Necroptotic TNFα-Syndecan 4-TNFα Vicious Cycle as a Therapeutic Target for Preventing Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis

Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) is a chronic degenerative disease for which the underlying mechanism still remains unclear. Compared with apoptosis and autophagy, necroptosis causes greater harm to tissue homeostasis by releasing damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). However, the role of necroptosis and downstream key DAMPs in TMJOA is unknown. Here, rodent models of TMJOA were established by the unilateral anterior crossbite (UAC). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immunohistochemistry of receptor interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3)/phosphorylation of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (pMLKL) were conducted to evaluate the occurrence of necroptosis in vivo. The therapeutic effects of blocking necroptosis were achieved by intra-articularly injecting RIPK3 or MLKL inhibitors and using RIPK3 or MLKL knockout mice. In vitro necroptosis of condylar chondrocyte was induced by combination of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (SMAC) mimetics and carbobenzoxy-valyl-alanyl-aspartyl-[O-methyl]- fluoromethylketone (z-VAD-fmk). The possible DAMPs released by necroptotic chondrocytes were screened by quantitative proteomics and blocked by specific antibody. Translucent cytosol, swollen organelles, and ruptured cell membranes, features of necroptosis, were frequently manifested in chondrocytes at the early stage of condylar cartilage degeneration in TMJOA, which was accompanied by upregulation of RIPK3/pMLKL. Inhibiting or knocking out RIPK3/MLKL significantly prevented cartilage degeneration. DAMPs released by necroptotic condylar chondrocytes, such as syndecan 4 (SDC4) and heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), were verified. Furthermore, blocking the function of SDC4 significantly attenuated the expression of TNFα in cartilage and synovium, and accordingly increased cartilage thickness and reduced synovial inflammation. Thus, the necroptotic vicious cycle of TNFα-SDC4-TNFα contributes to cartilage degeneration and synovitis, and can serve as a potential therapeutic target for treating TMJOA. © 2022 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).     

肌少症对老年肝癌术后恢复及预后的影响

目的:肌少症对老年肝癌术后恢复及预后的影响。方法:选取2015年1月至2017年12月收治的114例老年肝癌，根据有无合并肌少症，分为肌少症组（n=35）和非肌少症组（n=79）。比较两组患者的术后恢复及生存情况。结果:肌少症组总并发症发生率、住院时间和30 d再入院率均高于对照组，差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。肌少症组中位生存时间为25.9个月，1年、2年、3年累积总生存率为74.3%、51.1%、24.5%，而非肌少症组中位生存时间为35.7个月，1年、2年、3年累积总生存率为87.3%、75.6%、49.4%，差异有统计学意义（P=0.004）。单因素分析结果显示，老年肝癌术后预后与Charlson合并症指数（CCI）、肌少症、巴塞罗那分期（BCLC）、甲胎蛋白、肿瘤大小、肿瘤个数、肿瘤分化程度、微血管侵犯（MVI）相关（P＜0.05）。Cox多因素分析结果显示，CCI、肌少症、BCLC分期、肿瘤个数、MVI是老年肝癌术后预后的独立危险因素（P＜0.05）。结论:肌少症会增加老年肝癌患者术后并发症发生率，延长住院时间，影响术后恢复，同时也会降低总生存率。     

Effect of group reminiscence therapy on depression and perceived meaning of life of veterans diagnosed with dementia at veteran homes

ABSTRACT

Most senior veterans who live in veteran homes in Taiwan have few interpersonal relationships. Aging is often accompanied by solitude and illness, which causes senior veterans to doubt the meaning of life and to lose confidence in the value of life. This study tested the effectiveness of a group reminiscence therapy protocol on the depression and meaning of life among elderly institutionalized veterans. A quasi-experimental design was applied. A convenience sample of older adults was drawn from two veteran homes in southern Taiwan. Participants were assigned to intervention or control groups based on the veterans' homes they attended. The participants in the intervention group carried out group reminiscence therapy for 8 weeks in addition to their daily activities. The participants in the comparison group maintained their daily activities. Both groups were evaluated using the GDS-SF and MLS scale including two aspects of depression mood and meaning of life in weeks 1 and 8. The overall life satisfaction increased significantly over time for the intervention group compared to the comparison group from week 1 to week 8. The group reminiscence therapy programs showed promising effects in improving the depression and meaning of life of older veterans living in veteran homes.     

Biopharmaceutics classification and intestinal absorption of chikusetsusaponin IVa

The objective of this study was to investigate the absorption behavior of chikusetsusaponin IVa (CHS‐IVa) in the rat intestine using single‐pass intestinal perfusion (SPIP) and to classify CHS‐IVa into the biopharmaceutics classification system (BCS). The equilibrium solubility of CHS‐IVa was determined by the shaker method. The absorption mechanism of CHS‐IVa in the intestine was studied by comparing the P_eff of different concentrations of CHS‐IVa. The intestinal site dependence of CHS‐IVa absorption was studied by comparing the P_eff of the same concentration of CHS‐IVa in different intestinal segments. The relationship between CHS‐IVa and intestinal efflux protein was studied by perfusion with an efflux protein inhibitor. The permeability of CHS‐IVa was investigated by comparing the P_eff of CHS‐IVa and the reported value. The solubility of CHS‐IVa over the pH range 1.0–7.5 was 14.4 ± 0.29 to 16.9 ± 0.34 mg/ml. The P_eff of CHS‐IVa in the duodenum was 1.76 × 10^?3 to 2.00 × 10^?3 cm/min. The P_eff of CHS‐IVa in the jejunum was 1.26 × 10^?3 to 1.39 × 10^?3 cm/min. The P_eff of CHS‐IVa in the ileum was 1.25 × 10^?3 to 1.31 × 10^?3 cm/min. The P_eff of CHS‐IVa in the colon was 1.02 × 10^?3 to 1.08 × 10^?3 cm/min. There was no statistical difference of the P_eff in the four segments at different CHS‐IVa concentrations. The P_eff of CHS‐IVa (0.07, 0.7 and 7.0 mg/ml) were all notably smaller than the reported P_eff (3.00 × 10^?3 cm/min) in the jejunum. The P_eff of CHS‐IVa was not influenced by verapamil (P‐gp inhibitor), indomethacin (MRP inhibitor) and pantoprazole (BCRP inhibitor). CHS‐IVa was classified as high solubility, low permeability and BCS III. The main absorptive tracts were the upper intestinal tracts and the rank order of intestinal permeability was duodenum > jejunum ≈ ileum > colon. The transport mechanism of CHS‐IVa in all intestinal segments might be primarily passive transport. CHS‐IVa was not a substrate of P‐gp, MRP and BCRP.