Purpose To evaluate early macular circulation in open-angle glaucoma (OAG), normal-tension glaucoma (NTG), ocular hypertension (OHT), and healthy subjects via optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted. Medical records were reviewed, and the patients who received OCTA examinations were divided into the OAG, NTG, OHT, and normal groups. The ophthalmic data including best-corrected visual acuity, spherical equivalent, intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness, central foveal thickness, visual field deviation, retinal nerve fiber layers thickness, and ganglion cell complex thickness were obtained from medical documents. For the macular area, the superficial vessel density (VD), deep VD, foveal avascular zone (FAZ), flow area of the outer retina, and flow area of the choriocapillaris were measured via OCTA and analyzed using the default vascular density analysis program in the same OCTA device. Results A total of 70 eyes from 70 patients were analyzed in the current study. Significant differences in the intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness, visual field deviation, retinal fiber layer thickness, and ganglion cell complex thickness were observed in the patients in the glaucoma group at their last visits. The OAG and NTG groups evinced a lower superficial VD than did the control group, while the NTG group had a lower deep VD than the control group. The NTG group also had a larger FAZ than did the OHT group. The flow area of the outer retina in the OAG group was low relative to those of the OHT and control groups. No difference in choriocapillaris perfusion was observed among the groups. Conclusion The OAG and NTG patients demonstrated impaired vasculature before significant disease development could be observed. Furthermore, the differences in macular circulation may be associated with differences in the courses of disease between the glaucoma and OHT patients.

The combination of nonvolatile memory switching and volatile threshold switching functions of transition metal oxides in crossbar memory arrays is of great potential for replacing charge-based flash memory in very-large-scale integration. Here, we show that the resistive switching material structure, (amorphous TiOx)/(Ag nanoparticles)/(polycrystalline TiOx), fabricated on the textured-FTO substrate with ITO as the top electrode exhibits both the memory switching and threshold switching functions. When the device is used for resistive switching, it is forming-free for resistive memory applications with low operation voltage (<±1 V) and self-compliance to current up to 50 μA. When it is used for threshold switching, the low threshold current is beneficial for improving the device selectivity. The variation of oxygen distribution measured by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy indicates the formation or rupture of conducting filaments in the device at different resistance states. It is therefore suggested that the push and pull actions of oxygen ions in the amorphous TiOx and polycrystalline TiOx films during the voltage sweep account for the memory switching and threshold switching properties in the device.

The effects of lutein and zeaxanthin on lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced secretion of IL-8 by uveal melanocytes (UM) were tested in cultured human UM. MTT assay revealed that LPS (0.01–1 μg/mL) and lutein and zeaxanthin (1–10 μM) did not influence the cell viability of cultured UM. LPS caused a dose-dependent increase of secretion of IL-8 by cultured UM. Lutein and zeaxanthin did not affect the constitutive secretion of IL-8. However, lutein and zeaxanthin decreased LPS-induced secretion of IL-8 in cultured UM in a dose-dependent manner. LPS significantly increased NF-κB levels in cell nuclear extracts and p-JNK levels in the cell lysates from UM, but not p-p38 MAPK and p-ERG. Lutein or zeaxanthin significantly reduced LPS-induced increase of NF-κB and p-JNK levels, but not p38 MAPK and ERG levels. The present study demonstrated that lutein and zeaxanthin inhibited LPS-induced secretion of IL-8 in cultured UM via JNK and NF-κB signal pathways. The anti-inflammatory effects of lutein and zeaxanthin might be explored as a therapeutic approach in the management of uveitis and other inflammatory diseases of the eye.