Supplementation of hyaluronic acid injections with vitamin D improve knee function by attenuating synovial fluid oxidative stress in osteoarthritis patients with vitamin D insufficiency

ObjectivesThere is still controversy about the effect of vitamin D supplementation on osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin D supplementation with Hyaluronic acid (HA) injection on OA.MethodsWe investigated serum vitamin D levels and oxidative stress (OS) in synovial fluid from patients with OA who underwent total knee arthroplasty (grade IV, n = 24) and HA injection (grade II and III, n = 40). The effects of HA injection with or without oral vitamin D supplementation on synovial fluid OS and knee pain and function were then further investigated. Finally, patients underwent HA injection were divided into two groups according to vitamin D levels (vitamin D < or > 30 ng/ml), and the efficacy of the two groups were compared.ResultsThe results showed that the levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) (P < 0.05) in the synovial fluid were lower in patients with stage IV OA than that in patients with stage II-III OA, while the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) (P < 0.05) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (P < 0.01) were significantly higher. Moreover, we found that age, BMI and vitamin D levels were significantly associated with the levels of oxidants and/or antioxidants in synovial fluid, and that vitamin D was significantly negatively correlated with BMI (R = −0.3527, p = 0.0043). Supplementation of HA injections with vitamin D significantly reduced the OS status in synovial fluid, attenuated knee pain and improved knee function in OA patients with vitamin D insufficiency.ConclusionWe conclude that maintenance of vitamin D sufficiency may be beneficial for the treatment of OA by improving OS in synovial fluid

Demographic History and Natural Selection Shape Patterns of Deleterious Mutation Load and Barriers to Introgression across Populus Genome

Hybridization and resulting introgression are important processes shaping the tree of life and appear to be far more common than previously thought. However, how the genome evolution was shaped by various genetic and evolutionary forces after hybridization remains unresolved. Here we used whole-genome resequencing data of 227 individuals from multiple widespread Populus species to characterize their contemporary patterns of hybridization and to quantify genomic signatures of past introgression. We observe a high frequency of contemporary hybridization and confirm that multiple previously ambiguous species are in fact F-1 hybrids. Seven species were identified, which experienced different demographic histories that resulted in strikingly varied efficacy of selection and burdens of deleterious mutations. Frequent past introgression has been found to be a pervasive feature throughout the speciation of these Populus species. The retained introgressed regions, more generally, tend to contain reduced genetic load and to be located in regions of high recombination. We also find that in pairs of species with substantial differences in effective population size, introgressed regions are inferred to have undergone selective sweeps at greater than expected frequencies in the species with lower effective population size, suggesting that introgression likely have higher potential to provide beneficial variation for species with small populations. Our results, therefore, illustrate that demography and recombination have interplayed with both positive and negative selection in determining the genomic evolution after hybridization

An integrated chromatin accessibility and transcriptome landscape of human pre-implantation embryos

Early human embryonic development involves extensive changes in chromatin structure and transcriptional activity. Here the authors present LiCAT-seq, a method enabling simultaneous profiling of chromatin accessibility and gene expression with ultra-low input of cells and map chromatin accessibility and transcriptome landscapes for human pre-implantation embryos

Trends of overweight and obesity prevalence in school-aged children among Henan Province from 2000 to 2019

ObjectivesOverweight and obesity are harmful to human health. However, the latest trends of Chinese childhood overweight and obesity prevalence are not available. The aim of this study was to examine the trends from 2000 to 2019 among students in China.MethodsWe analyzed data of 66,072 students in the Chinese National Survey on Students' Constitution and Health from 2000 to 2019. Overweight and obesity were defined based on the standard formulated by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF standard), the World Health Organization (WHO standard), and the Working Group on Obesity in China (WGOC standard), respectively. The χ2-test was used to test the trends of overweight and obesity prevalence and logistic regression was conducted to evaluate the prevalence odds ratios of boys vs. girls and urban vs. rural areas.ResultsThe prevalence of obesity/overweight and obesity combined was 6.03/23.58% (IOTF standard), 10.56/25.88% (WGOC standard) and 10.75/29.69% (WHO standard) in 2019. From 2000 to 2019, according to the WGOC standard, the prevalence increased from 2.51 to 10.56% for obesity and increased from 9.81 to 25.88% for overweight and obesity combined (P for trend < 0.001). Obesity/overweight and obesity were greater problems in boys than girls and urban than rural areas, but urban-rural differences decreased over time.ConclusionOverweight and obesity prevalence increased significantly in children and adolescents in China from 2000 to 2019. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in rural areas may contribute to a large percentage of children with overweight and obesity

Biomechanics and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

For years, bioengineers and orthopaedic surgeons have applied the principles of mechanics to gain valuable information about the complex function of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The results of these investigations have provided scientific data for surgeons to improve methods of ACL reconstruction and postoperative rehabilitation. This review paper will present specific examples of how the field of biomechanics has impacted the evolution of ACL research. The anatomy and biomechanics of the ACL as well as the discovery of new tools in ACL-related biomechanical study are first introduced. Some important factors affecting the surgical outcome of ACL reconstruction, including graft selection, tunnel placement, initial graft tension, graft fixation, graft tunnel motion and healing, are then discussed. The scientific basis for the new surgical procedure, i.e., anatomic double bundle ACL reconstruction, designed to regain rotatory stability of the knee, is presented. To conclude, the future role of biomechanics in gaining valuable in-vivo data that can further advance the understanding of the ACL and ACL graft function in order to improve the patient outcome following ACL reconstruction is suggested

Corrigendum to: The TianQin project: current progress on science and technology

In the originally published version, this manuscript included an error related to indicating the corresponding author within the author list. This has now been corrected online to reflect the fact that author Jun Luo is the corresponding author of the article

Standardized Definitions for Bioprosthetic Valve Dysfunction Following Aortic or Mitral Valve Replacement: JACC State-of-the-Art Review.

peer reviewedBioprosthetic valve dysfunction (BVD) and bioprosthetic valve failure (BVF) may be caused by structural or nonstructural valve dysfunction. Both surgical and transcatheter bioprosthetic valves have limited durability because of structural valve deterioration. The main objective of this summary of experts participating in a virtual workshop was to propose standardized definitions for nonstructural and structural BVD and BVF following aortic or mitral biological valve replacement with the goal of facilitating research reporting and implementation of these terms in clinical practice. Definitions of structural BVF, based on valve reintervention or death, underestimate the true incidence of BVF. However, definitions solely based on the presence of high transprosthetic gradient at a given echocardiogram during follow-up overestimate the incidence of structural BVD and BVF. Definitions of aortic or mitral structural BVD must therefore include the confirmation by imaging of permanent structural changes to the leaflets alongside evidence of deterioration in valve hemodynamic function at echocardiography follow-up

Gas kick during carbonate reservoirs drilling and its risk assessment

The gas kick characteristics during carbonate reservoir drilling were analyzed taking carbonate reservoirs in Shunnan area of Tazhong as an example, a quantitative evaluation method for gas kick risk was established, and then a case was simulated. Looking into reservoir space characteristics and gas invasion mechanisms of carbonate reservoirs in Shunnan area based on drilling geologic data, it is found that the reservoirs are rich in fractures, pores and caves, and the gas invades into wellbore through gas-liquid replacement and differential pressure. By fully considering the gas invasion mechanism, gas migration law and wellbore temperature-pressure field, and introducing the gas volume fraction density function, a quantitative evaluation method for gas kick risk and a method for ranking well control risk were established. The case study shows that the wellhead back pressure method can be used to tell the mode of gas invasion; pore-fracture-cave and acid gas characteristics in carbonate reservoirs have stronger effect on the gas volume fraction in wellbore, and may cause hidden and severe gas kick; the effects of well depth, well diameter, drilling fluid density, drilling fluid displacement, drilling fluid viscosity and drilling rate on gas kick risks weaken in that order. Key words: carbonate reservoir, well drilling, gas kick, gas-liquid replacement, well control, risk assessmen

Dynamics of the inhibitory immune checkpoint TIM-3 in mouse pulmonary phagocytes after silica exposure

Long-term inhalation of silica particles in the workplace causes silicosis, which is incurable and seriously endangers the health of workers. It is believed that silicosis is caused by an imbalance of the pulmonary immune microenvironment, in which pulmonary phagocytes play a crucial role. As an emerging immunomodulatory factor, it is unclear whether T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (TIM3) participate in silicosis by modulating pulmonary phagocytes function. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamic changes of the TIM-3 in pulmonary macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), and monocytes during the development of silicosis in mice. The plasma levels of soluble TIM-3 in silicosis patients were also examined. Flow cytometry was used to identify alveolar macrophages (AMs), interstitial macrophages (IMs), CD11b+ DC, CD103+ DC, Ly6C+, and Ly6C- monocytes in mouse lung tissues, and further analyses were conducted on the expression of TIM-3. Results showed that soluble TIM-3 was significantly elevated in plasma of silicosis patients, and the level of which was higher in stage II and III patients than that in stage I. In silicosis mice, the protein and mRNA levels of TIM-3 and Galectin9 were significantly upregulated in lung tissues. Specific to pulmonary phagocytes, silica exposure affected TIM-3 expression in a cell-specific and dynamic manner. In macrophages, TIM-3 expression upregulated in AM after 28 days and 56 days of silica instillation, while the expression of TIM-3 in IM decreased at all observation time points. In DCs, silica exposure only caused a decrease of TIM-3 expression in CD11b+ DCs. In monocytes, TIM-3 dynamics in Ly6C+ and Ly6C- monocytes were generally consistent during silicosis development, which significant decrease after 7 and 28 days of silica exposure. In conclusion, TIM-3 may mediate the development of silicosis by regulating pulmonary phagocytes