Spermidine ameliorates osteoarthritis via altering macrophage polarization.

Objective: Spermidine (SPD) is an anti-aging natural substance, and it exerts effects through anti-apoptosis and anti-inflammation. However, the specific protective mechanism of SPD in osteoarthritis (OA) remains unclear. Here, we explored the role of SPD on the articular cartilage and the synovial tissue, and tested whether the drug would regulate the polarization of synovial macrophages by in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Geographic differences in pharmacotherapy patterns and outcomes of acute ischemic stroke in China.

Background: Vast economic and healthcare status discrepancies exist among regions in China, contributing to different treatment patterns. This study was aimed to investigate the current status of pharmacotherapy for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and outcomes in China and explore the geographic variation in stroke care.

Methods: This study was a multicenter prospective registry study, which collected the data of patients with AIS from 80 hospitals in 46 cities in 2015-2017 across China.

Shedding light on experimental intra-articular drugs for treating knee osteoarthritis.

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a leading cause of disability among older adults without a curative therapy available. The development of disease-modifying OA drugs based on intra-articular injection (IA) is drawing extensive attention for its advantages in bioavailability and reduced systemic exposure. Based on the newly revealed pathogenesis of OA, several experimental IA drugs are successful in preclinical studies; moreover, some of them are in different phases of randomized clinical trials, bringing new opportunities for disease modification of OA.

DNA Supramolecular Hydrogel-Enabled Sustained Delivery of Metformin for Relieving Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a musculoskeletal disorder affecting ∼500 million people worldwide. Metformin (MET), as an oral hypoglycemic drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration, has displayed promising potential for treating OA. Nonetheless, in the articular cavity, MET suffers from rapid clearance and cannot circumvent the severe inflammatory environment, greatly confining the therapeutic efficacy.

Osteophytes mediate the associations between cartilage morphology and changes in knee symptoms in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Aims: To investigate whether the associations between cartilage defects and cartilage volumes with changes in knee symptoms were mediated by osteophytes.

Methods: Data from the Vitamin D Effects on Osteoarthritis (VIDEO) study were analyzed as a cohort. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index was used to assess knee symptoms at baseline and follow-up.

Metformin attenuates osteoarthritis by targeting chondrocytes, synovial macrophages and adipocytes.

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of metformin on knee OA in normal diet (ND) mice or high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice.

Methods: Destabilization of the medial meniscus surgery was performed in ND mice or HFD mice, and metformin was administrated in drinking water or not. The changes of OA joint structure, infiltration and polarization of synovial macrophages and circulating and local levels of leptin and adiponectin were evaluated.

Enhanced osteoarthritis therapy by nanoengineered mesenchymal stem cells using biomimetic CuS nanoparticles loaded with plasmid DNA encoding TGF-β1.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) therapy shows the potential benefits to relieve clinical symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA), but it is uncertain if it can repair articular cartilage lesions - the main pathology of OA. Here, we prepared biomimetic cupper sulfide@phosphatidylcholine (CuS@PC) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with plasmid DNA (pDNA) encoding transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) to engineer MSCs for enhanced OA therapy via cartilage regeneration. We found that the NPs not only promoted cell proliferation and migration, but also presented a higher pDNA transfection efficiency relative to commercial transfection reagent lipofectamine 3000.

Deep Learning Reveals Key Immunosuppression Genes and Distinct Immunotypes in Periodontitis.

Background: Periodontitis is a chronic immuno-inflammatory disease characterized by inflammatory destruction of tooth-supporting tissues. Its pathogenesis involves a dysregulated local host immune response that is ineffective in combating microbial challenges. An integrated investigation of genes involved in mediating immune response suppression in periodontitis, based on multiple studies, can reveal genes pivotal to periodontitis pathogenesis.

Chinese acute ischemic stroke treatment outcome registry (CASTOR): protocol for a prospective registry study on patterns of real-world treatment of acute ischemic stroke in China.

Rationale: Stroke presents a serious health problem in China. Despite progresses made in recent years, there is still a lack of effective treatments for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in clinical practices.

Aims: The Chinese Acute Ischemic Stroke Treatment Outcome Registry (CASTOR) is designed to evaluate the patterns and cost-effectiveness of current treatments for AIS in real-world settings in China.