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Researchers use isotopes to reliably, safely measure bone loss

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Researchers at Arizona State University and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are using isotopic analysis to measure bone loss — and have found it to be more sensitive, as well as safer for patients.

The technique, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, involves the analysis of calcium isotopes. Because this can be done through urine testing, the authors noted in an Arizona State University news release, patients do not need to ingest artificial tracers or be exposed to radiation.

“Bone loss … occurs in a number of cancers in their advanced stages,” study author Ariel D. Anbar, PhD, stated in the release. “By the time these changes can be detected by X-rays, as a loss of bone density, significant damage has already occurred. Also, X-rays aren’t risk-free. We think there might be a better way.”

The authors examined calcium isotopes in the urine of 12 healthy subjects confined to bed rest for 30 days. With skeletal unloading underway, the researchers performed analyses of the patients’ urine and found the new technique can detect bone loss after as little as 1 week of bed rest — long before changes in bone density are detectable by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

According to the study abstract, the authors found that calcium isotope abundances found in urine change rapidly in response to changes in bone mineral balance. They noted the technique may make it possible to diagnose metabolic bone disease and track treatment efficacy more effectively than is currently possible. Still, they added, more research is needed.

“This is a proof-of-concept paper,” Abnar stated. “We showed that the concept works as expected in healthy people in a well-defined experiment. The next step is to see if it works as expected in patients with bone-altering diseases. That would open the door to clinical applications.”

Reference:

Morgan JLL, Skulan JL, Gordon GW, et al. Rapidly assessing changes in bone mineral balance using natural stable calcium isotopes. Proceed Natl Acad Sci. 2012. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1119587109