Mendelian randomization (MR) is considered to overcome the bias of observational studies, but there is no current meta-analysis of MR studies on rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study was to summarize the relationship between potential pathogenic factors and RA risk based on existing MR studies. PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for MR studies on influencing factors in relation to RA up to October 2022. Meta-analyses of MR studies assessing correlations between various potential pathogenic factors and RA were conducted. Random-effect and fixed-effect models were used to synthesize the odds ratios of various pathogenic factors and RA. The quality of the study was assessed using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology using Mendelian Randomization (STROBE-MR) guidelines.Aims
Methods
To explore the synovial expression of mucin 1 (MUC1) and its role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as well as the possible downstream mechanisms. Patients with qualified synovium samples were recruited from a RA cohort. Synovium from patients diagnosed as non-inflammatory orthopaedic arthropathies was obtained as control. The expression and localization of MUC1 in synovium and fibroblast-like synoviocytes were assessed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Small interfering RNA and MUC1 inhibitor GO-203 were adopted for inhibition of MUC1. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) was used as an activator of Rho-associated pathway. Expression of inflammatory cytokines, cell migration, and invasion were evaluated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Transwell chamber assay.Aims
Methods
Highly crosslinked ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (XLPE) reduces wear and osteolysis in total hip arthroplasty, but it is unclear if XLPE will provide the same clinical benefit in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Adhesive and abrasive wear generally dominate in polyethylene acetabular components, whereas fatigue wear is an important wear mechanism in polyethylene TKA tibial inserts. The wear resistance of XLPE depends on the crosslink density of the material, which may decrease during in vivo mechanical loading, leading to more wear and increased oxidation. To examine this possibility, we measured crosslink density and oxidation levels in loaded and unloaded locations of retrieved tibial inserts to evaluate the short-term performance of XLPE material in TKA. Forty retrieved XLPE tibial inserts (23 remelted, 17 annealed) retrieved after a mean time of 18 ± 14 months were visibly inspected to identify loaded (burnished) and unloaded (unburnished) locations on the plateaus of each insert using a previously published damage mapping method. For each insert, four cubes (3 mm3) were cut from loaded and unloaded surface and subsurface locations (Fig. 1). Swell ratio testing was done according to ASTM F2214 to calculate crosslink density of the cubes. With a microtome, 200 μm sections were taken adjacent to the cubes and oxidation was assessed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy following ASTM F2102 (Fig. 2). Surface oxidation was measured in the sections adjacent the surface cubes and subsurface oxidation was measured in sections adjacent to the subsurface cubes. The effects of location (surface vs. subsurface in the loaded and unloaded regions) and thermal treatment (annealed vs. remelted) on crosslink density and oxidation were assessed with repeated measures generalized estimating equations (GEEs), with the implant treated as the repeated factor. Results are presented as means and 95% confidence intervals and the level of significance was α=0.05.Introduction
Materials and Methods
The results were taken as significant when p value was less than 0.05.
Left thalamus and left postcentral gyrus of AIS patients were significantly larger than the control subjects. Anterior and posterior limb of right internal capsule, right caudate nucleus, right cuneus and left middle occipital gyurs of AIS patients were significantly smaller than the control subjects. Some regions were bilaterally involved: Perirhinal and hippocampus regions were larger in AIS while inferior occipital gyrus and precuneus were smaller than the corresponding regions in the control subjects. In the midline, the volumes of corpus callosum and brainstem in AIS patients were significantly larger than the control subjects.
