Lactation alters fluid flow and solute transport in maternal skeleton: A multiscale modeling study on the effects of microstructural changes and loading frequency.

The female skeleton undergoes significant material and ultrastructural changes to meet high calcium demands during reproduction and lactation. Through the peri-lacunar/canalicular remodeling (PLR), osteocytes actively resorb surrounding matrix and enlarge their lacunae and canaliculi during lactation, which are quickly reversed after weaning. How these changes alter the physicochemical environment of osteocytes, the most abundant and primary mechanosensing cells in bone, are not well understood.

The critical role of Hedgehog-responsive mesenchymal progenitors in meniscus development and injury repair.

Meniscal tears are associated with a high risk of osteoarthritis but currently have no disease-modifying therapies. Using a Gli1 reporter line, we found that Gli1 cells contribute to the development of meniscus horns from 2 weeks of age. In adult mice, Gli1 cells resided at the superficial layer of meniscus and expressed known mesenchymal progenitor markers.

Precision of Digital Topological Skeletonization Based Individual Trabecula Segmentation (ITS) Analysis of Trabecular Microstructure at the Distal Radius and Tibia by HR-pQCT.

Trabecular plate and rod microstructure plays a dominant role in the apparent mechanical properties of trabecular bone. With high-resolution computed tomography (CT) images, digital topological analysis (DTA) including skeletonization and topological classification was applied to transform the trabecular three-dimensional (3D) network into surface and curve skeletons. Using the DTA-based topological analysis and a new reconstruction/recovery scheme, individual trabecula segmentation (ITS) was developed to segment individual trabecular plates and rods and quantify the trabecular plate- and rod-related morphological parameters.

Perlecan-containing pericellular matrix regulates solute transport and mechanosensing within the osteocyte lacunar-canalicular system.

The pericellular matrix (PCM), a thin coating surrounding nearly all mammalian cells, plays a critical role in many cell-surface phenomena. In osteocytes, the PCM is believed to control both "outside-in" (mechanosensing) and "inside-out" (signaling molecule transport) processes. However, the osteocytic PCM is challenging to study in situ because it is thin (∼100 nm) and enclosed in mineralized matrix.

In vivo anabolic effect of strontium on trabecular bone was associated with increased osteoblastogenesis of bone marrow stromal cells.

In vitro studies have demonstrated that strontium (Sr) could increase osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). We investigated the in vivo effect of Sr on BMSCs. Thirty-six female rats were randomly divided into the following groups: sham operated and treated with either vehicle (Sham + Veh) or Sr compound (Sham + Sr) and ovariectomized and treated with either vehicle (OVX + Veh) or Sr compound (OVX + Sr).