Bone
Teriparatide has been shown to reduce microdamage accumulation in the iliac crest of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis previously treated with alendronate in a study by Dobnig et al. No change in microdamage accumulation occurred in patients who were treatment-naïve before the study. Animal models have previously indicated that microdamage accumulation occurs as a result of bisphosphonate-mediated suppression of bone turnover.
Obesity
Obese or underweight women are more likely to have recurrent miscarriages than women with a normal BMI, Metwally and colleagues report. No increase in the risk of subsequent miscarriage was noted for overweight women. Advanced maternal age is, however, a more important factor than BMI for predicting the occurrence of miscarriage.
Diabetes
Ziegler et al. have found that Actovegin® [Nycomed Austria] is a promising agent for the treatment of diabetic polyneuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Compared with placebo, Actovegin treatment was associated with notable improvements in neuropathic symptoms as assessed by Total Symptom Score, vibration perception threshold, sensory function, and quality of life, with no differences in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups.
Ziegler, D. et al. Treatment of symptomatic polyneuropathy with actovegin in type 2 diabetic patients. Diabetes Care 32, 1479–1484 (2009).
Bone
The bisphosphonate zoledronic acid increases BMD and reduces bone modeling and turnover in children with avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Johannesen and coworkers investigated the efficacy of zoledronic acid therapy (for at least 12 months) in 20 children with slipped capital femoral epiphysis and 17 children with Legg–Calve–Perthes disease. The increases in BMD were most pronounced in individuals with Legg–Calve–Perthes disease.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
In brief . Nat Rev Endocrinol 5, 525 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2009.172
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2009.172