Circular RNA circ_0114876 regulates osteoarthritis through upregulating ADAM10 via targeting miR-1227-3p.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) was a chronic degenerative joint disease. The dysregulation of circular RNAs (circRNAs) has been identified in OA progression. However, the function and regulation mechanism of circ_0114876 in OA remains largely unknown. METHOD: Firstly, we used LPS-treated C28/I2 cells as a cellular model of OA. Quantificational real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the expression levels of circ_0114876, miRNA-1227-3p, and ADAM10 in OA chondrocytes. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), 5-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assays, flow cytometry, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, and western blot were applied to confirm cell proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation, and extracellular matrix. of circ_0114876 in vitro. The interaction between circ_0114876 and its downstream target (miR-1227-3p) and mRNA target ADAM metallopeptidase domain 10 (ADAM10), was evaluated by luciferase assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. RESULT: Circ_0114876 and ADAM10 were upregulated and miR-1227-3p was decreased in OA tissues and LPS-treated chondrocytes. Low expression of circ_0114876 promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis, inflammation, and extracellular matrix of the LPS-treated chondrocytes. Mechanistically, circ_0114876 functioned in human chondrocytes through targeting miR-1227-3p and ADAM10. Furthermore, miRNA-1227-3p inhibitor reversed the effect of circ_0114876 knockdown on the OA chondrocytes, and ADAM10 overexpression reversed the effect of miR-1227-3p mimic on the OA chondrocytes. CONCLUSION: Circ_0114876 was increased in OA tissues and cells. Circ_0114876 facilitated the progression in the LPS-induced OA cell model via regulating the miR-1227-3p/ADAM10 axis. This study would provide a potentially effective therapeutic strategy for OA progression.

Role of polyamide microplastic in altering microbial consortium and carbon and nitrogen cycles in a simulated agricultural soil microcosm.

Microplastics (MPs) are persistent organic pollutants globally, with a continuous increase in MP wastes near and away from the regions of human activities. Studies to date aimed to explore the impact of MPs on ecosystems, but the area of research could not go beyond environmental pollution caused by MPs. To address the menace of MPs, scientists need to pay enough attention to the biogeochemical cycles, microbial communities, and functional microorganisms. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of adding 0.3% (mass ratio) [low-concentration (LC) group] and 1% [high-concentration (HC) group] of polyamide (PA) MP to the soil microenvironment with regard to the aforementioned parameters. PA MP decreased the soil microbial diversity (Shannon and Simpson indices, P < 0.05). At the phylum level, PA MP increased the abundance of Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, and Crenarchaeota (P < 0.05); at the genus level, it enhanced that of Geobacter, Thiobacillus, Pseudomonas, and Bradyrhizobium (P < 0.01) while decreased that of Bacillus, Flavisolibacter, Geothrix, and Pseudarthrobacter (P < 0.05). PA MP affected the carbon (C) cycle. PA MP accelerated the soil C fixation by enhancing the abundance of the genes accA and pccA. The LC PA MP accelerated organic C degradation and methane metabolism by changing the abundance of mnp, chiA, mcrA, pmoA, and mmoX genes, while the HC PA MP inhibited them with increasing the experimental time. Regarding the effects of PA on the nitrogen (N) cycle, the PA MP promoted N assimilation and ammonification by increasing the abundance of the genes gdh and ureC, the impact of PA MP on N fixation and denitrification depended on its concentration and treating time. This study showed that PA MP impacted the microbial consortium, it also affected the C and N cycles and its effect depended on its concentration and the treating time.

Determining the Effects of Compost Substitution on Carbon Sequestration, Greenhouse Gas Emission, Soil Microbial Community Changes, and Crop Yield in a Wheat Field.

Compost produced by straw and livestock and poultry manure under the action of micro-organisms is one of the main forms of organic alternative fertilizers at present. The present study explored the effects of compost substitution on soil greenhouse gas emissions, soil microbial community changes, and wheat yield to determine the best substitution ratio for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and soil microbial community changes and increasing wheat yield. Using the single-factor randomized block trial design, four treatments were employed, the characteristics of greenhouse gas emission, yield and yield components, and the changes of soil microbial community under different compost substitution ratio in the whole wheat growing season were determined by static box-gas chromatography. During the wheat season, both CO2 and N2O emissions were reduced, whereas CH4 emission was increased. That all treatments reduced the Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Greenhouse gas emission intensity (GHGI) in wheat season compared with T0. Compost substitution can alleviate the global warming potential to some extent. Under the condition of compost substitution, the wheat yield under T2 and T3 increased significantly compared with that under the control; however, the spike number and 1000-grain weight did not differ significantly among the treatments. When compost replacement was 30%, the yield was the highest. Under different ratios of compost substitution, the microbial communities mainly comprised Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Patescibacteria, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Gemmatimonadetes, and Verrucomicrobia. The soil microbial community structure differed mainly due to the difference in the compost substitution ratio and was clustered into different groups. In conclusion, to achieve high wheat yield and low greenhouse gas emissions, compost replacement of 30% is the most reasonable means for soil improvement and fertilization.

Chinese herbal medicine Xianling Gubao capsule for knee osteoarthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the most prevalent degenerative joint disease among populations over 60 years old, and is the most common cause of musculoskeletal pain and disability worldwide. Xianling Gubao capsule (XLGBC), a Chinese patent medicine, is widely used for treatment of osteoporosis. Meanwhile, according to the theory of homotherapy for heteropathy, XLGBC is increasingly applied in the clinical practice of KOA. However, no systematic review has found that XLGBC is as effective in treatment of KOA as it is in treatment of osteoporosis. Therefore, we will conduct a systematic review of XLGBC in KOA treatments. METHODS: All randomized controlled trials assessing the validity of XLGBC therapy for KOA will be retrieved from the following seven databases, including the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang Database, and Chinese Scientific Journal Database. The primary outcome measures are the visual analogue scale pain score, and a comprehensive evaluation including the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index scores, Lysholm scores, and Bristol scores. And the secondary outcome measures include cure rate and adverse events. The procedure such as retrieval and selection of literature, data extraction, evaluation of risk of bias, and assessment of reporting bias will be executed by 2 reviewers independently. The data synthesis for meta-analysis will be conducted by Review Manager 5.4 software. RESULTS: A high-quality evidence of XLGBC for the treatment of KOA will be generated from the aspects of safety and efficacy. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will provide evidence to help us confirm the clinical efficacy of XLGBC in the treatment of KOA. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: Registration DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/QD5SY.

Evidence of Chinese herbal fumigation for knee osteoarthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the most common cause of musculoskeletal pain and disability worldwide. Chinese herbal fumigation, an external therapy, is commonly used for the treatment of KOA, while there is no systematic review or meta-analysis designed to evaluate the effects of Chinese herbal fumigation on KOA. METHODS: Seven databases including Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang data, VIP, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database will be searched up to October 31, 2020. Data that meet the inclusion criteria will be extracted and analyzed by using RevMan V.5.3 software. Two reviewers will assess quality of the included studies based on the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. The funnel plot and Begg test will be used to evaluate publication bias. And Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation will be employed to assess the quality of evidence. RESULTS: This study will provide high-quality evidence for Chinese herbal fumigation for the treatment of KOA in terms of effectiveness and safety. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will provide evidence to help us confirm the clinical efficacy of Chinese herbal fumigation in the treatment of KOA.

Electroacupuncture for the Prevention of Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction Among Older Adults Undergoing Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common surgical complication in elderly patients undergoing hip and knee replacement. Electroacupuncture (EA) may have a protective effect on postoperative cognitive function, but relevant evidence remains uncertain. Objective: To systematically evaluate the evidence of EA for the prevention of POCD after total joint arthroplasty. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, VIP, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) databases were searched until May 1, 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which patients undergoing hip and knee replacement pretreated with EA for preventing POCD were included. The risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane Collaboration tool. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager version 5.4. Results: A total of 11 RCTs with 949 patients were identified. Meta-analysis showed that compared with controls, EA pretreatment significantly reduced the incidence of POCD at 1, 3, and 7 days and 3 and 6 months after the operation. EA was also superior in improving the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores on the third postoperative day, but not on the first postoperative day. Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) in the EA group were significantly lower than that in the control group. There was no difference in S100ß between the EA group and the control group. Compared to the control group, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were not significantly lower in the EA group at postoperative hour 0, while significantly decreased at postoperative hours 24 and 48. Conclusion: Our results suggest that EA pretreatment is an effective adjunctive therapy for reducing the incidence of POCD for patients receiving total joint replacement surgery. Its effect was embodied in improving the MMSE scores and NSE, IL-1ß, and TNF-α levels, whereas it had no significant effect on S100ß levels. Meanwhile, the benefits of EA for improving POCD need further strengthening and support from more large-scale, high-quality, and good-homogeneity RCTs. Systematic Review Registration: https://osf.io/xb3e8.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromotagraphy analysis of the drug absorption characteristics in the buccal mucosa via a circulating device.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the characteristics of Su Xiao Jiu Xin dripping pill absorption in the buccal mucosa of healthy volunteers. This pill is a traditional Chinese medicine that is widely used as an emergency treatment for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It is sublingually administered and can be absorbed in the buccal mucosa. In the present study, a method was developed to investigate the absorption characteristics in the buccal mucosa of healthy volunteers via a circulating device by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography. The five main efficacy components associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which are borneol, isoborneol, ligustilide, n-butylphthalide and ferulic acid, were detected and rapidly absorbed. Among these components, four exhibited good absorption, thus confirming that the method developed is efficient for analysis of the absoption characteristics.