We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC

Thermo Fisher Scientific provides analytical instruments, lab equipment, specialty diagnostics, reagents and integrat... read more Featured Products: More products

Download Mobile App




Geochemistry Test Identifies Osteoporosis Earlier Than Standard Method

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 07 Jul 2020
In the USA, around 10 million people have osteoporosis and 44 million have low bone density. More...
Osteoporosis affects the bones of around 22 million people in the EU and about 85% of these people are women. It has a huge financial impact, which will increase as the population ages. Osteoporosis can be treated, but early diagnosis is important.

Isotopes of certain naturally occurring elements in the human body may have several advantages over traditional medical biomarkers and will probably introduce new, powerful, and practical sets of diagnostic tools. Among them stable Calcium (Ca) isotope ratios which may serve as sensitive biomarkers for osteoporosis and other diseases.

Scientists from GEOMAR (Kiel, Germany) and their medical colleagues developed a new system out of a standard technique for measuring trace elements and their isotopes in geochemistry. Geochemists routinely identify and quantify elements which have different stable isotopes. The team studied samples from a group of 80 women, 14 of whom had osteoporosis as measured by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the gold standard for determination of bone mineral density (BMD). Calcium isotope measurements were performed on a Neptune plus Multicollector-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bremen, Germany).

The scientists found that the ratio of calcium-44 to calcium-42 (44Ca/42Ca) was significantly lower in the blood and the urine of women with osteoporosis. The initial results showed that the test picked up 100% of the osteoporosis cases found by DXA. It seemed to over-estimate (in comparison to DXA) the number of women diagnosed with osteoporosis who did not have the condition, but a two-year follow-up in fact showed that many of these women went on to develop the disease.

Rukshana Shroff, MD, FRCPCH, PhD, a Consultant Nephrologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and a co-author of the study, said, “One of the beauties of the new method is that it measures calcium in the blood or urine, and so we get a picture of what's happening in the whole skeleton, not just the bone and spine. Importantly, we have found that we don't need to wait until bones become weaker to see the changes caused by calcium loss. This test allows us to see bones losing calcium more or less in real time, which means that we can pick up osteoporosis earlier and treat it.”

Anton Eisenhauer, PhD, a professor of geochemistry, and lead author of the study, said, “The test is already being used in routine settings. However, it's still expensive, due to the more sophisticated sample preparation and the use of high resolution Plasma Mass Spectrometers, but we anticipate the price will drop with increasing use, this happened even with DXA scanners when they were introduced. It's likely that the first practical use of these tests will be to measure how bone recovers when treated with bone building drugs. No other method can show this so sensitively and in a reasonable time.” The study was presented at the Goldschmidt 2020 virtual conference held June21 – June 26, 2020.



Gold Member
Troponin T QC
Troponin T Quality Control
Serological Pipet Controller
PIPETBOY GENIUS
New
Gold Member
Serological Pipets
INTEGRA Serological Pipets
New
Staining Management Software
DakoLink
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: Pancreatic cancer diagnosis (Photo courtesy of World Journal of Gastroenterology)

AI-Driven Preliminary Testing for Pancreatic Cancer Enhances Prognosis

Pancreatic cancer poses a major global health threat due to its high mortality rate, with 467,409 deaths and 510,992 new cases reported worldwide in 2022. Often referred to as the "king" of all cancers,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.