Icariin reduces bone loss in a Rankl-induced transgenic medaka (Oryzias latipes) model for osteoporosis.

Given the limitations and side effects of many synthetic drugs, natural products are an important alternative source for drugs and medications for many diseases. Icariin (ICA), one of the main flavonoids from plants of the Epimedium genus, has been shown to ameliorate osteoporosis and improve bone health in preclinical studies. Those studies have used different in vivo models, mostly rodents, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The present study shows, for the first time, that ICA reduces bone damage in a Rankl-induced medaka fish (Oryzias latipes), a non-rodent osteoporosis model. Live imaging was previously performed in this model to characterize antiresorptive and bone-anabolic properties of drugs. Here, a new quantification method (IM ) was established based on the length of mineralized neural arches to quantify levels of bone mineralization damage and protection in early post-embryonic fish. This method was validated by quantification of three levels of bone damage in three independent Rankl fish lines, and by the determination of different degrees of severity of osteoporosis-like phenotypes in one Rankl line exposed to variable Rankl induction schemes. IM was also used to quantify the efficacy of alendronate and etidronate, two common anti-osteoporotic bisphosphonates, and revealed comparable bone protective effects for ICA and alendronate in this fish osteoporosis model. This study's data support the value of the medaka fish model for bone research and establish a method to screen for novel osteoprotective compounds.

Clinical outcomes and length of stay of a co-located psychogeriatric and geriatric unit.

To examine the effect of co-location of psychogeriatric and geriatric services on length of stay and changes in patients' psychosocial characteristics. A retrospective analysis of the performance indices of psychogeriatric patients aged > or =50 years admitted to a co-located psychogeriatric and geriatric unit at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, New South Wales (NSW), Australia from April 2004 to June 2006. Comparisons were made between the performance of the Bankstown-Lidcombe's unit and the NSW state average (consisting of traditional solitary models of care) with respect to patients' length of stay (LOS) and changes in psychosocial indices. Bankstown's patients had a higher burden of psychosocial impairments. The mean LOS for psychogeriatric episodes was significantly shorter at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital than the NSW state average (28.3+/-19.6 days vs. 33.4+/-22.7 days, p<0.001). The overall improvement in aspects of mental state and social behaviors for psychogeriatric admissions at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital was significantly better than the NSW state average. Co-location of psychogeriatric and geriatric services reduced patients' LOS and improved psychosocial performance compared to traditional models of care. However, more robust studies are required to fully examine the benefits of this type of service.