Role of IL-1 Family Cytokines IL-36, IL-37, IL-38 in Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Comprehensive Review.

Inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-36 (IL-36), IL-37, IL-38 belong to IL-1 family. The IL-36 subfamily obtains pro- and anti-inflammatory effects on various immune responses. Cytokine IL-37, has anti-inflammatory functions in immunity, and the recently identified IL-38 negatively associated with disease pathogenesis. To date, expression of IL-36, IL-37, IL-38 is reported dysregulated in osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and may be disease markers for arthritis-related diseases. Interestingly, expression of IL-38 was different either in OA patients or animal models, and expression of IL-36Ra in synovium was different in OA and RA patients. Moreover, functional studies have demonstrated significant role of these cytokines in OA and RA progress. These processes were related to immune cells and non-immune cells, where the cytokines IL-36, IL-37, IL-38 may regulate downstream signalings in the cells, and then involve in OA, RA development. In this review, we comprehensively discuss recent advancements in cytokines and the development of OA, RA. We hope that targeting these cytokines will become a potential treatment option for OA and RA in the future.

Role of hydrogels in osteoarthritis: A comprehensive review.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic, degenerative, and age-related disease. It is characterized by chronic inflammation, progressive articular cartilage destruction, and subchondral bone sclerosis. The current effective treatment for OA is limited. Hydrogel is a kind of unique carrier with well-known biocompatibility, softness, and high water content among various biomaterials. Hydrogels are developed for different biomedical applications, for instance, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. To date, a variety of hydrogels-based therapies have been used in OA patients or animal models. In this review, we comprehensively summarized the potential role of hydrogels in chondrocytes proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammatory component production and discussed the impact of hydrogels on OA development. The collection of this information will help better understand the present progress of hydrogels in OA.

Plastination of a sperm whale.

In 2016, two adult male sperm whales beached off of Yangkou Port in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, China. The local government planned to preserve them as specimens, one was entrusted to Dalian Hoffen Biological Co., Ltd., and thus became the first sperm whale to be preserved by plastination. The other sperm whale was preserved in Nantong by the traditional stripping method (The skin was preserved, and then the prosthesis was filled into the skin to preserve the specimens. The material of the prosthesis was polyurethane. The outline of the animal was sculpted by suturing the skin like a bag and filling it with polyurethane). Plastination of such a large marine mammal allowed us to view the mutual adaptations of its internal structure to its specific living environment and daily habits. This sperm whale is the largest specimen in the world and this is the first time a sperm whale has been preserved using the plastination method. The plastination process also provides a method for studying the anatomy of large marine mammals for humans to understand deep-sea organisms at close contact and visual level. The plastination of this sperm whale promises to be a world class resource holding tremendous scientific, educational, and artistic value.

Erratum: pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma risk: a case-control study in a Chinese population.

[This corrects the article on p. 1 in vol. 8, PMID: 28337312.].

pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma risk: a case-control study in a Chinese population.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. miR-34 induces changes of its downstream genes, and plays a key role in altering the apoptotic cycle and pathways of downstream cells, and finally influences the development of cancer. We assessed the relationship of the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism with hepatocellular carcinoma risk in a Chinese population. During the period of January 2014 and December 2015, a total of 164 HCC patients and 305 healthy controls were recruited from the Inner Mongolia People's Hospital. Genotyping of the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 was determined using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Using χ2 test, we observed that HCC patients were likely to have a habit of alcohol consumption (χ2 = 10.24, P = 0.001) and infect with HBV or HCV (χ2 = 128.17, P < 0.001). In co-dominant model, the CC genotype of pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 had a significant higher risk of HCC as compared with the TT genotype, and the corresponding adjusted OR (95% CI) was 4.14 (1.91-9.75). In dominant model, we observed that the TC+CC genotype were associated with an increased risk of HCC in comparison to the TT genotype (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.17-2.55). In recessive model, the CC genotype was correlated with an elevated risk of HCC when compared with the TT+TC genotype (OR = 3.46, 95% CI = 1.62-8.54). The pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism was associated with a higher risk of HCC in the Chinese population examined. Further large-scale and multi-center studies are required to confirm these results.