Publications

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS During fibrogenesis, in which excessive remodeling of the extracellular matrix occurs, both the quantity of type VI collagen and levels of matrix metalloproteinases, including MMP-2 and MMP-9, increase significantly. Proteolytic degradation of type VI collagen into small fragments, so-called neo-epitopes, may be specific biochemical marker of liver fibrosis. The aim of […]

Abstract Worldwide, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death. Most CVD-related deaths are caused by years of preceding atherogenesis and the extensive development of atherosclerotic plaques, some of which may rupture to cause myocardial infarction. Macrophages are known to have a role in almost all stages of atherosclerosis, by both initiating atherosclerotic plaques […]

Abstract OBJECTIVES Accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components and increased matrix-metalloprotease (MMPs) activity are hallmarks of fibrosis. We developed an ELISA for quantification of MMP-9 derived collagen type III (CO3) degradation. DESIGN AND METHODS A monoclonal antibody targeting a specific MMP-9 cleaved fragment of CO3 was used for development of a competitive ELISA. The assay […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Osteoarthritis (OA) involves changes in both bone and cartilage. These processes might be associated under some circumstances. This study investigated correlations between bone and cartilage degradation in patients with OA as a function of sex, Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) score, Body Mass Index (BMI), oral salmon calcitonin (sCT) treatment and diurnal variation. METHODS This study […]

Abstract BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of oral salmon calcitonin (oSCT) administered over 14 days to men and women presenting with osteoarthritis (OA). MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was a phase-I, 2-week, placebo-controlled, double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, gender-stratified study including 73 subjects aged 57-75 years. Patients had […]

Abstract AIMS The aims of the study were to investigate interindividual variations in the bioavailability of salmon calcitonin (sCT) following single oral 0.8 mg doses at three different times of the day, and intraindividual variation in sCT bioavailability at each end of a 14-day treatment period. We also investigated correlations between exposure to sCT and […]

Abstract Agonists of Perioxisome Proliferator-Activator Receptor gamma (PPARgamma), which work as insulin sensitizers, are approved for type 2 diabetes. However, adverse effects, such as oedemas, infarctions, and increased fracture rates, limit their applicability. We performed a head-to-head comparison of equipotent glucose lowering concentrations of the partial PPARgamma agonist balaglitazone and the full agonist pioglitazone in […]

Abstract BACKGROUND The effects of vitamin D2 and D3 supplementation on circulating concentrations of 25(OH)D3 require reliable analytical tools for specific determination of 25(OH)D3 and 25(OH)D2. We have developed a highly specific 25-OH Vitamin D3 ELISA with negligible cross-reactivity towards 25(OH)D2. METHODS 25(OH)D3 concentrations were measured in several study participants; 1) 641 healthy men and […]

Abstract OBJECTIVE Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by increased bone and cartilage metabolism leading to joint damage. The urinary excretion of C-telopeptides of type II collagen (CTX-II) has earlier predicted progression in radiographic OA (ROA)–useful for participant selection in clinical studies of potential disease modifying OA drugs (DMOADs). We investigated the longitudinal interrelationship between CTX-II and […]

Abstract INTRODUCTION At present, no disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADS) are approved by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration); possibly partly due to inadequate trial design since efficacy demonstration requires disease progression in the placebo group. We investigated whether combinations of biochemical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based markers provided effective diagnostic and prognostic tools for […]