Although cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are viewed as a promising therapeutic target, the design of rational therapy has been hampered by two key obstacles. First, attempts to ablate CAFs have resulted in significant toxicity because currently used biomarkers cannot effectively distinguish activated CAFs from non-cancer associated fibroblasts andmesenchymal progenitor cells. Second, it is...

Host genetic variability may contribute to susceptibility of bacterial meningitis, but which genes contribute to the susceptibility to this complex disease remains undefined. We performed a genetic association study in 469 community-acquired pneumococcal meningitis cases and 2072 population-based controls from the Utrecht Health Project in order to find genetic variants associated with pneumoco...

Background Our previous studies have shown that islet stellate cell (ISC), similar to pancreatic stellate cell (PSC) in phenotype and biological characters, may be responsible for the islet fibrosis in type 2 diabetes. To further identify the differences between PSC and ISC and for better understanding of the physiological function of ISC, we employed genome-wide transcriptional analysis on the...

We describe a syndrome of midface hypoplasia, non-progressive sensorineural deafness and epiphyseal dysplasia in 3 sibs born to consanguineous parents. Clinical and roentgenographic findings are compatible with a diagnosis of oto-spondylo-megaepiphyseal dysplasia (OSMED). Histologic study of cartilage shows severe osteoarthritis, which may necessitate joint replacements in early adulthood. Ultr...

Microtia is a congenital malformation of the external ear caused by genetic and/or environmental factors. However, no causal genetic mutations have been identified in isolated microtia patients. In this study, we utilized targeted genomic capturing combined with next-generation sequencing to screen for mutations in 307 deafness genes in 32 microtia patients. Forty-two rare heterozygous mutation...

The incidence and histological type of esophageal cancer are highly variable depending on geographic location and race/ethnicity. Here we want to determine if racial difference exists in the molecular features of esophageal cancer. We firstly confirmed that the incidence rate of esophagus adenocarcinoma (EA) was higher in Whites than in Asians and Blacks, while the incidence of esophageal squam...

PURPOSE To determine the molecular defect in a family with autosomal dominant rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (DRRD), and to investigate missplicing as a possible phenotypic modifier of mutations in COL2A1. METHODS Clinical examination of the family and linkage analysis using markers flanking COL2A1 and COL11A1, the known loci for Stickler syndrome; mutation screening of COL2A1; constructio...

Although cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are viewed as a promising therapeutic target, the design of rational therapy has been hampered by two key obstacles. First, attempts to ablate CAFs have resulted in significant toxicity because currently used biomarkers cannot effectively distinguish activated CAFs from non-cancer associated fibroblasts and mesenchymal progenitor cells. Second, it i...