Serum tumor markers in pediatric osteosarcoma: a summary review

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary high-grade bone tumor in both adolescents and children. Early tumor detection is key to ensuring effective treatment. Serum marker discovery and validation for pediatric osteosarcoma has accelerated in recent years, coincident with an evolving understanding of molecules and their complex interactions, and the compelling need for improved pediatric osteosarcoma outcome measures in clinical trials. This review gives a short overview of serological markers for pediatric osteosarcoma, and highlights advances in pediatric osteosarcoma-related marker research within the past year. Studies in the past year involving serum markers in patients with pediatric osteosarcoma can be assigned to one of four categories, i.e., new approaches and new markers, exploratory studies in specialized disease subsets, large cross-sectional validation studies, and longitudinal studies, with and without an intervention

Reference values of bone stiffness index and C-terminal telopeptide in healthy European children

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Quantitative ultrasound measurements and bone metabolic markers can help to monitor bone health and to detect impaired skeletal development. Population-based reference values for children may serve as a basis for preventive measures to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures in later life. This is the first paper providing age-, sex-and height-specific reference values for bone stiffness index (SI) and serum carboxy-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX) in healthy, apparently prepubertal children. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In the population-based IDEFICS baseline survey (2007-2008) and follow-up (2009-2010), 18 745 children from eight European countries were newly recruited. A total of 10 791 2-10.9-year-old and 1646 3-8.9-year-old healthy children provided data on SI of the right and left calcaneus and serum CTX, respectively. Furthermore, height and weight were measured. Percentile curves were calculated using the General Additive Model for Location Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) to model the distribution of SI and CTX depending on multiple covariates while accounting for dispersion, skewness, and the kurtosis of this distribution. RESULTS: SI was negatively associated with age and height in children aged 2-5 years, whereas a positive association was observed in children aged 6-10 years. The dip in SI occurred at older age for higher SI percentiles and was observed earlier in taller children than in smaller children. The CTX reference curves showed a linear-positive association with age and height. No major sex differences were observed for the SI and CTX reference values. CONCLUSION: These reference data lay the ground to evaluate bone growth and metabolism in prepubertal children in epidemiological and clinical settings. They may also inform clinical practice to monitor skeletal development and to assess adverse drug reactions during medical treatments

Plasma homocysteine level and selected dietary habits in young healthy men

Metabolizm Hcy zależy od wielu czynników, takich jak spożycie kwasu foliowego oraz witamin B6 i B12. Liczne badania dotyczą zależności między spożyciem metioniny lub diety wysokobiałkowej a stężeniem homocysteiny. Wyniki tych prac nie są jednoznaczne, stwierdzono bowiem zarówno wzrost jak i brak zmian stężenia Hcy w odpowiedzi na zmiany spożycia wymienionych składników. Celem niniejszych badań było poszukiwanie zależności między stężeniem homocysteiny we krwi a sposobem żywienia, głównie spożyciem białka, metioniny oraz witaminy B6 u mężczyzn. W badaniach wzięło udział 65 zdrowych młodych mężczyzn. Ich zwyczaje żywieniowe oceniano na podstawie 4 wywiadów dotyczących spożycia w czasie 2 dni w tygodniu i 2 dni wolnych od zajęć (sobota i niedziela). Spożycie białka, metioniny oraz witaminy B6, szacowano wykorzystując program komputerowy FOOD 2. Oznaczenia stężeń homocysteiny w osoczu wykonano metodą immunologicznej polaryzacji fluorescencyjnej (FPIA) stosując gotowe zestawy firmy Abbott (USA) Stwierdzono, że stężenie homocysteiny w osoczu było istotnie i ujemnie skorelowane jedynie z procentem energii pochodzącej z białka (r= -0,372, p=0,003) oraz z w gęstością pokarmową metioniny (r= -0,319, p=0,02). Nie wykazano natomiast korelacji między stężeniem Hcy w osoczu a spożyciem witaminy B6 w dziennych racjach pokarmowych i jej gęstością, a także między stężeniem homocysteiny a spożyciem tłuszczów i węglowodanów. Wyższa wartość współczynnika korelacji między stężeniem homocysteiny a spożyciem białka niż między spożyciem metioniny sugeruje, że również obecne w białkach witaminy przyczyniają się do obniżenia stężenia homocysteiny w osoczu.Elevated plasma homocysteine level is recognized as independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Homocysteine metabolism in the body is precisely regulated by many factors including dietary habits as folic acid, vitamin B6 and B12 daily intakes. Data concerning the relationship between methionine daily intake and plasma homocysteine concentrations are contradictory indicating increased or decreased plasma homocysteine levels in response to high protein or high methionine daily intakes. This study aimed at the evaluation of the relationship between habitual dietary habits of young, healthy men and plasma homocysteine levels. A total of 65 healthy students volunteered to participate in the study. Their dietary habits were assessed from 4 dietary records concerning daily food intake during two week days and weekend. Macronutrient, methionine and vitamin B6 intakes were calculated using FOOD 2 computer program purchased from Institute of Food and Nutrition in Warsaw. Blood was drawn from antecubital vein after overnight fast. Plasma homocysteine concentration was determined by fluorescence polarization immunoassay using commercial kits from Abbott (USA). It has been demonstrated that plasma homocysteine levels were significantly and inversely correlated with daily total protein intake (r = -0,372, p=0,003) and to lesser extent with methionine nutritional density (r=-0,319, p=0,02). There were no correlation between daily vitamin B6 intake and plasma homocysteine concentration. Assuming our results it could be postulated that habitual daily intake of protein and consequently methionine has a beneficial effect on plasma homocysteine levels in young healthy men. In addition, it seems feasible that protein effect on plasma homocysteine is due to methionine and protein-originated vitamins action