Correlation of Multiple Acromion Morphological Parameters on Radiographs in a Geriatric Chinese Population and Its Clinical Significance.

INTRODUCTION: Previous clinical studies have reported associations between the acromion index, lateral acromion angle, and critical shoulder angle and the occurrence of rotator cuff tears. The objective of this study was to analyze the correlations of these different anatomic parameters in geriatric Chinese Population. METHODS: Healthy geriatric Chinese participants (n = 66) and geriatric Chinese patients with rotator cuff tears (n = 70) identified between January 2019 and October 2020 were included in this study. Standardized true anteroposterior radiographs were used to measure the acromion index, lateral acromion angle, and critical shoulder angle in each study participant. RESULTS: The mean acromion index was significantly larger, the mean lateral acromion angle was significantly smaller, and the mean critical shoulder angle was significantly larger in geriatric patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears compared with geriatric healthy participants. CONCLUSION: There were a negative linear relationship between the acromion index and lateral acromion angle and a positive linear relationship between the acromion index and critical shoulder angle in geriatric patients with rotator cuff tear and geriatric healthy participants; we termed this phenomenon "Hypothesis of Acromion Index." The acromion index, lateral acromion angle, and critical shoulder angle are independent predictors of rotator cuff tears in a geriatric Chinese population.

Effects of receptor activator nuclear factor κB gene polymorphisms on the susceptibility to knee osteoarthritis: A case-control study.

The present study aimed to explore genetic association of receptor activator nuclear factor κB (RANK) polymorphisms with individual susceptibility to knee osteoarthritis (OA) in different Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grades.This case-control study included 138 knee OA patients and 145 healthy individuals. RANK rs1805034 and rs8086340 polymorphisms were genotyped through polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The effects of RANK polymorphisms on knee OA risk were analyzed via χ test or Fisher exact test, and the results were expressed using odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs).The C allele of rs1805034 polymorphism had significantly higher frequency in knee OA patients than in controls (P = .044), indicating that this allele could increase the risk of knee OA (OR = 1.424, 95% CI = 1.010-2.008). Besides, the CC genotype and C allele of the rs1805034 polymorphism were significantly associated with elevated risk of knee OA in moderate grade (CC vs TT: P = .018, OR = 3.071, 95% CI = 1.187-7.941; C vs T: P = .012, OR = 1.787, 95% CI = 1.131-2.823). However, rs8086340 polymorphism had no significant association with knee OA riskThe C allele of RANK rs1805034 polymorphism is closely correlated with increased risk of knee OA, especially for moderate grade.

Interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) regulates the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in human chondrocytes.

Matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) plays a pivotal role in the destruction of articular cartilage in osteoarthritis (OA). The regulation of gene expression of MMP-3 is complicated. Interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) is a member of the interferon regulatory factor family of transcription factors. Little information regarding the biological function of IRF5 on chondrocytes and the pathogenesis of OA has been reported. In the current study, for the first time, we report that IRF5 is expressed in human primary chondrocytes and human chondrosarcoma cell line SW1353 cells. In addition, IRF5 is upregulated in response to TNF-α treatment in a dose dependent manner. Interestingly, IRF5 is significantly higher in chondrocytes from OA patients compared to those from normal subjects. Notably, IRF5 mediates TNF-α- induced expression of MMP-3 in chondrocytes. Overexpression of IRF5 promotes the expression of MMP-3, however, knockdown of IRF5 reduces the expression of MMP-3. Mechanistically, IRF5 is able to enhance the transcription of MMP-3 by binding to its promoter. Also, we found that NF-κB was involved in the effects of IRF-5 on MMP-3 expression. These findings suggest that IRF5 might be a novel pharmacological target for the treatment of OA and RA.

Identification of dysregulated genes in rheumatoid arthritis based on bioinformatics analysis.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic auto-inflammatory disorder of joints. The present study aimed to identify the key genes in RA for better understanding the underlying mechanisms of RA. METHODS: The integrated analysis of expression profiling was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in RA. Moreover, functional annotation, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and transcription factor (TF) regulatory network construction were applied for exploring the potential biological roles of DEGs in RA. In addition, the expression level of identified candidate DEGs was preliminarily detected in peripheral blood cells of RA patients in the GSE17755 dataset. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to validate the expression levels of identified DEGs in RA. RESULTS: A total of 378 DEGs, including 202 up- and 176 down-regulated genes, were identified in synovial tissues of RA patients compared with healthy controls. DEGs were significantly enriched in axon guidance, RNA transport and MAPK signaling pathway. RBFOX2, LCK and SERBP1 were the hub proteins in the PPI network. In the TF-target gene network, RBFOX2, POU6F1, WIPF1 and PFKFB3 had the high connectivity with TFs. The expression status of 11 candidate DEGs was detected in GSE17755, the expression levels of MAT2A and NSA2 were significantly down-regulated and CD47 had the up-regulated tendency in peripheral blood cells of patients with RA compared with healthy individuals. qRT-PCR results of MAT2A, NSA2, CD47 were compatible with our bioinformatics analyses. DISCUSSION: Our study might provide valuable information for exploring the pathogenesis mechanism of RA and identifying the potential biomarkers for RA diagnosis.

Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms within ADAM12 and risk of knee osteoarthritis in a Chinese Han population.

OBJECTIVE: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex arthritic condition in which the genetic factor plays a major role. One of the candidate genes of is the ADAM12 gene, but no consistency has been reached till now. This study aims to investigate the potential role of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the ADAM12 gene in susceptibility to knee OA and its progression in Chinese Han population. METHODS: The rs1278279, rs3740199, rs1044122, and rs1871054 polymorphisms were genotyped and compared in a population based cohort consisting of 164 OA subjects and 200 age- and gender-matched controls. RESULTS: The SNP rs1871054 was found with increased risk of OA susceptibility in comparing the genotype frequencies between the case and control groups no matter for which model of comparison (allele level, dominant model, recessive model, and extreme genotype model). Additionally, the SNP rs1871054 was found associated with increased OA severity according to the K/L grade. CONCLUSION: In summary, we have identified that the rs1871054 variant within the ADAM12 gene is a risk factor for increased osteoarthritis susceptibility and severity.