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Biomedical subjects

L V Avioli

Publications and source records attributed to L V Avioli.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Single and dual energy tomographic analysis of spinal trabecular bone: a comparative study in normal and osteoporotic women.

To investigate the effects of age on rates of bone loss and the relationship between amount of trabecular bone and clinical severity of osteoporosis, trabecular mineral density of the lumbar spine (VMD) was measured in 55 osteoporotic women and 133 healthy women with both single energy (SE) and dual energy (DE) quantitative computed tomography (QCT). The amount of marrow fat was indirectly estimated by the difference (delta) between DE and SE VMD values. The rate of bone loss in the normal women was 1.14%/yr with SE and 1.03%/yr with DE QCT. Osteoporotic patients had a VMD decline of 1.62%/yr with SE and 1.17%/yr with DE QCT. Osteoporotic patients had significantly lower (P less than 0.0001) mean SE and DE VMD at any age, but VMD was not significantly different among groups characterized by different number of fractures or different radiographic severity of fractures. The threshold values of VMD below which the risk of having fractures was increased were 99.8 and 118.7 mg/cm3, respectively, for SE and DE QCT. Dispersion around the mean, overlap between osteoporotic and healthy women, and the incidence of asymptomatic osteoporosis were greater with DE than SE QCT. Osteoporotic women had higher delta values (P less than 0.05) compared to normal women, but delta did not correlate with clinical severity of osteoporosis. The results indicate that factors in addition to the amount of spinal trabecular bone determine the number and severity of fractures in osteoporotic women; DE QCT reduce the VMD underestimation due to intravertebral fat content, but not the overlap between osteoporotic and normal women; and further anatomical studies of osteoporotic vertebrae are necessary to investigate the effect of age on intravertebral fat.

Adult↗

(Na+ +K+)-ATPase activity in kidney basolateral membranes of non insulin dependent diabetic rats.

Insulin resistant, Type II diabetes mellitus (NIDD) in a rat animal model results in profound changes in basal and insulin-stimulated membrane (Ca2+ +Mg2+)-ATPase activity in kidney basolateral membrane (BLM) preparations. We find that NIDD in these animals does not result in similar changes in membrane (Na+ +K+)-ATPase activity. Basal enzyme activity was the same in diabetic and control animals. Insulin treatment of diabetic animals in vivo resulted in hyperinsulinemia and increased BLM (Na+ +K+)-ATPase, while food restriction for 18 hr resulted in lowered enzyme activity. There was no direct effect of insulin on (Na+ +K+)-ATPase activity in isolated membranes from any of the animal groups. Thus, physiologic perturbations which alter insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis are accompanied by altered levels of (Na+ +K+)-ATPase activity. Lower levels of this membrane enzyme activity appear to be associated with optimal insulin action.

Animals↗

Effects of age and estrogen on calcium absorption in the rat.

In order to differentiate the relative effects of age and estrogen on rates of calcium absorption and serum levels of parathyroid hormone and calcitonin, the effect of oophorectomy with and without estrogen replacement (2 weeks) was studied in rats for 30- or 120-day periods. Whereas oophorectomy for 30 days resulted in a significant decrease in serum calcium and an increase in serum phosphate, no change in either calcium or phosphate was observed in the 120-day oophorectomized animals. iPTH decreased in both the 30- and 120-day oophorectomized animals although these changes were not significant at the .05 level. Whereas no significant change in basal circulating calcitonin occurred in the 30-day oophorectomized rats, it decreased significantly in the older animals following the ablative procedure. Forty-five days following estrogen deprivation, calcitonin release to a calcium secretagogue was significantly blunted. Intestinal calcium absorption decreased with age, and unlike the increments in calcium absorption observed in the younger estrogen-repleted, 30-day oophorectomized rat, no change in calcium absorption was observed when estrogens were administered to the older, 120-day oophorectomized rat. The accumulated data suggest that the effects of estrogen loss on the hormonal control of bone metabolism and calcium absorption are age dependent, and that estrogen contributes significantly to changes in calcium homeostasis observed in the maturing rat.

Aging↗

Plasma calcium and phosphate levels in an adult noninsulin-dependent diabetic population.

Duplicate or triplicate measurements of fasting plasma glucose, calcium (Ca), phosphate (Pi), and glycosylated hemoglobins were performed on a group of non-insulin dependent diabetic patients and controls at 3-6 month intervals. In the diabetic group (48 males and 44 females), 18 were on diet only, 21 on diet and oral hypoglycemic treatment, and 51 on diet and insulin. These were a total of 217 measurements for each parameter. Results were compared to 416 measurements obtained from sex and age-matched controls. Plasma Ca levels were higher in the diabetic group (2.48 +/- 0.004 vs 2.38 +/- 0.006 mmol/liter) P less than 0.001; plasma Pi levels were similar to those of controls. The difference in plasma Ca was not influenced by age, sex, or mode of treatment. No correlation was found in the three treatment groups between plasma Ca and duration of diabetes nor with patients' weights. The results are consistent with the view that an alteration in calcium homeostasis accompanies the diabetic state.

Adult↗

Serum bone gla protein (BGP) and other markers of bone mineral metabolism in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Bone gla protein, the vitamin K-dependent protein synthesized by osteoblasts and measured in blood by radioimmunoassay, has been used as an index of the rate of bone turnover. The relationship of bone gla protein with other markers of bone mineral metabolism was determined in 31 untreated postmenopausal women with the osteoporotic syndrome. In addition to serum osteocalcin (BGP) we measured parathyroid hormone (PTH) (carboxyl and mid-molecule fragments), 25(OH)D, alkaline phosphatase, estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), dietary calcium intake, 24 hour urinary calcium excretion, and bone mineral density by CT scan of the lumbar vertebrae. Significant osteopenia was present on CT in untreated postmenopausal osteoporotic women (bone density in 18 out of 31 was below the critical value of 60 mg/cm3). Serum BGP correlated positively with CT scan (r + 0.647, P less than 0.001). CT and age were negatively correlated (r - 0.661, P less than 0.001) while CT and E2 showed a positive correlation (r + 0.554, P less than 0.01). Unexpectedly, BGP and age revealed a significant negative correlation (r - 0.421, P less than 0.05). These findings suggest a state of low bone turnover in this group with untreated postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Adult↗

Diurnal variation of serum calcium and phosphorus in postmenopausal women.

Serum calcium, ionized calcium, and phosphorus have been obtained at hourly intervals in nine healthy postmenopausal women. The hourly means of ionized calcium and phosphorus demonstrate significant diurnal variation with a similar apogee, nadir, and periodicity (24 hours). These results are distinct from the diurnal variation of ionized calcium and phosphorus previously reported for young men and provide more evidence of an altered mineral hemostasis in postmenopausal women.

Aged↗

Eel calcitonin suppresses plasma human calcitonin levels in medullary carcinoma of the thyroid.

The effects of synthetic [Asu1,7]-eel calcitonin (0.5 MRC unit/kg body weight intravenously for 30 min) on circulating levels of human calcitonin, calcium and gastrin were investigated in five patients with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. Blood samples were obtained before and 15, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min after commencement of infusion of [Asu1,7]-eel calcitonin. Plasma levels of human calcitonin were measured by radioimmunoassay. Cross-reactivity with [Asu1,7]-eel calcitonin in this assay was negligible. On infusion of [Asu1,7]-eel calcitonin, the mean plasma level of human calcitonin decreased significantly to 71.0 +/- 8.7% of the basal level (mean +/- SEM, P less than 0.05) after 30 min and 68.4 +/- 25.4% of the basal level (P less than 0.05) after 60 min. The serum calcium level also decreased significantly, but lagged behind the decrease of human calcitonin, being 95.1 +/- 0.7% of the basal level (P less than 0.01) at 120 min and 94.8 +/- 0.6% of the basal level (P less than 0.02) at 180 min. The mean plasma gastrin level did not change significantly on infusion of [Asu1,7]-eel calcitonin. In pooled data for all times, the percentage change in human calcitonin was not significantly correlated with either the percentage change in calcium (r = -0.25, P greater than 0.1) or the percentage change in gastrin (r = -0.38, P greater than 0.1).

Adolescent↗

Effect of short- and long-term stress on plasma calcium and calcitonin in the rat.

Although hypocalcemia has been observed during stress, the cause(s) is still unknown. The effect of short- and long-term restraint stress on calcitonin (CT) secretion and on plasma calcium (Ca), inorganic phosphate (P), total protein (TP), and corticosterone (CORT) were investigated in the male and female Sprague-Dawley rat. The rats were restrained in the supine position for two hours/day for either one day (STS) or for 14 days (LTS), and compared to normal controls (CON). Plasma Ca levels in both STS and LTS rats were significantly lower and mean plasma CORT levels in female stressed rats were significantly higher than those in sex-matched CON rats. However, mean basal levels of plasma CT did not differ among these three groups for either sex. Similarly, mean increment of plasma CT after Ca infusion (Ca 10 mg/100 g, i.v.) did not differ between STS or LTS rats and CON rats. These data reveal no causal relationship between CT and the hypocalcemia during either short-or long-term stressful stimuli.

Animals↗

Bone deficit in ovariectomized rats. Functional contribution of the marrow stromal cell population and the effect of oral dihydrotachysterol treatment.

This study investigates the proliferative and osteogenic role of marrow stromal/osteoprogenitor cells in the development of the cortical bone deficit in ovariectomized (OVX) female rats. In vitro, clonal growth of marrow stromal cells from OVX rats was significantly impaired (vs. sham-operated controls). Yet in vivo, cells from sham-operated and OVX rats had equal osteogenic potential in several in vivo experimental situations, such as in intraperitoneally implanted millipore diffusion chambers and in intramuscular implants of marrow plus osteoinductive bone matrix (composite grafts). Long-term (6 mo) dihydrotachysterol (DHT) treatment of OVX rats enhanced their in vitro proliferative potential and clonal growth, as well as their osteogenic expression in composite grafts. The observation that the in vivo osteogenic performance of OVX rat marrow stromal cells was normal at extraosseous sites suggests that the mechanisms leading to osteopenia may involve an abnormality in cell-matrix interactions.

Animals↗

Hormonal regulation of (Ca2+ + Mg2+)ATPase activity in canine renal basolateral membrane.

High affinity (Ca2+ + Mg2+)ATPase activity was demonstrated in proximal tubule basolateral membranes (BLM) obtained from canine kidney. The Km of the enzyme for free Ca2+ was 0.12 +/- 0.02 microM, and at 3 microM free Ca2+, the enzyme reached its maximal velocity. To evaluate hormonal regulation of this enzyme, we studied the in vitro effects of several polypeptide hormones on enzyme activity. We measured the effects of insulin and human (h) PTH-(1-34) and their inactive analogs desoctapeptide insulin, bovine (b) PTH-(3-34), and oxidized hPTH-(1-34); insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) I and II; calcitonin; and the common cellular mediator for PTH and calcitonin, cAMP. At 0.1 microM free Ca2+, insulin (25-100 microU/ml) increased (Ca2+ + Mg2+)ATPase activity in a dose-dependent manner by 35-52% (P less than 0.01) and by 8-13% (P less than 0.05 to P less than 0.01) at a 3-microM free Ca2+ concentration; hPTH-(1-34) PTH (10(-9)-10(-7) M) increased the enzyme activity at a free Ca2+ concentration of 0.1 microM by 13-25% (P less than 0.05 to P less than 0.01). IGF-I increased (Ca2+ + Mg2+)ATPase activity by 40% (P less than 0.05) at 0.1 microM free Ca2+ at high peptide concentrations (10 ng/ml). No effect was obtained at 2 ng/ml IGF-I. cAMP (10(-7)-10(-4) M) stimulated enzyme activity by 18-27% (P less than 0.05 to P less than 0.02) at 0.1 microM Ca2+ and by 8-12% (P less than 0.05 to P less than 0.01) at 3 microM Ca2+. The effects of insulin and cAMP on (Ca2+ + Mg2+)ATPase activity were additive. No effect on the enzyme activity was obtained by the inactive analogs desoctapeptide insulin, bPTH-(3-34), and oxidized hPTH-(1-34), or by calcitonin or IGF-II. The data suggest that insulin and PTH have a specific stimulatory effect on (Ca2+ + Mg2+)ATPase activity in canine kidney proximal tubular BLM. While the insulin action is independent of cAMP, a role of cAMP in the regulatory effect of PTH on this enzyme cannot be ruled out. The direct stimulatory effect of insulin and PTH on (Ca2+ + Mg2+)ATPase in canine kidney proximal tubular BLM suggests that these hormones mediate their cellular effects in part by changes in cellular calcium homeostasis.

Animals↗

Age and sex influences on urine calcitonin-like immunoreactivity in normal subjects.

Calcitonin-like immunoreactivity levels were determined in urine specimens in 585 normal subjects of various ages. Urine calcitonin-like immunoreactivity (uCTi) was measured by the midportion-specific radioimmunoassay after extraction of urine by gel chromatography on a 0.8 X 20 cm column of Bio Gel P-2. In 197 males and 169 females below 20 years old, significant negative correlations between the age and uCTi were observed (male: r = -0.684, female: r = -0.690). In 75 males and 80 females above 41 years, however, no significant correlation was observed between age and uCTi. The high level of uCTi in children could be explained by high levels of circulating calcitonin, associated with rapid bone growth; however the uCTi level in the elderly may not reflect the physiological significance of calcitonin for them because of a suspected age-related decrease in renal clearance of uCTi in the elderly.

Adolescent↗

Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase activity in kidney basolateral membrane in non-insulin-dependent diabetic rats. Effect of insulin.

The direct effect of insulin on the high-affinity Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase was studied in kidney proximal tubular basolateral membranes (BLM) obtained from control and streptozocin-induced non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) rats. Plasma glucose of the diabetic animals was only mildly elevated (217 +/- 9 vs. 138 +/- 3 mg/dl). Both high- and low-affinity calcium-dependent Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase activities were identified in the BLM. Enzyme activity in BLM from diabetic rats was higher at all Ca2+ concentrations tested due to a higher maximum velocity of the enzyme from NIDDM rats. The high-affinity Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase activity was inhibited by trifluoroperazine (TFP) in both membranes. No difference in calmodulin content was found in the membranes from the diabetic and control rats. Insulin (16-200 microU/ml) significantly increased the high-affinity Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase activity (17-40%) in membranes from control animals but had no effect on the enzyme activity in the membranes from the NIDDM rats. The basal activity of the enzyme at 0.1 microM free Ca2+ was higher in the BLM from the NIDDM animals compared to controls (17.8 +/- 0.5 vs. 14.7 +/- 0.8 nM Pi X mg-1 X min-1; P less than .02). There was no effect of insulin on the Ca2+-independent ATPase activity of BLM preparations. These findings demonstrate a defect in the ability of insulin to regulate the high-affinity Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase activity in BLM from diabetic rats. Such a defect in enzyme activity may play a role in the mechanism of impaired insulin action observed in these NIDDM rats.

Animals↗