Bone mass and vertebral fractures in South African (SA) children on prolonged oral glucocorticoids (GCs) for chronic non-malignant illnesses

Background Circulating microRNAs (miRs) are currently being investigated as novel biomarkers for osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. Aim The aim of this study was to investigate serum levels of specific microRNAs, known regulators of bone metabolism, in postmenopausal women with low bone mass and with or without vertebral fractures (VFs). Methods For the analysis, 14 miRs were isolated from the serum of 35 postmenopausal women with low bone mass and with at least one moderate VF and 35 postmenopausal women with low bone mass without fractures. Thirty postmenopausal women with normal BMD values and no history of fractures served as controls. Main outcome parameters were changes in the expression of selected miRs in the serum of patient population and compared with controls. Results From the 14 miRs that were selected, we identified 5 miRs, namely miR-21-5p, miR-23a, miR-29a-3p, miR-124-3p and miR-2861 that were significantly deregulated in the serum of patients with low bone mass compared with controls. Serum miR-124 and miR-2861 were significantly higher, whereas miR-21, miR-23 and miR-29 were lower in patients compared with controls. In a sub-group analysis of the patient population, the expression of miR-21-5p was significantly lower among osteoporotic/osteopenic women with VFs, showing 66% sensitivity and 77% specificity in distinguishing women with a vertebral fracture. Conclusion This study identifies a differential expression pattern of miR-21-5p in the serum of women with low BMD and VFs.

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Association of Collagen Type 1 α1 Gene Polymorphism with Bone Density in Early Childhood1

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism ◽

10.1210/jcem.84.3.5575 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 84 (3) ◽

pp. 853-855

Author(s):

Jesus Sainz ◽

Jan M. Van Tornout ◽

James Sayre ◽

Francine Kaufman ◽

Vicente Gilsanz

Keyword(s):

Bone Density ◽

Gene Polymorphism ◽

Bone Mass ◽

Cancellous Bone ◽

Vertebral Fractures ◽

Collagen Type ◽

Elderly Women ◽

Structural Basis ◽

Type I ◽

Vertebral Bone

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by the development of nontraumatic fractures, most commonly in the vertebrae of elderly women. Approximately 500,000 elderly women in the United States are newly diagnosed with vertebral fractures every year, as the compressive strength of the vertebra, mainly determined by the density of cancellous bone and its cross-sectional area, declines with age. A recent study in women suggested that a polymorphism in the Sp1 binding site of the collagen type I gene (COLIA1) was related to decreased vertebral bone mass and vertebral fractures. Determining the phenotypic trait(s) responsible for this relationship and whether this association is manifested in childhood would further define the structural basis for decreased bone mass and help identify children “at risk” for fractures later in life. We therefore studied the COLIA1 gene polymorphism and measurements of the size and the density of vertebral bone in 109 healthy, prepubertal girls. On average, 22 girls with the Ss genotype and one girl with the ss genotype had 6.7% and 49.4% lower cancellous bone density in the vertebrae than girls with the SS genotype. In contrast, there was no association between the size of the vertebrae and the COLIA1 genotypes.

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