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Bone Densitometry (bone + densitometry)
Selected AbstractsBone Strength at Clinically Relevant Sites Displays Substantial Heterogeneity and Is Best Predicted From Site-Specific Bone DensitometryJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2002Felix Eckstein Ph.D. Abstract In this study we test the hypotheses that mechanical bone strength in elderly individuals displays substantial heterogeneity among clinically relevant skeletal sites, that ex situ dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) provides better estimates of bone strength than in situ DXA, but that a site-specific approach of bone densitometry is nevertheless superior for optimal prediction of bone failure under in situ conditions. DXA measurements were obtained of the lumbar spine, the left femur, the left radius, and the total body in 110 human cadavers (age, 80.6 ± 10.5 years; 72 female, 38 male), including the skin and soft tissues. The bones were then excised, spinal and femoral DXA being repeated ex situ. Mechanical failure tests were performed on thoracic vertebra 10 and lumbar vertebra 3 (compressive loading of a functional unit), the left and right femur (side impact and vertical loading configuration), and the left and right distal radius (fall configuration, axial compression, and 3-point-bending). The failure loads displayed only very moderate correlation among sites (r = 0.39 to 0.63). Ex situ DXA displayed slightly higher correlations with failure loads compared with those of in situ DXA, but the differences were not significant and relatively small. Under in situ conditions, DXA predicted 50-60% of the variability in bone failure loads at identical (or closely adjacent) sites, but only around 20-35% at distant sites, advocating a site-specific approach of densitometry. These data suggest that mechanical competence in the elderly is governed by strong regional variation, and that its loss in osteoporosis may not represent a strictly systemic process. [source] Changes in Bone Density During Childhood and Adolescence: An Approach Based on Bone's Biological OrganizationJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2001Frank Rauch Abstract Bone densitometry has great potential to improve our understanding of bone development. However, densitometric data in children rarely are interpreted in light of the biological processes they reflect. To strengthen the link between bone densitometry and the physiology of bone development, we review the literature on physiological mechanisms and structural changes determining bone mineral density (BMD). BMD (defined as mass of mineral per unit volume) is analyzed in three levels: in bone material (BMDmaterial), in a bone's trabecular and cortical tissue compartments (BMDcompartment), and in the entire bone (BMDtotal). BMDmaterial of the femoral midshaft cortex decreases after birth to a nadir in the first year of life and thereafter increases. In iliac trabecular bone, BMDmaterial also increases from infancy to adulthood, reflecting the decrease in bone turnover. BMDmaterial cannot be determined with current noninvasive techniques because of insufficient spatial resolution. BMDcompartment of the femoral midshaft cortex decreases in the first months after birth followed by a rapid increase during the next 2 years and slower changes thereafter, reflecting changes in both relative bone volume and BMDmaterial. Trabecular BMDcompartment increases in vertebral bodies but not at the distal radius. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) allows for the determination of both trabecular and cortical BMDcompartment, whereas projectional techniques such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) can be used only to assess cortical BMDcompartment of long bone diaphyses. BMDtotal of long bones decreases by about 30% in the first months after birth, reflecting a redistribution of bone tissue from the endocortical to the periosteal surface. In children of school age and in adolescents, changes in BMDtotal are site-specific. There is a marked rise in BMDtotal at locations where relative cortical area increases (metacarpal bones, phalanges, and forearm), but little change at the femoral neck and midshaft. BMDtotal can be measured by QCT at any site of the skeleton, regardless of bone shape. DXA allows the estimation of BMDtotal at skeletal sites, which have an approximately circular cross-section. The system presented here may help to interpret densitometric results in growing subjects on a physiological basis. [source] Melatonin effect on bone metabolism in rats treated with methylprednisoloneJOURNAL OF PINEAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2006Marta G. Ladizesky Abstract:, The present study was undertaken to examine the effect of melatonin (25 ,g/mL of drinking water, about 500 ,g/day) on a 10-wk long treatment of male rats with methylprednisolone (5 mg/kg s.c., 5 days/wk). Bone densitometry and mechanical properties, calcemia, phosphatemia and serum bone alkaline phosphatase activity and C-telopeptide fragments of collagen type I (CTX) were measured. Both melatonin and methylprednisolone decreased significantly body weight (BW) and the combination of both treatments resulted in the lowest BW values found. Consequently, all results were analyzed with BW as a covariate. Densitometrically, methylprednisolone augmented bone mineral content (BMC), bone area (BA) and bone mineral density (BMD) in the entire skeleton, BMC in cortical bone, and BMC and BMD in trabecular bone. Melatonin increased BMC and BA in whole skeleton and BMC and BMD in trabecular bone. For BMC and BA of whole skeleton, BMC of cortical bone, and BMC and BMD of trabecular bone, the combination of glucocorticoids and melatonin resulted in the highest values observed. Femoral weight of rats receiving methylprednisolone or melatonin increased significantly and both treatments summated to achieve the greatest effect. In femoral biomechanical testing, methylprednisolone augmented ultimate load and work to failure significantly. Rats receiving the combined treatment of methylprednisolone and melatonin showed the highest values of work to failure. The circulating levels of CTX, an index of bone resorption, decreased after methylprednisolone or melatonin, both treatments summating to achieve the lowest CTX values found. Serum calcium increased after methylprednisolone and serum phosphorus decreased after treatment with methylprednisolone or melatonin while serum bone alkaline phosphatase levels remained unchanged. The results are compatible with the view that low doses of methylprednisolone or melatonin decrease bone resorption and have a bone-protecting effect. [source] Quantitative MRI for the assessment of bone structure and function,NMR IN BIOMEDICINE, Issue 7 2006Felix W. Wehrli Abstract Osteoporosis is the most common degenerative disease in the elderly. It is characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to morbidity and increased fracture risk in the hip, spine and wrist,all sites of predominantly trabecular bone. Bone densitometry, currently the standard methodology for diagnosis and treatment monitoring, has significant limitations in that it cannot provide information on the structural manifestations of the disease. Recent advances in imaging, in particular MRI, can now provide detailed insight into the architectural consequences of disease progression and regression in response to treatment. The focus of this review is on the emerging methodology of quantitative MRI for the assessment of structure and function of trabecular bone. During the past 10 years, various approaches have been explored for obtaining image-based quantitative information on trabecular architecture. Indirect methods that do not require resolution on the scale of individual trabeculae and therefore can be practiced at any skeletal location, make use of the induced magnetic fields in the intertrabecular space. These fields, which have their origin in the greater diamagnetism of bone relative to surrounding marrow, can be measured in various ways, most typically in the form of R2,, the recoverable component of the total transverse relaxation rate. Alternatively, the trabecular network can be quantified by high-resolution MRI (µ-MRI), which requires resolution adequate to at least partially resolve individual trabeculae. Micro-MRI-based structure analysis is therefore technically demanding in terms of image acquisition and algorithms needed to extract the structural information under conditions of limited signal-to-noise ratio and resolution. Other requirements that must be met include motion correction and image registration, both critical for achieving the reproducibility needed in repeat studies. Key clinical applications targeted involve fracture risk prediction and evaluation of the effect of therapeutic intervention. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Mutations in the Insulin-Like Factor 3 Receptor Are Associated With Osteoporosis,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2008Alberto Ferlin Abstract Introduction: Insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) is produced primarily by testicular Leydig cells. It acts by binding to its specific G protein,coupled receptor RXFP2 (relaxin family peptide 2) and is involved in testicular descent during fetal development. The physiological role of INSL3 in adults is not known, although substantial INSL3 circulating levels are present. The aim of this study was to verify whether reduced INSL3 activity could cause or contribute to some signs of hypogonadism, such as reduced BMD, currently attributed to testosterone deficiency. Materials and Methods: Extensive clinical, biochemical, and hormonal study, including bone densitometry by DXA, was performed on 25 young men (age, 27,41 yr) with the well-characterized T222P mutation in the RXFP2 gene. Expression analysis of INSL3 and RXFP2 on human bone biopsy and human and mouse osteoblast cell cultures was performed by RT-PCR, quantitative RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry. Real-time cAMP imaging analysis and proliferation assay under the stimulus of INSL3 was performed on these cells. Lumbar spine and femoral bone of Rxfp2- deficient mice were studied by static and dynamic histomorphometry and ,CT, respectively. Results: Sixteen of 25 (64%) young men with RXFP2 mutations had significantly reduced BMD. No other apparent cause of osteoporosis was evident in these subjects, whose testosterone levels and gonadal function were normal. Expression analyses showed the presence of RXFP2 in human and mouse osteoblasts. Stimulation of these cells with INSL3 produced a dose- and time-dependent increase in cAMP and cell proliferation, confirming the functionality of the RXFP2/INSL3 receptor,ligand complex. Consistent with the human phenotype, bone histomorphometric and ,CT analyses of Rxfp2,/, mice showed decreased bone mass, mineralizing surface, bone formation, and osteoclast surface compared with wildtype littermates. Conclusions: This study suggests for the first time a role for INSL3/RXFP2 signaling in bone metabolism and links RXFP2 gene mutations with human osteoporosis. [source] Abdominal Aortic Calcification Detected on Lateral Spine Images From a Bone Densitometer Predicts Incident Myocardial Infarction or Stroke in Older WomenJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2008John T Schousboe MD Abstract Among a cohort of elderly women, abdominal aortic calcification scored on baseline lateral spine densitometric images intended for vertebral fracture assessment was associated with subsequent myocardial infarction or stroke over a median 4-yr period, independent of clinical cardiovascular disease risk factors. Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among older women is not adequately captured by traditional CVD risk factors. Lateral spine images obtained on bone densitometers for vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) can detect abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), an important marker of subclinical CVD. Our objective was to estimate the association between AAC scored on VFA images and subsequent myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke in elderly women. Materials and Methods: Among participants in a randomized controlled trial (women; age >75 yr) of clodronate versus placebo, those who sustained an MI or stroke during the median 4-yr follow-up study period were selected as cases (n = 408), and 408 controls were randomly selected from the remainder of the parent study population. Baseline VFA images were scored for AAC with a previously validated 24-point scale and a newer, simpler 8-point scale. Results: The OR of incident MI or stroke for those in the middle and top tertiles, respectively, compared with the bottom tertile of AAC score were 1.14 (95% CI, 0.79,1.66) and 1.74 (95% CI, 1.19,2.56) for the 24-point scale and 1.42 (95% CI, 0.98,2.05) and 1.77 (95% CI, 1.22,2.55) for the 8-point scale, adjusted for age, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, smoking, renal function, health status, and baseline diagnoses of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, angina, and prior stroke. Conclusions: AAC scored on VFA images is independently associated with incident MI or stroke. Because bone densitometry is indicated for all women ,65 yr of age, VFA imaging offers an opportunity to capture this CVD risk factor in postmenopausal women undergoing bone densitometry at very little additional cost. [source] Monitoring Teriparatide-Associated Changes in Vertebral Microstructure by High-Resolution CT In Vivo: Results From the EUROFORS Study,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 9 2007Christian Graeff Dipl-Ing Abstract We introduce a method for microstructural analysis of vertebral trabecular bone in vivo based on HRCT. When applied to monitor teriparatide treatment, changes in structural variables exceeded and were partially independent of changes in volumetric BMD. Introduction: Monitoring of osteoporosis therapy based solely on bone densitometry is insufficient to assess anti-fracture efficacy. Assessing bone microstructure in vivo is therefore of importance. We studied whether it is possible to monitor effects of teriparatide on vertebral trabecular microstructure independent of BMD by high-resolution CT (HRCT). Materials and Methods: In a subset of 65 postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis who participated in the EUROFORS study, HRCT scans of T12, quantitative CT of L1,L3, and DXA of L1,L4 were performed after 0, 6, and 12 mo of teriparatide treatment (20 ,g/d). We compared BMD and 3D microstructural variables in three groups of women, based on prior antiresorptive treatment: treatment-naïve; pretreated; and pretreated women showing inadequate response to treatment. Results: We found statistically highly significant increases in most microstructural variables and BMD 6 mo after starting teriparatide. After 12 mo, apparent bone volume fraction (app. BV/TV) increased by 30.6 ± 4.4% (SE), and apparent trabecular number (app. Tb.N.) increased by 19.0 ± 3.2% compared with 6.4 ± 0.7% for areal and 19.3 ± 2.6% for volumetric BMD. The structural changes were partially independent of BMD as shown by a significantly larger standardized increase and a standardized long-term precision at least as good as DXA. Patients who had shown inadequate response to prior osteoporosis treatment did show improvements in BMD and structural measures comparable to treatment-naïve patients. Conclusions: HRCT is a feasible method for longitudinal microstructural analysis of human vertebrae in vivo, offers information beyond BMD, and is sufficiently precise to show profound effects of teriparatide after 12 mo. [source] Osteoporosis and the Global Competition for Health Care Resources,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 7 2004L Joseph Melton III Abstract Global aging superimposed on existing infectious diseases and trauma will aggravate competition for health care resources to diagnose and treat osteoporosis. Efforts to implement public health measures are needed, but the targeted approach to assessment and treatment of high-risk individuals must also be refined. Increases in the elderly population worldwide will cause a dramatic rise in osteoporotic fractures, but other age-related diseases will increase as well. Changes will be superimposed on existing public health problems (e.g., malaria, alcoholism), and these acute health care needs will take priority in some areas. Societies in most parts of the world may have to limit osteoporosis control to broad public health measures, and such efforts (e.g., calcium and vitamin D supplementation) should be supported. In these regions, clinical decision-making will generally be limited to treating patients with fractures (who presumably have already failed any public health measures in place), or in a few wealthy countries, to patients with low bone density identified by case-finding. Case-finding approaches will vary with the resources available, although unselective (mass) screening by bone densitometry is largely ineffective and unaffordable anywhere. The key to clinical decision-making on behalf of individuals will be an assessment of absolute fracture risk, and the tools needed to predict the risk of an osteoporotic fracture over the next 10 years are now being developed. These include bone density measures, but also incorporate other risk factors (e.g., fracture history, corticosteroid use), which may allow extension of fracture risk prediction to nonwhite populations and to men. Even with a universal risk prediction tool, cost-effective treatment thresholds will vary by country based on the level of fracture risk in the region and on the resources available for health care. To better compete for these resources, efforts should be made to lower the cost of osteoporosis interventions. Additionally, evidence is needed that these interventions are really effective in reducing fractures in the community. [source] Bone Strength at Clinically Relevant Sites Displays Substantial Heterogeneity and Is Best Predicted From Site-Specific Bone DensitometryJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2002Felix Eckstein Ph.D. Abstract In this study we test the hypotheses that mechanical bone strength in elderly individuals displays substantial heterogeneity among clinically relevant skeletal sites, that ex situ dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) provides better estimates of bone strength than in situ DXA, but that a site-specific approach of bone densitometry is nevertheless superior for optimal prediction of bone failure under in situ conditions. DXA measurements were obtained of the lumbar spine, the left femur, the left radius, and the total body in 110 human cadavers (age, 80.6 ± 10.5 years; 72 female, 38 male), including the skin and soft tissues. The bones were then excised, spinal and femoral DXA being repeated ex situ. Mechanical failure tests were performed on thoracic vertebra 10 and lumbar vertebra 3 (compressive loading of a functional unit), the left and right femur (side impact and vertical loading configuration), and the left and right distal radius (fall configuration, axial compression, and 3-point-bending). The failure loads displayed only very moderate correlation among sites (r = 0.39 to 0.63). Ex situ DXA displayed slightly higher correlations with failure loads compared with those of in situ DXA, but the differences were not significant and relatively small. Under in situ conditions, DXA predicted 50-60% of the variability in bone failure loads at identical (or closely adjacent) sites, but only around 20-35% at distant sites, advocating a site-specific approach of densitometry. These data suggest that mechanical competence in the elderly is governed by strong regional variation, and that its loss in osteoporosis may not represent a strictly systemic process. [source] Changes in Bone Density During Childhood and Adolescence: An Approach Based on Bone's Biological OrganizationJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2001Frank Rauch Abstract Bone densitometry has great potential to improve our understanding of bone development. However, densitometric data in children rarely are interpreted in light of the biological processes they reflect. To strengthen the link between bone densitometry and the physiology of bone development, we review the literature on physiological mechanisms and structural changes determining bone mineral density (BMD). BMD (defined as mass of mineral per unit volume) is analyzed in three levels: in bone material (BMDmaterial), in a bone's trabecular and cortical tissue compartments (BMDcompartment), and in the entire bone (BMDtotal). BMDmaterial of the femoral midshaft cortex decreases after birth to a nadir in the first year of life and thereafter increases. In iliac trabecular bone, BMDmaterial also increases from infancy to adulthood, reflecting the decrease in bone turnover. BMDmaterial cannot be determined with current noninvasive techniques because of insufficient spatial resolution. BMDcompartment of the femoral midshaft cortex decreases in the first months after birth followed by a rapid increase during the next 2 years and slower changes thereafter, reflecting changes in both relative bone volume and BMDmaterial. Trabecular BMDcompartment increases in vertebral bodies but not at the distal radius. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) allows for the determination of both trabecular and cortical BMDcompartment, whereas projectional techniques such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) can be used only to assess cortical BMDcompartment of long bone diaphyses. BMDtotal of long bones decreases by about 30% in the first months after birth, reflecting a redistribution of bone tissue from the endocortical to the periosteal surface. In children of school age and in adolescents, changes in BMDtotal are site-specific. There is a marked rise in BMDtotal at locations where relative cortical area increases (metacarpal bones, phalanges, and forearm), but little change at the femoral neck and midshaft. BMDtotal can be measured by QCT at any site of the skeleton, regardless of bone shape. DXA allows the estimation of BMDtotal at skeletal sites, which have an approximately circular cross-section. The system presented here may help to interpret densitometric results in growing subjects on a physiological basis. [source] The natural history and osteodystrophy of mucolipidosis types II and IIIJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 6 2010Grace David-Vizcarra Aim: To assess the natural history and impact of the secondary bone disease observed in patients with mucolipidosis (ML) II and III. Methods: Affected children and adults were ascertained from clinical genetics units around Australia and New Zealand. Diagnoses were confirmed by the National Referral Laboratory in Adelaide. The study encompassed all patients ascertained between 1975 and 2005. Data focussing on biochemical parameters at diagnosis, and longitudinal radiographic findings were sought for each patient. Where feasible, patients underwent clinical review and examination. Examinations included skeletal survey, bone densitometry, and measurement of serum and urine markers of bone metabolism. In a subset of patients, functional assessment using the Pediatric Evaluation and Disability Inventory (PEDI) and molecular analysis of GNPTAB were performed. Results: Twenty-five patients with mucolipidosis were ascertained over a 30-year period. Morbidity and functional outcomes on living patients were described. Serum calcium and phosphate were normal. All, but one patient, had normal alkaline phosphatase. Serum osteocalcin and urine deoxypyridinoline/creatinine were elevated. Two radiological patterns were observed (i) transient neonatal hyperparathyroidism in infants with ML II and (ii) progressive osteodystrophy in patients with ML intermediate and ML III. Molecular analyses of GNPTAB in nine subjects are reported. Conclusion: ML is characterised by a progressive bone and mineral disorder which we describe as the ,osteodystrophy of mucolipidosis'. The clinical and radiographic features of this osteodystrophy are consistent with a syndrome of ,pseudohyperparathyroidism'. Much of the progressive skeletal and joint pathology is attributable to this bone disorder. [source] Altered bone metabolism in children infected with human immunodeficiency virusACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 1 2003G Zamboni Aim: Data on bone homoeostasis of children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), at the time of the gain in bone mass, are very rare. To determine possible alterations in bone metabolism, 13 prepubertal vertically HIV-infected children were studied. Methods: Viral load, CD4 count, interleukin-6 (IL-6), growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), acid-labile subunit (ALS), IGFBP-3 proteolysis, osteocalcin in blood and N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen in urine were determined. Lumbar spine bone mineral density was examined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: Low osteocalcin levels were found in all patients. Low IGF-I was found in only six children, who had low CD4 count and high IL-6 levels, with normal levels of IGFBP-3 and ALS, absent IGFBP-3 proteolysis and decreased bone mineral density, irrespective of viral load or growth. Conclusion: Low serum osteocalcin levels appear to be an initial warning sign of possible altered bone metabolism in HIV-infected children. However, only when the immune system becomes more seriously compromised is bone loss measurable by bone densitometry. [source] |