Dr. Nick Harvey of the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, Southampton, UK, and Dr. Michaël Hiligsmann of the University of Liège, Liège, Belgium were presented with the ESCEO Young Investigator Awards, supported by a grant from MSD, at a ceremony held during the European Congress on Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis (ECCEO11-IOF) now taking place in Valencia, Spain.
The Awards, valued at €2,500, recognize young investigators for their excellence in bone and mineral research and are presented to the lead investigator of the two highest scored abstracts submitted for presentation at the Congress.
Dr. Harvey's abstract (OC22) is entitled 'Methylation status of the RXRA promoter in umbilical cord predicts childhood bone mineral content'. In the study the investigators demonstrated that percentage bone mineral content and estimated volumetric BMD in childhood are negatively associated with perinatal methylation status within the RXRa promoter. Methylation usually leads to reduced gene expression, suggesting that levels of RXRa in utero may be positively related to these bone indices in childhood, possibly suggesting novel mechanisms whereby maternal factors may influence offspring skeletal development.
Dr. Hiligsmann abstract (P151) is entitled 'Incidence of Hip Fracture in Belgium Between 2000 and 2007 and Future Projections '. The study concludes that despite a significant decrease in the age-adjusted incidence of hip fractures in Belgian women and a non-significant decline in men, the number of hip fractures is expected to substantially increase in Belgium. Appropriate public health strategies are therefore needed and should also focus on populations of men.
Almost 700 abstracts were submitted to the European Congress on Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis. The abstracts have been published in a supplement issue of Osteoporosis International.
About ESCEO The European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering a close interaction between clinical scientists dealing with rheumatic disorders, pharmaceutical industry developing new compounds in this field, regulators responsible for the registration of such drugs and health policy makers, to integrate the management of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis within the comprehensive perspective of health resources utilization. http://www.esceo.org