BACKGROUND Ultraviolet (UV) light is naturally antimicrobial, but risks associated with UV overex... more BACKGROUND Ultraviolet (UV) light is naturally antimicrobial, but risks associated with UV overexposure have limited its clinical application. This systematic review evaluates the safety and efficacy of UV light treatment of superficial human infections. METHODS MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, ANZCTR and US National Library of Medicine were searched (March 25, 2020). Clinical studies applying UV light (200-400 nm) for superficial infections and non-clinical studies evaluating the antimicrobial effects of UV light on human samples were included. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non- RCTs were appraised using the Cochrane risk of bias and the ROBINS-I tools, respectively. RESULTS Eleven RCTs, seven non-RCTs, 24 case studies, and 11 in vitro studies were included. Most clinical studies (34/42) evaluated UVA treatment for microbial keratitis (MK) using cross-linking (UVA-CXL) methods. Six clinical studies assessed UVC; one, UVB; and one, broadband UV for chronic skin infections. Pooled data analysis showed no difference in the time to wound resolution with UVA-CXL relative to standard treatment (mean difference [MD]: -18.20 [95% CI: -39.04 to 2.65] days; p = 0.09). Adverse event incidence was similar to control for UVA-CXL in MK (RR: 0.70 [95%CI: 0.32-1.79]; 5 RCTs) and UVC in skin infections (RR: 0.63 [95%CI: 0.25-1.54]; 2 RCTs). CONCLUSION Alone or as an adjunct to standard therapy, UV light shows promise as a safe and effective treatment for a wide range of infections. Applications of UV light as an anti-infective agent are deserving of further evaluation, especially in the context of growing antibiotic resistance.
Background/aimsThis systematic review critically evaluated peer-reviewed publications describing ... more Background/aimsThis systematic review critically evaluated peer-reviewed publications describing morphological features consistent with, or using terms related to, a ‘neuroma’ or ‘microneuroma’ in the human cornea using laser-scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM).MethodsThe review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020160038). Comprehensive literature searches were performed in Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase and the Cochrane Library in November 2019. The review included primary research studies and reviews that described laser-scanning IVCM for examining human corneal nerves. Papers had to include at least one of a pre-specified set of keyword stems, broadly related to neuromas and microneuromas, to describe a corneal nerve feature.ResultsTwenty-five papers (20 original studies; 5 reviews) were eligible. Three original studies evaluated corneal nerve features in healthy eyes. Most papers assessed corneal nerves in ocular and systemic conditions; seven studies did not in...
There is increasing clinical and research interest in the potential contribution of Demodex to oc... more There is increasing clinical and research interest in the potential contribution of Demodex to ocular surface disease. The aim of this systematic review was to summarise and synthesise current clinical evidence relating to the aetiology, diagnosis and treatment of ocular Demodex.
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2020
Biofortification of food crops using conventional breeding or biotechnological approach is gainin... more Biofortification of food crops using conventional breeding or biotechnological approach is gaining momentum to alleviate micronutrient malnutrition. Rice is a nice choice for biofortification of grain iron and zinc content as this is a cheap and chief staple food for millions of peoples world-wide particularly the poor. In present study, generation mean analysis was done to estimate the nature and magnitude of gene effects for grain iron and zinc content in rice cross Khusisoi-RI-Sareku × IR 91175-27-1-3-1-3. Scaling test and Joint scaling test indicated the influence of epistasis on the expression of yield, its component traits and grain Fe and Zn content and inadequacy of additive-dominance model to explain the variation in different generations. Dominance [h] gene effect was of higher magnitude as compared to additive [d] gene effect for both grain iron and grain zinc content. Additive × additive, additive × dominance and dominance × dominance component was significant for bot...
This study investigated optometrists’ attitudes and self-reported practice behaviors towards omeg... more This study investigated optometrists’ attitudes and self-reported practice behaviors towards omega-3 fatty acids for eye health, and knowledge and understanding of their potential risks and benefits. An anonymous online survey was distributed to optometrists in Australia and New Zealand. Questions included practitioner demographics and practice modality; self-reported practices and recommendations relating to diet, nutritional supplements, and omega-3 fatty acids for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and dry eye disease (DED); and practitioner knowledge about omega-3 fatty acids. Of 206 included surveys, most respondents (79%) indicated recommending for their patients to consume omega-3 fatty acids to improve their eye health. Sixty-eight percent of respondents indicated recommending omega-3-rich foods for AMD management, while 62% indicated recommending omega-3 supplements. Most respondents (78%) indicated recommending omega-3-rich foods or supplements for DED. For DED, recomm...
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2020
In view to overcome the major problem of ‘hidden hunger’ mainly caused by micronutrient deficienc... more In view to overcome the major problem of ‘hidden hunger’ mainly caused by micronutrient deficiency, breeding for micronutrient enriched staple food crops is important. In developing countries, iron and zinc deficiencies are reported to be major health risk factor causing a high mortality rate. So, for overcoming these nutritional deficiencies through genetic improvement, F2 population of two rice crosses obtained by crossing diverse parents for micronutrients (mainly, Fe and Zn) were evaluated using randomised complete block design during Kharif, 2019 to study the relationship between different traits and to study the estimates of direct and indirect effect. Among the F2 population of cross-I, grain yield per plant exhibited significant and positive association with seeds per panicle, tillers per plant, flag leaf area, harvest index, test weight, days to 50% flowering and days to maturity while negative and significant correlation with canopy temperature. For cross-II, grain yiel...
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2019
In the present investigation, 10 parents and their 45 crosses (half diallel) along with 2 standar... more In the present investigation, 10 parents and their 45 crosses (half diallel) along with 2 standard checks (Rajendra Nilam and Rajendra Mahsuri-1) were evaluated during Kharif, 2018 in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 3 replications at Rice Farm Section, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU), Pusa, Bihar. The objective of this study was to identify promising rice genotypes having desirable combination of morphological traits along with high grain iron and zinc content and high grain yield potential. The results of variability parameters indicated that ample amount of genetic variability was present for all the studied traits. Most of the traits showed high heritability coupled with high genetic advance indicating fruitfulness of selection for improvement of these traits. One genotype (P2×P7) with high grain iron (16.10 ppm) and grain zinc (26.40 ppm) content along with high yield (43.12 g/plant) was identified. Genotypes with high grain iron coupled ...
ABSTRACT We report a case of a 41-year old female with systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s... more ABSTRACT We report a case of a 41-year old female with systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome, who developed symptoms of painful small fiber neuropathy (SFN). Examination using in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) revealed dense accumulations of putative dendritic cells in the central cornea that was postulated to represent a peripheral neuro-inflammatory response. Interventions with higher dose prednisolone, and then intravenous immunoglobulin resulted in substantial, progressive improvements in her symptoms, which were paralleled by cumulative reductions in corneal dendritic cell density (DCD). This case identifies corneal DCD as a potential non-invasive marker of symptomatic SFN due to inflammatory causes.
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2019
Seventeen land races of Nigella along with one released variety (Rajendra Shyama) as a check; col... more Seventeen land races of Nigella along with one released variety (Rajendra Shyama) as a check; collected at farmer’s field from different parts of Bihar were evaluated in Randomized Block Design with three replications at Seed production Farm, TCA, Dholi, Bihar during Rabi 2015-16 to identify diverse Nigella genotypes. Principle component analysis (PCA) showed that first three PCs had >1.00 Eigen value and accounted to 84.71% of total variation. Rotated component matrix for various traits revealed that PC1 was strongly associated with secondary branches/plant followed by yield/plant, length of fruit, fruit per plant, primary branches/plant, height of the plant, days to 50% flowering and grains/plant. The traits that mostly contributed to PC2 were grains/plant followed by height of the plant and width of fruit whereas, days to maturity followed by width of fruit, height of the plant, days to 50% flowering and length of fruit contributed mostly to the PC3. The characters that cont...
Clinical recommendations relating to dietary omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) should consider... more Clinical recommendations relating to dietary omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) should consider an individual’s baseline intake. The time, cost, and practicality constraints of current techniques for quantifying omega-3 levels limit the feasibility of applying these methods in some settings, such as eye care practice. This preliminary validation study, involving 40 adults, sought to assess the validity of a novel questionnaire, the Clinical Omega-3 Dietary Survey (CODS), for rapidly assessing long-chain omega-3 intake. Estimated dietary intakes of long-chain omega-3s from CODS correlated with the validated Dietary Questionnaire for Epidemiology Studies (DQES), Version 3.2, (Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Australia) and quantitative assays from dried blood spot (DBS) testing. The ‘method of triads’ model was used to estimate a validity coefficient (ρ) for the relationship between the CODS and an estimated “true” intake of long-chain omega-3 EFAs. The CODS had high validity for...
Laser scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) enables non-invasive, high-resolution imaging o... more Laser scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) enables non-invasive, high-resolution imaging of the cornea. In recent years, there has been a vast increase in researchers using laser scanning IVCM to image and quantify corneal nerve parameters. However, a range of methodological approaches have been adopted. The primary aim of this systematic review is to critically appraise the reported method(s) of primary research studies that have used laser scanning IVCM to quantify corneal sub-basal nerve plexus (SBNP) parameters in humans, and to examine corneal nerve parameters in healthy individuals. A systematic review of primary studies that have used laser scanning IVCM to quantify SBNP parameters in humans will be conducted. Comprehensive electronic searches will be performed in Ovid MedLine, Embase and the Cochrane Library. Two reviewers will independently assess titles and abstracts, and exclude studies not meeting the inclusion criteria. For studies judged eligible or potentially ...
BACKGROUND Ultraviolet (UV) light is naturally antimicrobial, but risks associated with UV overex... more BACKGROUND Ultraviolet (UV) light is naturally antimicrobial, but risks associated with UV overexposure have limited its clinical application. This systematic review evaluates the safety and efficacy of UV light treatment of superficial human infections. METHODS MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, ANZCTR and US National Library of Medicine were searched (March 25, 2020). Clinical studies applying UV light (200-400 nm) for superficial infections and non-clinical studies evaluating the antimicrobial effects of UV light on human samples were included. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non- RCTs were appraised using the Cochrane risk of bias and the ROBINS-I tools, respectively. RESULTS Eleven RCTs, seven non-RCTs, 24 case studies, and 11 in vitro studies were included. Most clinical studies (34/42) evaluated UVA treatment for microbial keratitis (MK) using cross-linking (UVA-CXL) methods. Six clinical studies assessed UVC; one, UVB; and one, broadband UV for chronic skin infections. Pooled data analysis showed no difference in the time to wound resolution with UVA-CXL relative to standard treatment (mean difference [MD]: -18.20 [95% CI: -39.04 to 2.65] days; p = 0.09). Adverse event incidence was similar to control for UVA-CXL in MK (RR: 0.70 [95%CI: 0.32-1.79]; 5 RCTs) and UVC in skin infections (RR: 0.63 [95%CI: 0.25-1.54]; 2 RCTs). CONCLUSION Alone or as an adjunct to standard therapy, UV light shows promise as a safe and effective treatment for a wide range of infections. Applications of UV light as an anti-infective agent are deserving of further evaluation, especially in the context of growing antibiotic resistance.
Background/aimsThis systematic review critically evaluated peer-reviewed publications describing ... more Background/aimsThis systematic review critically evaluated peer-reviewed publications describing morphological features consistent with, or using terms related to, a ‘neuroma’ or ‘microneuroma’ in the human cornea using laser-scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM).MethodsThe review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020160038). Comprehensive literature searches were performed in Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase and the Cochrane Library in November 2019. The review included primary research studies and reviews that described laser-scanning IVCM for examining human corneal nerves. Papers had to include at least one of a pre-specified set of keyword stems, broadly related to neuromas and microneuromas, to describe a corneal nerve feature.ResultsTwenty-five papers (20 original studies; 5 reviews) were eligible. Three original studies evaluated corneal nerve features in healthy eyes. Most papers assessed corneal nerves in ocular and systemic conditions; seven studies did not in...
There is increasing clinical and research interest in the potential contribution of Demodex to oc... more There is increasing clinical and research interest in the potential contribution of Demodex to ocular surface disease. The aim of this systematic review was to summarise and synthesise current clinical evidence relating to the aetiology, diagnosis and treatment of ocular Demodex.
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2020
Biofortification of food crops using conventional breeding or biotechnological approach is gainin... more Biofortification of food crops using conventional breeding or biotechnological approach is gaining momentum to alleviate micronutrient malnutrition. Rice is a nice choice for biofortification of grain iron and zinc content as this is a cheap and chief staple food for millions of peoples world-wide particularly the poor. In present study, generation mean analysis was done to estimate the nature and magnitude of gene effects for grain iron and zinc content in rice cross Khusisoi-RI-Sareku × IR 91175-27-1-3-1-3. Scaling test and Joint scaling test indicated the influence of epistasis on the expression of yield, its component traits and grain Fe and Zn content and inadequacy of additive-dominance model to explain the variation in different generations. Dominance [h] gene effect was of higher magnitude as compared to additive [d] gene effect for both grain iron and grain zinc content. Additive × additive, additive × dominance and dominance × dominance component was significant for bot...
This study investigated optometrists’ attitudes and self-reported practice behaviors towards omeg... more This study investigated optometrists’ attitudes and self-reported practice behaviors towards omega-3 fatty acids for eye health, and knowledge and understanding of their potential risks and benefits. An anonymous online survey was distributed to optometrists in Australia and New Zealand. Questions included practitioner demographics and practice modality; self-reported practices and recommendations relating to diet, nutritional supplements, and omega-3 fatty acids for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and dry eye disease (DED); and practitioner knowledge about omega-3 fatty acids. Of 206 included surveys, most respondents (79%) indicated recommending for their patients to consume omega-3 fatty acids to improve their eye health. Sixty-eight percent of respondents indicated recommending omega-3-rich foods for AMD management, while 62% indicated recommending omega-3 supplements. Most respondents (78%) indicated recommending omega-3-rich foods or supplements for DED. For DED, recomm...
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2020
In view to overcome the major problem of ‘hidden hunger’ mainly caused by micronutrient deficienc... more In view to overcome the major problem of ‘hidden hunger’ mainly caused by micronutrient deficiency, breeding for micronutrient enriched staple food crops is important. In developing countries, iron and zinc deficiencies are reported to be major health risk factor causing a high mortality rate. So, for overcoming these nutritional deficiencies through genetic improvement, F2 population of two rice crosses obtained by crossing diverse parents for micronutrients (mainly, Fe and Zn) were evaluated using randomised complete block design during Kharif, 2019 to study the relationship between different traits and to study the estimates of direct and indirect effect. Among the F2 population of cross-I, grain yield per plant exhibited significant and positive association with seeds per panicle, tillers per plant, flag leaf area, harvest index, test weight, days to 50% flowering and days to maturity while negative and significant correlation with canopy temperature. For cross-II, grain yiel...
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2019
In the present investigation, 10 parents and their 45 crosses (half diallel) along with 2 standar... more In the present investigation, 10 parents and their 45 crosses (half diallel) along with 2 standard checks (Rajendra Nilam and Rajendra Mahsuri-1) were evaluated during Kharif, 2018 in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 3 replications at Rice Farm Section, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU), Pusa, Bihar. The objective of this study was to identify promising rice genotypes having desirable combination of morphological traits along with high grain iron and zinc content and high grain yield potential. The results of variability parameters indicated that ample amount of genetic variability was present for all the studied traits. Most of the traits showed high heritability coupled with high genetic advance indicating fruitfulness of selection for improvement of these traits. One genotype (P2×P7) with high grain iron (16.10 ppm) and grain zinc (26.40 ppm) content along with high yield (43.12 g/plant) was identified. Genotypes with high grain iron coupled ...
ABSTRACT We report a case of a 41-year old female with systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s... more ABSTRACT We report a case of a 41-year old female with systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome, who developed symptoms of painful small fiber neuropathy (SFN). Examination using in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) revealed dense accumulations of putative dendritic cells in the central cornea that was postulated to represent a peripheral neuro-inflammatory response. Interventions with higher dose prednisolone, and then intravenous immunoglobulin resulted in substantial, progressive improvements in her symptoms, which were paralleled by cumulative reductions in corneal dendritic cell density (DCD). This case identifies corneal DCD as a potential non-invasive marker of symptomatic SFN due to inflammatory causes.
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2019
Seventeen land races of Nigella along with one released variety (Rajendra Shyama) as a check; col... more Seventeen land races of Nigella along with one released variety (Rajendra Shyama) as a check; collected at farmer’s field from different parts of Bihar were evaluated in Randomized Block Design with three replications at Seed production Farm, TCA, Dholi, Bihar during Rabi 2015-16 to identify diverse Nigella genotypes. Principle component analysis (PCA) showed that first three PCs had >1.00 Eigen value and accounted to 84.71% of total variation. Rotated component matrix for various traits revealed that PC1 was strongly associated with secondary branches/plant followed by yield/plant, length of fruit, fruit per plant, primary branches/plant, height of the plant, days to 50% flowering and grains/plant. The traits that mostly contributed to PC2 were grains/plant followed by height of the plant and width of fruit whereas, days to maturity followed by width of fruit, height of the plant, days to 50% flowering and length of fruit contributed mostly to the PC3. The characters that cont...
Clinical recommendations relating to dietary omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) should consider... more Clinical recommendations relating to dietary omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) should consider an individual’s baseline intake. The time, cost, and practicality constraints of current techniques for quantifying omega-3 levels limit the feasibility of applying these methods in some settings, such as eye care practice. This preliminary validation study, involving 40 adults, sought to assess the validity of a novel questionnaire, the Clinical Omega-3 Dietary Survey (CODS), for rapidly assessing long-chain omega-3 intake. Estimated dietary intakes of long-chain omega-3s from CODS correlated with the validated Dietary Questionnaire for Epidemiology Studies (DQES), Version 3.2, (Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Australia) and quantitative assays from dried blood spot (DBS) testing. The ‘method of triads’ model was used to estimate a validity coefficient (ρ) for the relationship between the CODS and an estimated “true” intake of long-chain omega-3 EFAs. The CODS had high validity for...
Laser scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) enables non-invasive, high-resolution imaging o... more Laser scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) enables non-invasive, high-resolution imaging of the cornea. In recent years, there has been a vast increase in researchers using laser scanning IVCM to image and quantify corneal nerve parameters. However, a range of methodological approaches have been adopted. The primary aim of this systematic review is to critically appraise the reported method(s) of primary research studies that have used laser scanning IVCM to quantify corneal sub-basal nerve plexus (SBNP) parameters in humans, and to examine corneal nerve parameters in healthy individuals. A systematic review of primary studies that have used laser scanning IVCM to quantify SBNP parameters in humans will be conducted. Comprehensive electronic searches will be performed in Ovid MedLine, Embase and the Cochrane Library. Two reviewers will independently assess titles and abstracts, and exclude studies not meeting the inclusion criteria. For studies judged eligible or potentially ...
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Papers by Alexis Zhang