Bone Abstracts

Bisphosphonates are the mainstay of medical therapy in the fracturing child with osteoporosis. The majority of the data in children pertains to i.v. pamidronate use in children and adolescents with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), where pamidronate has been associated with improvements in bone mineral density, cortical thickness, vertebral shape, pain, mobility and height.1 Side-effects of pamidronate including acute phase response to the initial dose and retardation o...

Associate Professor Munns is a Senior Staff Specialist in Bone and Mineral Medicine and Endocrinology at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Conjoint Associate Professor in the Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney, Australia. Following the completion of his Paediatric and Endocrinology training at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, Associate Professor Munns was Clinical Associate in Genetic and Metabolic Bone Disor...

Childhood and adolescence are critical periods for optimizing bone growth and mineral accrual. Bone strength is determined by bone size, geometry, quality, and mass – variables that are influenced by genetic factors, physical activity, nutrition, and pubertal hormones. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and cerebral palsy (CP) are two chronic medical conditions of childhood associated with reduced mobility and increased rate of pathological fracture....

Biographical DetailsAssociate Professor Craig Munns is a Senior Staff Specialist in Bone and Mineral Medicine and Endocrinology at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Conjoint Associate Professor in the Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney, Australia. Following the completion of his Paediatric and Endocrinology training at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane...

Objectives: Deteriorating bone mineral density and fragility fractures are common complications of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This study aims to evaluate the effects of bisphosphonate therapy and testosterone supplementation (for pubertal induction) on the bone health of children with DMD.Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined the clinical records of children with DMD managed at the Neurogenetics and Endocrine clinics at The Children&#...

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic outcomes of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) and identify genotype-phenotype correlations in children and adolescents with recurrent fractures.Methods: A retrospective chart audit was conducted of children and adolescents referred to the endocrine clinic at a tertiary children’s referral hospital with a history of recurrent fractures. Phenotypic data including fracture history, bone mineral density (BMD) and...

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of intravenous bisphosphonate treatment in children with mild-moderate osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) who had progressed from active bisphosphonate treatment to maintenance therapy for >2 years.Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on 17 patients with mild-moderate OI. Clinical data, fracture history, biochemistry, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) parameters, vertebral measurements, bone age a...

Objectives: Bisphosphonate infusions are associated with numerous adverse effects including acute systemic inflammatory reactions and electrolyte abnormalities. The aims of this study were to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a 3-day course of prednisone on children receiving their first dose of pamidronate or zoledronic acid.Methods: A retrospective cohort of 166 patients (85 males) were commenced on pamidronate (16%) or zoledronic acid (84%) for trea...

Objectives: Childhood osteoporosis can be treated with i.v. bisphosphonates in order to improve bone mass and density. The aims of this study were to evaluate the safety and efficacy of 6-monthly zoledronic acid (ZA) in children with osteoporosis.Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 27 patients (16 males and 11 females) were treated with 6-monthly ZA (0.05 mg/kg per dose) for a minimum of 1 year. Seventeen patients were immobile, 4 had steroid-induce...

Introduction: Bisphosphonate treatment in children with osteogenesis imperfecta reduces bone catabolism and relies on modelling to form new bone. An anabolic treatment, anti-sclerostin antibody (Anti-SOST Ab), is being investigated in clinical trials. We hypothesized that combined treatment may produce superior outcomes in OI.Methods: Female Col1a2 G610C mice and their wild type littermates (WT) were treated from week 5 to week 9 of life with either sali...