BACKGROUND:Low-grade,chronic inflammation is thought to play a central role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis.However,the specific molecular mechanisms are still unclear.OBJECTIVE:To screen and explore the potential hub genes and immune cell infiltration in osteoarthritis.METHODS:We merged data from the GSE206848 on the GPL570 and the GSE55235 and GSE55457 on the GPL96 to form the row dataset.Outlier samples were removed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis,followed by the identification of differentially expressed genes,and subsequent functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes.Further,a protein-protein interaction network of differentially expressed genes was constructed,and hub genes were identified using two different algorithms in Cytoscape.Additionally,the CIBERSORT algorithm was employed to assess differences in immune cell infiltration proportions between osteoarthritis samples and normal controls.Finally,the diagnostic efficacy of hub genes for osteoarthritis was validated using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction experiments conducted on synovial tissue samples collected from patients with osteoarthritis,in conjunction with the GSE12021 dataset from the GPL96 sequencing platform as an independent dataset.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After eliminating 5 outlier samples,we identified a total of 340 differentially expressed genes,comprising 159 up-regulated genes and 181 down-regulated genes.Six hub genes were obtained by weighted gene co-expression network analysis and Cytoscape.CIBERSORT analysis revealed a difference in the proportion of multiple types of immune cell infiltration in osteoarthritic tissues compared with normal tissues.Moreover,the expression levels of the six hub genes exhibited strong correlation with the relative proportion of multiple immune cells in osteoarthritis.The results of RT-qPCR indicated that the relative expression levels of the six genes were down-regulated relative to normal tissues.However,there was no significant difference in the expression of NFKBIA and PTGS2(P>0.05).Simultaneously,receiver operator characteristic curves in both the original and external datasets demonstrated that the six hub genes exhibited strong diagnostic capabilities for osteoarthritis(area under the curve>0.8).To conclude,four hub genes,CDKN1A,MYC,C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2,and vascular endothelial growth factor A,are finally identified and may serve as molecular targets for future treatment by mediating immune response and inflammatory processes.

Objective To examine the expression levels of inflammatory factors,including IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH,in the cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemor-rhage(sICH),and to investigate their associations with disease severity and clinical outcomes.Methods A total of 168 patients with sICH admitted to Tangshan GongRen Hospital between January 2023 and January 2025 were prospectively enrolled as the study group,while 30 non-sICH patients who underwent lumbar puncture during the same period served as the control group.Levels of inflammatory factors in CSF were compared between the two groups.Spearman's rank correlation analysis was performed to assess the association between inflammatory factor levels and clinical severity in sICH patients.Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictors of sICH prognosis.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was employed to evaluate the prognostic value of these inflammatory factors in sICH.Results The levels of IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH in the CSF of patients with sICH were significantly higher than those in non-sICH patients(all P<0.05).Furthermore,among sICH patients,these biomarker levels exhibited a graded increase according to disease severity:severe>moderate>mild(all P<0.05).Spearman correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between CSF levels of IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH and the NIHSS scores,with correlation coefficients(r)of 0.686,0.553,0.685,0.593,and 0.695,respectively(all P<0.05).When comparing the prognoses of sICH patients,hematoma size,NIHSS score,and CSF levels of IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH were significantly higher in the deceased group than in the survival group(P<0.05),whereas ApoA1 levels were lower in the deceased group(P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis revealed that hematoma size,NIHSS score,and elevated CSF levels of IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH were independent risk factors for mortality in sICH patients(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC values for CSF IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH in predicting sICH prognosis were 0.794,0.754,0.670,0.717,and 0.683,respectively.Notably,the combination of CSF inflammatory markers with hematoma size and NIHSS score yielded an AUC of 0.993,demonstrating significantly greater predictive accuracy than CSF inflammatory markers alone(P<0.05).Conclusions The levels of inflammatory factors in the CSF,including IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH,were elevated in patients with sICH and positively correlated with disease severity.Combining CSF inflammatory markers with the NIHSS score and hematoma size improved the predictive accuracy for sICH prognosis.

Objective To examine the expression levels of inflammatory factors,including IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH,in the cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemor-rhage(sICH),and to investigate their associations with disease severity and clinical outcomes.Methods A total of 168 patients with sICH admitted to Tangshan GongRen Hospital between January 2023 and January 2025 were prospectively enrolled as the study group,while 30 non-sICH patients who underwent lumbar puncture during the same period served as the control group.Levels of inflammatory factors in CSF were compared between the two groups.Spearman's rank correlation analysis was performed to assess the association between inflammatory factor levels and clinical severity in sICH patients.Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictors of sICH prognosis.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was employed to evaluate the prognostic value of these inflammatory factors in sICH.Results The levels of IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH in the CSF of patients with sICH were significantly higher than those in non-sICH patients(all P<0.05).Furthermore,among sICH patients,these biomarker levels exhibited a graded increase according to disease severity:severe>moderate>mild(all P<0.05).Spearman correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between CSF levels of IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH and the NIHSS scores,with correlation coefficients(r)of 0.686,0.553,0.685,0.593,and 0.695,respectively(all P<0.05).When comparing the prognoses of sICH patients,hematoma size,NIHSS score,and CSF levels of IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH were significantly higher in the deceased group than in the survival group(P<0.05),whereas ApoA1 levels were lower in the deceased group(P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis revealed that hematoma size,NIHSS score,and elevated CSF levels of IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH were independent risk factors for mortality in sICH patients(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC values for CSF IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH in predicting sICH prognosis were 0.794,0.754,0.670,0.717,and 0.683,respectively.Notably,the combination of CSF inflammatory markers with hematoma size and NIHSS score yielded an AUC of 0.993,demonstrating significantly greater predictive accuracy than CSF inflammatory markers alone(P<0.05).Conclusions The levels of inflammatory factors in the CSF,including IL-6,IL-10,MMP-9,IL-17A,and LDH,were elevated in patients with sICH and positively correlated with disease severity.Combining CSF inflammatory markers with the NIHSS score and hematoma size improved the predictive accuracy for sICH prognosis.

BACKGROUND:Low-grade,chronic inflammation is thought to play a central role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis.However,the specific molecular mechanisms are still unclear.OBJECTIVE:To screen and explore the potential hub genes and immune cell infiltration in osteoarthritis.METHODS:We merged data from the GSE206848 on the GPL570 and the GSE55235 and GSE55457 on the GPL96 to form the row dataset.Outlier samples were removed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis,followed by the identification of differentially expressed genes,and subsequent functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes.Further,a protein-protein interaction network of differentially expressed genes was constructed,and hub genes were identified using two different algorithms in Cytoscape.Additionally,the CIBERSORT algorithm was employed to assess differences in immune cell infiltration proportions between osteoarthritis samples and normal controls.Finally,the diagnostic efficacy of hub genes for osteoarthritis was validated using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction experiments conducted on synovial tissue samples collected from patients with osteoarthritis,in conjunction with the GSE12021 dataset from the GPL96 sequencing platform as an independent dataset.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After eliminating 5 outlier samples,we identified a total of 340 differentially expressed genes,comprising 159 up-regulated genes and 181 down-regulated genes.Six hub genes were obtained by weighted gene co-expression network analysis and Cytoscape.CIBERSORT analysis revealed a difference in the proportion of multiple types of immune cell infiltration in osteoarthritic tissues compared with normal tissues.Moreover,the expression levels of the six hub genes exhibited strong correlation with the relative proportion of multiple immune cells in osteoarthritis.The results of RT-qPCR indicated that the relative expression levels of the six genes were down-regulated relative to normal tissues.However,there was no significant difference in the expression of NFKBIA and PTGS2(P>0.05).Simultaneously,receiver operator characteristic curves in both the original and external datasets demonstrated that the six hub genes exhibited strong diagnostic capabilities for osteoarthritis(area under the curve>0.8).To conclude,four hub genes,CDKN1A,MYC,C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2,and vascular endothelial growth factor A,are finally identified and may serve as molecular targets for future treatment by mediating immune response and inflammatory processes.

Background::Bladder cancer, characterized by a high potential of tumor recurrence, has high lifelong monitoring and treatment costs. To date, tumor cells with intrinsic softness have been identified to function as cancer stem cells in several cancer types. Nonetheless, the existence of soft tumor cells in bladder tumors remains elusive. Thus, our study aimed to develop a microbarrier microfluidic chip to efficiently isolate deformable tumor cells from distinct types of bladder cancer cells.Methods::The stiffness of bladder cancer cells was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The modified microfluidic chip was utilized to separate soft cells, and the 3D Matrigel culture system was to maintain the softness of tumor cells. Expression patterns of integrin β8 (ITGB8), protein kinase B (AKT), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were determined by Western blotting. Double immunostaining was conducted to examine the interaction between F-actin and tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59). The stem-cell-like characteristics of soft cells were explored by colony formation assay and in vivo studies upon xenografted tumor models. Results::Using our newly designed microfluidic approach, we identified a small fraction of soft tumor cells in bladder cancer cells. More importantly, the existence of soft tumor cells was confirmed in clinical human bladder cancer specimens, in which the number of soft tumor cells was associated with tumor relapse. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the biomechanical stimuli arising from 3D Matrigel activated the F-actin/ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis pathways to enhance the softness and tumorigenic capacity of tumor cells. Simultaneously, we detected a remarkable up-regulation in ITGB8, TRIM59, and phospho-AKT in clinical bladder recurrent tumors compared with their non-recurrent counterparts.Conclusions::The ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis axis plays a crucial role in modulating tumor softness and stemness. Meanwhile, the soft tumor cells become more sensitive to chemotherapy after stiffening, that offers new insights for hampering tumor progression and recurrence.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and all-cause mortality influencing factors of patients with Keshan disease.Methods:Clinical data of patients with Keshan disease from Keshan disease areas in Sichuan Province and Yunnan Province were collected and retrospectively analyzed for clinical characteristics and survival status during regular follow-up. According to the survival status of patients, the survey subjects were divided into a survival group and a death group. All-cause mortality (referring to the death caused by various reasons throughout the follow-up period) was used as the study endpoint. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curve analysis and log-rank χ 2 test were performed, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used for all-cause mortality factor analysis. Results:A total of 176 patients with Keshan disease were collected, including 92 cases in Sichuan Province and 84 cases in Yunnan Province. Among all the patients, there were 105 males, accounting for 59.66%, and 71 females, accounting for 40.34%. The age was (53.89 ± 13.19) years old. Thirty-five cases died from all causes, with a mortality rate of 19.89%. There were significant differences in age ( t = 2.09, P = 0.038), New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function grading (χ 2 = 14.62, P < 0.001) and ventricular premature contraction (χ 2 = 6.82, P = 0.009) between the survival group and the death group. K-M survival curve analysis showed that patients with Keshan disease complicated by premature ventricular contraction and high NYHA cardiac function grading (Ⅲ and Ⅳ) had higher all-cause mortality (log-rank χ 2 = 8.72, 22.49, P < 0.05). Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that NYHA cardiac function grading and ventricular premature contraction ( HR = 3.09, 2.71, P < 0.05) were predictive influencing factors for all-cause mortality in patients with Keshan disease. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that NYHA cardiac function grading ( HR = 6.57, P = 0.002) and ventricular premature contraction ( HR = 2.98, P = 0.050) were independent factors for all-cause mortality in patients with Keshan disease. Conclusions:Among 176 patients with Keshan disease, the number of patients with poor cardiac function (NYHA cardiac function grading Ⅲ and Ⅳ) and arrhythmia is high. NYHA cardiac function grading and ventricular premature contractions are independent influencing factors for all-cause mortality in patients with Keshan disease.

Objective:To summarize and analyze clinical characteristics and possible pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) -like lesions after treatment with interleukin-17 (IL-17) antagonists in patients with psoriasis, so as to improve the clinical management of these patients.Methods:Four patients with psoriasis, who developed AD-like lesions after the treatment with IL-17 antagonists, were reported. A comprehensive update-search was carried out to analyze and summarize clinical characteristics of and therapeutic strategies for other related cases reported in Chinese and international literature.Results:Among the 4 patients in this study, 2 were males and 2 were females, with a history of psoriasis ranging from 10 to 35 years; after 5-month to 2-year treatment with secukinumab, they developed pruritic erythema and papules with exudation on the trunk, limbs and/or face. All the 4 patients had a history of atopic diseases and elevated serum total IgE levels and/or eosinophil counts. AD-like lesions were controlled in 3 patients after treatment with systemic cyclosporine, glucocorticoids and/or antihistamines, as well as topical glucocorticoids and/or tacrolimus, and secukinumab continued to be administered simultaneously; 1 discontinued secukinumab due to repeated AD-like lesions. Totally, 12 articles in English containing 48 patients were included, and a total of 52 patients including the 4 patients in this study were analyzed. Among them, there were 30 males and 22 females, with the age being 50.1 ± 13.6 years; 37 cases were induced by secukinumab, 14 induced by ixekizumab, and 1 induced by brodalumab; the time from the initiation of biologic therapy to the onset of AD-like lesions ranged from 1 week to 2 years; the lesions manifested as pruritic erythema and papules, accompanied by scales or exudation; the skin lesions were mainly distributed on the limbs (41 cases, 78.8%), followed by the trunk (32 cases, 61.5%) and face (20 cases, 38.5%) ; a personal or family history of atopic diseases was reported in 57.7% patients; peripheral blood eosinophil counts increased in 5 cases, and serum total IgE levels were elevated in 17. Thirty-two (61.5%) patients discontinued IL-17 antagonists, and received single or combination therapies, including systemic treatment with cyclosporine, methotrexate, glucocorticoids, antihistamines, other biologic agents and small-molecule drugs, topical treatment with glucocorticoids and/or tacrolimus, and phototherapy; 20 (38.5%) patients continued the previous treatment with IL-17 antagonists, and additionally received topical treatment with or without oral antihistamines or cyclosporine; after the above treatment, the psoriatic and AD-like lesions were controlled in most patients.Conclusions:AD-like lesions after IL-17 antagonist therapy were not common in patients with psoriasis, and these patients developing AD-like lesions were more likely to have a personal or family history of atopic diseases and elevated levels of serum total IgE; based on the disease condition, the treatment with IL-17 antagonists may be considered to continue during the symptomatic treatment of AD-like lesions.

Accurate classification of the acetabular injuries and appropriate treatment plan are great challenges for orthopedic surgeons because of the irregular anatomical structure of the acetabulum and aggregation of important vessels and nerves around it. Letournel-Judet classification system has been widely applied to classify acetabular fractures. However, there are several limitations, including incomplete inclusion of fracture types, difficulty in understanding and insufficient guidance for surgical treatment, etc. Serious complications such as traumatic arthritis are common due to wrong classification and diagnosis and improper selection of surgical strategy, which brings a heavy burden to the society and families. Three-column classification, based on anatomic characteristics, has advantages of containing more fracture types and being easy to understand, etc. To solve the problems existing in the diagnosis and treatment process based on Letournel-Judet classification, achieve accurate diagnosis and treatment of patients with acetabular fractures, and obtain satisfactory prognosis, the Orthopedic Trauma Emergency Center of Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University and the Trauma Orthopedic Branch of the Chinese Orthopedic Association organized experts from relevant fields to formulate the Expert consensus on the accurate diagnosis and treatment of acetabular fractures based on three-column classification ( version 2023) in terms of principles of evidence-based medicine. Based on the three-column classification, 15 recommendations were proposed, covering the diagnosis, treatment, complication prevention and management, etc, so as to provide reference for accurate diagnosis and treatment of acetabular fractures.