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Skeletal muscle loss is a common clinical disease, whose long treatment period and expensive treatment costs bring a heavy burden to patients. Currently, the use of piezoelectric materials to generate in situ and efficient electrical stimulation has been proven to significantly promote wound healing and other defects. However, skeletal muscle requires repaired materials with high elastic deformation to accompany its reciprocating movement during the healing process. Therefore, developing biocompatible materials that combine high piezoelectricity and stretchability is a great challenge. In the present work, a piezoelectric elastomer PPBE is prepared by copolymerization of bio‐based diacid and diol. PPBE has matching elastic modulus with the skeletal muscle to accompanied proceed stretching and recovery movements. Piezoelectrical charge from PPBE scaffold under ultrasound and mechanical stimuli could promote myogenic differentiation via Ca2+ signaling pathway and modulate cell functions, resulting in improved muscle morphology and functional performance of skeletal muscle. Thus, development of the degradable PPBE scaffold would provide new therapy strategy for volumetric muscle loss (VML) and present great potential in repairing of other tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Basal metabolic rate (BMR) as one of the most basic and significant indicators of metabolism has been associated with human health. Previous studies showed that the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is linked to BMR; however, the causal relationship between BMR and RA is unknown. Thus, we aimed to explore the causal relationship between BMR and RA as well as RA-related factors. Methods Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed on collected genome-wide association studies information. The effect of horizontal pleiotropy was detected by MR-PRESSO and MR-Radial. Five MR analysis methods were applied, including inverse variance weighted, MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode. Four sensitivity analysis methods were used for the validation of the significant MR analysis results. A two-component mixture of regressions method was additionally used to validate single nucleotide polymorphisms and to verify results. Results Genetically, there is a causal effect of BMR on overall RA (odds ratio = 1.25, 95% confidence interval: 1.07–1.47, P IVW = .006), seropositive RA (odds ratio = 1.20, 95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.44, P IVW = .035), and seronegative RA (odds ratio = 1.36, 95% confidence interval: 1.04–1.78, P IVW = .023). Sensitivity analyses validated the robustness of the above associations. No evidence supported the effect of RA on BMR. Moreover, BMR showed no causal relationship with rheumatoid factor, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and matrix metallopeptidase 3. Conclusion MR results implied the causal effect of BMR on RA and raised our attention to the importance of BMR in RA's pathology. What is already known on this topic The basal metabolic rate is considered to be the most significant indicator of human metabolism. An increasing number of researches suggest that lifestyle factors, body composition, smoking, and cancer play important roles in influencing BMR and disrupting normal metabolic functions. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that is characterized by main clinical manifestations such as fever, swelling, and joint pain. The relevance of metabolism to the pathogenesis of RA is now increasingly being brought up. What this study adds Using data from UK Biobank databases and the open-GWAS website, our results suggest that there is a causal effect of BMR on RA including seropositive and seronegative RA through the Mendelian study. How this study might affect research, practice, or policy This study suggests that BMR is supposed to be given more attention in the diagnosis and treatment of RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The inhibition of IKKβ by the inhibitor 2-amino-6-[2-(cyclopropylmethoxy)-6-hydroxyphenyl]-4-(4-piperidinyl)-3-pyridine carbonitrile (ACHP) is a promising strategy for the treatment of Achilles tendinopathy. However, the poor water solubility of ACHP severely hinders its in vivo application. Moreover, the effective local delivery of ACHP to the tendon and its therapeutic effects have not been reported. Purpose: To investigate the therapeutic effects of IKKβ inhibition via injection of ACHP incorporated into a DNA supramolecular hydrogel in a collagenase-induced tendinopathy rat model. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Dendritic DNA, a Y-shaped monomer, and a crosslinking monomer were mixed with ACHP and self-assembled into an ACHP-DNA supramolecular hydrogel (ACHP-Gel). The effects of ACHP-Gel in tendon stem/progenitor cells were investigated via RNA sequencing and validated using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). A total of 120 collagenase-induced rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups: blank, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), DNA-Gel, ACHP, and ACHP-Gel. Healing outcomes were evaluated using biomechanic and histologic evaluations at 4 and 8 weeks. Results: ACHP-Gel enhanced the solubility of ACHP and sustained its release for ≥21 days in vivo, which significantly increased the retention time of ACHP and markedly reduced the frequency of administration. RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR showed that ACHP effectively downregulated genes related to inflammation and extracellular matrix remodeling and upregulated genes related to tenogenic differentiation. The cross-sectional area (P =.024), load to failure (P =.002), stiffness (P =.039), and elastic modulus (P =.048) significantly differed between the ACHP-Gel and PBS groups at 8 weeks. The ACHP-Gel group had better histologic scores than the ACHP group at 4 (P =.042) and 8 weeks (P =.009). Type I collagen expression (COL-I; P =.034) and the COL-I/collagen type III ratio (P =.015) increased while interleukin 6 expression decreased (P <.001) in the ACHP-Gel group compared with the ACHP group at 8 weeks. Conclusion: DNA supramolecular hydrogel significantly enhanced the aqueous solubility of ACHP and increased its release-retention time. Injection frequency was markedly reduced. ACHP-Gel suppressed inflammation in Achilles tendinopathy and promoted tendon healing in a rat model. Clinical Relevance: ACHP-Gel injection is a promising strategy for the treatment of Achilles tendinopathy in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is based on the degenerative changes of the intervertebral disc. Many drugs are used to treat and prevent LDH, including Western medicine and Chinese medicine. Duhuo Jisheng Decoction (DHJSD) is one of the most classic Chinese medicine prescriptions. The purpose of our meta-analysis is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of modified DHJSD in the treatment of LDH. Methods. We searched multiple databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, Wanfang Database, and Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP) to identify studies that met the inclusion criteria. This meta-analysis was registered at INPLASY with reference number ID: INPLASY202060053. Results. Fourteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified, including 1560 patients. This meta-analysis showed that the total effective rate and cure rate of modified DHJSD are higher than those of diclofenac sodium enteric-coated tablets (total effective rate: RR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.25, P < 0.0001 , I2 = 0%; cure rate: RR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.30 to 1.97, P < 0.00001 , I2 = 2%), diclofenac sodium enteric-coated tablets plus ibuprofen and indomethacin (total effective rate: RR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.11 to 1.37, P = 0.0001 , I2 = 0%; cure rate: RR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.22 to 2.04, P = 0.0005 , I2 = 0%), and diclofenac sodium sustained-release capsule (total effective rate: RR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.27 to 1.74, P < 0.00001 , I2 = 0%; cure rate: RR = 10.07, 95% CI: 3.29 to 30.88, P < 0.00001 , I2 = 5%). Modified DHJSD was also better than Western medicine (MD = −1.56, 95% CI: −2.42 to −0.70, P = 0.0004 , I2 = 74%) in terms of visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. Three RCTs showed no adverse events in the modified DHJSD group, but adverse events existed in the Western medicine group. Conclusion. This meta-analysis showed that modified DHJSD had a more favorable effect on the treatment of LDH than Western medicine, and there were no obvious adverse events. More high-quality RCTs are needed to complement existing conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), a novel prognostic indicator, is being more commonly utilized in different types of cancer. This research project involved combining information from previously published studies to examine how pre-treatment SII can predict outcomes in individuals with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Further examination of the correlation between SII and clinical and pathological features in UTUC., Methods: We thoroughly chose pertinent articles from various databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WanFang database, and Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP) until March 10, 2022.The data collected was analyzed using Stata 17.0 software (Stat Corp, College Station, TX). Subsequently, the impact of SII on the survival outcomes of UTUC patients was evaluated by combining HRs with 95% confidence intervals., Results: Six included studies were finally confirmed, including 3911 UTUC patients in seven cohorts. The results showed that high SII before treatment predicted poor overall survival (HR =1.87, 95%CI 1.20-2.92, p=0.005), cancer specific survival (HR=2.70, 95%CI 1.47-4.96, P=0.001), and recurrence-free survival (HR =1.52, 95%CI 1.12-2.07, P=0.007). And the elevated SII may be related to LVI (present vs . absent) (OR=0.83, 95% CI=0.71-0.97, p=0.018), pT stage (pT ≥3 vs . < 3) (OR=1.82, 95% CI=1.21-2.72, p=0.004), and pN stage (N+ vs . N0) (OR=3.27, 95% CI=1.60-6.71, p=0.001)., Conclusion: A comprehensive analysis of all included articles in this study showed that higher pretreatment SII was related to poorer survival outcomes and adverse pathological features independently., Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022316333., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Yu, Xiong, Ma, Du, Wang, Liu, Cao and Yang.)

Bone metabolism is a complex physiological process that primarily involves osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, both of which are regulated by a variety of biological factors. There is increasing evidence that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily and plays an important role in lipid metabolism and bone metabolism. Through the PPARγ-dependent pathway, 15-deoxy-Δ 12,14 -prostaglandin J 2 (15d-PGJ 2 ) promotes the formation of marrow adipocytes and inhibits the formation of osteoblasts, resulting in bone loss and increasing the risk of fracture and osteoporosis. Recent studies have found that through the PPARγ-independent pathway, 15d-PGJ 2 plays a regulatory role in bone metastasis of breast cancer, which can inhibit osteoclastogenesis and reduce bone destruction. The purpose of our review is to summarize the recent progress in elucidating the mechanisms and effects of 15d-PGJ 2 in bone metabolism, which can serve as a novel therapeutic target for bone tumors, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and other bone diseases., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.