Publications

Abstract Bone mineral density (BMD) is a measure of osteoporosis and is useful in evaluating the risk of fracture. In a genome-wide association study of BMD among 20,100 Icelanders, with follow-up in 10,091 subjects of European and East-Asian descent, we found a new BMD locus that harbours the PTCH1 gene, represented by rs28377268 (freq. 11.4-22.6%) […]

Abstract We conducted a genome-wide association study of low bone mineral density (BMD) at the hip and spine utilizing sequence variants found through whole-genome sequencing of 2636 Icelanders. We found two rare missense mutations, p.Gly496Ala and p.Gly703Ser, in the COL1A2 gene that associate with measures of osteoporosis in Icelanders. Mutations in COL1A2 are known to […]

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 Chronic fibro-proliferative diseases are associated with nearly 45% of all deaths in the developed world. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) mediated remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an important role in disease development. Degradation of type I collagen is considered having a major role in this matter. C1M is a biomarker measuring type I collagen […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) contribute significantly to disease progression. However, the effect on tissue structure and turnover is not well described. There is an urgent clinical need for biomarkers of disease activity associated with disease progression. Extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover reflects activity in tissues and consequently assessment of ECM turnover […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and inevitably fatal disorder, has a highly variable clinical course. Biomarkers that reflect disease activity are urgently needed to inform patient management and for use as biomarkers of therapeutic response (theragnostic biomarkers) in clinical trials. We aimed to determine whether dynamic change in markers of extracellular matrix (ECM) […]

Abstract BACKGROUND During the pathological destruction of lung tissue, neutrophil elastase (NE) degrades elastin, one of the major constituents of lung parenchyma. However there are no non-invasive methods to quantify NE degradation of elastin. We selected specific elastin fragments generated by NE for antibody generation and developed an ELISA assay (EL-NE) for the quantification of […]

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS The hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) is an important but invasive diagnostic and prognostic marker in cirrhotic patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate a novel biochemical plasma marker of true type V collagen formation (Pro-C5) for describing HVPG. METHODS Ninety-four patients mainly with alcoholic cirrhosis and fourteen liver-healthy […]

Abstract BACKGROUND/PURPOSE The aim of this study was to identify key characteristics of disease progression through investigation of the association of radiographic progression over two years with baseline Joint Space Width (JSW), Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) pain, Joint Space Narrowing (JSN), and BMI. METHODS Data from 2206 subjects […]