Objective To determine the effect of microRNA-146a (miR-146a) on the life cycle of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and investigate the underlying mechanisms.Methods The miRNA expression profiles were compared by miRNA array between HepG2 and HepG2.2.15 cells.Then miR-146a was chosen as objective,and its expression level was further confirmed by RT-PCR.After miR-146a mimic and inhibitor were transfected into HepG2.2.15 cells respectively,the quantification of HBV replication was determined by RT-PCR,and the levels of HBsAg and HBeAg in the supernatant were measured by ELISA,and the expression of HS3ST3B1 at mRNA and protein levels were tested by RT-PCR and Western blotting.Dualluciferase reporter assay was used to detect the interaction between miR-146a and potential target HS3ST3B1.Results The expression levels of totally 72 miRNAs were changed in HepG2.2.15 cells,with 27 upregulated and 45 down-regulated.RT-PCR showed the expression level of miR-146a was significantly higher in HepG2.2.15 cells than HepG2 cells (1.55-± 0.13 vs 1.00 ± 0.01,P ＜ 0.05).Transfection of miR-146a mimic into HepG2.2.15 cells resulted in significantly increased HBV replication and levels of HBsAg and HBeAg (P ＜ 0.05),while the transfection of its inhibited caused opposite results (P ＜ 0.05).Bioinformatic analysis showed that HS3ST3B1 was a potential target of miR-146a.The reporter luciferase reporter system indicated that the reported fluorescence intensity of HS3ST3B1 wild type vector was significantly lower than that of the control group (P ＜ 0.05),but showed no significant difference between HS3ST3B1 mutant vector and control group (P ＞0.05).The mRNA level of HS3ST3B1 was not significantly changed in HepG2.2.15 cells transfected with miR-146a mimic (P ＞ 0.05),but its protein level was significantly decreased (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions miR-146a affects the life cycle of HBV,which may be through suppressing the translation of HBV inhibitory factor HS3ST3B1 3'UTR.

Objective:To explore the expression and clinical significance of late autophagy in per-ipheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with primary gouty arthritis (GA).Methods:Peripheral blood, clinical data, and laboratory tests were collected from 30 patients with acute gout (AG), 30 patients with intermittent gout (IG), and 50 healthy controls (HC). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect mRNA expression levels of autophagy-related genes (ATG5, ATG12, ATG16, ATG3, ATG7, ATG10, ATG4B, LC3-2/LC3B). Measurement data conformed to normal distribution were tested using t test or analysis of variance (ANOVA), and non-normal distribution data were tested using Mann-Whitney test or Kruskal-Wallis H test. SNK was used for pairwise comparison among the three groups. Correlation between variables was tested by Spearman correlation analysis. Results:① The expression level of ATG5 mRNA,ATG12 mRNA, ATG16 mRNA, ATG10 mRNA and LC3-2 mRNA in the AG group was lower than that of the IG group and the HC group, and the expression level of the IG group was lower than that of the HC group[9.16×10 -3(6.04×10 -3, 15.00×10 -3) vs 14.48×10 -3(9.95×10 -3, 21.38×10 -3) vs 0.08×10 -3(12.21×10 -3, 42.79×10 -3), H=19.377, P<0.001; 18.89×10 -3(13.85×10 -3, 24.92×10 -3) vs 21.13×10 -3(12.11×10 -3, 28.06×10 -3) vs 33.57×10 -3(13.11×10 -3, 49.89×10 -3), H=7.545, P=0.023; 8.72×10 -3(4.96×10 -3, 13.74×10 -3) vs 10.62×10 -3(7.48×10 -3, 24.71×10 -3) vs 20.07×10 -3(11.99×10 -3, 39.56×10 -3), H=20.962, P<0.001; 1.05×10 -3(0.73×10 -3, 1.84×10 -3) vs 1.60×10 -3(0.93×10 -3, 2.58×10 -3) vs 1.69×10 -3(1.05×10 -3, 3.54×10 -3), H=8.193, P=0.017; 2.31×10 -3(1.22×10 -3, 3.53×10 -3) vs 2.78×10 -3(1.68×10 -3, 5.96×10 -3) vs 3.68×10 -3(2.00×10 -3, 5.67×10 -3) , H=7.135, P=0.028]. The expression level of ATG4B mRNA in the AG and IG group was higher than that in HC group, and there was significant difference between IG group and AG group, IG group and HC group[9.95×10 -3(6.32×10 -3, 12.23×10 -3) vs 10.86×10 -3 (8.80×10 -3, 17.03×10 -3) vs 8.07×10 -3(5.52×10 -3, 11.63×10 -3), H=8.531, P=0.014]. There was no significant difference between the ATG3 mRNA and ATG7 mRNA groups ( H=0.539, 3.739, bothall P values >0.05). ② The results of Spearman correlation analysis suggested that in patients with acute gout, ATG3 was negatively correlated with PDW and MPV ( r=-0.499, P=0.006; r=-0.463, P=0.011); ATG4B was positively correlated with HDL-C ( r=0.408, P=0.048); ATG7 was negatively correlated with GLOB ( r=-0.554, P=0.001); ATG10 was positively correlated with ALB ( r=0.412, P=0.024) and negatively correlated with Crea and hsCRP ( r=-0.459, P=0.011; r=-0.375, P=0.045); ATG12 was negatively correlated with MO ( r=-0.434, P=0.017); ATG16 was negatively correlated with ALT and AST ( r=-0.389, P=0.034; r=-0.366, P=0.047); LC3-2 was positively correlated with UA ( r=0.381, P=0.041) and negatively correlated with MPV and PDW ( r=-0.413, P=0.026; r=-0.449, P=0.015). In patients with intermittent gout, ATG3 and ATG4B were negatively correlated with apoB100 ( r=-0.555, P=0.011; r=-0.462, P=0.040); ATG5 was negatively correlated with Crea ( r=-0.456, P=0.011); ATG10 was negatively correlated with TC, LDL-C, and apoB100 ( r=-0.526, P=0.017; r=-0.556, P=0.011; r=-0.515, P=0.020). Conclusion:Autophagy is involved in the development of gout, and is correlated with ibflammatory and metabolic indicators, suggesting that autophagy is an important feature in the pathogenesis of GA.

BACKGROUND:It has been reported that mesenchymal stromal cells(MSCs)are capable of differentiating into cells of multilineage.Different methods and reagents have been used to induce the differentiation of MSCs,but most inducing systems contain serum and cytokines.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the gene expression of mash-1 and ngn-1 in differentiation of SD rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells induced by salvia mitiorrhiza. DESIGN:Controlled experiment in vitro with repeated observation and measurement based on cells.SETTING:Department of Anatomy,School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine,Sichuan University. MATERIALS:This study was performed in the Department of Anatomy,School of Preclinical and Forensic Medicine,Sichuan University from October 2004 to December 2005.SD male rats weighing 160-200 g were purchased from the Animal Center of Sichuan University.The experimental animals were disposed according to ethical criteria.Parenteral solution of salvia mitiorrhiza purchased from Tianyang Medicine Company Limited of Anhui(batch number:20050411).METHODS:The nucleated cells were separated from rat bone marrow through gradient centrifugation and cell adherent method,and then MSCs differentiated into neurcyte-like cells induced by salvia mitiorrhiza.Cells in the control group were cultured with salvia mitiorrhiza-free serum-free culture media.The expression of neuron specific enolase(NSE)and glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP)were detected by immunohistochemistry.RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA of mash-1 and ngn-1. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:①mash-1 and ngn-1 expressions were detect by the RT-PCR method.②NSE and GFAP expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry.RESULTS:①The MSCs were well adherent to walls.Most of the cells transformed in dipolar-like or multipolar-like.Axon-like or dentrite-like process was developed and these processes synapse with each other.② RT-PCR showed that ngn-1 and mash-1 mRNA were negative before induction,but positive after induction.③Immunohistochemistry indicated that NSE and GFAP expressions were positive after induction but negative in the control group. CONCLUSION:MSCs can be induced to differentiate into neurocyte-like cells by salvia mitiorrhiza.

Objective To investigate the development of rat heart and the expressions of TGF-?1,SMAD4 and Bax protein to detect the location and mechanism of action in different developmental periods of rat heart. Methods Histology and immunohistochemistry of rat embryonic hearts from day11 to day19(E11～E19) in paraffin-embedded were used to analyze the heart development and TGF-?1,SMAD4 and Bax protein expressions. Results The muscular part of interventricular septum appeared on E12.5,and the partition of the ventricle finished on E16.The positive expression of TGF-?1 can be seen in the rat embryonic heart during E11～E19.The positive staining was increased to E15 and then declined significantly.The expression of SMAD4 was enhanced gradually and the positive signals were strong on E17,and a spatial difference was found in the expression on E13.The expression peaks of the Bax protein appeared on E15 then subsided to a stable.Conclusion The critical period of cardiac muscle cell differentiation and heart moulding was E15.TGF-?1,Smad4 and Bax protein play important roles during the development of rat embryonic heart.

Objective To explore the role of interleukin (IL)-1β in the pathogenesis of gout.Methods Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) were used to measure the expression of IL-1β mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and IL-1β in plasma samples from 120 acute gouty (AG) arthritis,70 chronic gouty (CG) arthritis,80 intercritical gouty (IG) arthritis patients and 96 healthy control subjects respectively.Results The expression of PBMCs IL-1β mRNA and plasma concentration of IL-1β were both much higher in gout patients than those in controls (P ＜ 0.01,respectively).And the plasma levels of IL-1β mRNA and IL-1β significantly increased in the AG group compared with CG and IG groups (P ＜ 0.01,respectively) and much higher in the CG group than those in the IG group.Positive correlations existed between plasma concentration of IL-1β and the levels of white blood cell,neutrophil,monocyte,erythrocyte sedimentation rate,blood uric acid,globulin and PBMCs IL-1β mRNA (P ＜ 0.01,respectively) while negative correlation between plasma IL-1β and plasma level of apolipoprotein in gout patients (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Elevated plasma level of IL-1β may be involved in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic gouty arthritis.

Objective:To analyze the expression of circular RNA (circRNA) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with gout and to explore the possible mechanism of circRNA in the pathogenesis of gout.Methods:Peripheral blood samples of 24 patients with acute gout (AG), 24 patients with intermittent gout (IG) and 24 healthy control subjects (HC) were collected. Three cases of AG, IG, and HC were randomly selected, and the differentially expressed circRNA in PBMCs was screened by human circNA microarrays. The 6 circRNAs with large differences between the two comparison groups were selected, and the relative expression levels of 6 circRNAs in all the collected 72 PBMCs of the study subjects were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The significantly differentially ex-pressed circRNA (fold change>1.5, P<0.05) was analyzed by GO analysis, Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and its interaction with microRNA (miRNA) was predicted. The median (interquartile range) was used to describe the data, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison between groups. Results:(1) The microarray analysis results showed that compared with the HC group, the AG group and the IG group had 116 and 41 significantly differently expressed circRNAs, respectively; com-pared with the IG group, the AG group had 105 significantly differently expressed circRNAs. (2) Among the 6 circRNAs verified by PT-qPCR, the expression trends of 5 were consistent with the microarray results. The expression of hsa_circRNA_105034 in the AG group [5.17(4.60)] was statistically significantly different com-pared to the IG [1.68(2.39)] and HC [0.90(0.73)] groups (AG vs IG: Z=-4.413, P<0.01; AG vs HC Z=-5.052, P<0.01). (3) Bioinformatics analysis: ① GO analysis found that differential circRNA swere mainly involved in DNA transcriptional regulation, positive cell regulation and protein modification, etc. ② KEGG pathway analysis revealed that differential circRNA might be involved in the immune response mediated by the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. ③ CircRNA might affect its inflammatory response by targeting molecules such as miRNA-146a, miRNA-302b and miRNA-23a. Conclusion:There are differentially expressed circRNAs in PBMCs of patients with gout, which may be closely related to the occurrence and development of gout.

Objective:To screen for circle RNA (circRNA) differentially expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and to analyze its expression profile to explore the role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of AS.Methods:CircRNA microarray chip technology was used to detect the expression of circRNAs in PBMCs of 3 patients with active AS, 3 patients with stable AS and 3 healthy controls (HC), and then screening for differentially expressed circRNAs by fold change (FC) and P value. Then differentially expressed circRNAs among the circRNAs with the highest differential expression were selected randomly to verify the chip results by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR); Differentially expressed circRNAs were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and microRNA (miRNA) target prediction software was used to predict the circRNA/miRNA interaction relationship. Finally, the data were statistically analyzed by t test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results:① Chip text results showed that there were 800 circRNAs with significantly different expression (FC>1.5, P<0.05) in active AS than HC, of which 466 were up-regulated and 334 were down-regulated; the stable AS had a total of 1 149 significantly differentially expressed when compared with the HC (FC>1.5, P<0.05) circRNAs, of which 589 were up-regulated and 560 were down-regulated. 233 circRNAs were significantly differentially expressed (FC>1.5, P<0.05) between active AS and stable AS, of which 145 were up-regulated and 88 were down-regulated. ②The RT-qPCR verification results suggested that the expression trends of the four differentially expressed circRNAs were consistent with the results of the chip. ③ GO analysis results suggested that these differentially expressed circRNAs were mainly involved in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, Rho GTPase binding and other processes. The analysis showed that the KEGG pathway were enriched in Th17 cell differentiation and chemokine signaling pathways. The results of miRNA target prediction software analysis suggested that differentially expressed circRNAs might play a role by targeting miR-650, let-7b-5p and other miRNAs. Conclusion:Compared with HC group, there were differentially expressed circRNAs in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) of AS patients, The results of this study suggest that these circRNAs may be involved in the pathogenesis of AS.

Objective:To compare the difference of LLD (leg length discrepancy) between robot-assisted and conventional methods of total hip arthroplasty (THA).Methods:Data of 38 patients who had THA performed by robot-assisted or conventional methods from January 2019 to May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 38 cases (54 hips) in robot-assisted THA group (robot group) with 18 males and 20 females (age 53.5±13.6 years, BMI 26.2±3.4 kg/m 2), and there were 21 cases (32 hips) with osteonecrosis of the femoral head, 17 cases (22 hips) with Crown typeⅠandⅡdevelopmental dysplasia of the hip. There were 38 cases (54 hips) in conventional THA group (conventional group), with 19 males and 19 females, (age 52.3±14.7 years old, BMI 25.7±2.9 kg/m 2), and there were 19 cases (30 hips) with developmental dysplasia of the hip, and 19 cases (24 hips) with osteonecrosis of the femoral head. The operative time, postoperative LLD, Harris score, forgotten joint score-12 (FJS-12) and the difference between preoperative and postoperative LLD between the two groups were compared, and the correlation between surgical methods and the change of hip length was also evaluated. Results:The operation time of the robot group was 73.3±14.1 min and which was 59.3±12.6 min in conventional THA group ( t=2.732, P=0.003). In the robot group, the postoperative LLD was 2.3±3.4 mm, which was less than that of the conventional group 6.7±5.4 mm ( t=3.521, P < 0.001). When the absolute value of LLD was larger than 5 mm as an abnormal value, it was 2.6% (1/38) in the robot group and 47.3% (18/38) in the conventional group. The difference of hip length (HL) in planning and post-operation in the robot group was 2.8±2.2 mm, which was smaller than that in the conventional THA group 7.9±5.3 mm ( t=2.357, P < 0.001). In addition, there was a correlation between the change of hip length results and the postoperative measurement of hip length in the robot group ( r=0.983, P < 0.001). At the last follow-up, Harris score and FJS-12 were recorded in the robot group and coventional group. The scores were 83.1±5.3 and 32.5±4.9 respectively in the robot group, 82.9±7.2 and 31.9±6.7 in the conventional group, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups ( t=0.221, 0.356; P=0.819, 0.731). Postoperative bleeding occurred in 1 case in the robot group with postoperative suture healed well. The fracture of the posterior wall of the acetabulum was found in the conventional group and the patient avoids weight bearing 4 weeks after operation. The postoperative recovery was good and no other related complications were found. Conclusion:Robot-assisted THA can accurately restore the length of both legs and reduce LLD compared with conventional THA. The real-time monitoring of LLD during robot operation can give the operator an accurate reference.

Objective To investigate the association of TLR4 gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to primary gouty arthritis (GA) in Chinese Han population.Methods A total of 459 patients with GA and 459 healthy control subjects were enrolled into this study.All the genotyping assays of TLR4 gene polymorphisms loci [rs4986790 (Asp299Gly),rs4986791 (Thr399Ile),rs2 1 49356T＞G] were measured using TaqMan probes that specifically target the alternate alleles.Results All the subjects were found to be homozygous for the wild-type TLR4 alleles (Asp/Asp,Thr/Thr) on TLR4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile genotyping.There was no significant deviation from HWE both in GA and controlsin the rs2149356 (x2=0.778,1.295; P＞0.05,respectively).Significant differences were observed between the GA and control groups with respect to genotype and allele frequencies of TLR4 gene rs2149356 (x2=16.23,17.08; P＜0.01,respectively),and TT genotype was the risk factor for gout (adjusted OR=2.09).Conclusion The TLR4 gene rs2149356 SNP may be associated with GA susceptibility,and TT genotype may be the risk factor for developing gout.

Objective To systematically review the efficacy of pregabalin in patients with post-herpetic neuralgia.Methods A comprehensive search was undertaken to identify all randomized placebo-controlled trials of pregabalin in patients with post-herpetic neuralgia.Medline,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,Wanfang Database and CNKI were searched from January 1966 up to December 2008.The modified Jadad scale was used for quality assessment.Numerical rating scale ( NRS),effective analgesia rate and the incidence of adverse effects were taken as main outcomes.Meta-analysis was conducted using the Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager 4.2 software.Results A total of four studies involving 1024 patients were included in this meta-analysis.The modified Jadad scale scores for the 4 studies were ≥ 4.The NRS scores were significantly lower,while effective analgesia rate was higher in groups 150,300,600 mg/d than placebo-controlled group (P ＜ 0.05).There were no significant differences in NRS scores and effective analgesia rate between 150 mg/d and 300 mg/d groups.The NRS scores were significantly lower in 600 mg/d group than in 300 mg/d group,but there were no significant differences in effective analgesia rate between 600 mg/d and 300 mg/d groups.The most frequent adverse effects were dizziness,somnolence,peripheral edema,and headache.Most of the adverse effects were mild or moderate in intensity.The occurrence of adverse effects appeared to be dose-related.Conclusion Pregabalin is effective and safe in patients with post-herpetic neuralgia,but the efficacy of reducing pain is not a dose-dependent manner.