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- Thorstensson, Carina A., et al.
(författare)
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Reduced functional performance in the lower extremity predicted radiographic knee osteoarthritis five years later
- 2004
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - London : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 63:4, s. 402-407
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Reduced quadriceps strength is an early finding in subjects with knee osteoarthritis, but it is not clear whether it is a cause or a consequence of knee osteoarthritis.Objective: To determine whether reduced functional performance in the lower extremity predicts the incidence or progression of radiographic knee osteoarthritis.Design: Prospective, epidemiological, population based cohort study.Patients: 148 subjects (62 women), aged 35–54 (mean 44.8), with chronic knee pain from a population based cohort.Measurements: Predictors analysed were age, sex, body mass index, baseline knee pain, and three tests of lower extremity functional performance: maximum number of one-leg rises from sitting, time spent walking 300 m, and timed standing on one leg. Weightbearing tibiofemoral knee radiographs were obtained at baseline and after 5 years (median 5.1, range 4.2–6.1), and classified according to Kellgren and Lawrence as no osteoarthritis (Kellgren and Lawrence = 0, n = 94) or prevalent osteoarthritis (Kellgren and Lawrence ⩾1, n = 54).Results: Fewer one-leg rises (median 17 v 25) predicted incident radiographic osteoarthritis five years later (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.1 to 6.0). The association remained significant after controlling for age, sex, body mass index, and pain. No significant predictor of radiographic progression in the group with prevalent osteoarthritis was found.Conclusion: Reduced functional performance in the lower extremity predicted development of radiographic knee osteoarthritis 5 years later among people aged 35–55 with chronic knee pain and normal radiographs at baseline. These findings suggest that a test of one-leg rises may be useful, and interventions aimed at improving functional performance may be protective against development of knee osteoarthritis.
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| 3. |
- Wandzioch, Ewa, et al.
(författare)
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Lhx2-/- mice develop liver fibrosis
- 2004
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 101:47, s. 16549-16554
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Liver fibrosis is a wound-healing response to chronic injury of any type and is characterized by a progressive increase in deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, the major source of which are activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Because the LIM homeobox gene Lhx2 is expressed in HSCs and liver development in Lhx2 –/– mice is disrupted, we analyzed liver development in Lhx2 –/– embryos in detail. Lhx2 –/– embryos contain numerous activated HSCs and display a progressively increased deposition of the ECM proteins associated with liver fibrosis, suggesting that Lhx2 inhibits HSC activation. Transfection of Lhx2 cDNA into a human HSC line down-regulates expression of genes characteristic of activated HSCs. Moreover, the Lhx2 –/– liver display a disrupted cellular organization and an altered gene expression pattern of the intrahepatic endodermal cells, and the increased deposition of ECM proteins precedes these abnormalities. Collectively these results show that Lhx2 negatively regulates HSC activation, and its inactivation in developing HSCs appears therefore to mimic the signals that are triggered by the wound-healing response to chronic liver injury. This study establishes a spontaneous and reproducible animal model for hepatic fibrosis and reveals that Lhx2 expression in HSCs is important for proper cellular organization and differentiation of the liver.
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