Bone Abstracts

STRUCTURE was a phase 3, open-label study evaluating the effect of romosozumab or TPTD for 12 months in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis transitioning from bisphosphonate therapy (NCT01796301). This study enrolled women with postmenopausal osteoporosis who had taken an oral bisphosphonate for ≥3 years prior to screening and alendronate in the year prior to screening; had a BMD T-score ≤−2.5 at the total hip (TH), lumbar spine (LS), or femoral neck (FN);...

Background: Bisphosphonates are widely used to prevent and treat osteoporosis. Limited evidence suggest that these drugs may reduce mortality, perhaps by protecting against cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the occurrence of heart failure in patients treated with bisphosphonates.Methods: Nationwide retrospective cohort study from Denmark. All users of bisphosphonates and raloxifene (n=4.831) between 1996 and 2006 (n=102.34...

Objectives: The ability to discriminate bone fractures that result from non-accidental injuries and those that result from underlying bone fragility is limited by the lack of clinical instrumentation to directly measure bone mechanical properties. The BioDent Hfc (Active Life Scientific) is an experimental device that has been validated for measuring cortical bone fracture resistance in adults. We are currently developing protocols to test the feasibility of its use in infants...

Background and aim: Eight cases of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the external auditory canal have been reported in case-reports. Our aim was to describe the incidence of external auditory canal and middle ear diseases in Danish patients exposed to bisphosphonates in the treatment of osteoporosis.Methods: The study was a retrospective, nationwide cohort study, within the Danish population of approximately 5.6 million individuals and based on ...

Diabetes is associated with increased risk of fracture, although type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by normal bone mineral density (BMD). Thus, diabetes may be associated with a reduction of bone strength that is not reflected in the measurement of BMD. It is very problematic to measure the bone quality in daily practice. Trabecular bone score (TBS) iNsight® is one of these tools, now available for routine clinical practice, that allows for refinement of mic...

Genetic skeletal diseases (GSDs) are an extremely diverse and complex group of rare genetic diseases that primarily affect the development and homeostasis of the osseous skeleton. There are more than 450 unique and well-characterised phenotypes that range in severity from relatively mild to severe and lethal forms. Although individually rare, as a group of related genetic diseases, GSDs have an overall prevalence of at least 1/4000 child. Qualitative defects in cartilage struc...

Biographical DetailsMichael D Briggs obtained his PhD at the MRC Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, studying the genetic basis of osteogenesis imperfecta. He undertook postdoctoral work at UCLA identifying the genetic basis of chondrodysplasias. In 1996 Mike moved to Manchester as an AR-UK Fellow to continue studying disease mechanisms in chondrodysplasia. In 2004 he was awarded a Wellcome...

The healing of bone fractures is a tightly regulated process where released growth factors and cytokines interplay within an inflammatory environment in order to reestablish the functional bone. Recent studies have suggested that endothelial cells may dedifferentiate into mesenchymal multipotent cells via a mechanism called endothelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EndoMT). Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays a critical role inducing EndoMT. Subsequent differenti...

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) of prematurity is a well-recognized complication of preterm birth. Yet there is limited evidence for the optimal assessment, monitoring, and subsequent bone health management.Retrospective audit of 171 infants born <32 weeks’ gestation between November 2012 and January 2014 at three Monash Health neonatal units (Melbourne, Australia) was undertaken. Infants had mean gestational age (GA) 28.6±2.1 weeks and birth ...

Screening gene function in vivo is a powerful approach to discover novel drug targets in the human genome (Nat Rev Drug Discov 2 38–51, 2003). We present data for 3776 distinct gene knockout (KO) mouse lines with viable adult homozygous mice generated using both gene-trapping and homologous recombination technologies. Bone mass was determined from PIXImus DEXA scans of male and female mice at 14 weeks of age and by microCT analyses of bones from ...