Bone Abstracts

Metastasis to bone is the leading cause of death for breast carcinoma, and much focus in the biology and therapy relays on epigenetic alterations. Since DNA-methyltransferase blockade counteracts tumour growth, we utilized 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (dAza) to clarify whether molecular events undergoing epigenetic control were critical for bone metastatization. Here, we studied Secreted-Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine (SPARC), matricellular glycoprotein associated with bo...

Vertebral fractures are one of the most common and disabling manifestation in osteoporosis. The relationship between bone mass and muscle strength has already been shown in the literature, but only a few studies argues the relationship between BMD and erector spinae muscles. Simple biomechanical considerations suggest that the loss of trunk muscle mass may contribute in vertebral fractures. In the literature, the Soerensen and isokinetic tests are often reported for t...

Osteogenesis imperfecta is a clinically heterogeneous heritable connective tissue disorder. Most OI cases are due to mutations in type I collagen genes, COL1A1 and COL1A2 encoding the pro-alpha1(I) and pro-alpha2(I) chains respectively. However, genotype-phenotype correlation has not been completely elucidated yet. In this study we evaluated a familial case including a mother and a daughter, classified as OI type I. The daughter had more severe clinical featu...

Introduction: Vertebroplasty (VP) and ballon kyphoplasty (BKP) are used in the treatment of the vertebral compression fractures (VCF), that usually result in a typical wedged deformation. It is still under debate which technique is the best, in terms of efficacy, costs, and safety, mainly about the risk of a adjacent new fractures. The aim of this study is to evaluate the biomechanical outcome of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty by a computational comparative analysis with finit...

Osteogenesis imperfecta is a clinically heterogeneous heritable connective tissue disorder. Most OI cases are due to mutations in type I collagen genes, COL1A1 and COL1A2 encoding the pro-alpha1(I) and pro-alpha2(I) chains respectively. However, genotype–phenotype correlation has not been completely elucidated yet. In this study we evaluated a familial case including a mother and a daughter, classified as OI type I. The daughter had more severe clinical ...

Fibrous dysplasia of bone (FD) is a crippling skeletal disease caused by activating mutations (R201C, R201H) of the Gsα gene. We recently generated GsαR201C transgenic mice that develop a FD skeletal phenotype. The analyses of these mice demonstrated that increased bone resorption is one of the main morbidity factors in FD and that RANKL is the major molecular mediator of osteolysis at affected skeletal sites.Ob...

Introduction: The clinical diagnosis of mild forms of hypophosphatasia [HPP], a rare genetic bone disease, is often made in adulthood, on the basis of persistently low serum levels of alkaline phosphatase [ALP], often coupled with signs of poor bone/teeth mineralization.Case report: A 50-year-old male on treatment with vitamin D supplementation because of osteoporosis of lumbar spine (T-score –3.2) and femoral neck (T-score –2.4), was referred ...

Barrier membranes have been extensively used in dentistry to prevent soft tissue down-growth into the bone defects and to promote alveolar ridge augmentation. Previous studies of our group showed that the Poly(vinylidene-trifluoroethylene)/barium titanate composite (PVDF) enhances both the in vitro osteoblastic differentiation and the in vivo bone repair compared with a commercially available polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane. As bone formation may be regulated ...

Collagen barrier membranes are used in guided tissue regeneration to support bone healing and periodontal regeneration. Pharmacological inhibitors of prolyl-hydroxylases (PHD) can support hard and soft tissue regeneration and are therefore a promising tool for periodontal therapy. Here we evaluate the release kinetic of the PHD inhibitors dimethyloxaloylglycine and L-mimosine from the collagen barrier membranes.The PHD inhibitors were lyophilized onto co...

It is well known that osteoporotic fragility fractures are an important risk factor for subsequent new vertebral and non-vertebral fractures. Many countries published recommendations to prevent fractures. Also in Italy the Minister of the Health highlighted the importance to prevent osteoporosis and the subsequent fractures, without practical instructions on the management of patients with fragility fractures in the daily clinical practice. Up to date there is no standardized ...