Changjun Wang

Smoking and risk of age-related cataract: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between smoking and age-related cataract (ARC). METHODS Eligible studies were identified via computer searches and reviewing the reference lists of the key articles. The summary relative risk ratio (RR) or odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Study-specific risk estimates were pooled using a random-effects model. Meta-regression to assess heterogeneity by several covariates and subgroup analysis on ARC types were performed. RESULTS A total of 13 prospective cohort and eight case-control studies met our inclusion criteria. Ever smoking was statistically significantly associated with increased risk of ARC among cohort studies (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.23-1.62) and case-control studies (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.20-2.07). In subgroup analysis, ever smoking exhibited a positive relationship with nuclear cataract (NC; OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.46-1.89) and a marginally significant relationship with posterior subcapsular cataract (OR 1.43, 95% CI 0.99-2.07) in cohort studies. Similar results were found in case-control studies (NC OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.47-2.36; posterior subcapsular cataract OR 1.60, 95% CI 0.97-2.65). Current smokers were at higher risk of ARC than past smokers. No association between smoking and cortical cataract was observed. CONCLUSIONS The overall current literature suggests that smoking was associated with increased risk of ARC, especially NC. Further efforts should be made to confirm these findings and clarify the underlying biological mechanisms.

Chitosan-modified, collagen-based biomimetic nanofibrous membranes as selective cell adhering wound dressings in the treatment of chemically burned corneas

Corneal chemical injury is a general but intractable ocular emergency, the sequelae of which are particularly challenging to treat. Human amniotic membrane (HAM) is one of the resources as a wound dressing for damaged corneal reconstruction, but the concerns related to the possible transmission of infectious diseases are the main drawbacks. Here we present a versatile method utilizing electrospinning and surface modification processes to develop optically highly transparent, microstructurally stable (>20 MPa in tensile strength in the wet state) biomimetic nanofibrous membranes. These membrane nanofibers, mainly consisting of a collagen-hyaluronate interior and a chitosan surface coating, showed superior mechanical and biological performances compared to HAM, and were favorable to the selective adhesion of epithelial cells (corneal, conjunctival) and fibroblasts. The alkali-burned corneal damage model in rats demonstrated that the biomimetic membranes could markedly improve re-epithelialization in corneal tissue within one week. Therefore, such bioactive multifunctional membranes may find widespread biomedical applications in wound healing and postoperative anti-adhesion in the near future.

Biochemically active hydrosol as a means of collecting electrospun microcapsules for drug delivery

The electrospun bead-rich nanofibers are collected by biochemically active counterionic hydrosol; thus the core–shell structured microcapsules are fabricated with a positively-to-negatively charged shell. This novel one-step method of generating microcapsules can be applied to a variety of drug-delivery formulations only by filtering, diluting, or concentrating the hydrosol.