Endocrine Abstracts

Most currently available agents for the treatment of osteoporosis decrease bone resorption and turnover to varying degrees but do not stimulate the formation of new bone that is essential for the management of patients with severe disease. Teriparatide, the most extensively studied bone -forming treatment stimulates not only bone formation but also resorption, acts mainly at sites undergoing active remodeling and increases cortical porosity. The newly developed PTHrP analogue,...

During the past few years there have been important developments in the pharmacotherapy of osteoporosis. These developments were paralleled by significant progress in our understanding of the local regulation of bone metabolism. Studies of human and animal genetics led to identification of novel signaling pathways in bone cells, such as the Wnt signaling pathway, that provide targets for new bone building therapeutics for patients with osteoporosis. Fundamental for these devel...

During the past few years there have been significant developments in the pharmacotherapy of bone diseases, especially of osteoporosis, and effective treatments have become available to physicians. These developments were paralleled by significant progress in our understanding of the local regulation of bone metabolism. Particularly, studies of human and animal genetics have led to identification of novel, more specific, signaling pathways in bone cells that can provide target...

Sclerosteosis and van Buchem disease are closely related, rare sclerosing disorders characterized by substantial increase in bone mass of good quality which is due to increased bone formation. Both diseases have been linked to deficiency of the SOST gene product sclerostin, which in the adult is localized exclusively in osteocytes, the most abundant bone cell. In particular sclerostin is localized in mature osteocytes in mineralised cortical and cancellous bone, it inhi...