Circulating MicroRNAs as Biomarkers of Osteoporosis and Fragility Fractures.

Context: Measurement of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential biomarkers of fragility fracture risk has recently become a subject of investigation.

Objective: Measure by next-generation sequencing (NGS), global miRNA expression in serum samples of osteoporotic subjects vs individuals with normal bone mineral density (BMD).

Design: Samples were collected from patients with different bone phenotypes and/or fragility fractures who did not receive any antiresorptive and/or bone-forming drug at the time of blood collection.

Effect of Oxidative Stress-Induced Apoptosis on Active FGF23 Levels in MLO-Y4 Cells: The Protective Role of 17-β-Estradiol.

The discovery that osteocytes secrete phosphaturic fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) has defined bone as an endocrine organ. However, the autocrine and paracrine functions of FGF23 are still unknown. The present study focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the complex control of FGF23 production and local bone remodeling functions.

ALPL Genotypes in Patients With Atypical Femur Fractures or Other Biochemical and Clinical Signs of Hypophosphatasia.

Context: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare metabolic disorder caused by deficiency of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzyme activity, leading to defective mineralization, due to pathogenic variants of the ALPL gene, encoding the tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) enzyme. Inheritance can be autosomal recessive or autosomal dominant. An abnormal ALPL genetic test enables accurate diagnosis, avoiding the administration of contraindicated antiresorptive drugs that, in patients with HPP, substantially increase the risk of atypical femur fractures (AFFs) and worsen the fracture healing process that is usually already compromised in these patients.

Study of vitamin D status and vitamin D receptor polymorphisms in a cohort of Italian patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic arthritis of children and adolescents. Autoimmune mechanisms are suspected to have a central role in its development. Vitamin D is an immuno-modulator in a variety of conditions, including autoimmune diseases.