Some patients with epilepsy have a higher risk of fracture due to falls, and some studies have suggested that anti-epileptic drugs may also contribute to the fracture risk. In a recent review, researchers examined if there is a link between epilepsy and osteoporosis, making recommendations to aid future research…
Researchers Work to Untangle the Relationship Between Blood Lipids, Bone Health & Diet
A recent editorial examined research findings on how low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood affect bone health, resulting in cartilage dysfunction and the development of osteoarthritis (OA). Authors note that a high-fat diet in mice with HDL deficiency resulted in OA development; thus, they conclude that in patients with metabolic syndrome, HDL may have a causative relationship to OA…
2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Therapies that Target Schnurri-3 Hold Promise for Osteoporosis
SAN FRANCISCO—The discovery of a promising new target for the treatment of osteoporosis has a beginning to the story that, when it comes to scientific breakthroughs, rings familiar: It started with a disappointment. Researchers in the lab of Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College—were in search…
Denosumab Does Not Stimulate Early Bone Formation
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The early elevation in intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) seen with denosumab treatment is not associated with increased bone formation, according to research from Eli Lilly and Company. Denosumab is a member of the anticatabolic/antiresorptive class of drugs used to treat osteoporosis; iPTH levels are increased in the first several months after denosumab…
Insight into Crosstalk Between Bone & Immune Systems
Osteoimmunology is an emerging field that focuses on the interaction between bone and the immune system. CD4+ T cells play an important role in the bone marrow and modulate the differentiation of bone-resorbing osteoclasts. This article reviews the role of CD4+ T cells as an osteoclastogenic population in inflammatory bowel disease…
Bone Turnover Markers Show Link to Iliac Histomorphometry in Older Women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Although histomorphometry of iliac bone gives precise results, bone turnover markers provide a better reflection of the overall skeleton in untreated postmenopausal osteoporotic women, according to French researchers. Bone histomorphometry allows study of bone remodeling at the basic structural unit level, Dr. Pascale Chavassieux and colleagues at the University of Lyon note…
Can Childhood Fitness Predict Adult Knee Problems or OA?
An Australian study found an association between child physical performance measures and adult knee structures. The data, collected from three points in participants’ lives, revealed a link between childhood activity and adult tibial cartilage volume and bone area.
Bone Microarchitecture Impaired in Active Celiac Disease
Bone microarchitecture is impaired in premenopausal women with active celiac disease, a new study from Argentina shows. “This report helps us to understand how bone is affected in celiac disease: increasing bone resorption and thinning trabeculae, even losing some number of them,” Dr. María Belén Zanchetta from Instituto de Diagnóstico e Investigaciones Metabólicas in Buenos…
Imaging in Ankylosing Spondylitis
MRI inflammation, fat and new bone formation in the sacroiliac joints, spine in patients with AS
Rat Model of Arthritis Sheds Light on How Disease Affects Bone
Increased bone turnover, mineral loss among signs of bone damage found in disease-induced rats