Phgdh serves a protective role in Il­1ß induced chondrocyte inflammation and oxidative­stress damage.

The primary pathological changes observed in osteoarthritis (OA) involve inflammation and degeneration of chondrocytes. 3­phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (Phgdh), a rate­limiting enzyme involved in the conversion of 3­phosphoglycerate to serine, serves as a crucial molecular component of cell growth and metabolism. However, its effects on chondrocytes in OA have not been determined. In the present study, a rat model of OA was used to investigate the expression levels of Phgdh in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, the role of Phgdh in extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis, inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress levels of chondrocytes was detected in vitro. Phgdh expression was decreased in OA, and Phgdh overexpression promoted ECM synthesis, decreased levels inflammatory cytokines, such as Il­6, TNF­α, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5 and MMP13, and decreased apoptosis. Furthermore, expression of Phgdh effectively increased expression levels of the cellular antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase 1, and decreased the levels of reactive oxygen species in chondrocytes; and this may have been regulated by a Kelch like ECH associated protein 1/nuclear factor erythroid 2­related factor 2 axis. Taken together, these results suggest that Phgdh may be used to manage the progression of OA.

Efficacy and Safety of Autologous Blood Products Compared With Corticosteroid Injections in the Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of autologous blood products (ABPs) and corticosteroid injections (CSIs) in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis. TYPE OF STUDY: Meta-analysis. LITERATURE SURVEY: We systematically searched EMBASE, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared ABPs with CSIs for the treatment of lateral epicondylitis without language and publication date restriction through April 2015. METHODOLOGY: Two investigators independently included and assessed the quality of each eligible study according to the method recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration. Available data about the main outcomes were extracted from each study and heterogeneity was assessed using the Q statistic and the inconsistency index (I(2)). We also evaluated the publication bias and conducted a subgroup analysis. Review Manager 5.2 software was used for data syntheses and analyses, and the standardized mean difference (SMD) or mean difference (MD) was estimated by using random effects models with a 95% confidence interval (CI). To investigate the efficacy among different trial durations, the follow-up times were divided into short periods (2-4 weeks), intermediate periods (6-24 weeks) and long-term periods (≥24 weeks). SYNTHESIS: Ten RCTs (n = 509) were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled analysis showed that CSIs were more effective than ABPs for pain relief in the short term (SMD = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.31-1.46%; P = .003). However, in the intermediate term, ABPs exhibited a better therapeutic effect for pain relief (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI = -0.70 to -0.07%; P = .02), function (SMD = -0.60; 95% CI = -1.13 to -0.08%; P = .03), disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (MD = -11.04; 95% CI = -21.72 to -0.36%; P = .04), and Nirschl stage (MD = -0.81; 95% CI = -1.11 to -0.51%; P < .0001). In the long term, ABPs were superior to CSIs for pain relief (SMD = -0.94; 95% CI = -1.32 to -0.57%; P < .0001) and Nirschl stage (MD = -1.04; 95% CI = -1.66 to -0.42%; P = .001). Moreover, for grip strength recovery, no significant difference was found between the 2 therapies (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Limited evidence supports the conclusion that CSIs are superior to ABPs for pain relief in the short term; however, this result was reversed in the intermediate and long term. ABPs seemed to be more effective at restoring function in the intermediate term. Because of the small sample size and the limited number of high-quality RCTs, more high-quality RCTs with large sample sizes are required to validate this result.

The prognostic significance of p53 expression in gastric cancer: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis was conducted to quantitatively assess the prognostic significance of p53 expression in gastric cancer patients. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify eligible studies in PubMed and Embase. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to estimate the effect sizes. Moreover, meta-regression analysis and subgroup analysis were carried out. RESULTS: A total of 34 studies comprising 6,599 patients were subjected to final analysis. Positive/high p53 expression was significantly associated with poorer overall survival (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.23-1.98) and disease-specific survival (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.35-1.73). The results also indicated that positive/high p53 expression was significantly associated with gender (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.09-1.45), Lauren's classification (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.23-2.29), the depth of invasion (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.56-0.83), lymph node metastasis (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.23-1.97), TNM stage (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.47-0.69), vascular invasion (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.18-1.92) and lymphatic invasion (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.11-1.72), but not with Bormann type (OR 1.24, 95% CI 0.91-1.70), grade of differentiation (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.82-1.44) or distant metastasis (OR 1.37, 95% CI 0.92-2.03). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests positive/high p53 expression may be a useful biomarker to predict a poorer prognosis for patients with gastric cancer.

The prognostic value of ERCC1 expression in gastric cancer patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy: a meta-analysis.

Numerous studies examined the association between excision repair complementation group 1 (ERCC1) expression and the prognosis of gastric cancer patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy but yielded controversial results. We thus conducted a meta-analysis to quantitatively evaluate the prognostic value of ERCC1 expression in gastric cancer patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy. A systematic literature search was performed to identify relevant studies in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and WanFang Database up to December 17, 2013. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated. Moreover, meta-regression analysis and subgroup analysis were conducted according to ethnicity, HR extraction, detection methods, survival analysis, and quality score. A total of 1,409 patients from 21 studies were subjected to final analysis. Positive/high ERCC1 expression was significantly associated with poorer overall survival (HR, 1.58; 95 % CI, 1.09-2.28), especially in Asians (HR, 1.81; 95 % CI, 1.20-2.73), and lower response rate (OR, 0.26; 95 % CI, 0.18-0.36), but not with clinicopathological features, such as gender (OR, 1.01; 95 % CI, 0.68-1.51), grade (OR, 0.66; 95 % CI, 0.43-1.01), and stage (OR, 1.05; 95 % CI, 0.58-1.90). This meta-analysis suggested that ERCC1 expression might be a useful biomarker to predict response and survival for gastric cancer patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy, particularly in Asians.