Bone Abstracts

The process of vascular calcification shares many similarities with that of skeletal mineralisation, and involves the phenotypic trans-differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to osteoblastic and chondrocytic cells within a calcified environment. Various microRNAs (miRs) are known to regulate cell differentiation, however their role in mediating VSMC calcification has yet to be fully understood.Murine VSMCs were cultured for up to 28 days ...

Objective: In 2018 we started treating children with X-linked hypophosphataemic rickets (XLH) with burosumab, initially as part of an industry-sponsored early access program. We present what we did, the barriers to implementation and broader lessons for the introduction of treatments for rare bone diseases in the future.Method: Firstly, we identified suitable patients under the age of 18 years with XLH. For convenience we arranged dedicated clinics in wh...

Background: A 3.2 year old boy was reviewed following 2 low trauma femoral fractures. He had been born at 31 weeks gestation, his mother having been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at 12 weeks gestation. She received chemotherapy at 20 weeks gestation and was given intravenous zoledronic acid (ZA) during the second trimester for hypercalcaemia.Presenting problem: At 2.7 years, he fell on a tarmacked surface sustaining a diaphyseal fracture of his...

Objectives: From late 2015 a new protocol for zoledronic acid was adopted in our centre. This led to many children changing from pamidronate (PAM) to zoledronic acid (ZA) treatment. In a minority of cases the children and/or their families felt strongly that they wanted to change back to PAM. We present the characteristics of that minority and how bone turnover markers (BTMs) and bone mineral densities (BMD) changed whilst on ZA.Method: From Nov 2016 to ...

Our understanding of skeletal biology has revealed bone as a tissue under complex regulatory control, with numerous systems influencing bone development and remodeling. In contrast, the regulatory output from bone tissue is very minimal. However, skeletal research is currently undergoing a period of marked expansion. One aspect in particular is the relationship between bone and fat metabolism. In addition to well-defined responses to weight bearing, emerging evidence indicates...

Biographical DetailsPaul Baldock is Senior Research Fellow and Group Leader of the Bone Regulation Group, Neuroscience Research Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia. He completed his PhD in Human Physiology at the University of Adelaide in 2001 and since then has gone on to win several awards. His areas of interest are bone mass, neuropeptide Y, bone strength, ...

Child and adolescent obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The impact of excess fat on musculoskeletal health is of significant concern. Abnormal mechanical loading of the lower limbs in obese children may lead to anatomic alterations and an increased prevalence of slipped capital femoral epiphysis and tibia vara. Obese children are also over-represented in fracture groups and excess fat may result in low bone mass relative to body size, although this effect may ...

Biographical DetailsDr P Dimitri studied Medicine at the University of St Andrew’s in Scotland and the University of Manchester where he received a medal in pathology and a distinction in Paediatrics. In 2010 he was awarded a PhD in Medicine and the Michael Blacow Award from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health for his work on the relationship of fat and bone in children...

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Vitamin D deficiency is common in aging people and is associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism, bone loss, osteoporosis and fractures in epidemiological studies. Vitamin D3 is produced in the skin through u.v. irradiation of the sun in spring and summer, and it can also be obtained from food, especially fatty fish, such as herring or mackerel. Vitamin D is activated by liver and kidney. Its main action is stimulation of calcium absorption from the gut. Vitamin ...