Publications by authors named "WuKai Ma"

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition that causes severe joint deformities and impaired functionality, affecting the well-being and daily life of individuals. Consequently, there is a pressing demand for identifying viable therapeutic targets for treating RA. This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms of osteoclast differentiation in PBMC from patients with RA through transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis.

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Kaempferol has an anti-inflammatory effect on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the mechanism by which inflammatory reactions are relieved via pyroptosis is still unclear. In the present study, The bioinformatics technology was used to analyze the relationship between pyroptosis the hub genes and the downstream cytokines in RA from three the Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE12021, GSE1919 and GSE29746). Molecular docking analysis of kaempferol and caspase1 (CASP1) was executed with Autodock tools.

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Article Synopsis
  • JWJGC is a Chinese herbal medicine that has been shown to alleviate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and modulating macrophage activity.
  • In a study with rats suffering from collagen-induced arthritis, JWJGC improved joint swelling, restored the M1/M2 macrophage balance, and decreased inflammatory markers.
  • The findings suggest that JWJGC works by regulating lipid metabolism and the SLC7A11/GSH/GPX4 signaling pathway, offering a potential new therapeutic approach for RA treatment.
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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that primarily affects joints and damages other tissues, including the heart, kidneys, lungs, digestive system, eyes, skin and nervous system. Jinwu Jiangu Capsule (JWJG) is effective in tonifying kidneys, activating blood circulation, and dispelling wind and dampness. Meanwhile, it produces favorable clinical results in relieving joint pain and reducing inflammation.

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Objectives: A correlation exists between lipids and osteoporosis (OP), as well as between lipids and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, lipids, the relationship between RA and OP is still unclear. This study mainly investigates the relationship between lipid levels and OP risk in RA patients.

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Background/purpose(s): The gut microbiota and its metabolites play crucial roles in pathogenesis of arthritis, highlighting gut microbiota as a promising avenue for modulating autoimmunity. However, the characterization of the gut virome in arthritis patients, including osteoarthritis (OA) and gouty arthritis (GA), requires further investigation.

Methods: We employed virus-like particle (VLP)-based metagenomic sequencing to analyze gut viral community in 20 OA patients, 26 GA patients, and 31 healthy controls, encompassing a total of 77 fecal samples.

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Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune disease with the main symptoms being joint swelling and pain. In severe cases, joint deformity or even complete loss of function occurs. Technetium methylene diphosphonate (99Tc-MDP) is widely used for RA treatment in China, but there are no studies on the effects of 99Tc-MDP on intestinal flora.

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Article Synopsis
  • Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is commonly used to treat autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus but can lead to serious side effects, such as skin hyperpigmentation and eye damage.
  • A case study highlighted a 65-year-old woman who developed blurred vision and hyperpigmentation after three years on HCQ for rheumatoid arthritis, leading to a diagnosis of drug-induced skin pigmentation and macular lesions.
  • Following the discontinuation of HCQ and switching to iguratimod treatment, her skin pigmentation improved, although her vision issues persisted, stressing the importance of monitoring and regular eye exams for patients on HCQ.
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Although the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unclear, an increasing number of studies have confirmed that pyroptosis of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) is an important factor affecting the progression of RA. Periplogenin (PPN) is a natural cardiac glycoside; reportedly, it exerts anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in diseases by inhibiting cell growth and migration. This study aimed to determine the effect of PPN on the growth, migration, and invasion of RA-FLS and the potential mechanism of pyroptosis regulation.

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Objective: Systemic sclerosis(SSc) remains unclear, studies suggest that inflammation may be linked to its pathogenesis. Hence, we conducted a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to evaluate the association between cytokine and growth factor cycling levels and the risk of SSc onset.

Methods: In our study, the instrumental variables(IVs) for circulating cytokines were sourced from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) dataset of 8293 Finnish individuals.

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Objective: The causal relationship between saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains poorly understood. This study aimed to determine whether SFAs are causally related to RA using Mendelian randomisation (MR) analyses.

Methods: Genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data for RA (ukb-d-M13_RHEUMA) and SFAs (met-d-SFA) were obtained from the Integrative Epidemiology Unit OpenGWAS database.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates barriers to effective treat-to-target (T2T) management of gout treatment in China, focusing on treatment failures despite its recommended use for optimal outcomes.
  • A total of 425 outpatients provided data on their demographics, health conditions, and medication adherence, revealing that only 26.82% adhered to the T2T strategy.
  • Key factors linked to poor treatment outcomes included low medication adherence, management by general practitioners, the presence of tophi, and a negative patient perception of gout, with a significant percentage (55.29%) displaying poor adherence to medication.
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  • This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of adalimumab (ADA) with a herbal remedy called Tripterygium wilfordii (TwHF) against ADA combined with methotrexate (MTX) for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who did not respond well to MTX.
  • Conducted with 64 RA patients, the trial included a treatment group (ADA + TwHF) and a control group (ADA + MTX), monitoring outcomes over 24 weeks for low disease activity and remission rates.
  • Results showed no significant differences in efficacy or safety between the two treatment options, indicating that TwHF could be a viable alternative for RA patients who cannot
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Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint disease globally, serving as a primary cause of pain and disability. However, the pathological processes underlying OA remain incompletely understood. Several studies have noted an association between cytokines and OA, yet the causal link between them remains ambiguous.

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease characterized by persistent synovitis and angiogenesis. Its clinical manifestations are synovial hyperplasia and progressive destruction of bone and cartilage, eventually leading to joint deformation and even disability. The healing effect of monomer stigmasterol, the main active ingredient of the Jinwujiangu recipe the Chinese Herbal Compound, on RA has been confirmed in several studies.

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Rationale: Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is a serious adverse skin reaction characterized by the rapid appearance of densely distributed, small, sterile pustules with erythema. However, its pathogenesis is not fully understood. Hydroxychloroquine is widely used for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

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Article Synopsis
  • The research investigates the gut microbial composition in patients with gouty arthritis (GA) compared to healthy controls, focusing on bacteria, fungi, and viruses present.
  • Significant changes were found, with 1,117 bacterial species, 23 fungal species, and 4,115 viral operational taxonomic units being differentially abundant in GA patients.
  • The identified microbial signatures show potential for diagnostic purposes, aiding in distinguishing between GA patients and healthy individuals, while highlighting the complex interactions among various microbial communities.
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Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disease represented by exocrine gland epithelial cell lesions. However, the mechanism underlying these lesions remains unclear. This study analyzed the plasma exosomes of pSS patients using proteomics and revealed the presence of 24 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) involved in the primary biological processes and signaling pathways related to ferroptosis.

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The study aimed to elucidate the effective chemical composition and molecular mechanism of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment with Jishe Qushi capsules (JSQS) and perform clinical validation. The effective chemical components were screened by a database. We used Cytoscape software to construct the key target-RA composite target network of JSQS.

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Objective: Anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare clinical autoimmune disease, and anti-MDA5-positive DM with interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the most important cause of death in DM patients. We reported the efficacy of the JAK1/3 inhibitor tofacitinib as an anti-MDA5-negative treatment option for patients with anti-MDA5-positive DM-ILD.

Method And Process: Here we report a 51-year-old female patient with cough, sputum, shortness of breath for 5 months, rash for 3 months, and muscle pain in the extremities for 1 month.

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Objective: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by high levels of chronic lymphocyte infiltration. Differences and dysfunction in the gut microbiota and metabolites may be closely related to the pathogenesis of SS. The purpose of this study was to reveal the relationship between the gut microbiota and metabolome in NOD mice as a model of SS and the role of FuFang Runzaoling (FRZ), which is a clinically effective in treating SS.

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Introduction: Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is a rare condition characterized by superficial pustules following drug ingestion or infection. Currently, there is no clear link between rheumatism and AGEP. It has been described that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a rare cause of acute generalized epidermal necrolysis (AGEP).

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic progressive autoimmune disease characterized with high recurrence, high disability, poor prognosis, and long treatment cycles. Versus western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine has the traits of definite efficacy, low toxicity, and side effects in the treatment of RA. Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine also has the advantages of multiple targets, multiple links, and multiple approaches.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers studied the gut viral community in 16 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 31 healthy individuals, using advanced sequencing methods to uncover differences in virome composition.
  • SLE patients showed a notable decrease in gut viral diversity and significant changes in viral family composition compared to healthy controls, with specific viral types enriched in either group.
  • The study suggests that gut virome alterations could potentially serve as a predictive tool for SLE, achieving a high accuracy in distinguishing between patients and healthy individuals.
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