P- Skeletal System Flashcards
What are the three bone groups of the skeleton?
- Axial- vertebrae, ribs, sternum
- Appendicular- limbs, scapula, pelvis
- Acral - hands and feet
What are the 4 regions of the bone?
- Diaphysis- midsection/shaft
- Metaphysis- area just under the physis
- Physis- growth plate
- Epiphysis - on the physis
What are the 2 different consistencies of bone? What is the majority of the body?
80% is compact (cortical, concentric, laminar pattern)
20% is trabecular (medullary, cancellous, spongy)
What are the cellular elements of bone?
What are the inorganic elements of bone?
Inorganic:
- type I collagen
- osteocaclin, osteonectin, proteoglycan
- hydroxyapatite- crystal lattice of calcium and phosphorus that solidifies the bony matrix
Cellular:
- Osteoblasts- synthesize type one cartilage and non-collagenous proteins of the bone matrix AND make an alkaline environment to lay down mineral
- Osteocytes- osteoblasts entombed in matrix that control Ca and Ph homeostasis
- Osteoclasts - bone resorption
What cell lineage do osteoblasts arise from?
What are their two major functions?
They arise from mesechymal stromal cells in the bone lining the medullary cavity.
- synthesis of type I collagen and non-collagenous protein of bone
- make the local environment alkaline so it is favorable to mineral deposition
What is the matrix secreted by osteoblasts called before it is mineralized? How long does it take to mineralize?
What happens if the mineralization is delayed?
Osteoid - takes 12 to 15 days for it to be mineralized by the deposition of hydroxyapatite.
If mineralization is delayed, a wide zone of osteoid is seen at sites of active bone formation (osteoid seam)
What ligands to osteoblasts change in response to?
- parathyroid hormones
- estrogen
- vitamin D
What is the morphology of osteocytes?
What are their 2 functions?
They are osteoblasts trapped in matrix. They have stellate shape and pseudopodia to communicate to each other and osteoblasts that line the bone surface.
- They control Ca and phosphorus homeostasis
- they respond to mechanical forces and microfractures to signal the osteoblasts to make more bone (remodeling/repair)
What cell lineage do osteoclasts arise from? What is their job?
What 4 signals differentiate them from precursors to active form?
They arise from macrophage/monocyte lineage and are responsible for bone resorption. They differentiate in response to: 1. RANKL (NfKb ligand) 2. TNF 3. IL-1 4. M-CSF
What is the 2 step process by which osteoclasts break down bone?
What is the excavation produced by osteoclasts called?
- dissolve the minerals by acidifying the extracellular space
- lysosomal proteases are released to digest the matrix proteins
The excavation is called “howship’s lacunae”
What is the difference between lamellar bone and woven bone?
Regular bone is lamellar- collagen is arranged in parallel and the small uniform osteocytes are scattered through the matrix.
Woven bone- forms rapidly in response to skeletal injury. It has osteocytes of various sizes and more numerous than lamellar bone. Collagen is in disarray
Where does woven bone exist in the adult skeleton?
- at sites of injury before it is replaced by lamellar bone
2. at tendonous insertions
What is the BMU?
Basic multicellular unit: osteoclasts break down old bone and osteoblasts replace it with new bone
What is the first step of remodeling? What is the currently accepted mechanism by which this occurs?
After this, how long does it take for osteoclasts to clear out a lacunae?
How long does it take for osteoblasts to replace it?
Activation- it is not well understood but current research suggest that osteocytes sense physical stress in the skeleton (mechanotransduction)
A new BMU starts every 10 seconds.
It takes 2-3 weeks for clasts to clear the old bone
It takes 3 months for blasts to build new bone
What is the major difference between remodeling and modelling of bone?
Remodeling- osteoblasts and osteoclasts communicate and are coupled to replace old bone with new (not adding or removing any total bone)
Modeling- leads to changes in the size and shape of bone (metaphysis must thin to width of diaphysis). Osteoblasts and clasts are still key, but they are UNCOUPLED.
Where are the 2 places where RANKL is?
What is the function of RANKL?
- on the surface of osteoblasts (upregulated by parathyroid, vitamin D and prostaglandin)
- produced by activated T cells involved with bone loss around joints affected by RA
RANKL binds to RANK receptor on osteoclast precursors causing them to mature
What is the secreted decoy receptor for RANKL ? What cell produces it?
Osteoprotegerin is secreted by osteoblasts and other cell types.
It competitively inhibits RANKr on osteoclasts from binding RANKL so the osteoclast precursor doesnt differentiate or mature.
What ratio controls the maturation and activity of osteoclasts?
RANK to osteoprotegerin
If there is decreased osteoprotegerin, more osteoclasts will activate and this can lead to dramatic loss of bone
Osteoblasts activate osteoclasts by upregulating RANKL.
How do osteoclasts activate osteoblasts?
They release anabolic cytokines like insulin-like growth factor (ILGF-1) and TGFb from digested bone
What are the 2 types of fracture? What is most common?
- trauma - most common
2. pathologic - fracture occuring in bone weakened by disease
A complete fracture disturbs what vessels?
What does this result in?
A complete fractures disturbs periosteal, cortical and medullary vessels resulting in local hemorrhage.
The hematoma is a source of kinin, PGs and inflammatory mediators (FGF, PDGF, and TGFb) which produce an inflammatory phase of bone repair.
How can you tell if a bone is necrotic?
Histiologically you will note an absence of osteocytes. This is a sign of necrotic bone.
What happens roughly one week after the fracture of bone?
Angioblasts and fibroblasts of the inflammatory response produce a procallus (soft, unstable)
What occurs in the reparative phase of the bone fracture?
Blood clot organizes and over several weeks:
- osteoclasts remove necrotic bone at the ischemic ends of the fracture
- chondroblasts and osteoblasts derived from progenitors in the periostium and medullary bone produce cartilage and woven bone to form a hard callus
What occurs during remodeling phase of fracture?
cartilage and woven bone are replaced by lamellar bone.
This takes months to years.
What are the 5 major causes of delayed bone healing after a fracture?
- poor nutrition
- infection
- instability at the fracture site
- poor bone quality (osteoporosis, osteogenesis imperfecta)
- remnants of necrotic bone aren’t cleared- osteoblasts cannot fill in the space because it is occupied
What is supperative (pyogenic) osteomyelitis? What are the 2 main ways this can occur?
What microorganism is associated with each pathway?
It is inflammation of the bone and bone marrow caused by infection.
- seeding of the microorganism after hematogenous spread– S. aureus
- infect as a direct extension - ex. diabetic ulcer, peridontal disease, fracture protrusion that allow infectious agents to enter the bone–polymicrobial
In hematogenous osteomyelitis, what determines where the bacteria will lodge in the bone?
Where does it typically go in neonates? Growing skeleton? Adult skeleton?
The vascular pattern at the physis.
- Neonates- metaphyseal vessels extend to epiphysis so bacteria can lodge on either side
- Growing skeleton the vessels cannot penetrate the growth plate so infection is in the metaphysis
- Adults the vessels once again communicate with epiphysis so either side
How do patient with osteomyelitis present clinically? What do early radiographs show? Late radiographs?
They present with fever and pain at the site of infection. The overlying soft tissue is often erythematous and red.
Early radiographs:
mineralized bone has not been resorbed yet at the site of infection so there won’t be much to see.
Late radiographs (1 week later) Lucency because RANKL > osteoprotegerin at the site of inflammation
What is necrotic bone from osteomyelitis called?
sequestrum
What happens when the exudate from osteomyelitis penetrates the cortex?
It elevates the periosteum, which activates periosteal osteoblasts to form a new sleeve of bone called the involucrum
What happens if the osteomyelitis lesion is neglected and it is able to break through the skin?
It will form a chronic draining tract (sinus) to the outside world.
Squamous cell carcinoma can develop in the tract.
Who is likely to develop granulamatous osteomyelitis? What bones are typically involved?
How does the infection get into the bone?
What is the disease called? What are the harmful sequelae?
1-3% of patients with TB get granulamatous osteomyelitis in the thoracolumbar/sacral vertebra.
The infection either enters the bone by hematogenous spread OR direct spread from the lungs/pulmonary lesions.
Pott’s disease.
Sequelae = compression of spinal nerves, scoliotic or kyphotic deformities
What is osteopetrosis?
What does it do to the density of the bone?
What are the extra-bone sequelae?
Osteoclast function is decreased and the people end up with too much bone–> sclerosis of the skeleton
Density of the bone is increased, but it will be brittle and easily fractured
- compression of cranial nerves
- extramedullary hematopoeisis/anemia
- hepatosplenomegaly
What are the 2 gene mutations associated with osteopetrosis?
Which can be cured with stem cell transplant?
- loss of carbonic anhydrase II - the osteoclast can’t locally acidify and thus are unable to break down the hydroxyapatite. CURE: stem cell transplant
- mutation in gene encoding RANKL- osteoclast poor osteopetrosis because the osteoclast precursors are unable to mature. Theorectic CURE: exogenous RANKL
A patient presents with blue sclera, poorly shaped teeth, hearing deficits and osteopenia. She has had multiple fractures and her bones are very brittle. What is the likely diagnosis? What is the genetic defect?
Osteogenesis Imperfecta- genetic disease where the synthesis of collagen type I is defective.
It can be in the a1 or a2 chain
If the multicellular unit is unbalanced __________ occurs. If the new bone formed by osteoblasts is not properly mineralized _________ occurs.
- osteoporosis
2. osteomalacia
What is osteomalacia?
What are people with this prone to?
What is seen histologically?
Softening of bone because of defective mineralization.
Bones are weak and prone to fracture with weight bearing.
Histologically you would see widened unmineralized osteoid seams lining the trabeculae.
What is osteomalacia called in children?
What are they prone to in addition to soft bones?
Rickets- they are prone to:
- conformation changes (bowing, bending)
- growth plates are overgrown and can fracture/bleed
- overgrowth of costrochondral junctions on the rib cage make “rachitic rosary”
Osteomalacia and rickets are most commonly secondary to a deficiency in what?
vitamin D
25hydroxyvitamin D is converted to 1,25 dihydroxyvitD in the kidney and is regulated by parathyroid hormone as well as serum Ca and phosphorus.
PTH stimulates vit D
Without vitamin D, what happens to dietary absorption of Ca and Phos? what does this lead to?
low vit. D leads to decreased absorption of ca and phos.
This means that they will not be able to mineralize the osteoid seam
When does the growing skeleton reach a peak bone mass? Which sex has higher bone mass? Which race has higher bone mass?
Peak in the 30s.
Men> women
Blacks> whites
What are the 2 main types of osteoporosis?
Type I - postmenopausal
Type II- senile
When does type I osteoporosis set in? What 2 things characterize it?
How much bone is lost/year?
It starts in the 5th decade of like with menopause and an abrupt loss of estrogen.
- increased osteoclast activity
- rapid bone loss
5-10% trabecular, 2% cortical