Bone Abstracts

Transient osteoporosis of hip (TOH) is a spontaneous resolving skeletal disorder characterized by sudden onset of severe pain which resolves within 6–12 months. It is seen more commonly in middle aged men, though also seen in third trimester of pregnancy. MRI is the main diagnostic tool. It is idiopathic in nature.We present a case report of a young adult male who presented with migratory transient osteoporosis of both hip joints separated by a peri...

We have shown that genetic ablation of Cdh2 (N−cadherin gene) in osteolineage cells results in osteopenia and decreased osteoprogenitor number. Paradoxically, others have shown that mice overexpressing Cdh2 in osteoblasts are also osteopenic; an action linked to a negative effect of N−cadherin (Ncad) on Wnt signaling, via sequestration of low density lipoprotein receptor−related protein−...

Skeletogenesis is an intricate process controlled by numerous transcriptional factors, hormones and signalling pathways. Recently, microRNAs emerged as important players in skeletogenesis but, only few were identified and most of their targets remain unknown. Previous works showed that miR-199a-2/214 cluster is essential for skeletal development and that miR-214 inhibits bone formation in mammals. However, data regarding its skeletal role in other vertebrates is scarce and its...

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gaseous molecule produced endogenously in mammalian cells. H2S was recently found to play important roles in the regulation of inflammation, redox homeostasis and cell lifespan. Moreover, H2S was shown to maintain mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) function and stimulate osteogenic differentiation of MSC. However, it is unclear whether H2S plays any role in the bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency.<p clas...

Objectives: To evaluate the frequency of low serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities in patients referred to a tertiary children’s hospital. Another item was to explore potentially missed diagnoses and to evaluate the role of laboratory screening for hypophosphatasia.Study design: A retrospective evaluation over an 6-year period (between December 2010 and December 2016) carried out to identify children and adolescents, referred to Anna Meyer Chi...

The neuro-hypophiseal hormone oxytocin (OT) is a novel anabolic regulator of bone mass (Tamma et al. PNAS, 2009), upregulating expression of critical osteoblast transcription factors. These effects are mediated by oxytocin receptor, a GPCR expressed by osteoblasts. Recently an increasing number of reports indicates that GPCRs could be targeted to the nuclear membrane; prostaglandin receptors, endothelin receptors and β-adrenergic receptors among others (...

Introduction: Recently reported high incidences of hip fractures emphasize the need of more effective methods for osteoporosis diagnosis, currently performed essentially by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) examinations of the proximal femur. However, high costs and radiation-related issues do not allow DXA employment for population mass screenings. Aim of this study is to carry out a preliminary clinical validation of a new ultrasound (US)-based method to perform femoral...

Introduction: Currently, the only available method to reliably predict osteoporotic fractures is represented by bone mineral density (BMD) measurements on proximal femur or spine, which require the use of X-rays. Aim of this study is to illustrate working principles and feasibility of a new ultrasound (US) method for bone densitometry and osteoporosis diagnosis applicable on both proximal femur and spine.Methods: A new fully automatic algorithm was devel...

Objective: Rett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked neurodevelopment disorder. More than 95% of RTT female have mutations in methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2), whose protein product modulates gene transcription. Specific MECP2 mutations may lead phenotypic variability and different degrees of disease severity. It is known that low bone mass is a frequent complication of subjects with Rett syndrome. This study aimed to investigate if specific MECP2 mutations may affects the degree...

Multiple myeloma is an incurable neoplastic disorder of plasma cells, which invade the bone marrow, secrete monoclonal immunoglobulins, and induce bone lesions, hypercalcemia, anemia and renal failure. The development of myeloma relies on vicious interactions with the bone microenvironment, a deeper knowledge of which is needed to identify prognostic markers and potential therapeutic targets. To achieve an unbiased, comprehensive assessment of the extracellular milieu of myelo...