BACKGROUND Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily and suggested as a marker of atherosclerosis. However, little is known about the association between plasma OPG levels and lower extremity arterial disease. We investigated whether plasma OPG levels were associated with the presence and severity of lower extremity arterial disease in patients with typ...

Osteosarcoma is the most frequent primary bone tumor that develops mainly in the young, the median age of diagnosis being 18 years. Despite improvement in osteosarcoma treatment, survival rate is only 30% at 5 years for patients with pulmonary metastases at diagnosis. This warrants exploration of new therapeutic options, and among them, osteoprotegerin (OPG), a naturally occurring protein that ...

We describe the Optical Pulse Generation (OPG) testbed, which is the integration of the MOR and Preamplifier Development Laboratories. We use this OPG testbed to develop and demonstrate the overall capabilites of the NIF laser system front end. We will present the measured energy and power output, temporal and spatial pulse shaping capability, FM bandwidth and dispersion for beam smoothing, and...

OBJECTIVE Osteoprotegerin (OPG) acts as an important regulatory molecule in atherosclerosis. Recent studies report that thiazolidinediones could affect OPG expression. We investigated the relationship between OPG and inflammatory cytokines and the effects of pioglitazone (a PPARγ (PPARG) agonist) versus metformin on serum OPG levels in type 2 diabetic patients. DESIGN AND METHODS Sixty-seven ...

O steoprotegerin (OPG), a secreted glycoprotein and member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily, is a soluble receptor activator of nuclear factorB (RANK) ligand (RANKL) and TNF-related apoptosisinducing ligand (1). OPG works as a decoy receptor preventing RANK/RANKLinduced osteoclast differentiation and activation (2). Moreover, the RANK/ RANKL system has potential cardiovas...

BACKGROUND Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily.Recent evidence supports a relationship between serum OPG level and atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association of OPG with the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD), its severity and prognosis in patients with chest pain and suspected coronary stenosis. METHODS In thi...

OBJECTIVE Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a newly identified inhibitor of bone resorption. Recent studies indicate that OPG also acts as an important regulatory molecule in the vasculature. Plasma levels of OPG seem to be elevated in subjects with diabetes as well as in non-diabetic subjects with cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between plasma OPG lev...

The aim of our study was to evaluate the usefulness of serum OPG and ProGRP during chemotherapy of lung cancer in relation to the histological type of the tumour, its clinical stage and the response to therapy. The levels of OPG and ProGRP were determined in 39 patients (20 NSCLC, 19 SCLC) and 10 healthy subjects. Blood samples were collected from each patient before and after chemotherapy. OPG...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the role of microRNA-145 (miR-145) in steroid-induced necrosis of the femoral head (SINFH) by evaluating its effects on the OPG/RANK/RANKL signaling pathway. METHODS A rat model of SINFH was constructed via injection of the lentiviral vector pLV-shRNA-miR-145. Pathological observation was performed via tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, and serum OPG...

OBJECTIVE Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and osteopontin (OPN) have been identified within unstable atherosclerosis and circulating concentrates have been linked to cardiovascular events. We studied the influence of OPG and OPN on endothelial adhesion molecule expression and monocyte binding. METHODS Resting or tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) activated human endothelial cells were incubated with OPG...