Gut microbiota influence the host immune system and are associated with various diseases. In recent years, postmenopausal bone loss has been suggested to be related to gut microbiota. In
the present study, we investigated the treatment effect of the probiotic Bacillus subtilis C-3102 (C-3102) on bone mineral density (BMD) and its influence on gut microbiota
in healthy postmenopausal Japanese women. Seventy-six healthy postmenopausal Japanese women were treated with a placebo or C-3102 spore-containing tablets for 24 weeks. When compared with
the placebo, C-3102 significantly increased total hip BMD (placebo = 0.83 ± 0.63%, C-3102 = 2.53 ± 0.52%, p=0.043). There was a significant group-by-time interaction effect for urinary type
I collagen cross-linked N-telopeptide (uNTx) (p=0.033), a marker of bone resorption. Specifically, the C-3102 group showed significantly lower uNTx when compared with the placebo group at 12
weeks of treatment (p=0.015). In addition, in the C-3102 group, there was a trend towards a decrease in the bone resorption marker tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (TRACP-5b)
when compared with the placebo group at 12 weeks of treatment (p=0.052). The relative abundance of genus Bifidobacterium significantly increased at 12 weeks of treatment
compared with the baseline in the C-3102 group. The relative abundance of genus Fusobacterium was significantly decreased in the C-3102 group at 12 and 24 weeks of treatment
compared with the baseline. These data suggested that C-3102 improves BMD by inhibiting bone resorption and modulating gut microbiota in healthy postmenopausal women.
Elderly people who underwent TKA are considered more likely to fall compared with healthy elderly people. For patients with limited knee flexion and ankle plantar flexion, improvement of ROM by exercise therapy and patient education regarding the prevention of falls and fractures are considered necessary.
Despite lower femoral neck bone mass, Japanese women have a substantially lower incidence of hip fracture than North American whites. Reasons for this discrepancy were sought in a study of 57 Japanese and 119 white American women aged 50-79. All women were in good health. Bone mineral content (BMC) in the femoral neck, femoral neck length (NL), femoral neck angle (theta), cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI), safety factor (SF), and fall index (FI) were calculated using dual x-ray absorptiometry. Height and weight were greater in Americans than in Japanese (1.62 versus 1.52 m; p < 0.0001 and 66.0 versus 49.4 kg; p < 0.0001, respectively). Mean BMC in the femoral neck and CSMI were greater in Americans than in Japanese (3.91 versus 3.02 g; p < 0.0001 and 0.99 versus 0.57 cm4; p < 0.0001, respectively). NL was longer in Americans (5.6 versus 4.4 cm; p < 0.0001) and theta was larger in Americans (130 versus 128 degrees; p < 0.01), whereas SF and FI were less in Americans than in Japanese (3.41 versus 5.12; p < 0.0001 and 1.00 versus 1.40; p < 0.0001, respectively). These results indicate that despite lower bone mass, Japanese women have lower risks of structural failure in the femoral neck, attributable primarily to shorter femoral necks and, to a lesser degree, a smaller femoral neck angle. Geometric characteristics of the femoral neck in Japanese women are associated with their lower hip fracture risk, and the measurement of proximal femoral geometry, combined with bone mass, may provide further clinical information about the risk of hip fracture.
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