Injectable temperature-sensitive hydrogel system incorporating deferoxamine-loaded microspheres promotes H-type blood vessel-related bone repair of a critical size femoral defect.

Insufficient vascularization is a major challenge in the repair of critical-sized bone defects. Deferoxamine (DFO) has been reported to play a potential role in promoting the formation of H-type blood vessels, a specialized vascular subtype with coupled angiogenesis and osteogenesis. However, whether DFO promotes the expression of H-type vessels in critical femoral defects with complete periosteal damage remains unknown.

Can metformin relieve tibiofemoral cartilage volume loss and knee symptoms in overweight knee osteoarthritis patients? Study protocol for a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease, and is most frequently seen in the knees. However, there is no effective therapy to relieve the progression of knee OA. Metformin is a safe, well-tolerated oral medication that is extensively used as first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes.

Advanced oxidation protein products induce inflammatory responses and invasive behaviour in fibroblast-like synoviocytes via the RAGE-NF-κB pathway.

Aims: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which mainly results from fibroblast-like synoviocyte (FLS) dysfunction, is related to oxidative stress. Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), which are proinflammatory mediators and a novel biomarker of oxidative stress, have been observed to accumulate significantly in the serum of RA patients. Here, we present the first investigation of the effects of AOPPs on RA-FLSs and the signalling pathway involved in AOPP-induced inflammatory responses and invasive behaviour.

Serum KL-6, CA19-9, CA125 and CEA are Diagnostic Biomarkers for Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease in the Chinese Population.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the role of tumor marker carbohydrate antigen (CA) 125 (CA125), CA19-9, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) in the diagnosis and determination of the severity of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed. Fifty RA patients (24 patients with ILD and 26 patients without ILD), 10 healthy subjects and 14 patients with other connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease were included.

Transforming growth factor β1 promotes fibroblast-like synoviocytes migration and invasion via TGF-β1/Smad signaling in rheumatoid arthritis.

Migration and invasion are important characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLSs), which are involved in joint damage and contribute to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathology. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Because epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key mechanism related to migration and invasion in cancer cells, we investigated the relationship between EMT and RA-FLSs and explored whether the transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)/Smad signaling pathway is involved.

Development of a centrally vascularized tissue engineering bone graft with the unique core-shell composite structure for large femoral bone defect treatment.

Great effort has been spent to promote the vascularization of tissue engineering bone grafts (TEBG) for improved therapeutic outcome. However, the thorough vascularization especially in the central region still remained as a major challenge for the clinical translation of TEBG. Here, we developed a new strategy to construct a centrally vascularized TEBG (CV-TEBG) with unique core-shell composite structure, which is consisted of an angiogenic core and an osteogenic shell.

Microarray Expression Profile of Circular RNAs in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

Background/aims: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) compose a large class of RNAs that can be used as biomarkers in clinical blood samples. This study aimed to determine the expression of circRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients to identify novel biomarkers for RA screening.

Methods: We started with a microarray screening of circRNA changes in PBMCs from 5 RA patients and 5 healthy controls.

Advanced oxidation protein products promote NADPH oxidase-dependent β-cell destruction and dysfunction through the Bcl-2/Bax apoptotic pathway.

The accumulation of plasma advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) has been linked with diverse disorders, including diabetes, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pathophysiological relevance of AOPPs in β-cell destruction and dysfunction. Exposure of cultured rat β-cells (INS-1) to AOPPs induced an increase in Bax expression, caspase-3 activity, and apoptosis as well as a decrease in Bcl-2 expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

Effect of the co-culture of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells with human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) give origin to the marrow tromal environment that supports hematopoiesis. These cells present a wide range of differentiation potentials and a complex relationship with hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and endothelial cells. In addition to bone marrow (BM), MSCs can be obtained from other sites in the adult or the fetus.

[Clinical significance of PCT, CRP, ESR, WBC count as predictors in postoperative early infectious complications with fever after posterior lumbar internal fixation].

Objective: To evaluate the role of serum level of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and white blood cell count (WBC) as predictors in postoperative early infectious complications with fever after posterior lumbar internal fixation (PLIF).

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from January 2012 to January 2014. Fifty-two patients with fever in the early stage(within 10 days) after the PLIF were collected in the study.

[Tissue engineering vascularized bone repairing segmental femoral bone defects in rabbits].

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness and mechanism of tissue engineering vascularized bone in repairing segmental femoral bone defects in rabbits.

Methods: Thirty-two rabbits were randomized into two groups (n = 16 each). A segmental and critical bone defect of 15 mm in length was made at left femur.

Osteogenesis and angiogenesis of tissue-engineered bone constructed by prevascularized β-tricalcium phosphate scaffold and mesenchymal stem cells.

Although vascularized tissue-engineered bone grafts (TEBG) have been generated ectopically in several studies, the use of prevascularized TEBG for segmental bone defect repair are rarely reported. In current study, we investigated the efficacy of prevascularized TEBG for segmental defect repair. The segmental defects of 15 mm in length were created in the femurs of rabbits bilaterally.

Advanced oxidation protein products decrease expression of nephrin and podocin in podocytes via ROS-dependent activation of p38 MAPK.

Accumulation of plasma advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) promotes progression of proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis. To investigate the molecular basis of AOPPs-induced proteinuria, normal Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with AOPPs-modified rat serum albumin. The expression of glomerular podocyte slit diaphragm (PSD)-associated proteins, nephrin and podocin, was significantly decreased coincident with the onset of albuminuria in rats treated with AOPPs.