The Use of Fingernails as a Means of Assessing Bone Health: A Pilot Study

Pillay, Indira; Lyons, David; German, Matthew J.; Lawson, N. S.; Pollock, H. M.; Saunders, Jean; Chowdhury, Sameena; Moran, Patrick; Towler, Mark R.

doi:10.1089/jwh.2005.14.339

Cited by 31 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…There was no significant difference between smokers and non-smokers in serum levels of osteocalcin and CTx. Significantly lower disulphide content of fingernails was again observed in subjects with a history of fracture and this is in agreement with previous studies [20,24]. In comparison to the other methods used in this study the BQT discriminated most accurately between the control and fracture cases (p = 0.003; Table 2).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

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Raman spectroscopy of fingernails: A novel tool for evaluation of bone quality?

et al. 2010

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Abstract. Raman data from human fingernails has been analysed to determine if a relationship exists between spectral features and bone quality. Previous work demonstrated a relationship between the manually determined intensity of the disulphide peak (Bone Quality Test; BQT) and osteoporotic fracture. A computer program is now described that automates the BQT determination for large sample-sets. In this study the ability of the automated BQT to discriminate between fractures and controls was compared to that of bone mineral density (BMD) and biomarkers of bone remodelling. Females aged 18-67 years participated in the study (n = 159). Fingernails were analysed using Raman spectroscopy. Lumbar and Femoral BMD was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Fasting venepuncture samples were analysed for osteocalcin and CTx (collagen C-telopeptides) by electrochemiluminescence. No correlation was found between the BQT and BMD or the biomarkers. The BQT and BMD were found to be equally accurate in identifying subjects with a history of fracture (p < 0.01) and both outperformed osteocalcin and CTx. It appears that keratin and collagen are related structural proteins that require disulphide bonding for stability. Therefore, these preliminary results suggest that Raman spectroscopy of keratin may have potential as a diagnostic tool for screening bone quality in large populations.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Preliminary work by the authors has evaluated the use of Raman spectroscopy to investigate the link between fingernail protein structure (keratin) and bone protein structure (collagen) [20,24,26]. Both proteins require cysteine incorporation and sulphation for structural integrity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raman spectroscopy of fingernails: A novel tool for evaluation of bone quality?

et al. 2010

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“…Inorganic nail material contains calcium phosphate which also occurs in bones, and bone mineral density is lower in females than in males. This explanation would agree with findings of Pillay et al [24] who analyzed the disulfide bond content in fingernails with Raman spectroscopy. They found that osteoporotic patients with reduced bone mineral density had lower disulfide bond content in their nails compared to healthy subjects.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Organic Elemental Composition in Fingernail Plates Varies between Sexes and Changes with Increasing Age in Healthy Humans

Dittmar

Dindorf²,

Banerjee

2008

Gerontology

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Background: Keratin, an α-helical fibrous protein, is the primary component of human nail plates. No data on age-related changes in healthy subjects are present. Objective: This study investigated whether keratin amount and composition, as indicated by organic elemental composition of fingernails, varies with aging and between sexes. Methods: Nail clippings from 225 healthy individuals (93 males, 132 females), aged 20–90 years, were analyzed for carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) contents with an automatic elemental analyzer. C/N and N/S ratios were calculated. The C/N ratio is indicative of keratin composition, i.e. the ratio of α-amino acids and protein. The relationship of elemental composition with dietary intake was analyzed by standardized food record. Results: Females have in their nails more sulfur (p < 0.001) and less nitrogen (p = 0.001), and thereby, a lower N/S ratio than males, whereas their carbon content is not different. With aging, the carbon content increases (p < 0.01, both sexes) and the nitrogen content decreases (p = 0.05, females), both leading to an increased C/N ratio (p < 0.001). By contrast, the sulfur content and the N/S ratio do not change with aging (p > 0.05). The carbon content correlates positively with macronutrient intake in females. Nitrogen and sulfur contents are not related with dietary intake. Conclusions: Results suggest that the N/S ratio is indicative of sex differences and the C/N ratio of aging in healthy humans. The increasing carbon content with ongoing age could be explained by loss of inorganic material from the nails, followed by a subsequent increase of organic material. The increasing C/N ratio gives evidence that keratin composition changes towards a higher amount of α-amino acids with aging.

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“…An Irish study demonstrated that nail testing as such a method is inconclusive but these preliminary findings suggest that changes in bone proteins seen in osteoporosis may be mirrored by changes related to structural proteins [40,41]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of Zinc, Copper and Magnesium with bone mineral density in Iranian postmenopausal women – a case control study

Razmandeh

Nasli‐Esfahani

Heydarpour

et al. 2014

J Diabetes Metab Disord

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BackgroundThe risk of inadequate nutrition such as trace elements and vitamin deficiencies is considerable in postmenopausal women. The aim of this study was to compare trace elements (Zinc, Copper and Magnesium) concentration in nail, urine and serum among osteoporotic postmenopausal women with control group in Iran.MethodsForty eight postmenopausal women aged 36–60 years, were recruited, consisting 30 osteoporotic patients and 18 healthy controls. Blood, nail and urine concentration of Zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and magnesium (Mg) were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma -Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) method. Their Bone Mineral Density was measured by Dual X-ray Absorption (DEXA) method.ResultsThe urine level of trace elements had significant difference between osteoporotic groups and controls (p < 0.001). Moreover Mg level significantly differed in serum between two groups (p < 0.04). There was no statistically significant difference in trace minerals in nail beyond groups.ConclusionOur findings indicate that Urine Zn level could be considerable an appropriate marker for bone absorption, usage of Zn supplements in postmenopausal women may result a beneficial reduction in osteoporotic risk.

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The Use of Fingernails as a Means of Assessing Bone Health: A Pilot Study

Cited by 31 publications

References 9 publications

Raman spectroscopy of fingernails: A novel tool for evaluation of bone quality?

Raman spectroscopy of fingernails: A novel tool for evaluation of bone quality?

Organic Elemental Composition in Fingernail Plates Varies between Sexes and Changes with Increasing Age in Healthy Humans

Association of Zinc, Copper and Magnesium with bone mineral density in Iranian postmenopausal women – a case control study

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