We sought to determine whether transplanted allogeneic bone mesenchymal stem cells can survive and increase the amount of proteoglycans in intervertebral discs. We used the rabbit intervertebral disc as a model, creating three groups: an uninjected control group, a group injected with saline, and a group injected with 1

Concentrations of selenium (Se), boron (B), and germanium (Ge) were determined in scalp hair of children with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD), in healthy children in KBD-disease endemic areas, and in healthy children in non-KBD areas. Mean Se, B, and Ge concentrations were low in children with KBD; in hair of healthy children in KBD areas, Se levels were normal but B and Ge levels were lower than in KBD-free areas. The hair levels of B and Ge were unaffected by selenium supplementation. It is suggested that B and Ge deficiency may be contributing factors in the etiology of KBD.

To investigate the effect of excessive fluoride ingestion (EFI) on the differential expression of collagen phenotypes and chondrocyte differentiation in cartilage, 60 Sprague-Dawley rats, 4-6 weeks old, were divided into three groups and exposed to O (control), 50, and 100 ppm fluoride (from NaF) in drinking water for 3 to 5 months. Correlating with the increased F in the serum and bone in the two groups exposed to EFI, chondrocytes in the proliferative and hypertrophic zones of growth plate cartilage (GPC) and rib cartilage (RC) were retained and formed a mixture tissue of cartilage peninsulas or islands with ossified islands in the deep zone of GPC and RC. Staining reactions for types II and X collagen were increased in the over-thickened region of GPC and were decreased in RC. Type X collagen staining reactions were also increased in the upper and middle zones in articular cartilage (AC) of tibia in the higher fluoride (EFI-II) group. Abnormal collagen expression in rats of the EFI groups resulted from abnormal differentiation of chondrocytes in proliferative and hypertrophic zones in GPC and RC and from degenerative changes in AC of rats in the EFI groups. Four types of abnormal chondrocyte differentiation in hyaline cartilage of rats with skeletal fluorosis (SF) suggested two pathogenic mechanisms for early stage of SF: osteomalacia-like changes in GPC and RC coupled with delayed mineralization and degenerative changes in AC.

Twenty clinical symptoms and four radiological signs of different joints in patients with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) were studied in 2560 subjects from endemic and non-endemic areas of the Shaanxi Province in China. It is suggested to classify the symptoms into five groups representing different manifestations of the disease. The association of some of the symptoms appears to provide significant criteria for use in the diagnosis of KBD.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the abnormal expression of Col X, PTHrP, TGF-β, bFGF, and VEGF in cartilage from patients with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) to understand the pathogenesis of chondronecrosis in KBD. Articular cartilage and growth plate cartilage collected were divided into four groups: control children (8 samples, 5 cases), KBD children (19 samples, 9 cases), control adults (8 samples, 6 cases), and KBD adults (16 samples, 15 cases). The presence of PTHrP, TGF-β1, bFGF, VEGF, and collagen X in articular cartilage and in growth plate cartilage was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Articular cartilage and growth plate were each divided in three zones, and the rate of positive cells was counted by light microscope for cytoplasmic and pericellular staining. Results showed that (1) in KBD children, Col X expression was lower in the deep zone of growth plate cartilage than in normal children; in articular cartilage of KBD adults, however, collagen X expression was higher in the middle zone compared to the controls; (2) staining for bFGF, PTHrP, TGF-β1, and VEGF in KBD adult patients was prominent in the chondrocyte clusters and the eroded surface of articular cartilage, and the percentage of chondrocyte staining was significantly higher than in control samples (t=3.64-10.34, df=12 for children and 19 for adults, P=0.002-0.0001); and (3) the enhanced PTHrP, TGF-β1, and VEGF staining in the deep and middle zone of KBD articular cartilage correlated with the high incidence of chondronecrosis in the middle zone (48.5% ± 10.2%) and deep zone (70.6%±27.0%) of adult KBD cartilage. In conclusion, Col X expression was reduced in areas of chondrocyte necrosis in the deep zone of KBD articular cartilage, indicating changes in terminal chondrocyte differentiation. PTHrP, TGF-β1, and VEGF expression was significantly altered and indicated degenerative changes in KBD cartilage, which initially resemble those occurring in osteoarthritis, but lead eventually to chondronecrosis, an event not observed in osteoarthritis.