BACKGROUND Intra-articular injection of hyaluronan (HA) has been suggested to have a disease-modifying effect in osteoarthritis, but little is known about the possible mechanisms. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of HA species of different molecular mass, including 800 kDa (HA800) and 2700 kDa (HA2700), on the expression of aggrecanases (ie, ADAMTS species), which play a key role in aggre...

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a form of non-invasive brain frequently used to induce neuroplasticity in the brain. Even at low intensities, rTMS has been shown modulate aspects neuronal plasticity such as motor learning and structural reorganisation neural tissue. However, impact intensity on glial cells astrocytes remains largely unknown. This study investigated change...

It is becoming increasingly apparent that many viruses employ multiple receptor molecules in their cell entry mechanisms. The human enterovirus coxsackievirus A21 (CAV21) has been reported to bind to the N-terminal domain of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and undergo limited replication in ICAM-1-expressing murine L cells. In this study, we show that in addition to binding to ICAM-1...

KCNK2 was previously shown to regulate immune-cell trafficking into the central nervous system (CNS). Kcnk2-/- mice demonstrated a more severe disease course in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis, due to an increased immune-cell migration into the CNS. An upregulation of the cellular adhesion molecules ICAM1 and VCAM1 on brain endothelial cells in K...

BACKGROUND Host genotype accounts for a component of the variability in susceptibility to childhood Plasmodium falciparum malaria. However, despite numerous examples of host polymorphisms associated with tolerance or resistance to infection, direct evidence for an impact of host genetic polymorphisms on the in vivo parasite population is difficult to obtain. Parasite molecules whose expression ...

kcnk2 was previously shown to regulate immune-cell trafficking into the central nervous system (cns). kcnk2-/- mice demonstrated a more severe disease course in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis, due to an increased immune-cell migration into the cns. an upregulation of the cellular adhesion molecules icam1 and vcam1 on brain endothelial cells in k...

Testing for genetic effects on mean values of a quantitative trait has been a very successful strategy. However, most studies to date have not explored genetic effects on the variance of quantitative traits as a relevant consequence of genetic variation. In this report, we demonstrate that, under plausible scenarios of genetic interaction, the variance of a quantitative trait is expected to dif...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are progenitor cells that are capable of differentiating into mesenchymal tissues. Fetal and adult MSC have similar morphology but differ in proliferative, differentiating and immunosuppressive properties. Further exploring their differences could help in choosing the right source for cellular therapy. DESIGN AND METHODS The gene expressi...