Association of parathyroid hormone and 25-OH-vitamin D levels with arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with vitamin D insufficiency.

Aim: Vitamin D insufficiency and increased parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels have been suggested as prognostic indices for cardiovascular disease. Arterial stiffness, a surrogate marker for cardiovascular disease, is often increased in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. PTH levels increase in patients with low 25-OH-vitamin D levels, but the influence of such an increase on arterial stiffness has not been investigated in postmenopausal women with reduced 25-OH-vitamin D levels.

Association between thyroid hormone levels, the number of circulating osteoprogenitor cells, and bone mineral density in euthyroid postmenopausal women.

In postmenopausal women, an association between reduced bone mineral density (BMD) and increased number of circulating osteoprogenitor cells (COPs) has been found. Although an increased thyroid function is associated with BMD, thyroid hormones stimulate osteoblast function in vitro. We investigated whether thyroid hormones within the reference range were correlated with the number of COPs and stimulate mineralization in vitro.

Large-artery stiffness: a reversible marker of cardiovascular risk in primary hyperparathyroidism.

Objective: Patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) are at increased risk of cardiovascular mortality. We investigated whether aortic stiffness, an early marker of arteriosclerosis and a strong predictor of cardiovascular risk, is increased in pHPT, and whether it improves after parathyroidectomy.

Methods: Twenty-four patients with mild pHPT (age 56 ± 10 years, blood pressure 136/85 mmHg, serum calcium 2.

Osteoanabolic therapy: a non-surgical option of treatment for Kümmell's disease?

Kümmell's disease is the current eponym of avascular osteonecrosis (AVN) of a vertebral body leading to a delayed non-healing vertebral compression fracture (VCF) and thus pseudo-arthrosis. AVN is characterized by production of gas that outlines a radiolucent zone in the vertebral body, called vacuum cleft sign (VCS) or "Kümmell's sign". This sign has been observed in up to one-third of VCFs and is often associated with osteoporosis and never with malignant or inflammatory diseases.

Transient osteoporosis of the hip: successful treatment with teriparatide.

A 62-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of increasing pain in the left hip. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed bone marrow edema (BME) of the left femur, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) showed osteopenia at the same level, whereas pelvis X-rays failed to show any objective findings. After ruling out other possible causes of BME such as aseptic osteonecrosis, infectious arthritis, primary or metastatic malignancy, tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and seronegative spondyloarthropathies, a diagnosis of transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH) was made, and treatment with teriparatide at a daily dose of 20 μg was started and continued for 4 weeks.

High weight or body mass index increase the risk of vertebral fractures in postmenopausal osteoporotic women.

In the general population, low body weight and body mass index (BMI) are significant risk factors for any fracture, but the specific association between body weight, BMI, and prevalence of vertebral fractures in osteoporotic women is not fully recognized. Hence, the association between body weight, BMI, and prevalent vertebral fractures was investigated in 362 women with never-treated postmenopausal osteoporosis. All participants underwent measurement of BMI, bone mineral density (BMD), and semiquantitative assessment of vertebral fractures.