Active clinical trials for "Osteoporosis"

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects millions of individuals in the United States and abroad. It leads to decreased bone mass and causes an increased risk of fracture. This study will compare continuous versus cyclic treatment with teriparatide combined with alendronate, another drug for osteoporosis, or teriparatide alone in women with osteoporosis.

The AGE (Active Geriatric Evaluation) aims to develop a brief assessment tool adapted to the primary care setting.

Based on our clinical observations, many girls with RETT syndrome, a severe neuro-developmental encephalopathy, suffer from osteoporosis which can appear at a very early age (before age 10) and can lead to fractures, pain and a limitation in mobility. Few epidemiological studies have estimated the frequency of osteoporosis in girls with RETT syndrome and showed that they are more exposed then children with other neuro-developmental diseases with a same degree of neurological handicap. However, the mechanisms that lead to early osteoporosis in RETT syndrome remain unknown. Mutations in the MECP2 gene are found in 95% of RETT patients and preliminary experimental studies have shown that this can lead to abnormal expression of the gene that codes for osteoprotegerin, a protein implicated in bone remodelling by interacting with RANK-ligand. In order to identify risk factors of osteoporosis in RETT syndrome and to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms the study protocol includes: Clinical evaluation of bone health (history of bone fractures, pain, nutritional status, pubertal stage, daily caloric/calcium intake, anti-epileptic drugs, walking ability, vitamin D satus) evaluation of the mineral density at the lumber spine using DEXA measuring concentrations of osteoprotegerin and RANK-ligand

It has not been well known about the changes of bone metabolic markers, bone mineral density and other bone-related markers after teriparatide and/or denosumab treatment in Japanese osteoporotic patients.

The purpose of this study is to identify calcium metabolism characteristics in Mexican American adolescents. The investigators predict that calcium requirements to maximize bone health in this population will be lower than for white youth but higher than their current intakes.

This is a dose escalation study to determine the maximum tolerable dose of Parathyroid Hormone-related Protein, PTHrP, or Parathyroid Hormone, PTH, that can be given safely over one week in healthy African-American volunteers. The investigators plan to infuse low doses of intravenous PTHrP or PTH to determine if it leads to a sustained and progressive suppression of bone formation as occurs in humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM) or an increase in bone formation as occurs in hyperparathyroidism (HPT). Additionally, the investigators will assess the direct influence of PTHrP and PTH on vitamin D metabolism, markers of bone turnover, and fractional excretion of calcium. These results will be compared to previous studies of Caucasian volunteers.

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a common disease that occurs in 1 in 10,000 people every year. In the presence of this condition, the parathyroid glands produce excessive amounts of parathyroid hormone (PTH), which regulates calcium levels. The high levels of parathyroid hormone remove too much calcium from bones, and then deposit the excess calcium in the blood, which is then filtered into the urine by the kidneys. Bone health is threatened by excess calcium loss which weakens bone structure. Other affected organs include the skeleton (calcium loss leads to a "weakening" of the skeleton), and the kidneys (high blood calcium can lead to kidney stones). It is now evident that the majority of patients with even mild Primary Hyperparathyroidism are vitamin D deficient. In 2009, new international guidelines for the management of asymptomatic PHPT direct physicians to measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D (D3 or 25-OHD) in all patients, and to replete the reserve of vitamin D when the level is low (< 20 ng/ml). However, no recommendations for vitamin D repletion are given, because of limited data regarding the effects of vitamin D repletion, appropriate dosing and safety. Therefore, there is an urgent need for data upon which to base such recommendations, as well as are data on the effects of such treatment upon bones. Subjects with low vitamin D3 levels will be selected for this trial. They will be given enough vitamin D3 to raise their low blood levels from a low to a normal range. The assessments in this study, including the quadruple label bone biopsy, will allow us to document the short term effects of administering vitamin D3 on changes in bone. All participants enrolled in this trial will be vitamin D3 deficient. Participants will take an antibiotic (tetracycline) 4 times a day to mark the starting point from which bone changes will be assessed. After 3 days of tetracycline, a 12 week course of vitamin D3 or placebo will be initiated. Six of 7 participants will receive the study drug (active vitamin D3), while 1 in 7 will receive a placebo (sugar pill). Ten weeks later, another 3-day course of tetracycline will be given. At the end of 12 weeks, a bone biopsy will be done. A small piece of bone (about the size of a pencil eraser) will be removed from the hip (iliac crest). The bone will be analyzed to determine the effect of vitamin D3 on primary hyperparathyroidism. There will be 4 study visits: Screening, Baseline, Week 8, and Week 12 when the bone biopsy will be performed. Study Procedures: Medical and Social History Blood tests (drawn at the study center and local Quest Lab) 24-Hour urine collection for calcium and creatinine excretion Abdominal X-ray (to assess for kidney stones) Transiliac crest Bone Biopsy

RATIONALE: Bisphosphonates, such as risedronate, may help improve bone health and prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It is not yet known whether risedronate is effective in improving bone mineral density and bone health in women with ductal carcinoma in situ. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying risedronate to see how well it works compared to a placebo in improving bone mineral density and bone health in postmenopausal women with ductal carcinoma in situ enrolled in clinical trial CRUK-IBIS-II-DCIS (CRUK: Cancer Research UK) (DCIS: Ductal carcinoma in situ).

There are over 10 million individuals with asthma using inhaled glucocorticoids (IGCs) in the United States. While oral GCs are recognized to have destructive skeletal effects, far less is known about the effects of IGCs. This gap in our knowledge is of critical importance, not only because of the prevalence, chronic nature and long duration of IGC use, but also because several studies have found that patients using IGCs are at increased risk of fracture. Fracture risk is greatest in postmenopausal (PM) women, in whom IGCs may augment negative effects of estrogen loss and aging. The investigators hypothesize that initiation of IGCs in IGC naïve PM women will lead to decreased bone formation and uncoupling of bone turnover, a potential mechanism for the effect of IGCs on the skeleton. To test our hypothesis, the investigators will perform a randomized, controlled 4 week study of the acute effects of commonly used doses of budesonide (360 or 720 mcg) on bone turnover and circulating osteoblast precursors in 60 treatment naïve, non-asthmatic, PM women. These studies are of high clinical significance because there are currently no guidelines regarding screening, prevention or treatment for osteoporosis in patients using IGCs, nor is IGC use taken into account when calculating fracture risk in PM women, the group at highest risk of fracture. High quality evidence for low volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) and abnormal bone quality in PM women using IGCs has the potential to change clinical practice by supporting specific interventions to prevent bone loss and fractures.

Falls are an important risk factor for fragility fractures. Both are associated with the ageing process and as they rise also increase the risk of mortality, disability and dependency. Interventions to prevent falls have been based on multifactorial approaches but the outcomes have shown little effectiveness. Lately, it is being recommended interventions which foster physical exercise incorporating it to daily life activities. The OTAGO exercise programme is based on easy physical exercises for older adults and has shown cost-effective outcomes for falls prevention and its consequences.