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The objective of this study is to explore the specific roles of a crucial N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methyltransferase, methyltransferase-like 14 (METTL14), in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) activation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA rat model was induced by administering intraperitoneally collagen antibody alcohol. Primary fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) were isolated from joint synovium tissues in rats. shRNA transfection tools were used to downregulate METTL14 expression in vivo and vitro. The injury of joint synovium was shown by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. The cell apoptosis of FLSs was determined by flow cytometry. The levels of IL-6, IL-18, and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL)10 in serum and culture supernatants were measured by ELISA kits. The expressions of LIM and SH3 domain protein 1 (LASP1), p-SRC/SRC, and p-AKT/AKT in FLSs and joint synovium tissues were determined by Western blots. The expression of METTL14 was greatly induced in the synovium tissues of RA rats compared with normal control rats. Compared with sh-NC-treated FLSs, METTL14 knockdown significantly increased cell apoptosis, inhibited cell migration and invasion, and suppressed the production of IL-6, IL-18, and CXCL10 induced by TNF-α. METTL14 silencing suppresses the expression of LASP1 and the activation of Src/AKT axis induced by TNF-α in FLSs. METTL14 improves the mRNA stability of LASP1 through m6A modification. In contrast, these were reversed by LASP1 overexpression. Moreover, METTL14 silencing clearly alleviates FLSs activation and inflammation in a RA rat model. These results suggested that METTL14 promotes FLSs activation and related inflammatory response via the LASP1/SRC/AKT signaling pathway and identified METTL14 as a potential target for treating RA.

Background:Many studies have demonstrated the role of METTL3 and other proteins in the N6-adenylate methylation(m6A) of RNA. It plays a role in many diseases such as cancer and tumor. However, there is a lack of comprehensive and objective reports on m6A. Therefore, this study aims to visualize the publications to quantify and determine the current status and trends of m6A with METTL3 as the catalytic core in the past two decades. Methods: Relevant studies published between 1 January 2000 and 24 November 2022 in English were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. We used four scientometric tools (Citespace v6.1.R2, VOSviewer, Scimago Graphica and Microsoft Excel 2019) to quantify and identify the individual impact and cooperation information by analyzing annual publications, the collaboration of authors, co-citation of authors, source, journals and references, cluster and co-occurrence of keywords. Results:A total of 1349 publications were retrieved and showed a rapid upward trend. Among the top ten journals and the top ten co-cited journals, there are many top journals and their sub journals such as NATURE, CELL, SCIENCE, which indicates the fruitful results in this field. China has the highest publications, while the United States has the most significant academic influence. Chinese researchers have a keen interest in this research field, and high-yield institutions, authors and publications account for most of the ranking. It can be seen from co-cited references and reference burst that the research on biomarker, diagnosis, RRID, YTHDC1, hepatitis B virus, osteogenic differentiation and other aspects has sprung up and continues. The research of m6A pays more attention to its significance in different diseases, such as inflammation and cancer, in addition to its mechanism and role in cells. Conclusion:METTL3 mediated m6A has achieved fruitful results at the cellular and molecular levels. The research in this field is moving from the exploration of molecular mechanism to the refinement of inflammation, cancer and other diseases, and researchers also pay special attention to its clinical application value. As a biomarker or target, METTL3 is likely to play a role in disease early warning, prognosis prediction and treatment goals.

Objective: To determine the effect of decompressive craniectomy (DC) on the recovery of neurological function, daily living ability and life quality of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) after surgery. Methods: Totally 290 patients with ICH admitted to our hospital from January 2018 to June 2020 were retrospectively enrolled and assigned to two groups according to different surgical methods. Among them, 138 patients who received craniotomy evacuation of hematoma (CEH) only were assigned to a control group (Con group), while the other 152 who received CEH combined with DC to a research group (Res group). The two groups were compared in the total effective rate, hematoma clearance rate, and complication rate. Additionally, the ICP and MMP-9 levels after surgery, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), activities of daily living (ADL), Fugl-Meyer Assessment of motor function (FMA), Glasgow outcome scale (GOS), Glasgow coma scale (GCS), and MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) scores before and after surgery were also compared between the two groups. Results: After treatment, the Res group showed a notably higher total effective rate, hematoma clearance rate, and a notably lower complication rate than the Con group. On postoperative day 3 and 7, the Res group showed notably lower ICP than the Con group, and on postoperative day 7, the Res group showed a notably lower MMP-9 level as compared with the Con group. Additionally, 6 months after the surgery, the Res group got notably lower NIHSS scores and higher ADL, GOS, and SF-36 scores as compared with the Con group, and at 1 month after surgery, the Res group got notably higher FMA scores as compared to the Con group. Moreover, on postoperative day 7, the Res group got notably higher GCS scores than the Con group. Conclusion: DC can improve the recovery of neurological function, daily living ability and life quality of patients with ICH after surgery.

Steroid-induced avascular necrosis of the femoral head (SANFH) is a mainly bilateral complication of steroid therapy that involves extensive necrosis, and frequently occurs in young and middle-aged individuals, with a high disability rate. Autophagy is an intracellular lysosomal degradation process occurring in numerous diseases. However, the effect of dexamethasone (DXM)-induced autophagy on osteoblasts is unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of autophagy on SANFH. In the present study, femoral head of SANFH patients was collected, and the autophagy in the samples was evaluated. In addition, cell proliferation, membrane integrity and differentiation of osteoblasts were also detected to confirm the effect of DXM on a mouse osteoblasts cell MC3T3-E1 in vitro. Beclin 1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 were used as the markers of autophagy, while the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) was used to investigate the role of autophagy in DXM-challenged osteoblasts. Immunohistochemistry results demonstrated that Beclin1 was markedly increased in the femoral head of SANFH patients. Furthermore, the treatment of osteoblasts with DXM decreased cell viability, increased lactate dehydrogenase activity in the cell culture supernatant, and reduced the alkaline phosphatase activity and bone morphogenetic protein-2 expression in osteoblasts in vitro. By contrast, 3-MA treatment attenuated the cell injury induced by DXM. The present study indicates that overactivated autophagy may be an important factor contributing to SANFH, and autophagy may be a potential target for the prevention of SANFH.

The anticancer effect of Scutellaria baicalensis extract has recently become a topic of interest. In this study, the anticancer effects and underlying mechanisms of wogonoside, the main constituent of Scutellaria baicalensis, were investigated in a human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line in vitro. The effects of wogonoside on the proliferation, cell cycle progression and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells were examined. Western blotting was employed to analyze the proteins associated with the biological effects of wogonoside. Wogonoside exerted anti-proliferation properties in vitro. HCC cell growth was attenuated by wogonoside (8 µM) treatment. Cell cycle progression analysis and DNA ladder assay revealed that apoptosis was enhanced in wogonoside-treated cells and that cell cycle arrest occurred in the G2/M phase. It was also demonstrated that increased apoptosis was accompanied by increased levels of Bax protein and decreased levels of Bcl-2 protein. The results of this study suggest that wogonoside may represent a potential therapeutic agent against HCC.

Background The aim of this study was to examine the associations of tea consumption with the serum uric acid (SUA) level, hyperuricemia (HU) and the risk of gout. Methods A comprehensive literature search up to June 2016, using PUBMED and EMBASE databases, was conducted to identify the relevant observational studies that examined the associations of tea consumption with the SUA level, HU and the risk of gout. Results A total of fifteen observational studies were included in this study, and nine studies were extracted for meta-analysis. For the SUA level, seven studies were included. According to the combined weighted mean difference (WMD), there was no significant difference between the highest and the lowest tea intake category in terms of the SUA level (WMD = 7.41 μmol/L, 95%CI: −2.34 to 17.15; P = 0.136). In subgroup analysis including three studies, green tea consumption was positively associated with the SUA level (WMD = 17.20 μmol/L, 95%CI: 7.00 to 27.40; P = 0.01). For the prevalence of HU, five studies were included. The overall multi-variable adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the highest versus the lowest category of tea consumption was 0.98 (95%CI: 0.77 to 1.24; P = 0.839). For the risk of gout, two prospective cohort studies showed that there was no relationship between tea consumption and the risk of gout in males and females, respectively. Conclusion The current evidences suggest that tea consumption does not seem to be associated with the SUA level, HU and the risk of gout. However, due to the limited number of studies, green tea consumption might be positively associated with the SUA level. More well-designed prospective cohort studies are needed to elaborate these issues further. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12891-017-1456-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Effects of small addition of Zr on the microstructures and properties of as-cast Cu50Ag46−xZrxTi4 alloys were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), x-ray diffraction, microscope, and property testings. The results show that the melting point of the Cu50Ag46Ti4 alloys does not change obviously with the addition of Zr at the melting points of about 779 °C. Adding Zr reduces the volume fraction and size of the board strips of Cu3Ti phase, promotes the uniform distribution of the new phase Cu4AgZr, and improves the Vickers hardness and shear strength of the based alloys. Moreover, increasing the Zr content can improve the high-temperature oxidation resistance of alloys.