Objective To describe the proportions of different osseous diagnoses in older patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and to analyze the symptoms, disc position, occluding pairs, and facial skeletal characteristics of patients with bilateral osteoarthrosis (BOA) and bilateral normal joints (BNJ). Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study constituted 88 older patients (age ≥60 years). The osseous diagnosis, symptoms, disc position, occluding pairs, and facial skeletal characteristics were evaluated. Variables in BOA patients and BNJ patients were compared using the t-test and chi-square test. Results Forty-eight patients had BOA, 7 had unilateral osteoarthrosis, 11 had intermediate osteoarthrosis, and 22 had BNJ. The prevalence of disc displacement without reduction (DDw/oR) in BOA patients was significantly higher than in BNJ patients. BOA patients exhibited greater ANB angle, PP-MP, U1-NPo, L1-NPo, and facial convexity angle; shorter posterior cranial base; and decreased ramus height. Conclusion BOA patients with associated DDw/oR had more complaints of orofacial pain and exhibited a shorter posterior cranial base, and greater mandibular retrusion, anterior tooth protrusion, and protruded profile than BNJ patients.

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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage degradation, synovial membrane inflammation, osteophyte formation, and subchondral bone sclerosis. Pathological changes in cartilage and subchondral bone are the main processes in OA. In recent decades, many studies have demonstrated that activin-like kinase 3 (ALK3), a bone morphogenetic protein receptor, is essential for cartilage formation, osteogenesis, and postnatal skeletal development. Although the role of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling in articular cartilage and bone has been extensively studied, many new discoveries have been made in recent years around ALK3 targets in articular cartilage, subchondral bone, and the interaction between the two, broadening the original knowledge of the relationship between ALK3 and OA. In this review, we focus on the roles of ALK3 in OA, including cartilage and subchondral bone and related cells. It may be helpful to seek more efficient drugs or treatments for OA based on ALK3 signalling in future.

Background: To clarify the expression and distribution of ADAMTS1, ADAMTS2 and ADAMTS5 in knee joints of osteoarthritis (OA) mice. Methods: OA was established via anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) on the knee joints of C57BL/6J mice. The morphology change of OA was analyzed by Micro-CT. Histologic analysis was used to evaluate symptomatic change in articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was used to analyze mRNA expressions of ADAMTS family in bone-related tissues and cells. Immunofluorescence staining was used to analyze the expressions and distributions of ADAMTS1, ADAMTS2, and ADAMTS5, as well as the condition of inflammation of OA.Results: Cartilage deterioration, significant reduction of collagen and proteoglycan components in the cartilage matrix happened in ACLT-induced OA mice, along with increased inflammatory response and osteoclast activity. Among ADAMTS, the gene expression levels of ADAMTS1, ADAMTS2 and ADAMTS5 were ranked top 5 in cartilage/chondrocytes, osteogenic tissue/osteoblasts and cortical bone/osteocytes. After ACLT surgery, the expressions of ADAMTS1, ADAMTS2 and ADAMTS5 all increased in articular cartilage, growth plate and subchondral bone of knee joints. Conclusion: The enhanced expressions of ADAMTS1, ADAMTS2 and ADAMTS5 after ACLT surgery provide a further understanding in degenerative change of OA.