ESPE Abstracts

Background: Articular cartilage is closely related to epiphyseal growth plate cartilage with one major discriminant: while epiphyseal growth plate cartilage is transformed into bone by endochondral ossification, epiphyseal growth plate cartilage remains stable in a healthy situation. In contrast in diseases like osteoarthritis articular cartilage acquires characteristics of epiphyseal growth plate cartilage. The underlying molecular pathophysiology is largely unknown.<p cl...

Glial cells are the most abundant cell type in the CNS. Although they were originally thought to only play a supportive role for neurons, it is now clear that glial cells are involved in all aspects of brain function. Understanding how glia, and in particular astrocytes, tanycytes and microglia, participate in the neuroendocrine control of metabolic homeostasis has come to the forefront in recent years. This is largely due to the observation that high fat diet-induced hypothal...