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Glucocorticoid Excess (glucocorticoid + excess)
Selected AbstractsGlucocorticoid Excess During Adolescence Leads to a Major Persistent Deficit in Bone Mass and an Increase in Central Body FatJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 10 2001Veronica Abad Abstract Endogenous Cushing's syndrome (CS) in children causes growth retardation, decreased bone mass, and increased total body fat. No prospective controlled studies have been performed in children to determine the long-term sequelae of CS on peak bone mass and body composition. A 15-year-old girl with Cushing disease (CD), and her healthy identical co-twin, were followed for 6 years after the CD was cured. At the 6-year follow-up both twins had areal bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and three-dimensional quantitative computed tomography (3DQCT). Z scores for height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were ,2.3, ,0.8 and 0.2, and 1.2, 0.2, and ,0.6, in the twin with CD and her co-twin, respectively. In the twin with CD, areal BMD and bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) at different sites varied from 0.7 to 3 SD below her co-twin. Volumetric lumbar spine bone density Z score was ,0.75 and 1.0, and total body, abdominal visceral, and subcutaneous fat (%) was 42, 10, and 41 versus 26, 4, and 17 in the twin with CD and her co-twin, respectively. The relationship between total body fat and L2-L4 BMAD was inverse in the twin with CD (p < 0.05), which by contrast in her co-twin was opposite and direct (p < 0.001). In the twin with CD, despite cure, there was a persistent deficit in bone mass and increase in total and visceral body fat. These observations suggest that hypercortisolism (exogenous or endogenous) during adolescence may have persistent adverse effects on bone and fat mass. [source] The Roles of Osteoprotegerin and Osteoprotegerin Ligand in the Paracrine Regulation of Bone ResorptionJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2000Lorenz C. Hofbauer Abstract Although multiple hormones and cytokines regulate various aspects of osteoclast formation, the final two effectors are osteoprotegerin ligand (OPG-L)/osteoclast differentiation factor (ODF), a recently cloned member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily, and macrophage colony,stimulating factor. OPG-L/ODF is produced by osteoblast lineage cells and exerts its biological effects through binding to its receptor, osteoclast differentiation and activation receptor (ODAR)/receptor activator of NF-,B (RANK), on osteoclast lineage cells, in either a soluble or a membrane-bound form, the latter of which requires cell-to-cell contact. Binding results in rapid differentiation of osteoclast precursors in bone marrow to mature osteoclasts and, at higher concentrations, in increased functional activity and reduced apoptosis of mature osteoclasts. The biological activity of OPG-L/ODF is neutralized by binding to osteoprotegerin (OPG)/osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor (OCIF), a member of the TNF-receptor superfamily that also is secreted by osteoblast lineage cells. The biological importance of this system is underscored by the induction in mice of severe osteoporosis by targeted ablation of OPG/OCIF and by the induction of osteopetrosis by targeted ablation of OPG-L/ODF or overexpression of OPG/OCIF. Thus, osteoclast formation may be determined principally by the relative ratio of OPG-L/ODF to OPG/OCIF in the bone marrow microenvironment, and alterations in this ratio may be a major cause of bone loss in many metabolic disorders, including estrogen deficiency and glucocorticoid excess. That changes in but two downstream cytokines mediate the effects of large numbers of upstream hormones and cytokines suggests a regulatory mechanism for osteoclastogenesis of great efficiency and elegance. [source] Glucocorticoid-induced bone loss in mice can be reversed by the actions of parathyroid hormone and risedronate on different pathways for bone formation and mineralizationARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 11 2008Wei Yao Objective Glucocorticoid excess decreases bone mineralization and microarchitecture and leads to reduced bone strength. Both anabolic (parathyroid hormone [PTH]) and antiresorptive agents are used to prevent and treat glucocorticoid-induced bone loss, yet these bone-active agents alter bone turnover by very different mechanisms. This study was undertaken to determine how PTH and risedronate alter bone quality following glucocorticoid excess. Methods Five-month-old male Swiss-Webster mice were treated with the glucocorticoid prednisolone (5 mg/kg in a 60-day slow-release pellet) or placebo. From day 28 to day 56, 2 groups of glucocorticoid-treated animals received either PTH (5 ,g/kg) or risedronate (5 ,g/kg) 5 times per week. Bone quality and quantity were measured using x-ray tomography for the degree of bone mineralization, microfocal computed tomography for bone microarchitecture, compression testing for trabecular bone strength, and biochemistry and histomorphometry for bone turnover. In addition, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry were performed to monitor the expression of several key genes regulating Wnt signaling (bone formation) and mineralization. Results Compared with placebo, glucocorticoid treatment decreased trabecular bone volume (bone volume/total volume [BV/TV]) and serum osteocalcin, but increased serum CTX and osteoclast surface, with a peak at day 28. Glucocorticoids plus PTH increased BV/TV, and glucocorticoids plus risedronate restored BV/TV to placebo levels after 28 days. The average degree of bone mineralization was decreased after glucocorticoid treatment (,27%), but was restored to placebo levels after treatment with glucocorticoids plus risedronate or glucocorticoids plus PTH. On day 56, RT-PCR revealed that expression of genes that inhibit bone mineralization (Dmp1 and Phex) was increased by continuous exposure to glucocorticoids and glucocorticoids plus PTH and decreased by glucocorticoids plus risedronate, compared with placebo. Wnt signaling antagonists Dkk-1, Sost, and Wif1 were up-regulated by glucocorticoid treatment but down-regulated after glucocorticoid plus PTH treatment. Immunohistochemistry of bone sections showed that glucocorticoids increased N-terminal Dmp-1 staining while PTH treatment increased both N- and C-terminal Dmp-1 staining around osteocytes. Conclusion Our findings indicate that both PTH and risedronate improve bone mass, degree of bone mineralization, and bone strength in glucocorticoid-treated mice, and that PTH increases bone formation while risedronate reverses the deterioration of bone mineralization. [source] Therapeutic manipulation of glucocorticoid metabolism in cardiovascular diseaseBRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 5 2009Patrick W.F. Hadoke The therapeutic potential for manipulation of glucocorticoid metabolism in cardiovascular disease was revolutionized by the recognition that access of glucocorticoids to their receptors is regulated in a tissue-specific manner by the isozymes of 11,-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Selective inhibitors of 11,-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 have been shown recently to ameliorate cardiovascular risk factors and inhibit the development of atherosclerosis. This article addresses the possibility that inhibition of 11,-hydroxsteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity in cells of the cardiovascular system contributes to this beneficial action. The link between glucocorticoids and cardiovascular disease is complex as glucocorticoid excess is linked with increased cardiovascular events but glucocorticoid administration can reduce atherogenesis and restenosis in animal models. There is considerable evidence that glucocorticoids can interact directly with cells of the cardiovascular system to alter their function and structure and the inflammatory response to injury. These actions may be regulated by glucocorticoid and/or mineralocorticoid receptors but are also dependent on the 11,-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases which may be expressed in cardiac, vascular (endothelial, smooth muscle) and inflammatory (macrophages, neutrophils) cells. The activity of 11,-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases in these cells is dependent upon differentiation state, the action of pro-inflammaotory cytokines and the influence of endogenous inhibitors (oxysterols, bile acids). Further investigations are required to clarify the link between glucocorticoid excess and cardiovascular events and to determine the mechanism through which glucocorticoid treatment inhibits atherosclerosis/restenosis. This will provide greater insights into the potential benefit of selective 11,-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase inhibitors in treatment of cardiovascular disease. [source] Does subclinical hypercortisolism adversely affect the bone mineral density of patients with adrenal incidentalomas?CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 1 2003D. Hadjidakis Summary objective Subclinical hypercortisolism (SH) is detected increasingly in a substantial proportion of patients with incidentally discovered adrenal adenomas. The clinical implications of SH are currently unclear. Osteoporosis is a well-known complication of glucocorticoid excess. So far, the impact of SH on bone mineral density (BMD) has been studied in a limited number of reports with discordant results. In the present study we evaluated the BMD in a large cohort of post-menopausal women with adrenal incidentalomas. patients and measurements,Forty-two post-menopausal women with incidentally discovered adrenal masses and radiological features highly suggestive of benign adrenal adenomas were investigated. All patients underwent a standard low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (LDDST; 0·5 mg 6-hourly for 2 days). The diagnosis of subclinical hypercortisolism (SH) was based on post-LDDST cortisol concentrations of > 70 nmol/l. According to this criterion patients were subdivided into two groups: with (n = 18; group A) or without (n = 24; group B) SH. There was no significant difference in age, years since menopause and body mass index between these groups. BMD was measured at L2,L4 vertebrae and three sites of the proximal femur by the dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) method. results Post-menopausal women with SH (group A) exhibited slightly but significantly lower absolute and age-adjusted BMD values compared to group B patients in the femoral neck (BMD g/cm2: 0·72 ± 0·08 vs. 0·79 ± 0·09; Z -score: ,0·20 ± 0·82 vs. +0·43 ± 0·94, P < 0·05) and trochanter (BMD g/cm2: 0·60 ± 0·09 vs. 0·69 ± 0·10; Z -score: ,0·32 ± 1·0 vs. +0·30 ± 1·05, P < 0·01). BMD measurements of the Ward's triangle were also lower in group A patients but the difference did not reach statistical significance (BMD g/cm2: 0·60 ± 0·10 vs. 0·68 ± 0·13, P = 0·06). There was no difference in the lumbar vertebrae between the two groups (BMD g/cm2: 0·888 ± 0·13 vs. 0·90 ± 0·16, P = 0·78; z-score: +0·50 ± 1·16 vs. +0·11 ± 1·5, P = 0·36). The number of patients in the osteoporotic range was minimal with no significant difference between the two groups. However, the frequency of osteopenia in group A was significantly greater than in group B patients in the trochanter and Ward's triangle areas. Serum osteocalcin (BGP) levels were significantly lower in group A compared to group B patients (18·6 ± 8·6 vs. 26·2 ± 8·1 ng/ml, P < 0·01); no difference existed regarding parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations (43 ± 15·6 vs. 41·2 ± 14·8 pg/ml, P = 0·72). conclusions In this series, post-menopausal women with subclinical hypercortisolism had lower absolute and age-adjusted BMD values and a higher rate of osteopaenia in the trabecular loaded and mixed cortical,trabecular bone of proximal femur. These data demonstrate that the subtle hypercortisolism of patients with adrenal incidentalomas may have an adverse effect on the bone mass of these patients. [source] |