An On-Demand Collaborative Innate-Adaptive Immune Response to Infection Treatment.

Deep tissue infection is a common clinical issue and therapeutic difficulty caused by the disruption of the host antibacterial immune function, resulting in treatment failure and infection relapse. Intracellular pathogens are refractory to elimination and can manipulate host cell biology even after appropriate treatment, resulting in a locoregional immunosuppressive state that leads to an inadequate response to conventional anti-infective therapies. Here, a novel antibacterial strategy involving autogenous immunity using a biomimetic nanoparticle (NP)-based regulating system is reported to induce in situ collaborative innate-adaptive immune responses. It is observed that a macrophage membrane coating facilitates NP enrichment at the infection site, followed by active NP accumulation in macrophages in a mannose-dependent manner. These NP-armed macrophages exhibit considerably improved innate capabilities, including more efficient intracellular ROS generation and pro-inflammatory factor secretion, M1 phenotype promotion, and effective eradication of invasive bacteria. Furthermore, the reprogrammed macrophages direct T cell activation at infectious sites, resulting in a robust adaptive antimicrobial immune response to ultimately achieve bacterial clearance and prevent infection relapse. Overall, these results provide a conceptual framework for a novel macrophage-based strategy for infection treatment via the regulation of autogenous immunity.

KERS-Inspired Nanostructured Mineral Coatings Boost IFN-γ mRNA Therapeutic Index for Antitumor Immunotherapy.

Tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) reprogramming is a promising therapeutic approach for cancer immunotherapy; however, its efficacy remains modest due to the low bioactivity of the recombinant cytokines used for TAM reprogramming. mRNA therapeutics are capable of generating fully functional proteins for various therapeutic purposes but accused for its poor sustainability. Inspired by kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) in hybrid vehicles, a cytokine efficacy recovery system (CERS) is designed to substantially augment the therapeutic index of mRNA-based tumor immunotherapy via a "capture and stabilize" mechanism exerted by a nanostructured mineral coating carrying therapeutic cytokine mRNA. CERS remarkably recycles nearly 40% expressed cytokines by capturing them onto the mineral coating to extend its therapeutic timeframe, further polarizing the macrophages to strengthen their tumoricidal activity and activate adaptive immunity against tumors. Notably, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) produced by CERS exhibits ≈42-fold higher biological activity than recombinant IFN-γ, remarkably decreasing the required IFN-γ dosage for TAM reprogramming. In tumor-bearing mice, IFN-γ cmRNA@CERS effectively polarizes TAMs to inhibit osteosarcoma progression. When combined with the PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, IFN-γ cmRNA@CERS significantly boosts antitumor immune responses, and substantially prevents malignant lung metastases. Thus, CERS-mediated mRNA delivery represents a promising strategy to boost antitumor immunity for tumor treatment.

PDGFR in PDGF-BB/PDGFR Signaling Pathway Does Orchestrates Osteogenesis in a Temporal Manner.

Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)/platelet-derived growth factor receptor-ß (PDGFR-ß) pathway is conventionally considered as an important pathway to promote osteogenesis; however, recent study suggested its role during osteogenesis to be controversial. Regarding the differential functions of this pathway during 3 stages of bone healing, we hypothesized that temporal inhibition of PDGF-BB/PDGFR-ß pathway could shift the proliferation/differentiation balance of skeletal stem and progenitor cells, toward osteogenic lineage, which leads to improved bone regeneration. We first validated that inhibition of PDGFR-ß at late stage of osteogenic induction effectively enhanced differentiation toward osteoblasts. This effect was also replicated in vivo by showing accelerated bone formation when block PDGFR-ß pathway at late stage of critical bone defect healing mediated using biomaterials. Further, we found that such PDGFR-ß inhibitor-initiated bone healing was also effective in the absence of scaffold implantation when administrated intraperitoneally. Mechanistically, timely inhibition of PDGFR-ß blocked extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2 pathway, which shift proliferation/differentiation balance of skeletal stem and progenitor cell to osteogenic lineage by upregulating osteogenesis-related products of Smad to induce osteogenesis. This study offered updated understanding of the use of PDGFR-ß pathway and provides new insight routes of action and novel therapeutic methods in the field of bone repair.

Engineered Sensory Nerve Guides Self-Adaptive Bone Healing via NGF-TrkA Signaling Pathway.

The upstream role of sensory innervation during bone homeostasis is widely underestimated in bone repairing strategies. Herein, a neuromodulation approach is proposed to orchestrate bone defect healing by constructing engineered sensory nerves (eSN) in situ to leverage the adaptation feature of SN during tissue formation. NGF liberated from ECM-constructed eSN effectively promotes sensory neuron differentiation and enhances CGRP secretion, which lead to improved RAOECs mobility and osteogenic differentiation of BMSC. In turn, such eSN effectively drives ossification in vivo via NGF-TrkA signaling pathway, which substantially accelerates critical size bone defect healing. More importantly, eSN also adaptively suppresses excessive bone formation and promotes bone remodeling by activating osteoclasts via CGRP-dependent mechanism when combined with BMP-2 delivery, which ingeniously alleviates side effects of BMP-2. In sum, this eSN approach offers a valuable avenue to harness the adaptive role of neural system to optimize bone homeostasis under various clinical scenario.

Human γδ T cells induce CD8+ T cell antitumor responses via antigen-presenting effect through HSP90-MyD88-mediated activation of JNK.

Human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells have attracted considerable attention as novel alternative antigen-presenting cells (APCs) with the potential to replace dendritic cells in antitumor immunotherapy owing to their high proliferative capacity and low cost. However, the utility of γδ T cells as APCs to induce CD8+ T cell-mediated antitumor immune response, as well as the mechanism by which they perform APC functions, remains unexplored. In this study, we found that activated Vγ9Vδ2 T cells were capable of inducing robust CD8+ T cell responses in osteosarcoma cells. Activated γδ T cells also effectively suppressed osteosarcoma growth by priming CD8+ T cells in xenograft animal models. Mechanistically, we further revealed that activated γδ T cells exhibited increased HSP90 production, which fed back to upregulate MyD88, followed by JNK activation and a subsequent improvement in CCL5 secretion, leading to enhanced CD8+ T cell cross-priming. Thus, our study suggests that Vγ9Vδ2 T cells represent a promising alternative APC for the development of γδ T cell-based tumor immunotherapy.

Remote Eradication of Bacteria on Orthopedic Implants via Delayed Delivery of Polycaprolactone Stabilized Polyvinylpyrrolidone Iodine.

Bacteria-associated late infection of the orthopedic devices would further lead to the failure of the implantation. However, present ordinary antimicrobial strategies usually deal with early infection but fail to combat the late infection of the implants due to the burst release of the antibiotics. Thus, to fabricate long-term antimicrobial (early antibacterial, late antibacterial) orthopedic implants is essential to address this issue. Herein, we developed a sophisticated MAO-I2-PCLx coating system incorporating an underlying iodine layer and an upper layer of polycaprolactone (PCL)-controlled coating, which could effectively eradicate the late bacterial infection throughout the implantation. Firstly, micro-arc oxidation was used to form a microarray tubular structure on the surface of the implants, laying the foundation for iodine loading and PCL bonding. Secondly, electrophoresis was applied to load iodine in the tubular structure as an efficient bactericidal agent. Finally, the surface-bonded PCL coating acts as a controller to regulate the release of iodine. The hybrid coatings displayed great stability and control release capacity. Excellent antibacterial ability was validated at 30 days post-implantation via in vitro experiments and in vivo rat osteomyelitis model. Expectedly, it can become a promising bench-to-bedside strategy for current infection challenges in the orthopedic field.

Can "domino" therapy effectively treat the infection around the prosthesis after the limb salvage surgery of bone tumor? - A study of sequential therapy.

BACKGROUND: Tumor resection and prosthetic replacement have become the treatments of choice for malignant bone tumors. Infections are the leading cause of failure of limb salvage surgeries. Therefore, treating infections around prostheses after limb salvage is essential and challenging. Our research team designed a "domino" sequential treatment plan to treat postoperative infections around tumor prostheses and evaluated its efficacy. PURPOSE: To introduce the new domino sequential treatment plan for postoperative infections of tumor prostheses, and evaluate the technical points of the plan and prognosis in medium- and long-term follow-ups. METHODS: Between January 2015 and August 2021, 14 patients were treated with prosthesis-preserving domino sequential therapy for peripheral prosthesis infections after bone-tumor limb salvage. The sample included eight cases of distal femur tumor, two of proximal tibia tumor, three of pelvic tumor, and one of middle femur tumor. We evaluated routine blood test results, C-reactive protein level, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and other indicators. X-rays and CT scans of the surgical site were obtained and the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score was calculated. Treatment involved debridement and lavage of the prosthesis, and systemic and local antibiotics. RESULTS: The positivity rate of microbial culture was 78.6%. There were three cases of Staphylococcus aureus, one of Staphylococcus epidermidis, two of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis, one of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, two of Acinetobacter baumannii, one of Streptococcus lactis (group C), one of Streptococcus mitis, and three with negative cultures. In three cases, sequential treatment failed to control the infection. The operation success rate was 78.6% (11/14). One case eventually required amputation, and another required long-term wound dressings. To control the infection, a third had to be treated using antibiotic bone cement combined with the "intramedullary nail reverse double insertion" technique. The MSTS scores of patients before infection debridement and at the last follow-up showed statistically significant differences (t = 5.312, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The prosthesis-preserving domino sequential method has certain advantages for treating bone-tumor limb salvage infections around the prosthesis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic.

Tumor Customized 2D Supramolecular Nanodiscs for Ultralong Tumor Retention and Precise Photothermal Therapy of Highly Heterogeneous Cancers.

Target therapy for highly heterogeneous cancers represents a major clinical challenge due to the lack of recurrent therapeutic targets identified in these tumors. Herein, the authors report a tumor-customized targeting photothermal therapy (PTT) strategy for highly heterogeneous cancers, by which 2D supramolecular self-assembled nanodiscs are modified with tumor-specific binding peptides identified by phage display techniques. Taking osteosarcoma (OS) as a model heterogeneous cancer, an OS targeting peptide (OTP) is first selected after biopanning and is demonstrated to successfully bind to this heterogeneous cancer cells/tissues. Successful conjugation of OTP to heptamethine cyanine (Cy7)-based 2D nanodiscs Cy7-TCF (2-dicyanomethylene-3-cyano-4,5,5-trimethyl-2,5-dihydrofuran,TCF) enables the 2D nanodiscs to specifically target the heterogeneous tumor. Notably, a single dose injection of this targeted nanodisc (T-ND) not only effectively induces enhanced photothermal tumor ablation under near-infrared light, but also exhibits sevenfold increase of tumor retention time (more than 24 days) compared to generic nanomedicine. Thus, the authors' findings suggest that the combination of phage display-based affinity peptides selection and 2D supramolecular nanodiscs leads to the development of a platform technology for highly heterogeneous cancers precise therapy, offering specific tumor targeting, ultralong tumor retention, and precise PTT.

Vascular Derived ECM Improves Therapeutic Index of BMP-2 and Drives Vascularized Bone Regeneration.

Vascularized osteogenesis is essential for successful bone regeneration, yet its realization during large size bone defect healing remains challenging due to the difficulty to couple multiple biological processes. Herein, harnessing the intrinsic angiogenic potential of vascular derived extracellular matrix (vECM) and its specific affinity to growth factors, a vECM/GelMA based hybrid hydrogel delivery system is constructed to achieve optimized bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) therapeutic index and provide intrinsic angiogenic induction during bone healing. The incorporation of vECM not only effectively regulates BMP-2 kinetics to match the bone healing timeframe, but also promotes angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. In vivo results also show that vECM-mediated BMP-2 release remarkably enhances vascularized bone formation for critical size bone defects. In particular, blood vessel ingrowth stained with CD31 marker in the defect area is substantially encouraged over the course of healing, suggesting incorporation of vECM served roles in both angiogenesis and osteogenesis. Thus, the authors' study exemplifies that affinity of growth factor towards ECM may be a promising strategy to be leveraged to develop sophisticated delivery systems endowed with desirable properties for regenerative medicine applications.

Spatiotemporal regulation of angiogenesis/osteogenesis emulating natural bone healing cascade for vascularized bone formation.

Engineering approaches for growth factor delivery have been considerably advanced for tissue regeneration, yet most of them fail to provide a complex combination of signals emulating a natural healing cascade, which substantially limits their clinical successes. Herein, we aimed to emulate the natural bone healing cascades by coupling the processes of angiogenesis and osteogenesis with a hybrid dual growth factor delivery system to achieve vascularized bone formation. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was loaded into methacrylate gelatin (GelMA) to mimic angiogenic signalling during the inflammation and soft callus phases of the bone healing process, while bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) was bound onto mineral coated microparticles (MCM) to mimics osteogenic signalling in the hard callus and bone remodelling phases. An Initial high concentration of bFGF accompanied by a sustainable release of BMP-2 and inorganic ions was realized to orchestrate well-coupled osteogenic and angiogenic effects for bone regeneration. In vitro experiments indicated that the hybrid hydrogel markedly enhanced the formation of vasculature in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), as well as the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). In vivo results confirmed the optimal osteogenic performance of our F/G-B/M hydrogel, which was primarily attributed to the FGF-induced vascularization. This research presents a facile and potent alternative for treating bone defects by emulating natural cascades of bone healing.

Clinical Features and Serological Markers Risk Model Predicts Overall Survival in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer and Bone Metastasis Surgeries.

BACKGROUND: Surgical therapy of breast cancer and bone metastasis can effectively improve the prognosis of breast cancer. However, after the first operation, the relationship between preoperative indicators and outcomes in patients who underwent metastatic bone surgery remained to be studied. Purpose 1. Recognize clinical and laboratory prognosis factors available to clinical doctors before the operation for bone metastatic breast cancer patients. 2. Develop a risk prediction model for 3-year postoperative survival in patients with breast cancer bone metastasis. METHODS: From 2014 to 2020, patients who suffered from breast cancer bone metastasis and received therapeutic procedures in our institution were included for analyses (n=145). For patients who underwent both breast cancer radical surgery and bone metastasis surgery, comprehensive datasets of the parameters of interest (clinical features, laboratory factors, and patient prognoses) were collected (n=69). We performed Multivariate Cox regression to identify factors that were associated with postoperative outcome. 3-year survival prediction model and nomograms were established by 100 bootstrapping. Its benefit was evaluated by calibration plot, C-index, and decision curve analysis. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was also used for external validation. RESULTS: Radiotherapy for primary cancer, pathological type of metastatic breast cancer, lymph node metastasis, elevated serum alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase were associated with postoperative prognosis. Pathological types of metastatic breast cancer, multiple bone metastasis, organ metastases, and elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase were associated with 3-year survival. Then those significant variables and serum alkaline phosphatase counts were integrated to construct nomograms for 3-year survival. The C-statistic of the established predictive model was 0.83. The calibration plot presents a graphical representation of calibration. In the decision curve analysis, the benefits are higher than those of the extreme curve. The receiver operating characteristic of the external validation of the model was 0.82, indicating a favored fitting degree of the two models. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that several clinical features and serological markers can predict the overall survival among the patients who are about to receive bone metastasis surgery after breast cancer surgery. The model can guide the preoperative evaluation and clinical decision-making for patients. Level of evidence Level III, prognostic study.

Iodine Immobilized Metal-Organic Framework for NIR-Triggered Antibacterial Therapy on Orthopedic Implants.

Iodine has been known as an effective disinfectant with broad-spectrum antimicrobial potency yet without drug resistance risk when used in clinic. However, the exploration of iodine for antibacterial therapy in orthopedics remains sparse due to its volatile nature and poor solubility. Herein, leveraging the superior absorption capability of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their inherent photocatalytic properties, iodine-loaded MOF surface is presented to realize responsive iodine release along with intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS) oxidation under near-infrared (NIR) exposure to achieve synergistic antibacterial effect. Iodine is successfully loaded using vapor deposition process onto zeolitic imidazolate framework-8(ZIF-8), which is immobilized onto micro arc oxidized titanium via a hydrothermal approach. The combination of NIR-triggered iodine release and ZIF-8 mediated ROS oxidative stress substantially augments the antibacterial efficacy of this approach both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, this composite coating also supported osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells, as well as improved osseointegration of coated implants using an intramedullary rat model, suggesting improvement of antibacterial efficacy does not impair osteogenic potential of the implants. Altogether, immobilization of iodine via MOF on orthopedic implants with synergistic antibacterial effect can be a promising strategy to combat bacterial infections.

An orthobiologics-free strategy for synergistic photocatalytic antibacterial and osseointegration.

Tissue damage caused by hyperthermia during photothermal therapy (PTT) has largely limited its clinical applications for implant infection. However, rescue of tissue regeneration by conjugating orthobiologics with PTT has been problematic as they can easily deactivate biologics while eradicating bacteria. Herein, we report an orthobiologics-free strategy to synergistically couple photocatalytic antibacterial with pro-osteogenic capacity via self-assembly of copper sulphide nanoparticle (CuS NP) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on implant surface. This strategy not only offers enhanced photothermal effects for bacterial eradiation via near-infrared light (NIR), but also promotes vascularized osseointegration via cooperation of copper ion with rGO. In vitro and in vivo data showed that coupling CuS and rGO synergistically increased antibacterial efficacy of implants by 40 times and successfully destroyed bacterial biofilm upon NIR. Moreover, CuS/rGO decorated surface substantially improved bone marrow stromal cell adhesion, proliferation, as well as subsequent differentiation toward osteoblast. We also revealed that enhanced peri-implant vascularization may be attributed to the sustained release of copper ion from CuS NPs, which further collaborated with rGO to promote vascularized osseointegration. Altogether, this novel orthobiologics-free approach offers a practical alternative to circumvent the intrinsic drawbacks of PTT and endows powerful antibacterial and pro-osteogenic capacities for implant associated infections.

A trilogy antimicrobial strategy for multiple infections of orthopedic implants throughout their life cycle.

Bacteria-associated infection represents one of the major threats for orthopedic implants failure during their life cycles. However, ordinary antimicrobial treatments usually failed to combat multiple waves of infections during arthroplasty and prosthesis revisions etc. As these incidents could easily introduce new microbial pathogens in/onto the implants. Herein, we demonstrate that an antimicrobial trilogy strategy incorporating a sophisticated multilayered coating system leveraging multiple ion exchange mechanisms and fine nanotopography tuning, could effectively eradicate bacterial infection at various stages of implantation. Early stage bacteriostatic effect was realized via nano-topological structure of top mineral coating. Antibacterial effect at intermediate stage was mediated by sustained release of zinc ions from doped CaP coating. Strong antibacterial potency was validated at 4 weeks post implantation via an implanted model in vivo. Finally, the underlying zinc titanate fiber network enabled a long-term contact and release effect of residual zinc, which maintained a strong antibacterial ability against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli even after the removal of top layer coating. Moreover, sustained release of Sr2+ and Zn2+ during CaP coating degradation substantially promoted implant osseointegration even under an infectious environment by showing more peri-implant new bone formation and substantially improved bone-implant bonding strength.

A Delta-radiomics model for preoperative evaluation of Neoadjuvant chemotherapy response in high-grade osteosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: The difficulty of assessment of neoadjuvant chemotherapeutic response preoperatively may hinder personalized-medicine strategies that depend on the results from pathological examination. METHODS: A total of 191 patients with high-grade osteosarcoma (HOS) were enrolled retrospectively from November 2013 to November 2017 and received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT). A cutoff time of November 2016 was used to divide the training set and validation set. All patients underwent diagnostic CTs before and after chemotherapy. By quantifying the tumor regions on the CT images before and after NCT, 540 delta-radiomic features were calculated. The interclass correlation coefficients for segmentations of inter/intra-observers and feature pair-wise correlation coefficients (Pearson) were used for robust feature selection. A delta-radiomics signature was constructed using the lasso algorithm based on the training set. Radiomics signatures built from single-phase CT were constructed for comparison purpose. A radiomics nomogram was then developed from the multivariate logistic regression model by combining independent clinical factors and the delta-radiomics signature. The prediction performance was assessed using area under the ROC curve (AUC), calibration curves and decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: The delta-radiomics signature showed higher AUC than single-CT based radiomics signatures in both training and validation cohorts. The delta-radiomics signature, consisting of 8 selected features, showed significant differences between the pathologic good response (pGR) (necrosis fraction ≥90%) group and the non-pGR (necrosis fraction < 90%) group (P < 0.0001, in both training and validation sets). The delta-radiomics nomogram, which consisted of the delta-radiomics signature and new pulmonary metastasis during chemotherapy showed good calibration and great discrimination capacity with AUC 0.871 (95% CI, 0.804 to 0.923) in the training cohort, and 0.843 (95% CI, 0.718 to 0.927) in the validation cohort. The DCA confirmed the clinical utility of the radiomics model. CONCLUSION: The delta-radiomics nomogram incorporating the radiomics signature and clinical factors in this study could be used for individualized pathologic response evaluation after chemotherapy preoperatively and help tailor appropriate chemotherapy and further treatment plans.

Bone combined cement grafting in giant cell tumor around the knee reduces mechanical failure.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of our study are (1) to explore the risk factors of mechanical failure (MF), (2) to figure out an index to evaluate this risk, and (3) to select an optimal reconstruction strategy to reduce this risk. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 104 patients from Dec. 2008 to Mar. 2016, undergone extensive knee curettages in our institution. Radiographs and post-operative interviews were used to classified cases of MF. Relative factors (age, tumor location, the invaded area, etc.) were also collected and analyzed by SPSS software. RESULTS: Thick subchondral bony layer (p = 0.006) and combined grafting of the cement and bone (p = 0.006) had lower risk of mechanical failure. Mechanical failure appeared to happen in the femur (p = 0.012) more easily. The ROC curve (AUC = 0.722) reveals that less post-operative bony layer (≤ 3.3 mm) is more likely to cause mechanical failure. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showing increased survival in those patients after a combination grafting surgery (HR, 3.799; p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Based on our study results, combined grafting of the cement and bone reduced the risk of mechanical failure in the knee due to the thin subchondral bone layer (SCB), especially in the femur.

A novel anti-osteoporotic agent that protects against postmenopausal bone loss by regulating bone formation and bone resorption.

AIMS: Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a bone metabolism disease that is caused by an imbalance between bone-resorbing osteoclast and bone-forming osteoblast actions. Herein, we describe the role of troxerutin (TRX), a trihydroxyethylated derivative of rutin, in ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis and its effects on the regulation of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. MAIN METHODS: In vivo, OVX female mice were intraperitoneally injected with either saline, 50 mg/kg TRX, or 150 mg/kg TRX for 6 weeks and then sacrificed for micro-computed tomography analyses, histological analyses, and biomechanical testing. In vitro, RAW264.7 cell-derived osteoclasts and MC3T3-E1 cell-derived osteoblasts were treated with different concentrations of TRX to examine the effect of TRX on osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption, as well as on osteogenesis and mineralization. KEY FINDINGS: In this study, we demonstrated that TRX prevented cortical and trabecular bone loss in ovariectomized mice by reducing osteoclastogenesis and promoting osteogenesis in vivo. In vitro, TRX inhibited the formation and activity of RAW264.7-derived osteoclasts and the expression of nuclear factor of activated T-cells 1 and cathepsin K. Meanwhile, TRX improved the osteogenesis and mineralization of MC3T3-E1 by enhancing the expression of Runt-related transcription factor 2, Osterix, and collagen type 1 alpha 1. SIGNIFICANCE: Our data demonstrated that TRX could prevent OVX-induced osteoporosis and be used in a novel treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Decitabine Enhances Vγ9Vδ2 T Cell-Mediated Cytotoxic Effects on Osteosarcoma Cells via the NKG2DL-NKG2D Axis.

γδ T cell-based immunotherapy for osteosarcoma (OS) has shown limited success thus far. DNA-demethylating agents not only induce tumor cell death but also have an immunomodulatory function. In this study, we have assessed the potential benefit of combining decitabine (DAC, a DNA demethylation drug) and γδ T cells for OS immunotherapy. DAC increased the expression of natural killer group 2D (NKG2D) ligands (NKG2DLs), including major histocompatibility complex class I-related chains B (MICB) and UL16-binding protein 1 (ULBP1), on the OS cell surface, making the cells more sensitive to recognition and destruction by cytotoxic γδ T cells. The upregulation of MICB and ULBP1 was due to promoter DNA demethylation. Importantly, the killing of OS cells by γδ T cells was partially reversed by blocking the NKG2D receptor, suggesting that the γδ T cell-mediated cytolysis of DAC-pretreated OS cells was mainly dependent on the NKG2D-NKG2DL axis. The in vivo results were consistent with the in vitro results. In summary, DAC could upregulate MICB and ULBP1 expression in OS cells, and combination treatment involving γδ T cell immunotherapy and DAC could be used to enhance the cytotoxic killing of OS cells by γδ T cells.

Recurrence of Giant Cell Tumor of the Spine after Resection: A Report of 10 Cases.

OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical details and further treatments for recurrent spinal giant cell tumors (SGCT), and to analyze the risk factors of recurrence and shed new light on the treatment options and prognosis of recurrent SGCT. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of recurrent SGCT between April 2003 and January 2014 was performed. A total of 10 patients comprising 3 men and 7 women with a mean age of 28.9 years (range, 21-40 years) were included in the study. All complete clinical data, radiographs, CT, MRI, scans and pathological data were reviewed. The tumor locations and the regions involved were evaluated by CT and MRI. The blood supply of the tumors was evaluated by enhanced CT and MRI. The mean follow-up was 81.3 months (range, 35.7-172.1 months). RESULTS: All patients had Enneking stage 3 tumors; 9 (90%) of them had different extents of spinal canal involvement in the primary time period. All patients underwent intralesional resection during their first surgery. Only 1 patient received local adjuvant treatments; no patient underwent selective arterial embolization or used denosumab at that time. Only 1 patient underwent adjuvant radiotherapy postoperatively, and another patient used bisphosphonates. After recurrence, 1 patient was cured using denosumab, and 2 patients' disease was controlled through use of other medical treatments or adjuvant treatments. There were 3 repeated recurrences and 7 repeated surgical procedures were performed in 5 patients. There were 6 intralesional excisions and 1 decompression surgery. The mean relapse-free time after the first surgery was 32.3 months (range, 10.5-62.6 months). The overall mean relapse-free time was 40.2 months (range, 10.5-157 months). No distant metastasis was found in our series. At the final follow-up, 4 patients were disease free, 3 patients' disease was under control, 2 has progressive disease aggravation, while 1 patient died as a result of progression of disease 133.9 months after first surgery. CONCLUSION: Intralesional excision for recurrent spinal giant cell tumors is an effective option that may have satisfactory prognosis. However, the excision and the inactivation of the lesion should be carried out carefully and thoroughly without missing any corners. Early diagnosis of recurrence may be associated with better prognosis. Adjuvant treatments perioperatively and systemic medical treatments can decrease recurrence rates and can have therapeutic effects in the recurrent SGCT.

Epigenetic Regulation of CXCL12 Plays a Critical Role in Mediating Tumor Progression and the Immune Response In Osteosarcoma.

The mechanism by which osteosarcomas metastasize is elusive, and challenges remain regarding its treatment with modalities including immunotherapy. CXCL12 is deeply involved in the process of tumor metastasis and T-cell homing, which is driven by a chemokine gradient, but healthy bones are supposed to preferentially express CXCL12. Here, we show for the first time that osteosarcomas epigenetically downregulate CXCL12 expression via DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and consequently acquire the ability to metastasize and to impair cytotoxic T-cell homing to the tumor site. Analysis of human osteosarcoma cases further revealed that CXCL12 expression strongly correlated with overall survival. Evaluations on fresh human chemotherapy-free osteosarcoma samples also showed a positive correlation between CXCL12 concentration and the number of intratumoral lymphocytes. Critically, treatment targeting DNMT1 in immunocompetent mouse models significantly elevated expression of CXCL12 in tumors, resulting in a robust immune response and consequently eradicating early lung metastases in addition to suppressing subcutaneous tumor growth. These antitumor effects were abrogated by CXCL12-CXCR4 blockade or CD8+ T-cell depletion. Collectively, our data show that CXCL12 regulation plays a significant role in both tumor progression and immune response, and targeting CXCL12 is promising for therapeutics against osteosarcoma.Significance: Epigenetic regulation of CXCL12 controls metastasis and immune response in osteosarcoma, suggesting epigenetic therapies or therapies targeting CXCL12 have potential for therapeutic intervention in osteosarcoma. Cancer Res; 78(14); 3938-53. ©2018 AACR.