Bone Abstracts

Tumors contain a small population of cancer stem cells (CSC) proposed to be responsible for tumor maintenance and relapse. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) activity has been used as a functional stem cell marker to isolate CSCs in different cancer types. This study used the Aldefluor assay and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis to isolate ALDH1high cells from five human sarcoma cell lines and one primary chordoma cell line. ALDH1high cell...

Chordomas are rare, low to intermediate grade malignant bone tumors of the axial skeleton. Current treatment options are limited to surgical procedures as chordomas are largely resistant to conventional radiation and chemotherapy. Cell lines are valuable tools to explore molecular mechanisms involved in tumorigenesis and they have a fundamental impact on the development of new anticancer agents. We established a novel chordoma cell-line, MUG-Chor1, from a recurrent morphologic...

Osteoclast (OC)-mediated bone destruction is a key feature of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In RA synovial tissue a reduced density of catecholaminergic nerve fibres has been observed. Studies on sweat gland innervation proved that catecholaminergic fibres have the ability to undergo a phenotypic transition to cholinergic nerves. The sympathetic neurotransmitters norepinephrine (NE), acetylcholine (ACh), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) affect osteoclastogenesis oppositely...

Osteoclast resorption depends on their ability to reorganise their actin cytoskeleton and form the sealing zone. In order to resorb bone, osteoclasts become polarised by condensing their podosomes into a highly dynamic podosomal belt. The podosome turnover is regulated by several factors such as non-receptor tyrosine kinases, small GTPases and actin-binding proteins. The innate immune system responds to viral pathogens. Cytoplasmic double-stranded DNA activates the immune syst...

Osteocytes make up >90% of bone cells, are embedded in mineralised matrix where they form a communication network. Osteocytes differentiate from osteoblasts, and are mechano-sensitive. They are very difficult to isolate with a dependence on cell lines for in vitro studies of osteocyte biology. Therefore new methods to study these cells are essential. Recent publications indicate that osteoblasts maintained in in vitro 3D collagen gels may differentiate to...

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: Improving the general population’s vitamin D status through food fortification is part of an ongoing debate. Vitamin D status during pregnancy may influence the long-term bone health of offspring; yet conflicting results have been reported and none of the studies have examined paediatric fracture as outcome.Method: The influence of extra vitamin D exposure during prenatal life and risk of fracture during adolescence was determined by com...

Background: Improving the general population’s vitamin D status through food fortification is part of an ongoing international debate. Vitamin D status during pregnancy may influence the long-term bone health of the offspring; yet conflicting results have been reported and none of the studies have examined paediatric fracture as outcome.Method: The influence of extra vitamin D exposure during prenatal life and risk of fracture during adolescence was...

Background: The Ketogenic Diet Treatment (KDT) is a well-established intervention for intractable childhood epilepsy and the first choice treatment for Gluccose-1-transporter-deficiency-syndrome and Pyruvate-dehydrogenase-complex deficiency. During long-term follow up of children treated with KDT an increased incidence of bone fractures has been found. However, the exact contribution of KDT to a decreased BMD remains unclear. Prophylactic supplementation with calcium and vitam...

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent and can be associated with adverse health outcomes. Few studies have evaluated the effects of daily consumption of milk fortified with a high dose of vitamin D in a large cohort of healthy postmenopausal women.Objectives: To determine the effect of daily intake of milk enriched with vitamin D (with or without fructooligosaccharides (FOS)) on vitamin D status, bone mass and cardiovascular risk factors.<...