Bone/Mineral Metabolism News

Leading bone health organizations have issued guidance for health care professionals treating people with osteoporosis during the COVID-19 pandemic, outlining important treatment adjustments for osteoporosis therapies and alternative methods for assessing fracture risk in the absence of a DXA scan.

Older men with sarcopenia are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes during 15 years of follow-up compared with men who have more lean body mass, according to findings published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

A team of researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in collaboration with GenScript, are developing a synthetic antibody to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This antibody is intended to block the virus from entering human lung cells, and, if successful in trials, could be a potential treatment option for patients infected with the novel coronavirus.

Patients with an acute osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture and hypoalbuminemia based on preoperative serum albumin levels were statistically more likely to develop major complications, such as sepsis, septic shock, pulmonary embolism, reintubation and prolonged intubation, according to study results.

Alan J. Garber, MD, PhD, MACE, a leading expert on diabetes and cardiometabolic disorders and long-time chief medical editor of Endocrine Today, died Thursday, April 9.

Women aged 65 years or younger who underwent surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy for gynecologic cancer appeared at higher risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis as early as 1 year after treatment, according to study results presented at the virtual Society of Gynecologic Cancer Annual Meeting.

A lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria were shown to have a “synergistic effect” in increasing risk for hip fracture among a cohort of Korean adults, according to findings published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Researchers observed a U-shaped relationship between circulating testosterone levels and fracture risk among a cohort of Australian men, with men with a midrange plasma testosterone concentration at lowest risk for sustaining any fracture or hip fracture during a decade of follow-up, according to findings from a community-based study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The effect of testosterone supplements on bone mineral density and the risk for fracture or falling among men with testosterone deficiency remains inconclusive, according to findings published in BMC Endocrine Disorders.

Adolescents and young adults with obesity who underwent sleeve gastrectomy experienced a reduction in bone mineral density measures in the year after surgery when compared with nonsurgical controls, but did not experience a decrease in bone strength despite significant weight loss, according to findings published in Bone.