Efficacy and Safety of Juan Bi Pill with Add-on Methotrexate in Active Rheumatoid Arthritis: A 48-Week, Multicentre, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Objective: To explore the efficacy and safety of Juan Bi Pill (JBP) in treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: From February 2017 to May 2018, 115 participants from 4 centers were randomly divided into JBP group (57 cases) and placebo group (58 cases) in a 1:1 ratio using a random number table method. Participants received a dose of JBP (4 g, twice a day, orally) combined with methotrexate (MTX, 10 mg per week) or placebo (4 g, twice a day, orally) combined with MTX for 12 weeks.

Advances in Noninvasive Molecular Imaging Probes for Liver Fibrosis Diagnosis.

Liver fibrosis is a wound-healing response to chronic liver injury, which may lead to cirrhosis and cancer. Early-stage fibrosis is reversible, and it is difficult to precisely diagnose with conventional imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, single-photon emission computed tomography, and ultrasound imaging. In contrast, probe-assisted molecular imaging offers a promising noninvasive approach to visualize early fibrosis changes in vivo, thus facilitating early diagnosis and staging liver fibrosis, and even monitoring of the treatment response.

A Novel Strain of with a Strong Antagonistic Effect Specific to and Its Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis.

Sclerotinia, which is caused by , is a severe disease of oilseed rape, which is an important oil crop worldwide. In this study, we isolated a novel strain of , named HF10, from the rhizosphere soil of the reed on the seaside of Yagzhou Bay, Sanya city, Hainan Province, China. HF10 exhibited a significant antagonistic effect on , with an inhibition rate of 79%, and to other species in , but no antagonistic effect was found on various other fungi or bacteria.

Pathological progress and remission strategies of osteoarthritic lesions caused by long-term joint immobilization.

Objective: While joint immobilization is a useful repair method for intra-articular ligament injury and periarticular fracture, prolonged joint immobilization can cause multiple complications. A better understanding how joint immobilization and remobilization impact joint function and homeostasis will help clinicians develop novel strategies to reduce complications.

Design: We first determined the effects of long-term immobilization on joint pain and osteophyte formation in patients after an extraarticular fracture or ligament injury.

Piezo1 activation accelerates osteoarthritis progression and the targeted therapy effect of artemisinin.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a devastating whole-joint disease affecting a large population worldwide with no cure; its mechanism remains poorly defined. Abnormal mechanical stress is the main pathological factor of OA.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of Piezo1 activation on OA development and progression and to explore Piezo1-targeting OA treatment.

Biphasic Effect of Pirfenidone on Angiogenesis.

Pirfenidone (PFD), a synthetic arsenic compound, has been found to inhibit angiogenesis at high concentrations. However, the biphasic effects of different PFD concentrations on angiogenesis have not yet been elucidated, and the present study used an model to explore the mechanisms underlying this biphasic response. The effect of PFD on the initial angiogenesis of vascular endothelial cells was investigated through a Matrigel tube formation assay, and the impact of PFD on endothelial cell migration was evaluated through scratch and transwell migration experiments.

Repurposing of Pirfenidone (Anti-Pulmonary Fibrosis Drug) for Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Clinical studies have shown that pirfenidone (PFD) effectively relieves joint pain in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying the anti-RA effects of PFD have not been investigated. This study was undertaken to investigate the repurposing of PFD for the treatment of RA, and explore its anti-rheumatic mechanisms.

Amygdalin Attenuates Atherosclerosis and Plays an Anti-Inflammatory Role in ApoE Knock-Out Mice and Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages.

Amygdalin, the main component of Prunus persica (L.) Stokes, has been used to treat atherosclerosis in mouse model due to its anti-inflammatory role. However, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood.

Corrigendum: Alleviation of Synovial Inflammation of Juanbi-Tang on Collagen-Induced Arthritis and TNF-Tg Mice Model.

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Taoren Honghua Drug Attenuates Atherosclerosis and Plays an Anti-Inflammatory Role in ApoE Knock-Out Mice and RAW264.7 Cells.

Taoren Honghua drug is a traditional Chinese medicinal drug used to treat cardiovascular disease. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of Taoren Honghua drug on inflammation and atherosclerosis in ApoE knock-out mice and RAW264.7 cells.

Screening strains for microbial biosorption technology of cadmium.

Heavy metals contaminate the environment and provide a threat to public health through drinking water and food chain. Microbial biosorption technology provides a more economical and competitive solution for bioremediation of toxicants such as heavy metals, and microbial genetic modification may modify microbes towards optimal sorption. It is very important to screen suitable strains for this purpose.

Alleviation of Synovial Inflammation of Juanbi-Tang on Collagen-Induced Arthritis and TNF-Tg Mice Model.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that is primarily characterized by synovial inflammation. In this study, we found that a traditional Chinese decoction, Juanbi-Tang (JBT), JBT attenuated the symptoms of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice and in tumor necrosis factor transgenic (TNF-Tg) mice by attenuating the arthritis index and hind paw thickness. According to histopathological staining of ankle sections, JBT significantly decreased the area of inflammation and reduced bone destruction of ankle joints in both these two types of mice.

Detection of Metallothionein Proteins by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).

Metallothioneins (MTs) are low-molecular-weight, cysteine-rich proteins that bind to heavy metals. MTs play a key role in the homeostasis of metal ions, maintaining intracellular redox equilibria and free radical scavenging. In several studies, under different conditions such as cancer development, drug therapy and heavy metal stress, the unique structural changes and functional effects of MT were studied.

Osteogenic magnesium incorporated into PLGA/TCP porous scaffold by 3D printing for repairing challenging bone defect.

Bone defect repair is a challenging clinical problem in musculoskeletal system, especially in orthopaedic disorders such as steroid associated osteonecrosis (SAON). Magnesium (Mg) as a biodegradable metal with properly mechanical properties has been investigating for a long history. In this study, Mg powder, poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) were the elements to formulate a novel porous PLGA/TCP/Mg (PTM) scaffolds using low temperature rapid prototyping (LT-RP) technology.

The efficacy of the traditional Chinese medicine Juanbi pill combined with methotrexate in active rheumatoid arthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by swelling and painful joints, eventually leading to joint destruction. There is still a lack of effective therapy to treat RA. The Juanbi pill is a Chinese medicine that has been widely used to treat active RA in China for hundreds of years, relieving pain and protecting the affected joints from malformation.

Cucurbitacin E inhibits TNF-α-induced inflammatory cytokine production in human synoviocyte MH7A cells via suppression of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathways.

Increasing studies indicated that Cucurbitacin E (CuE), a compound isolated from Cucurbitaceae, has been shown anti-inflammatory effect. However, the effect of CuE on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) inflammatory response and its potential molecular mechanism are still unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that CuE significantly suppressed TNF-α-induced inflammatory cytokines production interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) mRNA and protein expression in human synoviocyte MH7A cells.