In the present study, knockdown of E2F1 impaired the migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. Further analysis showed that E2F1 knockdown decreased the expression of discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1) which plays a crucial role in many fundamental processes such as cell differentiation, adhesion, migration and invasion. Luciferase and ChIP assays confirmed that E2F1 silencing attenuated the expression of DDR1 through disrupting E2F1-mediated transcription of DDR1 in osteosarcoma cells. Similarly with the effect of E2F1 silencing, DDR1 knockdown weakened the migratory and invasive capabilities of osteosarcoma cells; while overexpression of DDR1 resulted in a significant increase of cell motility and invasiveness, even after knocking down E2F1. Interestingly, inactivation of E2F1/DDR1 pathway by shRNA weakened STAT3 signaling and subsequently suppressed the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of osteosarcoma cells, as shown with decreased vimentin, MMP2, MMP9, and increased E-cadherin. Consistently, high expressions of E2F1 and DDR1 observed in osteosarcoma tissues were related to TNM stage and metastasis. In addition, high level of E2F1 or DDR1 was associated with poor prognosis in osteosarcoma patients. These results suggest that E2F1/DDR1/STAT3 pathway is critical for malignancy of osteosarcoma, which may provide a novel prognostic indicator or approach for osteosarcoma therapy.

Hip replacement is one of the most successful surgeries in the clinic for the removal of painful joints. Hip osteoarthritis and femoral head necrosis are the 2 main reasons for hip replacement. Several factors are associated with the outcomes of surgery. Nonsurgical factors include gender, age, body mass index, prosthetic material, and risk factors. Surgical factors are anesthesia, postoperative complications, and rehabilitation. Considering the increasing demand for hip arthroplasty and the rise in the number of revision operations, it is imperative to understand factor-related progress and how modifications of these factors promotes recovery following hip replacement. In this review, we first summarize recent findings regarding crucial factors that influence the outcomes of artificial hip replacement surgery. These findings not only show the time-specific effect for the treatment and recovery from hip arthroplasty in the clinic, but also provide suitable choices for different individuals for clinicians to consider. This, in turn, will help to develop the best possible postoperative program for specific patients.

Background Knee joint osteoarthritis is a chronic disease that affecting the health in aging population. Aim We explore a minimally invasive surgery combining the use of ultrasonic drug penetration to treat early stage of knee joint osteoarthritis. Design and Methods Total 75 patients were participated in acupotomy therapy and ultrasonic drug penetration to treat joint osteoarthritis. The WOMAC (the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) scores were used to assess the performance. Results There was a significant difference in the WOMAC score between the two groups of patients (P < 0.05). The total performance rate was about 86.4% and 50% in experiment and control group. Conclusion The combination of acupotomy therapy and ultrasonic drug penetration has demonstrated to be effective and promising to treat knee joint osteoarthritis.

Objective We examined whether auricular acupressure (AA) at four specificially preselected AA points can alleviate knee pain and decrease non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) consumption and its adverse effects for osteoarthritis patients. Methods 62 patients (more than 40 years) with knee osteoarthritis of Kellgren–Lawrence grades of I or II upon radiographic classification were enrolled in this randomized, sham-controlled prospective study, and divided into two groups (AA group and control group). The AA group received true AA by embedding vaccaria seeds at four specific AA points (knee joint, shenmen, subcortex, sympathesis) ipsilateral to the knee osteoarthritis site, while the control group received four nonacupuncture points on the auricular helix. Visual analog scale (VAS), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) score, the number of the patients needed celecoxib pills and adverse effects were recorded. Results VAS and WOMAC scores in AA group was significantly lower than that in control group (P < 0.05) at d3 and d7 postsugery. The VAS and WOMAC score were significance decreased after the treatment in AA group compared with that before the treatment (P < 0.05). The use of celebrex is significantly lower in AA group than the control group (P < 0.05), no major side effects were observed during the auricular acupressure treatment. Conclusion Auricular acupressure plays a role in analgesic effect and can effectively decreased NSAIDs requirements without causing adverse events for the treatment of human knee osteoarthritis.

The hip replacement is beneficial to relieve joint pain and misfunction. We previously designed the model to monitor the stability of the artificial prosthesis during the surgery based on the resonance frequency (RF), which is a non-invasive and sensitive technique. In this study, we further applied the techniques to monitor its use in hip replacement and compared the effect in individuals. Our data have showed that resonance frequency is very promising for the analysis of stability of artificial prosthesis in hip replacement, and the performance of the technique is also promising for the translational studies in the clinic.