Bone Abstracts

Vascular calcification (VC) involves hydroxyapatite deposition in the arteries and cardiac muscle. VC is thought to share some outward similarities to skeletal mineralisation and has been associated with the transdifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to an osteoblast-like phenotype. We have previously shown that ATP, UTP and synthetic ATP-analogues (α, β-meATP, β, γ-meATP, Bz-ATP) (≥1 μM) act to potently inhibit both bone minera...

Background: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) type VI is a rare recessive disease that may present with long bone fractures in early childhood. Bone in this condition is particularly brittle; the resulting pattern of long bone fractures and lack of distinct radiographic findings can make the diagnosis less obvious than in other types of OI. We report 2 unrelated children who presented with long bone fractures and were suspected of having suffered physical abuse with removal of pare...

Introduction: Bone metastases represent a frequent complication of breast cancer and are characterized by increased tumour-driven activation of osteoclasts and subsequent bone loss. Aminobisphosphonates inhibit osteoclast function and are established therapies of skeletal metastases. Similar to statins, they block the mevalonate pathway and are thought to have direct anti-tumour effects. Here, we report on the anti-tumour potential of a sequential inhibition of the mevalonate ...

Pioglitazone is a drug of the thiazolidinedione (TZD) class used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. TZD is an agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) that improves insulin sensitivity, glucose and lipid metabolism and inflammation. However, TZD induces bone marrow adiposity with suppression of osteogenesis, that could contribute to bone loss and osteoporotic fractures. β-Cryptoxanthin is a carotenoid with antioxidant properties abundant ...

Background: At present, clinical assessment of bone strength in children predominantly relies bone mass measurement using absorptiometry (DXA) or QCT densitometric approaches. However, bone strength is not only dependent on mass/density, but also structural and material mechanical properties. Currently no technique measures bone mechanical properties. Recently, a new micro-indentation device, the reference point indentation (RPI) instrument has been validated for the measure o...

The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of diet supplemented with hydrosoluble soy extract – HSE in bone mass of male and healthy Wistar rats. Sixteen (16) 30 days old animals were kept in controlled conditions with light/dark cicle and fed with commercial food and filtered water. Randomized into two groups: control group received 500 ml of water and 300 g of food, daily; supplemented group S, in addition of water and food, they also received 500 ml of soy ...

Introduction: Insulin sensitising agents are reported to have a diverse range of effects on bone with metformin exerting positive effects and thiazolidinenediones (TZDs) exerting negative effects. 5’AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a critical role in cellular energy homeostasis. It is widely expressed in the body and can be activated by metformin.Objective:: We investigated the role of AMPK pathway in mediating the effects of metformin on t...

Osteoclast presents a central role in several inflammatory diseases that are associated to bone destruction. This condition results from increased osteoclastic bone resorption and/or decreased bone formation. Fluoride (F) is widely consumed in the drinking water due to its anticariogenic effect and has been shown to modulate in vivo bone metabolism in a strain-specific dependent manner. It enhances bone formation in 129P3/J mice but not in A/J mice. However, its effec...

Objectives: Postural balance and gait speed are risk factors for falls and hip fractures independent of bone mineral density (BMD). The standard risk assessment tool, FRAX, does however not include any estimate of fall risk. Identifying high-risk individuals correctly is be of great clinical importance why further improvement of FRAX would be clinically valuable. The primary aim of this study was to see if one-leg standing time, the maximum number of steps on a line or gait sp...

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic condition which alters collagen biosynthesis(1). Prevalence is estimated at 1 in every 15, 000 births. It is a disorder with a wide spectrum of severity, with cases ranging from the extremely mild to those of perinatal mortality. Typical features include bone fragility; short stature; long bone deformity and persistent blue sclera(2). Although currently there is no cure for OI, with the input of a multidisciplinar...