scholarly journals Phenomenon of osteocyte lacunar mineralization: indicator of former osteocyte death and a novel marker of impaired bone quality?

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. R70-R80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petar Milovanovic ◽  
Björn Busse

An increasing number of patients worldwide suffer from bone fractures that occur after low intensity trauma. Such fragility fractures are usually associated with advanced age and osteoporosis but also with long-term immobilization, corticosteroid therapy, diabetes mellitus, and other endocrine disorders. It is important to understand the skeletal origins of increased bone fragility in these conditions for preventive and therapeutic strategies to combat one of the most common health problems of the aged population. This review summarizes current knowledge pertaining to the phenomenon of micropetrosis (osteocyte lacunar mineralization). As an indicator of former osteocyte death, micropetrosis is more common in aged bone and osteoporotic bone. Considering that the number of mineralized osteocyte lacunae per bone area can distinguish healthy, untreated osteoporotic and bisphosphonate-treated osteoporotic patients, it could be regarded as a novel structural marker of impaired bone quality. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanism of lacunar mineralization and to explore whether it could be an additional target for preventing or treating bone fragility related to aging and various endocrine diseases.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Yuliya Safarova (Yantsen) ◽  
Farkhad Olzhayev ◽  
Bauyrzhan Umbayev ◽  
Andrey Tsoy ◽  
Gonzalo Hortelano ◽  
...  

Osteoporosis is a progressive skeletal disease characterized by reduced bone density leading to bone fragility and an elevated risk of bone fractures. In osteoporotic conditions, decrease in bone density happens due to the augmented osteoclastic activity and the reduced number of osteoblast progenitor cells (mesenchymal stem cells, MSCs). We investigated a new method of cell therapy with membrane-engineered MSCs to restore the osteoblast progenitor pool and to inhibit osteoclastic activity in the fractured osteoporotic bones. The primary active sites of the polymer are the N-hydroxysuccinimide and bisphosphonate groups that allow the polymer to covalently bind to the MSCs’ plasma membrane, target hydroxyapatite molecules on the bone surface and inhibit osteolysis. The therapeutic utility of the membrane-engineered MSCs was investigated in female rats with induced estrogen-dependent osteoporosis and ulnar fractures. The analysis of the bone density dynamics showed a 27.4% and 21.5% increase in bone density at 4 and 24 weeks after the osteotomy of the ulna in animals that received four transplantations of polymer-modified MSCs. The results of the intravital observations were confirmed by the post-mortem analysis of histological slices of the fracture zones. Therefore, this combined approach that involves polymer and cell transplantation shows promise and warrants further bio-safety and clinical exploration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 180 (6) ◽  
pp. R213-R232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Eller-Vainicher ◽  
Alberto Falchetti ◽  
Luigi Gennari ◽  
Elisa Cairoli ◽  
Francesco Bertoldo ◽  
...  

An underlying disease affecting bone health is present in up to 40 and 60% of osteoporotic postmenopausal women and men respectively. Among the disorders leading to a secondary form of osteoporosis, the endocrine diseases are highly represented. A frequent finding in patients affected with an endocrine-related forms of bone disease is that the skeletal fragility is partially independent of the bone density, since the fracture risk in these patients is related more to a reduction of bone quality than to a decrease of bone mass. As a consequence, bone mineral density evaluation by dual-X-ray absorptiometry may be inadequate for establishing the risk of fracture in the setting of the endocrine-related forms of osteoporosis. In the recent years, several attempts to non-invasively estimating bone quality have been done. Nowadays, some new tools are available in the clinical practice for optimising the fracture risk estimation in patients with endocrine disorders. The aim of this review is to summarise the evidence regarding the role of the different imaging tools for evaluating bone density and bone quality in the most frequent forms of endocrine-related osteoporosis, such as obesity, diabetes, acromegaly, thyrotoxicosis, primary hyperparathyroidism, hypercortisolism and hypogonadism. For each of these disorders, data regarding both the current available tools and the future possible new techniques for assessing bone fragility in patients with endocrine diseases are reported.


2002 ◽  
Vol 41 (02) ◽  
pp. 80-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Jockenhövel ◽  
P. Theissen ◽  
M. Dietlein ◽  
W. Krone ◽  
H. Schicha ◽  
...  

SummaryThe following article reviews nuclear medicine techniques which can be used for assessment of endocrine disorders of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. For planar and SPECT imaging somatostatin-receptor- and dopamine- D2-receptor-scintigraphy are the most widely distributed techniques. These nuclear medicine techniques may be indicated in selected cases to answer differential diagnostic problems. They can be helpful to search for presence and localization of receptor positive tissue. Furthermore they can detect metastasis in the rare cases of a pituitary carcinoma. Scintigraphy with Gallium-67 is suitable for further diagnostic evaluation in suspected hypophysitis. Other SPECT radiopharmaca do not have relevant clinical significance. F-18-FDG as PET radiopharmacon is not ideal because obvious pituitary adenomas could not be visualized. Other PET radiopharmaca including C-11-methionine, C-11-tyrosine, F-18-fluoroethylspiperone, C-11-methylspiperone, and C-11-raclopride are available in specialized centers only. Overall indications for nuclear medicine in studies for the assessment of endocrine disorders of the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis are rare. Original studies often report only about a small number of patients. According to the authors’ opinion the relevance of nuclear medicine in studies of clinically important endocrinologic fields, e. g. localization of small ACTH-producing pituitary adenomas, tumor localization in ectopic ACTH syndrome, localization of recurrent pituitary tissue, assessment of small incidentalomas, can not be definitely given yet.


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels Voigt ◽  
Dobromir Dobrev ◽  
◽  

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and is associated with substantial cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, with stroke being the most critical complication. Present drugs used for the therapy of AF (antiarrhythmics and anticoagulants) have major limitations, including incomplete efficacy, risks of life-threatening proarrhythmic events and bleeding complications. Non-pharmacological ablation procedures are efficient and apparently safe, but the very large size of the patient population allows ablation treatment of only a small number of patients. These limitations largely result from limited knowledge about the underlying mechanisms of AF and there is a hope that a better understanding of the molecular basis of AF may lead to the discovery of safer and more effective therapeutic targets. This article reviews the current knowledge about AF-related ion-channel remodelling and discusses how these alterations might affect the efficacy of antiarrhythmic drugs.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 574
Author(s):  
Maria Pia Adorni ◽  
Nicoletta Ronda ◽  
Franco Bernini ◽  
Francesca Zimetti

Over the years, the relationship between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and atherosclerosis, initially highlighted by the Framingham study, has been revealed to be extremely complex, due to the multiple HDL functions involved in atheroprotection. Among them, HDL cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC), the ability of HDL to promote cell cholesterol efflux from cells, has emerged as a better predictor of cardiovascular (CV) risk compared to merely plasma HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. HDL CEC is impaired in many genetic and pathological conditions associated to high CV risk such as dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, endocrine disorders, etc. The present review describes the current knowledge on HDL CEC modifications in these conditions, focusing on the most recent human studies and on genetic and pathophysiologic aspects. In addition, the most relevant strategies possibly modulating HDL CEC, including lifestyle modifications, as well as nutraceutical and pharmacological interventions, will be discussed. The objective of this review is to help understanding whether, from the current evidence, HDL CEC may be considered as a valid biomarker of CV risk and a potential pharmacological target for novel therapeutic approaches.


Bone Reports ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 100883
Author(s):  
Cemre Yavuz ◽  
Eva Maria Wölfel ◽  
Katharina Jähn-Rickert ◽  
Herbert Mushumba ◽  
Birgit Wulff ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (47) ◽  
pp. 27-31
Author(s):  
Lidia Chmielewska-Michalak ◽  
Ewelina Konstanty ◽  
Przemysław Mitkowski

The number of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED), who require oncological management including radiotherapy (RT) is still increasing. According to current knowledge the most frequent device dysfunction related to exposition to ionizing radiation is reprogramming to emergency mode (soft reset). There are uncommon cases of complete, irreversible device damage. CIED dysfunction during RT can be observed in approximately 3% of patients. In majority of cases they are asymptomatic, although in literature there are descriptions of deterioration of clinical status due to bradycardia or exacerbation of heart failure. The most important factor of device malfunction is radiotherapy with photons of energy >10 MV or protons despite energy used. So far there were no cases published with inadequate ICD therapies due to the presence of electromagnetic field interference during RT. Because patients with CIED undergoing RT need complex care to achieve high level of safety, experts of Heart Rhythm Society establish document, published in 2017 which summarized current knowledge about this group of patients. The document contains guidelines on peri-radiotherapy care of patients with CIED.


Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 3119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shin-Hye Kim ◽  
Kwang-Jin Kim ◽  
Hyeon Kang ◽  
Young-Jin Son ◽  
Sik-Won Choi ◽  
...  

The number of patients with bone metabolic disorders including osteoporosis is increasing worldwide. These disorders often facilitate bone fractures, which seriously impact the patient’s quality of life and could lead to further health complications. Bone homeostasis is tightly regulated to balance bone resorption and formation. However, many anti-osteoporotic agents are broadly categorized as either bone forming or anti-resorptive, and their therapeutic use is often limited due to unwanted side effects. Therefore, safe and effective therapeutic agents are needed for osteoporosis. This study aims to clarify the bone protecting effects of oat bran water extract (OBWE) and its mode of action. OBWE inhibited RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand)-induced osteoclast differentiation by blocking c-Fos/NFATc1 through the alteration of I-κB. Furthermore, we found that OBWE enhanced BMP-2-stimulated osteoblast differentiation by the induction of Runx2 via Smad signaling molecules. In addition, the anti-osteoporotic activity of OBWE was also evaluated using an in vivo model. OBWE significantly restored ovariectomy-induced bone loss. These in vitro and in vivo results showed that OBWE has the potential to prevent and treat bone metabolic disorders including osteoporosis.


Author(s):  
Biljana Damnjanović ◽  
Đuro Šijan ◽  
Ivan Rović ◽  
Igor Lazić ◽  
Saša Knežević ◽  
...  

Since the beginning of 2020, SARS-CoV 2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Corona Virus 2) has been in the focus of scientific circles and beyond. Finding the most efficient therapeutic protocol in prevention and treatment of the new and unknown COVID - 19 (Corona Virus Disease - 2019) disease has been indentified as especially important. SARS-CoV 2 uses various mechanisms to lead patients to malnutrition, which is detected by a higher frequency of admission to hospital treatment, especially on admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Malnutrition has a negative impact on the course and outcome of the disease. In the pandemic, the number of patients on various types of oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation increased, and in correlation with that, there has been a greater need for knowledge and education of staff to use different diagnostic and therapeutic modalities and different approaches in feeding critically ill patients. Nutritional therapy is the basis for maintaining body weight, supporting respiratory function, as well as helping in the overall recovery of patients. Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins C and D have shown potentially beneficial effects against COVID-19 diseases. The aim of this paper is to consolidate the current knowledge and recommendations in the field of nutritional therapy in patients with COVID-19 treated in the Intensive Care Unit.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-282
Author(s):  
V. D. Nemtsova ◽  
I. A. Ilchenko ◽  
V. V. Zlatkina

Due to the growing number of patients with age-related diseases, the aim of the study was to investigate in the changes of aging rate (AR) in patients with comorbid course of arterial hypertension (H), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) and to study the features of these changes depending on hormonal imbalance. 118 patients (63 women and 55 men, average age — 53.6±4.3 years) were divided into 3 groups: group 1 (n=37) with isolated H; group 2 (n=42) — with H and T2DM; group 3 (n=39) — with H, T2DM and SH. The investigation program included: measurement of anthropometric parameters (blood pressure, height, body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI)), carbohydrate and thyroid metabolism using standard methods, biological age (BA) by V.P. Voitenko et al. Statistical processing was performed using the Statistica for Windows 8.0 software package. When evaluating AR, physiological aging was found in 8 patients (21.6%) of group 1, in 4 (9.5%) patients of group 2 and 3 (7.7%) of patients in group 3. In the overwhelming majority of the examined patients, premature aging (PA) was noted, however, the acceleration of PA between patients of groups 2 and 3 was not differ significantly (p>0.05). The increase in AR in group 2 patients was accompanied by an increase in BA by 7.2 years, in 3 group patients — by 7.3 years compared with their chronological age. A correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship between BMI and coefficient of aging rate (CAR) (r=0.679; p<0.05); BMI and BA (r=0.562; p<0.05) and CAR and the TSH level (r=0.050; p=0.388) in the 3rd group. Thus, the presence of hypertension and comorbid endocrinopathies — T2DM and SH significantly increases the AR and when assessing the effect of endocrine disorders, the presence of T2DM is more important than SH.


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