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Yaqian Mao Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fujian, China
Department of Endocrinology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian, China

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Lizhen Xu Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fujian, China

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Ting Xue Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fujian, China

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Jixing Liang Department of Endocrinology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian, China

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Wei Lin Department of Endocrinology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian, China

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Junping Wen Department of Endocrinology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian, China

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Huibin Huang Department of Endocrinology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian, China

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Liantao Li Department of Endocrinology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian, China

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Gang Chen Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fujian, China
Department of Endocrinology, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fujian, China
Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Analysis, Fujian Academy of Medical, Fujian, China

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Objective

To establish a rapid, cost-effective, accurate, and acceptable osteoporosis (OP) screening model for the Chinese male population (age ≥ 40 years) based on data mining technology.

Materials and methods

This was a 3-year retrospective cohort study, which belonged to the sub-cohort of the Chinese Reaction Study. The research period was from March 2011 to December 2014. A total of 1834 subjects who did not have OP at the baseline and completed a 3-year follow-up were included in this study. All subjects underwent quantitative ultrasound examinations for calcaneus at the baseline and follow-ups that lasted for 3 years. We utilized the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model to select feature variables. The characteristic variables selected in the LASSO regression were analyzed by multivariable logistic regression (MLR) to construct the predictive model. This predictive model was displayed through a nomogram. We used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, C-index, calibration curve, and clinical decision curve analysis (DCA) to evaluate model performance and the bootstrapping validation to internally validate the model.

Results

The predictive factors included in the prediction model were age, neck circumference, waist-to-height ratio, BMI, triglyceride, impaired fasting glucose, dyslipidemia, osteopenia, smoking history, and strenuous exercise. The area under the ROC (AUC) curve of the risk nomogram was 0.882 (95% CI, 0.858–0.907), exhibiting good predictive ability and performance. The C-index for the risk nomogram was 0.882 in the prediction model, which presented good refinement. In addition, the nomogram calibration curve indicated that the prediction model was consistent. The DCA showed that when the threshold probability was between 1 and 100%, the nomogram had a good clinical application value. More importantly, the internally verified C-index of the nomogram was still very high, at 0.870.

Conclusions

This novel nomogram can effectively predict the 3-year incidence risk of OP in the male population. It also helps clinicians to identify groups at high risk of OP early and formulate personalized intervention measures.

Open access
Petar Milovanovic Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
Laboratory for Anthropology and Skeletal Biology, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

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Björn Busse Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

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An increasing number of patients worldwide suffer from bone fractures that occur after low intensity trauma. Such fragility fractures are usually associated with advanced age and osteoporosis but also with long-term immobilization, corticosteroid therapy, diabetes mellitus, and other endocrine disorders. It is important to understand the skeletal origins of increased bone fragility in these conditions for preventive and therapeutic strategies to combat one of the most common health problems of the aged population. This review summarizes current knowledge pertaining to the phenomenon of micropetrosis (osteocyte lacunar mineralization). As an indicator of former osteocyte death, micropetrosis is more common in aged bone and osteoporotic bone. Considering that the number of mineralized osteocyte lacunae per bone area can distinguish healthy, untreated osteoporotic and bisphosphonate-treated osteoporotic patients, it could be regarded as a novel structural marker of impaired bone quality. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanism of lacunar mineralization and to explore whether it could be an additional target for preventing or treating bone fragility related to aging and various endocrine diseases.

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Lijuan Fu Department of Laboratory, Changyi People’s Hospital of Shandong Province, Changyi, Shandong, China

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Jinhuan Ma Department of Laboratory, Changyi Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Shandong Province, Changyi, Shandong, China

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Sumei Yan Department of Obstetrics, Changyi Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Shandong Province, Changyi, Shandong, China

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Qijun Si Department of Laboratory, Zhuji Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University, Zhuji, Zhejiang, China

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Background:

Whether polymorphisms in VDR gene affect the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis or not remain unclear. Thus, the authors performed a meta-analysis to more robustly assess associations between polymorphisms in VDR gene and the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis by integrating the results of previous literature.

Methods:

Medline, Embase, Wanfang, VIP and CNKI were searched comprehensively for eligible literature, and 67 genetic association studies were finally selected to be included in this meta-analysis.

Results:

We found that ApaI rs7975232 (dominant comparison: OR = 0.77, P = 0.007; allele comparison: OR = 0.81, P = 0.04), BsmI rs1544410 (dominant comparison: OR = 0.69, P = 0.002; allele comparison: OR = 0.78, P = 0.008) and TaqI rs731236 (recessive comparison: OR = 1.32 , P = 0.01) polymorphisms were significantly associated with the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis in Caucasians, whereas FokI rs10735810 polymorphism was significantly associated with the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis in Asians (dominant comparison: OR = 0.61, P = 0.0001; recessive comparison: OR = 2.02, P = 0.001; allele comparison: OR = 0.68, P = 0.002).

Conclusions:

This meta-analysis shows that ApaI rs7975232, BsmI rs1544410 and TaqI rs731236 polymorphisms may affect the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis in Caucasians, while BsmI rs1544410 polymorphism may affect the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis in Asians.

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Raja Padidela Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

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Moira S Cheung Evelina London Children’s Hospital, London, UK

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Vrinda Saraff Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, UK

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Poonam Dharmaraj Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK

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X-linked hypophosphataemia (XLH) is caused by a pathogenic variant in the PHEX gene, which leads to elevated circulating FGF23. High FGF23 causes hypophosphataemia, reduced active vitamin D concentration and clinically manifests as rickets in children and osteomalacia in children and adults. Conventional therapy for XLH includes oral phosphate and active vitamin D analogues but does not specifically treat the underlying pathophysiology of elevated FGF23-induced hypophosphataemia. In addition, adherence to conventional therapy is limited by frequent daily dosing and side effects such as gastrointestinal symptoms, secondary hyperparathyroidism and nephrocalcinosis. Burosumab, a recombinant human IgG1 MAB that binds to and inhibits the activity of FGF23, is administered subcutaneously every 2 weeks. In clinical trials (phase 2 and 3) burosumab was shown to improve phosphate homeostasis that consequently resolves the skeletal/non-skeletal manifestations of XLH. Burosumab was licensed in Europe (February 2018) with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, UK approving use within its marketing authorisation in October 2018. In this publication, the British Paediatric and Adolescent Bone Group (BPABG) reviewed current evidence and provide expert recommendations for care pathway and management of XLH with burosumab.

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Sylvia Thiele Department of Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Center for Healthy Aging, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

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Anke Hannemann Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

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Maria Winzer Department of Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Center for Healthy Aging, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

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Ulrike Baschant Department of Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Center for Healthy Aging, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

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Heike Weidner Department of Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Center for Healthy Aging, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

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Matthias Nauck Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

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Rajesh V Thakker Academic Endocrine Unit, Radcliffe Department of Medicine University of Oxford, Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK

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Martin Bornhäuser Department of Medicine I, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
DFG Research Center and Cluster of Excellence for Regenerative Therapies, Technical University, Dresden, Germany

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Lorenz C Hofbauer Department of Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Center for Healthy Aging, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
DFG Research Center and Cluster of Excellence for Regenerative Therapies, Technical University, Dresden, Germany

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Martina Rauner Department of Medicine III, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Center for Healthy Aging, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

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Glucocorticoids (GC) are used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, including various forms of arthritis. However, their use is limited, amongst others, by adverse effects on bone. The Wnt and bone formation inhibitor sclerostin was recently implicated in the pathogenesis of GC-induced osteoporosis. However, data are ambiguous. The aim of this study was to assess the regulation of sclerostin by GC using several mouse models with high GC levels and two independent cohorts of patients treated with GC. Male 24-week-old C57BL/6 and 18-week-old DBA/1 mice exposed to GC and 12-week-old mice with endogenous hypercortisolism displayed reduced bone formation as indicated by reduced levels of P1NP and increased serum sclerostin levels. The expression of sclerostin in femoral bone tissue and GC-treated bone marrow stromal cells, however, was not consistently altered. In contrast, GC dose- and time-dependently suppressed sclerostin at mRNA and protein levels in human mesenchymal stromal cells, and this effect was GC receptor dependent. In line with the human cell culture data, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA, n = 101) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR, n = 21) who were exposed to GC had lower serum levels of sclerostin than healthy age- and sex-matched controls (−40%, P < 0.01 and −26.5%, P < 0.001, respectively). In summary, sclerostin appears to be differentially regulated by GC in mice and humans as it is suppressed by GCs in humans but is not consistently altered in mice. Further studies are required to delineate the differences between GC regulation of sclerostin in mice and humans and assess whether sclerostin mediates GC-induced osteoporosis in humans.

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Rimesh Pal Department of Endocrinology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

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Sanjay Kumar Bhadada Department of Endocrinology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

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Awesh Singhare Department of Endocrinology, P D Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, India

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Anil Bhansali Department of Endocrinology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

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Sadishkumar Kamalanathan Department of Endocrinology, Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, India

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Manoj Chadha Department of Endocrinology, P D Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, India

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Phulrenu Chauhan Department of Endocrinology, P D Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, India

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Ashwani Sood Department of Nuclear Medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

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Vandana Dhiman Department of Endocrinology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

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Dinesh Chandra Sharma Division of Endocrinology, Rabindranath Tagore Medical College, Udaipur, India

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Uma Nahar Saikia Department of Histopathology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

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Debajyoti Chatterjee Department of Histopathology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India

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Vikas Agashe Department of Orthopaedics, P D Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, India

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Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by recalcitrant hypophosphatemia. Reports from the Indian subcontinent are scarce, with most being single center experiences involving few patients. Herein, we conducted a retrospective analysis of 30 patients of TIO diagnosed at three tertiary care hospitals in India. Patients with persistent hypophosphatemia (despite correction of hypovitaminosis D), normocalcemia, elevated alkaline phosphatase, low TmP/GFR and elevated or ‘inappropriately normal’ FGF23 levels were labeled as having TIO. They were sequentially subjected to functional followed by anatomical imaging. Patients with a well-localized tumor underwent excision; others were put on phosphorous and calcitriol supplementation. The mean age at presentation was 39.6 years with female:male ratio of 3:2. Bone pain (83.3%) and proximal myopathy (70%) were the chief complaints; 40% of cases had fractures. The mean delay in diagnosis was 3.8 years. Tumors were clinically detectable in four patients (13.3%). The mean serum phosphate was 0.50 mmol/L with a median serum FGF23 level of 518 RU/mL. Somatostatin receptor-based scintigraphy was found to be superior to FDG-PET in tumor localization. Lower extremities were the most common site of the tumor (72%). Tumor size was positively correlated with serum FGF23 levels. Twenty-two patients underwent tumor resection and 16 of them had phosphaturic mesenchymal tumors. Surgical excision led to cure in 72.7% of patients whereas disease persistence and disease recurrence were seen in 18.2% and 9.1% of cases, respectively. At the last follow-up, serum phosphate in the surgically treated group was significantly higher than in the medically managed group.

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Ying Hua Department of Administrative Office, The First People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District, Xiaoshan Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

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Jinqiong Fang Department of Administrative Office, The First People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District, Xiaoshan Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

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Xiaocong Yao Department of Osteoporosis Care and Control, The First People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District, Xiaoshan Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

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Zhongxin Zhu Department of Osteoporosis Care and Control, The First People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District, Xiaoshan Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Department of Clinical Research Center, The First People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District, Xiaoshan Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

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Background

Obesity and osteoporosis are major public health issues globally. The prevalence of these two diseases prompts the need to better understand the relationship between them. Previous studies, however, have yielded controversial findings on this issue. Therefore, our aim in this study was to evaluate the independent association between waist circumference (WC), as a marker of obesity, and the bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine among middle-aged adults using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Methods

Our analysis was based on NHANES data from 2011 to 2018, including 5084 adults, 40–59 years of age. A weighted multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between WC and lumbar BMD, with smooth curve fitting performed for non-linearities.

Results

After adjusting for BMI and other potential confounders, WC was negatively associated with lumbar BMD in men (β = −2.8, 95% CI: −4.0 to −1.6) and premenopausal women (β = −2.6, 95% CI: −4.1 to −1.1). On subgroup analysis stratified by BMI, this negative association was more significant in men with a BMI ≥30 kg/m2 (β = −4.1, 95% CI: −6.3 to −2.0) and in pre- and postmenopausal women with a BMI <25 kg/m2 (premenopausal women: β= −5.7, 95% CI: −9.4 to−2.0; postmenopausal women: β=−5.6, 95% CI: −9.7 to −1.6). We further identified an inverted U-shaped relationship among premenopausal women, with a point of inflection at WC of 80 cm.

Conclusions

Our study found an inverse relationship between WC and lumbar BMD in middle-aged men with BMI ≥30 kg/m2, and women with BMI <25 kg/m2.

Open access
Xiaoxia Jia Center for Metabolism and Immune Diseases, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Beijing Key Laboratory of Diabetes Research and Care, Beijing, China

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Yaxin An Center for Metabolism and Immune Diseases, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Beijing Key Laboratory of Diabetes Research and Care, Beijing, China

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Yuechao Xu Center for Metabolism and Immune Diseases, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Beijing Key Laboratory of Diabetes Research and Care, Beijing, China

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Yuxian Yang Center for Metabolism and Immune Diseases, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Beijing Key Laboratory of Diabetes Research and Care, Beijing, China

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Chang Liu Center for Metabolism and Immune Diseases, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Beijing Key Laboratory of Diabetes Research and Care, Beijing, China

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Dong Zhao Center for Metabolism and Immune Diseases, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Beijing Key Laboratory of Diabetes Research and Care, Beijing, China

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Jing Ke Center for Metabolism and Immune Diseases, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
Beijing Key Laboratory of Diabetes Research and Care, Beijing, China

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Background

Obesity is known as a common risk factor for osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Perirenal fat, surrounding the kidneys, has been reported to be unique in anatomy and biological functions. This study aimed to explore the relationship between perirenal fat and bone metabolism in patients with T2DM.

Methods

A total of 234 patients with T2DM were recruited from September 2019 to December 2019 in the cross-sectional study. The biochemical parameters and bone turnover markers (BTMs) were determined in all participants. Perirenal fat thickness (PrFT) was performed by ultrasounds via a duplex Doppler apparatus. Associations between PrFT and bone metabolism index were determined via correlation analysis and regression models.

Results

The PrFT was significantly correlated with β-C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen (β-CTX) (r = −0.14, P < 0.036), parathyroid hormone (iPTH) (r = −0.18, P ≤ 0.006), and 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D) (r = −0.14, P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that the association of PrFT and β-CTX (β = −0.136, P = 0.042) was independent of other variables.

Conclusion

This study showed a negative and independent association between PrFT and β-CTX in subjects with T2DM, suggesting a possible role of PrFT in bone metabolism. Follow-up studies and further research are necessary to validate the associations and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

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Earn H Gan Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Central Parkway, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Endocrine Unit, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

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Wendy Robson Urology Unit, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

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Peter Murphy Urology Unit, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

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Robert Pickard Urology Unit, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

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Simon Pearce Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Central Parkway, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Endocrine Unit, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

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Rachel Oldershaw Department of Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Ageing and Chronic disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

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Background

The highly plastic nature of adrenal cortex suggests the presence of adrenocortical stem cells (ACSC), but the exact in vivo identity of ACSC remains elusive. A few studies have demonstrated the differentiation of adipose or bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) into steroid-producing cells. We therefore investigated the isolation of multipotent MSC from human adrenal cortex.

Methods

Human adrenals were obtained as discarded surgical material. Single-cell suspensions from human adrenal cortex (n = 3) were cultured onto either complete growth medium (CM) or MSC growth promotion medium (MGPM) in hypoxic condition. Following ex vivo expansion, their multilineage differentiation capacity was evaluated. Phenotype markers were analysed by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry for cell-surface antigens associated with bone marrow MSCs and adrenocortical-specific phenotype. Expression of mRNAs for pluripotency markers was assessed by q-PCR.

Results

The formation of colony-forming unit fibroblasts comprising adherent cells with fibroblast-like morphology were observed from the monolayer cell culture, in both CM and MGPM. Cells derived from MGPM revealed differentiation towards osteogenic and adipogenic cell lineages. These cells expressed cell-surface MSC markers (CD44, CD90, CD105 and CD166) but did not express the haematopoietic, lymphocytic or HLA-DR markers. Flow cytometry demonstrated significantly higher expression of GLI1 in cell population harvested from MGPM, which were highly proliferative. They also exhibited increased expression of the pluripotency markers.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates that human adrenal cortex harbours a mesenchymal stem cell-like population. Understanding the cell biology of adrenal cortex- derived MSCs will inform regenerative medicine approaches in autoimmune Addison’s disease.

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Kathrin R Frey Department of Medicine I, Endocrine and Diabetes Unit, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

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Tina Kienitz Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany

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Julia Schulz Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany

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Manfred Ventz Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany

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Kathrin Zopf Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany

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Marcus Quinkler Endocrinology in Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany

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Context

Patients with primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) or congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) receive life-long glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. Daily GC doses are often above the physiological cortisol production rate and can cause long-term morbidities such as osteoporosis. No prospective trial has investigated the long-term effect of different GC therapies on bone mineral density (BMD) in those patients.

Objectives

To determine if patients on hydrocortisone (HC) or prednisolone show changes in BMD after follow-up of 5.5 years. To investigate if BMD is altered after switching from immediate- to modified-release HC.

Design and patients

Prospective, observational, longitudinal study with evaluation of BMD by DXA at visit1, after 2.2 ± 0.4 (visit2) and after 5.5 ± 0.8 years (visit3) included 36 PAI and 8 CAH patients. Thirteen patients received prednisolone (age 52.5 ± 14.8 years; 8 women) and 31 patients received immediate-release HC (age 48.9 ± 15.8 years; 22 women). Twelve patients on immediate-release switched to modified-release HC at visit2.

Results

Prednisolone showed significantly lower Z-scores compared to HC at femoral neck (−0.85 ± 0.80 vs −0.25 ± 1.16, P < 0.05), trochanter (−0.96 ± 0.62 vs 0.51 ± 1.07, P < 0.05) and total hip (−0.78 ± 0.55 vs 0.36 ± 1.04, P < 0.05), but not at lumbar spine, throughout the study. Prednisolone dose decreased by 8% over study time, but no significant effect was seen on BMD. BMD did not change significantly after switching from immediate- to modified-release HC.

Conclusions

The use of prednisolone as hormone replacement therapy results in significantly lower BMD compared to HC. Patients on low-dose HC replacement therapy showed unchanged Z-scores within the normal reference range during the study period.

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