Bone Abstracts

The G protein-coupled receptor, protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2), is expressed by osteoblasts and required for normal skeletal growth and repair. Prostate cancer (PCa) cells commonly secrete proteolytic activators of PAR2 (including matriptase and kallikrein-related peptidase 4) and frequently form osteogenic metastases in bone. This study was undertaken to investigate the hypothesis that PAR2 activators released by PCa cells modulate osteo...

Bisphosphonates (BPs) such as zoledronic acid (ZA) are widely used to treat bone diseases. The use of BPs can lead to osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), but it is not clear why in particular the jaw bone is affected. Previously, it was shown that osteoclasts derived from different bone sites have different properties. We hypothesize that BPs have distinct effects on bone-site specific osteoclasts or precursors. To investigate this, female C57BL/6J mice were injected intraperitone...

Introduction: Dentinogenesis imperfecta (DI) is a common dental aberration in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Mutations that cause abnormal collagen chains will cause more serious types of OI and it has been claimed that DI should be a marker for qualitative defected collagen. It has also been supposed that normal development of teeth may be more dependent on normal α2(I) than normal α1(I) chains which are encoded by COLIA2 and COLIA1 ge...

Brittle bones have been reported in children, adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis (CF), independently of sex; this has been termed CF-related bone disease. In CF patients with the F508del mutation in the (Cftr) gene, vertebral fractures and the subsequent dorsal kyphosis decrease pulmonary function, thus accelerating the course of the disease. Mice with the homozygous F508del mutation in CFTR develop a severe osteopenic phenotype early on, in both sexes (Le He...

Turner syndrome (TS) is known to be associated with increased risk of osteoporosis and fracture. Childhood treatment with GH has been considered standard of care for treatment of growth failure in TS, while the influence of GH on bone health has been poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of GH on bone microarchitecture on a cohort of TS subjects.TS subjects aged 16–45 were included. Bone mineral density (BMD) was as...

Background: Osteoclasts are unique multinucleated cells that originate from the fusion of monocytes. They are the only cells known to be capable of bone resorption. Interestingly, the foreign body multinucleated giant cell (FBGC) arises from the same lineage as the osteoclast, and they share numerous similar characteristics, among which the expression of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAcP). Yet, it is not known whether the FBGC has the capacity to resorb bone.<p cl...

Bone resorption and formation occur in a tightly regulated fashion reflecting the coupled activities of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Several pathological conditions perturb this balance, including osteoporosis and skeletal metastases. In the case of metastases, the uncoupling of resorption and formation activities contributes to disseminated tumor cells homing to the bone and to tumor growth within the bone in highly localized regions. Therefore, a site-specific marker of bone...

Bisphosphonate treatment reduces fracture risk in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. However, some patients have an inadequate response to treatment. Estradiol and sclerostin play an important role in bone metabolism. Sclerostin is an endogenous inhibitor of osteoblastic activity and estrogen deficiency increases osteoclast activity and bone resorption.We examined the influence of both measures on fracture incidence in postmenopausal osteoporosis in...

Hip fractures are a major cause of burden in terms of mortality, disability, and costs. In Ireland, 3000 hip fracture occur annually and is expected to increase over the coming years1. Estimated cost of hip fractures is &z.euro;14 300/admission2. Outpatient non-attendance is a source of inefficiency, wasting time, resources and lengthens waiting lists. Non attendees have a significant negative impact on productivity, their own care and resources. In 2008,...

Cases of non-vitamin D deficiency rickets have been reported in African countries including The Gambia, South Africa and Nigeria where the likely aetiology is a chronically low dietary calcium intake. Additional aetiological factors in Gambian studies are iron deficiency leading to a disruption in phosphate metabolism.Surgical correction of pathological rickets-like lower-limb deformities is the most common operation performed at the Beit Cure Orthopaedi...