Identification of mitophagy-related biomarkers in osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease, and existing drugs cannot cure OA, so there is an urgent need to identify new targets. Mitophagy plays an important role in OA; however, the role of mitophagy in the OA immune system is not yet clear. METHODS: In this study, differential analysis and enrichment analysis were used to identify mitophagy-related genes (MRGs) with differential expression in OA and the functional pathways involved in OA. Subsequently, two machine learning methods, RF and LASSO, were used to screen MRGs with diagnostic value and construct nomograms. At the same time, the relationship between mitophagy and OA immune response was explored by immunoinfiltration analysis. RESULTS: Forty-three differentially MRGs were identified in OA, of which six MRGs (GABARAPL2, PARL, GABARAPL1, JUN, RRAS, and SNX7) were associated with the diagnosis of OA. The ROC analysis results show that these 6 MRGs have high predictive accuracy in the diagnosis of OA. In immune infiltration analysis, we found that the abundance of significantly different immune cells in OA was mostly upregulated. In addition, the expression of diagnostic-related MRGs is correlated with changes in the abundance of immune cells in OA. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that six MRGs can be used as diagnostic biomarkers. The expression of diagnostic-related MRGs is correlated with changes in the abundance of immune cells in OA. At the same time, mitophagy may affect the immune microenvironment of OA by regulating immune cells, ultimately leading to the progression of OA.

Artificial nonenzymatic antioxidant Prussian blue/KGM-BSA nanocomposite hydrogel dressing as ROS scavenging for diabetic wound healing.

The process of diabetic wound healing was influenced by the excessive proliferation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, in the process of healing diabetic wounds, it was crucial to removing ROS. This study designed composited nanoparticles: KBP, consisted by Konjac glucomannan, bovine serum albumin, and Prussian blue. Then they were embedded in Konjac glucomannan and hydroxypropyl trimethylammonium chloride chitosan composite hydrogel (KH), The KBP@KH hydrogel finally achieved excellent efficacy in diabetic wound healing. The in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that KPB nanoparticles exhibited favorable ROS scavenging capability and biosafety. The KBP@KH hydrogel not only effectively eliminated ROS from diabetic wounds, but also exhibited excellent wound adaptability. The KBP@KH hydrogel facilitated angiogenesis and suppressed the production of inflammatory factors. Overall, the KBP@KH hydrogel dressing was characterized by its user-friendly nature, safety, and high efficiency.

Excellent Dark/Light Dual-Mode Photoresponsive Activities Based on g-C3N4/CMCh/PVA Nanocomposite Hydrogel Using Electron Beam Radiation Method.

Photocatalytic technology for inactivating bacteria in water has received much attention. In this study, we reported a dark-light dual-mode sterilized g-C3N4/chitosan/poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogel (g-CP) prepared through freeze-thaw cycling and an in situ electron-beam radiation method. The structures and morphologies of g-CP were confirmed using Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), solid ultraviolet diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). Photocatalytic degradation experiments demonstrated that 1 wt% g-CP degraded rhodamine B (RhB) up to 65.92% in 60 min. At the same time, g-CP had good antimicrobial abilities for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) within 4 h. The shapes of g-CP were adjustable (such as bar, cylinder, and cube) and had good mechanical properties and biocompatibility. The tensile and compressive modulus of 2 wt% g-CP were 0.093 MPa and 1.61 MPa, respectively. The Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) test and Hoechst33342/PI double staining were used to prove that g-CP had good biocompatibility. It is expected to be applied to environmental sewage treatment and wound dressing in the future.

Controllable Preparation and Research Progress of Photosensitive Antibacterial Complex Hydrogels.

Hydrogels are materials consisting of a network of hydrophilic polymers. Due to their good biocompatibility and hydrophilicity, they are widely used in biomedicine, food safety, environmental protection, agriculture, and other fields. This paper summarizes the typical complex materials of photocatalysts, photosensitizers, and hydrogels, as week as their antibacterial activities and the basic mechanisms of photothermal and photodynamic effects. In addition, the application of hydrogel-based photoresponsive materials in microbial inactivation is discussed, including the challenges faced in their application. The advantages of photosensitive antibacterial complex hydrogels are highlighted, and their application and research progress in various fields are introduced in detail.

Association of Self-Reported Nighttime Sleep Duration with Chronic Kidney Disease: China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

INTRODUCTION: The cohort study aimed to assess the association of nighttime sleep duration and the change in nighttime sleep duration with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and whether the association between nighttime sleep duration and CKD differed by daytime napping. METHODS: This study included 11,677 individuals from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and used data from the 2011 baseline survey and four follow-up waves. Nighttime sleep duration was divided into three groups: short (<7 h per night), optimal (7-9 h), and long nighttime sleep duration (>9 h). Daytime napping was divided into two groups: no nap and with a nap. We used Cox proportional hazards model to examine the effect of nighttime sleep duration at baseline and change in nighttime sleep duration on incident CKD and a joint effect of nighttime sleep duration and nap time on onset CKD. RESULTS: With a follow-up of 7 years, the incidence of CKD among those with short, optimal, and long nighttime sleep duration was 9.89, 6.75, and 9.05 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. Compared to individuals with optimal nighttime sleep duration, short nighttime sleepers had a 44% higher risk of onset CKD (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21-1.72). Compared to participants with persistent optimal nighttime sleep duration, those with persistent short or long nighttime sleep duration had an increased risk of incident CKD (HR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.15-1.80). We found a lower incidence of CKD in participants with short nighttime sleep duration and a nap (HR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.60-0.93), compared to those with short nighttime sleep duration and no nap. CONCLUSION: Short nighttime sleep duration and persistent long or short nighttime sleep duration were associated with a higher risk of onset CKD. Keeping persistent optimal nighttime sleep duration may help reduce CKD risk later in life. Daytime napping may be protective against CKD incidence.

Hepatitis B e antigen-positive and high levels of alanine aminotransferase are associated with prevalence of metabolic syndrome in chronic HBV patients.

OBJECTIVE: The interactions between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and metabolic syndrome (MS) have not been elucidated. This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between metabolic profile and HBV infection. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study including patients infected by HBV (HBV group, n=121) and healthy volunteers (control group, n=263) was conducted, serum HBV viral load and markers, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and MS were analyzed. Factors associated with prevalence of MS were explored with multivariate adjusted logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of MS was 9.9% in HBV infected patients and 19.4% in controls (p=0.011). Factors associated with the prevalence of MS were (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, p value): hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive (0.368, 0.107-0.653, 0.008) and high levels of ALT (0.183, 0.120-0.268, <0.001) in HBV patients. But clinical and virological factors (including age, HBV DNA level, male gender, BMI, and fatty liver) were not found to be associated with prevalence of MS in HBV patients who were HBeAg positive with high levels of ALT. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that HBeAg positive and high levels of ALT are independently associated with lower prevalence of MS in HBV patients. But HBV DNA may not have impact on the lipid metabolism. HBV-related immune reactions may play a certain role in the mechanism of MS.