Publication Year: 2015

Abstract BACKGROUND Loss of muscle mass and function is an important complication to ageing and a range of pathologies, including, but not restricted to, cancer, organ failures, and sepsis. A number of interventions have been proposed ranging from exercise to anabolic pharmacological therapy, with varying success. Easily applicable serological biomarkers of lean and/or muscle mass […]

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS Progressive fibrosis increases hepatic resistance and causes portal hypertension with complications. During progressive fibrosis remodeling and deposition of collagens and elastin occur. Elastin remodeling is crucially involved in fibrosis progression in animal models and human data. This study investigated the association of circulating elastin with the clinical outcome in cirrhotic patients […]

Abstract OBJECTIVES Elastin is a signature protein of the lungs. Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) is important in lung defence mechanisms and degrades elastin. However, MMP-7 activity in regard to elastin degradation has never been quantified serologically in patients with lung diseases. An assay for the quantification of MMP-7 generated elastin fragments (ELM7) was therefore developed to […]

Abstract The extent to which low-frequency (minor allele frequency (MAF) between 1-5%) and rare (MAF ≤ 1%) variants contribute to complex traits and disease in the general population is mainly unknown. Bone mineral density (BMD) is highly heritable, a major predictor of osteoporotic fractures, and has been previously associated with common genetic variants, as well as rare, […]

Abstract Type I IFNs are implicated in the pathophysiology of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Recently, a Phase I open-label trial was conducted with an anti-IFNAR1 receptor antibody (anifrolumab) in adult SSc patients. In this study, we aim to assess the downstream effects of anifrolumab and elucidate the role of type I IFN in SSc. Serum proteins […]

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS A hallmark of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] is chronic inflammation, which leads to excessive extracellular matrix [ECM] remodelling and release of specific protein fragments, called neoepitopes. We speculated that the biomarker profile panel for ulcerative colitis [UC] and Crohn’s disease [CD] represent a heterogeneous expression pattern, and may be applied as […]

Abstract KBP-042 is a synthetic peptide dual amylin- and calcitonin-receptor agonist (DACRA) developed to treat type 2 diabetes by inducing a significant weight loss while improving glucose homeostasis. In this study the aim was to compare two different formulations: An oral formulation (1mg/kg) to subcutaneous formulations of KBP-042 (2.5μg/kg, 5.0μg/kg and 7.5μg/kg) with comparable pharmacokinetic […]

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is a heterogeneous disorder. The goals of this review are (1) To stimulate use of standardized nomenclature for OA that could serve as building blocks for describing OA and defining OA phenotypes, in short to provide unifying disease concepts for a heterogeneous disorder; and (2) To stimulate establishment of ROAD (Risk of […]

Abstract Decreased physical activity in mammals increases bone turnover and uncouples bone formation from bone resorption, leading to hypercalcemia, hypercalcuria, bone loss and increased fracture risk. Black bears, however, are physically inactive for up to 6 months annually during hibernation without losing cortical or trabecular bone mass. Bears have been shown to preserve trabecular bone volume […]

Abstract BACKGROUND The extent of renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the best predictor for progression of most renal diseases. To date, no established biomarkers of renal fibrosis exist. METHODS We measured circulating and urinary-specific matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-generated collagen type I and III degradation fragments (C1M and C3M) and an N-terminal propeptide of […]