Osteoprotegerin, RANKL and bone turnover in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Background: Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor κ B ligand (RANKL) play a critical role in the regulation of bone turnover, but the relative importance of these two cytokines in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis is controversial.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between circulating levels of OPG, RANKL, bone turnover and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 185 women with osteoporosis and 185 age- and sex-matched control subjects was undertaken.

Peripheral dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in the management of osteoporosis: the 2007 ISCD Official Positions.

Peripheral assessment of bone density using photon absorptiometry techniques has been available for over 40 yr. The initial use of radio-isotopes as the photon source has been replaced by the use of X-ray technology. A wide variety of models of single- or dual-energy X-ray measurement tools have been made available for purchase, although not all are still commercially available.

Ethnic and gender differences in body fat in British schoolchildren as measured by DXA.

Background: There are known to be ethnic differences in body composition in adults which are related to ethnic differences in adult disease.

Objectives: To evaluate gender and ethnic differences in percentage body fat in British schoolchildren and to compare these differences with classification of obesity using body mass index (BMI) criteria.

Design: A cross-sectional study of 1251 healthy children and adolescents aged 5-18 years from white, South Asian and African-Caribbean ethnic groups.

Identification of men with reduced bone density at the lumbar spine and femoral neck using BMD of the os calcis.

We assessed the utility of os calcis (OC) bone mineral density (BMD) measurements to identify men with low BMD at the lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN). BMD was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Receiver operator characteristics (ROC) analysis was applied to determine the risk of osteoporosis at the lumbar spine or femoral neck.