The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Predictive Value of Imaging Studied for Calcium Crystal Deposition in Rheumatic Diseases

Predictive Value of Imaging Studied for Calcium Crystal Deposition in Rheumatic Diseases

September 17, 2017 • By Thomas R. Collins

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
A colored X-ray of a calcified shoulder joint reveals a deposit of calcium at the top right of the shoulder joint.

A colored X-ray of a calcified shoulder joint reveals a deposit of calcium at the top right of the shoulder joint.
Miriam Maslo / Science Source

MADRID—Calcification in osteoarthritis (OA) involves a series of pathways and interactions that feed off each other in a process that bears some resemblance to the transformation of cartilage to bone that takes place in the embryonic stage of human development, a researcher said here at the 2017 Annual European Congress on Rheumatology (EULAR).

You Might Also Like
  • Calcium Crystal Deposition in Rheumatic Diseases: Mechanisms & Evaluation of Calcium Crystal Deposits Explored
  • Research Reveals Clues Into Inflammatory Process of Crystal Arthropathies Note Experts at the 2013 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting
  • Whole-Body MRI, Ultrasound Imaging May Aid in Early Rheumatic Disease Diagnosis, Treatment
Explore This Issue
September 2017
Also By This Author
  • EULAR: Identify Arthritis Early, Treat it Effectively

“My hypothesis is that osteoarthritis is a restart of endochondral ossification in the adult organism,” said Jessica Bertrand, PhD, professor of orthopedic surgery at Otto-von Guericke University in Madgeburg, Germany. “The chondrocytes seem to differentiate into a more hypertrophic state, similar to endochondral bone formation.”

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Dr. Bertrand’s research found this differentiation process is activated as the amount of calcification increases in vivo and in vitro. “This [finding] indicates a link between chondrocyte hypertrophy and cartilage calcification,” she said.

She described a key role of the pyrophosphate pathway, which is involved in the production of basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystals.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

In their OA cohort and in mouse models, increased expression of collagen X was linked with an increase in calcification, while greater expression of nucleotide pyrophosphatase phosphodiesterase (NPP1) was associated with decreased calcification.1 Then, through BCP interaction with the extracellular matrix, the LRP6 receptor is phosphorylated in the canonical Wnt pathway, which has been implicated in bone disease, leading to the differentiation of chondrocytes. Dr. Bertrand called it “a vicious cycle.”

“BCP crystals perpetuate the hypertrophic differentiation of chondrocytes,” she said. “The data suggest that OA is characterized by the reactivation of molecular signaling cascades that, at least in part, resemble endochondral ossification.”

Calcific Tendinopathy

Christelle Darrieutort-Laffite, a PhD student in rheumatology at the University of Nantes in France, said a new analysis of cadaver samples produced somewhat surprising findings on calcific tendinopathy in the rotator cuff that shed light on the nature of the disease, but also raise other questions. This is a common disease, Dr. Darrieutort-Laffite said, but its origin is still mostly unexplained, with the molecular and cellular mechanisms not well identified.2

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

In the study, researchers collected samples from cadavers and used ultrasound to find calcified tendons. Then they were analyzed with micro computed tomography (CT) to assess how the deposits were distributed. Several types of histological staining were performed.

Researchers found several patterns. In two samples, small calcifications were spread between fibers in the tendons. In two others, larger deposits were encapsulated in fibrous tissue. In another, osseous changes to the tissue were seen in the tendon.

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Crystal Arthritis, Osteoarthritis Tagged With: 2017 EULAR Congress, Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, calcification, calcium, calcium pyrophosphate, crystal, Diagnosis, imaging, Osteoarthritis, radiography, Research, ultrasonography, X-rayIssue: September 2017

You Might Also Like:
  • Calcium Crystal Deposition in Rheumatic Diseases: Mechanisms & Evaluation of Calcium Crystal Deposits Explored
  • Research Reveals Clues Into Inflammatory Process of Crystal Arthropathies Note Experts at the 2013 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting
  • Whole-Body MRI, Ultrasound Imaging May Aid in Early Rheumatic Disease Diagnosis, Treatment
  • What Role Does Fascia Play in Rheumatic Diseases?

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2021 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.