Could blood marker predict the risk of osteoporotic hip fracture in men?
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Overview
In new research published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, elevated blood levels of a certain chemokine, or small signaling protein, that promotes osteoclast formation were linked with a higher risk of hip fracture in men.
The study included 55 men and 119 women who had experienced a hip fracture an average of 6.3 years after their blood was collected. The participants were matched individually to controls who did not develop hip fractures.
Investigators observed higher blood levels of the chemokine CXCL9 in the pre-fracture blood samples of men with subsequent hip fractures compared with their non-fracture controls. No such difference was seen in women.
"The unexpected difference in the results between men and women in our study may be explained by how changes in sex hormone levels during aging could influence the level and effects of CXCL9 differently in older men and women," explained corresponding author Woon-Puay Koh from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
"Our findings open the exciting possibility that early interventions targeting CXCL9 or CXCL9-CXCR3 signaling could be beneficial in preventing hip fractures in older men," added co-corresponding author Christoph Winkler.
Ref: Woon-Puay Koh et. al,CXCL9 predicts the risk of osteoporotic hip fracture in a prospective cohort of Chinese men,Journal of Bone and Mineral Research,10.1002/jbmr.4646
Speakers
Isra Zaman
B.Sc Life Sciences, M.Sc Biotechnology, B.Ed
Isra Zaman is a Life Science graduate from Daulat Ram College, Delhi University, and a postgraduate in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a flair for writing, and her roles at Medicaldialogues include that of a Sr. content writer and a medical correspondent. Her news pieces cover recent discoveries and updates from the health and medicine sector. She can be reached at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.
Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751