Bone remodeling markers: monitoring the changing bone

Transition to bipedalism was crucial to human evolution and is a distinctive characteristic of human beings that differentiates us from our primate ancestors. Walking on two legs definitely gave us a variety of advantages. However, the human skeleton underwent substantial morphological adaptations, including an S-shaped spine curvature and caused changes to the pelvis for the skeleton to be able to bear the burden.

The skeleton is a highly-specialized tissue that undergoes continuous remodeling throughout life. Around 20 % of bone tissue is replaced annually by the remodeling process. This process is mediated by coordinated action of osteoclasts and osteoblasts. When a disbalance occurs between these processes, bones turn more porous. Osteoporosis was first described by the French anatomist Joseph Guichard Duverney (1648–1730) in his posthumous book Treatise on bone diseases. The term “osteoporosis” was first coined in 1833 by the French physician Lobstein to refer to porous bones observed in autopsies. Currently, osteoporosis is defined as “a skeletal disease characterized by a reduced bone strength, which increases the risk for fractures”. Therefore, osteoporosis is established as a function of bone strength, which is determined by the combination of bone density and bone quality.

CITATION  Adv Lab Med. 2024 Feb 21;5(1):4-6.  doi: 10.1515/almed-2024-0005