Procaine stimulates aquaporin‑5 expression in human salivary gland ductal cells via the suppression of DNA methyltransferase‑1

DNA Methylation of T Lymphocytes as a Therapeutic Target: Implications for Rheumatoid Arthritis Etiology

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that can cause joint damage and disability. Epigenetic variation, especially DNA methylation, has been shown to be involved in almost all the stages of the pathology of RA, from autoantibody production to various self-effector T cells and the defects of protective T cells that can lead to chronic inflammation and erosion of bones and joints. Given the critical role of T cells in the pathology of RA, the regulatory functions of DNA methylation in T cell biology remain unclear. In this review, we elaborate on the relationship between RA pathogenesis and DNA methylation in the context of different T cell populations. We summarize the relevant methylation events in T cell development, differentiation, and T cell-related genes in disease prediction and drug efficacy. Understanding the epigenetic regulation of T cells has the potential to profoundly translate preclinical results into clinical practice and provide a framework for the development of novel, individualized RA therapeutics.

Efficacy of procaine combined with ketamine and propofol in pediatric epidural anesthesia

In the present study, the effect of procaine combined with ketamine and propofol in pediatric epidural anesthesia was analyzed. A total of 74 children scheduled to undergo surgery under epidural anesthesia were included in the study, and were divided into two groups using a random number table. Accordingly, 37 patients received epidural anesthesia using ketamine and propofol (control group), whereas the remaining patients received procaine combined with ketamine and propofol (observation group). The vital signs, sedative effects, anesthetic effects, pain intensity, anesthetic dose and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the groups. It was revealed that the heart rate and mean arterial pressure at T4 (following epidural administration) in the observation group was significantly lower compared with those of the control group (P<0.05). However, no statistical difference was observed in the proportion of patients with sedation at Ramsay levels 1-6 between the observation and the control group (P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group reported a shorter latent period for the onset of the anesthetic effect and the disappearance of pain, and a longer period for the recovery of pain sensation (P<0.05). The observation group exhibited prominently lower visual analog scale scores at 6, 12, 18 and 24 h post-surgery compared with the control group (P<0.05). Additionally, the observation group received a lower dose of ketamine and propofol compared with the control group (P<0.05). An incidence of adverse reactions of 8.11% was noted in the observation group during the surgery and anesthesia recovery period, which was lower compared with that of the control group (29.73%) (P<0.05). The results of the present study indicated that the combination of procaine with ketamine and propofol in pediatric epidural anesthesia may be more commonly employed, considering its advantages in accelerating the anesthesia process, improving the anesthetic effects and guaranteeing anesthesia safety. However, only a few indicators of the anesthesia efficacy and a small group of patients were included in the present study, and a long-term comprehensive analysis using a larger sample size is required to address this issue.

DNA Methylation as a Future Therapeutic and Diagnostic Target in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disease of unknown etiology that leads to progressive joint destruction and ultimately to disability. RA affects as much as 1% of the population worldwide. To date, RA is not a curable disease, and the mechanisms responsible for RA development have not yet been well understood. The development of more effective treatments and improvements in the early diagnosis of RA is direly needed to increase patients' functional capacity and their quality of life. As opposed to genetic mutation, epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, are reversible, making them good therapeutic candidates, modulating the immune response or aggressive synovial fibroblasts (FLS-fibroblast-like synoviocytes) activity when it is necessary. It has been suggested that DNA methylation might contribute to RA development, however, with insufficient and conflicting results. Besides, recent studies have shown that circulating cell-free methylated DNA (ccfDNA) in blood offers a very convenient, non-invasive, and repeatable "liquid biopsy", thus providing a reliable template for assessing molecular markers of various diseases, including RA. Thus, epigenetic therapies controlling autoimmunity and systemic inflammation may find wider implications for the diagnosis and management of RA. In this review, we highlight current challenges associated with the treatment of RA and other autoimmune diseases and discuss how targeting DNA methylation may improve diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches.