Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of middle-aged and elderly people, contributed a higher burden of disease in China and the world. In 2017, under the support of the Rheumatology and Immunology Expert Committee of the Cross-Strait Medical and Health Exchange Association. The objective was to develop an evidence-based diagnosis and treatment guideline for OA in China based on emerging new evidence. The guideline was registered at International Practice Guidelines Registry Platform (IPGRP-2018CN028). The grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to rate the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations, and the RIGHT (Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare) checklist was followed to report the guideline. The guideline provides recommendations for the OA diagnosis, disease risks monitoring and evaluate, treatment purpose and physical, medical and surgical interventions. This guideline is intended to serve as a tool for Chinese clinicians for the best decisions-making on diagnosis and treatment of OA.

By secreting SDF-1α, CPCs stimulate VEGF expression in nearby cells. The co-expression of SDF-1 and its receptor by CPCs indicates they are capable of self-sustained VEGF expression via an autocrine mechanism.

In patients with MetS, resistin is strongly associated with hypercoagulative and hypofibrinolitic activities. Moreover, resistin may induce thrombotic complications via mediating the lipoprotein metabolism and stimulating inflammation.

There is a striking gender difference in atherosclerotic vascular disease. For decades, testosterone was considered detrimental to the cardiovascular system. Recent studies, however, have presented some alternative results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of testosterone, using physiological and supraphysiological concentrations, on antigen and mRNA levels of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), and tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) released by human umbilical vein endothelial cells and to investigate the cellular mechanism. Cells within 2-3 passages were cultured in 25 cm(2) flasks or plated onto 96-well plates with a density of about 1 x 10(5) cells/mL as recommended. The cells were incubated in the presence or absence of testosterone (3, 30, 3 x 10(3), 3 x 10(4) nmol/L) for 48 h. Levels of tPA, PAI-1, and TFPI antigen were assayed with ELISA kits. Reverse transcriptase PCR was carried out to detect tPA, PAI-1, and TFPI mRNA levels. Cells were incubated in androgen-receptor antagonist (flutamide 10 micromol/L) or aromatase inhibitor (aminoglutethimide 50 micromol/L) for 3 h, and then the experiments were repeated. Testosterone at a physiologic concentration (30 nmol/L) increased the antigen levels of tPA and TFPI significantly (P < 0.05). However, tPA and TFPI levels were markedly reduced (P < 0.05) at a larger dose (3 x 10(4) nmol/L). On the other hand, PAI-1 antigen levels decreased significantly at the testosterone concentrations ranging from 3 to 3 x 10(4) nmol/L (P < 0.05). The change in the levels of tPA and TFPI were reflected in the corresponding change in mRNA levels. Flutamide attenuated the effect of testosterone at physiological concentration (30 nmol/L). The results demonstrated that testosterone at physiological concentrations may have a beneficial influence on the haemostatic system through enhancement of anticoagulant activity, resulting from stimulation of TFPI and tPA expression and inhibition of PAI-1 secretion by the endothelium.