AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROSIS - 2016--EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

ABBREVIATIONS: AACE = American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists AFF = atypical femur fracture ASBMR = American Society for Bone and Mineral Research BEL = best evidence level BMD = bone mineral density BTM = bone turnover marker CBC = complete blood count CI = confidence interval DXA = dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry EL = evidence level FDA = U.S. Food and Drug Administration FLEX = Fracture Intervention Trial (FIT) Long-term Extension FRAX(®) = Fracture Risk Assessment Tool GFR = glomerular filtration rate GI = gastrointestinal HORIZON = Health Outcomes and Reduced Incidence with Zoledronic Acid Once Yearly IOF = International Osteoporosis Foundation ISCD = International Society for Clinical Densitometry IU = international units IV = intravenous LSC = least significant change NBHA = National Bone Health Alliance NOF = National Osteoporosis Foundation 25(OH)D = 25-hydroxy vitamin D ONJ = osteonecrosis of the jaw PINP = serum carboxy-terminal propeptide of type I collagen PTH = parathyroid hormone R = recommendation RANK = receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B RANKL = receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand RCT = randomized controlled trial RR = relative risk S-CTX = serum C-terminal telopeptide SQ = subcutaneous VFA = vertebral fracture assessment WHO = World Health Organization.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROSIS - 2016.

ABBREVIATIONS: AACE = American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists AFF = atypical femur fracture ASBMR = American Society for Bone and Mineral Research BEL = best evidence level BMD = bone mineral density BTM = bone turnover marker CBC = complete blood count CI = confidence interval DXA = dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry EL = evidence level FDA = U.S. Food and Drug Administration FLEX = Fracture Intervention Trial (FIT) Long-term Extension FRAX® = Fracture Risk Assessment Tool GFR = glomerular filtration rate GI = gastrointestinal HORIZON = Health Outcomes and Reduced Incidence with Zoledronic Acid Once Yearly IOF = International Osteoporosis Foundation ISCD = International Society for Clinical Densitometry IU = international units IV = intravenous LSC = least significant change NBHA = National Bone Health Alliance NOF = National Osteoporosis Foundation 25(OH)D = 25-hydroxy vitamin D ONJ = osteonecrosis of the jaw PINP = serum carboxy-terminal propeptide of type I collagen PTH = parathyroid hormone R = recommendation RANK = receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B RANKL = receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand RCT = randomized controlled trial RR = relative risk S-CTX = serum C-terminal telopeptide SQ = subcutaneous VFA = vertebral fracture assessment WHO = World Health Organization.

History of etidronate.

Etidronate is a non-nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate. Because it binds with calcium and inhibits crystal formation and dissolution, it was considered by Procter & Gamble as an additive to toothpaste (to prevent build-up of tartar) and detergent (to bind calcium and increase sudsing in "hard" water). The first clinical use (1968) was for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. The first approved clinical use (1977) was for treatment of Paget's disease of bone. Other approved indications are hypercalcemia of malignancy and heterotopic ossification, with a host of off-label uses (including fibrous dysplasia, periodontal disease, multiple myeloma, neuropathic arthropathy, pulmonary microlithiasis, diabetic retinopathy, bone metastases, melorheostosis, urinary stone disease, periodontal disease, etc.). Unique among bisphosphonates, etidronate (oral therapy) results in hyperphosphatemia, increased tubular reabsorption of phosphorus and increased levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. The dose that reduces bone resorption is close to the dose that impairs mineralization; prolonged high-dose use can result in osteomalacia and bone fractures. Intermittent cyclic etidronate for osteoporosis resulted in favorable changes in bone density and histomorphometry (no mineralization defect) as well as a decrease in vertebral fracture rates in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Later studies showed similar effects in men with osteoporosis and patients with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Although its use for osteoporosis has given way to newer bisphosphonates and other agents, because of its unique properties, it remains the bisphosphonate of choice for treatment of heterotopic ossification.

Further Nonvertebral Fracture Reduction Beyond 3 Years for Up to 10 Years of Denosumab Treatment.

CONTEXT: Evidence for further nonvertebral fracture (NVF) reductions with long-term antiresorptive therapy in osteoporosis is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate NVF risk reduction in subjects receiving ≤10 years of denosumab treatment. DESIGN: Phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled, 3-year Fracture Reduction Evaluation of Denosumab in Osteoporosis Every 6 Months (FREEDOM) trial (NCT00089791) and its open-label 7-year extension (NCT00523341). SETTING: One hundred seventy-two study centers worldwide. PATIENTS: Women 60 to 90 years, lumbar spine or total hip bone mineral density T-scores <-2.5 (≥-4.0 at both). INTERVENTIONS: Subjects randomly assigned 1:1 denosumab 60 mg SC Q6M (long-term) or placebo (crossover) in FREEDOM; eligible subjects could enroll in the extension to receive denosumab 60 mg SC Q6M. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: NVF Exposure-adjusted subject incidence (per 100 subject-years) during denosumab treatment years 1 to 3 and 4 to 7 (all subjects) and years 4 to 10 (long-term only), and rate ratios (RRs) for years 4 to 7 or 4 to 10 vs 1 to 3. RESULTS: Among 4074 subjects (2343 long-term, 1731 crossover), NVF rates (95% CI) in all subjects were 2.15 (1.90 to 2.43) during years 1 to 3 and 1.53 (1.34 to 1.75) during years 4 to 7 of denosumab treatment [RR (95% CI) = 0.72 (0.61 to 0.86); P < 0.001]; in long-term only were 1.98 (1.67 to 2.34) during years 1 to 3 and 1.44 (1.24 to 1.66) during years 4 to 10 [RR = 0.74 (0.60 to 0.93); P = 0.008]. combined osteonecrosis of the jaw and atypical femoral fracture rate was 0.06. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term denosumab treatment, >3 and ≤10 years, was associated with further reductions in NVF rates compared with the first 3 years.

Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Santa Fe Bone Symposium, August 3-4, 2007.

The Eighth Annual Santa Fe Bone Symposium convened August 3-4, 2007, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, immediately preceded by the Research Symposium in Metabolic Bone Disease and Osteoporosis Update for Endocrine Fellows, and followed by the International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) Bone Densitometry Course. The symposium faculty consists of internationally recognized experts in osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease who presented state-of-the-art research data and late-breaking developments in the fields of osteoporosis, metabolic bone disease, and assessment of skeletal health. The presentations and numerous interactive discussions that followed focused on applying what is known from clinical trials, knowledge of bone pathophysiology, and the mechanisms of action of therapeutic interventions, to making real-world patient management decisions. Topics included an update on reimbursement issues for bone density testing in the United States, a report on the 2007 ISCD Pediatric and Adult Position Development Conferences, present and future therapeutic concepts, new paradigms for fracture risk assessment and intervention thresholds, evaluation for secondary causes of osteoporosis, nonvertebral fracture risk reduction-medical evidence and clinical practice, epidemiological insights into the prevention of osteoporotic fractures, osteonecrosis of the jaw facts and fictions, and osteomalacia. Presented here are short essays based on the key clinical presentations of the 2007 Santa Fe Bone Symposium.

Western Osteoporosis Alliance Clinical Practice Series: Evaluating the Balance of Benefits and Risks of Long-Term Osteoporosis Therapies.

Osteoporosis is a chronic disease that requires life-long strategies to reduce fracture risk. Few trials have investigated the balance of benefits and risk with long-term use of osteoporosis therapies, and fewer still have investigated the consequences of treatment discontinuation. The best available evidence suggests that up to 10 years of treatment with an oral bisphosphonate maintains the degree of fracture risk reduction observed in the 3-year registration trials. With denosumab, 10 years of therapy appears to provide fracture risk reduction similar to or better than that observed in the 3-year registration trial. Available data suggest an increasing but low risk of fractures with atypical features with increasing duration of bisphosphonate therapy. Published data linking duration of therapy to osteonecrosis of the jaw are lacking for bisphosphonates and denosumab. Other side effects associated with denosumab or bisphosphonates do not appear to be related to therapy duration. The antifracture benefits of long-term therapy with bisphosphonates and denosumab in appropriately selected patients outweigh the low risk of serious side effects.

Bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis: benefits, risks, and drug holiday.

The amino-bisphosphonates are first-line therapy for the treatment of most patients with osteoporosis, with proven efficacy to reduce fracture risk at the spine, hip, and other nonvertebral skeletal sites. Further, bisphosphonates have been associated with a significant decrease in morbidity and increase in survival. Following the use of bisphosphonates in millions of patients in clinical practice, some unexpected possible adverse effects have been reported, including osteonecrosis of the jaw, atypical femur fractures, atrial fibrillation, and esophageal cancer. Because bisphosphonates are incorporated into the skeleton and continue to exert an antiresorptive effect for a period of time after dosing is discontinued, the concept of a drug holiday has emerged, whereby the risk of adverse effects might be decreased while the patient still benefits from antifracture efficacy. Patients receiving bisphosphonates who are not at high risk for fracture are potential candidates for a drug holiday, while for those with bone mineral density in the osteoporosis range or previous history of fragility fracture, the benefits of continuing therapy probably far outweigh the risk of harm.

Benefits and risks of bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis.

CONTEXT: There has been considerable concern recently in the scientific and lay media regarding the benefits vs. the risks of bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis. Risks include possible associations with osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and atypical femur fractures. In this perspective, we review the use of bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis, including an objective assessment of the risks vs. the benefits of these drugs. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Authors' knowledge of the field and results of focused literature searches are presented. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Bisphosphonates have proven efficacy in the prevention of bone loss and in the reduction of fractures in postmenopausal women and men with established osteoporosis. Although bisphosphonates, at doses used to treat osteoporosis, may be associated with an increased risk of ONJ and atypical femur fractures, many more fractures are prevented by the use of these drugs compared to the relatively low risk of these complications. Although oral bisphosphonates are associated with upper gastrointestinal side effects and iv bisphosphonates with acute phase reactions, the association of bisphosphonate use with esophageal cancer and atrial fibrillation is not well supported by current data. CONCLUSIONS: Bisphosphonates have been proven to prevent fractures in patients with established osteoporosis or those who are at high risk of fracture. In contrast, the incidence of major complications associated with bisphosphonate use, such as ONJ and atypical femur fractures, is very low.

Assessing the clinical utility of serum CTX in postmenopausal osteoporosis and its use in predicting risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw.

Bone turnover markers (BTMs) have become increasingly important in the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO). In bisphosphonate-treated women with PMO, BTMs can provide early indications of treatment efficacy, are predictors of BMD response and fracture risk reduction, and are potentially useful for monitoring patient compliance. The bone resorption marker serum C-telopeptide cross-link of type 1 collagen (sCTX) has shown high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of increased bone resorption. Recently, sCTX has been singled out as a potential indicator of risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in patients receiving oral bisphosphonates who require oral surgery. However, whether BTMs are capable of predicting ONJ risk and whether sCTX is usable for this purpose are controversial questions. This article presents an overview of the current literature regarding critical issues affecting the clinical utility of BTMs (including variability and reference ranges) and the current applications of BTMs in PMO management, with a focus on sCTX. Last, the appropriateness of using sCTX to predict ONJ risk in women receiving oral bisphosphonates for PMO is evaluated.

White-rot fungi demonstrate first biodegradation of phenolic resin.

Phenolic resins, phenol-formaldehyde polymers previously thought to be nonbiodegradable, are produced at an annual rate of 2.2 million metric tons in the United States for many industrial and commercial applications. Three independent lines of evidence established their biodegradability with the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Chromatic transformation of growth medium (yellow to pink) indicated initial biodegradation of the resin 3 days after inoculation. A degradation product, 13C-labeled phenol, was detected with gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Scanning electron micrographs revealed physical evidence of degradation. This is the first demonstrated biodegradation of these phenol-formaldehyde polymers and stands as a platform for investigation into bioremediation and biorecycling of phenolic resins.