Bone Abstracts

Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) consists of two isoforms TRAP 5a and TRAP 5b suggested to exert different functions and clinical relevance. TRAP 5a is a 35 kDa monomer and a potential marker of inflammatory conditions e.g. atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. TRAP 5b, a heterodimer of 16 and 23 kDa generated by proteolytic cleavage of a repressive loop in TRAP 5a, is used as marker for osteoclast numbers/bone resorption and osteoclast-related pathological condi...

Background: Metaphyseal chondrodysplasias with cone-shaped epiphyses and cup-shaped metaphyses are very rare. We present a case with this particular skeletal phenotype, along with its differentials.Presenting Problem: Our female patient, aged 3.8 years, was the 2nd child of healthy, unrelated Greek parents, who were worried about her bilateral knee stiffness, which resulted in a limp and also in walking with her knees bent. At presentation, she was noted...

Introduction: Bisphosphonates gain increasingly greater significance in treatment oncologic diseases with bone metastasis. However, a lot of articles have lately been published in dental and oncological journals on jaw osteonecrosis (ONJ) associated with long-term ingestion of bisphosphonates. Besides extension of clinical recommendations for zolendronate use, most commonly referred to in connection with ONJ, for treatment of Paget’s diseaseand other disturbances of bone ...

Objective: Serotonin is a neurotransmitter with multiple functions in the gastrointestinal tract and CNS. Recent animal studies indicate that serotonin regulates bone mass and remodelling. In humans, a handful of studies have shown decreased bone mineral density (BMD) in adults treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) for depressive symptoms. Although SSRI’s are prescribed in pediatric practice, there are few studies examining the effect of SSRIs on bon...

Objective: Vascular calcification contributes to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, end stage renal disease, and diabetes, and is caused by genetic ablation of matrix Gla protein (MGP) in mice. Genetic ablation of MGP in mice results in excessive calcification of the vessel wall associated with a chondrocyte-like trans-differentiation in smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Canonical β-catenin signaling is activated in the calcified arterial Mgp&#8722...

Background: Subcutaneous fat necrosis (SCFN) of the newborn is an uncommon condition most commonly seen in term infants who have experienced perinatal stress presenting as nodules or plaques on the face, back or upper extremities. The associated complication of hypercalcemia is thought to be secondary to elevated 1,25-OH vitamin D from increased expression of 1-alpha hydroxylase from inflammatory granulomatous cells. However the natural history of SCFN, associated hypercalcemi...

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is used to stimulate bone formation in osteoporotic patients, however concerns have been raised about the quality of the matrix produced since lower levels of total matrix mineral have been reported in osteoporotic and fracture patients treated with PTH. High resolution synchrotron-based Fourier Transform Infrared Microscopy (sFTIRM) was used to determine mineral content in age-matched bone during anabolic PTH treatment, using the simplified lamellar ...

Abnormal tissue levels of certain trace elements such as Zinc (Zn) were reported in various types of cancer. Little is known about the role of Zn in osteosarcoma.Using confocal synchrotron radiation micro X-ray fluorescence analysis, we characterized the spatial distribution of Zn in high-grade (G3) sclerosing osteosarcoma of nine patients (4 f/5 m; 7 knee/1 humerus/1 femur) following chemotherapy and wide surgical resection. The study was done in accord...

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone-derived tumor. However, the pathogenic molecular mechanism(s) underpinning osteosarcoma development and metastasis remain elusive. The polycystins PC1 (polycystin-1; encoded by PKD1) and PC2 (polycystin-2) are central players in mechanotransduction, a process that can influence all steps of the invasion/metastasis cascade. Recent studies from our laboratory provided, for the first time, a direct link between mechanosensing polycysti...

Contemporary elemental imaging techniques are greatly contributing into the bone research. Synchrotron radiation induced confocal micro x-ray fluorescence technique (SR-μXRF) was employed for the analysis, being the most powerful and sufficient tool in detection and characterization of trace element distributions in bone tissue. Manganese (Mn), as a potential contributor into the mechanisms of calcium incorporation into bone tissue is in the spotlight of research. Further...