Bone Abstracts

Fractures in children are common; prospective cohort studies suggest narrower bones predispose to fracture. Early life events can influence later growth and development. Observational studies suggest children born to mothers with lower vitamin D levels during pregnancy have narrower bones. We investigated the effects of maternal vitamin D deficiency on offspring’s bones’ response to mechanical loading in a model system.C57BL/6 female mice (...

Fractures in infancy raise the spectre of child abuse; it has been suggested that lack of vitamin D could result in bone abnormalities that could predispose to fractures. We utilised a mouse model system to investigate whether vitamin D deficiency in utero alters early bone growth and development.C57BL/6 female mice received vitamin D deficient or replete diet for 6 weeks, then mated and continued on their respective diets until weaning. Pups were culled...

Objectives: Maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy is associated with neonatal bone mass, and altered DNA methylation. Mice exposed to early life vitamin D deficiency have lower bone mass and reduced bone accrual in response to mechanical loading. Using tibias from these mice we assessed DNA methylation of promoters of genetic loci important for bone growth and development.Methods: C57/BL6 mice received a vitamin D replete or deplete diet for 6 weeks per...