Effect of κ-carrageenan on the quality of crayfish surimi gels.

The demand for crayfish surimi products has grown recently due to its high protein content. This study examined the effects of varying κ-carrageenan (CAR) and crayfish surimi (CSM) concentrations on the gelling properties of CAR-CSM composite gel and its intrinsic formation process. Our findings demonstrated that with the increasing concentration of carrageenan, the quality of CAR-CSM exhibited rising trend followed by subsequently fall. Based on the textural qualities, the highest quality CAR-CSM was achieved at 0.3% carrageenan addition. With the exception of chewiness, and the cooking loss of the gel system was 1.62%, whiteness was 82.35%, and the percentage of ß-sheets increased to 57.18%. Further increase in CAR (0.4-0.5%) addition resulted in internal build-up of LCAR-CSM, conversion of intermolecular forces into disulfide bonds and gel breakage. This study exudes timely recommendations for extending the CAR application for the continuous development of crayfish surimi and its derivatives and its overall economic worth.

Songorine modulates macrophage polarization and metabolic reprogramming to alleviate inflammation in osteoarthritis.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent joint disorder characterized by multifaceted pathogenesis, with macrophage dysregulation playing a critical role in perpetuating inflammation and joint degeneration. Methods: This study focuses on Songorine, derived from Aconitum soongaricum Stapf, aiming to unravel its therapeutic mechanisms in OA. Comprehensive analyses, including PCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence, were employed to evaluate Songorine's impact on the joint microenvironment and macrophage polarization. RNA-seq analysis was conducted to unravel its anti-inflammatory mechanisms in macrophages. Metabolic alterations were explored through extracellular acidification rate monitoring, molecular docking simulations, and PCR assays. Oxygen consumption rate measurements were used to assess mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, and Songorine's influence on macrophage oxidative stress was evaluated through gene expression and ROS assays. Results: Songorine effectively shifted macrophage polarization from a pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype to an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. Notably, Songorine induced metabolic reprogramming, inhibiting glycolysis and promoting mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. This metabolic shift correlated with a reduction in macrophage oxidative stress, highlighting Songorine's potential as an oxidative stress inhibitor. Discussion: In an in vivo rat model of OA, Songorine exhibited protective effects against cartilage damage and synovial inflammation, emphasizing its therapeutic potential. This comprehensive study elucidates Songorine's multifaceted impact on macrophage modulation, metabolic reprogramming, and the inflammatory microenvironment, providing a theoretical foundation for its therapeutic potential in OA.

Scientific publications on orthopedic surgery from three major East Asian countries (2012-2021).

BACKGROUND: East Asia is the most dynamic region in the world and includes three major countries: Japan, South Korea and China. Due to rapid economic growth, orthopedics research in East Asia has achieved great advances during the past 10 years. However, the current status of orthopedic research in Japan, South Korea and China is still unclear. AIM: To understand the current status of orthopedic research in Japan, South Korea, and China. METHODS: Journals listed in the ''Orthopedics'' category of Science Citation Index Expanded subject categories were included. The PubMed and Web of Knowledge electronic databases were searched to identify scientific publications from the selected journals written by researchers from Japan, South Korea and China. A systematic analysis was conducted to analyze orthopedic research articles published in the three countries based on the number of articles, study design, impact factors (IFs) and citations. Furthermore, we also ranked the top 10 countries worldwide with the highest publications in the past 10 years. Additionally, we ranked the top 10 countries with the highest number of publications in the world in the past 10 years. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 20.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States), and statistical results are given in Tables and Figures. The Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney test were used to detect differences between countries. The tendency regarding the number of articles was analyzed by curvilinear regression. A two-tailed P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: From 2012-2021, a total of 144518 articles were published in the 86 selected orthopedic journals. During this period, the number of worldwide published orthopedic articles has shown an annual increasing trend. A total of 27164 orthopedic research articles were published by Japan, South Korea and China during the past 10 years; 44.32% were from China, 32.98% were from Japan, and 22.70% were from South Korea. From 2012 to 2021, the annual number of articles markedly increased in each of the three countries. Over time, the worldwide share of articles increased substantially in South Korea (3.37% to 6.53%, P < 0.001) and China (5.29% to 9.61%, P < 0.001). However, the worldwide share of articles significantly decreased in Japan (5.22% to 3.80%, P < 0.001). The annual total IFs of articles from China were well above those of articles from Japan and South Korea (36597.69 vs 27244.48 vs 20657.83, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference among the articles in the top 10 high-IF orthopedics journals published from those three countries [South Korea (800) > China (787) > Japan (646), P > 0.05]. CONCLUSION: Over the past 10 years, China's scientific publications in orthopedic journals have shown an increasing trend. Considering the relative scale of the populations, Japan and South Korea have outpaced China with respect to quality.

Corrigendum to "Andrographolide Enhances Proliferation and Prevents Dedifferentiation of Rabbit Articular Chondrocytes: An In Vitro Study".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2015/984850.].

Ononin ameliorates inflammation and cartilage degradation in rat chondrocytes with IL-1ß-induced osteoarthritis by downregulating the MAPK and NF-κB pathways.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) treatment aims to improve inflammation and delay cartilage degeneration. However, there is no effective strategy presently available. Ononin, a representative isoflavone glycoside component extracted from natural Chinese herbs, exerts anti-inflammatory and proliferative effects. However, the therapeutic effect of ononin on chondrocyte inflammation remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, we explored the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of ononin in OA by establishing an interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß)-induced chondrocyte inflammation model. RESULTS: Our results verified that ononin alleviated the IL-1ß-induced decrease in chondrocyte viability, attenuated the overexpression of the inflammatory factors tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), and simultaneously inhibited the expression of cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM)-degrading enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13). Furthermore, the decomposition of Collagen II protein could be alleviated in the OA model by ononin. Finally, ononin improved chondrocyte inflammation by downregulating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signalling pathways. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that ononin could inhibit the IL-1ß-induced proinflammatory response and ECM degradation in chondrocytes by interfering with the abnormal activation of the MAPK and NF-κB pathways, indicating its protective effect against OA.

CircRNA-MSR Regulates LPS-Induced C28/I2 Chondrocyte Injury through miR-643/MAP2K6 Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by deterioration of articular cartilage functions. Previous studies have confirmed the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in OA, but the role of mechanical stress-related circRNA (circRNA-MSR) in OA is unknown. DESIGN: The human chondrocytes C28/I2 were cultured and treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish the OA model. The mRNA and protein levels were measured by qRT-PCR or Western blot. Cell viability was analyzed by MTT assay. Flow cytometry was carried out to detect cell apoptosis. The levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Pull-down assay was conducted to measure circRNA-MSR-related miRNA. Dual-luciferase reporter gene detection was performed to detect the target relationships between miR-643 and circRNA-MSR or Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 6 (MAP2K6). The RNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNA-FISH) assay was conducted to verify the localization of circRNA-MSR and miR-643. RESULTS: The expressions of circRNA-MSR were upregulated in LPS stimulated C28/I2 cells. Knockdown of circRNA-MSR can inhibit LPS-induced apoptosis, inflammatory response, and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, and promote cell C28/I2 cells proliferation. Moreover, circRNA-MSR directly targeted miR-643. RNA-FISH exhibited that circRNA-MSR may act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR-643. Over-expression of miR-643 could alleviate LPS-induced C28/I2 chondrocyte injury and promote cell proliferation. Besides, miR-643 directly bound to MAP2K6 mRNA. MiR-643 inhibition or MAP2K6 overexpression can reverse the role of circRNA-MSR knockdown on LPS-treated chondrocytes. CONCLUSION: circRNA-MSR can upregulate MAP2K6 by targeting miR-643, thereby inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis of C28/I2 cells.

Exploration and validation of downregulated microRNA-199a-3p, downstream messenger RNA targets and transcriptional regulation in osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a primary bone tumor with a high incidence and mortality in children and adolescents. Emerging evidence shows that microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in biological tumor mechanisms by targeting downstream messenger RNAs (mRNAs). This article aimed to investigate the potential regulatory targets of microRNA-199a-3p (miR-199a-3p) in OS and to contribute to the understanding of miR-199a-3p-related OS regulatory mechanisms. MicroRNA-related Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) chips, ArrayExpress chips and literature data were used to determine the expression of miR-199a-3p in OS and pooled to explore its potential clinical value. To investigate the target genes of miR-199a-3p further, we integrated the results from the following three-part gene study: Twelve online prediction tools were used to predict the target genes of miR-199a-3p; the GEO GSE89370 chip transfected with miRSelect pEP-miR-199a-3p was used to analyze the downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in OS cells; and highly expressed DEGs were derived from an in-house microarray generated from three pairs of clinical OS and normal tissue samples acquired through our department. Then, we analyzed the target genes using the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network to further identify the primary target genes. In addition, we constructed transcription factor (TF)-miRNA-joint gene feed-forward regulatory loops (FFLs) with Circuits DB using miR-199a-3p as the core. A comprehensive meta-analysis of a hub of miR-199a-3p targeted genes was performed to integrate expression level, summary ROC (sROC) curves and survival analysis results from the GEO data for verification and exploration. Finally, the expression levels of the hub genes were verified in OS tissues and U2OS cells by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunocytochemistry (ICC). Data on miR-199a-3p expression were obtained from three data sets (GSE65071, GSE69524, and PMID 21666078), which showed low miR-199a-3p expression levels in OS tissues. The combined data indicated the same tendency, with the SMD of the random effect model, as shown in forest plots, being -2.8 (95% CI: -4.49, -1.11). In addition, we determined that miR-199a-3p may serve as a molecular marker useful for distinguishing OS tissues from normal tissues with high sensitivity and specificity, with the measured outcomes being 0.94 (95% CI: 0.80, 0.99) and 0.96 (95% CI: 0.78, 1.00), respectively. In addition, 391 genes were considered targets of miR-199a-3p in OS, and the enrichment analysis indicated that these targets were mainly enriched in proteoglycans in cancer and in spliceosomes. Four genes, CDKI, CCNB1, AURKA and NEK2, were regarded as hub targets based on the PPI data. Subsequently, TF-miRNA-joint genes FFLs were constructed in Circuits DB and included 17 TFs and 82 joint targets. These joint targets were mainly enriched in spliceosomes. UBE2D1 and RBM25 were regarded as hub joint targets based on the enrichment analysis. All selected target genes were further verified to ensure that they were upregulated in OS and to determine their prognostic significance. At the experimental verification level, the CDK1 protein was confirmed to be positively expressed in the cytoplasm of OS tissues and the U2OS cell line. Our study verified that miR-199a-3p was obviously downregulated in OS. CDK1, CCNB1, NEK2, AURKA, UBE2D1 and RBM25 were identified as potential target genes of miR-199a-3p in OS.

Expression of miR­542­3p in osteosarcoma with miRNA microarray data, and its potential signaling pathways.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common pediatric primary bone tumor, with high malignancy rates and a poor prognosis following metastasis. At present, the role of microRNA (miR)­542­3p in OS remains to be elucidated. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the expression level of miR­542­3p in OS, and its potential molecular mechanisms, via a bioinformatics analysis. First, the expression of miR­542­3p in OS based on the continuous variables of the Gene Expression Omnibus database and PubMed was studied. Subsequently, the potential target genes of miR­542­3p were predicted using gene expression profiles and bioinformatics software. On the basis of the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery, version 6.8, a study of gene ontology (GO) enrichment and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway knowledge base was conducted to explore the biological value of miR­542­3p in OS. Finally, the protein­protein interaction (PPI) network was completed using the STRING database. The expression of miR­542­3p in OS was revealed to be significantly higher compared with that in normal tissue. In total, 1,036 target genes of miR­542­3p were obtained. The results of the GO enrichment analysis revealed that the significant terms were 'bone development', 'cell cycle arrest' and 'intracellular signal transduction'. The results of the KEGG analysis revealed the highlighted pathways that were targeted to miR­542­3p, including the sphingolipid signaling pathway (P=3.91x10­5), the phosphoinositide 3­kinase (PI3K)­AKT serine/threonine kinase (AKT) signaling pathway (P=3.17x10­5) and the insulin signaling pathway (P=1.04x10­5). The PPI network revealed eight hub genes: Ubiquitin­60S ribosomal protein L40, Ras­related C3 botulinum toxin substrate, mitogen­activated protein kinase 1, epidermal growth factor receptor, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, PI3K regulatory subunit 1, AKT1, and actin­related protein 2/3 complex subunit 1A, which may be the key target genes of miR­542­3p in OS. Taken together, these results have demonstrated that miR­542­3p was overexpressed in OS. The potential target genes and biological functions of miR­542­3p may provide novel insights into the differentially expressed genes that are involved in OS.

Prediction of clinical outcome and survival in soft-tissue sarcoma using a ten-lncRNA signature.

The prognostic value of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in patients with soft-tissue sarcoma has rarely been unraveled. The aim of the study was to find a lncRNA signature to predict the clinical outcome and survival in soft-tissue sarcoma based on the high-throughput RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The lncRNAs which closely correlated with overall survival in 258 soft-tissue sarcoma patients were identified with Cox proportional regression model. Ten lncRNAs, including RP11-560J1.2, AP001432.14, RP4-665J23.1, LINC00680, AC006129.2, RP11-230G5.2, BACH1-IT2, RP11-274B21.9, RP11-504A18.1 and RP11-713P17.3, were selected to calculate a risk score. The risk score could effectively predict patients' outcome, such as the status of mitotic count of tumor cells, person neoplasm cancer and residual tumor. More inspiringly, the risk score generated from the 10-lncRNA signature was an independent prognostic indicator for soft-tissue sarcoma patients. Overall, this 10-lncRNA signature gains the potential as an effective prognostic tool for soft-tissue sarcoma as part of the integrated clinical RNA-seq program.

Andrographolide enhances proliferation and prevents dedifferentiation of rabbit articular chondrocytes: an in vitro study.

As the main active constituent of Andrographis paniculata that was applied in treatment of many diseases including inflammation in ancient China, andrographolide (ANDRO) was found to facilitate reduction of edema and analgesia in arthritis. This suggested that ANDRO may be promising anti-inflammatory agent to relieve destruction and degeneration of cartilage after inflammation. In this study, the effect of ANDRO on rabbit articular chondrocytes in vitro was investigated. Results showed that not more than 8 µM ANDRO did no harm to chondrocytes (P < 0.05). DNA content and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) /DNA were, respectively, improved in ANDRO groups comparing to the control (P < 0.05). ANDRO could promote expression of aggrecan, collagen II, and Sox9 genes while downregulating expression of collagen I gene (P < 0.05). Furthermore, hypertrophy that may result in chondrocyte ossification could not be detected in all groups (P > 0.05). The viability assay, hematoxylin-eosin, safranin O, and immunohistochemical staining also showed better performances in ANDRO groups. As to the doses, 3 µM ANDRO showed the best performance. The results indicate that ANDRO can accelerate proliferation of rabbit articular chondrocytes in vitro and meanwhile maintain the phenotype, which may provide valuable references for further exploration on arthritis.

Effect of JEZTC, a synthetic compound, on proliferation and phenotype maintenance of rabbit articular chondrocytes in vitro.

Antioxidant may provide anti-arthritic effect that contributes to resolution of inflammation. Gallic acid (GA) and its derivatives were reported to be effective in treatment of arthritis. But GA-suppressed cell proliferation may compromise its effect on chondro-protection. In this study, we synthesized sulfonamido-based gallate-JEZTC and investigated its effect on rabbit articular chondrocytes through examination of the cell proliferation, morphology, viability, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis, and cartilage-specific gene expression. Results showed that JEZTC could effectively promote chondrocyte growth and enhance secretion and synthesis of cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) by upregulating expression levels of aggrecan, collagen II, and Sox9 genes. Expression of collagen I which marked chondrocyte dedifferentiation was effectively downregulated by JEZTC. In addition, hypertrophy that may lead to chondrocyte ossification could not be detected in JEZTC groups. The results indicated JEZTC can well preserve the phenotype of chondrocytes. Range of 2.344 to 9.375 µg/ml is the recommended dose of JEZTC, which showed increased cell proliferation. Especially, JEZTC of 4.688 µg/ml showed the best performance. This study might provide a basis for development of a novel agent for the treatment of symptomatic chondral and osteochondral lesions.

Mobile bearing or fixed bearing? A meta-analysis of outcomes comparing mobile bearing and fixed bearing bilateral total knee replacements.

BACKGROUND: To compare outcomes between mobile-bearing (MB) and fixed-bearing (FB) in bilateral total knee replacements. METHODS: The MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases were searched. Randomized controlled trials of bilateral total knee arthroplasty with one of each design implanted were identified. Weighted mean differences (WMDs) and pooled risk ratios (RRs) were calculated using fixed- or random-effects models. RESULTS: Twelve studies were identified with a total of 807 patients and 1614 knees. All RCTs were of high quality with a low risk of bias. No statistical difference was found between MB and FB at 2- to 5-year follow-up in terms of America Knee Society score (WMD: -1.29, 95% CI: -5.65 to 3.06), pain score (WMD: -3.26, 95% CI: -10.45 to 3.93), range of motion (WMD: -4.16, 95% CI: -9.97 to 1.66), reoperation (RR: 1.00, 95% CI: 0.28 to 3.60), and radiolucent lines (RR: 1.51, 95% CI: 0.70 to 3.24). The results were similar at 1-, 5- to 8-, or >8-year follow-up. Patient's satisfaction (RR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.54 to 1.34), and complication (≤2-year, RR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.29 to 1.04; >2-year, RR: 1.0, 95% CI=0.73 to 1.38) also showed no difference between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this meta-analysis we are unable to detect the superiority of MB as compared to FB. More randomized trials with a larger sample size and longer follow-up are needed to evaluate these two kinds of prosthesis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level II.

High-flexion vs conventional prostheses total knee arthroplasty: a meta-analysis.

Whether high-flexion prostheses are superior to conventional prostheses after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains controversial. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of these 2 different designs. After a comprehensive search, 11 trials with 1204 knees were eligible for data extraction and pooled analysis. The results demonstrated that there were no differences in range of motion of high-flexion posterior-stabilized vs standard posterior-stabilized TKA (weighted mean improvement, 0.93°; 95% confidence intervals, -0.75° to 2.60°; P = .28), range of motion of high-flexion cruciate-retaining vs cruciate-retaining TKA (2.06°; 0.06°-4.17°; P = .06), weight-bearing flexion (2.05°; 0.99°-5.08°; P = .19), Knee Society Scores (1.59 points; 0.42-3.60 points; P = .12), and Hospital for Special Surgery Scores (0.84 points; 0.37-2.04 points; P = .17) with at least 1-year follow-up. No infection, loosening, and osteolysis were found. The current evidences cannot confirm that high-flexion prostheses are superior to conventional prostheses.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotypes analysis of DFNB1 locus in Chinese sporadic hearing impairment population.

BACKGROUND: The DFNB1 locus, which contains the gap junction beta-2 (GJB2) and gap junction beta-6 (GJB6) genes, plays a key role in the nonsyndromic and sporadic hearing impairment. Mutations of DFNB1 result in autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing impairment (ARNSHI). Previous researches have identified mutations in GJB2 and GJB6, but single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of DFNB1 locus have not been studied. So we chose five SNPs to evaluate whether there is difference between deafness people and normal-hearing people in Han Chinese. METHODS: Five SNPs in the DFNB1 region were examined using a case-control association study between cases with sporadic hearing impairment and controls with normal hearing. The HWEsoft and SHEsis softwares were used to analyze the results. RESULTS: Single-locus association analysis showed a positive association for three SNPs: rs9315400, rs2274084 and 235delC. When we compared the distributions of the haplotypes, we also found significant differences between cases and controls in the haplotype combination of rs2274084 and rs2274083 (chi(2) = 12.978, df = 3, global P = 0.004719). CONCLUSIONS: The haplotypes composed of rs2274084 and rs2274083 suggested that C-C may be a risk haplotype for the sporadic hearing impairment while T-T may be protective against hearing impairment. From that point of view, we can conclude that the SNPs of DFNB1 locus also plays an important role in sporadic hearing impairment cases.