osteoporosis
Boston, MA -- Newly identified gene variants associated with the age at which females experience their first menstrual period and the onset of menopause may help shed light on the prevention of breast and endometrial cancer, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.
A new study provides doctors with guidelines on when to repeat bone mineral density (BMD) tests for their patients.
International clinical guidelines on the matter are hazy, with different practices followed in different countries. For a serious condition like osteoporosis, affecting millions, it is important to establish clear protocols.
CHICAGO (May 7, 2009) - Breast cancer patients, individuals at risk for osteoporosis and those undergoing certain types of bone cancer therapies often take drugs containing bisphosphonates. These drugs have been found to place people at risk for developing osteonecrosis of the jaws (a rotting of the jaw bones).
The advice and treatment given to patients with vertebral compression fractures is not satisfactory. A thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that the majority of patients still have severe pain one year after the fracture.
Rarely will physicians use the word "miraculous" when discussing patient recoveries. But that's the very phrase orthopaedic physicians and scientists are using in upstate New York to describe their emerging stem cell research that could have a profound impact on the treatment of bone injuries.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - New research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine evaluated the link between a common class of drugs used to prevent bone fractures in osteoporosis patients and the development of irregular heartbeat.
Looking for a better treatment for the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis, researchers have found that a protein in tick saliva shows promise in limiting the severity of the disease in an animal model in a study published in the Annals of Neurology.
Bone loss in long-duration spaceflight has been identified for decades as a significant problem affecting astronauts.
BOSTON - (March 3, 2009) In an epidemiological study of men and post-menopausal women primarily over 60 years of age, regular moderate alcohol intake was associated with greater bone mineral density (BMD).
Astronauts spending months in space lose significant bone strength, making them increasingly at risk for fractures later in life.
When a car crash occurs, people with osteoporosis and other brittle bone disorders often suffer more serious injuries. To better protect these ''fragile'' motorists, three Johns Hopkins undergraduate engineering students have devised a harness and vest system that significantly reduced impact forces when tested on a high-tech crash dummy.
A study in Maine has found evidence that many girls are not getting enough vitamin D, either from their diets or sun exposure. Lack of the critical nutrient could lead to health risks later in life, especially for osteoporosis. Vitamin D is necessary for the growth of healthy bones and may be critical in other bodily processes as well. The study monitored sun exposure, diet and blood levels of vitamin D in 23 girls from ages 10 to 13 years old. Vitamin D is an emerging area of medical research. Medical scientists have yet to understand the whole story about vitamin D and the body. "We've known for a long time that vitamin D has a role in getting calcium into bones," said the lead researcher. "Researchers are now finding evidence that vitamin D could play other roles in health such as cancer prevention and controlling blood pressure. There are vitamin D receptors in lots of tissues in the body that aren't related to bone."
More than one million teenage girls become pregnant each year in the United States, and one-half million of these pregnancies result in live births. In addition to the socio-economic challenges that often accompany early parenthood, pregnant teens face dramatic nutritional demands. A recent study by researchers with the Center for Human Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was the first to examine the impact of early childbearing on calcium absorption in teens. The study, conducted with a group of teenagers ages 13 to 18 in Baltimore, Md., showed that one-third of these young mothers had a bone mass that meets the definitions of osteoporosis or osteopenia (the precursor condition to osteoporosis) shortly after pregnancy.
Colorado State University research points to the use of sheep - instead of laboratory rats - to more accurately study the effects of menopause after several research projects verify that under induced menopause the animal experiences similar symptoms and conditions as do women. Older ewes - female sheep - experience hot flashes, eye trouble, bone density loss and other symptoms of menopause when their ovaries are removed, which means that research that would benefit menopausal and post-menopausal women, such as research about estrogen replacement therapy, osteoporosis treatments, and prevention of arthritis and sight-inhibiting changes can be conducted on ewes.
A team of researchers at Penn State University has announced important findings about the causes of three human diseases: severe, juvenile-onset diabetes; osteoporosis; and Wolcott-Rallison Syndrome, a rare condition whose sufferers exhibit a combination of diabetes, retarded growth, and skeletal abnormalities. Their work suggests promising lines of research for the therapeutic treatment of these diseases. The work will be described in an article in the August 2003 issue of the journal Endocrinology.
