A Comparison of Estrogen and Two Different Doses of Calcitonin in Ovariectomized Rats

The purpose of this study was to investigate the treatment efficacies of salmon calcitonin (SC) and estrogen in a type-I osteoporotic rat model. Sixty, 3-month-old, female Wistar rats were divided into six groups. The first group was used as the control, and the second a sham, the other four were surgically ovariectomized. 24 hours after the ovariectomy, they were either left untreated (OVX), or treated with an injection of either 17-beta estradiol (E2) 30 mcg/kg/24 hours, low-dose calcitonin (LDC) 10 IU/ kg/48 hours or high-dose calcitonin (HDC) 20 IU/kg/48 hours. 6 weeks later, the bone densities were measured by DEXA, the animals sacrificed and the femurs harvested for histomorphometric evaluation. The bone mineral densities (BMD) of the spine and proximal femur were lower in the OVX group, but only the values of the spine BMD were statistically significant. The BMD of the spine seemed to be preserved with all the treatments. The histomorphometric evaluation revealed that after the OVX the decrease in the trabecular volume was prevented by all the treatments. However, significant changes in the indices of bone formation were not shown. In conclusion, all the treatments prevented bone lost in the ovariectomized rats. Histopathological measurements of bone formation are unlikely to provide any evidence for the effects of these agents on the osteoblastic function. In the animal model of estrogen depletion, our results suggest that the calcitonin provides an important alternative therapy for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Gastrointestinal Side Effect Profile Due to the Use of Alendronate in the Treatment of Osteoporosis

The aim of our study was to evaluate the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract side effect profile in 759 female patients that had taken alendronate (10 mg/day), for at least 6 months, for the treatment of osteoporosis, in relation to the safety of alendronate and the compliance of patients to its absorption rules. This study was a multicentered retrospective, clinical, non- placebo controlled, study of 759 female subjects carried out at 26 centres in 6 different regions of Turkey. The mean age of our patients was 62.6+/-8.6, with 51.2%in the age range 60 to 69 years. 158 patients (20.8%) were considered to have upper GI tract complaints with nausea as the most often encountered symptom. Of the subjects with upper GI tract complaints, 20% reported discontinued drug use, and 30% reported the requirement of an additional drug in order to abolish their complaints. Approximately 537 (71%) of the patients stated they had been given written information about the administration of the drug, and at least 93 patients (12%) and 73 patients (18.4%) acknowledged non compliance with the safety and absorption rules, respectively. In our study, no significant difference was found between the adherence to the safety measures and upper GI tract complaints (p > 0.05), but that upper GI tract complaints were higher in patients taking additional medication to alendronate (p < 0.05).

Bone Metabolism and Bone Mineral Density in Premenopausal Women with Mild Depression

This study was undertaken to investigate the bone metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD) in female patients suffering from depression. Forty-two female patients diagnosed with depression and 42 healthy women, all in the premenopausal age, were enrolled. A clinical evaluation, measurements of the biochemical markers of bone metabolism and BMD measurements were performed. The BMD values were found to be similar in all measured sites. It was concluded that a low BMD was not a prominent feature of premenopausal women with mild depression, even though an increase in bone resorption was found.