Musculoskeletal

Vitamin K is an essential nutrient present in plants, animals, and fermented products that plays an important role in a number of biological systems. Recent evidence suggests that vitamin K has potential health benefits far beyond its role in activating coagulation factors. It appears that vitamin K2 (menaquinones) play an important role in optimal bone and cardiovascular health. The central role of vitamin K is the synthesis of γ-carboxyglutamate, which occurs during the vitamin K cycle. The vitamin K cycle allows important proteins, namely osteocalcin and matrix Gla protein, to become activated. These vitamin K–dependent proteins are of particular ...
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Background: Vitamin D is important for musculoskeletal health and may have significant implications for maintaining physical activity in elderly patients. Our goal was to investigate whether serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels are associated with pre-operative physical activity in patients who are offered elective knee or hip joint replacement surgery. Methods: We performed a single-center, retrospective analysis of patients who had elective knee or hip replacement surgery from 2002 to 2012. To investigate the association of serum 25OHD levels with pre-operative physical activity, as assessed by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) activity scale, we performed a multivariable logistic regression ...
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Osteoporosis is a preventable, potentially crippling disease characterized by low bone density and increased bone fragility that affects millions of people. The seeds of this pernicious disease are sown during adolescence, when the skeleton is most active in absorbing dietary calcium and building up nearly all the bone mass that will carry the teenager throughout life. Dietary intake of calcium, vitamin D and vitamin K, particularly vitamin K2, is critical during this life stage for optimal bone growth; unfortunately, the majority of adolescents in the USA do not consume adequate amounts. In addition, many adolescents are now using oral ...
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Fibromyalgia is a debilitating condition presenting with symptoms of chronic muscular pain, fatigue, insomnia and cognitive dysfunction among other symptoms, which lead to a diminished quality of life. Although the exact pathogenesis and underlying mechanisms which lead to clinical manifestation are unknown, there is a growing line of evidence suggesting an association between fibromyalgia and thyroid dysfunction. Numerous studies have reported that patients with fibromyalgia have a high incidence of hypothyroidism. Further, thyroid autoimmunity has also been associated with fibromyalgia symptom severity. Circulating thyroid hormones do not provide an accurate status of thyroid function in patients with fibromyalgia, rather ...
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