Background: Nucleus pulposus cells’ (NPCs’) degeneration is mainly responsible for the intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), which is closely related to inflammatory response. Among the major proinflammatory factors that are related to NPCs’ degeneration, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and its downstream JAK/STAT3 pathway have received recent attention. The goal of our study is to figure out whether or how resveratrol (RSV) can protect NPCs from degeneration by affecting IL6/JAK/STAT3 pathway. Methods: Different concentrations of RSV were added to NPCs’ mediums. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay and crystal violet staining. Cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. Protein expression level was determined by western blot. mRNA expression level was measured by qPCR.Results: Our study showed that RSV improved NPCs’ cell viability. It also inhibited cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, which were accompanied by the increased expression level of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and N-Cadherin. What’ more, RSV also improved the NPCs’ degeneration which was reflected in the increase of extracellular matrix (collagen II, Aggrecan). Moreover, RSV significantly attenuated the level of IL-6 secretion, which was accompanied by less phosphorylation of the transcription factors janus kinase 1 (JAK1) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). Conclusion: RSV exerted its protective effect on HNPCs’ degeneration by improving cell survival and function. The possible mechanism may be associated with the suppression of JAK/STAT3 phosphorylation and the decreased IL-6 production, which could be explained by a blockage of the positive feedback control loop between IL-6 and JAK/STAT3 pathway.

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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS), and is associated with genetic factors. FOXP3 gene polymorphism has been reported as the risk factor for MS, however, previous studies have showed conflicting results. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of FOXP3 gene polymorphism on the MS susceptibility through a meta-analysis. Methods: Pubmed, Embase, library of Cochrane, and Web of Science were used to search the eligible articles up to 1 Oct 2018. The odds ratio (ORs) and its 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were used to evaluate the strength of association. Allele model, homozygote model, heterozygote model, dominant model, and recessive model were used to evaluate the association between FOXP3 gene polymorphism and MS. Results: A total of 5 studies contained 1276 MS patients and 1447 controls (for rs3761548) and 600 MS patients and 640 controls (for rs2232365) were enrolled in this meta-analysis. The association showed significant differences in allele and dominant model for rs3761548 polymorphism. In addition, a clear tendency to significance was detected in homozygote and recessive model for rs3761548 (p = 0.052). Subgroup analysis indicated a significant risk of MS in all genotype models but heterozygotes in Asians. Conclusion: FOXP3 gene polymorphism rs3761548 was associated with a higher MS risk, especially in Asians. This conclusion needs to be validated in more large samples and multiracial studies. Keywords: FOXP3 gene, single nucleotide polymorphism, multiple sclerosis, meta-analysis.

Background: Postoperative delirium (POD) is widely reported as a very common postoperative complication following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) of the hip and knee in elderly patients, leading to a variety of adverse effects. We sought to investigate predictors of delirium after TJA.Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched up to May 2020 for studies examining POD following TJA in elderly patients. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) of those who experienced delirium compared to those who did not were calculated for each variable. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used for the study quality evaluation. Results: Fifteen studies with 31 potential factors were included in the meta-analysis. In the primary analysis, 9 factors were associated with POD, comprising advanced age (MD 3.81; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.80–5.83), dementia (OR 24.85; 95% CI 7.26–85.02), hypertension (OR 2.26; 95% CI 1.31–3.89), diabetes (OR 2.02; 95% CI 1.15–3.55), stroke (OR 14.61; 95% CI 5.26–40.55), psychiatric illness (OR 2.72; 95% CI 1.45–5.08), use of sedative-hypnotics (OR 6.42; 95% CI 2.53–16.27), lower preoperative levels of hemoglobin (MD −0.56; 95% CI −0.89–−0.22), and lower preoperative mini-mental state examination score (MD −0.40; 95% CI −0.69–−0.12). Twelve studies were included in the systematic review, of which 24 factors were additionally correlated with POD using single studies.Conclusions: We identified predictors of POD in elderly patients following TJA. These findings may be used to identify patients with a high risk of delirium who are most likely to benefit from postoperative recovery.

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