Bone Abstracts

Introduction: Bisphosphonates are drugs of first choice in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis; they inhibit bone resorbtion.Aim: This study evaluates the efficiency of bisphosphonates (alendronic acid+cholecalciferol 70 mg/5600 IU per weekly vs risedronic acid 35 mg/weekly vs ibandronic acid 150 mg/monthly) after 1 year of therapy.Methods: We present the results of a retrospective study which included 40 women with postme...

Background: Bone accrual during adolescence is the main contributor to peak bone mass. Bone remodeling is a balance between bone formation and resorption as directed by osteoblast and osteoclast activity, respectively. nitric oxide (NO) is a potent regulator of bone remodeling via mediating effects of cytokines, estrogen and mechanical strain. NO is synthesized from the conversion of L-arginine to L-citrulline by the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (...

Marine cyanobacteria have been recognized as an important source of bioactive compounds. The cytotoxicity on cancer cell lines has been extensively explored and several cyanobacteria metabolites are already described as potential anticancer compounds or are considered useful templates for the design of new anticancer drugs. The majority of compounds have been isolated from filamentous or colonial cyanobacteria that growth in high densities along shores. In contrast, picoplankt...

We studied changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration in bone cell cultures obtained from human subjects with osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, to evaluate differences between these patients and healthy subjects. We enrolled 36 patients: 12 undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty for osteoporotic femoral fractures (group A, mean age range 57–80), 12 for hip osteoarthritis (group B, mean age range 57–80), and 12 healthy subjects who suffered a high-energy...

Background: Osteogenesis Imperfecta is commonly due to dominant mutations in type I collagen genes, COL1A1 and COL1A2. Recessive forms, which are rarer, are caused instead by mutations in various genes coding for proteins involved in collagen post-translational modifications, folding and secretion. A novel disease locus, SERPINF1, coding for pigment-epithelium-derived-factor (PEDF), a likely key factor in bone deposition and remodelling, has been fou...

Background: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a group of hereditary disorders characterized by bone fragility and osteopaenia, with a broad spectrum of clinical severity. The majority of cases are dominantly inherited and due to mutations in type I collagen genes, whereas recessive forms are less frequent and attributable to mutations in different genes involved in collagen I post translational modifications and folding (prolyl-3-hydroxylase complex, SERPINH1, FKBP1...

Background: Congenital multiple hormone deficiency (CMHD) is a rare condition caused by mutations in transcription factors involved in pituitary ontogenesis1. Incidence of mutations in POU1F1 gene in results between 3.8 and 7.7%2. POU1F1 gene mutations lead to somatolactotroph and thryotroph deficiencies. Brain MRI can be normal or shows pituitary hypoplasia without extrapituitary anomalies.Presenting problem: We describe the growth...

Background: Weyers acrofacial dysostosis (WAD, OMIM 193530) is a rare autosomal dominant disease, characterized by mildly short stature, postaxial polydactyly, nail dystrophy and dental anomalies. WAD should be distinguished from Ellis-van Creveld syndrome (OMIM 225500), a similar but more severe disease, comprising chondrodysplasia, orofacial anomalies and, in a proportion of patients, cardiovascular malformations. Both diseases are caused by mutations in either EVC or EVC2<s...

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate hospitalization rate of femoral neck fractures in the elderly Italian population over ten years.Methods: We analyzed national hospitalizations records collected at central level by Ministry of Health from 2000 to 2009. Age- and sex-specific rates of fractures occurred at femoral neck in people ≥65 years old. We performed a sub-analysis over a 3-year period (2007–2009), presenting data per five-year age groups, ...

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a malignancy of Plasma Cells (PC), characterized by severe osteolytic lesions but poor 99Tc-MDP uptake in bone scans due to osteoblast inhibition. We hypothesized that high demands for membrane biosynthesis in tumour PC would enhance monocarboxylic acid anabolism and uptake, which could be exploited for treatment and molecular imaging. Here, we tested the efficacy of clinically available 11C-Acetate PET to detect myeloma and quant...