BACKGROUND Osteocalcin (OC) is an intriguing hormone, concomitantly being the most abundant non-collagenous peptide found in the mineralized matrix of bone, and expanding the endocrine function of the skeleton with far-reaching extra-osseous effects. A new line of enquiry between OC and vascular calcification has emerged in response to observations that the mechanism of vascular calcification r...

CONTEXT Vitamin K has been implicated in bone health, primarily in observational studies. However, little is known about the role of phylloquinone supplementation on prevention of bone loss in men and women. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the effect of 3-yr phylloquinone supplementation on change in bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral neck bone in older men and w...

Vitamin K intake has been reported as an essential factor for bone formation. The current study was conducted under the hypothesis that insufficient vitamin K intake would affect inflammatory markers and bone mineral density in young adult women. The study was a cross-sectional design that included 75 women in their 20s. Physical assessments, bone mineral density measurements, 24-hr dietary rec...

PURPOSE In the last few years, bone has been recognized as an endocrine organ that modulates glucose metabolism by secretion of osteocalcin, an osteoblast-specific hormone, that influences fat deposition and blood sugar levels. To date, however, very few in vitro models have been developed to investigate, at the molecular levels, the relationship between glucose, insulin and osteocalcin. This s...

Rationale: The expression of osteocalcin is augmented in human atherosclerotic lesions. How osteocalcin triggers vascular pathogenesis and remodeling is unclear. Objective: To investigate whether osteocalcin promotes transformation of adventitial fibroblast to myofibroblasts and the molecular mechanism involved. Methods and Results: Immunohistochemistry indicated that osteocalcin was expressed ...

Osteocalcin is one of the most abundant noncollagenous proteins in bone. It is strongly associated with the mineral phase of bone, and has long been associated as a marker of bone turnover. However, its relationship to bone composition, strength, and structure is unclear. Carp rib bone is an excellent model for the study, because osteocalcin represents almost 60% of the total extractable noncol...

RATIONALE The expression of osteocalcin is augmented in human atherosclerotic lesions. How osteocalcin triggers vascular pathogenesis and remodeling is unclear. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether osteocalcin promotes transformation of adventitial fibroblast to myofibroblasts and the molecular mechanism involved. METHODS AND RESULTS Immunohistochemistry indicated that osteocalcin was expressed...

Lactation is associated with significant alterations in both body composition and bone mass. Systemic and local skeletal factors such as receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-B ligand (RANKL), PTHrP, calcitonin, and estrogen are known to regulate bone remodeling during and after lactation. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) may function as an endocrine factor to regulate body composition cha...

Background Alcohol dependence induces low bone mineral density (BMD), predicting osteoporosis, while low and moderate alcohol consumption may even increase BMD. In recent years, undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b), bone turnover markers, have gained special interest as useful indicators of low BMD. However, it remains unclear whether other ...