Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint degenerative disease. Vitamin D (VD) is essential for bone health. We hypothesized that active VD could be used as a therapeutic treatment for OA. Low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] have been found in patients with OA, and thus the serum level of VD could be diagnostic of OA. To test this, we established a mouse model of OA. The results from staining with hematoxylin–eosin and Safranin O – Fast Green indicated that active VD reduced the symptoms of OA in mice. The results from Western blotting indicated that treatment with VD increased the activity of the p-AMPK–AMPK signaling pathway and decreased the p-mTOR–mTOR pathway; it also increased the ratio of LC3II:LC3I antibodies and the protein expression levels of Beclin-1, but decreased the level of p62. Further, treatment with VD reduced the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 both in cartilage tissues and in chondrocytes. Administration of the AMPK inhibitor compound C and autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) reversed these changes following VD treatment. In addition, the results from transfection with mRFP-GFP-LC3 indicated that active VD led to autophagosome aggregation in OA chondrocytes. 3-MA inhibited cell autophagy and promoted inflammation in OA. This study provides evidence that active VD activate chondrocyte autophagy to reduce OA inflammation via activating the AMPK–mTOR signaling pathway. Treatment with active VD could be a novel therapeutic option for OA.

Our study intends to assess whether resveratrol can ameliorate osteoporosis in mice. Ovariectomized (OVX) mice were established to measure SFRP1 level and SFRP1-siRNA was used to assess its effect on BMSCs osteogenesis. SFRP1 was significantly up-regulated in bone tissues and BMSCs of OVX mice with a gradual decrease during osteogenesis. However, it was not changed during BMSCs differentiation towards osteoclasts. SFRP1 knockdown significantly increased mineralization potentiality, elevated ALP activity and upregulated several osteoblast-specific genes. Moreover, bone loss was reduced in resveratrol-treated OVX mice, possibly through upregulating osteogenesis-associated genes and downregulating SFRP1. In conclusion, resveratrol ameliorates osteogenesis of BMSCs, implying that it might be utilized for treating PMOP.

To the Editor: Enthesitis is an inflammation of the iliac attachment of ligaments or tendons, which may be among the first symptoms of spondyloarthritis (SpA) and is a unique characteristic of SpA which can differentiate it from rheumatoid arthritis. In spondyloarthropathies, peripheral enthesitis precedes joint symptoms and is associated with a higher degree of erosive disease. Four methods are available for evaluation of enthesitis, including tenderness, conventional radiography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, over 100 entheses are found in the human body. The aforementioned four methods can detect only local enthesitis. Whole-body MRI (WB-MRI) is a novel approach that allows visualization of the entire body in one examination, but has lower image resolution than conventional MRI. [1] Recent studies have explored the application of WB-MRI. However, realworld data are lacking, and most of them are limited to psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In the present study, the distribution pattern of enthesitis was explored in patients with SpA using WB-MRI in real world set. The result was compared with that of other clinical instruments used to evaluate enthesitis.

Objective The purpose of this hospital clinic based study was to evaluate the potential risk factors associated with the prevalence of MetS in RA population. Methods From January 2015 to October 2018, 717 patients with RA and 717 healthy controls who were treated or performed physical examination in Tianjin First Central Hospital were enrolled in this study. The basic disease diagnoses were recorded. A questionnaire was performed on all participants to assess the demographic details of the RA cohort. Moreover, laboratory indicators related to glucose and lipid metabolism in patients with RA were also detected. The potential risk factors for MetS were also analyzed. Results The prevalence of MetS were 31.2% and 34.2% in case and control groups, respectively (P = .22). There were lower levels of HDL‐C, obesity, TG, LDL‐C and TC in case group than control group (all P < .05). The hypertension levels in healthy controls was decreased in compared with patients with RA (P < .05). Nevertheless, in patients with RA, complement 3 (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01‐1.03, P = .007) and less glucocorticoids use (OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.39‐0.99, P = .046) were associated with MetS. Conclusion The prevalence of MetS was not associated with RA. Complement 3 may be associated with the higher prevalence of MetS in patients with RA. Glucocorticoids treatment may be associated with MetS.

Background. Fungal infection in the lungs can cause fungal infectious diseases. This disease develops rapidly and involves a wide range. Pathogenic fungi are also more serious types of pathogenic bacteria. If it invades deep organs and tissues, it will endanger life, so it needs timely diagnosis. Aim. To investigate the diagnostic value of serum soluble myeloid cell triggering receptor-1 (sTREM-1), procalcitonin (PCT), and 1,3-β-D glucan detection in immune related lung disease complicated with fungal infection. Methods. In this study, a case-control study was conducted. 50 patients with immune-related pulmonary disease complicated with fungal infection (infection group) diagnosed by sputum culture in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2021 were selected as the control group, and 50 patients with immune-related pulmonary disease without fungal infection were selected as the control group. The levels of sTREM-1, PCT, and 1,3-β-D glucan were compared in the two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was used to analyze the value of the three indicators in the diagnosis of immune-related pulmonary disease complicated with fungal infection, and the changes of the three indicators before and after treatment were compared. Results. The levels of sTREM-1, PCT, and 1,3-β-D glucan in the infection group were higher than those in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). The levels of sTREM-1, PCT, and 1,3-β-D glucan in the infection group after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment ( P < 0.05 ). The AUC value of sTREM-1 in the diagnosis of immune-related pulmonary diseases complicated with fungal infection was 0.980, the sensitivity was 97.11%, and the specificity was 83.06%. The AUC value of PCT in the diagnosis of immune-related pulmonary diseases complicated with fungal infection was 0.860, the sensitivity was 80.00%, and the specificity was 72.41%. The AUC value of 1,3-β-D glucan in the diagnosis of immune-related pulmonary diseases complicated with fungal infection was 0.993, the sensitivity was 98.74%, and the specificity was 99.16%. The levels of sTREM-1, PCT, and 1,3-β-D glucan in the infection group after treatment were considerably lower than those before treatment, and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. The detection of sTREM-1, PCT, and 1,3-β-D glucan levels has high clinical value for the diagnosis of immune-related pulmonary diseases complicated with fungal infection.