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Osteoarthritis Biology

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Principles of Bone and Joint Research

Part of the book series: Learning Materials in Biosciences ((LMB))

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Abstract

In today’s ageing society, osteoarthritis has become a major challenge for health-care systems and research alike. Although the molecular mechanisms of tissue degradation are well explored and functional disease markers have been defined, important questions on the pathophysiology of OA still remain unanswered. This chapter provides an overview of the socioeconomic relevance and risk factors of OA, highlights the key features of OA pathology including matrix degradation and pro-inflammatory signalling and discusses current concepts and future perspectives of OA research. It is envisioned that this brief primer to OA biology contributes to elucidate disease mechanisms and to foster critical discussion and concerted scientific efforts in the field of OA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Karl Chiari Lab for Orthopaedic Biology, Department of Orthopaedics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Stefan Toegel

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  1. Stefan Toegel
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Correspondence to Stefan Toegel .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Peter Pietschmann

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Toegel, S. (2017). Osteoarthritis Biology. In: Pietschmann, P. (eds) Principles of Bone and Joint Research. Learning Materials in Biosciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58955-8_12

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