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Background/Aims: Osteoporosis is a bone metabolic disease characterized by a systemic impairment of bone mass, which results in increased propensity of fragility fractures. A reduction in the differentiation of MSCs into osteoblasts contributes to the impaired bone formation observed in osteoporosis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are induced to differentiate into preosteoblasts, which are regulated by the signaling cascades initiated by the various signals, including miRNAs. miR-16-2* is a newly discovered miRNA that participates in diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, cervical cancer and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. However, the effect of miR-16-2* on the regulation of osteoblast differentiation and the mechanism responsible are still unclear. Here we discuss the contribution of miR-16-2* to osteoporosis, osteoblast differentiation and mineralization. Methods: The expression pattern of miR-16-2* during osteogenesis or in osteoporosis bone samples was validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) were induced to differentiate into osteoblasts by osteogenic induced medium containing dexamethasone, ascorbate-2-phosphat, beta-glycerophosphate and vitamin-D3. The target genes of miR-16-2* were predicted by TargetScan and PicTar. The mRNA and protein levels of osteogenic key markers were detected using qRT-PCR or western blot respectively. The WNT signal activity was analyzed by TOP/FOP reporter assay. Results: The expression of miR-16-2* in patient bone tissue with osteoporosis was negatively correlated with bone formation related genes. During osteoblast differentiation process, the expression of miR-16-2* was significantly decreased. Upregulation of miR-16-2* in hBMSCs impaired the osteogenic differentiation while the downregulation of miR-16-2* increased this process. Upregulation the expression of miR-16-2* could also block the WNT signal pathway by directly target WNT5A. Furthermore, knockdown of miR-16-2* could promote the activation of RUNX2, possibly by lifting the inhibitory effect of miR-16-2* on WNT pathway. Conclusion: Taken together, we report a novel biological role of miR-16-2* in osteogenesis through regulating WNT5A response for the first time. Our data support the potential utilization of miRNA-based therapies in regenerative medicine.

Background: Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) has devastating consequences. Dorsal root ganglion as a pivotal locus participates in the process of neuropathic pain and nerve regeneration. In recent years, gene sequencing technology has seen rapid rise in the biomedicine field. So, we attempt to gain insight into in the mechanism of neuropathic pain and nerve regeneration in the transcriptional level and to explore novel genes through bioinformatics analysis. Methods: The gene expression profiles of GSE96051 were downloaded from GEO database. The gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was constructed by Cytoscape software. Results: Our results showed that both IL-6 and Jun genes and the signaling pathway of MAPK, apoptosis, P53 present their vital modulatory role in nerve regeneration and neuropathic pain. Noteworthy, 13 hub genes associated with neuropathic pain and nerve regeneration, including Ccl12, Ppp1r15a, Cdkn1a, Atf3, Nts, Dusp1, Ccl7, Csf, Gadd45a, Serpine1, Timp1 were rarely reported in PubMed database, these genes may provide us the new orientation in experimental research and clinical study. Conclusions: Our results may provide more deep insight into the mechanism and a promising therapeutic target. The next step is to put our emphasis on an experiment level and to verify the novel genes from 13 hub genes.

Background Decompressive laminectomy (DI) is a standard operation for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) patient with severe claudication symptoms for many years. However, patients whose symptom severity does not meet undergoing invasive surgery make therapeutic options into dilemma. Interspinous spacers (ISP) bridge the gap between surgical interventions and CC in management of LSS. In our study, we aim to systematically assess the two FDA-approved interspinous spacers for treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis: Superion versus X-STOP. Methods Electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library were searched to retrieve clinical trials concerning the comparison between Superion and X-STOP in treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis before April 2017. The following outcome measures were extracted: (1) Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ) patient satisfaction score, (2) axial pain severity, (3) extremity pain severity, (4) back-specific functional impairment, (5) reoperation, and (6) complication. The data analysis was conducted with Review Manager 5.3. Results Five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 1118 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled analysis indicated that the Superion group is superior to X-STOP in axial pain severity (SMD: 0.03; 95% CI 0.15, 0.45; p

BACKGROUND Nowadays, anterior cervical artificial disc replacement (ACDR) has achieved favorable outcomes in treatment for patients with single-level cervical spondylosis. However, It is still controversial that whether or not it will become a potent therapeutic alternation in treating 2 contiguous levels cervical spondylosis compared with anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF). Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of ACDR and ACDF in patients with 2 contiguous levels cervical spondylosis. METHODS According to the computer-based online search, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library for articles published before July 1, 2017 were searched. The following outcome measures were extracted: neck disability index (NDI), visual analog scale (VAS) neck, VAS arm, Short Form (SF)-12 mental component summary (MCS), SF-12 physical component summary (PCS), overall clinical success (OCS), patient satisfaction (PS), device-related adverse event (DRAE), subsequent surgical intervention (SSI), neurological deterioration (ND), and adjacent segment degeneration (ASD). Methodological quality was evaluated independently by 2 reviewers using the Furlan for randomized controlled trial (RCT) and MINORS scale for clinical controlled trials (CCT). The chi-squared test and Higgin I test were used to evaluate the heterogeneity. A P