Strong association of the polymorphisms in PBEF1 and knee OA risk: a two-stage population-based study in China

Maternal saliva visfatin level in term and preterm labor: A case control study

Visfatin, a colony-enhancing factor (pre-B-cell), is an inflammatory biomarker that is secreted from a different number of cells and appears to have some proinflammatory or immune-regulating effects. The aim of this study was to compare maternal saliva visfatin levels in women with preterm and term delivery. In This case-control study, women in labor before 37 weeks of gestation were the case group (n = 40) and women in labor after 37 weeks of gestation were in control group (n = 40). The saliva of the participants was sampled and maternal saliva visfatin level was measured by ELISA test. In this study, 80 pregnant women were studied in case and control groups. The mean age of case and control group was 29.1±6.9 and 30.55±5.3 years, respectively. The results revealed that the mean maternal saliva visfatin level in the preterm group (4.75±2.2) is significantly (p = 0.001) lower than that in term birth group (6.7±3.1). The results of adjusted logistic regression revealed that after adjusting for GDM, preeclampsia, pre pregnancy BMI and weight gain, the mean of maternal saliva visfatin level in the preterm group is significantly lower than that in the term group (p = 0.026). Considering that during the term pregnancy visfatin levels increase and visfatin may play a role in initiating labor, in our study due to the high visfatin level in case group although the level of maternal saliva visfatin was lower than the control group but high levels of visfatin in the case group can represent the role of visfatin in initiating labor and due to this issue can be use the role of this adipokine for early diagnosis of preterm delivery can be used to prevent, treat and improve the prognosis of this disease. Also, this study is the first study to compare the maternal saliva visfatin level between SGA and AGA group and there is no difference between these groups.

mRNA expression profiling of the cancellous bone in patients with idiopathic osteonecrosis of the femoral head by whole-transcriptome sequencing

Idiopathic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (INFH) seriously affects patients' activities and is a heavy burden to society and patients' families. Therefore, the early diagnosis and treatment of INFH is essential in reducing pain and burden. In the present study, the cancellous bone under the cartilage of the femoral head was isolated from patients with INFH and femoral neck fracture (FNF). Histological examination revealed that the bone trabecular and the medullary cavity in the INFH group compared with those in the FNF group. Whole-transcriptome sequencing (WTS), a recently applied technology, plays a significant role in the screening of risk factors associated with the onset of femoral head necrosis. Herein, WTS was used to obtain the mRNA expression profile in the cancellous bone of the femoral head isolated from 5 patients with INFH and 5 patients with FNF. Compared with the FNF group, a total of 155 differentially expressed genes were identified in the INFH group. Among these genes, 96 and 59 were upregulated and downregulated, respectively. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot analyses revealed that leucine-rich repeat-containing 17 (LRRC17) displayed the most significantly decreased mRNA and protein expression levels between the INFH and FNF groups. The expression profile of the differentially expressed genes and LRRC17 protein in the INFH and FNF groups was consistent with that obtained by WTS. LRRC17, a leucine repeat sequence, plays a significant role in regulating bone metabolism, thus indicating that LRRC17 downregulation could affect bone metabolism and could be considered a key factor in the pathogenesis of INFH.

Associations between adipokines gene polymorphisms and knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis

Background

Adipokines gene polymorphisms are speculated to be associated with the risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA), but evidence remains conflicting. This study therefore aimed to examine whether associations exist between adipokines gene polymorphisms and knee OA by considering the evidence collected from eligible studies through a meta-analysis.

Methods

A systematic search was performed on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang up to March 31, 2020. Meta-analysis was carried out by focusing on the associations between adipokines gene polymorphisms and knee OA with the allele model, dominant model, and recessive model.

Results

The present meta-analysis included 5 eligible studies for ADIPOQ rs1501299 with 1,021 cases and 1,097 controls, 3 eligible studies for ADIPOQ rs2241766 with 549 cases and 544 controls, 3 eligible studies for LEPR rs1137101 with 808 cases and 856 controls, 2 eligible studies for VISFATIN rs4730153 with 339 cases and 680 controls and 2 eligible studies for VISFATIN rs16872158 with 339 cases and 680 controls. Significant association was observed between LEPR rs1137101 and knee OA in the overall population (recessive: OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.21–0.79). Limited data revealed that associations may exist between ADIPOQ rs2241766 and knee OA in Asians (dominant: OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.03–1.78), between VISFATIN rs4730153 and knee OA in Asians (allele: OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.41–0.83; dominant: OR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.39–0.83), and between VISFATIN rs16872158 and knee OA in Asians (allele: OR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.26–2.68; dominant: OR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.31–2.89).

Conclusions

Adipokines gene polymorphisms may be associated with knee OA. The association was observed in LEPR rs1137101 in the present study. In addition, limited data revealed that associations may also exist in ADIPOQ rs2241766, VISFATIN rs4730153 and VISFATIN rs16872158.

Prospero registration

CRD42020187664.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-022-05111-4.

MTNR1B gene on susceptibility to gestational diabetes mellitus: a two-stage hospital-based study in Southern China

Large-scale studies on genetic risk loci for melatonin receptor 1B (MTNR1B) gene and GDM risk have not been well generalized to the Chinese population. In this study, we performed two-stage case-control study: 1.429 pregnant women: 753 GDM/676 controls in the Southern Chinese population by genotyping 5 SNPs (rs10830963, rs1387153, rs2166706, rs1447352, and rs4753426) in MTNR1B. Genotypes were determined using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform and TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. Interactions between genetic variants and age/BMI as predictors of GDM risk were evaluated under the logistic regression model. In the first stage, the SNP rs10830963 was discovered to be potentially related to GDM risk (additive model: OR = 1.27, 95%CI = 1.05-1.55, P = 0.025), which was further confirmed in the second stage with a similar effect (additive model: OR = 1.53, 95%CI = 1.19-1.98, P = 0.005). In the combined stage, the G allele of rs10830963 was potentially associated with GDM risk (additive model: OR = 1.36, 95%CI = 1.17-1.59, P < 0.001; dominant model: OR = 1.45, 95%CI = 1.15-1.83, P = 0.005). The rs10830963 interacted with age and BMI to contribute to GDM risk in the combined participants. And, the similar interactive effects for the other four SNPs also exist. These findings offer the potential to improve our understanding of the etiology of GDM, and particularly of biological mechanisms.

CDH2 gene rs11564299 polymorphism is a risk factor for knee osteoarthritis in a Chinese population: a case-control study

Background

Cadherin-2 (CDH2) gene polymorphisms were reported to be associated with the induction and development of knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

This case–control study was designed to explore the association between CDH2 gene rs11564299 polymorphism and the risk of knee OA in Chinese subjects. The polymorphism was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing.

Results

G allele or GG genotype of CDH2 gene rs11564299 polymorphism was related to increased risk for knee OA in the Chinese Han population. Additionally, subgroup analyses indicated that the female, smoker, drinker, and BMI ≥ 25 kg/m² groups showed increased risk for knee OA. Additionally, this polymorphism was associated with CRP and Kellgren–Lawrence grade.

Conclusion

In summary, this current study reveals that CDH2 gene rs11564299 polymorphism is a risk factor for knee OA development in this Chinese population. The genotypes distribution differed significantly among OA patients and healthy controls and may be a useful tool in the evaluation of OA susceptibility in Chinese Han population.

Evidence that miR-146a attenuates aging- and trauma-induced osteoarthritis by inhibiting Notch1, IL-6, and IL-1 mediated catabolism

Primary osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with aging, while post-traumatic OA (PTOA) is associated with mechanical injury and inflammation. It is not clear whether the two types of osteoarthritis share common mechanisms. We found that miR-146a, a microRNA-associated with inflammation, is activated by cyclic load in the physiological range but suppressed by mechanical overload in human articular chondrocytes. Furthermore, miR-146a expression is decreased in the OA lesions of human articular cartilage. To understand the role of miR-146a in osteoarthritis, we systemically characterized mice in which miR-146a is either deficient in whole body or overexpressed in chondrogenic cells specifically. miR-146a-deficient mice develop early onset of OA characterized by cartilage degeneration, synovitis, and osteophytes. Conversely, miR-146a chondrogenic overexpressing mice are resistant to aging-associated OA. Loss of miR-146a exacerbates articular cartilage degeneration during PTOA, while chondrogenic overexpression of miR-146a inhibits PTOA. Thus, miR-146a inhibits both OA and PTOA in mice, suggesting a common protective mechanism initiated by miR-146a. miR-146a suppresses IL-1β of catabolic factors, and we provide evidence that miR-146a directly inhibits Notch1 expression. Therefore, such inhibition of Notch1 may explain suppression of inflammatory mediators by miR-146a. Chondrogenic overexpression of miR-146a or intra-articular administration of a Notch1 inhibitor alleviates IL-1β-induced catabolism and rescues joint degeneration in miR-146a-deficient mice, suggesting that miR-146a is sufficient to protect OA pathogenesis by inhibiting Notch signaling in the joint. Thus, miR-146a may be used to counter both aging-associated OA and mechanical injury-/inflammation-induced PTOA.

The rs4238326 polymorphism in ALDH1A2 gene potentially associated with non-post traumatic knee osteoarthritis susceptibility: a two-stage population-based study

OBJECTIVE

A recent genome-wide association study reported significant associations of genetic variants within the ALDH1A2 gene with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand in European populations. However, these findings have not been well generalized to other joints, or to other populations.

METHODS

We performed a two-stage population-based case-control study including 196 non-post traumatic knee OA cases and 442 controls in the first stage and independent 143 non-post traumatic knee OA cases and 238 controls in the second stage in a Chinese population by genotyping eight tagging polymorphisms in ALDH1A2.

RESULTS

In the first stage, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4238326 was found to be potentially associated with knee OA risk (additive model: odds ratio [OR] = 0.70; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.49-1.01; P = 0.055), which was further confirmed in the second stage with similar effect (additive model: OR = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.38-0.95; P = 0.029). After combining the two stages, we found that the variant C allele of rs4238326 was probably associated with decreased risk of knee OA (additive model: OR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.49-0.86; P = 0.003). Furthermore, interaction analyses showed that rs4238326 interacted multiplicatively with age to contribute to knee OA risk (interaction P = 0.041).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that the SNP rs4238326 in ALDH1A2 gene may potentially modify individual susceptibility to knee OA in the Chinese population. Beyond that, further studies are warranted to validate and extend our findings, and future functional studies are required to clarify the possible mechanisms.