Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease characterized by cartilage loss and accounts for a major source of pain and disability worldwide. However, effective strategies for cartilage repair are lacking, and patients with advanced OA usually need joint replacement. Better comprehending OA pathogenesis may lead to transformative therapeutics. Recently studies have reported that exosomes act as a new means of cell-to-cell communication by delivering multiple bioactive molecules to create a particular microenvironment that tunes cartilage behavior. Specifically, exosome cargos, such as noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) and proteins, play a crucial role in OA progression by regulating the proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, and inflammatory response of joint cells, rendering them promising candidates for OA monitoring and treatment. This review systematically summarizes the current insight regarding the biogenesis and function of exosomes and their potential as therapeutic tools targeting cell-to-cell communication in OA, suggesting new realms to improve OA management.
Apoptosis ; Cartilage/pathology* ; Cartilage, Articular/metabolism* ; Cell Communication ; Chondrocytes/metabolism* ; Exosomes/pathology* ; Humans ; Osteoarthritis/therapy*

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate transcription to control development and homeostasis in a variety of tissues and organs. However, their roles in the development of the cerebral cortex have not been well elucidated. Here, a bioinformatics pipeline was applied to delineate the dynamic expression and potential cis-regulating effects of mouse lncRNAs using transcriptome data from 8 embryonic time points and sub-regions of the developing cerebral cortex. We further characterized a sense lncRNA, SenZfp536, which is transcribed downstream of and partially overlaps with the protein-coding gene Zfp536. Both SenZfp536 and Zfp536 were predominantly expressed in the proliferative zone of the developing cortex. Zfp536 was cis-regulated by SenZfp536, which facilitates looping between the promoter of Zfp536 and the genomic region that transcribes SenZfp536. Surprisingly, knocking down or activating the expression of SenZfp536 increased or compromised the proliferation of cortical neural progenitor cells (NPCs), respectively. Finally, overexpressing Zfp536 in cortical NPCs reversed the enhanced proliferation of cortical NPCs caused by SenZfp536 knockdown. The study deepens our understanding of how lncRNAs regulate the propagation of cortical NPCs through cis-regulatory mechanisms.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of functional remediation (FR) on clinical symptoms, emotional recognition and functioning in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.Methods:The study subjects were randomized into the FR group ( n=39) and the treatment as usual group (TAU, n=42) at the 1∶1 ratio. They were given a 12-week treatment and the emotional recognition, social and cognitive function were assessed at both baseline and the endpoint by Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HDRS 17), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Bell-Lysaker Emotion Recognition Task (BLERT), Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) and The Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). A chi-square test and independent samples t-test were used to compare the demographic variables and clinical variables between FR group and TAU group, repeated-measures analyses of variances were conducted to compare the impact of two different interventions on clinical symptoms, BLERT emotional recognition, the FAST total scores and six domains, and all domains in MCCB. Results:(1) No differences on baseline demographic variables and clinical variables were found between FR group and TAU group (all P>0.05); (2) The repeated-measures analyses revealed that FR group had greater improvement in the correct numbers of BLERT-negative emotional recognition compared to TAU group ( F=4.53, P<0.05); (3) FR group showed greater improvements in the FAST total scores including occupational functioning and cognitive functioning compared to TAU group ( F=8.15, 7.94, 10.93, all P<0.05); (4) FR group showed greater improvements in the T-scores for TMT-A (Trail Making Test-A), BACS-SC (Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia: Symbol Coding subtest), HVLT-R (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised) and CPT (Continuous Performance Test) compared to TAU group [(41.2±10.2/50.4±6.0) vs. (39.9±9.8/44.2±3.6), (41.8±5.6/52.5±7.4) vs. (40.5±10.4/46.2±4.2), (41.2±4.2/51.7±4.2) vs. (40.0±5.9/46.0±3.2), (41.7±11.1/51.4±5.8) vs. (43.2±8.3/45.7±2.5), F=5.35, 4.94, 8.77, 10.56, all P<0.05]. Conclusions:These findings suggest that FR is a feasible and promising intervention for negative emotional recognition, occupational functioning, ability of verbal learning, attention and information-processing for euthymic patients with BD.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of functional remediation (FR) on clinical symptoms, emotional recognition and functioning in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.Methods:The study subjects were randomized into the FR group ( n=39) and the treatment as usual group (TAU, n=42) at the 1∶1 ratio. They were given a 12-week treatment and the emotional recognition, social and cognitive function were assessed at both baseline and the endpoint by Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HDRS 17), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Bell-Lysaker Emotion Recognition Task (BLERT), Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) and The Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). A chi-square test and independent samples t-test were used to compare the demographic variables and clinical variables between FR group and TAU group, repeated-measures analyses of variances were conducted to compare the impact of two different interventions on clinical symptoms, BLERT emotional recognition, the FAST total scores and six domains, and all domains in MCCB. Results:(1) No differences on baseline demographic variables and clinical variables were found between FR group and TAU group (all P>0.05); (2) The repeated-measures analyses revealed that FR group had greater improvement in the correct numbers of BLERT-negative emotional recognition compared to TAU group ( F=4.53, P<0.05); (3) FR group showed greater improvements in the FAST total scores including occupational functioning and cognitive functioning compared to TAU group ( F=8.15, 7.94, 10.93, all P<0.05); (4) FR group showed greater improvements in the T-scores for TMT-A (Trail Making Test-A), BACS-SC (Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia: Symbol Coding subtest), HVLT-R (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised) and CPT (Continuous Performance Test) compared to TAU group [(41.2±10.2/50.4±6.0) vs. (39.9±9.8/44.2±3.6), (41.8±5.6/52.5±7.4) vs. (40.5±10.4/46.2±4.2), (41.2±4.2/51.7±4.2) vs. (40.0±5.9/46.0±3.2), (41.7±11.1/51.4±5.8) vs. (43.2±8.3/45.7±2.5), F=5.35, 4.94, 8.77, 10.56, all P<0.05]. Conclusions:These findings suggest that FR is a feasible and promising intervention for negative emotional recognition, occupational functioning, ability of verbal learning, attention and information-processing for euthymic patients with BD.