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Biomedical subjects

B P Lukert

Publications and source records attributed to B P Lukert.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Estrogen and progesterone replacement therapy reduces glucocorticoid-induced bone loss.

This is a retrospective study of 15 postmenopausal or amenorrheic women aged 34-78 years who had taken prednisone for 6-108 months and were followed for 1 year while continuing to take doses of 5-15 mg/day. A total of 8 patients were treated with 0.6256 mg Premarin daily for 25 days and 5 mg/day of medroxyprogesterone on days 15-25 (ERT, group 2); 7 were followed without ERT (group 1). A group of 17 women, matched for age, were randomly selected from our computerized data base to serve as a control group (group 3), and 10 women of similar age who were taking ERT only (group 4) were selected to compare the response to ERT to that of group 2. Bone density (BD) was measured in the lumbar spine baseline and at 1 year using dual-photon or dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Spine density did not change significantly during the year of observation in group 1. Although BD decreased in 5 of 7 patients, the change was not significant (-0.034 +/- 0.018 g/cm2, p = 0.10). In group 2 BD increased significantly, with 7 of 8 patients showing an increase (0.037 +/- 0.011 g/cm2, p = 0.008). BD did not change significantly in the control group (0.013 +/- 0.008 g/cm2, p = 0.16). Loss of bone from the spine was significantly greater in group 1 than in controls (p = 0.02), but changes in group 2 were similar to those in the control group (p = 0.66).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absorptiometry, Photon

New diagnoses in a specialty clinic: opportunities for consultants.

The role consultants play in detecting disease coincidental to the reason for consultation is unclear. We sought to elucidate this function in the setting of a specialty clinic for osteoporosis. Making no specific attempt to screen for general conditions, we evaluated 760 women; any new diagnosis was found in the course of thoroughly examining the patient for osteoporosis. A total of 274 new diagnoses were counted, encompassing 68 conditions. There were 211 women (28%) in whom a new diagnosis was detected; a higher percentage of older women than younger women had a new diagnosis. A diagnosis severity grouping scheme was devised, groups C and D being those in which further evaluation was clearly indicated. The diagnoses in groups C and D accounted for 70% of all new diagnoses made, suggesting that trivial conditions were not overrepresented. The history and physical examination alone was responsible for 50% of the various conditions diagnosed and 64% of the total number of new diagnoses. The consultant has an excellent opportunity to detect disease while performing a specialty consultation.

Adult

Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

The incidence of osteoporosis in patients receiving long-term glucocorticoid therapy is 30% to 50%. Trabecular bone is lost more rapidly than cortical. The cause of glucocorticoid-induced bone loss is multifactorial. Gastrointestinal absorption of calcium falls and urinary excretion rises, production of gonadal hormones decreases, and bone formation is inhibited in the presence of glucocorticoids. Bone loss can be minimized by using the lowest effective dose of a glucocorticoid with a short half-life, maintaining good nutritional status and physical activity, limiting sodium intake and giving a thiazide diuretic, maintaining serum 25-OHD at the upper limits of the normal range, giving estrogen replacement therapy to postmenopausal and amenorrheic women, and giving testosterone to men with low serum testosterone levels. The use of calcitonin or bisphosphonates should be considered.

Glucocorticoids

Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis: pathogenesis and management.

PURPOSE: To review the clinical picture, pathogenesis, and management of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. DATA IDENTIFICATION: Studies published since 1970 were identified from a MEDLINE search, articles accumulated by the authors, and through bibliographies of identified articles. STUDY SELECTION: Information for review was taken from 160 of the more than 200 articles examined. DATA EXTRACTION: Pertinent studies were selected; the relative strengths and weaknesses of these studies are discussed. RESULTS OF DATA SYNTHESIS: Studies in tissue and organ cultures suggest that glucocorticoids have a direct effect on bone, causing inhibition of bone formation and enhancing bone resorption. Glucocorticoids decrease calcium absorption from the intestine and increase renal excretion. Osteoporosis occurs in at least 50% of persons who require long-term glucocorticoid therapy. Long-term trials of therapy for the prevention of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis have not been done, but reasonable recommendations include the use of a glucocorticoid with a short half-life in the lowest dose possible, maintenance of physical activity, adequate calcium and vitamin D intake, sodium restriction and use of thiazide diuretics, and gonadal hormone replacement. In refractory cases, the use of calcitonin, bisphosphonates, sodium fluoride, or anabolic steroids should be considered. CONCLUSIONS: Osteoporosis is common in patients requiring long-term treatment with glucocorticoids. Careful attention to preventive management may minimize the severity of this serious complication.

Animals

Inhibition of mediator release in systemic mastocytosis is associated with reversal of bone changes.

A 59-year-old male presented with systemic mastocytosis with extensive skeletal involvement resulting in vertebral compression fractures and bone pain. Histomorphometric analysis of bone revealed increased mast cells, elevated static parameters of bone resorption, and low bone formation. Serum calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase were normal; however, serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and osteocalcin levels were low. Histamine levels in plasma and urine were elevated. Following therapy with ketotifen, the patient had resolution of bone pain along with decreased flushing and pruritus. Elevated plasma and urine histamine levels normalized, as did 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and osteocalcin levels. Indices of low bone formation improved on therapy. Eroded surfaces improved but remained elevated. This case is the first demonstration that bone symptoms and histomorphometric change in systemic mastocytosis are reversed with inhibition of mast cell degranulation. The role of mast cells and their products in bone metabolism is poorly understood, but the therapy of bone disease in systemic mastocytosis should include inhibition of the release of mast cell products along with the use of histamine antagonist.

Bone Resorption

Osteoporosis associated with mastocytosis confined to bone: report of two cases.

Two women, ages 53 and 46, presented with multiple spontaneous vertebral fractures. Serum calcium, 25OHD, 1,25-(OH)2D, PTH, and 24-h urinary calcium were all normal. Bone mineral analysis (BMA) was performed at the junction of the distal third of the radius by single photon absorptiometry. BMA on Patient 1 was 0.68 g/cm2 and on Patient 2 was 0.58 g/cm2, with the normal being 0.70 g/cm2 and 0.77 g/cm2, respectively. In addition to vertebral fractures, x rays of Patient 2 revealed lytic lesions of the tibia and ulna. Bone biopsies revealed osteopenia associated with generalized eosinophilic fibromastocytosis and increased resorption without evidence of increased numbers of osteoclasts. There was no evidence of extraskeletal mast cell involvement. Our observations contribute to the increasing evidence that mast cells play a direct role in the etiology of osteoporosis in certain patients. Possible pathophysiologic mechanisms include mast cell release of heparin, histamine, prostaglandin D2 or other osteolytic substances.

Bone Resorption

Contributing diagnoses in osteoporosis. The value of a complete medical evaluation.

Osteoporosis often occurs as a consequence of, or is accelerated by, many medical diseases, drug exposures, or other conditions. We called these conditions contributing diagnoses. Although technological advances permit the accurate measurement of bone density, identifying osteoporosis without searching for contributing diagnoses may result in remediable diseases being missed or in the initiation of inadvisable therapy. The value of comprehensive medical evaluation in conjunction with appropriate diagnostic studies was demonstrated in an osteoporosis referral center. We studied 300 consecutive persons who presented to an osteoporosis clinic. Using strict criteria, 180 patients (60%) had osteoporosis. Of these 180 patients, 83 (46%) had one or more contributing diagnosis, ie, a condition thought to accelerate bone loss. The largest single group was composed of persons with past or present exposure to glucocorticoids; the second largest group consisted of women who had undergone premature menopause. In all, 27 different contributing diagnoses were identified. Additionally, in 19 (11%) of the 180 patients with osteoporosis, a contributing diagnosis new to those patients was made. The evaluation of osteoporosis does not only entail measurement of bone density but must also take into consideration a patient's entire medical milieu.

Adult

Spinal compression fractures in osteoporotic women: patterns and relationship to hyperkyphosis.

A prospective study of thoracic and lumbar spinal fracture distribution and its relationship to thoracic kyphosis was performed in 87 women with osteoporosis. Anterior wedge fractures were most commonly seen in the midthoracic spine and about the thoracolumbar junction, whereas central compression fractures were most common from the first to the fourth lumbar levels. Solitary wedge fractures did not occur above the seventh thoracic vertebra, suggesting that a cause other than osteoporosis must be suspected in any patient with an isolated high thoracic fracture. Analysis of the spinal radiographs obtained in an additional 16 women without osteoporosis revealed that both forms of fracture were unusual in this small group with normal spinal mineralization. The number of anterior wedge fractures in the thoracic spine correlated (r = .546) with the degree of thoracic kyphosis. However, 19% of the women with no thoracic fractures still had thoracic hyperkyphosis. The authors conclude that the hyperkyphosis of osteoporotic women is related to anterior compression fractures but also has contributing nonskeletal factors.

Adult

Influence of nutritional factors on calcium-regulating hormones and bone loss.

UNLABELLED: The relationships between nutritional factors, calcium regulating hormones, and bone density were evaluated in three groups of normal subjects in rural southeast Kansas. Dietary intake of calcium (Ca), phosphorous (P), protein, and vitamin D; and serum 25OHD, Ca, P, parathyroid hormone (iPTH), and bone density (distal 1/3 radius) were measured in 29 elderly women, 35 elderly men, and 50 perimenopausal women. Measurements were repeated 5 years and 4 years later respectively in 16 elderly women and 15 elderly men. The r values for significant regression correlations for each group were as follows: perimenopausal: bone density and dietary Ca:P--r = .29, iPTH and 25OHD--r = -.38; elderly women: 25OHD and dietary Vitamin D(D)--r = .58, change in bone density (delta BD) and initial bone density (BDI)--r = -.71, delta BD and serum 25OHD--r = -.60, serum calcium and age--r = -.42; elderly men: Serum 25OHD and D--r = .61, iPTH and 25OHD--r = -.43, iPTH and serum phosphorous--r = .59. CONCLUSIONS: The more adequate the state of vitamin D nutriture, the lower the serum iPTH in perimenopausal women and elderly men and the less bone loss in elderly women. The Ca:P ratio in the diet may be important in maintaining bone density in perimenopausal women.

Adult

Endocrine studies in a male patient with choriocarcinoma and gynecomastia.

Sex hormone profiles were studied in serum and tumor extracts of a man with pulmonary choriocarcinoma and gynecomastia. Although levels of serum estrogens were elevated as expected, serum androgen levels were uncharacteristically quite high. Tumor extract contained increased quantities of both androgens and estrogens when compared with surrounding normal lung tissue, but lacked the enzymes necessary for androgen biosynthesis while retaining aromatase activity. It is concluded that unlike the usual male patient with choriocarcinoma, the tumor-derived beta-human chorionic gonadotropin stimulated testicular androgen production. These androgens were in turn concentrated by the tumor and converted in part to estrogens. Furthermore, gynecomastia can occur even in the face of high serum androgen concentrations provided total estrogen levels are also disproportionately elevated.

Adult

Androblastomas and thyroid disease in postmenopausal sisters.

Androblastomas are virilizing ovarian tumors found predominantly in premenopausal women. Reported are two postmenopausal sisters with androblastomas, the first such occurrence in the literature. An association has been proposed between the familial occurrence of these tumors and thyroid adenomas or nontoxic goiter. Of the two patients studied, one had a history of Graves disease and the other had thyroid cancer. The authors conclude that the associated thyroid pathology in the families described and in the studied patients is inconsistent and does not represent a unique multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome.

Adenocarcinoma

Serum osteocalcin is increased in patients with hyperthyroidism and decreased in patients receiving glucocorticoids.

Osteocalcin (OC) is a vitamin K-dependent protein which is synthesized by osteoblasts and is present in the circulation. We measured serum OC concentrations in 10 patients receiving corticosteroids (CS) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and in 9 hyperthyroid (HT) patients. Mean values ( +/- SE) were as follows: There was a significant correlation between OC and alkaline phosphatase (r = 0.607; P = 0.006) when CS and HT groups were combined. Elevated serum OC concentrations in hyperthyroid patients may reflect increased osteoblastic activity, while decreased levels in corticosteroid-treated patients may reflect decreased osteoblastic activity.

Adult

Hepatocellular carcinoma: an unusual course with hyperthyroidism and inappropriate thyroid-stimulating hormone production.

A 61-yr-old woman was found to have multicentric hepatocellular carcinoma associated with clinical hyperthyroidism. Marked elevations in serum thyroid-stimulating hormone, T4, T3, and free T4 were documented. These values increased with tumor progression. It is postulated that this patient's hepatoma produced a substance stimulating thyroid-stimulating hormone synthesis and secretion with resultant inappropriate thyroid-stimulating hormone production and thyrotoxicosis. This unusual association of hepatocellular carcinoma with clinical and biochemical evidence of hyperthyroidism and inappropriate thyroid-stimulating hormone production has not been previously reported.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

Pyomyositis. Increasing recognition in temperate climates.

Pyomyositis is common in the tropics yet is rarely reported in temperate climates. A woman in whom pyomyositis developed in a temperate climate is presented. Computed tomography was the key in the diagnosis of the disease involving the muscles of the left lateral chest wall. The patient's condition responded to intravenous antibiotics and open abscess drainage. The 31 cases reported in the United States are reviewed. Unfamiliarity still poses a barrier to early diagnosis, although pyomyositis is being more frequently described in temperate climates.

Adult

Osteoporosis--a review and update.

Osteoporosis is a common disorder in women. Fifty percent of women more than 65 years of age have bone mineral density below the fracture threshold. Factors which accelerate bone loss include deficiency of gonadal hormones, nutritional effects, lack of exercise, smoking, alcoholism and endocrinopathies. Fractures of the hip, vertebra and radius occur much more frequently in patients with osteoporosis. Chronic pain is caused by compression fractures of vertebrae resulting in mechanical changes in the spine. The most desirable treatment is prevention. Adequate dietary intake of calcium, exercise and avoidance of excess intake of protein and phosphorus should be advised. Treatment with fluoride is promising but requires further study.

Aged