Microphysiological System-Generated Physiological Shear Forces Reduce TNF-α-Mediated Cartilage Damage in a 3D Model of Arthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability, often resulting from overuse or injury, but inactivity can also contribute to cartilage degeneration. Conventional in vivo models struggle to isolate and study the specific effects of mechanical stress on cartilage health. To address this limitation, a microphysiological system (MPS) is established to examine how varying levels of shear stress impact cartilage homeostasis.

Cross-reactivity of anti-modified protein antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis.

This review comprehensively discusses the cross-reactivity of autoantibodies against modified proteins (AMPAs), the hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We found that regardless of tissue sources, subtypes, or isotypes of B cells, AMPAs show high cross-reactivity within and across antigens undergoing citrullination, carbamylation, lysine-acetylation or ornithine-acetylation. The cross-reactive patterns of AMPAs display clonal and individual heterogeneity.

To Tweak or Not to Tweak. How Exploiting Flexibilities in Gene Set Analysis Leads to Overoptimism.

Gene set analysis, a popular approach for analyzing high-throughput gene expression data, aims to identify sets of genes that show enriched expression patterns between two conditions. In addition to the multitude of methods available for this task, users are typically left with many options when creating the required input and specifying the internal parameters of the chosen method. This flexibility can lead to uncertainty about the "right" choice, further reinforced by a lack of evidence-based guidance.

Association between magnesium and vitamin D status in adults with high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency.

Purpose: It has been assumed that magnesium (Mg) status may interact with vitamin D status. We therefore aimed at investigating the association between Mg and vitamin D status in a large cohort of adult individuals with a high prevalence of deficient/insufficient vitamin D and Mg status.

Methods: We used data from the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health Study (n = 2,286) to analyze differences according to serum Mg status in circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] (primary endpoint), 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [24,25(OH)D], vitamin D metabolite ratio and calcitriol, and odds ratios for deficient or insufficient 25(OH)D (secondary endpoints).

Early detection efforts for colorectal and prostate cancer from the patient's perspective over the course of 12 years: results of the KABOT survey study.

Aim: This study investigates the level of knowledge and utilization of colorectal cancer (CRC) and prostate cancer (PCa) early detection measures (EDMs) over a period of 12 years in general practice from the patient's perspective.

Background: The role of general practitioners (GPs) in EDMs for CRC and PCa in Germany is not well-documented with comprehensive data.

Methods: We conducted a patient-centric survey in the German federal state of Berlin-Brandenburg at a 12-year interval to examine the role of GPs in EDMs for CRC and PCa.