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R S Bockman

Publications and source records attributed to R S Bockman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

A multicenter trial of low dose gallium nitrate in patients with advanced Paget's disease of bone.

Gallium nitrate is a potent antiresorptive drug that has been extensively tested in patients with accelerated bone turnover. We have evaluated the effects of this new agent in a pilot multicenter trial of 49 patients with advanced Paget's disease of bone. Patients were randomized to receive 0.05, 0.25, or 0.5 mg/kg.day gallium nitrate administered by sc injection in two 14-day cycles. Serum alkaline phosphatase, fasting 2-h urinary hydroxyproline and N- telopeptide collagen cross-links excretion, and quality of life were assessed every 2 weeks for 12 weeks. The group mean alkaline phosphatase activity at baseline was 854 +/- 100 (+/- SEM) IU/L. The mean changes from baseline to week 12 in serum alkaline phosphatase were +0.5%, -24%, and -31%, respectively, for the three doses tested. The differences for each of the higher dose levels (0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg.day) was statistically significant (P < or = 0.05), and nearly half of the patients treated with the 0.5 mg/kg.day dose achieved a 50% or more reduction in enzyme activity. The nadir value in hydroxyproline excretion occurred at 10 weeks, with mean changes of +9%, -10%, and -17% for the 0.05, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/kg.day doses, respectively; the difference was significant only at the 0.5 mg/kg.day level (P < 0.01). Urinary collagen cross-link excretion showed a significant decrease at the 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg.day doses. We also observed a definite, but nonsignificant, trend for improved quality of life in patients treated at the highest drug dose. Minor discomfort at the injection site was frequently reported, but did not lead to interruption of therapy. Our results in these patients who had received moderate to extensive prior therapies with other drugs show that cyclical, low dose, sc administration of gallium nitrate is safe and effective for treating patients with advanced Paget's disease of bone.

Adult

Effect of calcium citrate supplementation on urinary calcium oxalate saturation in female stone formers: implications for prevention of osteoporosis.

In 14 women aged 37-68 y with a history of renal calcium calculi, bone densities were 12.0% below those of age-matched control subjects at the L2-4 lumbar spine (P = 0.007) and 6.4% less at the femoral neck (P = 0.095). A low-oxalate diet was supplemented with 1 g Ca/d as citrate. In 6 mo, plasma 1,25(OH)2D concentrations fell from 53.2 +/- 18.8 to 41.9 +/- 15.2 ng/L (P = 0.02) and parathyroid hormone from 39.1 +/- 17.0 to 30.8 +/- 12.5 ng/L (P = 0.02). Calcium oxalate saturation was 2.15 +/- 1.38 at baseline, 2.27 +/- 1.00 at 1 mo, and 2.06 +/- 1.57 at 6 mo. The increase in urinary calcium at 1 mo from 4.411 +/- 1.87 to 6.514 +/- 2.82 mmol/24 h (P = 0.01) was offset by a parallel increase in citrate excretion from 2.909 +/- 1.45 to 3.455 +/- 1.34 mmol/24 h (P = 0.03). Calcium citrate supplementation did not increase the lithogenicity of the women in this protocol.

Adult

A review of calcium preparations.

There are more than a dozen commonly prescribed calcium supplements and hundreds of different formulations commercially available. Numerous factors need to be considered when selecting a calcium preparation. Physical properties such as solubility, interference from coingested medications or foodstuffs, dosage, and timing can all affect the bioavailability of calcium. Medical conditions such as lactose intolerance, impaired gastric acid secretion, and high risk profile for kidney stone formation may impact on selection of a calcium supplement. This article will review the available literature and make general recommendations for the optimal use of calcium preparations.

Achlorhydria

Gallium nitrate regulates rat osteoblast expression of osteocalcin protein and mRNA levels.

Gallium nitrate, a group IIIa metal salt, has been found to be clinically effective for the treatment of accelerated bone resorption in cancer-related hypercalcemia and Paget's disease. Here we report the effects of gallium nitrate on osteocalcin mRNA and protein levels on the rat osteoblast-like cell line ROS 17/2.8. Gallium nitrate reduced both constitutive and vitamin D3-stimulated osteocalcin protein levels in culture medium by one-half and osteocalcin mRNA levels to one-third to one-tenth of control. Gallium nitrate also inhibited vitamin D3 stimulation of osteocalcin and osteopontin mRNA levels but did not affect constitutive osteopontin mRNA levels. Among several different metals examined, gallium was unique in its ability to reduce osteocalcin mRNA levels without decreasing levels of other mRNAs synthesized by ROS 17/2.8 cells. The effects of gallium nitrate on osteocalcin mRNA and protein synthesis mimic those seen when ROS 17/2.8 cells are exposed to transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1); however, TGF-beta 1 was not detected in gallium nitrate-treated ROS 17/2.8 cell media. Use of the RNA polymerase II inhibitor 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole demonstrated that gallium nitrate did not alter the stability of osteocalcin mRNA. Transient transfection assays using the rat osteocalcin promoter linked to the bacterial reporter gene chloramphenicol acetyltransferase indicated that gallium nitrate blocked reporter gene expression stimulated by the osteocalcin promoter. This is the first reported effect of gallium nitrate on isolated osteoblast cells.

Animals

Gallium nitrate increases type I collagen and fibronectin mRNA and collagen protein levels in bone and fibroblast cells.

Gallium is a Group IIIa transitional element with therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of metabolic bone disorders. Previously described antiresorptive effects of gallium on osteoclasts are not sufficient to account for the full range of effects of gallium on bone structure and metabolism. We have recently shown that gallium nitrate inhibits osteocalcin gene expression and the synthesis of osteocalcin protein, an osteoblast-specific bone matrix protein that is thought to serve as a signal to trigger osteoclastic resorption. Here we present evidence for an additional mechanism by which gallium may function to augment bone mass by altering matrix protein synthesis by osteoblastic and fibroblastic cells. Rat calvarial explants exposed to gallium nitrate for 48 h showed increased incorporation of 3H-proline into hydroxyproline and collagenase digestible protein. In addition, gallium treatment increased steady-state mRNA levels for fibronectin and type I procollagen chains in primary rat calvarial osteoblast-enriched cultures, the ROS 17/2.8 osteoblastic osteosarcoma line, and nontransformed human dermal fibroblasts. These findings suggest that the exposure of mesenchymally-derived cells to gallium results in an altered pattern of matrix protein synthesis that would favor increased bone formation.

Adult

Prostaglandin E1 inhibits collagenase gene expression in rabbit synoviocytes and human fibroblasts.

Cartilage breakdown, as seen in inflammatory and degenerative joint diseases, can be mediated by proteolytic enzymes, such as the metalloproteinase collagenase, the only enzyme able to digest collagen at neutral pH. In vitro collagenase gene expression can be stimulated by the phorbol ester tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate. We have investigated the effect of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate-stimulated collagenase mRNA levels in the rabbit synoviocyte cell line HIG-82. PGE1, but not PGE2 or PGF2 alpha, was able to selectively reduce collagenase mRNA levels in a dose-dependent fashion. PGE1 markedly increased intracellular levels of cAMP, while PGE2 and PGF2 alpha had little or no effect on cAMP production in the HIG-82 synoviocytes. Agents known to increase intracellular cAMP levels, such as the adenyl cyclase activator forskolin and the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), mimicked the effect of PGE1, on collagenase mRNA levels. PGE1, forskolin, and IBMX also decreased collagenase mRNA levels in human skin fibroblasts, demonstrating that this observation was not unique to the HIG-82 cell line. Transient transfection experiments carried out in HIG-82 cells using a 1.2-kilobase portion of the 5'-flanking region of the human collagenase gene linked to the reporter gene luciferase demonstrated that PGE1, forskolin, and IBMX exert their inhibitory effect on the promoter region of the collagenase gene.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine

Microdistribution of lead in bone: a new approach.

A knowledge of the microdistribution of lead in bone is important in order to understand the mechanisms for accumulation and release of lead. The availability of the synchrotron x-ray microscope for sensitive measurements of bone content and distribution of lead provides a valuable tool which, when combined with kinetic, balance, and tissue measurements, can lead to better evaluation of lead toxicity. It may also provide the basis for the development of a suitable model of how lead behaves in the human body. An outline of an experimental protocol for exploitation of the x-ray microscope is given, along with synchrotron x-ray microscope measurements of the distribution of gallium in rat bone that demonstrate the feasibility of the experimental approach.

Animals

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha stimulates phosphatidylinositol breakdown by phospholipase C to coordinately increase the levels of diacylglycerol, free arachidonic acid and prostaglandins in an osteoblast (MC3T3-E1) cell line.

The effects of (human recombinant) tumor necrosis factor-alpha on phosphatidylinositol breakdown, release of 1,2-diacylglycerols, mobilization of arachidonate from diacylglycerol and prostaglandin synthesis were examined in a model osteoblast cell line (MC3T3-E1). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (10 nM) caused a specific (30%) decrease in the mass of phosphatidylinositol (and no other phospholipids) within 30 min of exposure. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha doubled the rate of incorporation of [32P]orthophosphoric acid into phosphatidylinositol, indicating that the turnover of inositol phosphate was enhanced, and increased the content of diacylglycerol in parallel with phosphatidylinositol breakdown. The cytokine (10-50 nM; 4 h) also promoted a specific release of 24-34% of the [3H]arachidonate from prelabeled phosphatidylinositol, a release of 80% of the 3H-fatty acid from the diacylglycerol pool, and a 30-fold increase in the synthesis of prostaglandin E2. The tumor necrosis factor-alpha induced liberation of [3H]arachidonate from diacylglycerol, cellular arachidonate release and the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 were each blocked by an inhibitor of diacylglycerol lipase, the compound RHC 80267 (30 microM). Therefore, we conclude that, in the MC3T3-E1 cell line, tumor necrosis factor-alpha activates a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (phosphatidylinositol inositolphosphohydrolase; EC 3.1.4.3) to release diacylglycerol, and increases the metabolism of diacylglycerol to liberate arachidonate for prostaglandin synthesis.

Animals

Bone particles from gallium-treated rats are resistant to resorption in vivo.

Gallium nitrate is a clinically effective agent for the treatment of cancer related hypercalcemia. The mechanism of action of this agent was investigated following development of a quantitative in vivo bone resorption assay modified from the method of Glowacki. In a preliminary study, the time course of resorption of 50 mg subcutaneous implants of bone powder in growing rats was followed by chemical analysis of mineral (ash and Ca) contents, enzymatic and histochemical assay of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, and image analysis of changes in particle size using von Kossa stained sections. Day 21 was chosen as a single time point for the comparison of the extent of resorption of gallium-containing and control bone particles. Resorption of bone particles containing 0.39 micrograms Ga/mg bone was significantly inhibited relative to control particles. Mineral content (6.7 vs. 3.6 mg), Ca content (1.72 vs. 1.37 mg), and the percentage of the field covered by bone particles (12 vs. 9%) were greater in the animals which received gallium-containing bone particles. Similarly, the number of osteoclast-like cells and the TRAP activity in the gallium-containing bone particle implants at 21 days were increased relative to controls. These data indicate that gallium incorporation into bone matrix confers resistance to resorption.

Acid Phosphatase

Gallium nitrate for advanced Paget disease of bone: effectiveness and dose-response analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a brief course of treatment with gallium nitrate can reduce biochemical parameters of accelerated bone turnover in patients with advanced Paget disease. DESIGN: Unblinded trial, decreasing dose schedules of gallium nitrate. SETTING: University hospital with primary orthopedic and metabolic bone disease specialty. PATIENTS: Ten patients with advanced Paget disease who had previously received conventional therapy consisting of calcitonin, etidronate, or mithramycin. INTERVENTIONS: Five patients were entered into each of three dose schedules: 2.5 mg/kg body weight per day by continuous intravenous infusion for 7 days; 0.5 mg/kg per day for 14 days by subcutaneous injection; and 0.25 mg/kg per day for 14 days by subcutaneous injection. Several patients were treated with different dose schedules. Patients were followed until relapse. RESULTS: Fifteen courses of treatment were administered to ten patients. Reductions in serum alkaline phosphatase and urinary hydroxyproline excretion were observed after treatment with each dose schedule. After treatment with high, intermediate, and low doses, the median maximum decreases in serum alkaline phosphatase activity were 49%, 39%, and 18%, respectively. The median maximum decreases in urinary hydroxyproline excretion were 50%, 52%, and 16%, respectively. The maximum decrease in urinary hydroxyproline excretion occurred within a median of 2 weeks from the start of treatment, whereas the maximum decrease in serum alkaline phosphatase activity occurred substantially later at a median of 6 weeks. All treatment schedules were well tolerated. Response duration was highly variable (range, 6 to 42 weeks). CONCLUSIONS: Short-term treatment with gallium nitrate can reduce biochemical parameters of disease activity in patients with advanced Paget disease of bone. Larger trials using low-dose intermittent treatment schedules are required to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this therapy.

Aged

Trace elemental analysis in bone using x-ray microscopy.

Following in vivo administration of gallium nitrate, the greatest concentrations of the therapeutic element gallium localized in the metaphysis and at the endosteal and periosteal surfaces of the diaphysis. These are the regions of greatest metabolic activity, where new bone formation and remodeling are occurring. The lowest levels of gallium were noted in the mid-cortical region of the diaphyseal shaft where bone turnover is least. The accumulation of gallium in the metaphysis was associated with a concomitant fall in iron and zinc. The gallium-induced change in the metaphysis may reflect a subtle modulation of metal dependent enzymes that are necessary for the active bone modeling that occurs in this bone region. X-ray microscopy has provided the first insights into the localization and possible mechanisms of action of gallium in bone.

Animals

Distribution of trace levels of therapeutic gallium in bone as mapped by synchrotron x-ray microscopy.

Gallium nitrate, a drug that inhibits calcium release from bone, has been proven a safe and effective treatment for the accelerated bone resorption associated with cancer. Though bone is a target organ for gallium, the kinetics, sites, and effects of gallium accumulation in bone are not known. We have used synchrotron x-ray microscopy to map the distribution of trace levels of gallium in bone. After short-term in vivo administration of gallium nitrate to rats, trace (nanogram) amounts of gallium preferentially localized to the metabolically active regions in the metaphysis as well as the endosteal and periosteal surfaces of diaphyseal bone, regions where new bone formation and modeling were occurring. The amounts measured were well below the levels known to be cytotoxic. Iron and zinc, trace elements normally found in bone, were decreased in amount after in vivo administration of gallium. These studies represent a first step toward understanding the mechanism(s) of action of gallium in bone by suggesting the possible cellular, structural, and elemental "targets" of gallium.

Animals