title: Trends in trabecular architecture and bone mineral density distribution in 152 individuals aged 30-90 years.
abstract: The strength of trabecular bone depends on its microarchitecture and its tissue level properties. However, the interrelation between these two determinants of bone quality and their relation to age remain to be clarified. Iliac crest bone cores (n=152) from individuals aged 30-90 years were analyzed by quantitative backscattered electron imaging. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine whether epidemiological parameters (age, sex or BMI), structural histomorphometrical variables (BV/TV, Tb.Th, Tb.N and Tb.Sp) and osteoid-related indices (OV/BV, OS/BS or O.Th) predict the degree of bone mineralization. While sex and BMI were not associated with bone mineralization, age was positively correlated with the most frequently occurring calcium concentrations (Ca peak), the percentage of highly mineralized bone areas (Ca high) and, in the case of adjusted covariates, also the mean calcium content (Ca mean). Bone volume fraction and trabecular thickness were both negatively correlated with Ca mean. However, trabecular thickness was additionally associated with Ca peak, Ca high as well as the amount of low mineralized bone (Ca low) and was the only structural parameter predicting bone mineralization independent of age. Furthermore, our analyses demonstrated that osteoid variables - within a normal range (<2% OV/BV) - were significantly associated with all mineralization parameters and represent the only predictor for the mineralization heterogeneity (Ca width). Taken together, we showed that elevated trabecular bone mineralization correlates with aging and bone loss. However, these associations are attributable to trabecular thinning that comes along with high bone mineralization due to the loss of low mineralized bone surfaces. Therefore, we demonstrated that the degree of areally resolved bone mineral is primarily associated with the amount of physiological osteoid present and the thickness of mineralized bone in trabeculae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Orthodontics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Till
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koehne
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Eik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vettorazzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Küsters
authors.affiliation: Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Rike
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lüneburg
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Bärbel
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kahl-Nieke
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Püschel
authors.affiliation: Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amling
authors.affiliation: Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: b.busse@uke.uni-hamburg.de.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Busse
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010388:Pelvis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Backscattered electron imaging; Bone mineralization; Histomorphometry; Osteoid; Osteoporosis; Turnover