Vitamin D is a pleiotropic secosteroid yielding multiple actions in human physiology.
Besides the canonical regulatory activity on bone metabolism, several non-classical actions …

Vitamin D plays a primary role in regulation of bone metabolism and calcium homeostasis.
Interestingly, emerging evidence suggests protective effects of vitamin D against liver …

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a deformable dynamic structure that dictates the behavior,
function and integrity of blood vessels. The composition, density, chemistry and architecture …

Sonoelastography is a novel technique that uses ultrasound waves to assess the elasticity of
tissues noninvasively. It provides an ultrasound-based method to detect and display the …

Arterial calcification results in arterial stiffness and higher systolic blood pressure. Arterial
calcification is prevented by the high expression of the Matrix-Gla gene (MGP) in the …

Background Biliary atresia (BA) is a severe congenital disorder with progressive obstructive
cholangiopathy in young children. The inflammatory process has been recognized as one of …

CCN-2 (connective tissue growth factor; CTGF) is a key factor in fibrosis. Plasma CCN-2 has
biomarker potential in numerous fibrotic disorders, but it is unknown which …

Palpation is a subjective and non-sharable diagnostic method. Recently, palpation has been
supported and replaced by elastography, which provides a novel parameter of “stiffness” as …

Hepatic fibrosis is an improper wound repair response associated with various kinds of
chronic liver injuries. It can be detected by over-deposition of diffuse ECM (Extracellular …

Introduction: We sought to determine the effectiveness and utility of two-dimensional shear-
wave sonoelastography (2D-SW-SE) in the diagnosis and postoperative follow-up of …