Bone Abstracts

Objective(s): We aimed to determine the impact of microgravity-induced osteoporosis on the future of space programs.Material and methods: We performed a metanalysis of the available literature, finding out different studies about i) muscle atrophy due to the absence of workload, which can consequently induce bone loss; ii) the effect of long term inactivity on bone mass; iii) the effect of calcium and vitamin D supplementation in women and men in order t...

Ancient Egyptians were well known for the art of embalming, performed in the belief that preservation of the body was essential for survival in the afterlife. During the mummification process, internal organs were removed and some of them (lungs, stomach, liver, and intestines) washed, dehydrated with natron, perfumed, and stored in so-called canopic jars, buried with the mummy. Each jar had established contents and its own protective deity. To date, a limited number of studie...

Objectives: Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a rare disease with cutaneous photosensitivity, in which patients avoid sun exposure and use sunscreen. Our purpose was to study bone mineral density (BMD), serum 25-OHD levels and other mineral parameters, to evaluate the impact of these measures in the follow-up of EPP patients.Patients and methods: A ten EPP patients (median age 25; range 22–55, four males and six females), were study for clinica...

Objectives: Impairment of bone mass accrual and alterations of bone metabolism is a common finding in HIV-infected youths. In particular, previous studies demonstrated higher bone formation and bone resorption rates in HIV-infected children and adolescents. Wnt ligands promote bone formation by stimulating osteoblast differentiation and their survival. Recent studies demonstrated that sclerostin (Scl) and dickkopf factor 1 (DKK-1), Wnt antagonists, are important negative regul...

Background: Glucocorticoid immune suppression in kidney transplanted children jeopardizes optimal bone health recovery. So far, there are no studies that evaluate the effect of transplant and corticoid in bone parameters separately.Objective: To determine the effect of early corticosteroid withdrawal in bone parameters.Methods: Randomized, controlled study; two groups: corticosteroid withdrawal (at the 6th day post-transplant, then...

Objective: Sclerostin, product of the SOST gene, is an important determinant of bone formation and resorption. Rett patients, frequently present marked decreases in bone mineral density (BMD) beyond that expected from disuse atrophy. However, sclerostin has not been yet examined in Rett subjects as a potential mediator of impaired bone metabolism.Methods: This study aimed to investigate whether there is any associations between sclerostin levels, body co...

Autosomal Recessive Osteopetrosis (ARO) presents early in life with extreme sclerosis of the skeleton, reduction of bone marrow spaces, hepatosplenomegaly, cranial nerves compression and severe growth failure. ARO is often lethal and at present the only therapy is HSCT, which should be performed as soon as possible in order to obtain a major benefit. ARO is genetically heterogeneous and delays in clinical diagnosis sometimes occur, due to its rareness and to the presence of co...

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The lactation has been considered a cause of bone loss in humans and animals. Studies have shown that during lactation, there is a significant reduction of bone mineral density. Rats at the end of lactation show reduced bone mass. The objective of this study was to verify the effect of lactation under osteogenic potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) of female rats. Twelve Wistar rats were distributed among the control and lactating groups. The experiment was...

It has been recently reported that, after physical exercise activity, the skeletal muscle releases Irisin, the newly identified myokine able of driving transition of white adipocytes to brown, following a phenomenon known as the browning response. This result has suggested that skeletal muscle is crucial in the regulation of energy homeostasis, supporting the idea that it can be considered an endocrine organ that targets adipose tissue by promoting energy expenditure. In accor...