 month ago or served as a healthy, phakic control group.
UNASSIGNED: The accommodative ability and pupil dynamics of both groups were investigated using dynamic stimulation aberrometry. The method allows the analysis of dynamic parameters during accommodation, such as the accommodation speed. A 1:1 propensity score matching was conducted based on the patients\' age and gender.
UNASSIGNED: Parameters of objective accommodation, such as accommodative amplitude and pupil dynamic during accommodation.
UNASSIGNED: Fifty-eight healthy, phakic eyes < 50 years of age and 21 eyes after pIOL implantation to correct myopia (pIOL, Verisyse, AMO, Inc) were enrolled. Patients that underwent anterior pIOL implantation were examined on average 24 ± 18 months after surgery. After matching, the mean age of both groups was not significantly different (35 ± 8 vs. 34 ± 8 years). No significant difference in dynamic parameters of accommodation or the accommodative amplitude (2.8 ± 1.4 and 2.9 ± 1.4 diopters [D] for pIOL and control group, P = 0.82) were seen. Maximum and minimum pupil sizes were not significantly different. The change in pupil size during deaccommodation was significantly faster in patients after pIOL implantation (P < 0.001).
UNASSIGNED: Dynamic stimulation aberrometry allowed the objective, dynamic, measurement of wavefronts in subjects with accommodative amplitudes up to 7 D. Phakic intraocular lens implantation does not impair the accommodative ability. It alters pupil dynamics during deaccommodation.
UNASSIGNED: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

We recently described a lightweight, low-power, waterproof filter fluorometer using a 180° backscatter geometry for chlorophyll-a (chl-a) detection. Before it was constructed it was modeled to ensure it would have satisfactory performance. This manuscript repeats the modeling process that allows the calibration slope and detection limit for a fluorescent analyte in water to be estimated from system component performance and conventional spectrofluorometry alone. These values are validated by comparison to the experimental result of calibration from the completed instrument. Our model yields a calibration slope of 8.22 mV-L/µg for dissolved chl-a, consistent with the experimentally measured slope of 8.21 mV-L/µg. The detection limit modeled from this slope and an estimate of the baseline noise of the instrument was 0.15 µg/L chl-a, while the measured detection limit using real blank samples was 0.18 µg/L, in 0.1 s differential measurements.

Multizone contact lenses control myopia progression by proposed introduction of myopic defocus. This project investigated how much of the pupil area and how many dioptres of myopic defocus are introduced by different lens zone geometries with near- and off-axis viewing.
Ten young myopic adults (18-25 years) binocularly wore four soft contact lenses including a single vision (SV), concentric-ring dual-focus (DF), centre-distance multifocal (MF) and a RingBoost™ (RB) multi-zone design containing a combination of coaxial and non-coaxial zones. A modified aberrometer captured aberrations and pupil sizes at four target vergences between -0.25 and -4.00 D (on-axis) and across the central ±30° of the horizontal retina (off-axis). Defocus was quantified as the difference between the measured refractive state and the target vergence within each zone of a multi-zone design within the pupil and compared with that of equivalent zone areas of the SV lens. The percentage of the pupil containing myopic defocused light for each lens was calculated.
Defocus within the distance correction zones of multi-zone lenses was similar to that of the SV lens. When viewing on-axis at -0.25 D target vergence, on average 11% of the pupil was myopic with SV, whereas 62%, 84% and 50% of the pupil was myopic for the DF, MF and RB designs, respectively. At -4.00 D target vergence, all lenses exhibited a systematic decrease in the percentage of pupil area having myopic defocus (SV: 3%; DF: 18%; MF: 5% and RB: 26%). The off-axis proportions were similar across multi-zone lenses; however, multi-zone lenses retained approximately 1.25-3.0× more myopic defocus than the SV lens.
Subjects accommodated using the distance-correction zones of multi-zone lenses. Multi-zone contact lenses introduced significant myopic defocus on-axis and across the central ±30° retina. However, the magnitude and proportion of defocus were influenced by zone geometry, add power and pupil size.

UNASSIGNED: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most established oral cancers in India, with high morbidity and mortality. The most common etiological agent associated with it is tobacco (in any form), which releases chemical carcinogens that affect not only the oral epithelial lining but also deep stromal structures such as minor salivary glands. They may cause changes in ductal or acinar part of gland depending on tumor grade, thus providing a fertile soil for tumor growth and recurrence.
UNASSIGNED: To observe the frequency of minor salivary gland changes associated with tobacco as well as to measure the length and depth of ductal involvement in routine tissue sections of OED and OSCC.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 94 hematoxylin and eosinstained archival slides which included cases of well, moderate, and poorly differentiated OSCC and oral epithelial dysplasia were histopathologically evaluated to observe changes in different components of minor salivary gland. Ductal hyperplasia, ductal metaplasia, mucous pooling within duct, acinar degeneration, pattern of malignant cell invasion (single/clusters), inflammatory infiltrate, eosinophilic cuffing around the gland, and glandular/vascular involvement were evaluated in each slide and correlated with different grades of OSCC.
UNASSIGNED: Ductal hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltrate, mucous pooling, and pattern of malignant cell infiltration came out to be statistically significant with the highest percentage of changes being observed in poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma > moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma> well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma>oral epithelial dysplasia. Further, the results of this study suggest that extension of dysplasia or squamous cell carcinoma from overlying oral epithelium along salivary gland ducts is an uncommon finding. Conclusion: Hence, histopathological interpretation for OED and OSCC should also include changes related to associated minor salivary gland tissue as detection and eradication of the putative precursors are the best way of decreasing the overall morbidity caused by tumors.