Your Bones Under the Microscope

Musculoskeletal pathologies associated with
decreased bone mass affect millions of Americans.
According to the National Osteoporosis
Foundation, 10 million Americans currently suffer
from osteoporosis while 34 million have
osteopenia. As such, it is imperative to develop
countermeasures for bone loss. In recent years,
science has addressed bone loss by studying changes
in gene expression induced by osteoporosis, disuse,
spaceflight, and simulated microgravity.
Furthermore, low magnitude and high frequency
(LMHF) mechanical loads experienced in
activities such as standing have been shown to be
anabolic to bone. Most interestingly, LMHF loading
has even been shown to prevent some of the changes
induced by disuse at the cellular level, such as
increasing the expression of a gene decreased by
disuse. Although this book encompasses only a small
portion of what may actually be occurring in the
body, it furthers the knowledge on how cells respond
to changes in loading. Thus, science and
technology, when armed with this additional
knowledge, may be able to provide novel, target-
specific therapies to counteract bone loss.