Endoglin haploinsufficiency is associated with differential regulation of extracellular matrix production during skin fibrosis and cartilage repair in mice.

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β is a multifunctional growth factor with potent pro-fibrotic effects. Endoglin is a TGF-β co-receptor that strongly regulates TGF-β signaling in a variety of cell types. Although aberrant regulation of TGF-β signaling is known to play a key role in fibrotic diseases such as scleroderma and impaired cartilage repair, the significance of endoglin function in regulating these processes is poorly understood.

How Do MRI-Detected Subchondral Bone Marrow Lesions (BMLs) on Two Different MRI Sequences Correlate with Clinically Important Outcomes?

The aim of this study is to describe the association of bone marrow lesions (BMLs) present on two different MRI sequences with clinical outcomes, cartilage defect progression, cartilage volume loss over 2.7 years, and total knee replacement (TKR) over 13.3 years.

Prevalence and Sex-Specific Distribution of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in University Students in an Urban-Rural Environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A recent qualitative study on health promotion in non-communicable diseases in Sub-Saharan University students suggested sex differences in knowledge and beliefs concerning a healthy lifestyle. However, the extent to which this is reflected in sex-specific distribution of cardiovascular risk factors among Sub-Saharan African students have not been fully evaluated. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and the sex-specific distribution of some modifiable cardiovascular risk factors among students at University of Kikwit in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In vivo effect of opticin deficiency in cartilage in a surgically induced mouse model of osteoarthritis.

The SLRP opticin (OPTC) has been demonstrated to be produced and degraded in osteoarthritic (OA) human cartilage. Here, we investigated the in vivo effect of OPTC deficiency in OA cartilage. OA was induced in 10-week-old Optc and Optc mice.

Place matters: A longitudinal analysis measuring the association between neighbourhood walkability and walking by age group and population center size in Canada.

This study examined the influence of walkability on walking behaviour and assessed whether associations varied according to life-stage and population center (PC) size. Walkability scores were obtained for the six-digit postal codes of residential neighbourhoods of 11,200 Canadians, who participated in biennial assessments of the National Population Health Survey from 1994 to 2010. Participants were stratified by age-group.

The effect of a reduction in alcohol consumption on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Although it is well established that heavy alcohol consumption increases the risk of hypertension, little is known about the effect of a reduction of alcohol intake on blood pressure. We aimed to assess the effect of a reduction in alcohol consumption on change in blood pressure stratified by initial amount of alcohol consumption and sex in adults.

Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MedLine, Embase, CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.

Prediction of Physical Activity Level Using Processes of Change From the Transtheoretical Model: Experiential, Behavioral, or an Interaction Effect?

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to compare prediction of physical activity (PA) by experiential or behavioral processes of change (POCs) or an interaction between both types of processes.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Setting: This study was conducted using an online questionnaire.

Psychometric analysis of the TRANSIT quality indicators for cardiovascular disease prevention in primary care.

Objective: To assess a selection of psychometric properties of the TRANSIT indicators.

Design: Using medical records, indicators were documented retrospectively during the 14 months preceding the end of the TRANSIT study.

Setting: Primary care in Quebec, Canada.

ADAM10-mediated ephrin-B2 shedding promotes myofibroblast activation and organ fibrosis.

Maladaptive wound healing responses to chronic tissue injury result in organ fibrosis. Fibrosis, which entails excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and tissue remodeling by activated myofibroblasts, leads to loss of proper tissue architecture and organ function; however, the molecular mediators of myofibroblast activation have yet to be fully identified. Here we identify soluble ephrin-B2 (sEphrin-B2) as a new profibrotic mediator in lung and skin fibrosis.

Effects of e-learning in a continuing education context on nursing care: a review of systematic qualitative, quantitative and mixed studies reviews (protocol).

Introduction: Continuing education (CE) is imperative to the future of professional nursing. The use of e-learning by registered nurses for CE is spreading. A review of systematic reviews will be conducted to develop a broad picture of the effects of e-learning in a CE context on nursing care.

microRNA expression in the neural retina: Focus on Müller glia.

The neural retina hosts a unique specialized type of macroglial cell that not only preserves retinal homeostasis, function, and integrity but also may serve as a source of new neurons during regenerative processes: the Müller cell. Precise microRNA-driven mechanisms of gene regulation impel and direct the processes of Müller glia lineage acquisition from retinal progenitors during development, the triggering of their response to retinal degeneration and, in some cases, Müller cell reprogramming and regenerative events. In this review we survey the recent reports describing, through functional assays, the regulatory role of microRNAs in Müller cell physiology, differentiation potential, and retinal pathology.

Intra-articular hyaluronic acid in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a Canadian evidence-based perspective.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition characterized by a loss of joint cartilage and is a major cause of disability in Canada, with an estimated CN$195 billion annual cost. Knee OA leads to persistent pain and loss of function, and treatment goals primarily focus on symptom relief and retention of function. Intra-articular hyaluronic acid (IAHA) has therapeutic benefits, and numerous recently published meta-analyses (MAs) and commentaries have highlighted new evidence on the role of IAHA therapy for knee OA.

A Nursing Intervention Increases Quality of Life and Self-Efficacy in Migraine: A 1-Year Prospective Controlled Trial.

Objectives: To compare the impact of a combined nursing and medical approach to a medical follow-up only on headache outcomes, quality of life, and self-efficacy in a cohort of migraineurs.

Background: Interdisciplinary approaches have been proposed for migraine management. A nursing intervention could improve patient outcomes.

Occupational solvent exposure and risk of glioma in the INTEROCC study.

Background: The aetiology of glioma remains largely unknown. Occupational solvent exposure has been suggested as a putative cause of glioma, but past studies have been inconsistent. We examined the association between a range of solvents and glioma risk within the INTEROCC project, a study of brain tumours and occupational exposures based on data from seven national case-control studies conducted in the framework of the INTERPHONE study.

Using the transtheoretical model to predict physical activity level of overweight adults with serious mental illness.

Although physical activity (PA) is recommended for individuals with serious mental illness (ISMI), most of them are inactive or insufficiently active. The transtheoretical model (TTM) has been proposed to explain the motivational factors associated with PA however, there is little evidence of its applicability to ISMI. So, the objective was to analyse whether TTM components are related to PA in overweight ISMI.

Lifetime occupational exposure to metals and welding fumes, and risk of glioma: a 7-country population-based case-control study.

Background: Brain tumor etiology is poorly understood. Based on their ability to pass through the blood-brain barrier, it has been hypothesized that exposure to metals may increase the risk of brain cancer. Results from the few epidemiological studies on this issue are limited and inconsistent.

Characterizing measles transmission in India: a dynamic modeling study using verbal autopsy data.

Background: Decreasing trends in measles mortality have been reported in recent years. However, such estimates of measles mortality have depended heavily on assumed regional measles case fatality risks (CFRs) and made little use of mortality data from low- and middle-income countries in general and India, the country with the highest measles burden globally, in particular.

Methods: We constructed a dynamic model of measles transmission in India with parameters that were empirically inferred using spectral analysis from a time series of measles mortality extracted from the Million Death Study, an ongoing longitudinal study recording deaths across 2.

Exposure to meat-derived carcinogens and bulky DNA adduct levels in normal-appearing colon mucosa.

Introduction: Meat consumption is a risk factor for colorectal cancer. This research investigated the relationship between meat-derived carcinogen exposure and bulky DNA adduct levels, a biomarker of DNA damage, in colon mucosa.

Methods: Least squares regression was used to examine the relationship between meat-derived carcinogen exposure (PhIP and meat mutagenicity) and bulky DNA adduct levels in normal-appearing colon tissue measured using P-postlabelling among 202 patients undergoing a screening colonoscopy.

Levels of serum biomarkers from a two-year multicentre trial are associated with treatment response on knee osteoarthritis cartilage loss as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging: an exploratory study.

Background: There is an obvious need to identify biomarkers that could predict patient response to an osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. This post hoc study explored in a 2-year randomized controlled trial in patients with knee OA, the likelihood of some serum biomarkers to be associated with a better response to chondroitin sulfate in reducing cartilage volume loss.

Methods: Eight biomarkers were studied: hyaluronic acid (HA), C reactive protein (CRP), adipsin, leptin, N-terminal propeptide of collagen IIα (PIIANP), C-terminal crosslinked telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-1), matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), and MMP-3.

Is gentrification all bad? Positive association between gentrification and individual's perceived neighborhood collective efficacy in Montreal, Canada.

Background: Collective efficacy has been associated with many health benefits at the neighborhood level. Therefore, understanding why some communities have greater collective efficacy than others is important from a public health perspective. This study examined the relationship between gentrification and collective efficacy, in Montreal Canada.

Deletion of 12/15-lipoxygenase accelerates the development of aging-associated and instability-induced osteoarthritis.

Objective: 12/15-Lipoxygenase (12/15-LOX) catalyzes the generation of various anti-inflammatory lipid mediators, and has been implicated in several inflammatory and degenerative diseases. However, there is currently no evidence that 12/15-LOX has a role in osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of 12/15-LOX in the pathogenesis of OA.

Relations between work and upper extremity musculoskeletal problems (UEMSP) and the moderating role of psychosocial work factors on the relation between computer work and UEMSP.

Purpose: Computer work has been identified as a risk factor for upper extremity musculoskeletal problems (UEMSP). But few studies have investigated how psychosocial and organizational work factors affect this relation. Nor have gender differences in the relation between UEMSP and these work factors  been studied.

Relations between lipoprotein(a) concentrations, LPA genetic variants, and the risk of mortality in patients with established coronary heart disease: a molecular and genetic association study.

Background: Lipoprotein(a) concentrations in plasma are associated with cardiovascular risk in the general population. Whether lipoprotein(a) concentrations or LPA genetic variants predict long-term mortality in patients with established coronary heart disease remains less clear.

Methods: We obtained data from 3313 patients with established coronary heart disease in the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health (LURIC) study.