Bone Abstracts

Fractures are very common and affect 2% of the population per annum. Fragility fractures represent the greatest unmet need and are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Currently, there is no approved therapy for enhancing healing of fragility fractures. We previously reported that upregulation of the early inflammatory response following skeletal injury can promote fracture repair (Glass et al PNAS 2011). Inflammation represents the earliest response followin...

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...

Objective: There is no published data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of a single bolus dose vitamin D in breastfed infants of vitamin D deficient mothers. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of this alternative approach in newborn infants <4 months of age.Method: This single centre study was conducted from Aug 2013 to May 2014. Of 307 pregnant women diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency (25OHD<50 nmol/l) 70 were recruited. Their newborn in...

Ageing is universally linked to skeletal deterioration. Common mechanisms may control both processes, where dysregulation may predispose to bone loss and osteoarthritis (OA). The epigenetic modifier SirT1 controls lifespan and decreases with age. However, the role of SirT1 in joint disease is unclear. Human tissue samples, novel genetically modified mice, a surgical disease model and advanced cellular and molecular studies were employed to explore the hypothesis that SirT1 is ...

The effect of recombinant parathyroid hormone therapy as an anabolic agent has delivered great success in the treatment of osteoporosis. Although a treatment response is still defined in DXA terms, initial scans can fail to detect an increase in BMD since the collagen deposited in bone may not yet have mineralized. It is key therefore that an early response is detected biochemically and the physician can be reassured that the bone is not adynamic, the patient is compliant and ...

Introduction: Hip fracture is a significant health problem with 25–30% occurring in men. Outcome differences between the genders have been documented, particularly mortality rates.Aim: To prospectively investigate outcomes of elderly hip fracture patients regarding mortality, recovery of function, quality of life, incidence of osteoporosis, osteoporosis knowledge, medication adherence, nutritional status and fear of falling.Me...

Objectives: To determine the national prevalence, management and long term outcomes of patients who develop osteonecrosis after initiation of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).Methods: The central trials unit for the leukaemia trial UKALL2003 identified patients with reported bone toxicity out of the 3126 patients recruited into the study. Questionnaires were sent to each relevant treatment centre requesting information about each patient...

Objective: Existing case series examining outcomes following spine surgery for patients with skeletal dysplasias demonstrate high rates of complications. Yet, these earlier studies are from a single institution, contain surgeries performed almost 50 years ago, and only include patients with a diagnosis of achondroplasia. The objective is to determine contemporary outcomes after spinal surgery in patients with skeletal dypslasias, focusing on complications and revisions. We pre...

Bisphosphonates are used in the treatment of a variety of diseases with skeletal complications. With the development of more potent compounds, there is the potential for further improvement. One concept is to use compounds with a reduced affinity for bone, reducing their long-term retention and possible adverse events, as well as potentially enhancing their non-skeletal benefits. We hypothesise that a highly potent bisphosphonate with low bone affinity, known as OX14, will be ...

Objectives: Autosomal recessive osteopetrosis (OP) is a rare metabolic bone disease characterized by impaired osteoclast function resulting in defective bone resorption and generalized high bone mineral density (BMD). Excessive bone compromises bone marrow space, leading to marrow failure. The infantile malignant form is typically fatal within the first decade of life. The intermediate form presents later during childhood. Currently, the only potential curative therapy for OP ...