Effect of pamidronate on skeletal morbidity in myelomatosis. Part 1. The results of the first 12 months of pamidronate therapy. (25/642)

BACKGROUND: Osteolytic bone destruction caused by increase of osteolytic activity is a major manifestation of multiple myeloma (MM). Pamidronate (3-amino-1-hydroxypropylidene)-1,1-bisphosphonate) inhibits osteoclastic activity and reduces bone resorption. METHODS: Since October 1995 the efficacy of pamidronate is evaluated in MM patients all receiving anti-myeloma chemotherapy acc. to VMCP/VBAP alternating regimen. 46 patients with stage III myeloma and osteolytic lesions were randomized to receive either pamidronate (Aredia; Novartis) 60 mg i.v. in 4-hour infusion monthly (n = 23) or chemotherapy alone (control group n = 23). Estimation of performance status, quality of life, pain score, analgesic consumption, serum calcium concentration and twenty four-hours Calcium excretion, urine Calcium/creatinine ratio is done at least once a month (before pamidronate administration) while X-ray skeletal survey--before treatment and then every six months. RESULTS: In the first months of treatment apparent reduction of bone pain occurred. Hypercalcaemia was revealed in 6 patients at entry into the study. In 5 of these patients pamidronate restored and maintained normocalcaemia for a median 6 months. In 3 patients an aggressive plasma cell proliferation was accompanied by reoccurrence of hypercalcaemia. At skeletal X-ray examination performed after 6 and 12 cycles of pamidronate and by comparing each of consecutive imaging with previous one the progression of osteolysis was respectively found in 67% and 39% of patients. In the control group corresponding figures were: 79% and 70%. The mean number of skeletal events (pathologic fracture, radiation to bone and spinal cord compression) per year was lower in the pamidronate group (1.82) than in control-patients (2.72), p < 0.013. The proportion of patients who developed skeletal event (excluding vertebral fractures) was lower in the pamidronate group -34% v 52%. Adverse events of pamidronate: hypocalcaemia (< 2 mmol/l) observed in 7 patients occurred in particular patients beginning from 2 to 7 days after drug administration. In 2 patients hypocalcaemia that appeared in 24 hours after drug infusion was accompanied by blood pressure decrease; in one case systolic blood pressure dropped up to 60 mmHg, in the other one--to 90 mmHg. Muscular pain and fever up to 39 degrees C (transient and self-limiting "influenza like syndrom") occurred in 5 patients, in two patients after several hours and in three other--after some dozens of hours from drug administration. In one case hypertransaminasaemia was observed. CONCLUSIONS: In the first year of treatment monthly intravenous pamidronate administration as an adjunct to chemotherapy in patients with advanced multiple myeloma with osteolysis is an efficient approach in prevention and treatment of hyperacalcaemia, hypercalciuria and bone pain. It also shows some preventive effect on bone lesion occurrence.  (+info)

Effect of PMMA particles and movement on an implant interface in a canine model. (26/642)

The pathogenesis of aseptic loosening of total joint prostheses is not clearly understood. Two features are associated with loosened prostheses, namely, particulate debris and movement of the implant. While numerous studies have evaluated the cellular response to particulate biomaterials, few have investigated the influence of movement of the implant on the biological response to particles. Our aim was therefore to test the hypothesis that excessive mechanical stimulation of the periprosthetic tissues induces an inflammatory response and that the addition of particulate biomaterials intensifies this. We allocated 66 adult Beagle dogs to four groups as follows: stable implants with (I) and without (II) particulate polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and moving implants with (III) and without (IV) particulate PMMA. They were then evaluated at 2, 4, 6, 12 and 24 weeks. The stable implants were well tolerated and a thin, fibrous membrane of connective tissue was observed. There was evidence of positive staining in some cells for interleukin-6 (IL-6). Addition of particulate PMMA around the stable implants resulted in an increase in the fibroblastic response and positive staining for IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). By contrast, movement of the implant resulted in an immediate inflammatory response characterised by large numbers of histiocytes and cytokine staining for IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and IL-6. Introduction of particulate PMMA aggravated this response. Animals with particulate PMMA and movement of the implant have an intense inflammatory response associated with accelerated bone loss. Our results indicate that the initiation of the inflammatory response to biomaterial particles was much slower than that to gross mechanical instability. Furthermore, when there was both particulate debris and movement, there was an amplification of the adverse tissue response as evidenced by the presence of osteolysis and increases in the presence of inflammatory cells and their associated cytokines.  (+info)

Osteoprotegerin diminishes advanced bone cancer pain. (27/642)

Bone cancer pain most commonly occurs when tumors originating in breast, prostate, or lung metastasize to long bones, spinal vertebrae, and/or pelvis. Primary and metastatic cancers involving bone account for approximately 400,000 new cancer cases per year in the United States alone, and >70% of patients with advanced breast or prostate cancer have skeletal metastases. Whereas pain resulting from bone cancer can dramatically impact an individual's quality of life, very little is known about the mechanisms that generate and maintain this pain. To begin to define the mechanisms that give rise to advanced bone cancer pain, osteolytic 2472 sarcoma cells or media were injected into the intramedullary space of the femur of C3H/HeJ mice, and the injection hole was sealed using dental amalgam, confining the tumor cells to the bone. Twelve days after injection of 2472 tumor cells, animals showed advanced tumor-induced bone destruction of the injected femur, bone cancer pain, and a stereotypic set of neurochemical changes in the spinal cord dorsal horn that receives sensory inputs from the affected femur. Administration of osteoprotegerin, a naturally secreted decoy receptor that inhibits osteoclast maturation and activity and induces osteoclast apoptosis, or vehicle was begun at 12 days, when significant bone destruction had already occurred, and administration was continued daily until day 21. Ongoing pain behaviors, movement-evoked pain behaviors, and bone destruction were assessed on days 10, 12, 14, 17, and 21. The neurochemistry of the spinal cord was evaluated at days 12 and 21. Results indicated that osteoprotegerin treatment halted further bone destruction, reduced ongoing and movement-evoked pain, and reversed several aspects of the neurochemical reorganization of the spinal cord. Thus, even in advanced stages of bone cancer, ongoing osteoclast activity appears to be involved in the generation and maintenance of ongoing and movement-evoked pain. Blockade of ongoing osteoclast activity appears to have the potential to reduce bone cancer pain in patients with advanced tumor-induced bone destruction.  (+info)

Hydroxyapatite coated hip prosthesis followed up for 5 years. (28/642)

We prospectively studied 250 patients with a proximal hydroxyapatite coated hip prosthesis. The follow-up period was 5 years. All components showed osseointegration except for one deep infection. The morphology of bone remodeling with either endosteal bone formation or periosteal bone formation was dependent on the way the stem filled the medullary canal. No linear or distal osteolysis around the stems was observed.  (+info)

The effects of particulate bone cements at the bone-implant interface. (29/642)

We used a rat model in vivo to study the effects of particulate bone cements at the bone-implant interface. A ceramic pin was implanted into the tibiae of 48 rats. Three types of particle of clinically relevant size were produced from one bone-cement base without radio-opacifier, with zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) and with barium sulphate (BaSO4). The rats were randomly assigned to four groups to receive one of the three bone cements or normal saline with 2% v/v Sprague-Dawley serum as the control. A total of 10(9) particles was injected into the knee at 8, 10 and 12 weeks after the original surgery. The animals were killed at 14 weeks and the tibiae processed for histomorphometry. The area of fibrous tissue and the gap between the implant and bone were measured using image analysis. All three types of particle were associated with a larger area of bone resorption than the control. Only in the case of the BaSO4-containing cement did this reach statistical significance (p = 0.01). Particles of bone cement appear to promote osteolysis at the bone-implant interface and this effect is most marked when BaSO4 is used as the radiopaque agent.  (+info)

Osteoprotegerin inhibits osteolysis and decreases skeletal tumor burden in syngeneic and nude mouse models of experimental bone metastasis. (30/642)

Certain malignancies, including breast cancer, frequently metastasize to bone, where the tumor cells induce osteoclasts to locally destroy bone. Osteoprotegerin (OPG), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family, is a negative regulator of osteoclast differentiation, activation, and survival. We tested the ability of recombinant OPG to inhibit tumor-induced osteoclastogenesis, osteolysis, and skeletal tumor burden in two animal models. In a syngeneic model, mouse colon adenocarcinoma (Colon-26) cells were injected into the left ventricle of mice. Treatment with OPG dose-dependently decreased the number and area of radiographically evident lytic bone lesions, which, at the highest dose, were undetectable. Histologically, OPG also decreased skeletal tumor burden and tumor-associated osteoclasts. In a nude mouse model, OPG treatment completely prevented radiographic osteolytic lesions caused by human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Histologically, OPG decreased skeletal tumor burden by 75% and completely eradicated MDA tumor-associated osteoclasts. In both models, OPG had no effect on metastatic tumor burden in a panel of soft tissue organs. These data indicate that OPG may be an effective therapy for preventing osteolysis and decreasing skeletal tumor burden in patients with bone metastasis.  (+info)

Excision of tumours of humerus and femur, with restoration by internal prostheses. (31/642)

A personal experience is recounted of operations in cases of tumour involving the humerus or femur with restoration by endoprostheses. Twenty-four patients were treated in this way from 1950 to 1969 inclusive and have been followed up for between four and twenty-four years. The patients selected for treatment have presented chondrosarcoma (ten), so-called benign giant-cell tumour of bone, usually recurrent (nine), angiomatous osteolysis (two), seemingly single thyroid or renal metastasis (two), and ununited pathological fracture after irradiation of a tumour (one). Development of the prostheses from early beginnings is outlined. Some points in surgical management are referred to. The complications and results are recorded.  (+info)

Late results of transfer of the tibial tubercle for recurrent dislocation of the patella. (32/642)

The authors wished to determine the late results of the Hauser operation, with special reference to the development of osteoarthritis. Predisposing factors associated with recurrent dislocation of the patella were also investigated. Thirty-five patients with forty-four surgically treated knees attended for review, ten to twenty-five (average sixteen) years after operation. Two patients had subsequently undergone excision of the patella. Ten patients gave a family history of recurrent dislocation of the patella and seven patients showed generalised joint laxity. Pain was present in eight knees before operation and was present in thirty-three knees (75 per cent) at the time of review. Patella crepitus was present in thirty-seven out of forty-two knees (88 per cent) at review. Osteoarthritis was present in thirty out of forty-two knees (70 per cent). The incidence increases with time since operation and the present age of the patient. It is concluded that the Hauser operation prevents further dislocation but does not prevent the development of osteoarthritis. It is possible that a simple soft-tissue operation which effectively prevents dislocation might achieve the same results.  (+info)