Bone Abstracts

Objectives: In the modern society, all individuals are exposed throughout life to a variety of chemicals, which may contribute significantly to the human disease burden. Most of these chemicals are transferred to the fetus in-utero and to the infant via mother’s milk. Until recently, few studies have addressed effects of chemicals on the development of mineralized tissues following exposure during these early stages of life. In this experimental study, we analyse...

Steroids are currently used to improve muscle strength and prolong ambulation in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) although the effect on bone health is still unclear. The aim of this study was to compare bone strength in healthy children and boys with DMD and investigate the interaction between diminished muscle function, loss of ambulation and high dose oral steroids.Fifty children were studied, 14 healthy boys (HB), 13 boys with DMD who rema...

Objectives: Current guidelines recommend annual assessments of bone densitometry in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). However, this recommendation is based on the assumption that bone density is a predictor of fractures in this patient group. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between long-term changes in bone density, corticosteroid exposure and mobility with vertebral and long bone fractures.Methods: Twenty-four DMD boys...

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Study aim: Vertebral strength is determined by bone size, shape, bone mineral density, microarchitecture, and bone material properties. Despite its importance to vertebral mechanics, no studies have reported on the variation of bone microdamage present in the human vertebra. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess regional changes in trabecular bone microdamage in association with bone microarchitecture and resorption in whole human lumbar vertebrae.Me...

Background: Allopurinol reduces oxidative stress and interacts with purinergic signalling systems important in bone metabolism and muscle function. We assessed whether allopurinol use was associated with a reduced incidence of hip fracture in older people who had undergone rehabilitation.Methods: Analysis of prospective, routinely-collected rehabilitation and hospitalisation data. Data on patients discharged from a single inpatient geriatric rehabilitati...

Objectives: To evaluate bone health and body composition in Greek patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), hypothesizing that prepubertal patients would not be fatter than controls, given the Greek obesity epidemic. Greece ranks among the first countries in overweight and obesity prevalence globally; 30 and 13% of childhood population respectively.Methods: Cross-sectional study, conducted at the Greek Institute of Child Health (Athens) over a 2-y...

Background: DMD is a progressive neuromuscular disease often treated with oral glucocorticoids (GC) to prolong ambulation and maintain cardiovascular function. However, the osteotoxic GC effects often result in a skeleton prone to fractures. DMD boys presenting with fractures are treated with bisphosphonates (BP) but evidence of beneficial effects is limited. The aim of this work was to review the use of intravenous BPs in a group of severely affected boys with fractures.<...

Estradiol (E2) signaling via estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is important for the male skeleton as demonstrated by ERα inactivation in both mice and man. ERα mediates estrogenic effects by translocating to the nucleus and there affects gene transcription, but some effects can also be mediated via extra-nuclear actions of the receptor by, e.g., triggering cytoplasmic signaling cascades. ERα contains various domains and the role of activation functio...

Scope: Extended Forsteo Observational Study (ExFOS), a multinational, non-interventional, prospective, observational study aims to evaluate fracture outcomes, back pain (BP), compliance and health-related Quality of Life (QoL) in osteoporotic patients prescribed teriparatide (TPTD). We present treatment outcomes for patients (male or female) treated for up to 24 months in Greece.Methods: Of the 440 patients enrolled in the study 416 (mean age 69.9±9...