Bone Abstracts

The renal stones found in the mummies of Pandolfo III Malatesta, Lord of Fano (1370–1427) and an anonymous nobleman from Popoli (XVIII century) were investigated using different techniques. Both specimens were examined with binocular stereomicroscopy (BSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), also with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Multiple tiny fragments from surface and inner portions were submitted to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Subsequently, the cal...

Introduction: Osteocalcin (OC) is the noncollagenous protein of bone matrix produced by osteoblasts which play an important role in bone metabolism. In its carboxylated form (c-OC) osteocalcin binds to hydroxyapatite in bone and plays a regulatory role in bone formation and mineralization. In contrast, undercarboxylated OC (uc-OC) binds less effectively to hydroxyapatite and a significant association has been found between fracture incidence and uc-OC in elderly subjects. Unde...

Proprotein convertase PC5/6 (Pcsk5) is expressed in mouse bone and Pcsk5 epiblast-specific conditional knockout mice have a bone phenotype displaying small size, delayed ossification and additional thoracic segments and ribs. Some features are attributed to growth and developmental factor 11 (GDF11) – a known substrate for PC5/6 – while the delayed mineralization has yet to be explained. Osteopontin (OPN) is a bone matrix protein with roles in miner...

The childhood and adolescent years represent a critical period for bone acquisition. Extrinsic factors such as diet and physical activity represent modifiable variables that may have a significant impact on a young adult’s peak bone mass. This lecture will consider dietary supplementation with specific nutrients as a strategy to augment bone density during the childhood and teenage years. An overview will be provided, as well as data reviewed from supplementation trials i...

This study examined the anti-osteoclastogenic effect of n-butanol extracts of Panax notoginseng on the receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL) induced RAW264.7 cells. Panax notoginseng is commonly used to treat chronic liver disease. Notoginseng has many beneficial effects, such as the suppression of liver fibrosis and anti-cancer activities. Notoginseng contains several biologically active components, such as ginsenosides Rb1, Rg1...

Owing to their anti-inflammatory effects, steroid therapy using glucocorticoids (GCs) is still part of the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), despite several severe side effects like glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO). Until now the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial and side effects of GC therapy are poorly understood. GCs exert their actions via the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) that alters gene expression by either binding as a dimer to GC response el...

Objectives: Skeletal abnormalities occur in half of the individuals with neurofibromatosis type-1 (NF1), usually in the first 2 years of life; the most difficult to manage is congenital pseudarthrosis of tibia (CPT, tibial non-union) which may lead to the amputation of the limb. Previous work in our lab identified that high levels of β-catenin early in fracture repair, result in a phenotype similar to CPT. There is data showing higher than normal β-catenin levels in ...

Introduction: Recent data suggest that lipid metabolism imbalances affect osteoblast and osteoclast function resulting in altered bone mass quality and quantity. Here we investigated the role of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), key-element in HDL biogenesis in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis in mice.Materials and methods: Lumbar vertebrae and femora from apoA-I deficient (ApoA-I−/−) and WT (ApoA-I<s...

Objective: Mobility is an important endpoint in patient care with implications for activities of daily living, community participation, and quality of life. We adapted the performance-oriented mobility assessment (POMA-G),1 a widely used and validated clinical gait assessment tool for adults, to use in children with hypophosphatasia (HPP). HPP is the rare metabolic disease caused by loss-of-function mutation(s) in the gene encoding tissue non-specific alkaline phosp...

Milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8) is a glycoprotein that controls the engulfment of apoptotic cells and exerts anti-inflammatory effects. It has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases, but its role in the bone microenvironment is still unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis that MFG-E8 also regulates bone metabolism and the development of arthritis.MFG-E8 expression was detected in mouse bones and primary murine osteobl...