Bone Abstracts

There is some evidence that caffeine consumption has effects on bone mineral metabolism, however the reports in this regard show some ambiguity. Being this compound one of the most popular for human consumption in the world, we analyzed the effects of soluble caffeine subcutaneous administration on serum osteocalcin and serum bone alkaline phosphatase (bALP) in Wistar male rats (weighting 200–250 g). Variable doses were used (30, 75, 150 mg/kg), during 30 days. The animal...

Prolyl hydroxylase 2 (PHD2) regulates hypoxia-inducible factor α (HIFα) transcription factors and thus, erythropoietin (EPO) production. Under normoxic conditions, HIFα is constantly inactivated through hydroxylation by PHD2. Due to the embryonic lethality of PHD2 knock-out mice, its precise role in erythropoiesis and tissue homeostasis has long remained unknown. Recently, we generated a conditional knock-out (cKO) mouse lacking PHD2 in EPO-producing cells. Thes...

Objectives: Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a rare disease with cutaneous photosensitivity, in which patients avoid sun exposure and use sunscreen. Our purpose was to study bone mineral density (BMD), serum 25-OHD levels and other mineral parameters, to evaluate the impact of these measures in the follow-up of EPP patients.Patients and methods: A ten EPP patients (median age 25; range 22–55, four males and six females), were study for clinica...

Osteoclasts are highly specialized cell types, responsible for the resorption of bone matrix. Coordinated with osteoblasts they contribute to a proper bone turnover. An impaired or reduced function of the osteoclast leads to a pathogenic increase of the bone mass and finally osteopetrosis. Lysosomal hydrolases, as exemplied by CTSK and Acp5 (TRAP), are known to play an important role in the function of osteoclasts, and knockout mouse models of these proteins develop a bone res...

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...

The analysis of intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) (PTH1–84) is useful in the diagnosis of hyper- and hypocalcaemia, hyperparathyroidism, and in the prevention of bone mineral disorders in renal patients. However, the analysis is complicated by the presence of PTH fragments. These are especially prone to accumulation in renal failure, and cross-react differently with different immunoassays, including the most recent, third-generation immunoassays. As such, large variability...

Objectives: To assess the effects of short-term vitamin D supplementation on bone metabolism, glycaemic status and immune function in vitamin D deficient children.Method: Treatment with daily 5000 IU cholecalciferol supplementation for 6 weeks. At baseline and end of treatment serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), parathyroid hormone (PTH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum collagen type 1 cross-linked C-telopeptide (CTX), serum calcium, HbA1c, sex hormon...

Romosozumab is an investigational bone-forming agent that inhibits sclerostin. Recent data demonstrated that it stimulated bone formation, decreased bone resorption, and led to rapid and substantial increases in areal bone mineral density (BMD; McClung, J Bone Miner Res 27 (S1) S8–S9, 2012). In a Phase 1b, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple dose study, we studied the effects of romosozumab administered for 3 months and follow-...

Osteoporotic fractures of the vertebrae are often silent and if left untreated will lead to progressive loss of vertebral body height and significant kyphoscoliosis, with its associated morbidity. However if vertebral fractures (VF) are detected early, treatment with bisphosphonates accelerates healing of prevalent fractures and reduces incident fractures.A survey of members of the British Paediatric and Adolescent Bone Group showed that treatment is sta...

Peak bone mass is a major determinant of osteoporosis risk and subsequent fragility fractures in older age. There is a wide range of factors influencing peak bone mass, ranging from those acting very early in life, for example in utero and periconception, to those acting through childhood and adolescence into young adulthood. In this presentation I will give an overview of some overarching themes and principles of relevance to peak bone mass, using specific clinical scenarios ...