Publications

Abstract OBJECTIVE Aggrecan is the major proteoglycan in articular cartilage and is known to be degraded by various proteases, including matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). The present study was undertaken to develop immunoassays detecting aggrecan and its fragments generated by MMP and non-MMP-mediated proteolysis. METHODS Two immunoassays were developed: (1) the G1/G2 sandwich assay employing a monoclonal […]

Abstract Bone resorption is solely mediated by osteoclasts. Therefore, a pure osteoclast population is of high interest for the investigation of biological aspects of the osteoclasts, such as the direct effect of growth factors and hormones, as well as for testing and characterizing inhibitors of bone resorption. We have established a pure, stable, and reproducible […]

Abstract A core part of many medical image segmentation techniques is the point distribution model, i.e., the landmark-based statistical shape model which describes the type of shapes under consideration. To build a proper model, that is flexible and generalizes well, one typically needs a large amount of landmarked training data, which can be hard to […]

Abstract Emerging evidence supports the concept that biochemical markers are clinically useful non-invasive diagnostic tools for the monitoring of changes in cartilage turnover in patients with destructive joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Epidemiological studies demonstrated that measurements of different degradation products of proteins in the extracellular matrix of hyaline cartilage […]

Abstract Collagen characteristics contribute to bone biomechanical properties. Yet, few studies have analyzed the independent contributions of bone mineral density (BMD) and post-translational modifications of type I collagen to whole bone strength. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the relative contributions of BMD and both enzymatic and non-enzymatic collagen crosslink concentration to […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Maintenance of the structural and functional integrity of the skeleton is a critical function of a continuous remodeling driven by highly associated processes of bone resorption and synthetic activities driven by osteoclasts and osteoblasts, respectively. Acceleration of bone turnover, accompanied with a disruption of the coupling between these cellular activities, plays an established […]

Abstract OBJECTIVE To investigate changes in the circulating levels of the C-telopeptide of type II collagen (CTX-II) with relation to disease onset and structural damage of cartilage in a rodent model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), and to investigate immunolocalization of the CTX-II epitope in the articular cartilage of affected joints. METHODS Seven-week-old female Lewis rats […]

Abstract OBJECTIVE Calcitonin was recently reported to counter progression of cartilage degradation in an experimental model of osteoarthritis, and the effects were primarily suggested to be mediated by inhibition of subchondral bone resorption. We investigated direct effects of calcitonin on chondrocytes by assessing expression of the receptor and pharmacological effects on collagen type II degradation […]

Abstract OBJECTIVE Both matrix metalloprotease (MMP) activity and cathepsin K (CK) activity have been implicated in cartilage turnover. We investigated the relative contribution of MMP activity and CK activity in cartilage degradation using ex vivo and in vivo models. METHODS Bovine articular cartilage explants were stimulated with oncostatin M (OSM) 10 ng/ml and tumor necrosis […]

Abstract Estrogen deficiency arising with the menopause promotes marked acceleration of bone resorption, which can be restored by hormone replacement therapy. The inhibitory effects of estrogen seem to involve indirect cytokine- mediated effects via supporting bone marrow cells, but direct estrogen-receptor mediated effects on the bone-resorbing osteoclasts have also been proposed. Little information is available […]