Orthopaedic and bone disorders
Janet M Rennie, Giles S Kendall in A Manual of Neonatal Intensive Care, 2013
Congenital dislocation of the knee can occur and this is an orthopaedic emergency. The knee should be reduced and strapped. In the case of a multiple birth, all babies in this pregnancy should have an ultrasound examination. Osteopenia of prematurity occurs in very low birth weight (VLBW) survivors of neonatal intensive care. With modern standards of obstetric care, fractures of the skull are rarely seen. No treatment is required for a non-displaced linear fracture. More commonly, fractures of the long bones and ribs are found in VLBW babies with osteopenia of prematurity. Delivery of the extended legs of a breech may be accompanied by a femur fracture, usually in the mid-shaft. A fracture dislocation of the cervical spine may occur during vaginal delivery of a breech with an extended head or during a difficult rotational forceps delivery. This usually results in severe damage to the cervical cord and produces a baby with a flaccid quadriplegia.
Osteoporosis
Jane Higgs, Gill Wakley, Ruth Chambers, Clare Gerada in Demonstrating your Clinical Competence in Depression, Dementia, Alcoholism, Palliative Care and Osteoporosis, 2018
Osteoporosis is a disorder characterised by compromised bone strength. This bone disease is very common and many nurses, particularly those working with older people, are likely to encounter patients with it. The main consequence of osteoporosis is the increased tendency to fracture with minor trauma and the subsequent loss of function and quality of life. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the most widely used method of measuring bone mineral density. Using DXA confirms the diagnosis of osteoporosis, contributes to the assessment of risk of future fractures, and allows the most appropriate targeting of treatments. If osteoporosis or osteopenia is found, one should screen for underlying causes with other investigations: serum calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase, and creatinine; serum protein electrophoresis; thyroid function tests; serum testosterone in men; and urinary Bence-Jones protein. The National Osteoporosis Society produces relevant material as well as a patient helpline and an email address for nursing queries.
Having the last laugh at big pharma
Peter C. Gøtzsche in Deadly Medicines and Organised Crime, 2019
In 2007, The Danish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry had lobbied our politicians in Parliament and convinced some of them that regular health checks would be a good idea in order to prevent diseases. Health checks lead to more diagnoses of diseases or risk factors, which lead to more drug use and more harm. The clinical study report was submitted to the Danish drug agency, as required by law, but the agency refused to check whether the published data were reliable and even refused to share the report with Lose. The industry must be immensely grateful for the World Health Organization group’s assistance, as the industry sells its drugs also for osteopenia, which is a market of around 400 million women. Trials have been performed to demonstrate that by treating healthy people with a glucose-lowering drug, they can lower their risk of developing diabetes.
The Clinical Significance of OPG/sRANKL Ratio in Thalassemia Patients Suffering from Osteopenia or Osteoporosis in Egyptian Patients
Published in Immunological Investigations, 2010
Hosam Salah, Maha Atfy, Ayman Fathy, Mervat Atfy, Hosam Mansor, Jehan Saeed
Osteopenia and osteoporosis are considered major health problems in patients suffering from thalassemia due to increased life expectancy of those patients. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of NF-kappa-B ligand (RANKL) have been recently implicated in the pathogenesis of various types of osteoporosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of serum OPG/RANKL ratio in patients suffering from thalassemia complicated with osteoporosis. Serum OPG and RANKL were measured in thalassemia patients and 20 healthy control subjects, using ELISA methods. Stastistically, the results demonstrate lower OPG and OPG/RANKL ratio in patients suffering from thalassemia with documented osteopenia or osteoporosis in comparison with control group and patients suffering from thalassemia without osteopenia or osteoporosis. OPG/RANKL ratio could become a promising rapid and cheap screening marker for osteopenia or osteoporosis in patients suffering from thalassemia. Furthermore, OPG may become a therapeutic option in treatment of osteoporosis of various etiologies including thalassemia.
Plasma miRNA levels correlate with sensitivity to bone mineral density in postmenopausal osteoporosis patients
Published in Biomarkers, 2014
Hongqiu Li, Zhe Wang, Qin Fu, Jing Zhang
In our study, we detect the levels of three micro-RNAs (miRNAs; miR-21, miR-133a and miR-146a) in the plasma of 120 Chinese postmenopausal women who were divided into three groups (normal, osteopenia and osteoporosis) according to the T-scores. Downregulation of miR-21, as well as upregulation of miR-133a, was validated in the plasma of osteoporosis and osteopenia patients versus the normal group. The difference in expression regarding the miR-146a level in plasma among the three groups was not significant (p > 0.01). The circulating miRNA expression levels and bone mineral density (BMD) were examined during a multiple correlation analysis as a dependent variable after adjusting for age, weight and height. We have demonstrated that specific miRNAs species are significantly changed in the plasma of osteoporosis and osteopenia patients and correlated with the BMD. Our study suggested a potential use of miR-21 and miR-133a as sensitive and plasma biomarkers for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Effect of specific exercise training on bone mineral density in women with postmenopausal osteopenia or osteoporosis
Published in Gynecological Endocrinology, 2009
Oslei de Matos, Domingos J. Lopes da Silva, José Martinez de Oliveira, Camil Castelo-Branco
Aim. To analyse the effect of a specific program of weight training exercise with closed kinetic chain in bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteopenia or osteoporosis. Methods. A total of 59 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis or osteopenia were included in this prospective study. Subjects were divided into two groups: the study group (SG, n = 30; 57.5 ± 5.1 years) and the control group (CG, n = 29; 56.6 ± 4.6 years). In the study group was applied a weight exercise protocol (longitudinal forces in closed kinetic chain) during 12 months, whereas in the control group no weight exercise protocol was applied. Bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and hip was assessed at baseline and at the end of follow-up by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results. Although no significant intragroup differences were found, patients in SG showed a 1.17% increase in the lumbar spine whereas in CG a 2.26% decrease in bone density was detected. Conclusion. This protocol of weight training exercise did not significantly improve bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteopenia or osteoporosis, but in comparison to the control group, the results showed the importance of practising the specific exercise program for maintenance of bone health in postmenopausal women.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Metabolic Diseases
- Protein
- Osteoporosis
- Bone Formation
- Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
- Inborn Errors Metabolism
- Bone Diseases