ABSTRACT
Background: Delayed fetal skeletal ossification is one of the known complications of maternal diabetes. Objective: The present study was designed to evaluate the protective role of petroleum ether extract of Cissus quadrangularis (PECQ) on diabetes‑induced delayed fetal skeletal ossification. Materials and Methods: Female Wistar rats were rendered diabetic with streptozotocin (STZ, 40 mg/kg, intraperitonial) before mating. After confirmation of pregnancy, the pregnant rats were divided into three groups: normal control group, diabetic control group, and diabetic + CQ group. The diabetic + CQ group pregnant rats were treated with PECQ (500 mg/kg body weight) throughout their gestation period. Immediately after delivery, pups were collected from all three groups and processed for alizarin red S–alcian blue staining in order to examine the pattern of skeletal ossification. Results: Fewer ossification centers and decreased extent of ossification of forelimb and hindlimb bones were observed in the neonatal pups of diabetic control group as compared to those in the normal control group. PECQ pretreatment significantly restored the ossification centers and improved the extent of ossification of forelimb and hindlimb bones in the neonatal pups of diabetic + CQ group as compared to those in the diabetic control group. Conclusions: The results suggested that PECQ treatment is effective against diabetes‑induced delayed fetal skeletal ossification. However, further studies on the isolation and characterization of active constituents of PECQ, which can cross the placental barrier and are responsible for the bone anabolic activity are warranted.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We aimed to study the cross-sectional ossification pattern of the elbow, the sequence, and the time in Korean children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The radiographs of the elbow joint of 1418 children from newborn to age of 16 years taken from January 1993 to February 1999 were reviewed. The presence of 6 secondary ossification centers were recorded with all-or-none approach, and sex and chronologic age were also recorded. We took the point of 50% positive ossification as the reference mean for comparison, and found the point by cubic spline method. X2 test was done to compare the ossification time between boys and girls and injured elbow against normal elbow. RESULTS: The boys had following sequential development of ossification centers; capitulum, radial head, medial epicondyle, olecranon, trochlea, lateral epicondyle at age of 1, 6.7, 7.3, 10.8, 11.2, and 13 years, respectively; and the girls, capitulum, medial epicondyle, radial head, olecranon, trochlea, lateral epicondyle, at age of 1, 4.3, 4.3, 9.5, 9.5, and 10 years, respectively. Appearance of ossification centers except capitulum was delayed approximately for 2 years in boys as compared with that in girls (p0.05) . SUMMARY: The authors reported the patterns for the development of secondary ossification centers of Korean children using the cross-sectional study.