Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside regulates estrogen receptor expression to ameliorate OVX-induced osteoporosis.

OBJECTIVE: Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) is a phytoestrogen that has been reported to improve postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) caused by estrogen deficiency. In our work, we aimed to investigate the mechanism of SDG in regulating the expressions of ERs on PMOP model rats. METHODS: Ovariectomization (OVX) was used to establish PMOP model in rats. The experiment was allocated to Sham, OVX, SDG and raloxifene (RLX) groups. After 12-week treatment, micro-CT was used to detect the transverse section of bone. Hematoxylin and Eosin staining and Safranine O-Fast Green staining were supplied to detect the femur pathological morphology of rats. Estradiol (E2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), bone formation and bone catabolism indexes in serum were detected using ELISA. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining was used to detect the osteogenic ability of chondrocytes. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were applied to detect the protein expressions of estrogen receptors (ERs) in the femur of rats. RESULTS: Compared with the OVX group, micro-CT results showed SDG could lessen the injury of bone and improve femoral parameters, including bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD). Pathological results showed SDG could reduce pathological injury of femur in OVX rats. Meanwhile, SDG decreased the level of IL-6 and regulated bone formation and bone catabolism indexes. Besides, SDG increased the level of E2 and conversed OVX-induced decreased the expression of ERα and ERß. CONCLUSION: The treatment elicited by SDG in OVX rats was due to the reduction of injury and inflammation and improvement of bone formation index, via regulating the expression of E2 and ERs.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of Attitudes and Beliefs about Cardiovascular Disease Risk Perception Questionnaire.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of global mortality and disease burden. The perceived risk of CVD, a central psychological construct, may affect health behavior change and maintenance, such as lifestyle modification and medication adherence. Risk perception varies based on the knowledge of risk in the context of cultural health-world views. Little is known about CVD-related knowledge and risk perception in China. The aim of this study is to cross-culturally translate, adapt, and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Attitudes and Beliefs about Cardiovascular Disease (ABCD) Risk Perception Questionnaire in Chinese. The translation and cross-cultural adaptation process followed established guidelines. A cross-sectional study of 318 adults between April and May 2022 was conducted in Zhejiang province. The study evaluated the item- and scale-level psychometric properties and validity indices of the ABCD risk perception questionnaire. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the risk scale supported a three-factor solution that accounts for 69.63% of the total variance, corresponding to risk perception (F1), perceived benefits and intention to change physical activity (F2), and perceived benefits and intention to change dietary habits (F3). Adequate content validity (I-CVI = 0.852-1.00, S-CVI = 946) was ensured by expert panel. The internal consistency of the dimensions showed good results ranging from 0.801 to 0.940 for Cronbach's α, and 0.853 to 0.952 for McDonald's ω. The item analysis of knowledge dimension indicated that the item difficulty index was 0.440 to 0.852, the item discrimination index was 0.572 to 0.707. This study confirmed that the Chinese version of the ABCD risk perception questionnaire has good psychometric properties in terms of measuring CVD-related knowledge and risk perception in the Chinese adult population, which can lead to the development of individually tailored CVD-risk reduction intervention programs or risk communication programs by health providers.

A Hyperglycemic Microenvironment Inhibits Tendon-to-Bone Healing through the let-7b-5p/CFTR Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Tendon-to-bone healing is a difficult process in treatment of rotator cuff tear (RCT). In addition, diabetes is an important risk factor for poor tendon-to-bone healing. Therefore, we investigated the specific mechanisms through which diabetes affects tendon-to-bone healing by regulating the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR). METHODS: Tendon-derived stem cells (TDSCs) were extracted from rats after which their proliferative capacities were evaluated by the MTT assay. The expression levels of CFTR and tendon-related markers were determined by qRT-PCR. Then, bioinformatics analyses and dual luciferase reporter gene assays were used to identify miRNAs with the ability to bind CFTR mRNA. Finally, CFTR was overexpressed in TDSCs to validate the specific mechanisms through which the high glucose microenvironment inhibits tendon-to-bone healing. RESULTS: The high glucose microenvironment downregulated mRNA expression levels of tendon-related markers and CFTR in TDSCs cultured with different glucose concentrations. Additionally, bioinformatics analyses revealed that let-7b-5p may be regulated by the high glucose microenvironment and can regulate CFTR levels. Moreover, a dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to confirm that let-7b-5p targets and binds CFTR mRNA. Additional experiments also confirmed that overexpressed CFTR effectively reversed the negative effects of the hyperglycaemic microenvironment and upregulation of let-7b-5p on TDSC proliferation and differentiation. These findings imply that the hyperglycemic microenvironment inhibits CFTR transcription and, consequently, proliferation and differentiation of TDSCs in vitro by upregulating let-7b-5p. CONCLUSIONS: A hyperglycemic microenvironment inhibits TDSC proliferation in vitro via the let-7b-5p/CFTR pathway, and this is a potential mechanism in diabetes-induced poor tendon-to-bone healing.

Thermal fogging with disinfectants and antifreezes enables effective industrial disinfection in subzero cold-chain environment.

AIM: During several local COVID-19 outbreaks in China in 2020, SARS-CoV-2 or its RNA was isolated or detected from frozen food or packages, revealing the lack of effective disinfection measures in the frozen food chain and risk of transmission. We explored the possibility that disinfectant plus antifreeze could be delivered as thermal fog to realize effective disinfection at subzero temperatures. METHODS AND RESULTS: We selected two disinfectant-antifreeze combinations, didecyl dimethyl ammonium bromide (DDAB) - propylene glycol (PPG) and peracetic acid (PAA) - triethylene glycol (TEG), and each combination is used with a custom-optimized thermal fogging machine. The two fogs were tested in -20°C freezer warehouses for their disinfection efficacy against a coronavirus porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) field strain, a swine influenza virus (SIV) field strain, and three indicator bacteria, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis endospores. At -20°C, the DDAB-PPG or PAA-TEG thermal fogs settle within 3.5 to 4.5 h and effectively inactivated PEDV with median tissue culture infective dose of 10-3.5 0.1 ml-1 and SIV-H1N1 with hemagglutination titre of 26  ml-1 within 15-60 min. DDAB-PPG could inactivate S. aureus and E. coli vegetative cells (106  cfu ml-1 ) within 15-60 min but not effective on B. subtilis spores, while PAA-TEG could disinfect B. subtilis spores more effectively than for S. aureus and E. coli. CONCLUSIONS: We showed that a practical subzero temperature disinfection technology was effective in killing enveloped viruses and vegetative bacteria or bacterial spores. DDAB-PPG or PAA-TEG thermal fogging may be a practical technology for cold-chain disinfection. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This subzero temperature disinfection technology could help to meet the urgent public health need of environmental disinfection in frozen food logistics against pandemic and other potential pathogens and to enhance national and international biosecurity.

Identification of the specific microRNAs and competitive endogenous RNA mechanisms in osteoporosis.

OBJECTIVE: Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are metabolic skeletal disorders. This study aimed to identify specific networks of competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in osteoporosis that differ from those in osteoarthritis. METHODS: The dataset GSE74209 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus, and differentially expressed microRNAs (DEmiRNAs) in osteoporotic samples and osteoarthritic samples were identified. After predicting target genes and linked long noncoding (lnc)RNAs, ceRNA networks of DEmiRNAs were constructed. The nodes that overlapped between ceRNA networks and the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database were selected as key candidates. RESULTS: Fifteen DEmiRNAs (including 2 downregulated and 13 upregulated miRNAs) were identified in osteoporotic samples versus osteoarthritic samples; these targeted 161 genes and linked to 60 lncRNAs. The ceRNA network consisted of 6 DEmiRNAs, 63 target genes, and 53 lncRNAs. After searching the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database and mining the literature, 2 lncRNAs (MALAT1 and NEAT1), 2 DEmiRNAs (hsa-miR-32-3p, downregulated; and hsa-miR-22-3p, upregulated) and 6 genes (SP1, PTEN, ESR1, ERBB3, CSF1R, and CDK6) that relate to cell death, growth, and differentiation were identified as key candidates separating osteoporosis from osteoarthritis. CONCLUSIONS: Two miRNA-ceRNA networks (including NEAT1/MALAT1-hsa-miR-32-3p-SP1/FZD6 and NEAT1/MALAT1-hsa-miR-22-3p-PTEN/ESR1/ERBB3/CSF1R/CDK6) might have crucial and specific roles in osteoporosis.

Reprogramming rat embryonic fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells using transposon vectors and their chondrogenic differentiation in vitro.

It has been known that the successful reprogramming of differentiated human somatic cells into a pluripotent state would allow for the creation of cartilage cells. However, current virus­mediated strategies to form induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are limited in their clinical application due to exogenous gene modification. In the present study, the piggyBac transposon system carrying corresponding genes (Oct3/4, Klf4, Sox2 and c­Myc) was employed to reprogram rat embryonic fibroblasts (REFs) into iPSCs, and the transposon­carried genes were successfully removed by a transposase system. Furthermore, the differentiation capacity of the iPSCs into chondrocytes was investigated in vitro. A typical chondrocyte marker, collagen­II, was expressed following culture. In conclusion, rat iPSCs without genetic modification were obtained from REFs using the piggyBac transposon system and the transposase mPB system, and these cells possessed the capacity of chondrocyte differentiation, suggesting that this method may be an effective approach for the treatment of cartilage disorders in the future.

[Case-control study on therapeutic effects between modified Weaver-Dunn surgery and clavicular hook plate fixation in the treatment of acromioclavicular joint dislocation].

OBJECTIVE: To study therapeutic effects between hook plate fixation and modified Weaver-Dunn surgery for the treatment of acromioclavicular joint dislocation. METHODS: Forty patients with fresh acromioclavicular joint dislocations of type III according to Rockwood classification were reviewed. All the patients were divided into two groups: hook plate fixation group and modified surgery group. There were 20 patients in hook plate fixation group, including 13 males and 7 females, with an average age of (37.45 +/- 14.29) years old; 12 patients had injuries in the left and 8 patients had injuries in the right; preoperative Constant-Murley score was 40.75 +/- 10.40. And there were 20 patients in modified surgery group,including 11 males and 9 females, with an average age of (41.65 +/- 14.83) years old; 11 patients had injuries in the left and 9 patients had injuries in the right; preoperative Constant-Murley score was 42.75 +/- 8.18. The Lazzcano standard, Constant-Murley score and imaging changes were used to evaluate shoulder joint function before and after surgery. RESULTS: All the patients were followed up,and the duration ranged from 7 to 32 months,with an average of 24 months. According to Lazzcano evaluation, 16 patients got an excellent result,3 good and 1 poor in modified surgery group with no re-dislocation, and 1 patient had pain more than middle degree; while in hook plate fixation group, 9 patients got an excellent result, 7 good and 4 poor, 1 patient had re-dislocation, and 3 patients got pain more than middle degree. The therapeutic effects of modified surgery group were better than those of hook plate fixation group. Constant-Murley scores:preoperative 42.75 +/- 8.18 vs 93.40 +/- 4.04 at the latest follow-up in modified surgery group; preoperative 40.75 +/- 10.40 vs postoperative 88.40 +/- 4.81 and 92.05 +/- 4.49 at the latest follow-up in hook plate fixation group. The postoperative scores all improved compared to preoperative scores in two groups. And there was no statistical difference of scores at the latest follow-up between two groups. CONCLUSION: The surgery of allograft tendon transplantation combined with anchor fixation to strengthen coracoclavicular ligament, as well as part transposition of acromiocoracoid ligament and resection at the distal part of clavicle may got safety fixation and less postoperative complications compared with hook plate internal fixation.