Relation between homocysteine, folate, vitamin B12 and MTHFR C677T polymorphism and bone turnover markers in postmenopausal women

To investigate the association between total Homocysteine [tHcy] levels with bone turnover markers and lumbar spine BMD, and to study the influences of MTHFR genotypes and B-vitamins on tHcy and BMD in a group of Egyptian postmenopausal women. 66 Egyptian postmenopausal women were subjected to clinical assessment and lumbar spine BMD measurement. Venous blood samples were collected to measure the levels of plasma tHcy, plasma folate, vitamin B12, osteocalcin, serum cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen [S-CTX] and the MTHFR C677T genotyping. According to the T-score, the participants were divided into three groups: normal [N], osteopenic [OPN] and osteoporotic [OPR]. tHcy levels were statistically significantly higher, and serum folate levels statistically significantly lower in the OPR group compared to the other two groups. Nonsignificant differences between the three groups regarding vitamin B12 levels and percentage of the 3 MTHFR genotypes were found. Osteocalcin and the S-CTX levels were statistically significantly higher in the OPR group than the other two groups. BMD was statistically significantly positively correlated with folate and negatively correlated with tHcy, Osteocalcin and S-CTX, while was nonsignificantly correlated with vitamin B12 levels. tHcy was statistically significantly negatively correlated with folate and positively correlated with Osteocalcin and S-CTX, while was nonsignificantly correlated with vitamin B12. The MTHFR genotype groups were not associated with the BMD, tHcy, folate or vitamin B12 levels. In postmenopausal women, tHcy and folate could be related to lumbar spine BMD while vitamin B12 and the MTHFR genotypes seem not to have relation to BMD

Magnetic resonance imaging of skeletal neoplasms

With the advent of endoprothetic replacement and sophisticated oncologieal treatment, the detailed imaging of all musculoskeletal tumours has become a matter of major importance. This short review has highlighted the success or the newer diagnostic techniques and the dramatic recent developments in MRI. Fourteen cases with known or clinically strongly suspected to have skeletal neoplastic lesion were enrolled in the study and all underwent MRI examination with various image sequences. Images were reviewed retrospectively and suggested diagnosis was correlated with that or pathological diagnosis. MRI proved to provides a more reliable assessment of marrow involvement in primary bone tumours such as osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. Fat suppression techniques may be of practical value in the evaluation of soft tissue oedaema and soft tissue involvement. Involvement of neurovascular tissue can he established. The presence of sharply defined boundaries and homogenous internal structures favour a lesion being benign whilst irregularity of the margins and heterogenous internal structure suggest malignancy. The absence of known biological hazards, the high level of tissue differentiation and spatial resolution and the ability to image multiple planes have enabled MRI to become the dominant force in imaging of skeletal neoplasms