Objective. To investigate the prognostic value of serum hyaluronic acid (HA) and keratan sulfate (KS) levels in relation to tibiofemoral osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.Methods. Clinical and demographic data were collected on 94 patients. Radiographs were obtained at study entry and at 5-year followup. Disease progression was defined as 2 mm of joint space narrowing of any tibiofemoral compartment, and/or knee joint surgery during the study period. Serum HA and KS were measured and levels were correlated with entry data and disease progression.Results. At entry, HA levels were significantly related to disease duration (P = 0.036), minimum joint space (P = 0.049), and previous surgery (P = 0.001).After these variables were taken into account, patients whose disease had progressed were shown to have had significantly higher levels of HA at baseline compared with those whose disease had not progressed (P = 0.019). However, there were no significant differences in levels of serum KS between those with and those without disease progression, at entry (P = 0.779) or at subsequent visits.Conclusion. These results suggest that serum HA levels predict disease outcome in OA of the knee and confirm that a single measurement of the serum level of KS is not useful as a prognostic marker in OA.Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of pain and disability in the elderly (1). Between 2% Supported by the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council.

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densitometry values were compared with those from 106 age-matched controls (mean age 74.3 years, range 66-90). RESULTSOf the 174 patients, 73 (42%) were osteoporotic (t score £ -2.5) and 65 (37%) were osteopenic (t score -1 to -2.4). This compares with a 27% incidence of osteoporosis in the control group ( P = 0.022). There were also no significant correlations between prostate specific antigen levels, Gleason score, tumour stage, biochemical markers and the presence or absence of osteoporosis risk factors. CONCLUSIONPatients with advanced prostate cancer requiring ADT have a high incidence of osteoporosis before treatment. In addition, osteoporosis in these men cannot be predicted from clinical or biochemical values. Therefore, bone densitometry should be used in all patients with advanced cancer requiring ADT, as the results have implications for the choice of cancer therapy and the prophylaxis for osteoporosis.

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Objective. To test the hypothesis that scintigraphic evidence of bone activity will correlate with biochemical evidence of increased matrix turnover in osteoarthritis (OA). Conclusion. These data support the hypothesis that there is an association between late-phase bone scan abnormalities and SF biochemical markers of bone turnover in OA. MethodsThe standard clinical and radiographic methods used to assess osteoarthritis (OA) are only able to provide crude and insensitive measures of outcome, such as pain, functional impairment, and those anatomic changes which are severe enough to be seen on a plain radiograph. However, modern technology is providing exciting new information about the disorder. Advanced imaging techniques such as magnetic resoSupported by the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council.