Objectives Little is known about the roles of granzyme B in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to evaluate the serum level of granzyme B in patients with RA and determine relationships with clinical features and joint destruction of RA. Methods We enrolled 100 patients with RA, 50 patients with osteoarthritis (OA), and 50 healthy controls (HC). Granzyme B serum concentrations were measured by ELISA; we then analyzed associations between granzyme B levels, clinical features, and joint destruction by calculating Sharp scores and disease activity as measured by Disease Activity Score-28 based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) in patients with RA. Results Compared with HC and patients with OA, serum granzyme B levels in patients with RA were remarkably elevated. Serum granzyme B levels did not differ between patients with OA and HC. Granzyme B levels correlated with ESR, rheumatoid factor, swollen joint counts, joint erosion scores, total Sharp scores, and DAS28-ESR. Moreover, patients with RA with high disease activity had higher granzyme B levels. Conclusions Serum granzyme B levels were elevated significantly in patients with RA and correlated positively with disease activity and joint destruction. Serum granzyme B may have potential applications in laboratory evaluation of patients with RA.
Fracture healing in elderly patients is an emerging public health concern. As non-drug treatments, intermittent hypoxia training (IHT) and remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) are considered to have substantial advantages and to aid fracture healing in elderly patients. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate and compare the effects of IHT and RIPC on fracture healing. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and biomechanical testing were used to assess the morphology and structural properties of bone callus dissected from aged rats with tibial fractures. In addition, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and its target gene, associated with the healing process, were investigated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. The micro-CT-based parameters, including bone mineral density and trabecular number, were measured, and significant differences were identified between the experimental and control groups. The IHT group exhibited superior bone formation and mineralization rates compared with the RIPC group. The biomechanical testing revealed that the ultimate loading and stiffness values were significantly higher in the IHT group compared with those in the RIPC group. In accordance with previous studies, RIPC exerted a similar effect in increasing the expression of HIF-1α, and its downstream genes, throughout the course of healing. In addition, the IHT group exhibited increased expression levels of HIF-1α compared with the RIPC group. Taken together, the results suggested that IHT and RIPC significantly enhanced fracture healing; however, IHT exhibited superior bone formation and healing effects compared with RIPC.
Background Hybrid Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (OUKA) consists of cementless femoral prostheses and cemented tibial prostheses. Although a hybrid OUKA has been used in clinical practice, the clinical outcome has not been reported. The purpose of this study was to compare the short-term clinical outcomes and rate of residual bone cement extrusion between hybrid and cemented prostheses and analyse the possible reasons for differences between outcomes. Methods A total of 128 knees (118 patients) with end-stage osteoarthritis were included in this study, of which underwent consecutive operations using unicondylar Oxford phase 3 implants from July 2017 and September 2019 in our centre. Follow-up was performed at 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months, 1 year and every year after operation, and complications and changes in the Oxford knee score (OKS) were recorded. The OKS of the two groups was analysed by the generalized estimating equation approach. Prosthesis-based standard fluoroscopy was performed in a timely manner after each operation, and the rate of residual cement extrusion of the two groups was estimated using T-tests and a multivariate regression analysis. Results Excluding the cases that lost follow-up, a total of 120 knees (65 in hybrid group and 55 in cemented group) were included in the analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in patient characteristics between the two groups (p > 0.05). The average follow-up time was 23.4 months (and ranged from 12 to 38 months). As of the last follow-up, there were no complications, such as dislocation, fracture, prosthesis loosening and subsidence, but one patient in the cemented group experienced symptoms caused by residual loose cement. Postoperative OKS in both groups improved significantly (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the OKS at any point during the follow-up or in the improvement of the OKS between the two groups (p > 0.05). Residual cement was mainly extruded behind the tibial prosthesis. The rate of hybrid periprosthetic residual cement extrusion was significantly lower in the hybrid group than in the cemented group, and the difference was statistically significant (OR = 3.38; p = 0.014). Conclusions Hybrid OUKA is as effective as cemented OUKA in the short term after operation and can significantly reduce the residual cement extrusion rate around the tibial prosthesis.
Background High tibial osteotomy (HTO) has a history of nearly 60 years and has been widely used in clinical practice. Biplanar open wedge high tibial osteotomy (BOWHTO), which evolved from HTO, is an important therapy for the knee osteoarthritis. In our previous research, we found that the decrease of hemoglobin levels after high tibial osteotomy ranges from between 17 to 41 g/L, but this is highly inconsistent with the intraoperative bleeding and postoperative drainage observed in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perioperative hidden blood loss (HBL) after biplanar open wedge high tibial osteotomy (BOWHTO), as well as to study the effect of the actual correction angle on blood loss. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 21 patients who underwent BOWHTO for osteoarthritis of the knee due to proximal tibia deformity. Gross equation was used to calculate the perioperative total blood loss (TBL) and HBL. The actual correction angle was measured by postoperative anteroposterior radiograph. The correlation between HBL and correction angle was determined through correlation analysis. Results The TBL was 823.5 ± 348.7 mL and the HBL was 601.6 ± 297.3 mL, total hemoglobin loss was 25.0 ± 10.7 g/L, and the mean HBL/patient’s blood volume (H/P) was 13.19 ± 5.56% for 21 patients. The correlation coefficient of correction angle and H/P is statistically significant (|r| = 0.678, P = 0.001). Conclusions The actual total blood loss after BOWHTO was significantly higher than the observed, and the HBL was objective existent after BOWHTO. The proportion of H/P is positively correlated with the correction angle.
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