Electrochemical Ni-Catalyzed Decarboxylative C(sp3 )-N Cross-Electrophile Coupling.

A new electrochemical transformation is presented that enables chemists to couple simple alkyl carboxylic acid derivatives with an electrophilic amine reagent to construct C(sp3 )-N bond. The success of this reaction hinges on the merging of cooperative electrochemical reduction with nickel catalysis. The chemistry exhibits a high degree of practicality, showcasing its wide applicability with 1°, 2°, 3° carboxylic acids and remarkable compatibility with diverse functional groups, even in the realm of late-stage functionalization. Furthermore, extensive mechanistic studies have unveiled the engagement of alkyl radicals and iminyl radicals; and elucidated the multifaceted roles played by i Pr2 O, Ni catalyst, and electricity.

Multi-Type Missing Imputation of Time-Series Power Equipment Monitoring Data Based on Moving Average Filter-Asymmetric Denoising Autoencoder.

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are widely utilized in power equipment for condition monitoring. For the collected data, there generally exists a problem-missing data of different types and patterns. This leads to the poor quality and utilization difficulties of the collected data. To address this problem, this paper customizes methodology that combines an asymmetric denoising autoencoder (ADAE) and moving average filter (MAF) to perform accurate missing data imputation. First, convolution and gated recurrent unit (GRU) are applied to the encoder of the ADAE, while the decoder still utilizes the fully connected layers to form an asymmetric network structure. The ADAE extracts the local periodic and temporal features from monitoring data and then decodes the features to realize the imputation of the multi-type missing. On this basis, according to the continuity of power data in the time domain, the MAF is utilized to fuse the prior knowledge of the neighborhood of missing data to secondarily optimize the imputed data. Case studies reveal that the developed method achieves greater accuracy compared to existing models. This paper adopts experiments under different scenarios to justify that the MAF-ADAE method applies to actual power equipment monitoring data imputation.

The prevalence and effects of treatments of rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease of dermatomyositis/polymyositis adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) clearly harms the prognoses of dermatomyositis/polymyositis (DM/PM) patients, however there is a dearth of numerical prevalence and therapy comparison in this field. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of RP-ILD in DM/PM patients and compare prognoses, including remission rate and survival data, between treatments. Studies with reports of RP-ILD in DM/PM patients and studies with definite remission and/or survival data of DM/PM-RP-ILD were included in the study. Data sources were Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library without language restrictions. Two authors (WHL and WWQ) extracted independently the data. Estimates of the pooled effects were calculated using the Mantel-Haenszel technique (random effects). The prevalence meta-analysis included 18 papers with 6058 DM/PM patients, and 31 papers were analyzed for treatment effects, including remission rate, 6-month survival rate, 1-year survival rate, and 5-year survival rate. Database search yielded 1816 articles. In the DM/PM population, the combined prevalence of RP-ILD was 8.9% (95% CI, 5.8% to 12.1%). Patients with RP-ILD have a remission rate of 58.4% (95% CI, 47.3% to 69.4%), with biologic treatment with the highest remission rate, followed by triple therapy (defined as adding a third intravenous medication, including cyclophosphamide and immunoglobulin). Biologics therapy had the highest overall survival rate at six months (95% CI, 49.8% to 73.9%), followed by cDMARDs, plasma exchange, and triple therapy. The 1-year survival rate was 77.4% (95% CI, 66.7% to 88.1%), and triple therapy and cDMARDs had the best survival rates. The 5-year survival rate was 40.0% (95% CI, 10.0% to 69.9%). The prevalence of RP-ILD in DM/PM was approximately 8.9%, with a poor long-term prognosis. The use of biological agents appears to provide the best therapeutic outcomes, providing RP-ILD management with a novel evidence-based therapy. The use of strong immunosuppressive treatments may result in life-threatening side effects, thus clinicians must closely monitor the condition.

Enantioselective Deaminative Alkylation of Amino Acid Derivatives with Unactivated Olefins.

Herein, we report the first Ni-catalyzed enantioselective deaminative alkylation of amino acid and peptide derivatives with unactivated olefins. Key for success was the discovery of a new sterically encumbered bis(oxazoline) ligand backbone, thus offering a de novo technology for accessing enantioenriched sp3-sp3 linkages via sp3 C-N functionalization. Our protocol is distinguished by its broad scope and generality across a wide number of counterparts, even in the context of late-stage functionalization. In addition, an enantioselective deaminative remote hydroalkylation reaction of unactivated internal olefins is within reach, thus providing a useful entry point for forging enantioenriched sp3-sp3 centers at remote sp3 C-H sites.

Shikonin attenuates rheumatoid arthritis by targeting SOCS1/JAK/STAT signaling pathway of fibroblast like synoviocytes.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive and systemic autoimmune disease seriously compromises human health. Fibroblast like synoviocytes are the major effectors of proliferation and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissue. Shikonin has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. But, its role on synovitis of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown. METHODS: The DBA/1 male mice were randomly divided into the following three groups (n = 6): (1) the normal control group of mice, (2) the CIA (collagen-induced arthritis) group in which mice suffered from arthritis induced by collagen, (3) the SKN (shikonin) group of mice which got arthritis and given intragastrically with shikonin 4 mg/kg per day continuously for 20 days,(4) the MTX (methotrexate) group of mice which got arthritis and orally administration with shikonin 0.5  mg/kg once two days continuously for 20 days. The therapeutic effect of shikonin on collagen induced arthritis mice was tested by arthritis incidence rate, arthritis score and inflammatory joint histopathology. The invasion, adhesion and migration of fibroblast like synoviocytes induced by tumor necrosis factor-α were applied to measure the anti-synovitis role of shikonin. The effect of shikonin on expression of interleukin-6, interleukin-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-α was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The interaction between shikonin and suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 was verified by molecular docking. The signaling pathways activated by shikonin were measured by western blot. RESULTS: Shikonin decreased the arthritis score and arthritis incidence, and inhibited inflammation of inflamed joints in collagen induced arthritis mice. And shikonin reduced the number of vimentin+cells in collagen induced arthritis mice inflamed joints. Meanwhile, shikonin suppressed tumor necrosis factor-α-induced invasion, adhesion and migration of fibroblast like synoviocytes and reduced the expression of interleukin-6, interleukin-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-α. And we found that shikonin targeted suppressor of cytokine signaling 1. More interestingly, shikonin blocked the phosphorylation of Janus kinase 1/signal transducer andactivator of transcription 1/signal transducer andactivator of transcription 6 in synovial tissues and in fibroblast like synoviocytes. CONCLUSION: Shikonin represents a promising new anti-rheumatoid arthritis drug candidate that has anti-synovitis effect in collagen induced arthritis mice and inhibits tumor necrosis factor-α-induced fibroblast like synoviocytes by targeting suppressor of cytokine signaling 1/ Janus kinase/signal transducer andactivator of transcription signaling pathway. These findings demonstrate that shikonin has anti-synovitis effect and has great potential to be a new drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Clinical remission of rheumatoid arthritis in a multicenter real-world study in Asia-Pacific region.

BACKGROUND: Clinical remission is an attainable goal for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). However, data on RA remission rates from multinational studies in the Asia-Pacific region are limited. We conducted a cross-sectional multicentric study to evaluate the clinical remission status and the related factors in RA patients in the Asia-Pacific region. METHODS: RA patients receiving standard care were enrolled consecutively from 17 sites in 11 countries from APLAR RA SIG group. Data were collected on-site by rheumatologists with a standardized case-report form. Remission was analyzed by different definitions including disease activity score using 28 joints (DAS28) based on ESR and CRP, clinical disease activity index (CDAI), simplified disease activity index (SDAI), Boolean remission definition, and clinical deep remission (CliDR). Logistic regression was used to determine related factors of remission. FINDINGS: A total of 2010 RA patients was included in the study, the overall remission rates were 62•3% (DAS28-CRP), 35•5% (DAS28-ESR), 30•8% (CDAI), 26•5% (SDAI), 24•7% (Boolean), and 17•1% (CliDR), respectively, and varied from countries to countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) prescription rate was low (17•9%). Compared to patients in non-remission, patients in remission had higher rates of b/tsDMARDs usage and lower rates of GC usage. The favorable related factors were male sex, younger age, fewer comorbidities, fewer extra-articular manifestations (EAM), and use of b/tsDMARDs, while treatment with GC was negatively related to remission. INTERPRETATION: Remission rates were low and varied in the Asia-Pacific region. Treatment with b/tsDMARDs and less GC usage were related to higher remission rate. There is an unmet need for RA remission in the Asia-Pacific region.

Effect of sustained intensive therapy with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis: a 5-year real-world consecutive study.

BACKGROUND: Intensive therapy with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) has been reported to improve the outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, real-world study on the effect of intensive therapy on RA sustained remission is still lacking. This study aimed to investigate the outcome of sustained intensive DMARD therapy (SUIT) for RA in a real-world 5-year consecutive cohort. METHODS: Based on a consecutive cohort of 610 out-patients with RA, remission of RA was assessed in 541 patients from 2012 to 2017, by dividing into SUIT, non-SUIT, and intermittent SUIT (Int-SUIT) groups. Changes in the disease activity scores were evaluated by 28-joint disease activity score based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), 28-joint disease activity score based on C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP), and clinical deep remission criteria (CliDR). Cumulative remission rates between different groups were compared using Kaplan-Meier curves and predictive factors of sustained remission were identified by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The remission rates of the SUIT group decreased from 12.0% (65/541) to 5.6% (20/359) based on DAS28-ESR, from 14.0% (76/541) to 7.2% (26/359) based on DAS28-CRP, and from 8.5% (46/541) to 3.1% (11/359) based on CliDR, respectively, with a gradually decreasing trend during the 5 years. The SUIT regimen led to a significantly higher cumulative remission rate than non-SUIT regimen based on DAS28-ESR (39.7% vs. 19.5%, P = 0.001), DAS28-CRP (42.0% vs. 19.6%, P = 0.001), and CliDR (24.5% vs. 8.7%, P = 0.001). The cumulative remission rates of patients treated with SUIT regimen were significantly higher than those treated with Int-SUIT regimen based on DAS28-ESR (39.7% vs. 25.7%, P = 0.043) and CliDR (24.5% vs. 14.2%, P = 0.047), but there was no significant difference between the two groups based on DAS28-CRP (42.0% vs. 27.4%, P = 0.066). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the use of SUIT regimen was an independent favorable predictor according to different remission definitions (for DAS28-ESR: odds ratio [OR], 2.215, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.271-3.861, P = 0.005; for DAS28-CRP: OR, 1.520, 95% CI: 1.345-1.783, P = 0.002; for CliDR: OR, 1.525, 95% CI: 1.314-1.875, P = 0.013). CONCLUSION: Sustained intensive treatment of RA is an optimal strategy in daily practice and will lead to an increased remission rate.

Photoinduced Hydroxylation of Organic Halides under Mild Conditions.

Presented in this paper is photoinduced hydroxylation of organic halides, providing a mild access to a range of functionalized phenols and aliphatic alcohols. These reactions generally proceed under mild reaction conditions with no need for a photocatalyst or a strong base and show a wide substrate scope as well as excellent functional group tolerance. This work highlights the unique role of NaI that allows a challenging transformation to proceed under mild reaction conditions.

On the Performance of Random Cognitive mmWave Sensor Networks.

This paper investigates the secrecy performance of a cognitive millimeter wave (mmWave) wiretap sensor network, where the secondary transmitter (SU-Tx) intends to communicate with a secondary sensor node under the interference temperature constraint of the primary sensor node. We consider that the random-location eavesdroppers may reside in the signal beam of the secondary network, so that confidential information can still be intercepted. Also, the interference to the primary network is one of the critical issues when the signal beam of the secondary network is aligned with the primary sensor node. Key features of mmWave networks, such as large number of antennas, variable propagation law and sensitivity to blockages, are taken into consideration. Moreover, an eavesdropper-exclusion sector guard zone around SU-Tx is introduced to improve the secrecy performance of the secondary network. By using stochastic geometry, closed-form expression for secrecy throughput (ST) achieved by the secondary sensor node is obtained to investigate secrecy performance. We also carry out the asymptotic analysis to facilitate the performance evaluation in the high transmit power region. Numerical results demonstrate that the interference temperature constraint of the primary sensor node enables us to balance secrecy performance of the secondary network, and provides interesting insights into how the system performance of the secondary network that is influenced by various system parameters: eavesdropper density, antenna gain and sector guard zone radius. Furthermore, blockages are beneficial to improve ST of the secondary sensor node under certain conditions.

Clinical deep remission and related factors in a large cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Clinical remission is the treatment target in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study aimed to investigate clinical remission and related factors in a large cohort of patients with RA. METHODS: This study composed of 342 patients with RA. Data were collected by face-to-face interview of 1049 patients with RA who visited the Department of Rheumatology of three teaching hospitals from September 2015 to May 2016. The patients with RA were clinically assessed by rheumatologists and a four-page questionnaire was completed on site. Subsequently, patients fulfilled remission criteria were further analyzed. The practicability of different definitions of remission of RA was rated by a panel of rheumatologists. Sustained intensive disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment was defined as a combination treatment with two or more DMARDs for at least 6 months. RESULTS: In this cohort of 342 patients with RA, the proportions of patients achieving remission were 38.0%, 29.5%, 24.9%, 21.1%, 19.0%, 18.1%, and 17.0%, based on criteria of disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) using CRP (DAS28-CRP), DAS28 using ESR (DAS28-ESR), routine assessment of patient index data 3 (RAPID-3), Boolean, simplified disease activity index (SDAI), clinical disease activity index, and the newly described clinical deep remission (CliDR), respectively. Boolean and CliDR are the best in practicability scored by rheumatologists (7.5 and 8.0, respectively). Compared with the non-sustained intensive group, sustained intensive treatment with DMARDs yielded higher remission rates of 25.6%, 23.8%, and 21.3% in patients with RA based on Boolean (χ = 3.937, P = 0.047), SDAI (χ = 4.666, P = 0.031), and CliDR criteria (χ = 4.297, P = 0.038). The most commonly prescribed conventional synthesized DMARDs (csDMARDs) in patients with RA was leflunomide, followed by methotrexate, and hydroxychloroquine. Compared with the non-remission group, patients achieving remission had a longer median duration of DMARDs (45.0 [22.8-72.3] months, Z = -2.295, P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: The findings in this study indicated that clinical deep remission is achievable in patients with RA. Sustained intensive DMARD treatment is needed to achieve a better outcome in RA.

The deubiquitinase OTUD5 regulates Ku80 stability and non-homologous end joining.

The ability of cells to repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is important for maintaining genome stability and eliminating oncogenic DNA lesions. Two distinct and complementary pathways, non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination (HR), are employed by mammalian cells to repair DNA DSBs. Each pathway is tightly controlled in response to increased DSBs. The Ku heterodimer has been shown to play a regulatory role in NHEJ repair. Ku80 ubiquitination contributes to the selection of a DSB repair pathway by causing the removal of Ku heterodimers from DSB sites. However, whether Ku80 deubiquitination also plays a role in regulating DSB repair is unknown. To address this question, we performed a comprehensive study of the deubiquitinase specific for Ku80, and our study showed that the deubiquitinase OTUD5 serves as an important regulator of NHEJ repair by increasing the stability of Ku80. Further studies revealed that OTUD5 depletion impaired NHEJ repair, and hence reduced overall DSB repair. Furthermore, OTUD5-depleted cells displayed excess end resection; as a result, HR repair was facilitated by OTUD5 depletion during the S/G2 phase. In summary, our study demonstrates that OTUD5 is a specific deubiquitinase for Ku80 and establishes OTUD5 as an important and positive regulator of NHEJ repair.

Analyzing Power Beacon Assisted Transmission with Imperfect CSI in Wireless Powered Sensor Networks.

This paper proposes the maximal ratio transmission (MRT) and maximal ratio combining (MRC) protocols for the power beacon (PB) assisted wireless powered sensor networks and analyzes the impact of the imperfect channel state information (CSI) on the performance using the Markov chain theory. The wireless powered sensor chooses to transmit information to the destination or harvest energy from the PB when its energy can or cannot supply a transmission, respectively. The energy arrival and departure of the sensor is characterized, and the analytical expressions of the network transmit probability, and effective and overall ergodic capacities are formulated and derived. We also optimize the sensor transmit power to maximize the overall ergodic capacity. Our results reveal that the transmit probability and the effective ergodic capacity can be greatly improved with increasing the number of antennas at the PB and the destination, and can also be significantly degraded by decreasing the channel correlation factors. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of the sensor transmit power optimization in improving the overall ergodic capacity.

Secure Transmission in mmWave Wiretap Channels: On Sector Guard Zone and Blockages.

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication is one of the key enabling technologies for fifth generation (5G) mobile networks. In this paper, we study the problem of secure communication in a mmWave wiretap network, where directional beamforming and link blockages are taken into account. For the secure transmission in the presence of spatially random eavesdroppers, an adaptive transmission scheme is adopted, for which sector secrecy guard zone and artificial noise (AN) are employed to enhance secrecy performance. When there exists no eavesdroppers within the sector secrecy guard zone, the transmitter only transmits information-bearing signal, and, conversely, AN along with information-bearing signal are transmitted. The closed-form expressions for secrecy outage probability (SOP), connection outage probability (COP) and secrecy throughput are derived under stochastic geometry. Then, we evaluate the effect of the sector secrecy guard zone and AN on the secrecy performance. Our results reveal that the application of the sector secrecy guard zone and AN can significantly improve the security of the system, and blockages also can be utilized to improve secrecy performance. An easy choice of transmit power and power allocation factor is provided for achieving higher secrecy throughput. Furthermore, increasing the density of eavesdroppers not always deteriorates the secrecy performance due to the use of the sector secrecy guard zone and AN.

Secure Transmission for Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer in AF Untrusted Relay Networks.

This paper investigates secure communications of energy harvesting untrusted relay networks, where the destination assists jamming signal to prevent the untrusted relay from eavesdropping and to improve the forwarding ability of the energy constrained relay. Firstly, the source and the destination transmit the signals to the relay with maximal ratio transmission (MRT) technique or transmit antenna selection (TAS) technique. Then, the destination utilizes maximal ratio combining (MRC) technique or receive antenna selection (RAS) technique to receive the forwarded information. Therefore, four transmission and reception schemes are considered. For each scheme, the closed-form expressions of the secrecy outage probability (SOP) and the connection outage probability (COP) are derived. Besides, the effective secrecy throughput (EST) metric is analyzed to achieve a good tradeoff between security and reliability. In addition, the asymptotic performance of EST is also considered at the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Finally, simulation results illustrate that: (1) the EST of the system with MRT and MRC scheme are superior to other schemes, however, in the high SNR regime, the EST of the system with MRT scheme is inferior to TAS; and (2) for the source node, there exists an optimal number of antennas to maximize the EST of the proposed schemes.

Loss of Smad7 Promotes Inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: Smad7 is an inhibitory Smad and plays a protective role in many inflammatory diseases. However, the roles of Smad7 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remain unexplored, which were investigated in this study. Methods: The activation of TGF-ß/Smad signaling was examined in synovial tissues of patients with RA. The functional roles and mechanisms of Smad7 in RA were determined in a mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in Smad7 wild-type (WT) and knockout (KO) CD-1 mice, a strain resistant to autoimmune arthritis induction. Results: TGF-ß/Smad3 signaling was markedly activated in synovial tissues of patients with RA, which was associated with the loss of Smad7, and enhanced Th17 and Th1 immune response. The potential roles of Smad7 in RA were further investigated in a mouse model of CIA in Smad7 WT/KO CD-1 mice. As expected, Smad7-WT CD-1 mice did not develop CIA. Surprisingly, CD-1 mice with Smad7 deficiency developed severe arthritis including severe joint swelling, synovial hyperplasia, cartilage damage, massive infiltration of CD3+ T cells and F4/80+ macrophages, and upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1ß, TNFα, and MCP-1. Further studies revealed that enhanced arthritis in Smad7 KO CD-1 mice was associated with increased Th1, Th2 and, importantly, Th17 over the Treg immune response with overactive TGF-ß/Smad3 and proinflammatory IL-6 signaling in the joint tissues. Conclusions: Smad7 deficiency increases the susceptibility to autoimmune arthritis in CD-1 mice. Enhanced TGF-ß/Smad3-IL-6 signaling and Th17 immune response may be a mechanism through which disrupted Smad7 causes autoimmune arthritis in CD-1 mice.

Secure Transmission of Cooperative Zero-Forcing Jamming for Two-User SWIPT Sensor Networks.

In this paper, the secrecy performance of the two-user simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) sensor networks is studied and a novel secure transmission scheme of cooperative zero-forcing (ZF) jamming is proposed. The two sensors opportunistically conduct the SWIPT and cooperative ZF jamming, respectively, where the energy required for jamming the eavesdropper is provided by the SWIPT operation so as to keep the energy balance at the sensors in the long run. By deriving the exact closed-form expressions of the secrecy outage probability and the secrecy throughout, we provide an effective approach to precisely assess the impacts of key parameters on the secrecy performance of the system. It has been shown that the secrecy outage probability is a monotonically increasing function of the growth of secrecy rate ( R s ), and a monotonically decreasing function of the increase of the transmit signal-to-noise ratio ( γ S ), and energy conversion efficiency ( η ). Furthermore, the secrecy throughput could be enhanced when η increases, which becomes especially obvious when a large γ S is provided. Moreover, the existence of an optimum R s maximizing the secrecy throughput is depicted, which also grows with the increase of γ S . Simulations are provided for the validation of the analysis.

Association of OPG gene polymorphism with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthrits in Chinese Han.

AIM: To investigate the association of osteoproterin (OPG) gene polymorphisms 163A/G (rs3102735), 245T/G (rs3134069) with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Chinese Han population. OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between the disease of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Chinese Han group and the association of osteoproterin (OPG) gene polymorphisms 163A/G(rs3102735) and 245T/G (rs3134069). Approaches: 205 RA patients and 171 healthy control subjects were participated into this study. Genotype analysis was conducted by polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism and was subsequently confirmed by DNA sequencing. Odd ration (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated for the risk of genotype and allele. CONSEQUENCES: OPG gene polymorphisms 163A/G, 245T/G conformed to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The statistical differences in genotype of AA, AG, GG at 163A/G locus were founded in RA and controls. The G allele was associated with an increased risk of RA, with OR 1.219 (95% CI: 1.066-2.339). According to the observation, there are no significant differences between the RA and control groups with respect to genotype and allele frequencies of OPG gene 245T/G (χ(2)=0.734, 0.518, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The OPG gene 163A/G SNP may be associated with the susceptibility of RA, G allele may be the risk factor for the development of RA.

[Expression of transforming growth factor beta 1 and conection tissue growth factor in ankylosing spondylitis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expressions of transforming growth factor beta 1(TGF-ß1) /smad, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), collagen I and collagen III in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: Thirty patients with AS were included in the study. All the patients were performed with computed tomography-guided needle biopsy in sacroiiliac joint. Sera TGF-ß1 and CTGF were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immunohistologic studies were performed with the alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase technique to assess the expressions of TGF-ß1, p-smad3, smad7, CTGF, collagen I and collagen III in sacroiiliac joint tissue samples. RESULTS: In the AS patients, neither serum TGF-ß1 level nor serum CTGF level was found significantly different from that of the controls [(6.7±2.1)mg/L vs.(5.4±5.8)mg/L, P<0.05, (0.83±0.46)µg/L vs.(1.07±0.79 )µg/L, P<0.05]. In contrast to the healthy controls, TGF-ß1 and CTGF were found upexpressed in cytoplasm of inflammatory cells in pannus and bone marrow in sacroiliac tissue samples of patients with AS [(104.5±66.2) /HP vs. (24.4±9.3) /HP, (57.94±42.40) /HP vs. (2.67±2.52) /HP]. Meantime, p-smad3 was found expressed in the nuclear, while smad7 was detected to be downexpressed. Additionally, collagen I and collagen III were found upexpressed in bone, cartilage and ligament tissue. CONCLUSION: TGF-ß1, CTGF, collagen I and collagen III were upexpressed in sarcoiliac joints of AS patients. TGF-ß1/CTGF may play an important role in articular cartilage fibrosis and ossification of AS by smad signal pathyway.