Iron metabolism and arthritis: Exploring connections and therapeutic avenues.

ABSTRACT: Iron is indispensable for the viablility of nearly all living organisms, and it is imperative for cells, tissues, and organisms to acquire this essential metal sufficiently and maintain its metabolic stability for survival. Disruption of iron homeostasis can lead to the development of various diseases. There is a robust connection between iron metabolism and infection, immunity, inflammation, and aging, suggesting that disorders in iron metabolism may contribute to the pathogenesis of arthritis. Numerous studies have focused on the significant role of iron metabolism in the development of arthritis and its potential for targeted drug therapy. Targeting iron metabolism offers a promising approach for individualized treatment of arthritis. Therefore, this review aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which the body maintains iron metabolism and the impacts of iron and iron metabolism disorders on arthritis. Furthermore, this review aimed to identify potential therapeutic targets and active substances related to iron metabolism, which could provide promising research directions in this field.

Co-teaching in medicine and nursing in training nurse anesthetists: a before-and-after controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Clarifying the effectiveness of co-teaching in medicine and nursing (CMN) is important as it is crucial in clinical practice to improve the quality of patient care and prognosis. In this study, we aimed to determine the efficacy of CMN in nurse anesthetist training. METHOD: The study comprised a 6-month training session and a before-and-after controlled study. In total, 59 nurses were recruited. The first 30 nurses were enrolled in the conventional single-teaching in nursing (SN) group and only took nursing-related courses. The next 29 students were enrolled in the CMN group and received both general medical and nursing-specific curricula. Before and after training, medical and nursing collaboration competency scores and knowledge scores were compared between the two groups. At the end of the study, qualitative comments on teaching satisfaction and clinical reasoning skills improvement were queried, and content analysis was performed. RESULTS: Participants in the CMN group outperformed those in the SN group in tests of medical and nursing collaboration abilities as well as knowledge. The CMN group outperformed the SN group in terms of teaching satisfaction evaluation, particularly in terms of fostering learning in the anesthetist specialty, improving clinical practice, fostering motivation, and influencing how people think about challenges at work. Furthermore, participants in the CMN group felt that their clinical reasoning abilities had improved. CONCLUSION: In comparison to the SN group, the CMN group had enhanced outcomes of patient care, medical and nursing collaboration, and clinical reasoning skills.

LRP6/filamentous-actin signaling facilitates osteogenic commitment in mechanically induced periodontal ligament stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Mechanotransduction mechanisms whereby periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) translate mechanical stress into biochemical signals and thereby trigger osteogenic programs necessary for alveolar bone remodeling are being deciphered. Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6), a Wnt transmembrane receptor, has been qualified as a key monitor for mechanical cues. However, the role of LRP6 in the mechanotransduction of mechanically induced PDLSCs remains obscure. METHODS: The Tension System and tooth movement model were established to determine the expression profile of LRP6. The loss-of-function assay was used to investigate the role of LRP6 on force-regulated osteogenic commitment in PDLSCs. The ability of osteogenic differentiation and proliferation was estimated by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, ALP activity assay, western blotting, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and immunofluorescence. Crystalline violet staining was used to visualize cell morphological change. Western blotting, qRT-PCR, and phalloidin staining were adopted to affirm filamentous actin (F-actin) alteration. YAP nucleoplasmic localization was assessed by immunofluorescence and western blotting. YAP transcriptional response was evaluated by qRT-PCR. Cytochalasin D was used to determine the effects of F-actin on osteogenic commitment and YAP switch behavior in mechanically induced PDLSCs. RESULTS: LRP6 was robustly activated in mechanically induced PDLSCs and PDL tissues. LRP6 deficiency impeded force-dependent osteogenic differentiation and proliferation in PDLSCs. Intriguingly, LRP6 loss caused cell morphological aberration, F-actin dynamics disruption, YAP nucleoplasmic relocation, and subsequent YAP inactivation. Moreover, disrupted F-actin dynamics inhibited osteogenic differentiation, proliferation, YAP nuclear translocation, and YAP activation in mechanically induced PDLSCs. CONCLUSIONS: We identified that LRP6 in PDLSCs acted as the mechanosensor regulating mechanical stress-inducible osteogenic commitment via the F-actin/YAP cascade. Targeting LRP6 for controlling alveolar bone remodeling may be a prospective therapy to attenuate relapse of orthodontic treatment.

Effects of Erythropoietin on Lung Injury Induced by Cardiopulmonary Bypass After Cardiac Surgery.

BACKGROUND Lung injury after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a serious postoperative complication and can affect the postoperative recovery. The purpose of this study was to explore whether erythropoietin (EPO) has an effect on lung injury caused by CPB. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty patients who received the CPB were randomly divided into a saline group and the EPO group. All the patients received saline or EPO preoperatively, respectively. The ventilation function, including dynamic compliance, peak airway pressure, and plateau pressure, were recorded. The level of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-10 in serum and arterial blood gas were analyzed. The mechanical ventilation time in the intensive care unit (ICU), the length of time spent in the ICU, the time from operation to discharge, and the total time of hospitalization were recorded. Adverse events in the ICU were monitored and recorded. RESULTS EPO significantly decreased the level of TNF-alpha and IL-1ß, but increased the level of IL-10 after CPB. EPO significantly improved pulmonary ventilated function and gas exchange function after CPB. EPO significantly shortened the mechanical ventilation time and stay in the ICU. CONCLUSIONS Preoperative EPO injection reduced lung injury and promoted lung function in patients who underwent CPB. The protection effect of EPO may be associated with inhibition of inflammatory response.