PPARG-mediated autophagy activation alleviates inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by joint inflammation and bone damage, that not only restricts patient activity but also tends to be accompanied by a series of complications, seriously affecting patient prognosis. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG), a receptor that controls cellular metabolism, regulates the function of immune cells and stromal cells. Previous studies have shown that PPARG is closely related to the regulation of inflammation. However, the role of PPARG in regulating the pathological processes of RA is poorly understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PPARG expression was examined in the synovial tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from RA patients and the paw of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model rats. Molecular biology experiments were designed to examine the effect of PPARG and cannabidiol (CBD) on RAW264.7 cells and CIA rats. RESULTS: The results reveal that PPARG accelerates reactive oxygen species (ROS) clearance by promoting autophagy, thereby inhibiting ROS-mediated macrophage polarization and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Notably, CBD may be a promising candidate for understanding the mechanism by which PPARG regulates autophagy-mediated inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings indicate that PPARG may have a role for distinguishing between RA patients and healthy control, and for distinguishing RA activity; moreover, PPARG could be a novel pharmacological target for alleviating RA through the mediation of autophagy. CBD can act as a PPARG agonist that alleviates the inflammatory progression of RA.

Cutting seton versus decompression and drainage seton in the treatment of high complex anal fistula: a randomized controlled trial.

This study aimed to compare the efficacy between decompression and drainage seton (DADS) and cutting seton (CS) in the treatment of high complex anal fistula. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to DADS or CS group. The primary outcome was the rate of wound healing. Second outcomes included time taken to return to work, postoperative pain, the severity of fecal incontinence and other complications. A total of 120 patients with a mean age of 39 years were included. There was no significant difference in the rate of complete wound healing at 1 year. The mean time taken to return to work was 5 ± 2 days in DADS group, shorter than CS group (10 ± 3, p < 0.001). Mean vaizey incontinence score and the post-operation pain in DADS group was significantly lower than CS group. No significant difference was found between two groups in the incidence of complications. DADS is as effective as Cutting seton for the treatment of high complex anal fistula but is associated with less postoperative pain and better sphincter function preserving.

Efficacy of Ruiyun procedure for hemorrhoids combined simplified Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy with dentate line-sparing in treating grade III/IV hemorrhoids: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhoids are common. Hemorrhoidectomy should typically be offered to patients whose symptoms result from external hemorrhoids or combined internal and external hemorrhoids with prolapse (grades III/IV). However, none of the currently used surgical methods could be considered an ideal surgical option that is effective, safe, and painless. We hypothesized that a combination of Ruiyun procedure for hemorrhoids (RPH) and simplified Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy (sMMH) will increase the safety and effectiveness of surgical treatment hemorrhoids. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Ruiyun procedure for hemorrhoids combined simplified Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy with dentate line-sparing (RPH + sMMH) to treat grade III/IV hemorrhoid. METHODS: Total 452 patients with hemorrhoids of grade III/IV were retrospectively reviewed in China-Japan Friendship Hospital, 244 cases were assigned to RPH + sMMH group, and 208 cases in MMH group. The primary efficacy outcome was rate of curative at 3 month after operation, and the recurrence rate within 12 months post operation. Secondary efficacy outcomes included wound healing time, time required to resume normal work, constipation symptom, quality of life, and pain post operation was also evaluated. The safety outcome included postoperative complications. RESULTS: There were no differences between the two groups in demographic characteristics. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the curative rate. The recurrence rate after 12 months post operation in the RPH + sMMH (3.0%) was significantly lower than the sMMH group (7.8%) (P = 0.032). The wound healing time was significantly shorter in RPH + sMMH group than that in MMH group (P < 0.001). The time required to resume normal work in the RPH + sMMH group was significantly shorter than MMH group (P < 0.001). Compared with the MMH group, the RPH + sMMH therapy preserve better life quality and lower constipation symptom (all P < 0.05). Patients who underwent RPH + sMMH had significantly less postoperative pain than MMH therapy. The total rate of patients with postoperative complications in the RPH + sMMH group (8.6%) was significant lower than the MMH group (16.3%) (P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: RPH + sMMH may more effective in treating patients with III/IV hemorrhoids, which indicated lower recurrence rate, lower postoperative complications and pain, shorter recovery and return to normal life.

Impact of Smoking on Anal Abscess and Anal Fistula Diseases.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have investigated the association between smoking and anal abscess and anal fistula (AA/F) diseases. However, the relationship between cigarette smoking and AA/F remains unclear. This study sought to assess the role of smoking in anorectal male patients in a Chinese population. METHODS: In this retrospective study, a questionnaire, including smoking history, was completed over a 3-month period by male inpatients in the Proctology Department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital. "Cases" were patients who had AA/F, and "controls" were patients with other anorectal complaints. Mann-Whitney U-test and Chi-square test were carried out to examine differences in baseline characteristics between groups. Subsequently, multivariate logistic regression was used to explore any related factors. RESULTS: A total of 977 patients aged from 18 to 80 years were included, excluding those diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease or diabetes mellitus. Out of this total, 805 patients (82.4%) completed the entire questionnaire. Among the 805 patients, 334 (41.5%) were cases and 471 (58.5%) were controls. Results showed significant differences between cases and controls (χ2 = 205.2, P < 0.001), with smoking found to be associated with the development of AA/F diseases (odds ratio: 12.331, 95% confidence interval: 8.364-18.179, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested smoking to be a potential risk factor for the development of AA/F diseases in a Chinese population. Consequently, current smoking patients should be informed of this relationship, and further research should be conducted to explore and investigate this further.