Urolithin B reduces cartilage degeneration and alleviates osteoarthritis by inhibiting inflammation.

Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent degenerative joint disease reported worldwide. Conventional treatment strategies mainly focus on medication and involve surgical joint replacement. The use of these therapies is limited by gastrointestinal complications and the lifespan of joint prostheses. Hence, safe and efficacious drugs are urgently needed to impede the osteoarthritis progression. Urolithin B, a metabolite of ellagic acid in the gut, exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties; however, its role in osteoarthritis remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that urolithin B efficiently inhibits the inflammatory factor-induced production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP3 and MMP13) in vitro and upregulates the expression of type II collagen and aggrecan. Urolithin B alleviates cartilage erosion and osteophyte formation induced by anterior cruciate ligament transections. Moreover, urolithin B inhibits the activation of the NF-κB pathway by reducing the phosphorylation of Iκb-α and the nuclear translocation of P65. In summary, urolithin B significantly inhibits inflammation and alleviates osteoarthritis. Hence, urolithin B can be considered a potential agent suitable for the effective treatment of osteoarthritis in the future.

Muscle function is superior to muscle mass in predicting 90-day mortality in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure: A prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: Low muscle mass has been found to be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure. However, data regarding the prognostic role of low muscle function are limited. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the predictive effect of low muscle function on 90-d mortality in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure. METHODS: This prospective study consecutively enrolled acute-on-chronic liver failure patients from March 2021 to October 2022. Muscle function was assessed using the liver frailty index, and the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve with the highest Youden index was used to determine the optimal cutoff values of liver frailty index for diagnosing low muscle function. RESULTS: The study included 126 acute-on-chronic liver failure patients. The median liver frailty index was 3.89 (0.83), with 51 (40.5) patients classified as having low muscle function. Multivariate Cox analysis identified low muscle function (hazard ratio = 4.309; 95% CI, 1.795-10.345; P = 0.001) and number of organ failures (hazard ratio = 4.202; 95% CI, 2.040-8.656; P < 0.001) as independent risk factors for 90-d mortality. However, the multivariate analysis did not retain the significant effect of low muscle mass. Furthermore, multivariable logistic analysis revealed that age (odds ratio = 1.042; 95% CI, 1.002-1.083; P = 0.038), organ failures (odds ratio = 2.572; 95% CI, 1.331-4.968; P = 0.005), and low muscle mass (odds ratio = 6.607; 95% CI, 2.579-16.927; P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for low muscle function. CONCLUSIONS: The prognostic value of low muscle function was found superior to that of low muscle mass in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure. Therefore, it is important to assess the muscle function and develop potential targeted treatment strategies in this population.

Selective binding of retrotransposons by ZFP352 facilitates the timely dissolution of totipotency network.

Acquisition of new stem cell fates relies on the dissolution of the prior regulatory network sustaining the existing cell fates. Currently, extensive insights have been revealed for the totipotency regulatory network around the zygotic genome activation (ZGA) period. However, how the dissolution of the totipotency network is triggered to ensure the timely embryonic development following ZGA is largely unknown. In this study, we identify the unexpected role of a highly expressed 2-cell (2C) embryo specific transcription factor, ZFP352, in facilitating the dissolution of the totipotency network. We find that ZFP352 has selective binding towards two different retrotransposon sub-families. ZFP352 coordinates with DUX to bind the 2C specific MT2_Mm sub-family. On the other hand, without DUX, ZFP352 switches affinity to bind extensively onto SINE_B1/Alu sub-family. This leads to the activation of later developmental programs like ubiquitination pathways, to facilitate the dissolution of the 2C state. Correspondingly, depleting ZFP352 in mouse embryos delays the 2C to morula transition process. Thus, through a shift of binding from MT2_Mm to SINE_B1/Alu, ZFP352 can trigger spontaneous dissolution of the totipotency network. Our study highlights the importance of different retrotransposons sub-families in facilitating the timely and programmed cell fates transition during early embryogenesis.

Recent advances of eosinophils and its correlated diseases.

Eosinophils are differentiated by bone marrow multipotent progenitor cells and are further released into peripheral blood after maturation. Human eosinophils can exhibit unique multi-leaf nuclear morphology, which are filled with cytoplasmic granules that contain cytotoxicity and immune regulatory proteins. In recent years, many studies focused on the origin, differentiation and development process of eosinophils. It has been discovered that the eosinophils have the regulatory functions of innate and adaptive immunity, and can also function in several diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, acute respiratory distress syndrome, malignant tumors and so on. Hence, the role and effects of eosinophils in various diseases are emphasized. In this review, we comprehensively summarized the development and differentiation process of eosinophils, the research progress of their related cytokines, diseases and current clinical treatment options, and discussed the potential drug target, aiming to provide a theoretical and practical basis for the clinical prevention and treatment of eosinophil-related diseases, especially respiratory diseases. To conclude, the guiding significance of future disease treatment is proposed based on the recent updated understandings into the cell functions of eosinophils.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma with tracheal invasion: A case report.

RATIONALE: Compared with most malignant tumors, papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is usually associated with favorable survival and low recurrence rate. The prognostic factors of PTC include age, sex, tumor size, enlarged lymph nodes, and extrathyroidal extension. Among the extrathyroidal extension, upper aerodigestive tract (ADT) invasion by PTC is a marker of more aggressive tumor behavior, defining a subpopulation of patients at a greater risk of recurrence and death. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 61-year-old woman had a cervical mass that was slowly growing for three years. Additionally, she had haemoptysis of 1-year duration. During the month prior to her visit, she had difficulty breathing. DIAGNOSIS: Neck ultrasonography (US) and thyroid computed tomography (CT) images both showed a well-defined calcified mass on the left lobe of the thyroid gland. Additionally, the thyroid CT revealed that part of the mass protruded into the lumen which resulted in the thickening on the left side of the trachea. Accordingly, her diagnoses were as follows: firstly, a solid mass on the left lobe of the thyroid gland with tracheal compression; and finally, the space-occupying airway lesion. INTERVENTIONS: She underwent a bronchoscopic examination, which revealed a mass blocking most of the upper endoluminal trachea. Thus, the mass was resected at the upper tracheal segment, followed by electrotome and argon plasma coagulation treatment. She was then transferred to the Thyroid Surgery Department. Thyroid surgeons took the surgical type of bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy + exploration of bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve + dissection of the lymph node in neck central area + circumferential sleeve resection + end-to-end anastomosis + tracheotomy in the patient. OUTCOMES: After surgery, she recovered well without any local recurrence or distant metastasis. LESSONS: When patients with PTC have haemoptysis, hoarseness, dyspnea, or any other symptoms, and the imaging examinations reveal a space-occupying lesion in the thyroid and airway, clinicians should focus on PTC with tracheal invasion, a bronchoscopic examination must be immediately performed because the subsequent surgical management depends on the degree of tracheal invasion.