Saint Francis University

About: Saint Francis University is a education organization based out in Loretto, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Osteoblast. The organization has 1694 authors who have published 2038 publications receiving 87149 citations.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome due to targeted agents: vemurafinib among suspects!

Abstract: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome features reversible cortical neurologic dysfunction and characteristic findings on brain imaging studies. This syndrome can be caused by several agents including traditional chemotherapy and immunosuppressive drugs. Targeted therapies such as agents binding vascular endothelial growth factor/VEGFR, CD20 and cytotoxic T-cell lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) antigens are also among the culprits. Vemurafenib is a BRAF gene inhibitor that has not been previously linked with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. We report herein the first such case and believe that further studies confirming this association are warranted. We further review the existing posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome cases associated with targeted therapies in the scientific literature.

Relationship of bone mineral density with valvular and annular calcification in community-dwelling older people: The Cardiovascular Health Study.

Abstract: Associations between bone mineral density and aortic valvular, aortic annular, and mitral annular calcification were investigated in a cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort of 1497 older adults Although there was no association between continuous bone mineral density and outcomes, a significant association between osteoporosis and aortic valvular calcification in men was found The process of cardiac calcification bears a resemblance to skeletal bone metabolism and its regulation Experimental studies suggest that bone mineral density (BMD) and valvular calcification may be reciprocally related, but epidemiologic data are sparse We tested the hypothesis that BMD of the total hip and femoral neck measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is inversely associated with prevalence of three echocardiographic measures of cardiac calcification in a cross-sectional analysis of 1497 older adults from the Cardiovascular Health Study The adjusted association of BMD with aortic valve calcification (AVC), aortic annular calcification (AAC), and mitral annular calcification (MAC) was assessed with relative risk (RR) regression Mean (SD) age was 762 (48) years; 58% were women Cardiac calcification was highly prevalent in women and men: AVC, 595 and 710%; AAC 451 and 467%; MAC 428 and 395%, respectively After limited and full adjustment for potential confounders, no statistically significant associations were detected between continuous BMD at either site and the three measures of calcification Assessment of WHO BMD categories revealed a significant association between osteoporosis at the total hip and AVC in men (adjusted RR compared with normal BMD = 124 (101–153)) In graded sensitivity analyses, there were apparent inverse associations between femoral neck BMD and AVC with stenosis in men, and femoral neck BMD and moderate/severe MAC in women, but these were not significant These findings support further investigation of the sex-specific relationships between low BMD and cardiac calcification, and whether processes linking the two could be targeted for therapeutic ends

Overexpression of IGF-binding protein 5 alters mineral and matrix properties in mouse femora: an infrared imaging study.

Abstract: The anabolic effects of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are modulated by a family of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). Among the six known IGFBPs, IGFBP-5 is considered to play a role in bone formation. To investigate the effects of IGFBP-5 on bone mineral and matrix properties, femurs from transgenic mice overexpressing IGFBP-5 under the control of the osteocalcin promoter were evaluated by Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging (FTIRI). Analyses were done at the time of maximal osteocalcin expression (5 weeks). The spectroscopic parameters monitored were mineral-to-matrix ratio (indicative of the relative amount of mineral present), mineral crystallinity (index of the mineral crystal size and perfection) and collagen maturity (reflecting the ratio of non-reducible and reducible collagen cross-links). Multiple fields were selected for each femur, ranging from epiphysis to diaphysis. Previously, we showed that these transgenic mice display decreased osteoblastic function and osteopenia. In the present work, FTIRI showed that transgenic mice as compared to wild types have a different pattern of bone mineralization and matrix maturation. Specifically, cortical bone, primary spongiosa, and secondary ossification centers had lower values for mineral-to-matrix ratio and collagen maturity. Differences were not statistically significant in all cases although the trends were consistent. The mineral crystallinity did not vary significantly between the two groups, implying that the crystal maturation of mineral was not affected by IGFBP-5 overexpression. This study demonstrates that femurs from transgenic mice over expressing IGFBP-5 under the control of the osteocalcin promoter have modest alterations in mineral and matrix distribution, consistent with a role of IGF in osteoblast maturation.