New from PubMed:

Researchers in the orthopaedic and trauma surgery department at Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg, Germany examined osteoarthritic bone specimens from patients treated with alendronate to measure the drug's effect on TRACP 5b activity. TRACP 5b (tartrat-resistant acid phosphatase 5B) is a marker of osteoclast function. Prior to receiving a total hip replacement, a bisphosphanate group was given a daily oral dose of alendronate for 50 days before the operation, while a control group received no drugs. After hip replacement, samples of the anterior femoral head and the intertrochanteric area were taken and tested for TRACP 5b activity. Immunoassay analysis revealed a significant increase of TRACP 5b activity in the intertrochanteric area over the anterior femoral head in the bisphosphanate group, but not in the control group. The results suggest that bisphosphonates reduce TRACP 5b activity in the intertrochanteric area more effectively than in the anterior femoral head. Consequently, bisphosphonates appear to be more effective in areas of well-supplied bone than in osteoarthritic tissue.

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