[Systematic evaluation of the incidence of the knee donor area after autobone cartilage mosaic xentoplasty].

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the incidence of knee donor -site morbidity after autologous osteochondral mosaicplasty. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, EMbase, Wanfang Medical Network, and CNKI databases from January 2010 to April 20, 2021. Relevant literature was selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and data were evaluated and extracted. The correlation between the number and size of transplanted osteochondral columns and donor-site morbidity was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 13 literatures were included, comprising a total of 661 patients. Statistical analysis revealed an incidence of knee donor-site morbidity at 8.6% (57/661), with knee pain being the most common complaint, accounting for 4.2%(28/661). There was no significant correlation between the number of osteochondral columns and postoperative donor-site incidence (P=0.424, N=10), nor between the diameter size of osteochondral columns and postoperative donor-site incidence(P=0.699, N=7). CONCLUSION: Autologous osteochondral mosaicplasty is associated with a considerable incidence of knee donor-site morbidity, with knee pain being the most frequent complaint. There is no apparent correlation between donor-site incidence and the number and size of transplanted osteochondral columns. Donors should be informed about the potential risks.

Adhesive hydrogels in osteoarthritis: from design to application.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of degenerative joint disease which affects 7% of the global population and more than 500 million people worldwide. One research frontier is the development of hydrogels for OA treatment, which operate either as functional scaffolds of tissue engineering or as delivery vehicles of functional additives. Both approaches address the big challenge: establishing stable integration of such delivery systems or implants. Adhesive hydrogels provide possible solutions to this challenge. However, few studies have described the current advances in using adhesive hydrogel for OA treatment. This review summarizes the commonly used hydrogels with their adhesion mechanisms and components. Additionally, recognizing that OA is a complex disease involving different biological mechanisms, the bioactive therapeutic strategies are also presented. By presenting the adhesive hydrogels in an interdisciplinary way, including both the fields of chemistry and biology, this review will attempt to provide a comprehensive insight for designing novel bioadhesive systems for OA therapy.

[Clinical effects of arthroscopy-assisted anterior cruciate ligament tibial eminence avulsion fracture compared with traditional open surgery:a Meta-analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of arthroscopy and traditional incision in the treatment of tibial avulsion fracture of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). METHODS: From July 2010 to July 2020, clinical comparative trial about arthroscopy and traditional incision in the treatment of ACL tibial avulsion fracture was conducted by using computer-based databases, including Embase, Pubmed, Central, Cinahl, PQDT, CNKI, Weipu, Wanfang, Cochrane Library, CBM. Literature screening and data extraction were carried out according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the quality of the included literature was evaluated by improved Jadad score and Ottawa Newcastle scale (NOS). The operation time, hospital stay, fracture healing time, knee range of motion, postoperative excellent and good rate, complication rate, Lysholm score, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score and Tegner score were statistically analyzed by Review Manager 5.3 software. RESULTS: Finally, 16 literatures were included, including 1 randomized controlled trial and 15 non randomized controlled trials, with a total of 822 patients (405 in arthroscopy group and 417 in traditional incision group). Meta analysis showed that the operation time [MD=-9.03, 95% CI(-14.36, -3.70), P<0.001], hospital stay [MD=-5.81, 95%CI(-9.32, -2.31), P=0.001] and fracture healing time [MD=-14.61, 95% CI(-17.93, -11.28), P<0.001] in the arthroscopy group were better than those in the traditional incision group. The incidence of complications in arthroscopy group was lower than that in traditional incision group[OR=0.15, 95%CI(0.07, 0.33), P<0.001]. The postoperative excellent and good rate[OR=4.39, 95%CI (1.96, 9.82), P<0.001], knee mobility[MD=6.78, 95%CI(2.79, 10.77), P<0.001], Lysholm score[MD=11.63, 95%CI(4.91, 18.36), P<0.001], IKDC score[MD=7.83, 95%CI(6.09, 9.57), P<0.001] and Tegner score[MD=0.60, 95%CI(0.31, 0.89), P<0.001] in the arthroscopic group were higher than those in the traditional incision group. CONCLUSION: Compared with the traditional open reduction and internal fixation, arthroscopic surgery in patients with ACL tibial avulsion fracture can shorten the operation time, hospital stay and fracture healing time, reduce the incidence of postoperative complications, and obtain good postoperative knee function. It can be recommended as one of the first choice for patients with ACL tibial avulsion fracture.

Clinical profiles of SS-ILD compared with SS-NILD in a Chinese population: a retrospective analysis of 735 patients.

BACKGROUND: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a serious complication in patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Most studies on primary SS (pSS) with ILD are limited in sample size, and studies on secondary SS (sSS) with ILD are rare. This study aimed to elucidate both primary and secondary SS-associated ILD (SS-ILD) based on a large cohort. METHODS: The medical records of hospitalized patients diagnosed with SS at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2010 to May 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical manifestations, medical history, biological results and imaging data were collected. RESULTS: Of the 735 SS patients enrolled in this study, 563 (76.6%) were diagnosed with pSS, 172 (23.4%) were diagnosed with sSS. Additionally, 316 (43.0%) were diagnosed with SS-ILD. No significant difference was found between the pSS and sSS groups concerning the incidence of ILD (p = .718). Factors associated with SS-ILD were older age (p < .001), male sex (p = .032), female sex at menopause (p = .002), Raynaud's phenomenon (p < .001), low levels of albumin (p = .010) and respiratory symptoms (p < .001). The SS-ILD group showed higher counts of platelets (p < .001). The three most frequent high-resolution CT (HRCT) findings of SS-ILD were irregular linear opacities (42.7%), grid shadows (30.7%) and pleural thickening (28.5%). NSIP (56.3%) was the most frequent HRCT pattern. Compared with pSS patients with ILD (pSS-ILD) patients, sSS patients with ILD (sSS-ILD) patients had a higher incidence of proteinuria (p < .001) and hypercreatinaemia (p = .013), a higher level of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (p = .003), low levels of complement 3 (C3) (p = .013), lymphocytes (p = .009) and leukocytes (p = .024), and worse DLCO (%Pred) (p = .035). CONCLUSIONS: ILD is a common pulmonary involvement in both pSS patients and sSS patients. Older age, male sex, female sex at menopause, Raynaud's phenomenon, low albumin levels and respiratory symptoms are risk factors associated with SS-ILD. NSIP is important HRCT feature of SS-ILD. sSS-ILD patients showed worse laboratory results and pulmonary function.KEY MESSAGEOlder age, male sex, female sex at menopause, Raynaud's phenomenon, low albumin levels and respiratory symptoms are risk factors associated with SS-ILD.SS-ILD patients show higher counts of platelets and less purpura.sSS-ILD patients have worse laboratory results and pulmonary function.

Cofilin-1 promotes fibrocyte differentiation and contributes to pulmonary fibrosis.

Fibrocytes originate from the bone marrow monocyte lineage and participate in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Research providing a comprehensive picture of fibrocytes is still limited. Cofilin-1 (CFL-1) is an important protein that regulates cell proliferation, migration and differentiation. Whether CFL-1 can induce monocyte differentiation into fibrocytes and promote the process of pulmonary fibrosis is unknown. Compared with that of healthy controls, the expression of CFL-1 was significantly increased in the plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) patients (P < 0.05). The percentages of peripheral blood fibrocytes in the IPF group (4.2550 ± 0.3483%) and CTD-ILD group (4.7100 ± 0.4811%) were higher than that in the control group (1.6340 ± 0.2549%) (both P < 0.05). In vitro, PBMCs transfected with siRNA-CFL-1 showed lower expression of CFL-1, and the percentage of fibrocytes was lower than that of the control (P < 0.05). PBMCs transfected with Lv-CFL-1 to increase the expression of CFL-1 showed a higher percentage of fibrocytes than the control (P < 0.05). In mice with bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, the relative expression of CFL-1 was increased, and the percentage of fibrocytes was higher than that in the saline group (P < 0.05). In bleomycin-induced mice, interference with Lv-CFL-1 decreased the expression of CFL-1, the percentage of fibrocytes was lower, and the lung tissue showed less fibrosis (P < 0.05). The overexpression of CFL-1 is associated with pulmonary fibrogenesis. CFL-1 could promote the differentiation of fibrocytes from monocyte peripheral blood mononuclear cells and promote pulmonary fibrosis.

Alpha-mangostin improves endothelial dysfunction in db/db mice through inhibition of aSMase/ceramide pathway.

Diabetic vascular complications are the leading causes of death and disability in patients with diabetes. Alpha-mangostin has been reported to have anti-diabetic capacity in recent years. Here, we investigated the protective function of alpha-mangostin on endothelium in vitro and in vivo experiments. We also observed that alpha-mangostin improved impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation (EDV) of diabetic animals while it limited the aSMase/ceramide pathway and up-regulated eNOS/NO pathway in aortas from diabetic mice. Meanwhile, alpha-mangostin inhibited elevated aSMase/ceramide pathway and reversed impaired EDV induced by high glucose in isolated mouse aortas. In addition, alpha-mangostin increased phosphorylation of eNOS and NO production in high glucose-treated aortas. Alpha-mangostin normalized high glucose-induced activation of aSMase/ceramide pathway and improved eNOS/NO pathway in endothelial cells with high glucose. In conclusion, alpha-mangostin regulates eNOS/NO pathway and improves EDV in aortas of diabetic mice through inhibiting aSMase activity and endogenous ceramide accumulation.

Studies of Articular Cartilage Repair from 2009 to 2018: A Bibliometric Analysis of Articles.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a bibliometric analysis of research on articular cartilage repair published in Chinese and English over the past decade. Fundamental and clinical research topics of high interest were further comparatively analyzed. METHODS: Relevant studies published from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2018 (10 years) were retrieved from the Wanfang database (Chinese articles) and six databases, including MEDLINE, WOS, INSPEC, SCIELO, KJD, and RSCI on the website "Web of Science" (English articles), using key words: "articular cartilage" AND "injury" AND "repair". The articles were categorized according to research focuses for a comparative analysis between those published in Chinese vs English, and further grouped according to publication date (before and after 2014). A comparative analysis was performed on research focus to characterize the variation in research trends between two 5-year time spans. Moreover, articles were classified as basic and clinical research studies. RESULTS: Overall, 5762 articles were retrieved, including 2748 in domestic Chinese journals and 3014 in international English journals. A total of 4937 articles focused on the top 10 research topics, with the top 3 being stem cells (32.1%), tissue-engineered scaffold (22.8%), and molecular mechanisms (16.4%). Differences between the numbers of Chinese and English papers were observed for 3 topics: chondrocyte implantation (104 vs 316), osteochondral allograft (27 vs 86), and microfracture (127 vs 293). The following topics gained more research interest in the second 5-year time span compared with the first: microfracture, osteochondral allograft, osteochondral autograft, stem cells, and tissue-engineered scaffold. Articles with a focus on three-dimensional-printing technology have shown the fastest increase in publication numbers. Among 5613 research articles, basic research studies accounted for the majority (4429), with clinical studies described in only 1184 articles. The top 7 research topics of clinical studies were: chondrocyte implantation (28.7%), stem cells (21.9%), microfracture (19.2%), tissue scaffold (10.6%), osteochondral autograft (10.5%), osteochondral allograft (6.3%), and periosteal transplantation (2.8%). CONCLUSION: Studies focused on stem cells and tissue-engineered scaffolds led the field of damaged articular cartilage repair. International researchers studied allograft-related implantation approaches more often than Chinese researchers. Traditional surgical techniques, such as microfracture and osteochondral transplantation, gained high research interest over the past decade.

Pain is a common problem in patients with ILD.

BACKGROUND: As it is less known about the prevalence and characteristics of pain in the patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD), this paper aims at determining the characteristics of the pain in the patients with ILD. METHODS: Subjects with ILD and health controls with the matched ages and genders completed Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and part of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) Short Form to elicit the characteristics of the pain. The patients with ILD were also assessed through Pulmonary Function Test, Six Minutes Walking Test (6MWT), modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (mMRC) for state of the illness and measured health-related quality of life (HRQoL) by Short Form-36 (SF-36) and psychological associations by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). RESULTS: A total of 63 subjects with ILD and 63 healthy controls (HC) were recruited in our study. The prevalence of the pain was 61.9% in ILD versus 25.3% in HC (P = 0.005) and the median score of the pain rank index (PRI) in ILD was higher than that in HC (P = 0.014). Chest (46.1%) accounted for the highest of overall pain locations in subjects with ILD. Associated clinical factors for pain intensity in the patients with ILD included exposure history of risk factors of ILD, with a longer distance of 6MWD (≥ 250 m), and a higher mMRC score (2-4). The patients with ILD and pain are more likely to suffer impaired HRQoL (P = 0.0014) and psychological problems (P = 0.0017, P = 0.044). CONCLUSION: The pain is common in those with ILD and the pain intensity is associated with exposure history, 6MWD, and mMRC score. The patients with ILD and pain were possibly to suffer depression, anxiety, and impaired HRQoL.

Cigarette Smoke Extract Promotes Human Lung Myofibroblast Differentiation by the Induction of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and lethal fibrotic lung disease with an unknown aetiology. Persistent myofibroblast differentiation is a prominent feature of IPF. Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for IPF and an indicator of poor prognosis. Cigarette smoking induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and it has been shown that ER stress promotes fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation in lung fibrosis. In this study, we investigated whether cigarette smoke extract (CSE) promotes lung myofibroblast differentiation via the induction of ER stress. OBJECTIVES: Our study concentrates on exploring the relationship between smoking and ER stress in the differentiation of lung fibroblasts to myofibroblasts. METHODS: Human embryonic lung fibroblasts (MRC-5 fibroblasts) were stimulated with various doses of CSE. Levels of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) protein were evaluated by immunofluorescence and western blot analyses. ER stress was induced by thapsigargin (TG) and inhibited by 4-phenyl butyric acid (4-PBA). Protein levels of glucose-regulated protein-78 (GRP78), inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1), X box-binding protein-1 (XBP-1) and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) were determined by western blotting. GRP78 siRNA was transfected into MRC-5 cells using Lipofectamine RNAiMAX Reagent. RESULTS: CSE at a concentration of 1.0% significantly increased α-SMA expression in MRC-5 cells. There was no significant cell apoptosis after cells were exposed to CSE. CSE treatment significantly increased the expression of GRP78, IRE1, XBP-1 and ATF6 at the protein level at 48 h. Pretreatment with TG enhanced, whereas pretreatment with 4-PBA inhibited, the CSE-induced expression of α-SMA, GRP78 and XBP-1. Furthermore, knockdown of GRP78 blocked α-SMA expression in MRC-5 cells exposed to CSE. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that CSE promotes lung fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation by the induction of ER stress.

Inhibition of acid sphingomyelinase activity ameliorates endothelial dysfunction in db/db mice.

Acid sphingomyelinase (aSMase) plays an important role in endothelial dysfunction. Here, we show that elevated aSMase activity and ceramide content were reduced by desipramine treatment in diabetic animals. The inhibitor of aSMase, desipramine, improved vascular dysfunction in db/db mice. High glucose (HG)-induced up-regulation of aSMase activity and ceramide levels were restored by treatment with aSMase siRNA or desipramine in endothelial cells. In addition, aSMase siRNA or desipramine treatment increased the release of nitric oxide (NO) and the phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) in diabetic mouse aortas and aortic endothelial cells with HG.These results indicate that inhibition of aSMase/ceramide pathway improves endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation (EDR) largely through regulating the eNOS/NO pathway in diabetic animals.

Alpha-mangostin attenuates diabetic nephropathy in association with suppression of acid sphingomyelianse and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

AIMS: Diabetic nephropathy is a common complication of diabetes, but there are currently few treatment options. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the effect of alpha-mangostin on diabetic nephropathy and possible related mechanisms. METHODS: Goto-Kakizaki rats were used as a diabetic model and received alpha-mangostin or desipramine treatment with normal saline as a control. Ten age-matched Sprague Dawley rats were used as normal controls and treated with normal saline. At week 12, blood glucose, albuminuria, apoptosis and renal pathologic changes were assessed. Protein levels for acid sphingomyelinase, glucose-regulated protein 78, phosphorylated PKR-like ER-resident kinase, activated transcription factor 4, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein, homologous protein), and cleaved-caspase12 were measured. RESULTS: The level of acid sphingomyelinase was significantly increased, and ER stress was activated in diabetic rat kidneys when compared to the control animals. When acid sphingomyelinase was inhibited by alpha-mangostin, the expression of ER stress-related proteins was down-regulated in association with decreased levels of diabetic kidney injury. CONCLUSIONS: Alpha-mangostin, an acid sphingomyelinase inhibitor plays a protective role in diabetic neuropathy by relieving ER stress induced-renal cell apoptosis.

[A short term clinical study of fibular osteotomy for knee osteoarthritis].

OBJECTIVE: To study clinical effects of fibular osteotomy for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: From January 2015, 12 patients (15 knees) with knee osteoarthritis were treated with fibular osteotomy. The main symptom was interval inside pain. All the patients were female with an average age of 61.3 years old. Early postoperative ambulation of joints was carried out after surgery, and the corresponding radiographic assessment before and after operations were performed with record. Finally, the following indicators were analyzed:VAS, KSS, HSS, respectively before, 2 days and 2 months after the operation. RESULTS: The average hospitalization time was (6.0±2.4) days, and the time of unilateral operation was (33.3±8.4) minutes without significant bleeding. There were no obvious complications such as wound infection, delayed healing and nerve damage. All the patients could walk around 1 day after operations with a chief complaint of the obvious reduction or disappear of the interval medial knee pain. The VAS score, HSS score and KSS clinical score were significantly improved 2 days after surgery compared to the scores before operation. These above scores and functional score were significantly improved 2 months after operation compared to the scores before operation. X ray films of the weight bearing knees were taken 2 days after surgery, showing increased height of medial joint space to some extent compared to that before operation. CONCLUSIONS: A fibular osteotomy has been proved to significantly reduce the postoperative pain and facilitate the good recovery of joint function with the advantages of simple surgical procedures and slighttrauma. Therefore, it is an effective method for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with varus deformity.

[Research on pericellular matrix properties for chondrcytes].

Pericellular matrix (PCM) is a narrow tissue region surrounding chondrocytes, which "chondron" with its enclosed cells. A number of studies suggested that PCM is rich in proteoglycans, collagen and fibronectin, and plays an important role in regulating microenvironment of chondrocytes. Direct measures of PCM properties through micropipette aspiration technique showed that PCM was different from mechanical property of chondrocytes and nature extracellular matrix. However, the function of PCM is not clear, and need further study.

Normal age-related viscoelastic properties of chondrons and chondrocytes isolated from rabbit knee.

BACKGROUND: The mechanical microenvironment of the chondrocytes plays an important role in cartilage homeostasis and in the health of the joint. The pericellular matrix, cellular membrane of the chondrocytes, and their cytoskeletal structures are key elements in the mechanical environment. The aims of this study are to measure the viscoelastic properties of isolated chondrons and chondrocytes from rabbit knee cartilage using micropipette aspiration and to determine the effect of aging on these properties. METHODS: Three age groups of rabbit knees were evaluated: (1) young (2 months, n = 10); (2) adult (8 months, n = 10); and (3) old (31 months, n = 10). Chondrocytes were isolated from the right knee cartilage and chondrons were isolated from left knees using enzymatic methods. Micropipette aspiration combined with a standard linear viscoelastic solid model was used to quantify changes in the viscoelastic properties of chondrons and chondrocytes within 2 hours of isolation. The morphology and structure of isolated chondrons were evaluated by optical microscope using hematoxylin and eosin staining and collagen-6 immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: In response to an applied constant 0.3 - 0.4 kPa of negative pressure, all chondrocytes exhibited standard linear viscoelastic solid properties. Model predictions of the creep data showed that the average equilibrium modulus (E(∞)), instantaneous modulus (E(0)), and apparent viscosity (m) of old chondrocytes was significantly lower than the young and adult chondrocytes (P < 0.001); however, no difference was found between young and adult chondrocytes (P > 0.05). The adult and old chondrons generally possessed a thicker pericellular matrix (PCM) with more enclosed cells. The young and adult chondrons exhibited the same viscoelastic creep behavior under a greater applied pressure (1.0 - 1.1 kPa) without the deformation seen in the old chondrons. The viscoelastic properties (E(∞), E(0), and m) of young and adult chondrons were significantly greater than that observed in young and adult cells, respectively (P < 0.001). The adult chondrons were stiffer than the young chondrons under micropipette aspiration (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide a theoretical model to measure the viscoelastic properties of the chondrons as a whole unit by micropipette aspiration, and further suggest that the properties of the chondrocytes and PCM have an important influence on the biomechanical microenvironment of the knee joint cartilage degeneration that occurs with aging.

[Service value assessment of orchard ecosystem: a case of Putian City of Fujian].

Based on the equivalent weight factor of China terrestrial ecosystem service value, and by using ecosystem service value assessment model, this paper evaluated the orchard ecosystem service value in Putian City. In 2002-2008, the orchard ecosystem service value in the City had an overall increasing trend, among which, the service value of gas regulation and water resource conservation had a fluctuation trend of decreased after an initial increase, and that of other functions increased rapidly in 2002-2006 and then developed mildly. The service value of regulation function was higher than that of direct use function, showing that only on the basis of preserving well the functions of ecosystem, could the orchard ecosystem be claimed and used. As most of the orchards in the City are on hills or mountains, the construction and ecological protection of the orchards are obviously disjointed, making the orchards become bare land or other land-use types, resulting in serious soil erosion and degradation, which not only destroyed the orchard ecology, but also gave negative effects on the production efficiency of agriculture. In the future construction of Putian orchards, it should implement comprehensive planning and management of mountain areas, water regions, farm lands, forest lands, and paths, reduce the orchard construction costs by taking advantage of high and new technologies in light of the local conditions and the demands of domestic and foreign markets, and promote the virtuous circle of ecosystem by comprehensive utilization of resources and regulation of biological interaction to make the structure of the orchard ecosystem approached to scientific and rational.

Using rhodamine 123 accumulation in CD8 cells as a surrogate indicator to study the P-glycoprotein modulating effect of cepharanthine hydrochloride in vivo.

The purpose of this study was the use of rhodamine 123 (Rho123) accumulation in peripheral blood CD8(+)cells as a surrogate indicator to evaluate the modulating effect of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitors in the multidrug resistance (MDR) tumor-bearing mouse model. Rho123 was administered to mice, and the fluorescence level in CD8(+) cells was measured. Cepharanthine hydrochloride (CH) and verapamil (VER), two P-gp inhibitors, were administered to mice 1 hour prior to Rho123 administration in vivo or added to peripheral blood 1 hour prior to Rho123 addition ex vivo. The tumor inhibition effect of 5-fluorouracil/adriamycin/cisplatin (FAP) protocol plus CH was also investigated. A concentration- or dose-response relationship was shown between the concentration and dose of CH and Rho123 accumulation or the antitumor activity. In conclusion, the measurement of Rho123 accumulation in CD8(+) cells provides a surrogate assay for the screening of candidate P-gp inhibitors in preclinical trials, and CH is effective in modulating P-gp-mediated MDR in vivo.

[Disassembly of tubulin cytoskeleton disrupts the homeostasis of articular cartilage chondrocytes].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of tubulin disassembly on the in vitro metabolism of articular chondrocytes. METHODS: Eight New Zealand rabbits aged 2 months were sacrificed by air embolism. The full-thickness cartilages were harvested from both knees under sterile conditions. Then 0.4% pronase and 0.025% II collagenase were used to digest for primary chondrocytes. The cells were cultured for 3 days after attachment and then divided into the control and experimental groups. The control group continued culturing with primary medium and the experimental group with colchicine, a tubulin destructive agent, at a final concentration of 0.1 µmol/L. At Days 1 & 2, the early apoptosis of two cell groups was assayed with phosphatidylserine (Annexin V). At Day 6, the morphological changes of cells were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. At Days 3, 6 & 9, the expression levels of type II collagen, proteoglycan and MMP (matrix metalloproteinase)-13 mRNA were measured by real time quantitative fluorescent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (real time RT-PCR). Meanwhile at Days 3, 6 & 9, the cultured supernatant of each group was obtained to detect the contents of type II collagen and proteoglycan by the methods of ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and Alcian blue. RESULTS: At Day 2, the early cell apoptosis rate of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). At Day 6 post-dosing, the experimental cell morphology was found to be irregular and polygonal. Hyperchromatic nucleus and division phase increased while matrix cell decreased. At Days 3, 6 & 9, the expressions of collagen and proteoglycan mRNA in the experimental group decreased versus those in the control group (P < 0.05). The level of MMP-13 mRNA showed no significant changes in the control group at Day 3. And it significantly increased at Days 6 & 9 (P < 0.01). Meanwhile, type II collagen and glycosaminoglycan were significantly lower in the experimental group at Days 3, 6 & 9 than those in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A disassembly of tubulin can induce early apoptosis of chondrocytes. The synthesis and secretion of type II collagen and proteoglycan decrease while there is an elevated expression of MMP-13. The degeneration of cartilage cells and their disrupted synthesis and catabolism result in a serious decline in biological functions.

[Case-control study on the relationship between body mass index and lower limb alignment of patients with knee osteoarthritis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between body mass index and lower limb alignment of patients with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: From July 2008 to June 2010, 78 patients who suffered from severe knee osteoarthritis were treated with total knee replacement, including 17 males and 61 females, ranging from 41 to 85 years old, with an average age of 68.1 years. The Chinese average adult body mass index (BMI) classification standard was used to classify the patients into three groups: normal group, BMI<24.0, including 3 males and 11 females, totalized 14 patients (28 knees), with the mean age of (69.5 +/- 4.7); overweight group, 24.0 < or = BMI<28.0, including 4 males and 25 females, totalized 29 patients (58 knees), with the mean age of (66.4 +/- 7.9) years; and obese group, BMI > or = 28.0, including 10 males and 25 females, totalized 35 patients(70 knees), with the mean age of (69.1 +/- 8.3) years. The limb X-ray film measuring system was used to measure the lower limb alignment at the supine and weight-bearing position. RESULTS: There were no statistical significances between the normal group and the overweight group in the knee varus angle at the supine and weight-bearing position (P>0.05). However, keen varus angle of the overweight group increased compared with the other two groups at the supine position,and the angle of the weight-bearing position increased nearly 2 degrees, but no statistical significance. There was no statistical significance between supine and weight-bearing position in the three groups of BMI, but the knee varus angle at the supine position was more than the weight -bearing position in the three groups. CONCLUSION: The knee varus angle of obese patients with osteoarthritis in the weight-bearing position increases obviously. It indicates that obesity is an important factor increasing the angle of lower limb alignment.