• Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, and Lactococcus were majorly found in dairy products. • Major genera in fermented vegetables were Lactobacillus, Weissella, and Carnimonas. • Phages of Siphoviridae, Myoviridae, and Herelleviridae were found in dairy products. • Lp84-3 was significantly enriched in key enzymes of the butyrate metabolism pathway.

Background: Intestinal flora has been proposed to mediate the occurrence of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO). However, the mechanism by which microbes and their metabolites interactively promote PMO remains unknown.Methods: This study aimed to investigate changes in the intestinal flora and associated metabolites, and their role in PMO. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metabolomics were performed to obtain postmenopausal women with osteopenia (lower bone mass, LBM), postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (OST), and healthy women as the control group.Results: We identified taxa-specific and metabolite differences in the intestinal flora of the participants of this study. The pathogenic bacteriaKlebsiella(0.59% and 0.71%, respectively) andEscherichia-Shigella(2.72% and 4.30%, respectively) were enriched in the LBM and OST groups (p < 0.05).Some short-chain fatty acid (SCFAs) producing bacteria,Lactobacillus,Akkermansia,Prevotella,Alistipes, andButyricicoccus, were reduced in patients with LBM and OST compared to the control. Moreover, fecal metabolomic analyses suggested that the metabolites of indole-3-acetic acid and 7-ketodeoxycholic acid were altered in the LBM and OST groups compared to the control (p < 0.05). Enrichment analysis suggested that valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis; aromatic amino acid biosynthesis; and phenylalanine metabolism were significantly associated with the identified microbiota biomarkers and OST. Moreover, metabolite marker signatures distinguished patients in the OST from those in the control group with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.978 and 1.00 in the negative and positive ion modes, respectively. Finally, we also found that the fecal level of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the OST group was significantly lower than that in the control group and LBM group (p < 0.05), while tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were significantly higher in the OST group than that in the control group (p < 0.05).Conclusions: This study provides robust evidence connecting the intestinal flora and fecal metabolomics with PMO. Integrated metabolite and microbiota analyses demonstrated that in addition to dysregulated bacteria, indole-3-acetic acid, 7-ketodeoxycholic acid, and other metabolites can be used for the distinguish of LBM and PMO.

Background: Osteoporosis, a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and increased fracture risk, poses significant social and economic challenges globally, while type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a prevalent metabolic disorder, has been linked to complex effects on bone health, including contradictory findings on its relationship with osteoporosis and fracture risk. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science Library to identify observational studies investigating whether people with T2DM have a higher risk of osteoporosis or fracture than people without diabetes. The time limit for literature retrieval was from the establishment of the database until March 2023. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality checklist. The meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 15, and a random-effects model was used if I² was > 50%. The Egger test was used to assess publication bias. Results: The results demonstrated that people with T2DM have a higher risk of osteoporosis. (relative risk, 1.841; 95% confidence interval, 1.219–2.780; P = .004). Similar results were demonstrated for fractures (relative risk, 1.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–1.31; P < .001). However, the results of the subgroup analysis showed no significant correlation between T2DM and fractures in univariate analysis, cross-sectional studies, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and vertebral fractures. However, a significant correlation was found in other subgroup analyses. Conclusions: Osteoporosis and fractures are significantly associated with T2DM.

Purpose: The onset of OA is affected by a variety of factors, which eventually lead to the loss of cartilage in the joints, the formation of osteophytes, the loss of normal knee mobility, and pain and discomfort, which seriously affects the quality of life. HUC-MSCs can promote cartilage production and have been widely used in research in the past decade. This article systematically summarizes that it is well used in basic research and clinical studies to promote inflammatory chondrogenesis in the treatment of OA. Provide a theoretical basis for clinical treatment. Patients and methods: This study collected CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, and articles related to the treatment of OA with HUC-MSCs since their publication, excluding non-basic and clinical studies such as reviews and meta-analysis. A total of 31 basic experimental studies and 12 clinical studies were included. Systematically analyze the effects of HUC-MSCs on inhibiting inflammatory factors, promoting chondrocyte production, and current clinical treatment. Results: HUC-MSCs can reduce inflammatory factors such as MMP-13, ADAMTS-5, IL-1β, IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, induced conversion from M1 to M2 in OA to protect cartilage damage and reduce OA inflammation. Synthesize ColII, SOX9, and aggrecan at the same time to promote cartilage synthesis. Conclusion: HUC-MSCs not only have typical stem cell biological characteristics, but also have rich sources and convenient material extraction. Compared with stem cells from other sources, HUC-MSCs have stronger proliferation, differentiation, and immune regulation abilities. Furthermore, there are no ethical issues associated with their use. Safety: Primarily attributed to pain, the majority of individuals experience recovery within 24 h following injection. HUC-MSCs possess the ability to alleviate pain, enhance knee joint function, and potentially postpone the need for surgical intervention in both non-surgical and other cases, making them highly deserving of clinical promotion and application.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an increasingly prevalent disease affecting synovial joints, which includes joint degeneration, inflammation, and joint pain. The activation of nucleotide‐binding and oligomerization domain‐like receptor containing protein 3 (NLRP3) could promote synovial inflammation. Previous studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) has potential anti‐inflammatory effect. However, the effect of EA treatment on OA remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of applied EA on OA and joint pain and its relationship with NLRP3 inflammasome. The Hartley guinea pigs with naturally occurring OA at age 18 months were chosen as the OA model and treated with EA for 4 weeks. Mechanical allodynia was quantified by using von Frey filaments. The expression of NLRP3 inflammasome and the downstream proinflammatory factors in the cartilage tissue were quantified. Our results showed that EA treatment significantly reduces mechanical allodynia, improves the articular cartilage structure, and decreases the fibrillation on the cartilage surface in guinea pigs with spontaneous osteoarthritis. Moreover, we also found that EA treatment attenuates the NLRP3 inflammasome activation and suppresses the protein expression levels of caspase‐1 and IL‐1β in the cartilage tissue. Our findings suggest that EA treatment attenuates OA and joint pain by suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation and support further investigation of the potential therapeutic tactics.