Bone Abstracts

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent form of childhood malignancy, with a cure rate that now exceeds 80%. As survival improves, the clinical consequences of ALL and its treatment are increasingly recognized, with skeletal health emerging as an important care issue. The skeletal morbidity that arises in this setting falls into two main categories: osteoporosis (low trauma fractures) and osteonecrosis (in situ bone death). Osteoporosis and necrosis ha...

Additionally to the standard histomorphometric and pathohistologic evaluation, the transiliac bone biopsy sample from a patient can be further analyzed for additional information on structural and material characteristics. Under the term ‘new histology’, several non-destructive techniques and combinations thereof providing high spatial resolution have been introduced. In contrast to conventional histology, these techniques allow the characterization of structural, co...

Osteoporosis in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is arguably one of the most severe bone fragility conditions among children with chronic illnesses. This is hardly surprising, given the deleterious effects of the myopathy and glucocorticoid (GC) therapy on bone strength. The severity of the osteoporotic phenotype is highlighted by observations that 60% of boys will sustain long bone fractures during childhood and a third will present with back pain due to vertebral fractures ...

Biographical DetailsLeanne WardDr Leanne Ward is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa where she has held a Research Chair in Pediatric Bone Health since 2010. She is the Medical Director of the Pediatric Bone Health Clinical and Research Programs at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Dr Ward’s research ...

Intravenous (IV) bisphosphonates (pamidronate, zoledronic acid and neridronate) are the mainstays of medical therapy for numerous pediatric bone diseases. While most frequently prescribed for hypercalcemic disorders and osteoporosis, their potent analgesic effects have also led to their use in fibrous dysplasia, osteonecrosis, sickle cell disease, chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis, and complex regional pain syndrome. Bisphosphonates given IV are highly effective in preventin...

Objectives: Osteopenia is a complication of childhood cancer treatment but it is unknown to which extend this occurs in adult survivors, and which subgroups are at risk. We examined bone mineral density (BMD) and assed the relative importance of potential determinants of low BMD in very long-term adult survivors of childhood cancer.Methods: The single-center cohort study included 410 adult CCSs (median age at diagnosis: 6.6 years (range: 0–17 years)...

Background: Long-term use of bisphosphonates has raised concerns about the association with Atypical Femur Fractures (AFFs) that have been reported mainly in postmenopausal women.Clinical case: An 18-year-old patient with juvenile osteoporosis based on X-linked osteoporosis due to a PLS3 mutation developed a low trauma femoral fracture after seven years of intravenous and two years of oral bisphosphonate use, fulfilling the revised ASBMR diagnostic crite...

Epidemiological and experimental data indicates that cadmium creates a risk of bone damage even at low exposure. Our recent findings suggest that this heavy metal may affect bone via destroying the receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF)-κβ (RANK)/RANK ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) system balance that plays a key role in the regulation of bone metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate whether low-level exposure to cadmium, corresponding to low lif...

Introduction: Despite similarities in upfront treatment, impairment of bone mineral density(BMD) varies in long-term adult survivors of childhood cancer (CCS). We studied for the first time whether genetic variation is involved in impairment of BMD in adult long-term CCS.Method: This cross-sectional single-center cohort study included 334 adult CCS (median follow-up time: 15.2 years (range 5.1–39.8); median age at follow-up: 26.1 years (range 18.1&#...

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...