The microarchitecture and chemical composition of the femur neck of senescent female rats after different physical training protocols

A sedentary lifestyle, coupled with a decrease in estrogen, impairs bone homeostasis, favoring to the development of osteopenia and osteoporosis, both recognized as risk factors for fractures. Here, we investigated the quality of the femur, particularly the femur neck region, and the ambulation performance of senescent rats subjected to three different physical training protocols during the periestropause period. Forty-eight female rats, 18 months of age, were subjected to a 120-day training period, three times a week. The rats were distributed into four groups: aerobic training (AT), strength training (ST), concurrent training (CT), or no training (NT). After the experimental period, at 21 months of age, ambulation performance and femur were analyzed using microtomography, Raman stereology, densitometry, and mechanical strength tests. The results demonstrated greater remodeling activity and improvement in resistance and bone microarchitecture in the femur neck of senescent female rats after undergoing physical training. Our verified higher intensities of bands related to collagen, phosphate, amide III, and amide I. Furthermore, the analysis of the secondary collagen structures indicated alterations in the collagen network due to the exercise, resulting in increased bone strength. Both AT and strength-based training proved beneficial, with AT showing greater adaptations in bone density and stiffness in the femur, while strength-based training greater adaptations in trabecular and cortical structure. These insights contribute to the understanding of the potential interventions for preventing osteopenia and osteoporosis, which are critical risk factors for fractures.

Risk assessment tools for osteoporosis and fractures in 2022

Osteoporosis is one of the frequently encountered non-communicable diseases in the world today. Several hundred million people have osteoporosis, with many more at risk. The clinical feature is a fragility fracture (FF), which results in major reductions in the quality and quantity of life, coupled with a huge financial burden. In recognition of the growing importance, the World Health Organisation established a working group 30 years ago tasked with providing a comprehensive report to understand and assess the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the most widely endorsed technology for assessing the risk of fracture or diagnosing osteoporosis before a fracture occurs, but others are available. In clinical practice, important distinctions are essential to optimise the use of risk assessments. Traditional tools lack specificity and were designed for populations to identify groups at higher risk using a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. Much has changed, though the purpose of risk assessment tools remains the same. In 2022, many tools are available to aid the identification of those most at risk, either likely to have osteoporosis or suffer the clinical consequence. Modern technology, enhanced imaging, proteomics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and big data science will greatly advance a more personalised risk assessment into the future. Clinicians today need to understand not only which tool is most effective and efficient for use in their practice, but also which tool to use for which patient and for what purpose. A greater understanding of the process of risk assessment, deciding who should be screened, and how to assess fracture risk and prognosis in older men and women more comprehensively will greatly reduce the burden of osteoporosis for patients, society, and healthcare systems worldwide. In this paper, we review the current status of risk assessment, screening and best practice for osteoporosis, summarise areas of uncertainty, and make some suggestions for future developments, including a more personalised approach for individuals.

Three functional polymorphisms in CCDC170 were associated with osteoporosis phenotype

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in regulating bone formation and homeostasis. Genomic variations within miRNA target sites may therefore be important sources of genetic differences in osteoporosis risk. The function of CCDC170 in bone biology is still unclear. To verify the function of CCDC170, we knocked down CCDC170 in cells and mice and searched for miRNA recognition sites within CCDC170 using the TargetScan, miRNASNP, and miRBase databases. In this study, our results demonstrated that CCDC170 plays an important role in the positive regulation of bone formation. MiR-153-3p, miR-374b-3p, miR-4274, miR-572 and miR-2964a-5p inhibited CCDC170 expression in an allele-specific manner by binding GWAS lead SNPs rs6932603, rs3757322 and rs3734806. These findings may improve our understanding of the association between CCDC170, miRNAs, GWAS lead SNPs, and osteoporosis pathogenesis and may provide a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis therapy.

Summary: CCDC170 may provide a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis therapy.

A scoping review of the phenomenon of osteoporosis in post bariatric surgical patients

BACKGROUND

Risk factors, preventive treatment, and increased prevalence of fragility fractures in post-bariatric surgical patients have been researched, however, little is known about how patients' perspectives of osteoporosis risk determine their commitment to bone health.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this review was to provide an overview and appraisal of the research regarding osteoporosis in post bariatric surgical patients, as well as to identify gaps in the literature in this area.

METHODS

Data bases searched included OVID Medline, CINAHL, and EMBASE which included ahead of print articles that had not yet been indexed. Relevant key words were used independently and in combination: "osteoporosis," "morbid obesity," and "bariatric surgery."

RESULTS

A total of 24 quantitative studies and 15 qualitative studies were retrieved for this review; none of the qualitative studies examined both osteoporosis and bariatric surgery.

CONCLUSION

The current trend in bariatric surgical patients regarding osteoporosis is to examine the degree of bone loss based on significant influences including extent of weight loss, years since surgery, type of procedure performed, and subject selection. Patient perceptions about osteoporosis risk after bariatric surgery were rarely addressed.

Does coffee drinking have beneficial effects on bone health of Taiwanese adults? A longitudinal study

Background

Results from studies investigating the association between coffee consumption and osteoporosis or bone mineral density (BMD) have been inconsistent. This longitudinal study was performed to assess the effect of coffee drinking on bone health of Taiwanese adults.

Methods

Data were retrieved from the Li-Shin (Landseed) Hospital in Taoyuan City. In 2006, 6152 participants completed a questionnaire on coffee drinking and other lifestyle factors. In 2014, 5077 of them were followed up. Nonetheless, a total of 2395 participants with incomplete data were excluded. The final analyses included 2682 participants comprising 1195 men and 1487 women (706 premenopausal and 781 postmenopausal). T-scores were derived from the osteo-sono assessment index (OSI) which is a surrogate of BMD. Coffee drinking was categorized as “no, medium, and high” based on the number of cups that were consumed per week in both 2006 and 2014.

Results

In general, medium and high coffee drinking were associated with higher T-scores. However, significant results were observed only among high drinkers (β = 0.158; P = 0.0038). Nonetheless, the test for linear trend was significant (P = 0.0046). After stratification by sex, medium and high coffee drinking were associated with higher T-scores. However, significant results were prominent only among high male drinkers (β = 0.237; P = 0.0067) and the test for trend was significant (P = 0.0161). Based on menopausal status, coffee drinking was associated with higher T-scores. Nevertheless, significant results were found only among premenopausal women (β = 0.233; P = 0.0355 and β = 0.234; P = 0.0152 for medium and high coffee drinking, respectively. The test for linear trend was significant (P = 0.0108).

Conclusion

Coffee drinking was significantly associated with higher T-scores hence, a lower risk of osteoporosis in men and premenopausal women.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-6168-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Association between sleep duration and osteoporosis risk in middle-aged and elderly women: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

OBJECTIVE

Increasing evidence has suggested an association between sleep duration and osteoporosis risk, although the results of previous studies have been inconsistent. To our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis of the literature and quantitative estimates of the association between sleep duration and risk of osteoporosis in population-based studies of middle aged and elderly women.

METHODS

Pertinent studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE databases up to February 2016. Five out of six included studies were cross-sectional and one was a prospective cohort study. They included 72,326 participants from three different countries. We extracted 31,625 individuals in these studies for our meta-analysis.

RESULTS

A pooled odds ratio analysis in women between 40 to 86years indicated that there is an inverse relationship between sleep duration and osteoporosis (overall OR =1.07 95% CI: 1.00-1.15). The negative association of long sleep duration (8h or more per day) with osteoporosis risk was observed in middle aged and elderly women (OR =1.22, 95% CI: 1.06-1.38) but not in women with short sleep duration (7h or less per day) (OR =0.98, 95% CI: 0.90-1.05).

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis suggests that long sleep duration (8h or more per day) may be associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis in middle-aged and elderly. Further prospective cohort studies with longer follow-up periods, valid instruments for measurement of sleep duration and dynamic sleep quality are warranted to support the possible relationship between sleep duration and osteoporosis risk in women.