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Aims: This study aimed to determine the expression and clinical significance of a cartilage protein, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients., Methods: A total of 270 knee OA patients and 93 healthy controls were recruited. COMP messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels in serum, synovial fluid, synovial tissue, and fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) of knee OA patients were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry., Results: COMP protein levels were significantly elevated in serum and synovial fluid of knee OA patients, especially those in the advanced stages of the disease. Serum COMP was significantly correlated with radiological severity as well as measures of body composition, physical performance, knee pain, and disability. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis unveiled a diagnostic value of serum COMP as a biomarker of knee OA (41.64 ng/ml, area under the curve (AUC) = 1.00), with a sensitivity of 99.6% and a specificity of 100.0%. Further analysis uncovered that COMP mRNA expression was markedly upregulated in the inflamed synovium of knee OA, consistent with immunohistochemical staining revealing localization of COMP protein in the lining and sub-lining layers of knee OA inflamed synovium. Most notably, relative COMP mRNA expression in knee OA synovium was positively associated with its protein levels in serum and synovial fluid of knee OA patients. In human knee OA FLSs activated with tumour necrosis factor-alpha, COMP mRNA expression was considerably up-regulated in a time-dependent manner., Conclusion: All results indicate that COMP might serve as a supportive diagnostic marker for knee OA in conjunction with the standard diagnostic methods., Competing Interests: All authors report grants from the Specific League Funds from Mahidol University and the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) (Grant N42A650217), related to this study. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© 2024 Udomsinprasert et al.)

Aberrant autophagic activity is observed in osteoarthritic joints. Vitamin D was shown to alleviate not only osteoarthritis severity, but also autophagy process. However, the influence of vitamin D on autophagy in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) remains ambiguous. This study aimed to determine the effect of vitamin D 2 on serum levels of autophagosome protein LC3A in patients with KOA and whether LC3A levels were correlated with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and clinical outcomes of patients with KOA. A total of 165 patients with KOA and 25 healthy controls were recruited. Vitamin D 2 (ergocalciferol) was administered to patients with KOA at a weekly dosage of 40,000 IU. Serum LC3A, knee pain and functional scores, muscle strength, physical performance, and biochemical parameters were examined before and after 6 months of vitamin D 2 supplementation. Serum LC3A levels were significantly higher in patients with KOA than healthy controls. In patients with KOA, vitamin D 2 supplementation significantly decreased serum LC3A levels. Furthermore, baseline levels of serum LC3A were significantly associated with radiographic severity, pain and functional scores, total cholesterol, hs-CRP, IL-6, protein carbonyl, and serum 25(OH)D. After adjusting for established confounders, independent relationships among serum LC3A and radiographic severity, pain and functional scores, total cholesterol, hs-CRP, IL-6, protein carbonyl, and serum 25(OH)D were also observed. Vitamin D 2 supplementation was shown to not only decrease serum levels of LC3A, inflammatory markers, as well as oxidative stress, but also improve muscle strength and physical performance in patients with KOA., (© 2023 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.)

Host genetic polymorphisms are recognized as a critical determinant of diversity in clinical symptoms of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Accordingly, this study aimed to determine possible associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 37 candidate genetic variants and clinical consequences of COVID-19 - especially long-term symptoms, Long COVID. A total of 260 COVID-19 patients, divided into mild ( n  = 239) and severe ( n  = 21) and further categorized based on the presence of Long COVID (no, n  = 211; yes, n  = 49), were recruited. Genotyping of selected polymorphisms responsible for viral entry, immune response, and inflammation was performed using MassARRAY system. Out of 37 SNPs, 9 including leucine zipper transcription factor like-1 ( LZTFL1 ) rs10490770 C allele, LZTFL1 rs11385942 dupA allele, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide synthetase-1 ( NADSYN1 ) rs12785878 TT genotype, plexin A-4 ( PLXNA4 ) rs1424597 AA genotype, LZTFL1 rs17713054 A allele, interleukin-10 ( IL10 ) rs1800896 TC genotype and C allele, angiotensin converting enzyme-2 ( ACE2 ) rs2285666 T allele, and plasmanylethanolamine desaturase-1 ( PEDS1 ) rs6020298 GG genotype and G allele were significantly associated with an increased risk of developing Long COVID, whereas interleukin-10 receptor subunit beta ( IL10RB ) rs8178562 GG genotype was significantly associated with a reduced risk of Long COVID. Kaplan-Meier curve displayed that the above gene polymorphisms were significantly associated with cumulative rate of Long COVID occurrence. Polymorphisms in LZTFL1 rs10490770, LZTFL1 rs11385942, LZTFL1 rs17713054, NADSYN1 rs12785878, PLXNA4 rs1424597, IL10 rs1800896, ACE2 rs2285666, PEDS1 rs6020298, and IL10RB rs8178562 appear to be genetic factors involved in development of Long COVID.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA), the highly prevalent degenerative disease affecting the joint, perpetually devastates the health of the elderly. Of various mechanisms known to participate in KOA etiology, apoptosis of chondrocytes is widely regarded as the primary cause of cartilage degradation. It has been suggested that the induction of autophagy in chondrocytes could potentially prolong the progression of KOA by modulating intracellular metabolic processes, which may be helpful for ameliorating chondrocyte apoptosis and eventual cartilage degeneration. Autophagy, a physiological process characterized by intracellular self-degradation, has been reportedly implicated in various pathologic conditions including KOA. Interestingly, vitamin D has been shown to regulate autophagy in human chondrocytes through multiple pathways, specifically AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. This observation underscores the potential of vitamin D as a novel approach for restoring the functionality and survivability of chondrocytes in KOA. Supporting vitamin D's clinical significance, previous studies have demonstrated its substantial involvement in the symptoms and irregular joint morphology observed in KOA patients, strengthening potential therapeutic efficacy of vitamin D in treatment of KOA. Herein, the purpose of this review was to determine the mechanisms underlying the multi-processes of vitamin D implicated in autophagy in several cells including chondrocytes, which would bring unique insights into KOA pathogenesis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content, an index of mitochondrial dysfunction, was associated with clinical parameters indicating anti-tuberculosis (TB) drug-induced liver injury (ATDILI) in TB patients and could emerge as an ATDILI biomarker., Methods: Leukocyte mtDNA content in 102 TB patients (49 ATDILI cases and 53 non-ATDILI cases) and 100 age-matched healthy controls was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction., Results: Compared with healthy controls, both TB patients with and without ATDILI had significantly decreased mtDNA content. Compared with the patients without ATDILI, mtDNA content was significantly increased in those with ATDILI. Higher mtDNA content was observed to be independently associated with increased susceptibility to ATDILI. Increased mtDNA content measured within 1-7 days of treatment was independently associated with elevated levels of serum aminotransferases assessed within 8-60 days of treatment. After initiating treatment within 1-7 days, mtDNA content was detected to be more sensitive and selective for differentiating TB patients with ATDILI from those without ATDILI than serum aminotransferases. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a significant correlation between elevated mtDNA content and increased rate of ATDILI occurrence in TB patients, attested by Cox regression analysis, adjusting for confounders., Conclusion: Changes in leukocyte mtDNA content would reflect ATDILI progression and could be used as a potential stratification tool for identifying TB patients at risk of ATDILI., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a global threat, due to its fluctuating frequency and lethality. Published data revealed associations of COVID-19 susceptibility and severity with host genetic polymorphisms in renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS)-related genes including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)1, ACE2, and transmembrane protease (TMPRSS)2. However, the findings remain inconclusive. Accordingly, we aimed to clarify associations of genetic variants in those genes with COVID-19 susceptibility and severity using a systematic review with meta-analysis. From inception through 1 July 2021, a literature search was performed using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases. Allelic distributions for each polymorphism were calculated as pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to assess the strength of association. A total of 3333 COVID-19 patients and 5547 controls from 11 eligible studies were included. From a systematic review, ACE1 rs1799752, ACE1 rs4646994, ACE2 rs2285666, and TMPRSS2 rs12329760 were identified as common polymorphisms of RAAS-related genes. Meta-analysis showed a significant association between TMPRSS2 rs12329760 C-allele and an increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.73). Likewise, additional meta-analyses uncovered that both ACE1 rs4646994 DD-genotype and ACE2 rs2285666 GG-genotype carriers had a significantly increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 (OR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.45, 2.93; OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.26, 3.66; respectively). Genetic polymorphisms of ACE1 rs4646994 DD-genotype, ACE2 rs2285666 GG-genotype, and TMPRSS2 rs12329760 CC-genotype and C-allele may serve as predictive models of COVID-19 severity., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)