Publications

Abstract INTRODUCTION Christmas parties, a longstanding Danish tradition, became festive occasions in the 1960s. This study examines if healthcare professionals, especially doctors and nurses, have larger bladder capacities than the general population, as they often delay restroom breaks. METHODS At the North Zealand University Hospital Department of Anesthesiology’s 2023 Christmas party, participants delayed urination until […]

Abstract INTRODUCTION The pathogenesis of sarcoidosis involves tissue remodelling mediated by the accumulation of abnormal extracellular matrix, which is partly the result of an imbalance in collagen synthesis, cross-linking and degradation. During this process, collagen fragments or neoepitopes, are released into the circulation. The significance of these circulating collagen neoepitopes in sarcoidosis remains unknown. METHODS […]

Abstract AIM To investigate type III collagen (COL III) turnover in participants from the CANVAS Program biomarker substudy. METHODS Biomarkers of COL III formation (PRO-C3) and COL III degradation fragments (C3M and CTX-III) were assessed in baseline and year 3 plasma from patients enrolled in CANVAS, investigating the effect of canagliflozin in participants with type […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Pulmonary fibrosis results from alveolar injury, leading to extracellular matrix remodelling and impaired lung function. This study aimed to classify patients with pulmonary fibrosis according to blood biomarkers to differentiate distinct disease patterns, known as endotypes. METHODS In this cluster analysis, we first classified patients from the PROFILE study, a multicentre, prospective, observational […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Cleavage products from collagen formation and degradation hold potential as first-line biomarkers for the risk of advanced fibrosis in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Here, we evaluated the performance of PRO-C3, PRO-C6, C4M, PRO-C18L, and the clinical score ADAPT (age, diabetes, PRO-C3, and platelet count) to detect patients with an […]

Abstract Understanding the tumor microenvironment (TME) and extracellular matrix (ECM) is crucial in cancer research due to their impact on tumor progression. Collagens, major ECM components, regulate cell signaling and behavior. Of the 28 reported collagens, type XII collagen is known to be vital for ECM organization. Over-produced by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), its upregulation correlates […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral pneumonia that can result in serious respiratory illness. It is associated with extensive systemic inflammation, changes to the lung extracellular matrix, and long-term lung impairment such as interstitial lung disease (ILD). In this study, the aim was to investigate whether tissue remodelling, wound healing, and neutrophil […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Novel noninvasive predictors of disease severity and prognosis in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are needed. This study evaluated the ability of extracellular matrix remodeling markers to diagnose fibrosis stage and predict PSC-related fibrosis progression and clinical events. METHODS Liver histology and serum markers of collagen formation (propeptide of type III collagen [Pro-C3], propeptide […]

Abstract BACKGROUND This post-hoc study investigated whether biomarkers reflecting extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover predicted cardiovascular disease (CVD), mortality, and progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and microalbuminuria. METHODS Serum levels of specific ECM turnover biomarkers were assessed in 192 participants with T2D and microalbuminuria from an observational study […]

Abstract OBJECTIVE Clinical observation suggests that vascular activation and autoimmunity precede remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). We challenge this paradigm by hypothesising that ECM biomarkers are already disturbed in patients with very early SSc (veSSc) when fibrosis is not yet clinically detectable. METHODS 42 patients with veSSc, defined as the […]