Thursday, December 15, 2016

Osteoporosis Can Affect Anyone But There May Be a Cure

Now it may seem I'm selecting articles for medical interest and personal requirement but it's not true and my preference for the science articles is any we can play out for interesting sci fi effect (i.e. if that's true then this could be true as well).  The science presents as it will and I follow whatever comes with some of it being interesting but really not worth an article but others are of the current nature which may be near-miraculous for hundreds of millions of people.

Researchers have discovered another type of growth factor (Osteolectin) in mice which reverses osteoporosis.  The disease results in loss of bone density, etc and the consequence is that a fall for an old geezer is much more dangerous than for a young person.  (Science Daily:  Scientists discover new bone-forming growth factor that reverses osteoporosis in mice)

There is personal interest in this one since it's been diagnosed in me and I take Vitamin D by prescription which, right away, is a bit unusual.  Plus I need to take a couple of horse pill Calcium supplements.  When the science says this may be preventable or curable in future, sure, I'm interested.

Osteoporosis won't reach a 'curable' status in time for me since it's long years before anything gets from observation in mice to reality in humans but the disease affects an estimated two hundred million people worldwide so there's a large incentive to address the problem.  You're not immune, Dagwood, since it seems it only targets women but it ain't so.

Note:  there's no complaint since I don't feel anything; there's no obvious indication of anything until you take a fall and, whoa, what do you mean I broke my hip and need a replacement.


"These results demonstrate the important role Osteolectin plays in new bone formation and maintaining adult bone mass. This study opens up the possibility of using this growth factor to treat diseases like osteoporosis," said Dr. Sean Morrison, who led the team that made the discovery. Dr. Morrison, CRI Director, holds the Mary McDermott Cook Chair in Pediatric Genetics at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and the Kathryne and Gene Bishop Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Research at Children's Research Institute at UT Southwestern.

Osteoporosis, a progressive bone disease characterized by decreased bone mass and an increase in fractures, affects over 200 million people worldwide. Most existing therapies such as bisphosphonate drugs reduce the rate of bone loss, but they do not promote new bone growth. Teriparatide (PTH) is the only agent currently approved for the formation of new bone, but its use is limited to two years due to a potential risk of osteosarcoma.


- Science Daily

The last aspect of a potential risk of any type of cancer almost certainly means substantial testing before it ever gets near humans but all of us want that.  My need is, I guess, moderate but there's no chance I would volunteer for a research program when the risk is I may end up worse off from it.  Nope, that won't happen.


A secondary motive in presenting this material is something all of us here at various frequencies, that 'doctors are only in it for the money' or the variant 'they would cure this but cancer is a cash cow for them.'  That thinking is deeply-cynical and it's bloody rubbish into the bargain.  I see parades of research from scientists trying every possible idea to discover whatever drives cancer and the idea it persists due to the mercenary nature of doctors is an unfair discrediting of people doing noble work (i.e. it's selfless work without the enormous financial rewards of those who 'play the system.')

Hopefully all have seen "Doc Hollywood" and George Hamilton plays the excellent Hollywood plastic surgeon who is certainly in it for the money.  We know such doctors exist but characterizing all that day works ... until you're screwed and need the real kind of doctor which you know perfectly well is in existence everywhere.

Ed:  aren't you the medical apologist!

Not really.  The generalization is bogus and I don't like it.  If America really has a case on parasites in the medical system, Martin Shkreli would have been eaten by dogs by now.

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