Identification of key genes and immune infiltration in osteoarthritis through analysis of zinc metabolism-related genes.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) represents a prominent etiology of considerable pain and disability, and conventional imaging methods lack sensitivity in diagnosing certain types of OA. Therefore, there is a need to identify highly sensitive and efficient biomarkers for OA diagnosis. Zinc ions feature in the pathogenesis of OA. This work aimed to investugate the role of zinc metabolism-related genes (ZMRGs) in OA and the diagnostic characteristics of key genes. METHODS: We obtained datasets GSE169077 and GSE55235 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and obtained ZMRGs from MSigDB. Differential expression analysis was conducted on the GSE169077 dataset using the limma R package to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and the intersection of DEGs and ZMRGs yielded zinc metabolism differential expression-related genes (ZMRGs-DEGs). The clusterProfiler R package was employed for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses of ZMRGs-DEGs. Potential small molecule drugs were predicted using the CMap database, and immune cell infiltration and function in OA individuals were analyzed using the ssGSEA method. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed to detect Hub genes among ZMRGs-DEGs. Hub gene expression levels were analyzed in the GSE169077 and GSE55235 datasets, and their diagnostic characteristics were assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The gene-miRNA interaction network of Hub genes was explored using the gene-miRNA interaction network website. RESULTS: We identified 842 DEGs in the GSE169077 dataset, and their intersection with ZMRGs resulted in 46 ZMRGs-DEGs. ZMRGs-DEGs were primarily enriched in functions such as collagen catabolic processes, extracellular matrix organization, metallopeptidase activity, and pathways like the IL-17 signaling pathway, Nitrogen metabolism, and Relaxin signaling pathway. Ten potential small-molecule drugs were predicted using the CMap database. OA patients exhibited distinct immune cell abundance and function compared to healthy individuals. We identified 4 Hub genes (MMP2, MMP3, MMP9, MMP13) through the PPI network, which were highly expressed in OA and demonstrated good diagnostic performance. Furthermore, two closely related miRNAs for each of the 4 Hub genes were identified. CONCLUSION: 4 Hub genes were identified as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for OA.

SND1 aggravates mitochondrial damage, apoptosis and extracellular matrix degradation in IL-1ß-stimulated chondrocytes via PINK1/BECN1 pathway.

Recently, evidence has suggested a regulatory role for SND1 in osteoarthritis progression. Interestingly, we found that SND1 protein expression was increased, mitochondria were shrunken and decreased in number, mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased, mitochondrial ROS production was increased, and ATP levels were decreased in IL-1ß treated mouse chondrocytes, and SND1 silencing removed these changes. Furthermore, IL-1ß treatment promoted inflammatory factor secretion in chondrocytes, promoted cell apoptosis, increased MMP13 protein and inhibited collagen II protein expression, and si-SND1 inhibited the IL-1ß effects. We validated the association between SND1 and PINK1 and found that PINK1 reversed the inhibitory effects of SND1 silencing on IL-1ß-induced mitochondrial damage, inflammatory reaction, apoptosis and extracellular matrix degradation in mouse chondrocytes. Furthermore, we found that PINK1 upregulated BECN1 protein expression and that BECN reversed the inhibitory effects of PINK1 silencing on IL-1ß-induced mitochondrial damage, inflammatory reaction, apoptosis and extracellular matrix degradation. Further mechanistic studies revealed that PINK1 inhibited the AMPK/mTOR signaling axis to aggravate IL-1ß induced mouse chondrocytes injury by upregulating BECN1 protein expression. In vivo results showed that the damage to cartilage tissue was significantly alleviated in rats with osteoarthritis by knocking down SND1 expression.

A Rigid-Flexible and Multi-Siloxane Bridge Strategy for Toughening Epoxy Resin with Promising Flame Retardancy, Mechanical, and Dielectric Properties.

Developing highly efficient and multifunctional epoxy resins (EPs) that overcome the shortcomings of flammability and brittleness is crucial for pursuing sustainable and safe application but remains a huge challenge. In this paper, a novel biomass-containing intumescent flame retardant containing a rigid-flexible and multi-siloxane bridge structure (DPB) was synthesized using siloxane; 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-oxide (DOPO); and biomass vanillin. DPB could facilitate the formation of a carbon residual with an intumescent structure, which effectively blocked the propagation of heat and oxygen. As a result, the peak heat release rate (pHRR) and total heat release (THR) of DPB/EP-7.5 decreased by 38.8% and 45.0%, respectively. In terms of mechanical properties, the tensile and flexural elongations at break of DPB/EP-7.5 increased by 77.2% and 105.3%, respectively. Impressively, DPB/EP-7.5 had excellent dielectric properties, with a dielectric constant of 2.5-2.9. This was due to the Si-O bonds (multi-siloxane bridges) contained in DPB/EP, which can quench the polarization behavior of the hydroxyl group. This paper provides a facile strategy for the preparation of multifunctional EP, which will pave the way for the promotion and application of EP in the high-end field.

Implementation of a full-color holographic system using RGB-D salient object detection and divided point cloud gridding.

At present, a real objects-based full-color holographic system usually uses a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera array or depth camera to collect data. It then relies on a spatial light modulator to modulate the input light source for the reconstruction of the 3-D scene of the real objects. However, the main challenges the high-quality holographic 3-D display faced were the limitation of generation speed and the low accuracy of the computer-generated holograms. This research generates more effective and accurate point cloud data by developing an RGB-D salient object detection model in the acquisition unit. In addition, a divided point cloud gridding method is proposed to enhance the computing speed of hologram generation. In the RGB channels, we categorized each object point into depth grids with identical depth values. The depth girds are divided into M × N parts, and only the effective parts will be calculated. Compared with traditional methods, the calculation time is dramatically reduced. The feasibility of our proposed approach is established through experiments.

Binocular full-color holographic three-dimensional near eye display using a single SLM.

A binocular full-color holographic three-dimensional near eye display system using a single spatial light modulator (SLM) is proposed. In the display system, the frequency spectrum shifting operation and color spectrum shifting operation are adopted to realize the frequency division multiplexing (FDM) and frequency superposition multiplexing (FSM) by manipulating the frequency spectrums of each color- and view-channel sub-holograms. The FDM combined with polarization multiplexing will be used to implement binocular display using a single SLM, and the FSM working with a bandpass filter for each view-channel will be used to achieve full-color display from single frame hologram. The optical analysis and experiments with 3D color objects confirm the feasibility of the proposed system in the practical application.

Full-field high-resolution terahertz imaging based on a high-resistance silicon solid immersion lens.

The spatial resolution of the direct imaging system depends on the wavelength and the numerical aperture. In the terahertz (THz) waveband, the wavelength is relatively large, and the higher numerical aperture of the imaging system usually promises the possibility of achieving higher spatial resolution. Solid immersion technique is an effective method to expand the numerical aperture. We design and fabricate a hemisphere lens with high-resistance silicon to achieve the effect of solid immersion, and obtain full-field, high-resolution focal-plane imaging. The characteristics of the direct refraction imaging and the secondary reflection imaging are analyzed by ray-tracing calculations. And the field curvature of the equivalent object plane and the spot diagram on the vertical image plane of the lens are quantifiably evaluated. It is shown that the secondary reflection imaging can effectively reduce the geometric distortion and achieve more ideal imaging quality. The method of blocking different regions before and after the solid immersion lens is proposed to obtain a clear magnified image of a two-dimensional grating with the period of 300 µm. This method provides a powerful tool for THz full-field microscopic imaging.

Characteristics of dissolved organic matter in two alternative water sources: A comparative study between reclaimed water and stormwater.

Reclaimed water and stormwater are two important alternative water sources to mitigate water resource shortage. They can be reused by discharging into drinking water sources. Due to different sources, characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM, a precursor of disinfection by-products, DBPs) present in reclaimed water and stormwater would be different. This study selected reclaimed water to compare with stormwater (including both stormwater runoff and rainwater) by investigating their DOM characteristics, including concentrations, aromaticity, molecular weight, hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity, composition and DBPs formation potential. The results showed that reclaimed water had higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations (6.02-10.8 mg/L) than stormwater (3.62-5.48 mg/L) while SUVA254 values of stormwater runoff (1.92-2.53 L/(mg-C·m)) were higher than reclaimed water (1.11-1.24 L/(mg-C·m)). Additionally, reclaimed water is more hydrophobic while stormwater runoff and rainwater are more hydrophilic. Although all water types included the highest fraction of DOM with molecular weight <1 kDa (43.0 %-77.5 %), reclaimed water primarily contained soluble microbial products (SMPs)-like and humic acid-like substances while stormwater runoff primarily contained humic acid-like DOM. In terms of DBPs, reclaimed water showed relatively higher formation potential than stormwater runoff while rainwater had the lowest DBPs formation potential. These results can contribute to effective water resource management. Particularly, when reclaimed water or/and stormwater are discharged into drinking water sources, these outcomes can help on efficient drinking water treatment.

Comparison of the efficacy of small-incision clamp-assisted reduction and open reduction for the treatment of femoral shaft fractures with an anterograde intramedullary nail: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: To compare the efficacy of small-incision clamp-assisted reduction with open reduction for the treatment of femoral shaft fractures by anterograde intramedullary nailing. METHODS: The data of 63 patients with femoral shaft fractures, treated between January 2016 and June 2021, were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received anterograde intramedullary nail fixation, and the OA/OTA classification of fractures was 32-C. The average follow-up period was 13 months (range: 11-14 months). According to the method of fracture reduction, patients were divided into a small-incision clamp-reduction group (referred to as the clamp-reduction group) and an open-reduction group. The reduction time, operative time, the number of fluoroscopy, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative VAS score, postoperative time to discharge, and the rates of intraoperative and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in reduction time, operative time, the number of fluoroscopy, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative VAS score, postoperative time to discharge (t = 6.718, - 11.679, 18.963, - 11.609, - 22.432, - 7.187; P < 0.05). In the clamp-reduction group, there was no intraoperative blood transfusion. However, there were one case of wound infection and one case of deep vein thrombosis after operation. In the open-reduction group, ten patients received intraoperative blood transfusion, one patient developed hemorrhagic shock, two patients developed wound infection, and two patients developed bone nonunion during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Both groups had good functional recovery after operation. However, compared with open reduction, clamp reduction is a safer reduction method with shorter operation time, less intraoperative blood loss, less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stay and fewer postoperative complications.

Educational program for orthopedic surgeons' influences for osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND: In this retrospective study, we studied the impact of educational osteoporosis program on the rates of bone mineral density (BMD) assessment and bone turnover markers (BTM) and drug medications in the patients with hip fracture. METHODS: This retrospective research enrolled 651 patients aged ≥50 years who experienced hip fractures from January 2013 to December 2015. We recorded whether patients had received BMD assessment, BTM measurement, and anti-osteoporosis therapy during the period of hospitalization. Orthopedic surgeons were classified into the trained group and the untrained group. The rates of BMD assessment, BTM measurement, and anti-osteoporosis medications in the patients with hip fracture were compared between the trained group and the untrained group. RESULTS: BMD assessment was performed in 109/220 patients in the trained group and 142/431 patients in the untrained group. BTM measurements were performed in 130 patients in the trained group and 124 patients in the untrained group. Forty eight patients in the trained group and 63 patients in the untrained group received bisphosphonate medications. CONCLUSIONS: Although the rates of BMD assessment, BTM measurement, and bisphosphonate use in the patients after hip fractures are still insufficient, education programs help to improve the situation.

Enhanced efficacy of transforming growth factor-ß1 loaded an injectable cross-linked thiolated chitosan and carboxymethyl cellulose-based hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering.

Growth factors (GFs) are soluble proteins extracellular that control a wide range of cellular processes as well as tissue regeneration. While transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-ß1) promotes chondrogenesis, its medical use is restricted by its potential protein instability, which necessitates high doses of the protein, which can result in adverse side effects such as inefficient cartilage formation. In this work, we have developed a novel hydrogel composite based on the polymer, cross-linked thiolated chitosan; TCS and carboxymethyl cellulose; CMC (TCS/CMC) hydrogel system was utilized as injectable TGF-ß1 carriers for cartilage tissue engineering applications. Rheological measurements showed that the elastic modulus of TCS/CMC hydrogels with an optimized CMC concentration could reach around 2.5 kPa or higher than their respective viscous modulus, indicating that they behaved like strong hydrogels. Crosslinking significantly alters the overall network distribution, surface morphology, pore size, porosity, gelation time, swelling ratio, water content, and in vitro degradation of the TCS/CMC hydrogels. TCS/CMC hydrogels maintain more than 90% of their weight and retain their original form after 21 days. TGF-ß1 released marginally from TCS/CMC hydrogels as incubation time increased, up to 21 days, with around 18.6 ± 0.9% of the drug stored inside the TCS/CMC hydrogels. On day 21, BMSC treated with TGF-ß1 in medium or TGF-ß1-loaded TCS/CMC hydrogels grew faster than the other groups. For in vivo cartilage repair, full-thickness cartilage defects were induced on rat knees for 8 weeks. The optimal ability of this novel TGF-ß1-loaded TCS/CMC hydrogel system was further demonstrated by histological analysis, resulting in a novel therapeutic strategy for repairing articular cartilage defects.

Prospective study of the effect of sulfotanshinone sodium combined with tirofiban on vascular endothelial function and indicators of plaque stability in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the effect of sulfotanshinone sodium injection combined with tirofiban on vascular endothelial function and indicators of plaque stability in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: We designed a prospective study and enrolled 169 patients with ACS who were admitted to our hospital as subjects. Patients treated with sulfotanshinone sodium injection combined with tirofiban (n = 99) were allocated to the research group (RG), and the remaining patients treated with tirofiban alone were allocated to the control group (n = 70; CG). The two groups were compared in terms of treatment efficacy, adverse reactions, vascular endothelial function, changes in plaque stability indicator levels, prognosis, recurrence rate, and quality of life after the treatment. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Treatment response rate, SOD and ET-1 levels, and quality-of-life score were markedly lower in RG than in CG (all P < .05). The incidence of adverse reactions; levels of CD63p, CD62p and GP IIb/IIIa; changes in plaque stability indicator levels; and recurrence rate were markedly higher in RG than in CG (all P < .05). There was no significant difference in 3-year survival rate between the two groups (P > .05). WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Compared with tirofiban alone, sulfotanshinone sodium injection combined with tirofiban had superior efficacy and safety in the treatment of ACS. It can effectively reduce recurrence rate and improve quality of life in ACS, making it a strong candidate for popular clinical application.

Clinical experience of biliary T tube of immobilization of peri-pin membrane in tibial Gustilo III fracture treated with vacuum sealant drainage combined with an external fixator.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of an improved method of peri-pin membrane immobilization in tibial Gustilo type III fracture treated with vacuum sealant drainage (VSD) combined with an external fixator. METHOD: A biliary T tube of suitable size and type was cut into a certain long arm and cross arm which wrapping around a pin to improving traditional peri-pin VSD method. Eighty-six cases of Gustilo type III tibial fracture admitted from January 2016 to December 2019 were prospectively treated, of which 43 cases were treated using a traditional method of VSD (Traditional group) and 43 cases in which VSD treatment was enhanced (Improved group). The 2 groups were compared by some clinical indexes. Statistical software was then used for data analysis. P < .05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Compared with the Traditional group, the improved group significantly reduced granulation tissue growth time (day) (7.35 + 2.59 vs 11.14 + 2.54, P < .05), antibiotic use time (day) (6.67 + 2.39 vs 8.70 + 1.98, P < .05), operation time (min) (72.44 + 16.79 vs 85.47 + 17.44, P < .05) duration of hospital stay (day) (18.23 + 5.04 vs 21.53 + 4.79, P < .05), wound closure time (day) (9.23 + 2.69 vs 14.19 + 2.67, P < .05), air leakage around the fixed needle (3/43 vs 16/43, P < .05) and postoperative pain score (P < .05). Meanwhile, the white blood cell, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 1 week and 2 weeks post-operation were also reduced after adopting the improved method (P < .05). The difference in infection around the fixation pin and pin loosening between the 2 groups was not significant. CONCLUSION: The biliary T tube was effctive in improving VSD combined with external fixation for the treatment of tibial Gustilo type III fractures. The materials are easy to obtain and straightforward to use and so is worthy of clinical promotion.

Single SLM full-color holographic three-dimensional video display based on image and frequency-shift multiplexing.

A single spatial-light-modulator (SLM) full-color holographic 3-D video display based on image and frequency-shift multiplexing (IFSM) is proposed. In the frequency-shift multiplexing (FSM), three-color holograms are multiplied with their respective phase factors for shifted-separations of their corresponding frequency-spectrums on the Fourier plane. This FSM process, however, causes three-color images to be reconstructed at the center-shifted locations depending on their multiplied phase factors. Center-shifts of those color images due to the FSM can be balanced out just by generation of three-color holograms whose centers are pre-shifted to the opposite directions to those of the image shifts with the novel-look-up-table (NLUT) based on its shift-invariance property, which is called image-shift multiplexing (ISM). These image and frequency-shifted holograms are then multiplexed into a single color-multiplexed hologram and loaded on the SLM, and from which a full-color 3-D image can be reconstructed on the optical 4-f lens system without any color dispersion just by employing a simple pinhole filter mask. Fourier-optical analysis and experiments with 3-D objects in motion confirm the feasibility of the proposed system.

Effect of osteoprotegerin gene polymorphisms on the risk of cervical spondylotic myelopathy in a Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is the most common cause of spinal cord dysfunction. Our study aims to explore the correlation of osteoprotegerin (OPG) gene polymorphisms and the risk factors and severity of CSM. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The peripheral blood samples from 494 CSM patients and 515 healthy individuals were collected for detecting the 950T/C, 1181G/C and 163A/G genotypes and genetic equilibrium of OPG in the CSM and control groups and analyzing the genotype distribution and allele frequency. The severity of CSM and the impaired segments were evaluated by the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scoring combined with cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in order to investigate the relations between the three genotypes of OPG promoter gene loci (950T/C, 163A/G and 1181G/C) and occurrence as well as severity of CSM. RESULTS: The risk rate of TC genotype carrier suffered from CSM was 0.46, of TT genotype carrier was 0.27. The risk rate of T allele carrier suffered from CSM was 0.37. In 950T/C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), patients with TC, TT and T genotypes had lower risk to suffer from CSM. CONCLUSION: Taken together, OPG 950T/C SNP protects against CSM, and it is correlated with the severity of CSM, providing a new idea for the prevention and treatment of CSM.

Accelerated generation of holographic videos of 3-D objects in rotational motion using a curved hologram-based rotational-motion compensation method.

A new curved hologram-based rotational-motion compensation (CH-RMC) method is proposed for accelerated generation of holographic videos of 3-D objects moving on the random path with many locally different arcs. All of those rotational motions of the object made on each arc can be compensated, just by rotating their local curved holograms along the curving surfaces matched with the object's moving trajectory without any additional calculation process, which results in great enhancements of the computational speed of the conventional hologram-generation algorithms. Experiments with a test video scenario reveal that average numbers of calculated object points (ANCOPs) and average calculation times for one frame (ACTs) of the CH-RMC-based ray-tracing, wavefront-recording-plane and novel- look-up-table methods have been found to be reduced by 73.10%, 73.84%, 73.34%, and 68.75%, 50.82%, 66.59%, respectively, in comparison with those of their original methods. In addition, successful reconstructions of 3-D scenes from those holographic videos confirm the feasibility of the proposed system.

Single SLM full-color holographic 3-D display based on sampling and selective frequency-filtering methods.

A single SLM (spatial light modulator) full-color holographic 3-D display based on sampling and selective frequency-filtering methods is proposed. Spatially-sampled R(red), G(green) and B(blue)-holograms can provide periodic 3 × 3 arrays of their frequency spectrums. Thus, by allocating three groups of three spectrums to each color hologram, and selectively filtering out those spectrums with their own spectrum filtering masks (SFMs), frequency-filtered R, G and B-holograms can be obtained. These holograms are synthesized into a single color-multiplexed hologram, and optically reconstructed into a color distortion-free full-color 3-D object on the 4-f lens system, where color-dispersion due to the pixelated structure of the SLM can be removed with the optical versions of SFMs. Fourier-optical analysis and experiments with 3-D color objects in motion confirm the feasibility of the proposed system in the practical application.