Glioblastoma is the most aggressive cerebral gliomas. Despite advances in therapies, the prognosis is still very poor. Therefore, novel therapeutic strategies are required. As a proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib has shown its efficacy as an active antitumor agent against a variety of tumors. However, inhibition of proteasome activity leads to cell death and also induces cell autophagy, and due to the dual roles of autophagy in the survival and death of tumor cells, the effect of inhibition of autophagy on glioblastoma cells remains to be explored. We therefore assessed whether bortezomib is capable of inducing autophagy, and investigated the antitumor effect of bortezomib combined with autophagy inhibitors on human glioblastoma U251 and U87 cells. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. The expressions of autophagy and apoptosis-related proteins were determined by Western blot analysis. U251 and U87 cells proliferation was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. Both apoptosis and autophagy induced by bortezomib were observed in human glioblastoma U87 and U251 cells. However, when U251 and U87 cells were co-treated with bortezomib and autophagy inhibitors 3-MA or Atg7 siRNA, the autophagy inhibitors blocked the autophagy in the cells and resulted in a further inhibition of cell proliferation and a further increase in cell apoptosis as compared with that treated with bortezomib alone. These findings indicated that combination of bortezomib and autophagy inhibitors may shed new light on glioblastoma treatment.

The Sika deer antler is well known for its unique ability to regenerate repeatedly and grow rapidly. Furthermore, it is a precious traditional Chinese medicine and has been widely used for more than 20 centuries. The major bioactive components within the antlers are water-soluble proteins, polypeptides, and free amino acids. Many studies have shown that water-soluble antler extracts play pivotal roles in wound healing, immune system modulation, anti-oxidation, and anti-inflammation. However, the exact effects on chondrocytes are still largely unknown. In this study, we prepared fresh, aqueous extracts from growing deer antlers in a rapid growth stage. We isolated the chondrocytes from neonatal mouse rib cartilage and investigated the effects of antler extracts on chondrocyte viability. We also used the RNA-Seq method to analyze the gene expression pattern under antler extract treatment. We demonstrated that fresh extracts from Sika deer antlers in a rapid growth stage significantly promoted chondrocyte viability and kept chondrocytes proliferating continuously, while blocking maturation and further differentiation. Additionally, our results indicated that antler extracts might serve as a potent anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory agent, and immune modulator to boost the abilities of chondrocytes against oxidative, inflammatory, and immune stresses. Thus, this study has greatly deepened our current knowledge of the molecular control of antler extracts on chondrocytes. It has also shed light on possible new strategies to further prevent and treat diseases of cartilage and other related diseases.

No abstract

BackgroundOsteoporosis has already been a growing health concern worldwide. The influence of living area, lifestyle, socioeconomic, and medical conditions on the occurrence of osteoporosis in the middle-aged and elderly people in China has not been fully addressed.MethodsThe study was a multicenter cross-sectional study on the middle-aged and elderly permanent residents, which gathered information of 22,081 residents from June 2015 to August 2021 in seven representative regions of China. The bone mineral density of lumbar vertebrae and hip were determined using the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry densitometer instruments. Serum levels of bone metabolism markers were also measured. Information about education, smoking, and chronic diseases were also collected through face-to-face interviews. Age-standardized prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of osteopenia and osteoporosis by various criteria were estimated by subgroups and overall based on the data of China 2010 census. The relationships between the osteoporosis or osteopenia and sociodemographic variables or other factors were examined using univariate linear models and multivariable multinomial logit analyses.ResultsAfter screening, 19,848 participants (90%) were enrolled for the final analysis. The age-standardized prevalence of osteoporosis was estimated to be 33.49%(95%CI, 32.80–34.18%) in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese permanent residents, for men and women was 20.73% (95% CI, 19.58–21.87%) and 38.05% (95% CI, 37.22–38.89%), respectively. The serum concentrations of bone metabolic markers, and calcium and phosphorus metabolism were influenced by age, body mass index (BMI), gender, education level, regions, and bone mass status. Women, aged 60 or above, BMI lower than 18.5 kg/m2, low education level including middle school, primary school and no formal education as well as current regular smoking, a history of fracture were all significantly associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis and osteopenia in the middle-aged and elderly people.ConclusionsThis study revealed dramatic regional differences in osteoporosis prevalence in China, and female, aged 60 or older, low BMI, low education level, current regular smoking, and a history of fracture were associated with a high risk of osteoporosis. More prevention and treatment resources should be invested into particular population exposed to these risk factors.

CBT and DVR can broaden the current curve criteria of MTCL curves for STF to have more MTCL curves treatable with STF and optimize instrumented thoracic and spontaneous lumbar correction. A more effective surgical technique can not only improve instrumented thoracic and spontaneous lumbar correction but also can broaden the MTCL curve criteria for STF to have more MTCL curves treatable with STF.