ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The third generation Intelligent Device for Energy Expenditure and Activity (IDEEA3, MiniSun, CA) has been developed for clinical gait evaluation, and this study was designed to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of IDEEA3 for the gait measurement of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) patients. METHODS: Twelve healthy volunteers were recruited to compare gait cycle, cadence, step length, velocity, and number of steps between a motion analysis system and a high-speed video camera. Twenty hospitalized LSS patients were recruited for the comparison of the five parameters between the IDEEA3 and GoPro camera. Paired t-test, intraclass correlation coefficient, concordance correlation coefficient, and Bland-Altman plots were used for the data analysis. RESULTS: The ratios of GoPro camera results to motion analysis system results, and the ratios of IDEEA3 results to GoPro camera results were all around 1.00. All P-values of paired t-tests for gait cycle, cadence, step length, and velocity were greater than 0.05, while all the ICC and CCC results were above 0.950 with P < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: The measurements for gait cycle, cadence, step length, velocity, and number of steps with the GoPro camera are highly consistent with the measurements with the motion analysis system. The measurements for IDEEA3 are consistent with those for the GoPro camera. IDEEA3 can be effectively used in the gait measurement of LSS patients.
Subject(s)
Gait/physiology , Lumbar Vertebrae , Spinal Stenosis/physiopathology , Accelerometry/methods , Adult , Aged , Female , Healthy Volunteers , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Reproducibility of Results , Video Recording , Young AdultABSTRACT
(5R)-5-hydroxytriptolide (LLDT-8) extracts from Tripterygium have anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic and immunity adjustment functions. The present study used a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model to evaluate whether LLDT-8 prevents collagen-induced arthritis, and investigated the signaling underlying this. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were induced to generate CIA, mimicking rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The presence of arthritis was determined using RA progression scores. The inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6 and nuclear factor-κB were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-13 protein expression were measured using western blot analysis. Lastly, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (RANK) gene expression. LLDT-8 improved RA progression scores and reduced the incidence and severity of CIA. Furthermore, LLDT-8 administration inhibited collagen-induced inflammation and iNOS protein expression in arthritic rats. The current data indicated that MMP-13 production was suppressed and OPG/RANKL expression was increased by LLDT-8 treatment in the arthritic rat. The present results suggest that LLDT-8 attenuates CIA through OPG/RANK/RANK ligand signaling in a rat model of RA.
ABSTRACT
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage destruction, matrix degradation and bony changes. Subchondral bone alterations in osteoarthritis are associated with cartilage destruction. It has previously been demonstrated that osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor κß ligand (RANKL) mediate this process. The RANKL/OPG ratio is altered in OA chondrocytes compared with normal chondrocytes. In the pathogenesis of OA, abnormal expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) are secreted by chondrocytes has a vital role in the progression of cartilage erosion. In the present study, the effect of various RANKL/OPG ratios on MMP-13 expression levels was investigated in interleukin-1ß-stimulated SW1353 human chondrosarcoma cells. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay and MMP-13 mRNA and protein expression levels were analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, ELISA and western blot analyses, respectively. The results demonstrated that an increase in MMP-13 mRNA and protein expression levels was observed with increasing RANKL/OPG ratio. These findings suggest that this mechanism may be used as a novel therapeutic strategy against OA.
