A Serological Biomarker of Versican Degradation is Associated with Mortality Following Acute Exacerbations of Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonia.

May 4, 2018

Respir Res

Abstract BACKGROUND Idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) is characterized by an increased rate of extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling resulting in fibrosis. Acute exacerbations of IIP represent periods of increased disease activity, thus we hypothesized that ECM remodeling was altered during acute exacerbations and investigated this by serological neo-epitope biomarkers. METHODS Patients who were sequentially admitted to […]

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Accelerated collagen turnover in women with angina pectoris without obstructive coronary artery disease: An iPOWER substudy.

May 1, 2018

Eur J Prev Cardiol

Abstract Aim Collagens are major cardiac extracellular matrix components, known to be actively remodelled and accumulated during diffuse myocardial fibrosis. We evaluated whether accelerated collagen turnover described by neo-epitope biomarkers reflecting collagen formation and degradation separates patients with diffuse myocardial fibrosis from asymptomatic controls. Methods and results Seventy-one women with angina pectoris without significant coronary […]

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Osteoclasts degrade bone and cartilage knee joint compartments through different resorption processes.

April 10, 2018

Arthritis Res Ther

Abstract BACKGROUND Osteoclasts have been strongly implicated in osteoarthritic cartilage degradation, at least indirectly via bone resorption, and have been shown to degrade cartilage in vitro. The osteoclast resorption processes required to degrade subchondral bone and cartilage-the remodeling of which is important in the osteoarthritic disease process-have not been previously described, although cathepsin K has […]

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Matrix Metalloproteinase Mediated Type I Collagen Degradation is an Independent Predictor of Increased Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Postmenopausal Women.

March 29, 2018

Sci Rep

Abstract Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is often underdiagnosed in women. It is therefore of interest to identify biomarkers that indicate increased risk of AMI and thereby help clinicians to have additional focus on the difficult AMI diagnosis. Type I Collagen, a component of the cardiac extracellular matrix, is cleaved by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) generating the […]

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Development of a Neo-Epitope Specific Assay for Serological Assessment of Type VII Collagen Turnover and Its Relevance in Fibroproliferative Disorders.

March 1, 2018

Assay Drug Dev Technol

Abstract Type VII collagen is the main component of the anchoring fibrils connecting the basement membrane to the underlying interstitial matrix. Mutations in the type VII collagen gene cause dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Increased levels of type VII collagen in the skin have been reported in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), whereas reduced levels in the […]

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Inducible knockdown of procollagen I protects mice from liver fibrosis and leads to dysregulated matrix genes and attenuated inflammation.

March 1, 2018

Matrix Biol

Abstract Organ fibrosis is characterized by a chronic wound-healing response, with excess deposition of extracellular matrix components. Here, collagen type I represents the most abundant scar component and a primary target for antifibrotic therapies. Liver fibrosis can progress to cirrhosis and primary liver cancer, which are the major causes of liver related morbidity and mortality. […]

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Biochemical marker discovery, testing and evaluation for facilitating OA drug discovery and development.

February 1, 2018

Drug Discov Today

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of joint disease. This presents the OA research community and pharmaceutical companies developing disease-modifying OA drugs (DMOADs) with great opportunities. The different OA subtypes complicate the traditional approaches for developing new treatments. If we can identify new markers that can distinguish different subtypes this could greatly facilitate […]

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Suppression of active, but not total MMP-3, is associated with treatment response in a phase III clinical study of rheumatoid arthritis.

February 1, 2018

Clin Exp Rheumatol

Abstract OBJECTIVE Biologics for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with moderate to severe disease may preserve joint function. Matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3), a key tissue degrading protease, is highly elevated in RA. MMP-3, which measures the total pool of circulating MMP-3 species (cMMP3), is a commonly measured biomarker in rheumatology. The aim was to investigate the […]

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Acute decompensation boosts hepatic collagen type III deposition and deteriorates experimental and human cirrhosis.

February 1, 2018

Hepatol Commun

Abstract Patients with end-stage liver disease develop acute decompensation (AD) episodes, which become more frequent and might develop into acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). However, it remains unknown how AD induces acceleration of liver disease. We hypothesized that remodeling of collagen type III plays a role in the acceleration of liver cirrhosis after AD and analyzed […]

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