The ambiguity of etiology makes temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) "difficult-to-treat". Emerging evidence underscores the therapeutic promise of exosomes in osteoarthritis management. Nonetheless, challenges such as low yields and insignificant efficacy of current exosome therapies necessitate significant advances. Addressing lower strontium (Sr) levels in arthritic synovial microenvironment, we studied the effect of Sr element on exosomes and miRNA selectively loading in synovial mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs). Here, we developed an optimized system that boosts the yield of SMSC-derived exosomes (SMSC-EXOs) and improves their miRNA profiles with an elevated proportion of beneficial miRNAs, while reducing harmful ones by pretreating SMSCs with Sr. Compared to untreated SMSC-EXOs, Sr-pretreated SMSC-derived exosomes (Sr-SMSC-EXOs) demonstrated superior therapeutic efficacy by mitigating chondrocyte ferroptosis and reducing osteoclast-mediated joint pain in TMJOA. Our results illustrate Alix's crucial role in Sr-triggered miRNA loading, identifying miR-143-3p as a key anti-TMJOA exosomal component. Interestingly, this system is specifically oriented towards synovium-derived stem cells. The insight into trace element-driven, site-specific miRNA selectively loading in SMSC-EXOs proposes a promising therapeutic enhancement strategy for TMJOA.
MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/drug effects* ; Osteoarthritis/drug therapy* ; Exosomes/drug effects* ; Strontium/pharmacology* ; Synovial Membrane/cytology* ; Humans ; Animals ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/therapy* ; Temporomandibular Joint

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs combined with linezolid in treatment of children with tuberculous meningitis (TBM).Methods:A retrospective cohort study design was performed . Eight-nine Children diagnosed as TBM during January 1 st 2016 and December 31 st 2023 in Department of Infectious Disease, Children′s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were enrolled in the study. According to different treatment regimens, children were divided into a group of first-line anti-tuberculous drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol (HRZE)) and a group of HRZE and linezolid combination (HRZEL). The efficacy and safety of the 2 regimens were compared and the relationship between linezolid drug concentration and adverse reactions were analyzed. Comparisons between groups were performed using χ2 test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results:The 89 children with TBM included 53 males and 36 females with an onset age of 4.6 (1.4, 9.6) years. There were 27 cases in the HZREL group and 62 cases in the HRZE group. Before treatment, positive rate of interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) in HRZEL group was lower than that in HRZE group (64% (16/25) vs.92% (55/60), χ2=9.82, P<0.05), but protein level of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was higher than that in HRZE group (1.2 (1.0, 2.0) vs.0.8 (0.4,1.4) g/L, Z=0.32, P<0.05). By the end of the intensive phase, there were no significant differences of rates of CSF improvement and etiology negativity between HRZEL group and HRZE group (both P>0.05).The 44 TBM children with high CSF protein (>1 g/L) included 25 males and 19 females with an onset age of 6.7 (3.0, 11.8) years. There were 21 cases in the HZREL group and 23 cases in the HRZE group accordingly. Before treatment, there were no significant differences of positive rate of IGRA test and CSF protein level between the 2 groups (62% (13/21) vs. 87% (20/23), 1.7 (1.1, 2.2) vs. 1.5 (1.2, 1.9) g/L, χ2=3.67, Z=0.23, both P>0.05). There were no significant differences in CSF indicators, etiology negativity or imaging remission between the two groups by the end of intensive phase (all P>0.05). Higher frequencies of granulocytopenia, gastrointestinal symptoms as well as withdrawal or change of drugs were found in HRZEL group when compared to those in HRZE group (44% (12/27) vs. 19% (12/62), 7% (2/27) vs. 0, 33% (9/27) vs. 3% (2/62), χ2=6.01, 4.70, 15.74, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The efficacy of HRZEL regimen is similar to conventional HRZE regimen in children with TBM, but with higher adverse effect. Prudentially evaluating the pros and cons of linezolid in the usage of drug-susceptible TB and carefully monitoring of linezolid associated adverse effects is suggested.

Objective:Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)is a common metabolic disorder in overweight and obese children,and its etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear,lacking effective preventive and therapeutic measures.This study aims to explore the association between whole blood copper,zinc,calcium,magnesium and iron levels and NAFLD in overweight and obese children aged 6 to 17 years,providing a scientific basis for the prevention and intervention of early NAFLD in overweight and obese children. Methods:A cross-sectional study design was used to collect relevant data from overweight and obese children who visited the Hunan Children's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 through questionnaire surveys.Fasting blood samples were collected from the subjects,and various indicators such as blood glucose,blood lipid,and mineral elements were detected.All children were divided into an overweight group(n=400)and a NAFLD group(n=202).The NAFLD group was divided into 2 subgroups according to the ALT level:A non-alcoholic fatty liver(NAFL)group and a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH)group.Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between minerals(copper,zinc,calcium,magnesium,and iron)and NAFLD,NAFL and NASH. Results:A total of 602 subjects were included,of whom 73.6%were male,with a median age of 10(9,11)years,and a body mass index(BMI)of 24.9(22.7,27.4)kg/m2.The intergroup comparison results showed that compared with the overweight group,the NAFLD group had higher levels of age,BMI,diastolic blood pressure(DBP),systolic blood pressure(SBP),triglyceride(TG),low density lipoprotein(LDL),alanine transaminase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and lower level of high density lipoprotein(HDL).The NAFL group had higher levels of age,BMI,DBP,SBP,ALT,and AST,and lower levels of HDL compared with the overweight group.The levels of age,BMI,DBP,SBP,TG,LDL,ALT,and AST of NASH were higher than those in the overweight group,while the level of HDL was lower than that in overweight group(all P<0.017).After adjusting for a variety of confounders,the OR of NAFLD for the highest quantile of iron was 1.79(95%CI 1.07 to 3.00)compared to the lowest quantile,and no significant association was observed between copper,zinc,calcium,and magnesium,and NAFLD.The subgroup analysis of NAFLD showed that the OR for the highest quantile of iron in children with NAFL was 2.21(95%CI 1.26 to 3.88),while no significant association was observed between iron level and NASH.In addition,no significant associations were observed between copper,zinc,calcium,and magnesium levels and NAFL or NASH. Conclusion:High iron level increases the risk of NAFLD(more likely NAFL)in overweight and obese children,while copper,zinc,calcium,magnesium,and other elements are not associated with the risk of NAFLD in overweight and obese children.

Objective To investigate the relationship between circular RNA homeodomain interacting protein ki-nase 3 (circHIPK3) and the activation of rat microglia (RM) cells.Methods In vitro, RM cells were cultured and randomized into normal and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) groups, and the expression lev-el of circHIPK3 in each group was detected by RT-qPCR.The circHIPK3 lentiviral vector with puromycin resist-ance was constructed, and the overexpression (OE) group and negative control (NC) group were set up.The opti-mal multiplicity of infection (MOI) for RM cells was determined based on fluorescence expression, and puromycin was used to screen RM cells stably expressing circHIPK3 .The cells of OE and NC groups were treated with OGD/R, and the expression levels of ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1) and eukaryotic tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (CD40) were detected by Western blot.The circHIPK3 translational protein potential was analyzed by the circRNAdb database, while the potential binding microRNAs on circHIPK3 were predicted by circBank and Starbase databases.Results OGD/R down-regulated circHIPK3 in RM cells (P <0.0001).The sequencing results were accurate and the lentiviral vector of circHIPK3 was constructed successfully.The optimal MOI of RM cells was 80 , puromycin at a concentration of 2μg/ml was used to screen RM cell lines stably express-ing circHIPK3 .RT-qPCR results showed that the expression level of circHIPK3 was significantly higher in the OE group compared with the NC group (P<0.01) .Western blot results revealed that the expression levels of Iba-1 and CD40 in the OE group were markedly lower than those in the NC group (P<0.05) .Protein translation analy-sis showed that circHIPK3 encoded a polypeptide of 404 amino acids with two internal ribosome entry sites (IRES) and an open reading frame (ORF) .Database analysis uncovered that circHIPK3 could target eight specific miR-Nas, namely hsa-miR-3529-5p, hsa-miR-379-5p, hsa-miR-506-3p, hsa-miR-33, hsa-miR-450b-5p, hsa-miR-551b-3p, hsa-miR-193, and hsa-miR-508-3p.Conclusion The overexpression of circHIPK3 effectively suppres-ses OGD/R-induced activation of RM cells.It has the potential to encode peptides and may act as a miRNA sponge.These findings provide a foundation for further study of circHIPK3 functions.

BACKGROUND:Modification of food consistency and volume is a commonly used method of swallowing compensation in clinical practice.Dry swallowing is a commonly used method of evaluation.The hyoid muscles are very important in swallowing.The effects of dry swallowing and swallowing tasks of different consistencies and volumes on hyoid muscle activation levels are still unclear. OBJECTIVE:To explore the effects of simple dry swallowing and swallowing tasks of different consistencies and volumes on the hyoid muscles in healthy adults. METHODS:A total of 44 healthy adults were included from April to August 2019,including 19 males and 25 females,with an average age of(21.7±2.8)years.They randomly performed dry swallowing and swallowing tasks of different consistencies(the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative(IDDSI)frame levels 0-4)and volumes(5,10,20 mL),and the surface electromyogram signals of the hyoid muscles during each swallowing task were recorded.After processing the raw surface electromyogram signals,the activation levels of the hyoid muscles were compared between dry swallowing and swallowing tasks of different consistency and volume. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The mean amplitude values of the suprahyoid muscles corresponding to swallowing tasks of 20 mL for levels 0-4,10 mL for level 3,and 5 mL for level 4 were higher than those of dry swallowing(P＜0.05).The mean amplitude values of the suprahyoid muscles corresponding to the 20-mL swallowing tasks of different consistencies were higher than those of the 5-mL swallowing tasks of the corresponding consistencies,except for level 3(P＜0.05).The mean amplitude values of the suprahyoid muscles corresponding to the 20-mL swallowing tasks of different consistencies were higher than those of the 10-mL swallowing tasks of the corresponding consistencies,except for levels 2 and 3(P＜0.05).The mean amplitude values of the infrahyoid muscles corresponding to all swallowing tasks were higher than that of dry swallowing(P＜0.05).The mean amplitude values of the infrahyoid muscles corresponding to the 20-mL swallowing tasks of different consistencies were higher than that of the 5-and 10-mL swallowing tasks of the corresponding consistencies(P＜0.05).The mean amplitude values of the infrahyoid muscles corresponding to the 10-mL swallowing tasks of different consistencies were higher than those of the 5-mL swallowing tasks of the corresponding consistencies,except for level 3(P＜0.05).To conclude,in healthy adults performing swallowing tasks of different volumes and consistencies,the level of activation of the hyoid muscles is less susceptible to IDDSI frame levels 0-4 consistency and more susceptible to volume.The higher volume indicates the higher activation level of the hyoid muscles.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of the polymorphisms of the acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase 1 （ACAT1） gene and the melatonin receptor 1B （MTNR1B） gene with the susceptibility to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. MethodsA total of 164 healthy controls and 228 NAFLD patients were enrolled in this study. PCR and sequencing methods were used to determine the genotypes of the polymorphisms of the ACAT1 gene at the rs1044925 and rs1157651 loci and the MTNR1B gene at the rs10830963 locus， and fasting venous blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis. The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups， and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. ResultsThere were no significant differences between the NAFLD group and the healthy control group in the genotype distribution of the ACAT1 gene at the rs1044925 and rs1157651 loci and the MTNR1B gene at the rs10830963 locus （all P>0.05）. The carriers of AA genotype at the rs1044925 locus of the ACAT1 gene had a significantly higher level of low-density lipoprotein than the carriers of C allele （Z=-2.08， P=0.04）， and the carriers of G allele at the rs10830963 locus of the MTNR1B gene had a significantly higher level of fasting blood glucose than the carriers of CC genotype （Z=-3.01， P<0.01）. ConclusionThe polymorphisms of the ACAT1 gene at the rs1044925 and rs1157651 loci and the MTNR1B gene at the rs10830963 locus were not associated with the susceptibility to NAFLD. The rs1044925 locus of the ACAT1 gene and the rs10830963 locus of the MTNR1B gene are associated with the levels of low-density lipoprotein and fasting blood glucose， respectively.

Objective: To investigate the effect of G protein-coupled receptor 108(GPR108) gene knockout on systemic inflammation in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced sepsis mice. Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice and GPR108 gene knockout mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: WT group, WT-LPS group, KO group, KO-LPS group. The physiological characteristics of mice in different groups were observed, and the morphological changes of liver and lung tissues were observed. Macrophages were extracted from bone marrow and subjected to flow cytometry to detect their M1 polarization status. The expression levels of IL-6 in liver and lung tissues, macrophages, and serum were also measured. Results: KO-LPS group mice showed significant liver and lung tissue damage, with a significantly greater number of bone marrow-derived macrophages polarizing towards M1 in the KO-LPS group compared to the WT-LPS group. Additionally, at the tissue, cellular, and serum levels, the expression of IL-6 in the KO-LPS group mice was significantly higher than that in the WT-LPS group mice(P<0.05). Conclusion During the systemic inflammatory infection induced by LPS in mice, the lack of GPR108 exacerbates the systemic inflammatory response. GPR108 has an inhibitory effect on the inflammatory response in mice with LPS-induced sepsis.

Objective To analyze the registered clinical trials of headache treated by TCM;To discuss the current research status;To provide reference for the optimization of subsequent clinical trial research plans.Methods All clinical trials of headache treated by TCM were retrieved from the ChiCTR and the ClinicalTrials.The retrieval time was from the database establishment to May 22,2023.The general characteristics,study types,intervention measures and outcome indicators of the trials were analyzed respectively.Results A total of 104 registered studies were included,with the number of registered studies increasing since 2004 and reaching a peak in 2020,involving 25 provincial administrative regions or countries and 69 clinical trial institutions;the funding sources were mainly scientific research funds of universities,national finance and local finance.The research type was mainly intervention research;the designing scheme was mainly randomized parallel control study;the high frequency random method was simple random method;45 registered studies used blind methods.Exploratory studies/pre-trials were the most commonly used in the phases of clinical researches.Most of the registered studies were single-center clinical trials with a total sample size of 9 648 patients.The main interventions were acupuncture and oral Chinese medicines.The high frequency outcome indicators included life quality of score,headache attack frequency,headache attack days and headache severity,etc.There were some problems in outcome indicators,such as non-standard,lack of TCM characteristic advantages,and insufficient patient participation.Conclusion The number of registered studies of headache treated by TCM has increased by year,but there are some problems in design elements,such as random method,blind method,number of research centers,sample size and the setting of outcome indicator.

Objective : To examine the role of LMO4 in the regulation of endothelial cell differentiation and angio- genesis in murine embryonic stem cells (mESC) ． Methods : Mouse Lmo4 cDNA was obtained from MEL cells by using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and subcloned into the expression vector pFG to generate the pFLG ，in which contained Flk-1 promoter to drive Lmo4 expresses in only FLK-1 + cells．The mESC were transfected with pFG or pFLG plasmids and subsequently screened with geneticin ( G418) to produce cell clones． These cell clones were named mESC /pFG and mESC /pFLG ，respectively． The mESC /pFG and mESC /pFLG were cultured in the differentiation medium for either 4 days or 10 days to generate embryoid bodies (EB) ．The 10-day embryoid bodies ( 10 d-EBs) carrying the pFG and pFLG vectors were subsequently stimulated to generate the blast-colony forming cells (BL-CFC) ，which indicated the presence of hemangioblasts．The endo- thelial cell sprouting analysis was performed by using 10 d-EBs．The expression of the interest genes was detected by using qualitative RT-PCR or Western blot analysis. Results : The pFLG expression vector was successfully con- structed through PCR identification．The mESC /pFG and mESC /pFLG cells were obtained after transfected with the pFG or pFLG vectors and selected by G418．The cells spontaneously differentiate to generate EBs，in which some green fluoresce cells were present．Western blot analysis showed that a significant increase in LMO4 expression in both 4 d-EB and 10 d-EB when compared to mESC．BL-CFC analysis showed that the 4 d-EB/ pFLG had a higher cloning efficiency ( 7. 70% ± 1. 27% ) ，comparing with that of the 4 d-EB/ pFG ( 1. 15% ± 0. 48% ) ( P = 0. 021) ．Quantitative RT-PCR results showed that the expression of Flk-1，C-kit，Tie-2 and Ve-cad genes in 10 d- EBs /pFLG increased more than 2-fold compared to 10 d-EBs /pFG．The endothelial cell sprouting analysis result showed a significant increase in the number and length of new blood vessels in 10 d-EB/ pFLG compared to 10 d- EB/ pFG (P＜0. 05) ． Conclusion Overexpression of LMO4 promotes hemangioblast differentiation from mESC， and benefits for endothelial cell differentiation and angiogenesis.