Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disease characterized by cartilage degeneration and joint remodeling. The underlying molecular changes underpinning disease progression are incompletely understood. We investigated genes and pathways that mark OA progression in isolated primary chondrocytes taken from paired intact versus degraded articular cartilage samples across 38 patients undergoing joint replacement surgery (discovery cohort: 12 knee OA, replication cohorts: 17 knee OA, 9 hip OA patients). We combined genome-wide DNA methylation, RNA sequencing, and quantitative proteomics data. We identified 49 genes differentially regulated between intact and degraded cartilage in at least two –omics levels, 16 of which have not previously been implicated in OA progression. Integrated pathway analysis implicated the involvement of extracellular matrix degradation, collagen catabolism and angiogenesis in disease progression. Using independent replication datasets, we showed that the direction of change is consistent for over 90% of differentially expressed genes and differentially methylated CpG probes. AQP1, COL1A1 and CLEC3B were significantly differentially regulated across all three –omics levels, confirming their differential expression in human disease. Through integration of genome-wide methylation, gene and protein expression data in human primary chondrocytes, we identified consistent molecular players in OA progression that replicated across independent datasets and that have translational potential.

Outpatients followed in an alcoholic clinic and who fulfilled DSM-III-R criteria for alcohol dependence and had used both tobacco (at least one cigarette every day) and alcohol in the preceding week were studied. For each patient, two experimenters assessed: (1) the amount of tobacco and alcohol used; (2) the severity of dependence for each product. Results showed that: (a) The prevalence of smoking in this population of current alcohol dependents was 88%; (b) 91.6% of this sample of smoker alcoholics were dependent on nicotine; (c) the amount of tobacco smoked was correlated to the amount of alcohol consumed and the severity of alcohol dependence; and (d) there was a correlation between the severity of alcohol and nicotine dependencies. The results of this study may help to clarify the difficulty of treating tobacco dependence in alcoholics.

Nerves and blood vessels are found in the peripheral annulus and endplates of healthy adult intervertebral discs. Degenerative changes can allow these vessels to grow inwards and become associated with discogenic pain, but it is not yet clear how far, and why, they grow in. Previously we have shown that physical disruption of the disc matrix, which is a defining feature of disc degeneration, creates free surfaces which lose proteoglycans and water, and so become physically and chemically conducive to cell migration. We now hypothesise that blood vessels and nerves in degenerated discs are confined to such disrupted tissue. Whole lumbar discs were obtained from 40 patients (aged 37-75 years) undergoing surgery for disc herniation, disc degeneration with spondylolisthesis or adolescent scoliosis ('non-degenerated' controls). Thin (5-μm) sections were stained with H&E and toluidine blue for semi-quantitative assessment of blood vessels, fissures and proteoglycan loss. Ten thick (30-μm) frozen sections from each disc were immunostained for CD31 (an endothelial cell marker), PGP 9.5 and Substance P (general and nociceptive nerve markers, respectively) and examined by confocal microscopy. Volocity image analysis software was used to calculate the cross-sectional area of each labelled structure, and its distance from the nearest free surface (disc periphery or internal fissure). Results showed that nerves and blood vessels were confined to proteoglycan-depleted regions of disrupted annulus. The maximum distance of any blood vessel or nerve from the nearest free surface was 888 and 247 μm, respectively. Blood vessels were greater in number, grew deeper, and occupied more area than nerves. The density of labelled blood vessels and nerves increased significantly with Pfirrmann grade of disc degeneration and with local proteoglycan loss. Analysing multiple thick sections with fluorescent markers on a confocal microscope allows reliable detection of thin filamentous structures, even within a dense matrix. We conclude that, in degenerated and herniated discs, blood vessels and nerves are confined to proteoglycan-depleted regions of disrupted tissue, especially within annulus fissures.

Outpatients followed in an alcoholic clinic and who fulfilled DSM-III-R criteria for alcohol dependence and had used both tobacco (at least one cigarette every day) and alcohol in the preceding week were studied. For each patient, two experimenters assessed: (1) the amount of tobacco and alcohol used; (2) the severity of dependence for each product. Results showed that: (a) The prevalence of smoking in this population of current alcohol dependents was 88%; (b) 91.6% of this sample of smoker alcoholics were dependent on nicotine; (c) the amount of tobacco smoked was correlated to the amount of alcohol consumed and the severity of alcohol dependence; and (d) there was a correlation between the severity of alcohol and nicotine dependencies. The results of this study may help to clarify the difficulty of treating tobacco dependence in alcoholics.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) causes chronic back pain and is linked to production of proinflammatory molecules by nucleus pulposus (NP) and other disc cells. Activation of tonicity-responsive enhancer-binding protein (TonEBP)/NFAT5 by non-osmotic stimuli, including proinflammatory molecules, occurs in cells involved in immune response. However, whether inflammatory stimuli activate TonEBP in NP cells and whether TonEBP controls inflammation during IDD is unknown. We show that TNF-α, but not IL-1β or LPS, promoted nuclear enrichment of TonEBP protein. However, TNF-α-mediated activation of TonEBP did not cause induction of osmoregulatory genes. RNA sequencing showed that 8.5% of TNF-α transcriptional responses were TonEBP-dependent and identified genes regulated by both TNF-α and TonEBP. These genes were over-enriched in pathways and diseases related to inflammatory response and inhibition of matrix metalloproteases. Based on RNA-sequencing results, we further investigated regulation of novel TonEBP targets ,, and TonEBP acted synergistically with TNF-α and LPS to induce-proximal promoter activity. Interestingly, this regulation required a highly conserved NF-κB-binding site but not a predicted TonE, suggesting cross-talk between these two members of the Rel family. Finally, analysis of human NP tissue showed that expression correlated with canonical osmoregulatory targets, , and, supporting findings that the inflammatory milieu during IDD does not interfere with TonEBP osmoregulation. In summary, whereas TonEBP participates in the proinflammatory response to TNF-α, therapeutic strategies targeting this transcription factor for treatment of disc disease must spare osmoprotective, prosurvival, and matrix homeostatic activities.