Bone Abstracts

The switch from a cartilage template to bone during endochondralossification of the growth plate requires dynamic and close interaction between the cartilage and the developing vascular structures. Vascular invasion of hypertrophic cartilage, with blood vessels coming from the bone collar, serves to bring in osteoblast- andendothelial precursor cells along with chondroclasts and their precursors into future ossification centres of the growth plate.Potent...

Tumors contain a small population of cancer stem cells (CSC) proposed to be responsible for tumor maintenance and relapse. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) activity has been used as a functional stem cell marker to isolate CSCs in different cancer types. This study used the Aldefluor assay and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis to isolate ALDH1high cells from five human sarcoma cell lines and one primary chordoma cell line. ALDH1high cell...

Biographical DetailsDr Leanne M Ward is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa where she holds a Research Chair in Pediatric Bone Health. She is the Medical Director of the Pediatric Bone Health Clinical and Research Programs at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and a pediatric endocrinologist within the Division of Endocrinology and Metaboli...

Biographical DetailsBarbara M Misof is Staff Scientist at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Osteology, Vienna, Austria. She completed her PhD in Physics and Postgraduate Education in Medical Physics at the University of Vienna in 2000. In 2002, she received the Herbert-Czitober-Research Award of the Austrian Society of Bone and Mineral Research. Her areas of interest are bone material pro...

Tooth fracture is considered as a major problem in dentistry. As it is commonly observed in dental practice, one of the main factors that lead to increased tooth fragility is its devitalization. However, there is no definite mechanistic explanation for such phenomenon. We hypothesize that the possible response to this matter lies in the changes that occur in dentin due to altered microenvironment after endodontic procedure. Therefore, in this study we analyzed the structural a...

HLA-B27 transgenic rats, developed by inserting into rat genome the gene for HLA-B27, a human Class I major histocompatibility molecule involved in antigen presentation, spontaneously develop arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gastrointestinal inflammation, and severe alveolar bone loss, among other signs of a generalized inflammatory response. Clinical manifestations in these rats closely resemble features of HLA-B27–associated diseases in humans. More recently, investig...

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Bisphosphonates (BPs) including alendronate (ALN) are the most widely prescribed therapy for post-menopausal osteoporosis. Despite their overall excellent safety record and efficacy in reducing fractures, concerns have been expressed lately regarding potential detrimental effects due to prolonged bone turnover reduction, although no definite cause–effect relationship has been established to date. The purpose of the present study was to determine bone material quality by R...

Bone mineral density (BMD) as measured by quantitative computed tomography (QCT) is biased by the variable marrow composition since marrow fat reduces the apparent BMD. We developed a marrow densitometry (MD) method that identifies subvolumes in the vertebrae that consist of bone marrow only (bone voids) and determines their average mineral equivalent density values. The method was developed for use with in vivo high resolution QCT (HR-QCT). HR-QCT still has limited s...

Background: We have previously shown that MLO-Y4 osteocytes express a number of P2 receptors, respond to a broad range of nucleotides (e.g. UTP) by increasing intracellular calcium concentration and release ATP upon both mechanical and UTP stimulation. The aim of this study therefore is to investigate how the osteocytes release ATP and whether there is a difference in release pathway depending on the type of stimulus.Methods: ATP release was investigated...