In This Issue
ASBMR Updates & Announcements
New ASBMR Discovery Hall Feature: The ASBMR Knowledge X-Change
This Week's Scientific Web Editor Blog
Funding Available for Hypophosphatasia Research
Candidates Needed! Post your Resume to the ASBMR Career Center
News Briefs
"Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia: Researchers at UMKC Receive $8.3 Million to Study Relationship"
"Moderate Drinking May Help Older Women's Bones"
"Celiac Disease Linked to Low Bone Density in Kids"
"Bone Mineral Density Directly Tied to Duodenal Marsh Stage in Newly Diagnosed Adult Celiac Patients"
"Ultrasound Triggers Bone Cell Mobility"
"NELL-1-dependent Mineralisation of Saos-2 Human Osteosarcoma Cells is Mediated via c-Jun N-terminal Kinase Pathway Activation"
"Drug Delivery Via Remote Control"
"Association of P2X7 Receptor Polymorphisms With Bone Mineral Density and Osteoporosis Risk in a Cohort of Dutch Fracture Patients"
"The Influence of the Genetic and Non-Genetic Factors on Bone Mineral Density and Osteoporotic Fractures in Chinese Women"
"Are Skeletally Mature Female Rats a Suitable Model to Study Osteoporosis?"
ASBMR Updates & Announcements
New ASBMR Discovery Hall Feature: The ASBMR Knowledge X-Change
 The ASBMR Knowledge X-Change is a new, interactive forum for participating in small-group discussion on hot topics with leading experts in the bone field. Read More.
This Week's Scientific Web Editor Blog
In this week's ASBMR Scientific Web Editor Blog, Joseph Lorenzo, M.D., comments on “Vitamin D Supplements and the Risk of Fractures.” Read More.
Funding Available for Hypophosphatasia Research
The Soft Bones Foundation is offering a research grant of $25,000 for basic or clinical research directly related to hypophosphatasia. Read More.
Candidates Needed! Post your Resume to the ASBMR Career Center
Over the next months, recruiters and employers will be searching the ASBMR resume bank for qualified candidates they can arrange interviews with in Minneapolis during the Annual Meeting. Don’t let your next career opportunity pass you by, visit the ASBMR Career Center today!
News Briefs
Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia: Researchers at UMKC Receive $8.3 Million to Study Relationship
News-Medical.net (07/16/12)
The National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging has awarded the University of Missouri - Kansas City a five-year $8.3 million grant to study the relationship between osteoporosis and sarcopenia. Researchers conducting the study will focus on the manner in which bone and muscle cells communicate with one another when the body is healthy and when it is not. The researchers are hoping to test their hypothesis that bone can essentially act as an "endocrine organ" to control muscle physiology and disease. The study aims to determine what molecular and cellular mechanisms bring about the simultaneous development of bone and muscle conditions in elderly individuals.
Moderate Drinking May Help Older Women's Bones
WebMD (07/11/12) Doheny, Kathleen
A study published in the journal Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society has found that women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol and lead an otherwise healthy lifestyle may be less likely to suffer from bone loss. The study examined 40 menopausal women who submitted blood samples after abstaining from alcohol for two weeks and gave blood samples again after drinking a moderate amount of alcohol for one night. Blood samples taken after the women abstained from alcohol showed increased bone turnover, while the samples taken after a night of drinking alcohol showed that bone turnover had reverted to the levels that were seen before the women stopped drinking for two weeks.
Celiac Disease Linked to Low Bone Density in Kids
HealthCanal.com (07/17/12) Willerton, Alana
Diana Mager of the University of Alberta's Department of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences has found that children in Alberta who have celiac disease may be at a higher risk for low bone-mineral density. A study performed by Mager has found that between 30 percent and 35 percent of children who have been diagnosed with celiac disease had poor bone health because they were not getting sufficient amounts of vitamin D, vitamin K, and calcium in their diet. Mager also said that vitamin D levels among children and others in Alberta because many people in the Canadian province do not get enough exposure to sunlight.
Bone Mineral Density Directly Tied to Duodenal Marsh Stage in Newly Diagnosed Adult Celiac Patients
Celiac.com (07/12/12) Adams, Jefferson
Researchers have found that duodenal villous atrophy through malabsorption is the primary determining factor for low bone mineral density (BMD) in adults who have recently been diagnosed with celiac disease. Those findings come from a study of 40 adults who had recently been diagnosed with celiac disease, all of whom were given bone density scans on the left hip and lumbar spine using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The patients' nutritional parameters were then assessed, and a hormone study was performed to rule out secondary low BMD. Researchers found that 45% of patients had low BMD at both the hip and lumbar spine shortly after being diagnosed with celiac disease, and that the risk of hip fracture was generally low for most patients but was in the mild range for those who had villous atrophy.
The research was published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology.
Ultrasound Triggers Bone Cell Mobility
Science Daily (07/17/2012)
Researchers at Stony Brook University have developed a technique that could be used as the basis for a new type of treatment for a variety of conditions involving bone loss. The technique involves the application of acoustic radiation force ultrasound to osteoblastic cells to stimulate the mobility of those cells and cause calcium to be released.
NELL-1-dependent Mineralisation of Saos-2 Human Osteosarcoma Cells is Mediated via c-Jun N-terminal Kinase Pathway Activation
International Orthopaedics (07/16/12) Chen, Feng; Walder, Ben; James, Aaron W.; et al.
A study published in International Orthopaedics has found that the osteoinductive growth factor NELL-1 shows promise in regenerating bone. In this study, the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), P38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways was screened with mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling protein array following recombinant human (rh) NELL-1 treatment. Researchers then assessed mineralization and intracellular phosphate levels following rhNELL-1 stimulation in the presence or absence of certain MAPK inhibitors. The study found that rhNELL-1 predominantly increased JNK pathway activation, and that the JNK inhibitor SP600125 prevented mineralization and intracellular phosphate accumulation induced by rhNELL-1, though ERK1/2 and P38 inhibitors had no effect.
Drug Delivery Via Remote Control
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (07/12/12) Simeonov, Anton
A study published in Science Translational Medicine indicates that an implantable medical device shows promise in being used to administer human parathyroid hormone fragment (hPTH) 1-34 in women with osteoporosis. The eight osteoporotic post-menopausal women who participated in the study were implanted with the microchip-based drug delivery device, which was controlled wirelessly in order to administer doses of hPTH 1-34--the active ingredient in teriparatide--once a day for up to 20 days. Researchers performed bone marker evaluations on the women and found that using the device to release hPTH on a daily basis helped increase bone formation. In addition, the use of the device led to good rates of absorption and distribution of hPTH.
Association of P2X7 Receptor Polymorphisms With Bone Mineral Density and Osteoporosis Risk in a Cohort of Dutch Fracture Patients
Osteoporosis International (06/12) Wesselius, A. ; Bours, M.J.L.; Henriksen, Z.; et al.
Osteoporosis International has published the results of a study that examined whether a relationship exists between genetic variation and the P2X7 receptor gene (P2RX7) and decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis risk in people suffering from bone fractures. Researchers genotyped 690 women and 231 men over the age of 50 for 15 non-synonymous P2RX7 SNPs and measured BMD at the total hip, lumbar spine, and femoral neck. The study found that the Ala348Thr gain-of-function polymorphism was tied to increased BMD at the lumbar spine, while two loss-of-function SNPs in the P2RX7 were associated with lower BMD in the hip. These and other findings led researchers to conclude that the detection of non-synonymous SNPs within the P2RX7 could be useful in estimating the risk of osteoporosis at an early stage, which in turn could improve the prevention and treatment of the disease.
The Influence of the Genetic and Non-Genetic Factors on Bone Mineral Density and Osteoporotic Fractures in Chinese Women
Endocrine (06/05/12) Deng, Yan-Hua; Zhang, Min-Jia; Pan, Chun-Ming; et al.
The journal Endocrine has published the results of a study that examined the effects that a variety of different genetic and non-genetic factors could have on bone-mineral densities (BMDs) and osteoporotic fractures. Of the more than 1,000 Chinese Han women who took part in the study, those who carried the highest number of risk alleles had lower BMD values and a higher risk of fractures than those carrying the lowest number of risk alleles. In addition, researchers found that factors such as age, number of falls per year, the G risk allele in rs11898505 and the L1-4 BMD were all associated with the occurrence of osteoporotic factors. Finally, both genetic and non-genetic factors like age, number of falls per year, and L1-4 BMD were found to potentially work in tandem to contribute to the risk of osteoporotic fractures.
Are Skeletally Mature Female Rats a Suitable Model to Study Osteoporosis?
Arquivos Brasileiros de Endocrinologia & Metabologia (06/01/12) Vol. 56, No. 4 Netto, Claudia Cardoso; Vieira, Vivian Christine Correia; Marinheiro, Lizanka Paola Figueiredo; et al.
Researchers have published the results of a study that examined whether 56-week-old Wistar rats are suitable for use in the study of osteoporosis. The study, published in the Arquivos Brasileiros de Endocrinologia & Metabologia, involved six-week-old and 36-week-old female rats that were fed diets with sufficient amounts of calcium, phosphorous, and vitamin D for 20 weeks. Researchers then measured the bone mass of excised femurs, concluding that 26-week-old rats might be too young to use in the study of age-related bone loss, though 56-week-old rats might be suitable for studying the beginning stages of age-related changes in bone metabolism.
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