Multiple myeloma (MM) is a B cell malignancy characterized by enhanced bone loss that commonly associated with diffuse osteopenia, focal lytic lesions, pathologic fractures, and bone pain. The key mechanism of bone damage in myeloma is the abnormal regulation in bone metastasis, with increased osteoclast function and decreased osteoblast activity. This article reviewed the factors implicated, such as receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB (RANK), receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha), SDF-1 and Wnt pathway. Further understanding of the regulation system of bone homeostasis helps to offer possible targets for future therapy.
Bone Diseases ; etiology ; Bone and Bones ; pathology ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma ; complications ; pathology ; Osteoblasts ; pathology ; Osteoclasts ; pathology

Osteosarcoma of the skull is a very rare condition. Moreover, it is extremely rare for osteosarcoma to present as multiple lesions confined to the skull. A 58-year-old woman was admitted with two masses in the parietal area of the skull, accompanied by mild headache and tenderness. Imaging revealed two masses with a heterogeneous consistency in the cranial bones. Excision craniectomy was performed and the pathology was consistent with osteoblastic osteosarcoma. Two nodules in the heart were found on routine follow-up imaging while the patient was undergoing chemotherapy. The nodules were biopsied and found to be metastatic osteosarcoma.
Drug Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Headache ; Heart ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Osteoblasts ; Osteosarcoma* ; Pathology ; Rabeprazole ; Skull*

Animals ; Cytoplasm ; ultrastructure ; Fibroblasts ; ultrastructure ; Fractures, Bone ; pathology ; Microscopy, Electron ; Osteoblasts ; ultrastructure ; Rabbits ; Wound Healing

The ectopic bone formation is a condition in which mature lamellar bone is formed in tissues that do not normally ossify, which was first described by Riedel in 1883. It has been observed at sites of chronic infection, hemorrhage, fibrous scarring or contracture. The pathophysiology of ectopic bone formation is not clearly identified but has complex and multifaceted causes, which resulted to differentiate the non-circulating pluripotent mesenchymal cells to osteoblastic stem cells. The local environment conditions of trauma, disruption of soft tissues and periostium, bone debris, hematoma, damaged muscle, uncommitted fibroblasts are suspected to be one of the causes of this condition. Comparing to simple soft tissue calcification, the ectopic bone has all the morphologic and biochemical characteristics of orthotopic bone, which is subjected to turnover and even has the ability for bone marrow formation. A case of late occlusion in a femoro-post. tibial PTFE graft about 5 months after vascular reconstruction due to ectotopic bone formation, which is confirmed by pathology around the graft is presented. After excision of the ectopic bone around the inflow vascular anastomosis site with re-vascularization, the patient was free from the ischemic leg symptoms. We reported a case of occlusion of vascular anastomosis site by ectopic bone formation with review of literature.
Bone Marrow ; Cicatrix ; Contracture ; Fibroblasts ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leg ; Osteoblasts ; Osteogenesis ; Pathology ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Stem Cells ; Transplants

To analyze the differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs in subchondral osteoblasts in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and to investigate the key miRNAs potentially involved in the occurrence and progression of OA.
 Methods: Subchondral bones were harvested from 6 patients with OA. All subjects were divided into two groups which was based on the severity of joint wear: An OA group, severely worn side of subchondral bone, and a control group, less worn side of subchondral bone. The exosomes were extracted from osteoblast cells and their characteristics were identified. Then exosomal miRNAs were extracted and sequencing analysis was conducted to compare the expression in the two groups. The most differentially expressed ones (log2Ratio≥2) were subject to miRNA target prediction and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) to further quantify the difference.
 Results: Osteoblast extractions were confirmed to be exosomes, which were small double-membranous vesicles with 30-200 nm in diameter and 50-150 nm in peak value of particle size under the scanning microscope. High-throughput sequencing revealed 124 miRNAs whose expression significantly increased in the OA group. The most differentially expressed one with maximum fold change was hsa-miR-4717-5p and its target gene was RGS2. RT-qPCR demonstrated hsa-miR-4717-5p expression in the OA group was relatively higher than that in the control group (2.243 vs 0.480, P<0.01).
 Conclusion: There is distinct difference in expression profiles of exosomal miRNAs in subchondral osteoblasts between patients with OA and normal subjects. Up-regulated expression of miRANs might participate in OA occurrance and progression.
Bone and Bones ; Exosomes ; genetics ; pathology ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; Osteoarthritis ; physiopathology ; Osteoblasts ; pathology

Animals ; Bone Matrix ; pathology ; Bone and Bones ; pathology ; Collagen Type I ; metabolism ; Collagen Type III ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Humans ; Muscle, Skeletal ; metabolism ; pathology ; Osteoblasts ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Osteoclasts ; pathology ; Osteocytes ; pathology ; Osteogenesis Imperfecta ; classification ; metabolism ; pathology ; Skin ; pathology

Meningioma is a common primary tumor of central nervous system. However, extracranial extension of the intracranial meningioma is unusual, and mostly accompanied the osteolytic change of the skull. We herein describe an atypical meningioma having extracranial extension with hyperostotic change of the skull. The patient was a 72-year-old woman who presented a large mass in the right frontal scalp and left hemiparesis. Brain magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans revealed an intracranial mass, diffuse meningeal thickening, hyperostotic change of the skull with focal extension into the right frontal scalp. She underwent total removal of extracranial tumor, bifrontal craniectomy, and partial removal of intracranial tumor followed by cranioplasty. Tumor pathology was confirmed as atypical meningioma, and she received adjuvant radiotherapy. In this report, we present and discuss a meningioma en plaque of atypical histopathology having an extracranial extension with diffuse intracranial growth and hyperostotic change of the skull.
Aged ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Meningioma* ; Osteoblasts* ; Paresis ; Pathology ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Scalp ; Skull*

Bone is a dynamic organ that bone remodeling occurs throughout life and involves the process in which the bone matrix is broken down through resorption by osteoclasts and then built back again through bone formation by osteoblasts. Usually these two processes balance each other and a stable level of bone mass is maintained. We here discuss transcription factors involved in regulating the osteoblast differentiation pathway. Runx2 is a transcription factor which is essential in skeletal development by regulating osteoblast differentiation and chondrocyte maturation. Its companion subunit, Cbf beta is needed for an early step in osteoblast differentiation pathway. Whereas Osterix (Osx) is a new identified osteoblast-specific transcription factor which is required for the differentiation of preosteoblasts into more mature and functional osteoblasts. We also discuss other transcription factors, Msx1 and 2, Dlx5 and 6, Twist, and Sp3 that affect skeletal patterning and development. Understanding the characteristics of mice in which these transcription factors are inactivated should help define their role in bone physiology and pathology of bone defects.
Animals ; Bone Matrix ; Bone Remodeling ; Chondrocytes ; Friends ; Humans ; Mice ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts ; Osteogenesis* ; Pathology ; Physiology ; Tooth* ; Transcription Factors

A rare case of telangiectatic osteosarcoma of the sphenoid bone was reported. The patient was a 27-year-old male and had suffered from left eye protrusion and diplopia for three months. Radiologically, a lobulated osteolytic lesion was located between sphenoid and left temporal bone. Pathologically, the tumor had multiloculated blood filled cystic vascular spaces and osteoid formation by malignant spindle osteoblast cells. The differential diagnosis of this rare entity from aneurysmal bone cyst was important radiologically and pathologically. This case is the second case of telangietatic osteosarcoma of the sphenoid bone followed by a case of Whitehead RE and Melhem ER in 1998.
Adult ; Aneurysm ; Bone Cysts ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diplopia ; Humans ; Male ; Osteoblasts ; Osteosarcoma* ; Pathology ; Skull Base* ; Skull* ; Sphenoid Bone ; Temporal Bone

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the osteogenesis and adipogenesis in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from normal rats and osteoporotic rats by ovariectomy. Osteoporotic animal model was established in 3 month-old and 6 month-old female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats by ovariectomy. Animal experiments were divided into 4 groups: 1) control-3 group; 2) ovx-3 group; 3) control-6 group and 4) ovx-6 group. MSCs were isolated by means of the density-gradient centrifugation method from each group, respectively. Colony-forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-Fs ) number, CFU-Fs size distribution and cell density in CFU-Fs of primary passage MSCs were measured at the inverted phase contrast microscope. The cell cycle and proliferation index (PI) as well as apoptosis idex (AI) of MSCs were studied by (FCM). After osteogenic induction (OSI), calcium nodes of MSCs were marked by alizarin red staining (ARS); The expression level of alkaline phosphatase(ALP) was detected by dynamics method with substrate of phosphoric acid para-Nitro benzene and the content of osteocalcin (OCN) was detected with the isotope labelling method. After adipogenic induction (ADI), lipid droplet in MSCs were detected by oil red O staining and the mRNA level of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) was measured by RT-PCR. The results showed that CFU-Fs and PI are obviously decresed and AI are increased of MSCs in OVX-3 and OVX-6 groups (P<0.05). The secretory volume of ALP and BGP of MSCs and the content of calcium nods of MSCs are lower in OVX-3 and OVX-6 groups than that in control-3 and control-6 groups after osteogenic induction (P<0.05). The number of lipid droplet and the expression level of LPL mRNA are higher in OVX-3 and OVX-6 groups than that in control-3 and control-6 (P<0.05). The result in our study suggested that depress of osteogenesis and the up-regulation of adipogenesis of MSCs in osteoporotic rats by ovariectomy may be relate close to the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.
Adipocytes ; pathology ; Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; pathology ; Cell Differentiation ; physiology ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; pathology ; Osteoblasts ; pathology ; Osteoporosis ; etiology ; pathology ; Ovariectomy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stem Cells ; pathology