Bone Abstracts

Autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type 2 (ADO2) is a rare genetic disease due to reduced osteoclast function. Clinical manifestations are variable, and in some cases the symptoms, including frequent fractures, osteomyelitis, hematologic and neural failures, are already evident during childhood and worsen with age. In 70% of cases, ADO2 is caused by heterozygous dominant negative mutations of the CLCN7 gene, encoding the Cl−/H+ antiporter type 7. We hypothesized that silen...

Breast cancer (BrCa) patients with metastases restricted to bone (BO) show a longer overall survival compared to BrCa patients developing bone and visceral metastases (BV). To unveil the molecular mechanisms that segregate these two BrCa patient groups, we performed microarray analyses on bone metastasis samples from BO and BV patients, finding in the latter a set of up-regulated genes involved in oxygen metabolism. We focused on Hemoglobin B (HBB) and evaluated its expression...

The renal stones found in the mummies of Pandolfo III Malatesta, Lord of Fano (1370–1427) and an anonymous nobleman from Popoli (XVIII century) were investigated using different techniques. Both specimens were examined with binocular stereomicroscopy (BSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), also with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Multiple tiny fragments from surface and inner portions were submitted to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Subsequently, the cal...

Ancient Egyptians were well known for the art of embalming, performed in the belief that preservation of the body was essential for survival in the afterlife. During the mummification process, internal organs were removed and some of them (lungs, stomach, liver, and intestines) washed, dehydrated with natron, perfumed, and stored in so-called canopic jars, buried with the mummy. Each jar had established contents and its own protective deity. To date, a limited number of studie...

IκB Kinase β (IKKβ), a key component of NFκB signaling, plays an important role in bone disease and cancer. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition of IKKβ/NFκB signaling increase bone mass and protect against ovariectomy- and inflammation-induced bone loss. Here, we describe a previously unknown role of the IKKβ/FoxO3a axis in bone metastasis associated with breast cancer. We observed that IKKβ expression is prevalent in invasive breast ...