Since our discovery in 2006 that acromegaly is associated with an increased risk of vertebral fractures, many authors have confirmed this finding in both cross-sectional and prospective studies. Due to the high epidemiological and clinical impact of this newly discovered comorbidity of acromegaly, this topic has progressively become more important and prominent over the years, and the pertinent literature has been enriched by new findings on the pathophysiology and treatment. The aim of this narrative review was to discuss these novel findings, integrating them with the seminal observations, in order to give the reader an updated view of how the field of acromegaly and bone is developing, from strong clinical observations to a mechanistic understanding and possible prevention and treatment.
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Osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are common diseases that often coexist. While both of these diseases are associated with poor bone quality and increased fracture risk, their pathogenesis of increased fracture risk differs and is multifactorial. Mounting evidence now indicates that key fundamental mechanisms that are central to both aging and energy metabolism exist. Importantly, these mechanisms represent potentially modifiable therapeutic targets for interventions that could prevent or alleviate multiple complications of osteoporosis and T2D, including poor bone quality. One such mechanism that has gained increasing momentum is senescence, which is a cell fate that contributes to multiple chronic diseases. Accumulating evidence has established that numerous boneresident cell types become susceptible to cellular senescence with old age. Recent work also demonstrates that T2D causes the premature accumulation of senescent osteocytes during young adulthood, at least in mice, although it remains to be seen which other bone-resident cell types become senescent with T2D. Given that therapeutically removing senescent cells can alleviate age-related bone loss and T2D-induced metabolic dysfunction, it will be important in future studies to rigorously test whether interventions that eliminate senescent cells can also alleviate skeletal dysfunction in context of T2D, as it does with aging.
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Background Evidence has revealed the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in modulating osteogenic differentiation, implying the promise of miRNA-based therapies for treating osteoporosis. This study investigated whether miR-181a-5p influences osteogenic differentiation and bone formation and aimed to establish the mechanisms in depth.
Methods Clinical serum samples were obtained from osteoporosis patients, and MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with osteogenic induction medium (OIM) to induce osteogenic differentiation. miR-181a-5p-, Runt-related transcription factor 1 (Runx1)-, and/or allograft inflammatory factor-1 (AIF-1)-associated oligonucleotides or vectors were transfected into MC3T3-E1 cells to explore their function in relation to the number of calcified nodules, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and activity, expression levels of osteogenesis-related proteins, and apoptosis. Luciferase activity, RNA immunoprecipitation, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were employed to validate the binding relationship between miR-181a-5p and Runx1, and the transcriptional regulatory relationship between Runx1 and AIF-1. Ovariectomy (OVX)-induced mice were injected with a miR-181a-5p antagonist for in vivo verification.
Results miR-181a-5p was highly expressed in the serum of osteoporosis patients. OIM treatment decreased miR-181a-5p and AIF-1 expression, but promoted Runx1 expression in MC3T-E1 cells. Meanwhile, upregulated miR-181a-5p suppressed OIM-induced increases in calcified nodules, ALP content, and osteogenesis-related protein expression. Mechanically, miR-181a-5p targeted Runx1, which acted as a transcription factor to negatively modulate AIF-1 expression. Downregulated Runx1 suppressed the miR-181a-5p inhibitor-mediated promotion of osteogenic differentiation, and downregulated AIF-1 reversed the miR-181a-5p mimic-induced inhibition of osteogenic differentiation. Tail vein injection of a miR-181a-5p antagonist induced bone formation in OVX-induced osteoporotic mice.
Conclusion In conclusion, miR-181a-5p affects osteogenic differentiation and bone formation partially via the modulation of the Runx1/AIF-1 axis.
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This review article investigates solid organ transplantation-induced osteoporosis, a critical yet often overlooked issue, emphasizing its significance in post-transplant care. The initial sections provide a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and multifactorial pathogenesis of transplantation osteoporosis, including factors such as deteriorating post-transplantation health, hormonal changes, and the impact of immunosuppressive medications. Furthermore, the review is dedicated to organ-specific considerations in transplantation osteoporosis, with separate analyses for kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplantations. Each section elucidates the unique challenges and management strategies pertinent to transplantation osteoporosis in relation to each organ type, highlighting the necessity of an organ-specific approach to fully understand the diverse manifestations and implications of transplantation osteoporosis. This review underscores the importance of this topic in transplant medicine, aiming to enhance awareness and knowledge among clinicians and researchers. By comprehensively examining transplantation osteoporosis, this study contributes to the development of improved management and care strategies, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes in this vulnerable group. This detailed review serves as an essential resource for those involved in the complex multidisciplinary care of transplant recipients.
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Original Articles
Calcium & bone metabolism Big Data Articles (National Health Insurance Service Database)
Background Acromegaly leads to various skeletal complications, and fragility fractures are emerging as a new concern in patients with acromegaly. Therefore, this study investigated the risk of fractures in Korean patients with acromegaly.
Methods We used the Korean nationwide claims database from 2009 to 2019. A total of 931 patients with acromegaly who had never used an osteoporosis drug before and were treated with surgery alone were selected as study participants, and a 1:29 ratio of 26,999 age- and sex-matched osteoporosis drug-naïve controls without acromegaly were randomly selected from the database.
Results The mean age was 46.2 years, and 50.0% were male. During a median follow-up of 54.1 months, there was no difference in the risks of all, vertebral, and non-vertebral fractures between the acromegaly and control groups. However, hip fracture risk was significantly higher (hazard ratio [HR], 2.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32 to 5.65), and non-hip and non-vertebral fractures risk was significantly lower (HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.98) in patients with acromegaly than in controls; these results remained robust even after adjustment for socioeconomic status and baseline comorbidities. Age, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardio-cerebrovascular disease, fracture history, recent use of acid-suppressant medication, psychotropic medication, and opioids were risk factors for all fractures in patients with acromegaly (all P<0.05).
Conclusion Compared with controls, patients surgically treated for acromegaly had a higher risk of hip fractures. The risk factors for fracture in patients with acromegaly were consistent with widely accepted risk factors in the general population.
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Long-Term Prognosis and Systemic Impact of Acromegaly: Analyses Utilizing Korean National Health Insurance Data Sangmo Hong, Kyungdo Han, Cheol-Young Park Endocrinology and Metabolism.2025; 40(1): 1. CrossRef
Novel approach to bone comorbidity in resistant acromegaly Stefano Frara, Matteo Acanfora, Vincenzo Franzese, Maria Luisa Brandi, Marco Losa, Andrea Giustina Pituitary.2024; 27(6): 813. CrossRef
Background Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disease and can cause fragility fractures. Despite this, screening utilization rates for osteoporosis remain low among populations at risk. Automated bone mineral density (BMD) estimation using computed tomography (CT) can help bridge this gap and serve as an alternative screening method to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
Methods The feasibility of an opportunistic and population agnostic screening method for osteoporosis using abdominal CT scans without bone densitometry phantom-based calibration was investigated in this retrospective study. A total of 268 abdominal CT-DXA pairs and 99 abdominal CT studies without DXA scores were obtained from an oncology specialty clinic in the Republic of Korea. The center axial CT slices from the L1, L2, L3, and L4 lumbar vertebrae were annotated with the CT slice level and spine segmentation labels for each subject. Deep learning models were trained to localize the center axial slice from the CT scan of the torso, segment the vertebral bone, and estimate BMD for the top four lumbar vertebrae.
Results Automated vertebra-level DXA measurements showed a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.079, Pearson’s r of 0.852 (P<0.001), and R2 of 0.714. Subject-level predictions on the held-out test set had a MAE of 0.066, Pearson’s r of 0.907 (P<0.001), and R2 of 0.781.
Conclusion CT scans collected during routine examinations without bone densitometry calibration can be used to generate DXA BMD predictions.
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Phantomless estimation of bone mineral density on computed tomography: a scoping review Aleena Waqar, Alberto Bazzocchi, Maria Pilar Aparisi Gómez RöFo - Fortschritte auf dem Gebiet der Röntgenstrahlen und der bildgebenden Verfahren.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
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Endocrinol Metab. 2024;39(4):539-551. Published online July 17, 2024
This comprehensive review critically examines the detrimental impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on bone health, with a specific focus on substances such as bisphenol A (BPA), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), phthalates, and dioxins. These EDCs, by interfering with the endocrine system’s normal functioning, pose a significant risk to bone metabolism, potentially leading to a heightened susceptibility to bone-related disorders and diseases. Notably, BPA has been shown to inhibit the differentiation of osteoblasts and promote the apoptosis of osteoblasts, which results in altered bone turnover status. PFASs, known for their environmental persistence and ability to bioaccumulate in the human body, have been linked to an increased osteoporosis risk. Similarly, phthalates, which are widely used in the production of plastics, have been associated with adverse bone health outcomes, showing an inverse relationship between phthalate exposure and bone mineral density. Dioxins present a more complex picture, with research findings suggesting both potential benefits and adverse effects on bone structure and density, depending on factors such as the timing and level of exposure. This review underscores the urgent need for further research to better understand the specific pathways through which EDCs affect bone health and to develop targeted strategies for mitigating their potentially harmful impacts.
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Elucidating the mechanism of phthalates induced osteoporosis through network toxicology and molecular docking Xiao Zhang, Xi Zhu, Wenbo Gu, Xusheng Li, Tenyao Niu, Pengcheng Mao, Haifeng Yuan Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.2025; 291: 117820. CrossRef
Chaiho Jeong, Jeongmin Lee, Jinyoung Kim, Jeonghoon Ha, Kwanhoon Jo, Yejee Lim, Mee Kyoung Kim, Hyuk-Sang Kwon, Tae-Seo Sohn, Ki-Ho Song, Moo Il Kang, Ki-Hyun Baek
Endocrinol Metab. 2023;38(2):260-268. Published online April 27, 2023
Background Persistence with denosumab in male patients has not been adequately investigated, although poor denosumab persistence is associated with a significant risk of rebound vertebral fractures.
Methods We retrospectively evaluated 294 Korean male osteoporosis patients treated with denosumab at three medical centers and examined their persistence with four doses of denosumab injection over 24 months of treatment. Persistence was defined as the extent to which a patient adhered to denosumab treatment in terms of the prescribed interval and dose, with a permissible gap of 8 weeks. For patients who missed their scheduled treatment appointment(s) during the follow-up period (i.e., no-shows), Cox proportional regression analysis was conducted to explore the factors associated with poor adherence. Several factors were considered, such as age, prior anti-osteoporotic drug use, the treatment provider’s medical specialty, the proximity to the medical center, and financial burdens of treatment.
Results Out of 294 male patients, 77 (26.2%) completed all four sequential rounds of the denosumab treatment. Out of 217 patients who did not complete the denosumab treatment, 138 (63.6%) missed the scheduled treatment(s). Missing treatment was significantly associated with age (odds ratio [OR], 1.03), prior bisphosphonate use (OR, 0.76), and prescription by non-endocrinologists (OR, 2.24). Denosumab was stopped in 44 (20.3%) patients due to medical errors, in 24 (11.1%) patients due to a T-score improvement over –2.5, and in five (2.3%) patients due to expected dental procedures.
Conclusion Our study showed that only one-fourth of Korean male osteoporosis patients were fully adherent to 24 months of denosumab treatment.