Links between cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women: serum lipids or atherosclerosis per se?

Associations between body composition and cardiovascular disease risk in pre- and postmenopausal women

BACKGROUND

Menopause transition is a critical phase of women's life since body composition and cardiovascular risk factors begin to change during this period. This study investigated the associations between body composition and cardiovascular disease risk (CVDR) in pre (PrMW) and postmenopausal women (PMW).

METHODS

A community-based cross-sectional study involving 184 PrMW and 166 PMW, selected randomly from Bope-Poddala area in Galle, Sri Lanka was carried out. Total-body fat mass (TBFM, kg), total body skeletal muscle mass (TBSMM, kg), total body bone mineral density (TBBMD, g/cm2) and total body bone mineral content (TBBMC, g) were measured with total body DXA scanner and they were taken as indices of body composition. CVDR was evaluated using Framingham risk score (FRS%) and individual CVDR factors, such as systolic blood pressure (SBP, mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (DBP, mmHg), fasting blood sugar (FBS, mg/dl), total cholesterol, (TC, mg/dl), tryglycerides (TG, mg/dl), high-density lipoprotein (HDL, mg/dl) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, mg/dl). Correlations between indices of body composition and CVDR factors were assessed with adjusted partial correlation (adjusted for socio-demographic and gynecologic status, age, daily calorie consumption and physical activity level).

RESULTS

Mean(SD) age of PrMW and PMW were 42.4(6.0) and 55.8(3.8) years respectively. TBFM correlated with SBP and DBP (r range; 0.15 to 0.21) and TBSMM correlated with SBP, DBP and HDL (r range; - 0.24 to 0.17) only in PrMW (p < 0.05). TBBMD correlated only with FBS in PMW (r; - 0.21, p = 0.01). TBBMC did not show correlations with CVDR factors (p > 0.05). Body composition indices did not show correlations with total CVDR estimated by FRS and in both groups of women (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Both SBP and DBP are associated with FM and SMM in different ways among PrMW. This association, however, was not seen among PMW. FBS is associated with BMD only in PMW.

Association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels with lipid profiles in osteoporosis patients: a retrospective cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

In the literature, scarce data investigate the link between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and blood lipids in the osteoporosis (OP) population. 25(OH)D, as a calcium-regulating hormone, can inhibit the rise of parathyroid hormone, increase bone mineralization to prevent bone loss, enhance muscle strength, improve balance, and prevent falls in the elderly. This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between serum 25(OH)D levels and lipid profiles in patients with osteoporosis, with the objective of providing insight for appropriate vitamin D supplementation in clinical settings to potentially reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease, which is known to be a major health concern for individuals with osteoporosis.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cross-sectional study from the Affiliated Kunshan Hospital of Jiangsu University, including 2063 OP patients who received biochemical blood analysis of lipids during hospitalization from January 2015 to March 2022. The associations between serum lipids and 25(OH)D levels were examined by multiple linear regression. The dependent variables in the analysis were the concentrations of serum lipoprotein, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), apolipoprotein-A, lipoprotein A, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The independent variable was the concentration of blood serum 25(OH)D. At the same time, age, body mass index, sex, time and year of serum analysis, primary diagnosis, hypertension, diabetes, statins usage, beta-C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen, procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide were covariates. Blood samples were collected in the early morning after the overnight fasting and were analyzed using an automated electrochemiluminescence immunoassay on the LABOSPECT 008AS platform (Hitachi Hi-Tech Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). The generalized additive model was further applied for nonlinear associations. The inception result for smoothing the curve was evaluated by two-piecewise linear regression exemplary.

RESULTS

Our results proved that in the OP patients, the serum 25(OH)D levels were inversely connected with blood TGs concentration, whereas they were positively associated with the HDL, apolipoprotein-A, and lipoprotein A levels. In the meantime, this research also found a nonlinear relationship and threshold effect between serum 25(OH)D and TC, LDL-C. Furthermore, there were positive correlations between the blood serum 25(OH)D levels and the levels of TC and LDL-C when 25(OH)D concentrations ranged from 0 to 10.04 ng/mL. However, this relationship was not present when 25(OH)D levels were higher than 10.04 ng/mL.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrated an independent relationship between blood lipids and vitamin D levels in osteoporosis patients. While we cannot establish a causal relationship between the two, our findings suggest that vitamin D may have beneficial effects on both bone health and blood lipid levels, providing a reference for improved protection against cardiovascular disease in this population. Further research, particularly interventional studies, is needed to confirm these associations and investigate their underlying mechanisms.

Apolipoprotein A1 is associated with osteocalcin and bone mineral density rather than high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in Chinese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Objective

Disturbances in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) metabolic pathways can affect bone metabolism, which may rely on the particle function of apolipoprotein rather than HDL-c levels. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of serum HDL-c and apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1) with bone metabolism in Chinese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Method

A total of 1,053 participants with complete data were enrolled and separated into three groups based on the HDL-c and APOA1 tertiles. The trained reviewer collected demographic and anthropometric information. Bone turnover markers (BTMs) were determined by standard methods. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.

Results

Overall, the prevalence of osteoporosis was 29.7%. Groups with higher APOA1 have a remarkably more elevated level of osteocalcin (OC), L1-L4 BMD, and T-score across the APOA1 tertiles. APOA1 presented a positive correlation with OC (r = 0.194, p < 0.001), L1-L4 BMD (r = 0.165, p < 0.001), and T-score (r = 0.153, p < 0.001) rather than HDL-c. Meanwhile, APOA1 remained independently associated with OC (β = 0.126, p < 0.001), L1-L4 BMD (β = 0.181, p < 0.001), and T-score (β = 0.180, p < 0.001) after adjustment for confounding factors. APOA1 is also shown to be independently correlated with osteoporosis after adjustment for confounding factors, and the OR (95%CI) was 0.851 (0.784-0.924). In contrast, there was no significant association between HDL-c and osteoporosis. Furthermore, APOA1 seemed to have the largest areas under the curve (AUC) for osteoporosis. The AUC (95% CI) of APOA1 identifying osteoporosis was 0.615 (0.577-0.652). The optimal cut-off value of APOA1 was 0.89 g/L (sensitivity: 56.5%, specificity: 67.9%).

Conclusion

APOA1 is independently associated with OC, L1-L4 BMD, and osteoporosis rather than HDL-c in Chinese postmenopausal women with T2DM.

Influence of Cholesterol on the Regulation of Osteoblast Function

Bone is a dynamic tissue composed of cells, an extracellular matrix, and mineralized portion. Osteoblasts are responsible for proper bone formation and remodeling, and function. These processes are endergonic and require cellular energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is derived from various sources such as glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids. However, other lipids such as cholesterol have also been found to play a critical role in bone homeostasis and can also contribute to the overall bioenergetic capacity of osteoblasts. In addition, several epidemiological studies have found a link between elevated cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, an enhanced risk of osteoporosis, and increased bone metastasis in cancer patients. This review focuses on how cholesterol, its derivatives, and cholesterol-lowering medications (statins) regulate osteoblast function and bone formation. It also highlights the molecular mechanisms underlying the cholesterol-osteoblast crosstalk.

Total Cholesterol Variability and the Risk of Osteoporotic Fractures: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Several risk factors for osteoporotic fractures have been identified but reports of the association of lipid parameters with the occurrence of osteoporotic fractures have been limited. We aimed to examine whether serum total cholesterol (TC) variability is associated with osteoporotic fractures. The study included 3,00,326 subjects who had undergone three or more health examinations between 2003 and 2008. The primary endpoint was the incidence of osteoporotic fractures, including vertebral, hip, distal radius, and humerus fractures. TC variability was evaluated based on the following three parameters: coefficient of variation (CV), standard deviation (SD), and variability independent of the mean (VIM). A total of 29,044 osteoporotic fracture events (9.67%) were identified during a median of 11.6 years of follow-up. The risk of osteoporotic fractures in the highest quartile was significantly higher compared with the lowest quartile according to the three indices of TC variability with adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) as follows: CV (HR 1.11, 95% CI [1.08–1.15]), SD (HR 1.07, 95% CI [1.04–1.11]) and VIM (HR 1.07, 95% CI [1.04–1.11]). The Kaplan–Meier curves showed a significantly positive relationship between the higher quartile of TC variability and overall osteoporotic fractures. The association remained significant in subgroup analyses of vertebral and hip fractures, regardless of the indices of TC variability. Our study showed that visit-to-visit TC variability was found to be associated with osteoporotic fracture risk. Maintaining TC levels stable may help attenuate the osteoporotic fracture risk in the future.

Role of estrogen in women's Alzheimer's disease risk as modified by APOE

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by numerous sexual dimorphisms that impact the development, progression, and probably the strategies to prevent and treat the most common form of dementia. In this review, we consider this topic from a female perspective with a specific focus on how women's vulnerability to the disease is affected by the individual and interactive effects of estrogens and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. Importantly, APOE appears to modulate systemic and neural outcomes of both menopause and estrogen-based hormone therapy. In the brain, dementia risk is greater in APOE4 carriers, and the impacts of hormone therapy on cognitive decline and dementia risk vary according to both outcome measure and APOE genotype. Beyond the CNS, estrogen and APOE genotype affect vulnerability to menopause-associated bone loss, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease risk. An emerging concept that may link these relationships is the possibility that the effects of APOE in women interact with estrogen status by mechanisms that may include modulation of estrogen responsiveness. This review highlights the need to consider the key AD risk factors of advancing age in a sex-specific manner to optimize development of therapeutic approaches for AD, a view aligned with the principle of personalized medicine.

Metabolomic patterns, redox-related genes and metals, and bone fragility endpoints in the Hortega Study

BACKGROUND

The potential joint influence of metabolites on bone fragility has been rarely evaluated. We assessed the association of plasma metabolic patterns with bone fragility endpoints (primarily, incident osteoporosis-related bone fractures, and, secondarily, bone mineral density BMD) in the Hortega Study participants. Redox balance plays a key role in bone metabolism. We also assessed differential associations in participant subgroups by redox-related metal exposure levels and candidate genetic variants.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In 467 participants older than 50 years from the Hortega Study, a representative sample from a region in Spain, we estimated metabolic principal components (mPC) for 54 plasma metabolites from NMR-spectrometry. Metals biomarkers were measured in plasma by AAS and in urine by HPLC-ICPMS. Redox-related SNPs (N = 341) were measured by oligo-ligation assay.

RESULTS

The prospective association with incident bone fractures was inverse for mPC1 (non-essential and essential amino acids, including branched-chain, and bacterial co-metabolites, including isobutyrate, trimethylamines and phenylpropionate, versus fatty acids and VLDL) and mPC4 (HDL), but positive for mPC2 (essential amino acids, including aromatic, and bacterial co-metabolites, including isopropanol and methanol). Findings from BMD models were consistent. Participants with decreased selenium and increased antimony, arsenic and, suggestively, cadmium exposures showed higher mPC2-associated bone fractures risk. Genetic variants annotated to 19 genes, with the strongest evidence for NCF4, NOX4 and XDH, showed differential metabolic-related bone fractures risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Metabolic patterns reflecting amino acids, microbiota co-metabolism and lipid metabolism were associated with bone fragility endpoints. Carriers of redox-related variants may benefit from metabolic interventions to prevent the consequences of bone fragility depending on their antimony, arsenic, selenium, and, possibly, cadmium, exposure levels.

Risk factors of primary and recurrent fractures in postmenopausal osteoporotic Chinese patients: A retrospective analysis study

BACKGROUND

As postmenopausal osteoporotic fractures can cause higher rates of disability and mortality in women; it is essential to analyze the factors associated with primary and recurrent fractures in postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) patients.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of 2478 PMOP patients aged ≥ 50 years who attended the Shanghai General Hospital from January 2007 to December 2016, including 1239 patients with no fractures and 1239 patients with histories of fractures (1008 in the primary fracture group and 231 in the re-fracture group). All patients' basic clinical data, serum biochemical and bone metabolic markers, bone mineral density (BMD), and other indicators were recorded uniformly. Comparing the differences between the clinical characteristics of patients with primary and recurrent fractures, as well as the differences in the clinical characteristics of patients with primary and recurrent fractures in combination with different diseases, further analyses the risk factors for primary and recurrent fractures in PMOP patients. SPSS.26 was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Compared to the unfractured group, the fractured group was older and had lower height and bone mineral density (all P < 0.01), with the re-fractured group having lower BMD at each key site than the primary fracture group (all P < 0.01). Analysis of the combined disease subgroups showed that serum BGP levels were lower in the primary and re-fracture patients with diabetes than in the non-diabetic subgroup (P < 0.05), and serum CTX levels were lower in the re-fracture group with diabetes than in the primary fracture group with diabetes (P < 0.05). Patients with recurrent fractures with cardio-vascular diseases had lower BMD than the subgroup without cardio-vascular diseases (P < 0.05) and also had lower BMD than the group with primary fractures with cardio-vascular diseases (P < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that advanced age, overweight, low lumbar spine and total hip BMD were risk factors for primary and recurrent fractures; and comorbid chronic liver and kidney diseases were risk factors for primary fractures.

CONCLUSION

PMOP patients with advanced age, overweight, low bone mineral density, and comorbid chronic liver and kidney diseases are at greater risk of fractures and require early intervention to reduce fractures occurrence. Moreover, those who are elderly, overweight, and have low bone density should also be aware of the risk of re-fractures.

Abdominal aortic calcification, bone mineral density and fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

BACKGROUND

Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) has been inconsistently associated with skeletal health. We aimed to investigate the association of AAC with bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture risk by pooling the findings of observational studies.

METHODS

Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched (August 2021). All clinical studies that assessed the association between AAC and BMD or fracture were included. AAC was categorized into any/advanced (all higher reported groups) vs no/less advanced (lowest reported group). Pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) and risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were determined for BMD and fracture, respectively, using random-effects models.

RESULTS

Of 2,192 articles screened, 86 (61,553 participants) were included in the review, while 42 provided data for meta-analysis. AAC was associated with lower BMD at the total hip [SMD=-1.05 (95%CI: -1.47 to -0.63); 16 studies], femoral neck [-0.25 (-0.46 to - 0.04); 10] and lumbar spine [-0.67 (-1.21 to -0.12); 20]. AAC was associated with a greater risk of any fracture [RR= 1.73 (95%CI: 1.48 to 2.02); 27]. AAC was also associated with vertebral, non-vertebral and hip fractures. In dose-response analysis, the highest AAC group had greater risks of any, vertebral and non-vertebral fractures.

CONCLUSIONS

AAC is associated with lower BMD and increased fracture risk at multiple sites, underscoring the potential importance of vascular disease on skeletal health. Detection of AAC at the time of BMD testing may provide clinicians with prognostic information about bone health to enhance osteoporosis screening programs and fracture risk prediction.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Low Bone Mineral Density in HIV/AIDS Patients: A Chinese Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION

Our study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of low bone mineral density (BMD) among HIV/AIDS patients in China.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of HIV-infected patients from October 2017 to August 2020. Demographic information, clinical data, and serum parameters were obtained. Univariable and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

A total of 1143 patients were included. In the ART-naive group, low BMD was diagnosed in 19.2% (117/608), including osteoporosis in 1.0% (6/608) and osteopenia in 18.3% (111/608). In the ART group, low BMD was diagnosed in 32.2% (231/717), including osteoporosis in 2.4% (17/717) and osteopenia in 29.8% (214/717). Using multivariate analysis, we identified age older than 50 years, body mass index < 18.5 kg/m2, and treatment based on tenofovir disoproxil fumarate as independent risk factors for low BMD. Low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was a protective factor for low BMD. Among low BMD participants, the most common number of low BMD sites for a patient to have was 4 (33.6%, 117/348).

CONCLUSION

We confirmed a high prevalence of low BMD and osteoporosis in HIV/AIDS patients, and we identified age older than 50 years, low body mass index, and a treatment based on tenofovir disoproxil fumarate as risk factors for low BMD. Low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol had a protective effect against low BMD. Among low BMD patients, patients most commonly had 4 sites with low BMD, which has been associated with fracture risk. In addition, bone changes to L1 can present before low BMD diagnosis and may be a potentially useful indicator that low BMD is developing.

Low bone mineral density and coronary artery disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and osteoporosis both cause significant morbidity and mortality. Recent interest in inflammation and the bone-vascular axis suggests a mechanistic link between the two conditions. This review and meta-analysis was conducted to examine the potential association between low bone mineral density (BMD) and CAD in adults. Two authors searched for studies that examined the association between low BMD and CAD. Risk of bias assessment was conducted using the modified Newcastle Ottawa score. Ten studies were selected from the 2258 unique records identified. Pooled analysis showed a significant association between low BMD and CAD (OR 1.65, 95%CI 1.37-2.39, p < 0.01). Subgroup analysis investigating males and females separately was not significant. The subgroup analyses looking for any differences across geographic locations and differences between coronary imaging modalities were also negative. Studies with adjusted ORs (n = 4) were also pooled (OR 3.01, 95%CI 0.91-9.99, p = 0.07). Low BMD is associated with CAD; however, it is unclear whether this result is confounded by common risk factors given the heterogeneity between study populations and methodologies. Further large-scale epidemiological studies are required.

Loss of function of lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) profoundly impacts osteoblastogenesis and increases fracture risk in humans

Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) is essential for cholesteryl ester (CE) and triacylglycerol (TAG) hydrolysis in the lysosome. Clinically, an autosomal recessive LIPA mutation causes LAL deficiency (LALD), previously described as Wolman Disease or Cholesteryl Ester Storage Disease (CESD). LAL-D is associated with ectopic lipid accumulation in the liver, small intestine, spleen, adrenal glands, and blood. Considering the importance of unesterified cholesterol and fatty acids in bone metabolism, we hypothesized that LAL is essential for bone formation, and ultimately, skeletal health. To investigate the role of LAL in skeletal homeostasis, we used LAL-deficient (^-/-) mice, in vitro osteoblast cultures, and novel clinical data from LAL-D patients. Both male and female LAL^-/- mice demonstarted lower trabecular and cortical bone parameters , which translated to reduced biomechanical properties. Further histological analyses revealed that LAL^-/- mice had fewer osteoblasts, with no change in osteoclast or marrow adipocyte numbers. In studying the cell-autonomous role of LAL, we observed impaired differentiation of LAL^-/- calvarial osteoblasts and in bone marrow stromal cells treated with the LAL inhibitor lalistat. Consistent with LAL's role in other tissues, lalistat resulted in profound lipid puncta accumulation and an altered intracellular lipid profile. Finally, we analyzed a large de-identified national insurance database (i.e. 2016/2017 Optum Clinformatics®) which revealed that adults (≥18 years) with CESD (n = 3076) had a higher odds ratio (OR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.03-1.41) of all-cause fracture at any location compared to adults without CESD (n = 13.7 M) after adjusting for demographic variables and osteoporosis. These data demonstrate that alterations in LAL have significant clinical implications related to fracture risk and that LAL's modulation of lipid metabolism is a critical for osteoblast function.

Metabolite Profiling of Osteoporosis and Atherosclerosis in Postmenopausal Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose

Atherosclerosis (AS) and osteoporosis (OP) are common causes of morbidity and mortality in postmenopausal women and are connected via an unknown mechanistic link. Metabolite profiling of blood samples may allow the identification of new biomarkers and pathways for this enigmatic association.

Patients and Methods

We studied the difference in 148 metabolite levels from serum samples in postmenopausal women with AS and OP compared with those in healthy participants in this cross-sectional study. Quantitative AS was assessed by carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) and carotid artery calcifications (CACs) by ultrasound, as well as OP by femoral neck (FN) bone mineral density (BMD) and 148 metabolic measures with high-throughput proton (¹H) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in serum samples from 280 postmenopausal (PM) women. Subjects were a randomly selected subsample from the population-based Kuopio Osteoporosis Risk Factor and Prevention (OSTPRE) study. The final study population included the following groups: OP with CAC (n=16, group I), non-OP with no CAC (n=59, group II), high cIMT tertile with OP (n=11, group III) and low cIMT tertile without OP (n=48, group IV).

Results

There were differences in several metabolite levels between groups I and II. The acetate level was lower in group I compared to that in group II (group I mean ± SD: 0.033 ± 0.0070; group II: 0.041 ± 0.014, CI95%: 0.018‒0.15, p=0.014). The result was similar with diacylglycerol (p=0.002), leucine (p=0.031), valine (p=0.022) and several very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) metabolite levels, which were lower in group I compared to those in group II. However, no associations were found in adjusted analyses with total body (TB) fat mass (FM), age and statin use (p>0.05).

Conclusion

Our novel study found differences in the metabolite profiling of altered amino acid and lipoprotein metabolism in participants with OP and AS compared with those in healthy women. The causative mechanisms remain unknown and further studies are needed.

Bone Mineral Density and Content Among Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: A Comparative Study

INTRODUCTION

Some studies indicate an association between coronary artery disease (CAD) and osteoporosis. This case-control study examined the association between body composition and bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) among patients with CAD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A group of men (n = 73) with established CAD and age and sex matched controls (n=65) were included in the study. Data collected included socio-demographic information, disease related data (from cases), anthropometric measurements, serum vitamin D, calcium and phosphorous and body composition analysis using DEXA. Two groups were compared using independent sample t-test, Mann Whitney U-test or Chi square test. Pearson correlation and regression models were used to test the associations between body compartments.

RESULTS

Among cases, the mean disease duration was 29 (range 5-192) months and 15% had triple vessel disease. Patients had higher mean total body fat mass (TBFM) (18869.7 vs 16733.0) g, p = 0.018), truncal fat mass (TRFM) (9259.1 vs 7992.5 g, p = 0.009) and fat percentage (28.6 vs 25.9%, p = 0.001) compared to controls. Median serum vitamin D level was significantly lower among patients (20.0 ng/mL) compared to controls (27.1 ng/mL) (p = 0.003). In both groups, TBFM and total body lean mass (TBLM) both showed significant positive correlations with total body BMD/BMC and regional BMDs. Of the two, TBLM emerged the best predictor of TBBMC/TBBMD. These associations were greater among patients than controls.

CONCLUSIONS

TBLM appears to be the strongest predictor of TBBMD and TBBMC in patients and controls. The strength of associations was greater among patients compared to controls even after adjusting for possible confounders .

Are blood lipids risk factors for fracture? Integrative evidence from instrumental variable causal inference and mediation analysis using genetic data

BACKGROUND

The relationship between lipids and the risk of fracture is currently controversial and whether such association is causal remains elusive.

METHODS

We performed two-sample inverse variance weighted (IVW) Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to evaluate causal effects of four lipids (i.e. high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL], total cholesterol [TC] and triglyceride [TG]) on fracture or bone mineral density (BMD) with summary statistics from large scale genome-wide association studies (up to ~190,000 for lipids, ~66,628 for BMD and ~53,000 for fracture). We validated our MR results with extensive sensitive analyses including MR-PRESSO and MR-Egger regression. Multivariable analyses were implemented to investigate whether other lipids (i.e. LDL and TG) may confound the causal effect of HDL on fracture and mediation analyses were conducted to assess indirect effects of lipids on fracture mediated by BMD.

RESULTS

The IVW MR showed there existed a statistically significant association between HDL and fracture, with the odd ratio (OR) per standard deviation change of HDL on fracture being 1.12 (95% CI: 1.02-1.22, p = 1.20E-02). HDL was also detected to be causally associated with BMD (beta = -0.116; 95% CI: -0.182 ~ -0.050, p = 5.47E-04). These associations were further confirmed by the weighted median and maximum likelihood methods, with the MR-Egger regression removing the possibility of pleiotropy and the multivariable analysis excluding the confounding effect of other lipids on HDL. Negative associations of HDL with BMD among the elderly and with BMD at the lumbar spine were also discovered. However, no causal associations were detected between other lipids (OR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.74-1.03, p = .107 for LDL; OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 0.88-1.21, p = .696 for TC and OR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.90-1.20, p = .610 for TG) and fracture; whereas TG was positively associated BMD (beta = 0.184; 95% CI: 0.048-0.319, p = 7.93E-03). Finally, the mediation effect of BMD was estimated to be -0.116 (95% CI: -0.182 to -0.05, p = 5.47E-04) for HDL or 0.184 (95% CI: 0.048-0.319, p = 7.93E-03) for TG, implying HDL and TG could be indirectly associated with fracture risk via the pathway of BMD.

CONCLUSION

Our study is supportive of the causal relationship between HDL and fracture but offers little direct evidence for causal associations between other lipids and fracture, and further reveals HDL and TG may have an indirect influence on fracture mediated by BMD.

Negative correlation of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and bone mineral density in postmenopausal Iranian women with vitamin D deficiency

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to investigate the association between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and bone status taking into account serum vitamin D levels in postmenopausal Iranian women.

METHODS

During January 2015 and February 2016, a total of 488 postmenopausal Iranian women participated in this cross-sectional study, all of whom were not taking osteoporosis medication and were not suffering from any chronic disorder. Dual X-ray absorptiometry was used to assess bone mineral density (BMD) of the total hip, femoral neck, and lumbar vertebrae (L2-L4). Each person was categorized based on the World Health Organization osteoporosis criteria in at least one skeletal region. At the end of the data collection, lipid profiles and vitamin D levels were measured for all participants. Vitamin D serum levels less than 30 ng/mL were defined as vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency.

RESULTS

27.9% of all participants displayed osteoporosis. Osteoporotic participants tended to be older with higher HDL serum levels (P < 0.001). No significant difference was seen in low-density of lipoprotein, total triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels among participants (P > 0.05). In a univariate model, after adjusting for age, menopausal age, obesity, physical activity, and use of antihyperlipidemic drugs (statins), there were significant negative associations among HDL levels and BMD values and T-score in the three regions (P < 0.004). Interestingly, after classification of participants based on vitamin D levels and adjustment for confounding factors, these significant negative associations between HDL levels and BMD values as well as T-score were observed only in participants with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, in the three regions (P < 0.008).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data show that in postmenopausal women with vitamin D deficiency, serum levels of HDL have negative correlation with bone status.

Identification of hypertriglyceridemia based on bone density, body fat mass, and anthropometry in a Korean population

BACKGROUND

Hypertriglyceridemia is strongly associated with the risks of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and metabolic syndrome. The relationship between hypertriglyceridemia or high triglyceride levels and bone mineral density remains controversial. Furthermore, to date, no study has simultaneously examined the association among hypertriglyceridemia, bone area, bone mineral content, bone mineral density, body fat mass, and anthropometrics. The present study aimed to evaluate the association among hypertriglyceridemia, anthropometrics and various bone density and body fat composition variables to identify the best indicator of hypertriglyceridemia in a Korean population.

METHODS

The data were obtained from the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In total, 3918 subjects aged 20-80 years participated in this study. In the variable analysis of the waist circumference (WC), trunk fat mass (Trk-Ft), body mass index, etc., a binary logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the significance of the differences between the normal group and hypertriglyceridemia groups.

RESULTS

In both men and women, the WC showed the strongest association with hypertriglyceridemia in the crude analysis (odds ratio (OR) = 1.738 [confidence interval = 1.529-1.976] and OR = 2.075 [1.797-2.397]), but the Trk-Ft was the most strongly associated with the disease after adjusting for age and body mass index (adjusted OR = 1.565 [1.262-1.941] and adjusted OR = 1.730 [1.291-2.319]). In particular, the Pelvis area (Plv-A) was the most significant among the bone variables in women (adjusted OR = 0.641 [0.515-0.796]). In the predictive power analysis, the best indicator of hypertriglyceridemia was WC in women (the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.718 [0.685-0.751]) and Trk-Ft in men (AUC = 0.672 [0.643-0.702]). The WC was also the most predictive among the anthropometric variables in men (AUC = 0.670 [0.641-0.700]). The strength of the association and predictive power was stronger in women than in men.

CONCLUSIONS

The WC in women and Trk-Ft in men exhibited the best predictive power for hypertriglyceridemia. Our findings support the use of basic information for the identification of hypertriglyceridemia or high triglyceride levels in initial health screening efforts.

Association between serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and bone health in the general population: a large and multicenter study

This study was a cross-sectional study and enrolled 14,147 participants after excluding. We performed a large number of data analyses to indicate that HDL-C levels were related to bone health. A high HDL-C level is an independent risk factor for bone loss both in males and females.

INTRODUCTION

Serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), usually called "good" cholesterol, is beneficial for preventing cardiovascular diseases. Previous studies have indicated that HDL-C levels may be related to bone mass. We performed a cross-sectional study to examine the relationship between HDL-C levels and bone mass, both in men and women.

METHODS

A total of 14,147 Chinese participants from five medical centers were enrolled in this study. Pearson's correlation analyses, linear regression analyses, one-way ANOVAs, and logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between HDL-C levels and bone mass in various cohorts.

RESULTS

Binary logistic regression analyses (after adjusting the confounding factors) indicated that a higher HDL-C level among males leads to a higher risk of at least osteopenia [OR (95% CI) = 1.807 (1.525, 2.142)] and osteoporosis [OR (95% CI) = 1.932 (1.291, 2.892)]. In the female group, the ORs of HDL-C for at least osteopenia [OR (95% CI) = 1.390 (1.100, 1.757)] and osteoporosis [OR (95% CI) = 1.768 (1.221, 2.560)] were still significant after adjusting for potential confounding factors except BMI. Data-standardized bivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that an increase in age is a stronger risk factor for osteoporosis and at least osteopenia than is higher HDL-C levels in females.

CONCLUSIONS

A high HDL-C level is an independent risk factor for bone loss both in males and females. Compared with high HDL-C levels, an increase in age and menopause have a much more negative effect on bone mass in females.

Identification of hub genes associated with postmenopausal osteoporosis by Gibbs sampling method

Underlying pivotal pathways were identified to reveal potential key genes correlated with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). The pathways were enriched by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) with genes intersection greater than 5 based on gene expression profile data, and the acquired pathways were then transformed to Markov chain (MC). Gibbs sampling was conducted to obtain a new MC. Moreover, the average probabilities of each pathway in normal and PMOP were computed via an MC Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm, and differential pathways were identified based on probabilities more than 0.7. In addition, frequencies of appearance of pathway genes were counted via MCMC and the hub genes were achieved with the probabilities of gene expression efficiencies in two states. Judging by the gene intersection more than 5, overall 280 pathways were determined. After Gibbs sampling, 2 differential pathways were obtained on the basis of probabilities more than 0.7. Moreover, the hub genes comprising TNNC1, MYL2, and TTN were achieved according to probabilities more than 0.7. The identified pathways and the three hub genes probably are useful for developing approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of PMOP in future preclinical and clinical applications.

Association of high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and homocysteine with bone mineral density in young Indian tribal women

This study investigated association between lipids and homocysteine (Hcy) with bone mineral density (BMD) in young women as opposed to previous studies on elderly women. HDL, triglyceride, and Hcy are significantly associated with BMD in young women and tobacco and alcohol consumption have no effect on this association.

PURPOSE

The present study investigates whether the association of serum lipids and homocysteine (Hcy) with bone mineral density (BMD) reported mostly in elderly population can be generalized to young or premenopausal women, consequently suggesting screening of young women with low BMD for dyslipidemia or any cardiovascular events and vice versa.

METHODS

Women (n = 293, aged 20-47 years) from Northeast India belonging to Tibeto-Burman origin were enrolled. Information about their physical and clinical attributes were collected by a structured questionnaire. Their BMDs at lumbar spine and femur were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and sera were profiled for lipid parameters and Hcy by auto-analyzer and ELISA, respectively. Women consuming tobacco and/or alcohol were grouped as consumers and others as non-consumers for the analysis.

RESULTS

Positive correlation of BMD with HDL (spine and femur r = 0.38, p < 0.0001) and triglyceride (spine r = 0.534, p < 0.0001; femur r = 0.423, p < 0.0001) was observed, whereas Hcy correlated negatively with BMD (spine r = - 0.189, p = 0.0026; femur r = - 0.273, p < 0.0001). LDL showed a weak negative correlation with BMD (spine r = - 0.128, p = 0.0283; femur r = - 0.199, p = 0.0006). However, after adjusting for age, BMI, and consumption, HDL, triglyceride, and Hcy continued to show significant correlation with BMD at both the sites. Logistic regression analyses indicated that HDL, triglyceride, and Hcy were significant predictors of osteopenia and osteoporosis in our study cohort; however, consumption did not contribute to its prediction.

CONCLUSION

Low levels of HDL and triglyceride and high levels of Hcy are significantly associated with osteopenia and osteoporosis in young Northeast Indian women.

Low bone mineral density is associated with global coronary atherosclerotic plaque burden in stable angina patients

Background

Accelerated atherosclerosis is considered to be the linking factor between low bone mineral density (BMD) and increased cardiovascular events and mortality, while some coronary angiographic studies do not support this point. In this study, we attempt to provide a distinct comprehensive view of the relationship between BMD and the angiographically determined coronary atherosclerotic burden.

Methods

A total of 459 consecutive patients with stable chest pain suspected of coronary artery disease (CAD) underwent both dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan and selective coronary angiography. The association between BMD and global coronary atherosclerotic plaque burden as represented by the multivessel involvement and the modified Gensini score was analyzed.

Results

Multivariable analysis revealed that the low BMD at femoral neck and total hip was an independent correlate of multivessel CAD. The T-scores measured at femoral neck and total hip were both negatively and independently associated to the modified Gensini score. These inversely correlated relationships between BMD and CAD were not observed at lumbar spine 1–4.

Conclusion

This cross-sectional study elucidated an inverse relationship between hip BMD and the modified Gensini score, and low hip BMD values (T-scores) were significantly and independently associated with increased risk of multivessel coronary disease in patients hospitalized for stable chest pain.

Raloxifene Lowers Plasma Lipoprotein(a) Concentrations: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is a proatherogenic plasma lipoprotein and an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. We investigated the effects of raloxifene, selective estrogen receptor modulator, on circulating Lp(a) levels in postmenopausal women using a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

METHODS

To identify relevant studies, electronic databases (PUBMED, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) were searched by up to May 2015 to find controlled trials exploring the effects of oral raloxifene treatment on plasma Lp(a) levels in postmenopausal women. A random-effects model and generic inverse variance method were used for quantitative data synthesis.

RESULTS

Overall, seven eligible RCTs with ten treatment arms were included in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis suggested a significant reduction of Lp(a) levels after treatment with raloxifene (standardized mean difference (SMD) -0.42; 95% CI -0.65, -0.19; p < 0.001), which may be considered as a medium effect size. When the studies were categorized according to the administered dose, there was a significant effect in both subsets of studies with administered doses ≤60 mg/day (SMD -0.43; 95% CI -0.73, -0.13; p = 0.004) and >60 mg/day (SMD -0.36; 95% CI -0.68, -0.05; p = 0.025). No significant association between the changes in plasma concentrations of Lp(a) with dose and baseline Lp(a) levels was found in the random-effects meta-regression analysis. However, a significant inverse association was observed between the Lp(a)-lowering effect of raloxifene and duration of treatment (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Results of the present meta-analysis showed a reduction in plasma Lp(a) concentrations of postmenopausal women with oral raloxifene treatment.

Association between Serum Cholesterol Level and Osteoporotic Fractures

OBJECTIVE

Previous epidemiological studies have found an association between serum cholesterol level and bone mineral density. However, epidemiological studies evaluating the association between serum cholesterol level and the incidence of osteoporotic fracture are scant. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether serum cholesterol levels in Chinese participants aged 55 years or older was associated with an increased risk of osteoporotic fracture.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study, including 1,791 participants (62.1% postmenopausal women and 213 fractures). Standardized self-administered questionnaires, physical examination, laboratory tests, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry examination were performed. Multivariate-adjusted logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between serum cholesterol [total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C)] levels and the osteoporotic fracture risk.

RESULTS

After adjusting for potential confounding factors, there were no associations between per SD increase in TC and LDL level and an increased risk of osteoporotic fracture in total participants, and in men and women as individual groups. There was a significant association between per SD increase in HDL-C level and an increased risk of osteoporotic fracture in total participants [odds ratios (OR) 1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03, 1.40, P = 0.023] and in women (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.12, 1.68, P = 0.003), whereas no association was observed in men (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.73, 1.40, P = 0.951). Additionally, we found a significant association between per SD increase in TG level and an increased risk of osteoporotic fracture in total participants (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.04, 1.38, P = 0.015). In women, a nonlinear relationship was observed between per SD increase in TG level and an increased risk of osteoporotic fracture. The risk of osteoporotic fracture in women increased with TG level >1.64 mmol/L (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.24, 3.00, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

Among Chinese older adults, serum HDL-C level is significantly associated with a risk of osteoporotic fractures in women, and serum TG level is significantly associated with a risk of osteoporotic fractures in total participants and in women with TG >1.64 mmol/L.

Bisphosphonates, atherosclerosis and vascular calcification: update and systematic review of clinical studies

Background

Epidemiologic and clinical data have suggested the existence of a biologic linkage between the bone system and the vascular system. Bisphosphonates (BPs) are effective inhibitors of bone resorption and are currently considered the drugs of choice for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and related fractures. Data from several publications have suggested that BPs may also be effective in reducing the atherosclerotic process and vascular calcification, but the results of these studies are contrasting. This review aimed to allow a better understanding of the relationships between BPs and atherosclerosis in humans.

Materials and methods

Electronic databases of Pubmed-Medline, Cochrane Library and SCOPUS from inception to June 30, 2016 were searched. The full texts of the articles potentially eligible were carefully assessed and reviewed. Finally, 20 studies were found to be eligible and were included in the systematic review. All included studies were published between 2000 and 2014.

Results

In several studies, etidronate limited the progression of aortic and coronary calcification in hemodialysis patients, whereas the nitrogen-containing-BPs given orally did not significantly reduce vascular calcifications in patients with chronic kidney disease, kidney trasplant or in those with osteoporosis. Nitrogen-containing-BPs present favorable effects both on vessel wall thickness and on arterial elasticity due to both a reduction in serum lipids and the interaction of BPs with the bone tissue, with the consequent release of bone turnover markers and cytokines into the bloodstream.

Conclusion

To sum up, the BPs seem to have the potential of influencing atherosclerosis and calcium homeostasis at the level of vascular walls with several possible mechanisms which may differ according to the type, potency, dosage and administration route of BPs. Additional studies are needed to specifically address the mechanism by which BP use could influence cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Association between neck and wrist circumferences and cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents: The CASPIAN-V study

OBJECTIVE

The predictive potentials of neck and wrist circumferences for cardiometabolic risks in children and adolescents remain to be determined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of neck and wrist circumferences with some cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents.

METHODS

This multicenter study was conducted during the 2014 to 2015 school year with 4200 children and adolescents ages 7 to 18 y. The children were selected by multistage cluster sampling from 30 provinces of Iran. Anthropometric indices (neck, wrist and waist circumference, and body mass index), biochemical and clinical parameters were measured. Metabolic syndrome was defined based on the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria modified for the pediatric age group. High total cholesterol, high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and obesity were included as other cardiometabolic risk factors.

RESULTS

The participation rate for blood sampling was 91.5% (n = 3843). The mean (standard deviation) age of participants was 12.3 y (3.2 y). In a multivariate model, neck and wrist circumferences had significant association with elevated blood pressure, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased body mass index (overweight, excess weight, and generalized obesity), abdominal obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Additionally, obesity had the strongest associations with neck (odds ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.45-1.51) and wrist circumference (odds ratio, 2.25; 95% confidence interval, 2.15-2.36).

CONCLUSION

Neck and wrist circumferences are associated with some cardiometabolic risk factors. They could be used as alternative clinical tools and easy-to-use indicators of cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents.

Bone health in subjects with type 1 diabetes for more than 50 years

AIMS

Few data regarding prevalence of and risk factors for poor bone health in aging individuals with long-standing T1D are available. In this study, we aim to describe the prevalence of bone fragility and to identify factors associated with low bone density in individuals with long-term T1D.

METHODS

We examined the prevalence of non-vertebral fractures in 985 subjects enrolled in the Joslin 50-Year Medalist Study and measured bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at the femoral neck, lumbar spine and radius in a subset (65 subjects, mean age 62.6 years, duration 52.5 years, HbA1c 7.1%) with no significant clinical or demographic differences from the rest of the cohort.

RESULTS

Medalists have low prevalence of fractures (0.20% hip and 0.91% wrist) and normal Z-score values (spine +1.15, total hip +0.23, femoral neck -0.01, radius +0.26; p > 0.05 for differences vs. 0 at all sites). A significant relationship was found between lower BMD and higher total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL levels, but not HbA1c. Low BMD at the femoral neck was associated with cardiovascular disease after adjustment for confounding factors: prevalence risk ratio of CVD [95% CI] 4.6 [1.2-18.1], p = 0.03. No other diabetic vascular complication was found to be associated with low BMD.

CONCLUSIONS

These are the first data regarding bone health in aging individuals who have had diabetes for 50 or more years. The low rates of non-vertebral fractures and the normal Z-score suggest the long T1D diabetes duration did not increase the risk of bone fractures in Medalists compared to non-diabetic peers. Additionally, the association with cardiovascular disease demonstrates the BMD differences in groups are likely not due to glycemic control alone.

A novel quantitative approach to the measurement of abdominal aortic calcification as applied to the Canadian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (CaMOS)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Lateral spine radiographs provide an inexpensive resource for characterizing abdominal aortic calcification (AAC). A widely accepted measurement of AAC is the semi-quantitative technique generated by the Framingham Heart Study (F-AAC-24). We sought to develop an analytical method to quantify ACC (Q_AAC) on lateral spine radiographs and compare the finding to conventional subjective measurements.

METHODS

Severity of AAC was quantified by measuring pixel intensities in the user-defined region of the aorta with internal standardization to the vertebral endplates and background calibration to the density of the vertebral body. The association between bone mineral density (BMD) measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and AAC measured by Q_AAC, F-AAC-24 and a modified Framingham score (F-AAC-12) was determined in 110 participants of the Canadian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (CaMOS).

RESULTS

The inter-observer reliability for the Q_AAC was slightly higher than with the visual and semi-quantitative Framingham method and the pseudo-colored images illustrate the potential to meaningfully resolve severity of calcification. There was a significant negative association between Q_AAC and BMD measures of the hip and spine. This association remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate, phosphate and hypertension. Significant predictors of F-ACC-12 and 24 included age and hypertension.

CONCLUSIONS

The Q_AAC is a reproducible approach to measuring AAC. Whether it is capable of monitoring subtle calcific changes over time requires further study. This technique could be applied to large studies that seek to determine the impact of interventions that modify bone density as a treatment for vascular calcification and cardiovascular disease in the general population.

Serum levels of undercarboxylated osteocalcin are related to cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and healthy subjects

AIM

To determine a potential relationship between serum undercarboxylated (ucOC) concentration and cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients and healthy subjects (HS).

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 140 subjects classified into two groups, 70 with T2D and 70 HS. Medical history and physical examination with anthropometric measurements were obtained from all subjects. Body fat percentage was determined by bioelectrical impendency analysis. Serum ucOC concentration was determined by enzyme immunoassay, while serum levels of insulin and hsCRP were obtained using high sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Insulin resistance was determined using the homeostasis model assessment-IR. Lipid profile [triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoproteins (HDL-c), low density lipoproteins (LDL-c), very low-density lipoproteins] was determined by spectrophotometry and standard formulas when applicable.

RESULTS

The T2D patient group showed significantly higher values of waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), current smoking, and alcohol use when compared to the HS group (P < 0.05). We observed a significantly lower serum ucOC concentration in T2D than in HS (1.5 ± 1.4 vs 2.3 ± 1.8, P < 0.05). In the whole study population, ucOC concentration was inversely correlated with body mass index (BMI) (r = -0.236, P < 0.05), fasting plasma glucose (r = -0.283, P < 0.01) and HDL-c (r = -0.255, P < 0.05); and positively correlated with LDL-c/HDL-c ratio (r = 0.306, P < 0.05) and TC/HDL-c ratio (r = 0.284, P < 0.05). In the T2D group, serum ucOC concentration was inversely correlated with BMI (r = -0.310, P < 0.05) and body-fat percentage (r = -0.311, P < 0.05), and positively correlated with DBP (r = 0.450, P < 0.01). In HS group a positive correlation between serum levels of ucOC and SBP (r = 0.277, P < 0.05) was observed.

CONCLUSION

Serum ucOC is a potential marker for cardiovascular risk in Mexicans because it is related to adiposity parameters, blood pressure and lipid profile.

Genetic risk score based on the prevalence of vertebral fracture in Japanese women with osteoporosis

A genetic risk score (GRS) was developed for predicting fracture risk based on the prevalence of vertebral fractures in 441 Japanese females with osteoporosis. A total of 979 (858 nonsynonymous and 121 silent) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in 74 osteoporosis-susceptibility genes were genotyped and evaluated for their association with fracture prevalence. Four SNPs (protein kinase domain containing, cytoplasmic [PKDCC; rs4952590], CDK5-regulatory subunit-associated protein 1-like 1 [CDKAL1; rs4712556], wingless-type MMTV-integration site family member 16 [WNT16; rs2707466], and G-patch domain-containing gene 1 [GPATCH1; rs10416265]) showed a significant association (p < 0.05) with the fracture, in which the minor allele of the former two SNPs was the protective allele and that of the latter two SNPs was the risk allele. Applying a dominant-genetic model, we allotted − 1 point each to the protective-allele carriers and 1 point each to the risk-allele carriers, and GRS values were calculated as the sum of the points. The receiver-operating characteristic curves showed that GRS adequately predicted vertebral fracture. For the model predicted by the GRS with and without the effect of age, areas under the curves were 0.788 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.736–0.840) and 0.667 (95% CI: 0.599–0.735), respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds ratio for the association between fracture prevalence and GRS was 3.27 (95% CI: 1.36–7.87, p = 0.008) for scores of − 1 to 0 (n = 303) and 12.12 (95% CI: 4.19–35.07, p < 0.001) for scores of 1 to 2 (n = 35) relative to a score of − 2 (n = 103). The GRS based on the four SNPs could help identify at-risk individuals and enable implementation of preventive measures for vertebral fracture.

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A genetic risk score to predict fracture risk based on vertebral fracture prevalence is proposed.

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Four single-nucleotide polymorphisms showed significant association with fracture.

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This method helps identify at-risk individuals and promotes preventive measures for fractures.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease with proton pump inhibitor use is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis: a nationwide population-based analysis

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis. The risk of hip fracture is not increased in GERD patients with PPI use.

INTRODUCTION

The relationship between GERD with PPI treatment and the risk of osteoporosis is unclear. We aimed to determine the risk of developing osteoporosis in patients diagnosed with GERD.

METHODS

Patients diagnosed with GERD and received PPI treatment between 2000 and 2010 were identified from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database as the study cohort (n = 10,620), which was frequency matched with the comparison cohort (n = 20,738) sampled from the general population according to age, sex, index year, and comorbidities. Both cohorts were followed until the end of 2011. The risk of osteoporosis was evaluated in both groups by using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

RESULTS

The GERD patients with PPI treatment had a greater incidence (31.4 vs 20.7 per 1000 person-year; crude hazard ratio [cHR] 1.51; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.40-1.63) and a higher risk (adjusted HR [aHR] 1.50; 95 % CI 1.39-1.62) of osteoporosis than that of the comparison cohort. However, the overall incidence of hip fracture was not different between the GERD with PPI use and the control cohorts (aHR 0.79; 95 % CI 0.53-1.18).

CONCLUSION

GERD with PPI use is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis. The findings of our study do not support an increased risk of hip fracture in GERD patients treated with a PPI.

[Associations of lipoproteins with bone mass in postmenopausal women]

AIM

To study an association between blood lipid composition and bone mass in Russian postmenopausal women.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The cross-sectional study included 373 postmenopausal women aged 45-80 years who were examined to diagnose osteoporosis in outpatient settings. Height, body weight, and waist and hip circumferences (WC and HC) were measured before densitometry. Quetelet's index was calculated as a ratio of weight (kg) to height (m2). The concentration of lipids and apolipoproteins (apo) AІ and B were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Bone mineral density (BMD) in the spine and proximal femur (PF) was estimated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

RESULTS

According to bone mass, the patients were divided into three groups: 1) osteoporosis (OP); 2) osteopenia; 3) normal BMD. The levels of total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were significantly higher in the postmenopausal women with OP than in those with normal bone mass. There was a negative correlation of cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels with lumbar spine BMD and that of HDL levels with BMD in the femoral neck (FN) and entire PF. The level of lipoprotein (a) (LPa) was significantly lower in the group of patients with OP and positively correlated with BMD in FN and entire PF. After adjustment for age, the duration of menopause, Quetelet's index, and WC/HC association remained only between LPa and FN BMD.

CONCLUSION

Multivariate regression analysis failed to confirm a trend towards decreased BMD and increased HDL cholesterol. This suggests that the association of HDL cholesterol with bone mass is apparently mediated by other factors and, above all, with age, postmenopausal hormonal status and body weight.

Bone mineral density is associated with left ventricular diastolic function in men with type 2 diabetes

AIMS

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is associated with chronic heart failure and cardiomyopathy. Furthermore, low bone mineral density (BMD) predicts incident heart failure. Abnormal diastolic function reflects early changes in cardiac function and plays a key role in the development of heart failure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between BMD with left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in men with T2DM.

METHODS

In all, 344 men with T2DM and 331 age-matched control subjects were enrolled. BMD measurements were performed. LV diastolic function and structure were assessed by echocardiographic evaluation.

RESULTS

BMD was lower in men with T2DM than in controls. There were significant differences in the level of parameters reflecting cardiac structure and LV diastolic function between two groups. Moreover, LV diastolic function and structure parameters also showed significant differences as BMD reduced in T2DM group. BMD at femoral neck was correlated with LV diastolic function parameters in T2DM after adjusting for confounding factors. Multivariable logistic analysis revealed that osteopenia and osteoporosis were associated with diastolic dysfunction compared to the control in men with T2DM. However, no association between BMD and LV diastolic function was found in subjects without T2DM.

CONCLUSION

Osteoporosis may be an independent factor for LV diastolic dysfunction in men with T2DM. Our data suggested that early detection of abnormal BMD should warrant for early search of undetected LV diastolic dysfunction in diabetic men.

Sequence variants in the PTCH1 gene associate with spine bone mineral density and osteoporotic fractures

Bone mineral density (BMD) is a measure of osteoporosis and is useful in evaluating the risk of fracture. In a genome-wide association study of BMD among 20,100 Icelanders, with follow-up in 10,091 subjects of European and East-Asian descent, we found a new BMD locus that harbours the PTCH1 gene, represented by rs28377268 (freq. 11.4–22.6%) that associates with reduced spine BMD (P=1.0 × 10⁻¹¹, β=−0.09). We also identified a new spine BMD signal in RSPO3, rs577721086 (freq. 6.8%), that associates with increased spine BMD (P=6.6 × 10⁻¹⁰, β=0.14). Importantly, both variants associate with osteoporotic fractures and affect expression of the PTCH1 and RSPO3 genes that is in line with their influence on BMD and known biological function of these genes. Additional new BMD signals were also found at the AXIN1 and SOST loci and a new lead SNP at the EN1 locus.

Bone mineral density (BMD) is the best predictor of osteoporotic fracture risk. Here, the authors perform a genome wide association study in Icelanders and people of European and East-Asian descent, and identify a new allele in intron 15 of the PTCH1 gene that associates with reduced BMD.

Two Rare Mutations in the COL1A2 Gene Associate With Low Bone Mineral Density and Fractures in Iceland

We conducted a genome-wide association study of low bone mineral density (BMD) at the hip and spine utilizing sequence variants found through whole-genome sequencing of 2636 Icelanders. We found two rare missense mutations, p.Gly496Ala and p.Gly703Ser, in the COL1A2 gene that associate with measures of osteoporosis in Icelanders. Mutations in COL1A2 are known to cause the autosomal dominant disorder osteogenesis imperfecta. Both variants associate with low BMD and with osteoporotic fractures. p.Gly496Ala (frequency of 0.105%) shows the strongest association with low BMD at the spine (p = 1.8 × 10(-7) , odds ratio [OR] = 4.61 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.59, 8.18]), whereas p.Gly703Ser (frequency of 0.050%) is most strongly associated with low BMD at the hip (p = 1.9 × 10(-8) , OR = 9.34 [95% CI 4.28, 20.3]). Association with fractures was p = 2.2 × 10(-5) , OR = 3.75 (95% CI 2.03, 6.93) and p = 0.0023, OR = 4.32 (95% CI 1.69, 11.1), respectively. The carriers of these variants do not have signs of osteogenesis imperfecta other than low BMD, demonstrating that similar mutations in COL1A2 can affect skeletal phenotypes in more than one way.

Bone mineral density and cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women with coronary artery disease

It has been suggested that osteoporosis and coronary artery disease (CAD) have overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms and related risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between several traditional cardiovascular risk factors and measures of bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women with and without clinically significant CAD defined angiographically. A case-control study was undertaken of 180 postmenopausal women (aged between 48 and 88 years) who were recruited from King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Saudi Arabia. Study subjects underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and coronary angiography. The presence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, smoking and physical activity was identified from clinical examination and history. Demographic, anthropometric and biochemical characteristics were measured. Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to explore the relationships between cardiovascular risk factors, including BMD, and the presence of CAD. CAD patients were more likely to have a lower BMD and T-score at the femoral neck than those without CAD (P<0.05). Significant differences were found between the groups for fasting lipid profile, fasting blood glucose and anthropometric measures (P<0.05). Conditional logistic regression showed that 3 risk factors were significantly related with the presence of CAD: high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (odds ratio, OR: 0.226, 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.062-0.826), fasting plasma glucose (OR: 1.154, 95% CI: 1.042-1.278) and femoral neck T-score (OR: 0.545, 95% CI: 0.374-0.794). This study suggests an association of low BMD and elevated CAD risk. Nevertheless, additional longitudinal studies are needed to determine the temporal sequence of this association.

Bone mineral density and carotid atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosus: a controlled cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

As osteoporosis is reported to be associated with atherosclerosis in the general population we examined the relationship between bone mass and carotid measurements in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and controls, and possible links between them in SLE.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study, 111 SLE-patient were compared with 111 age- and sex-matched controls, mean age 48.7(12.9) years, 89% were women, of which 51% postmenopausal. Carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), carotid plaque occurrence and echogenicity were determined by B-mode ultrasound and bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

RESULTS

BMD and cIMT were inversely associated both in patients and controls. Patients, but not controls, with carotid plaque had higher cIMT at low BMD than at normal BMD, p = 0.010. Logistic regression indicated more than doubled odds ratio (OR) of carotid plaque in patients, particularly in post-menopausal women, than in controls in relation to all BMD measurements. For low BMD at hip, significant increased OR for echolucent plaque was shown for patients compared with controls. In patients, significant impact of age, body mass index, smoking, systolic blood pressure, blood lipids, diabetes mellitus, impaired renal function, low levels of complement C3 and C4, history of nephritis, SLE-damage index and ever use of antimalarial was found for association between BMD and higher cIMT and carotid plaque. In multivariate regression, low C4 was independent contributor to association between total BMD and upper cIMT tertile, accounted for OR (95% confidence interval) of 3.2 (1.03-10.01), and also for association with bilateral carotid plaque, OR of 4.8 (1.03-22.66). The contribution of low C4 for the association between BMD and carotid atherosclerosis was enhanced within the second and third tertiles of total BMD.

CONCLUSION

This study is the first to demonstrate inverse association between BMD and carotid measurements in both SLE-patients and controls. Our results suggest that SLE-patients may suffer higher burden of (sub)clinical atherosclerotic disease, especially presence of both echolucent and echogenic plaque, than controls with the same bone mineral status. Low complement C4 seems to play an important role in earlier development of carotid atherosclerosis already within (sub)normal ranges of total BMD in patients.

Blood and interstitial flow in the hierarchical pore space architecture of bone tissue

There are two main types of fluid in bone tissue, blood and interstitial fluid. The chemical composition of these fluids varies with time and location in bone. Blood arrives through the arterial system containing oxygen and other nutrients and the blood components depart via the venous system containing less oxygen and reduced nutrition. Within the bone, as within other tissues, substances pass from the blood through the arterial walls into the interstitial fluid. The movement of the interstitial fluid carries these substances to the cells within the bone and, at the same time, carries off the waste materials from the cells. Bone tissue would not live without these fluid movements. The development of a model for poroelastic materials with hierarchical pore space architecture for the description of blood flow and interstitial fluid flow in living bone tissue is reviewed. The model is applied to the problem of determining the exchange of pore fluid between the vascular porosity and the lacunar-canalicular porosity in bone tissue due to cyclic mechanical loading and blood pressure. These results are basic to the understanding of interstitial flow in bone tissue that, in turn, is basic to understanding of nutrient transport from the vasculature to the bone cells buried in the bone tissue and to the process of mechanotransduction by these cells.

Increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level is associated with non-vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women

Although a high serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level is an established risk factor for atherosclerosis, it is unclear whether it is associated with osteoporosis. In this study, the associations between the serum LDL-C level and bone mineral density (BMD), bone metabolic markers, and the presence of prevalent vertebral or non-vertebral fractures were examined. A total of 211 healthy postmenopausal women (age range, 46-80 years) who visited a community health center were recruited consecutively. Their radiographic and biochemical characteristics were collected. Prevalent vertebral and non-vertebral fractures were found in 49 (23.2%) and 36 (17.1%) subjects, respectively. Simple regression analyses showed that the serum LDL-C level was not significantly correlated with lumbar or femoral BMD or serum levels of total amino-terminal propeptide of type I collagen (PINP) or carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX). Logistic regression analyses adjusted for age and BMI showed that the increased serum LDL-C level was selected as an index affecting the presence of prevalent non-vertebral fractures, but not vertebral fractures. This result was still significant after additional adjustments for years since menopause, physical activity, previous cardiovascular events, bone markers, BMD, serum Ca, P, Cr, 25(OH)D, grip strength, tandem gait test, and use of drugs for hyperlipidemia [odds ratio 1.76 (1.13-2.73), p=0.012]. These findings suggest that a high serum LDL-C level may be a risk factor for prevalent non-vertebral fragility fractures independent of bone turnover, bone mass, vitamin D insufficiency, or frail status in postmenopausal women, and that it may be detrimental to bone, as well as blood vessels.

Age-related differences in the activity of arterial mineral deposition and regional bone metabolism: a 18F-sodium fluoride positron emission tomography study

Functional (18)F-fluoride PET demonstrated an inverse relationship between the activity of arterial mineral deposition and regional bone metabolism. While bone metabolism decreases with age, the activity of arterial mineral deposition increases.

INTRODUCTION

The extent of arterial calcification increases with age, whereas bone mineral density decreases, evidencing a well-known inverse correlation on morphological basis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional relationship between the activity of arterial mineral deposition and regional bone metabolism as assessed by (18)F-sodium fluoride (NaF) PET/CT.

METHODS

Three hundred four subjects were examined by (18)F-NaF PET/CT. Tracer accumulation in the femoral arteries was analyzed both qualitatively and semiquantitatively by measuring the blood-pool-corrected standardized uptake value (target-to-background ratio). Uptake was compared with cardiovascular risk factors (RFs), calcified plaque burden, and regional bone metabolism as assessed by PET/CT.

RESULTS

The activity of arterial mineral deposition significantly increased with age (p < 0.001), whereas regional bone metabolism significantly decreased (p < 0.001). There was a significant inverse correlation between bone metabolism and arterial mineral deposition (unadjusted, p < 0.001); that association was not significant (p = 0.79) when controlled for age and other RFs. Both high activity of arterial mineral deposition and low bone metabolism were significantly associated with cardiovascular events and other RFs.

CONCLUSION

(18)F-NaF PET/CT provides a tool to visualize and quantify the activity of arterial mineral deposition and regional bone metabolism. In this study, we observed an inverse correlation between the activity of arterial mineral deposition and regional bone metabolism. While the activity of arterial mineral deposition significantly increases with age, regional bone metabolism decreases.

Association of serum paraoxonase concentration with serum lipid levels and bone mineral density measurements in early postmenopausal women

OBJECTIVE

To determine the association of serum paraoxonase concentration with serum lipid levels and bone mineral density in early postmenopausal Turkish women.

DESIGN

One hundred healthy postmenopausal women were included in a cross-sectional study in a University hospital clinic. Blood was drawn from women who had bone mineral density (BMD) measurements during routine visits. BMD of the lumbar vertebrae was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The serum paraoxonase concentration and serum lipid levels were measured. Women were divided into two groups: those with normal lumbar vertebrae BMD and those with osteopenic lumbar vertebrae. Serum paraoxonase concentration was compared between the groups. The correlation between serum paraoxonase concentration and bone mass parameters was performed using Pearson's test.

RESULTS

The paraoxonase concentration in the osteopenic group was significantly lower than in the group with normal lumbar vertebrae BMD. The paraoxonase concentration was moderately correlated with total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels among early postmenopausal Turkish women.

CONCLUSIONS

Early postmenopausal women with osteopenic lumbar vertebrae have significantly lower paraoxonase concentration than those with normal lumbar vertebrae BMD. Further studies are needed to clarify the associations between the osteoporosis risk factors and paraoxonase concentration during late postmenopausal years.

Osteoporosis is less frequent in endometrial cancer survivors with hypertriglyceridemia

We previously reported an association between dyslipidemia and endometrial cancers. Osteoporosis is also reported to relate with some cancers. A common etiologic event has been proposed between dyslipidemia and osteoporosis. However, the pattern of interrelationships among dyslipidemia, osteoporosis and endometrial cancer is not well understood. To improve the quality of life of endometrial cancer survivors, these relationships should be determined. This study included 179 Japanese menopausal women who underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, including 114 women with incident endometrial cancer and 65 without endometrial cancer. The women were categorized according to dyslipidemia status. Bone mineral density was measured and compared between groups. Osteoporosis was statistically more frequent in women with hypertriglyceridemia who did not have endometrial cancer. In contrast, osteoporosis was statistically less frequent in women with hypertriglyceridemia who had endometrial cancer. In this cross-sectional study in a Japanese population, osteoporosis was associated with hypertriglyceridemia in post-menopausal women without endometrial cancer, but was less frequent in endometrial cancer survivors with hypertriglyceridemia.

Relationship of lipid parameters with bone mineral density in Indian population

INTRODUCTION

Cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis share common risk factors including dyslipidemia. There are conflicting reports of differential relation of various lipid parameters on bone mineral density (BMD). Hence, we studied the correlation between lipid parameters and BMD in healthy adult.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 2347 participants (male 39.4%; female 60.6%) included in this cross-sectional study were divided according to sex and age. Fasting blood samples were drawn for biochemical parameters. BMD at lumbar spine, femur, and forearm were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

RESULTS

In males, BMD at femur and lumbar spine decreased significantly with increasing quartiles of total cholesterol (TC) (P < 0.0001, and 0.004) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) (P = 0.001, and 0.01). In premenopausal women, BMD at femoral neck (P = 0.001) and lumbar spine (P = 0.029) showed declining trend with LDL-c (P = 0.007). In postmenopausal women, only BMD at total femur decreased significantly with TC (P = 0.024) and LDL-c (P = 0.036). All above findings were confirmed in correlation studies. In multiple regression analysis after adjusting for age, body mass index, ionized calcium, alkaline phosphatase, 25 hydroxy vitamin D, and parathyroid hormone levels correlation of BMD with TC and LDL-c persisted. TC, LDL-c was higher in subjects with low bone density compared those with normal bone density in both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS

TC and LDL-c had weak but significant negative correlation with BMD at femur and lumbar spine.

Apoliprotein E genotype is associated with apoliprotein B plasma levels but not with coronary calcium score in very elderly individuals in primary care setting

BACKGROUND

Epidemiological surveys indicate the influence of polymorphisms of apolipoprotein (apo) E on plasma lipids and triglyceride-rich lipoprotein levels, with impact on atherosclerotic phenotypes.

AIM

We studied the association of classic genotypes of the apoE gene with clinical and biochemical risk factors for atherosclerosis in a segment of the very-old Brazilian individuals, with emphasis on the lipemic profile.

METHODS

We performed cross-sectional analyses of clinical and laboratory assessments, including cardiac computed tomography, across ε2, ε3 and ε4 carriers of the apoE gene with a convenience sample of 208 participants eligible for prevention against cardiovascular events.

RESULTS

When non-ε4 carriers were compared with ε4 carrying subjects, lower levels of ApoB as well as ApoB/ApoA ratios were observed in the former group. Tests between apoE polymorphisms with other clinical/biochemical variables and those with arterial calcification showed no significant differences between groups.

CONCLUSION

The study suggests a possible atherogenic role of the ε4 allele attributable to increased ApoB levels and ApoB/ApoA ratios among very-old subjects in primary care setting.