Bone Abstracts

In rural Gambian prepubertal children with low calcium intakes (mean 300 mg/day) we reported positive effects, sustained for at least a year (y), on bone mineral content (BMC) after 12 months supplementation with calcium carbonate to international levels1,2. The group was followed up regularly until the end of height growth, and supplementation did not affect height growth in the girls3. Our aim was to determine whether the supplementation altered the tim...

Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a benign skeletal disease caused by somatic activating mutations of Gsα leading to formation of expansile fibroosseous lesions. These may occur in isolation or in association with McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS), characterized by skin pigmentation and hyperfunctioning endocrinopathies, including growth hormone (GH) excess. FD in the craniofacial skeleton may result in significant morbidity including facial asymmetry, vision and hearing ...

Metatropic dysplasia (MD) was first described by Maroteaux et al. in 1966. Its name was derived from the Greek word metatropos which means ‘changing pattern’ because individuals with this diagnosis begin life with a short-limbed dysplasia and a long trunk with narrow chest, and over time their dysplasia becomes short-trunked due to progressive kyphoscoliosis1. It is now recognized that MD is caused by gain-of-function mutations in transie...

Objectives: Prospective case-controlled study assessing whether the incidence of loosening of implants in patients undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is higher among those with Secondary Hyperparathyroidism (SP) at the time of index operation.Material and methods: Caucasian female patients with knee osteoarthritis who underwent TKA between November 2004 and March 2007 were enrolled. Exclusion criteria: endocrinopathies, rheumatoid or secondary arth...

Although the fracture risk reduction under bisphosphonate treatment in osteoporosis is clinically well established, it remains understudied why the efficacy of bisphosphonate therapy is higher for the prevention of vertebral fractures compared to other fractures.Our aim was to investigate whether anti-resorptive therapy with alendronate would result in different regional variations of structural indices in the vertebral body. We investigated the microstr...

Introduction: Aging, diabetes and other disease conditions are associated with the accumulation of non-enzymatic collagen cross-links (NE-XL) in human tissues. Non-enzymatic cross-links (i.e. advanced glycation end products (AGEs)), occur at the bone collagen level, where they are associated with individuals increased fracture risk caused by bone’s reduced plasticity.Methods: Here, non-destructive Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was u...

Chronic calcium- and vitamin-D-deficiencies are crucial risk factors for osteoporosis. However, their significance for fracture healing is still poorly investigated, despite the clinical evidence that osteoporotic bone healing is disturbed. This study addressed the important question, whether chronic deprivation of calcium and vitamin D compromises bone repair and if this could be rescued by a supplementation post-trauma. Because clinical hints suggest that a fracture induces ...

Calcium phosphate cements (CPC) are used as bone graft substitute, e.g. in the treatment of lytic bone lesions in multiple myeloma. CPC provide crucial advantages, such as osteoconductivity, biodegradability and the potential drug loading. Though, it lacks retarded drug release for short-/long-term treatment due to the free diffusion of small molecules through the micropores in the CPC.Thus we present dendritic glycopolymers (DG) consisting of poly(ethyl...

Effects of whole bone scaling on isolated osteoblast behaviours are unknown. Exhibiting a huge range in size, inbred canines are an ideal species to determine such relationships. We have therefore undertaken initial studies in both male and female red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), the most abundant and accessible wild canid member in the United Kingdom.Femoral heads were removed from five fresh red fox cadavers (see details on table) and bone fragments...

Hip osteoarthritis is a cause of significant morbidity to people and their canine companions. Medical management is frequently insufficient, leading to surgery to relieve pain and regain mobility. Hip replacements are not without potential complications, including loosening and infection. Currently, there is a focus on uncemented implants to decrease these problems, however these rely on the biology of the femur for osseointegration and long-term stability. It has been previou...