High rate of abdominal aortic calcification in COPD patients and its relationship with musculoskeletal fragility.

A very high rate of abdominal aortic calcification was observed in patients with COPD. Vascular calcification severity was associated with older age and lower bone mass at the femur in women. INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and cardiovascular disease are frequent comorbidities in COPD. Considering routine x-ray as a simple tool to access vertebral fractures and vascular calcification, the rate and severity of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) and its association with musculoskeletal outcomes were investigated in COPD patients. METHODS: Ninety-six COPD patients (44 men and 52 women, 65.8 (51-83) and 64.3 (44-85) years-old, respectively) underwent spirometry, laboratory workout, bone mineral density (BMD) measurements with body composition analysis, and thoracolumbar spine radiography. Vertebral fractures (VFs) and AAC were defined using Genant semiquantitative approach and Kauppila score, respectively. RESULTS: Densitometric osteoporosis and VFs grades 2-3 were detected in almost 40% and 23% of the participants, respectively. Two-thirds of the participants had AAC ≥ 1 while significant atherosclerotic burden (extended AAC, Kauppila score ≥ 5) was seen in 40.6% of the sample. Women with significant atherosclerotic burden were older (P = 0.044) and had lower femoral neck BMD (P = 0.012) when compared to those with an AAC score < 5. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that body fat tended to be associated with increased odds of extended AAC in men (OR = 1.06, 95% CI 0.99-1.13, P = 0.099) while femoral neck BMD (0.01 g/cm2) was found to be significantly associated with extended AAC in women (OR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.92-0.99; P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: COPD patients present a very high rate of AAC and its extended phenotype. Easily measured by conventional spine radiography, AAC severity in women with COPD is associated with low bone mass at the femoral neck, a surrogate marker for musculoskeletal fragility.

The Role of Autoantibody Testing in Modern Personalized Medicine.

Personalized medicine (PM) aims individualized approach to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Precision Medicine applies the paradigm of PM by defining groups of individuals with akin characteristics. Often the two terms have been used interchangeably. The quest for PM has been advancing for centuries as traditional nosology classification defines groups of clinical conditions with relatively similar prognoses and treatment options. However, any individual is characterized by a unique set of multiple characteristics and therefore the achievement of PM implies the determination of myriad demographic, epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and imaging parameters. The accelerated identification of numerous biological variables associated with diverse health conditions contributes to the fulfillment of one of the pre-requisites for PM. The advent of multiplex analytical platforms contributes to the determination of thousands of biological parameters using minute amounts of serum or other biological matrixes. Finally, big data analysis and machine learning contribute to the processing and integration of the multiplexed data at the individual level, allowing for the personalized definition of susceptibility, diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, and treatment. Autoantibodies are traditional biomarkers for autoimmune diseases and can contribute to PM in many aspects, including identification of individuals at risk, early diagnosis, disease sub-phenotyping, definition of prognosis, and treatment, as well as monitoring disease activity. Herein we address how autoantibodies can promote PM in autoimmune diseases using the examples of systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren syndrome, systemic sclerosis, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, and autoimmune neurologic diseases.

Cross-sex testosterone therapy modifies the renal morphology and function in female rats and might underlie increased systolic pressure.

Testosterone esters are hormones commonly used for affirming gender identity in transmen. The present study evaluates the effect of testosterone on renal morphology and function in an animal model submitted to cross-sex hormone therapy used for transmen. Two-month-old Wistar rats were divided into three groups: male control (MC), female control (FC), and female on testosterone therapy (FTT). The FTT group received testosterone cypionate (3.0 mg/kg, i.m.), and the MC and MF groups received vehicle oil every 10 days for 4 months. Renal function and indirect systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements were evaluated at 6 months of age. Plasma and urine concentrations of urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium, osmolality, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were measured. The kidneys were weighed, paraffin-embedded, and histological sections were prepared to evaluate the glomerular area. We verified that the FTT group, in comparison to FC, had increased kidney weight [MC, 3.2 ± 0.05; FC, 1.8 ± 0.04; FTT, 2.2 ± 0.06; g], decreased urine osmolarity [MC, 486.9 ± 18.3; FC, 1012.0 ± 5.4; FTT, 768.2 ± 40.3 mOsm/L/g kw], reduced GFR [MC, 0.77 ± 0.04; FC, 0.78 ± 0.02; FTT, 0.67 ± 0.03; mL/min/g kw], larger glomerular area [MC, 9334 ± 120.8; FC, 7884 ± 112.8; FTT, 9078 ± 133.4 µm2 ], and higher SBP [MC, 126 ± 3.4; FC, 119 ± 1.0; FTT, 131 ± 1.4; mmHg]. Sodium excretion was higher in FC and FTT in comparison to MC [MC, 0.34 ± 0.05; FC, 0.56 ± 0.06; FTT, 0.54 ± 0.04; mEq/24 h/g kw]. Cross-sex hormone therapy with testosterone in female rats induces renal morphofunctional changes and may underlie increased systolic pressure, suggesting an adaptation similar to what is observed in transmen on long-term testosterone therapy.

Bone Mass Outcomes in Patients With Osteoporosis Treated With Risedronate After Alendronate Failure: a 12-Month Follow-Up Study.

Oral bisphosphonates are the drugs most frequently used for the treatment of osteoporosis. Clinicians usually switch between these drugs in clinical practice based on differences in efficacy. We aim to investigate the reasons associated with switching between oral bisphosphonates and to evaluate bone mass response and the incidence of fractures 12 mo after the exchange in a cohort of patients with osteoporosis seen at a tertiary hospital. Patients with osteoporosis who switched between oral bisphosphonates between January 2007 and December 2014 were included. Bone mass measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and the incidence of fracture were evaluated. A total of 112 patients (73.1 yr old on average, 95.5% women, 98% postmenopausal) were included. All patients were taking alendronate at the time of the switch to risedronate. In 91 patients (81.3%), the following reasons for the exchange of medication were identified: bone loss (59.8%), adverse events (11.6%), and recent fragility fracture (10.7%). One year after the switch, bone densitometry revealed bone loss in 51 patients (45.5%), bone mass maintenance in 34 (30.4%), and bone mass gain in 27 (24.1%). No new vertebral fracture was detected and no nonvertebral fracture was reported in 12 mo of follow-up. Bone mass outcomes (gain, loss, or maintenance) were not associated with the reason for switching between oral bisphosphonates. Similarly, none of the parameters evaluated could predict good densitometric response (gain or maintenance) in this scenario. Our findings suggest that the use of risedronate should not be recommended in the scenario of treatment failure or adverse events following the use of alendronate.

Diet, body composition, and bone mass in well-trained cyclists.

Cycling is believed to be associated with low bone mass. In this study, we investigate food intake, body composition, and bone mass in well-trained young adult cyclists compared with those in sedentary controls. Four-day estimated diet records were used to study dietary intake in 31 cyclists and 28 sedentary controls (all male, 24yr old on average), together with maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2max)), body composition, and bone mass measurements (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry). The VO(2max) values were twice as high as those in the cyclists, whereas no significant difference in bone mass was observed between cyclists and controls. A total of 10 cyclists and 9 controls had low bone mass. Total-body lean mass and appendicular skeletal muscle mass were higher in cyclists (p<0.001), whereas percentage of body fat was lower (p<0.001) compared with that of the controls. Energy and macro- and micronutrient intake was higher in the cyclists than in the controls (p<0.01). Energy consumption was considered adequate in the cyclists, whereas lipid and protein intake was higher than the American College of Sports Medicine recommendation. Lipid consumption negatively correlated with bone mass in the athletes. Our results demonstrate that cycling was associated with greater aerobic conditioning and lean mass without significant association with bone mass compared with sedentary controls.

Conhecimento dos médicos clínicos do Brasil sobre as estratégias de prevenção e tratamento da osteoporose / Brazilian general practitioner's knowledge on osteoporosis prevention and treatment strategies

OBJETIVOS: investigar o conhecimento de profissionais médicos brasileiros a respeito da osteoporose, estratégias de prevenção e tratamento e o acesso à informação em osteoporose, utilizando-se um questionário desenvolvido para avaliar o conhecimento de profissionais médicos em relação à importância da osteoporose e suas estratégias de tratamento. PACIENTES E MÉTODOS: o questionário foi divulgado a11 mil médicos afiliados à Sociedade Brasileira de Clínica Médica (SBCM). Realizou-se a divulgação da pesquisa e do questionário por meio de anúncios publicados no Jornal do Clínico. Inicialmente, foi disponibilizado na home-page e, em seguida, diretamente enviado via e-mail aos sócios cadastrados da SBCM. RESULTADOS: um total de 329 questionários retornou aos pesquisadores. A maioria dos médicos (55,3 por cento) tinha tempo de graduação superior a 10 anos. Pouco mais que a metade dos profissionais médicos pesquisados (55 por cento) relatou ter fácil acesso à densitometria óssea. A maioria (99 por cento) dos participantes acredita que é importante ou muito importante prevenir a osteoporose. Da mesma forma, 73 por cento dos médicos pesquisados acreditam que a osteoporose possa ser prevenida e 63 por cento deles discutem o assunto com os seus pacientes. Por outro lado, mais da metade dos médicos pesquisados não crê que seus pacientes venham a mudar hábitos de vida e cerca de 50 por cento deles não acreditam que seus pacientes venham a aderir ao tratamento da doença em longo prazo. Apenas 35 por cento dos médicos pesquisados acreditam que os tratamentos para osteoporose sejam efetivos. Cerca de 82 por cento fazem uso da densitometria óssea. Médicos com 10 anos ou mais de graduação utilizam a densitometria óssea mais freqüentemente que seus colegas com menos tempo de graduação. CONCLUSÃO: os autores acreditam que as informações obtidas no presente estudo poderiam ser úteis para o início do desenvolvimento de estratégias educacionais efetivas para...

OBJECTIVES: Brazilian physicians' knowledge on osteoporosis prevention and treatment strategies was investigated in this cross-sectional study. A specific structured questionnaire was designed to evaluate physicians' knowledge regarding osteoporosis prevention and treatment as well as osteoporosis information access. PATIENTS AND METHODS: the questionnaire was made available to around 11,000physicians affiliated to the Brazilian Society of Internal Medicine (BSIM). The questionnaire was initially presented at the BSIM home-page and subsequently sent by e-mail to all BSIM members. RESULTS: a total of 329 answered questionnaires returned to the researchers. Most of the physicians that answered the questionnaire (55.3 percent) had time since graduation lougher than 10 years and half of them (55 percent) reported having easy access to bone densitometry. The great majority of the physicians (99 percent) believe that preventing osteoporosis is important or very important. Accordingly, 73 percent of the physicians believe that osteoporosis can be prevented and around 63 percent of them discuss the issue with their patients regularly. On the other hand, most of the physicians that answered the questionnaire do not believe that their patients are able to change life habits or will adhere to the treatment in the long-term. Only 35 percent of the physicians believe that current osteoporosis treatment is effective. Around 82 percent of the physicians make use of bone densitometry to evaluate osteoporosis. Physicians with time since graduation higher than 10 years reported using bone densitometry more often than their colleagues with less time since graduation. CONCLUSION: our results demonstrate that educational programs aiming at the general practitioner are needed in order to provide better care in terms of prevention and treatment of skeletal fragility syndromes.