ObjectiveTo evaluate the therapeutic effect of Huazhuo SanJie Chubi presciption （HSCD） on chronic gouty arthritis （CGA） rats with low-grade inflammation and to explore the underlying mechanism with a focus on macrophage polarization. MethodsThe 41 male 6-week-old SD rats were randomly allocated， using the random number table， to a normal group （n=8） and a model group （n =33）. CGA with low-grade inflammation was induced in the model group by daily gavage of potassium oxonate （250 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） and hypoxanthine （300 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， combined with intra-articular injection of a monosodium urate （MSU） crystal suspension （50 μL， 25 g·L^-¹） into the left ankle twice weekly. After 4 weeks of modeling， 3 rats were randomly selected from each group for model validation. The remaining successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group， an HSCD group （10.35 g·kg^-1·d^-1， gavage once daily）， an M1 polarization agonist group （L-methionine sulfoximine， 300 mg·kg^-1， subcutaneous injection every other day）， an M1 polarization agonist + HSCD group， an M2 polarization inhibitor group （PD0325901， 10 mg·kg^-1·d^-1， gavage once daily）， and M2 polarization inhibitor + HSCD group. The corresponding drug or drug combination was administered according to group assignment， whereas rats in the normal and model groups received 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose sodium （CMC-Na） vehicle （10.35 g·kg^-1·d^-1， gavage once daily）. All interventions were continued for four weeks. During the intervention period， except for the normal group， potassium oxonate （250 mg·kg⁻¹） and hypoxanthine （300 mg·kg^-1） were co-administered by gavage every other day to maintain the model. At the end of treatment， serum uric acid （SUA）， ankle joint diameter and joint swelling index were measured. The levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein （hs-CRP）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 （CCL2）， S100 calcium-binding protein A8/A9 （S100A8/A9）， interleukin-10 （IL-10） and arginase-1 （Arg-1） in serum and joint fluid were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. High-frequency ultrasound was used to assess MSU deposition in the ankle joint. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to evaluate synovial histopathological changes. Quantitative Real-time PCR and immunofluorescence were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of the M1 macrophage polarization markers inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） and the M2 macrophage polarization marker scavenger receptor cysteine-rich type 1 protein M130 （CD163） in synovial tissue. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significantly elevated SUA level and joint swelling index， and increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines， CCL2， and S100A8/A9 in both serum and joint fluid （P<0.05）， accompanied by MSU deposition and synovial inflammation in the ankle joint. The mRNA and protein expression levels of macrophage polarization M1/M2 markers iNOS and CD163 in synovial tissues were also significantly up-regulated （P<0.05）. Compared with model group， rats in HSCD group had significantly lower SUA levels， attenuated joint swelling， reduced serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines， and decreased levels of CCL2 and S100A8/A9 in both serum and joint fluid， accompanied with alleviated MSU deposition and synovial inflammation （P<0.05）. HSCD markedly downregulated the mRNA and protein expression of M1 marker iNOS （P<0.05）， whereas it had no significant effect on the expression of M2 marker CD163. Compared with the M1 polarization agonist group， the M1 polarization agonist + HSCD group showed significantly reduced joint swelling， lower serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines， and decreased levels of CCL2 and S100A8/A9 in joint fluid （P<0.05）. In addition， synovial inflammatory cell infiltration and angiogenesis were attenuated， and iNOS mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05）. Compared with the M2 polarization inhibitor group， the M2 polarization inhibitor + HSCD group exhibited reduced joint swelling， decreased levels of CCL2 and S100A8/A9 in joint fluid and ameliorated synovial inflammation （P<0.05）， whereas the levels of anti-inflammatory mediators （IL-10， Arg-1） and CD163 mRNA and protein expression were not significantly increased. ConclusionHSCD alleviates low-grade inflammation in CGA rats， at least in part， by inhibiting macrophage polarization toward the M1 phenotype.

ObjectiveThis paper aims to observe the effect of Huazhuo Sanjie Chubi prescription （HSCD） on the gouty bone erosion model rats and investigate its action mechanism. MethodsThirty-six two-month-old male SD rats were randomly divided into the blank group with nine rats and the modeling group with 27 rats. The rats in the modeling group were administered hypoxanthine solution at 300 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 and potassium oxonate solution at 250 mg·kg^-1·d^-1， combined with intra-articular injection of 200 μL monosodium urate （MSU） crystal suspension at 25 g·L^-1 into the right ankle joint （joint injection once every three days）， so as to induce the gouty bone erosion model. After four weeks of modeling， three rats were selected from these two groups to validate the model. The modeled 24 rats were randomly divided into the model group， HSCD group （10.35 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， allopurinol group （20 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， and inhibitor group （LY294002， 10 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， with six rats per group. Except for the blank group， rats in all other groups continued to receive hypoxanthine solution at 300 mg·kg^-1 and potassium oxonate solution at 250 mg·kg^-1 via gavage concurrently with administration to maintain modeling intervention. The rats in the HSCD group and allopurinol group received administration by gavage at the above doses. The rats in the inhibitor group received an intraperitoneal injection at the above dose. The rats in the blank group and model group received saline （10.35 g·kg^-1·d^-1） by gavage for four consecutive weeks. After administration， ankle joint swelling of the rats in all groups was observed， and the diameters were measured. Bone volume fraction （BV/TV） and bone surface area to bone volume （BS/BV） were observed and quantitatively analyzed by Micro-CT. Histopathological changes in the ankle joint were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and safranin O-fast green staining. The uric acid in the rats' serum was determined by enzyme colorimetry. The levels of inflammatory factors， including tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin （IL）-1β， and IL-6 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The protein expressions of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand （RANKL） and phosphorylated （p）-phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase （PI3K） in ankle joint tissues of rats were detected by immunofluorescence staining. The mRNA levels of the proteins related to the bone erosion， including RANKL， tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase （TRAP）， cathepsin K （CTSK）， and matrix metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9） in the ankle joint tissues of rats were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. The expressions of the proteins related to the bone erosion， including RANKL， CTSK， TRAP， MMP-9， and the proteins related to the PI3K/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway， including PI3K， Akt， mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）， p-PI3K， phosphorylated protein kinase B （p-Akt）， and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin （p-mTOR）， were detected by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the modeling group showed marked ankle swelling and increased diameter. Micro-CT revealed an uneven articular surface and honeycomb-like bone erosion in the ankle joint. Quantitative analysis showed decreased BV/TV and increased BS/BV （P<0.05）. HE staining revealed a narrowed joint space， rough and discontinuous cartilage surfaces， reduced and unevenly distributed chondrocytes， partial hypertrophy， and blurred tidemarks， confirming successful model establishment. After four weeks of intervention， compared with those in the blank group， the rats in the model group exhibited severe ankle swelling and increased diameters （P<0.05）. Micro‑CT showed that the ankle joint surface was irregular， and bone erosion exhibited a honeycomb‑like morphology. The microstructural parameters of the bone revealed a decreased BV/TV and an increased BS/BV （P<0.05）. Histopathological examination revealed a narrowed joint space and severe articular cartilage destruction. The levels of uric acid in the serum and inflammatory factors （IL-1β， IL-6， and TNF-α） were increased （P<0.05）. The mRNA and protein levels of the proteins related to bone erosion in joint tissue， including RANKL， CTSK， TRAP， and MMP-9， were upregulated （P<0.05）. The ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K， p-Akt/Akt， and p-mTOR/mTOR in the proteins related to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway were increased （P<0.05）. RANKL and p-PI3K protein fluorescence intensities were elevated （P<0.05）. Compared with those in the model group， the above indicators in all other administration groups showed varying degrees of improvement. The HSCD group and inhibitor groups exhibited more significant effects in reducing ankle swelling， improving bone erosion， bone microstructure （significant decrease in BV/TV and increase in BS/BV）， and the pathology of cartilage erosion， lowering inflammatory factor levels， downregulating the proteins related to the bone erosion， and suppressing activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway （P<0.05）. The uric acid levels in rats' serum were reduced in both HSCD and allopurinol groups （P<0.05）. Compared with those in the HSCD group， the rats in the allopurinol group had larger ankle diameters （P<0.05）， more severe bone erosion and bone microstructure damage （P<0.05）， worse improvement of the pathology of cartilage erosion， higher levels of IL-6 and TNF-α （P<0.05）， elevated expressions of the proteins related to the bone erosion， higher expression ratio of proteins related to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway （P<0.05）， and higher fluorescence intensities of RANKL and p-PI3K proteins （P<0.05）. The inhibitor group achieved comparable results to the HSCD group in improvements of bone microstructure and the reduction of IL-1β and IL-6， stronger suppression of TNF-α and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway activation （P<0.05）， but weaker effects on cartilage repair and serum uric acid reduction （P<0.05）. ConclusionHSCD effectively reduces uric acid levels in serum， suppresses inflammatory factor secretion， and downregulates the expressions of proteins related to bone erosion， including RANKL， CTSK， TRAP， and MMP-9 in the joint tissues. Its action mechanism of improving gouty bone erosion may be associated with inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Combined with elastic network model (ENM), the perturbation response scanning (PRS) has emerged as a robust technique for pinpointing allosteric interactions within proteins. Here, we proposed the PRS analysis of drug-target networks (DTNs), which could provide a promising avenue in network medicine. We demonstrated the utility of the method by introducing a deep learning and network perturbation-based framework, for drug repurposing of multiple sclerosis (MS). First, the MS comorbidity network was constructed by performing a random walk with restart algorithm based on shared genes between MS and other diseases as seed nodes. Then, based on topological analysis and functional annotation, the neurotransmission module was identified as the "therapeutic module" of MS. Further, perturbation scores of drugs on the module were calculated by constructing the DTN and introducing the PRS analysis, giving a list of repurposable drugs for MS. Mechanism of action analysis both at pathway and structural levels screened dihydroergocristine as a candidate drug of MS by targeting a serotonin receptor of serotonin 2B receptor (HTR2B). Finally, we established a cuprizone-induced chronic mouse model to evaluate the alteration of HTR2B in mouse brain regions and observed that HTR2B was significantly reduced in the cuprizone-induced mouse cortex. These findings proved that the network perturbation modeling is a promising avenue for drug repurposing of MS. As a useful systematic method, our approach can also be used to discover the new molecular mechanism and provide effective candidate drugs for other complex diseases.

BACKGROUND:Prosthesis loosening and wear are still the main problems in the failure of total ankle replacement,which are closely related to the micro-motion of the implant-bone interface,the contact stress of the articular surface and joint motion.The design of artificial joint components,including insert and tibial/talar stem prosthesis,is a key factor affecting the force,motion,and micromotion of the contact interface of the ankle joint.The development of new inserts is of great significance to improve the survival rate of artificial ankle joints. OBJECTIVE:The finite element model of the total ankle replacement model was constructed to detect the biomechanical properties of the porous structure-optimized inserts,and the effect of the porous structure-optimized inserts on reducing prosthesis micromotion and improving the contact behavior of the articular surface was analyzed. METHODS:Based on the CT scan data of the right ankle joint of a healthy adult and the INBONE Ⅱ system product manual,a three-dimensional model including bone and artificial joint system was established,and the total ankle replacement model(model A)was obtained after osteotomy and prosthesis installation,and then through four new types of inserts,G50,G60,D50,and D60,were obtained by transforming the porous structure of the original insert,and the original one was replaced with different inserts to establish an optimized total ankle replacement model(models B-E)corresponding to the inserts.The gait loads were applied on the five models to simulate the gait conditions.The differences in micromotion and articular surface contact behaviors at the implant-bone interface of all five models were compared. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)In the gait cycle,the micromotion of the prosthesis of the four optimized total ankle replacement models was lower than that of the original model.Compared with model A,the micromotion of the prosthesis in models B-E decreased by 5.4%,10.1%,8.1%,and 20.9%,respectively.The high micromotion area of t ??he tibial groove dome in the optimized model was significantly smaller than that of the original model.(2)The four optimized models obtained a larger articular surface contact area.Compared with model A,the average contact area of t ??he inserts in models B-E increased by 11.8%,14.7%,8.1%,and 32.6%,respectively.(3)Similar to the effect of increasing the contact area,compared with the original model,the contact stress of the optimized model decreased in varying degrees,and the value of model E decreased the most significantly(P<0.05),it is due to good mechanical properties and large porosity of the Diamond lattice that constitutes the D60-type insert.(4)The research results show that the use of porous structure to improve the inserts can improve the elasticity of the inserts and increase its ability to absorb joint impact,for favorable conditions are created for reducing micromotion at the implant-bone interface and improving joint contact behavior.

Objective:To conduct a comparative analysis of the biomechanical properties of Seinsheimer type V subtrochanteric femoral fractures treated with different fixation methods, including proximal femoral locking plate, Cephalomedullary nail + plate, Cephalomedullary nail + titanium cable, reconstructive intramedullary nail + plate, and reconstructive intramedullary nail+titanium cable, using finite element analysis.Methods:CT scan data of the left femur from a healthy adult volunteer was obtained and utilized to create a finite element model of Seinsheimer V subtrochanteric femoral fracture through software simulation. The construction of femoral proximal locking plates, cephalomedullary nails, reconstructive intramedullary nails, steel plates, and titanium cable internal fixation devices was based on manufacturer-provided product manuals. Following the assembly of fracture and internal fixation components, comparisons were made under physiological loads regarding the maximum displacement, maximum stress, and stress excitation effects on fracture fragments and internal fixation components across the various fixation models.Results:The maximum displacements of the femoral proximal locking plate, cephalomedullary nail + plate, cephalomedullary nail+titanium cable, reconstructive intramedullary nail+plate, and reconstructive intramedullary nail+titanium cable were 7.9, 5.7, 4.3, 4.3, and 4.9 mm, respectively. The maximum displacements of the internal fixation systems were 7.4, 5.8, 4.3, 4.3, and 4.9 mm, respectively. The maximum torsion angles of the internal fixation systems were 1.8°, 1.5°, 1.4°, 1.3°, and 1.5°, respectively. The maximum stresses on the fracture fragments of the femoral proximal locking plate were 172.0, 114.1, 115.4, 93.5, and 118.5 MPa, respectively. The maximum stresses on the internal fixation systems were 4,530.0, 993.6, 1,179.0, 890.4, and 847.2 MPa, respectively. The maximum contact stress on the contact surfaces of the distal and proximal fracture contact surface of the medial wall, and the distal and proximal fracture contact surface of the lateral wall of the proximal femoral locking plate was 48.9, 37.9, 4.4, 18.7 MPa, which was the highest among the five fixation methods, respectively. The contact stress of the cephalomedullary nail+titanium cable on contact surfaces mentioned above was 16.1, 18.1, 6.9, 11.7 MPa, exceeding the 0.0, 0.0, 5.5, 7.5 MPa of the cephalomedullary nail+plate. The contact stress of the reconstructive intramedullary nail+titanium cable on contact surfaces mentioned above was 13.7, 13.4, 6.9, 14.1 MPa, exceeding the 0.0, 0.0, 5.6, 11.0 MPa of the reconstructive intramedullary nail + plate as well.Conclusion:The utilization of the reconstructive intramedullary nail + titanium cable fixation method for treating Seinsheimer type V subtrochanteric femoral fractures demonstrates superior performance in terms of structural stability, durability, and stress stimulation on the bone cortex.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the influence of artificial ankle elastic improved inserts (hereinafter referred to as "improved inserts") in reducing prosthesis micromotion and improving joint surface contact mechanics by finite element analysis. METHODS: Based on the original insert of INBONE Ⅱ implant system (model A), four kinds of improved inserts were constructed by adding arc or platform type flexible layer with thickness of 1.3 or 2.6 mm, respectively. They were Flying goose type_1.3 elastic improved insert (model B), Flying goose type_2.6 elastic improved insert (model C), Platform type_1.3 elastic improved insert (model D), Platform type_2.6 elastic improved insert (model E). Then, the CT data of right ankle at neutral position of a healthy adult male volunteer was collected, and finite element models of total ankle replacement (TAR) was constructed based on model A-E prostheses by software of Mimics 19.0, Geomagic wrap 2017, Creo 6.0, Hypermesh 14.0, and Abaqus 6.14. Finally, the differences of bone-metal prosthesis interface micromotion and articular surface contact behavior between different models were investigated under ISO gait load. RESULTS: The tibia/talus-metal prosthesis interfaces micromotion of the five TAR models gradually increased during the support phase, then gradually fell back after entering the swing phase. The improved models (models B-E) showed lower bone-metal prosthesis interface micromotion when compared with the original model (model A), but there was no significant difference among models A-E ( P>0.05). The maximum micromotion of tibia appeared at the dome of the tibial bone groove, and the ​​micromotion area was the largest in model A and the smallest in model E. The maximum micromotion of talus appeared at the posterior surface of the central bone groove, and there was no difference in the micromotion area among models A-E. The contact area of the articular surface of the insert/talus prosthesis in each group increased in the support phase and decreased in the swing phase during the gait cycle. Compared with model A, the articular surface contact area of models B-E increased, but there was no significant difference among models A-E ( P>0.05). The change trend of the maximum stress on the articular surface of the inserts/talus prosthesis was similar to that of the contact area. Only the maximum contact stress of the insert joint surface of models D and E was lower than that of model A, while the maximum contact stress of the talar prosthesis joint surface of models B-E was lower than that of model A, but there was no significant difference among models A-E ( P>0.05). The high stress area of the lateral articular surface of the improved inserts significantly reduced, and the articular surface stress distribution of the talus prosthesis was more uniform. CONCLUSION Adding a flexible layer in the insert can improve the elasticity of the overall component, which is beneficial to absorb the impact force of the artificial ankle joint, thereby reducing interface micromotion and improving contact behavior. The mechanical properties of the inserts designed with the platform type and thicker flexible layer are better.
Adult ; Male ; Humans ; Ankle ; Ankle Joint/surgery* ; Finite Element Analysis ; Tibia/surgery* ; Talus ; Stress, Mechanical ; Biomechanical Phenomena

Previous studies suggest that the reduction of SMAD3 (mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3) has a great impact on tumor development, but its exact pathological function remains unclear. In this study, we found that the protein level of SMAD3 was greatly reduced in human-grade IV glioblastoma tissues, in which LAMP2A (lysosome-associated membrane protein type 2A) was significantly up-regulated. LAMP2A is a key rate-limiting protein of chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a lysosome pathway of protein degradation that is activated in glioma. We carefully analyzed the amino-acid sequence of SMAD3 and found that it contained a pentapeptide motif biochemically related to KFERQ, which has been proposed to be a targeting sequence for CMA. In vitro, we confirmed that SMAD3 was degraded in either serum-free or KFERQ motif deleted condition, which was regulated by LAMP2A and interacted with HSC70 (heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein). Using isolated lysosomes, amino-acid residues 75 and 128 of SMAD3 were found to be of importance for this process, which affected the CMA pathway in which SMAD3 was involved. Similarly, down-regulating SMAD3 or up-regulating LAMP2A in cultured glioma cells enhanced their proliferation and invasion. Taken together, these results suggest that excessive activation of CMA regulates glioma cell growth by promoting the degradation of SMAD3. Therefore, targeting the SMAD3-LAMP2A-mediated CMA-lysosome pathway may be a promising approach in anti-cancer therapy.

Management of bone defects caused by fractures，bone tumors or infections is clinically difficult as well as a hot topic in current studies. With further researches over bone defects，the construction of tissue-engineered bone has played a great role in the treatment of bone defects. Blood vessels not only provide the necessary nutritional mineral salts，growth factors，hormones for bone formation，also are able to mediate the interaction among osteoblasts and osteoclasts，osteocytes，bone autonomic nerve and endothelial cells，since bone formation exist spatially and temporally connection with angiogenesis. Therefore，the authors make a systematic literature review on the research progress of the coupling mechanism of angiogenesis and osteogenic differentiation，blood vessels and related signal pathways on osteogenic differentiation and angiogenesis-related molecules in osteogenic differentiation during the process of traumatic bone defects，so as to provide new ideas for the treatment of bone defects.

Objective To assess the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of parasitic diseases among technicians from disease control and prevention institutions. Methods The Assessment on National Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention Techniques was organized in September,2015. Together,124 subjects from disease control and prevention institutions at prov-ince,prefecture or county levels in 31 provinces joined the assessment. A database was built consisting of subjects'basic infor-mation and assessment scores. Statistical analysis was used to analyze the scores by gender,age,professional title,institutions and places of participants. Results The average total score of all the subjects was 123.3,with a passing rate of 57.3%. The av-erage scores of male subjects(48 subjects)and female subjects(76 subjects)were 125.9 and 121.7 respectively;the average scores of the subjects aged under 30 years(57 subjects),between 30 and 40 years(61 subjects)and above 40 years(6 sub-jects)were 119.6,128.1 and 111.2 respectively;the average scores of persons with junior(94 subjects),intermediate(28 sub-jects)and senior(2 subjects)professional titles were 119.2,135.9 and 140.5 respectively. The average theoretical assessment score of all the subjects was 61.9,with a passing rate of 62.9%. The average practical skill assessment score of all the subjects was 61.4,with a passing rate of 58.1%. Conclusions The theoretical assessment results range widely. The theoretical knowl-edge results of technicians from disease control and prevention institutions are low in general. Therefore ,the specific training based on daily work needs to be enhanced.

BACKGROUND: Human acellular amniotic membrane is a kind of extracellular matrix material with good biocompatibility and biological activity. It has been widely used in various clinical studies because of its low immunogenicity, small rejection and easy preparation.OBJECTIVE: To review the applications of human acellular amniotic membranes in tissue engineering field, such as skin, blood vessel, cornea, cartilage and bone.METHODS: CNKI (from January 2005 to May 2017), CBMdisc (from January 2005 to May 2017), PubMed (from January 1990 to May 2017) and Elsevier (from January 1990 to May 2017) were retrieved for articles addressing the application of human acellular amniotic membrane as a tissue-engineered scaffold in the bone, cartilage, skin, and blood vessels.The keywords were acelluar amniotic membrane, scaffold, material, tissue engineering ECM in Chinese and English, respectively.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Human acellular amniotic membrane owns the structure and function of the natural extracellular matrix, which can be combined with stem cells from different sources to differentiate into different tissues and organs, such as bone, cartilage, skin, blood vessel, and corneal tissues. As a tissue-engineered scaffold, human acellular amniotic membrane has good biocompatibility, biodegradability and low immunogenicity, although it has some shortcomings, such as poor strength and post-transplantation rejection reactions. Therefore, the future studies are mainly focused on shortening the adhesion time between cells and scaffolds, increasing the own mechanical strength of human acellular amniotic membrane, optimizing the cell growth microenvironment, and combining human acellular amniotic membrane with other tissue-engineered scaffolds.