Bone Abstracts

Introduction: Effective screening for vitamin D (Vit-D) insufficiency is desirable. Pigmentation of unexposed (constitutive) skin and exposed (facultative) skin can be measured with skin colourimetry to assess dermal capability in synthesizing Vit-D and degree of sunlight exposure respectively. This study aimed at evaluating whether skin colourimetry could be used to screen Vit-D insufficiency among adolescents.Methods: 240 healthy adolescents (mean age=...

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) which has been reported to be an important prognostic factor for curve progression. In addition to BMD, high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) allows measurement of volumetric BMD, bone morphology, trabecular micro-architecture, and evaluation with structure model index (SMI) and finite element analysis (FEA) for mechanical property assessment. The aim of this...

Objectives: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a complex three-dimensional spinal deformity associated with low bone mass. Our previous clinical trial demonstrated the anabolic bone effect of vibration treatment (VT) at the femoral neck in AIS subjects. The therapeutic effect was more pronounced in those with optimal serum 25(OH) Vit-D level (>40 nmol/l). To investigate possible factor interaction between Vit-D and VT on their anabolic bone effects, this in-vitro...

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate detailed bone profiles during puberty for Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).Methods: 333 healthy girls and 231 healthy boys (12–16-years-old) were recruited from secondary schools. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) of bilateral femoral necks were measured by DXA while bone quality parameters w...

Background: Previous studies with small number of boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) suggest that growth failure occurs in glucocorticoid naïve (GC) boys.Objective: To evaluate height and longitudinal growth in boys with DMD prior to GC.Method: Retrospective evaluation in boys with DMD with height measurements obtained for clinical purposes. Out of the 91 boys currently managed in Scotland, 51 had at least one height ...

Chondrosarcomas are cartilage-forming, poorly vascularized tumors. With an estimated annual incidence of 1 in 200 000, they represent the second malignant primary bone tumor of adults after osteosarcoma. These tumors are resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, surgical excision remaining the only therapeutic option. However, very few cell lines and animal models are available, and the mechanisms behind their chemoresistance remain largely unknown. Our goal was to establish...

DMAb increases BMD and reduces bone resorption and risk of vertebral, nonvertebral and hip fractures in women with PMO. Transiliac crest bone biopsies in 47 subjects treated with DMAb for 1–3 years showed reduced bone turnover vs 45 Pbo-treated subjects, which reversed on treatment cessation. Since bone turnover reduction is sustained and fracture incidence low over 6 years’ DMAb treatment, we evaluated DMAb’s effects on tissue-level remodelling in the FREEDOM E...

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Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic disorder with an incidence of 1/3000. Inactivating mutations in the NF1 gene cause Ras-MEK overstimulation, and predisposes NF1 patients to cancer. A new generation of MEK inhibitors (PD0325901 and AZD6244) are under clinical trials in cancer patients, including NF1 patients. Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia is a major complication for NF1 patients, and associates with loss-of-heterozygosity of the NF1 gene. The primary aim of ...

Bone sialoprotein regulates osteoblast activity and bone formation. In knockout (BSP−/−) mouse bone marrow (BM) stromal cell cultures, the pool of osteoprogenitor (OP) cells (CFU-F number) is not different from wild-type (+/+), nor is their early differentiation (same numbers of alkaline phosphatase positive colonies=CFU-ALP, although these are smaller), while the number of osteoblast, mineralized colonies (CFU-OB) is dramatically reduced. Because ossifi...