ABSTRACT
A case of calcific tendinitis of the gluteus medius is presented. Calcification was evident in the soft tissue adjacent to the greater trochanter on plain radiographs. On the initial magnetic resonance images (MRI), inflammatory edematous change was detected not only in the gluteus medius but also in the bone marrow of the greater trochanter, corresponding to the painful area. Three months later, calcification disappeared on plain radiographs and the femur showed normal signal intensity on MRI. Initial MRI excluded other diseases' including infection and bone tumor, and serial MRI confirmed that the change in extraosseous and intraosseous findings were in accordance with self-limiting clinical symptoms.
Subject(s)
Calcinosis/diagnosis , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Tendinopathy/diagnosis , Acute Disease , Aged , Buttocks , Calcinosis/complications , Humans , Male , Tendinopathy/complicationsABSTRACT
The cause of the dramatic increase in expression of the osteopontin gene during fracture healing was studied in a mouse experimental model. Semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Northern blotting, and in situ hybridization analysis showed that the enhanced expression took place prior to callus formation. The change in the expression pattern of collagenous and noncollagenous bone matrix proteins in addition to Ets-1 and Runx2, major transcription factors of osteopontin, were examined and compared to that of osteopontin. Although Ets-1 expression showed no significant change during fracture healing, enhanced expression of Runx2 corresponding to that of osteopontin was observed. Furthermore, in situ hybridization demonstrated that osteopontin-expressing cells also express the Runx2 gene. The results indicated the possibility that Runx2 is a major regulator of osteopontin during fracture healing.