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Abstract  Osteoporotic fracture in elderly populations is increasing worldwide, but there are few data on the incidence and outcome of osteoporotic fractures, including upper extremity and vertebral fracture, during a certain period in a defined geographic area. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of osteoporotic fractures in a particular area: Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. From January to December 2004, osteoporotic fractures of the vertebra, hip, distal radius, and proximal humerus in Sado City were recorded. The incidence, age, gender, type of fracture (for hip fracture), right or left side (for distal radius, proximal humerus, and hip fracture), place of injury, cause of injury, outcome, hospitalization period, and patient status regarding taking of drugs for osteoporosis treatment were checked for each fracture. The incidence was calculated based on the whole population of Sado City. The incidence per 100 000 population was 232.8, 121.4, 108.6, and 37.1 for fractures of the vertebra, hip, distal radius, and proximal humerus, respectively. The total incidence of these four kinds of fracture was 499.9 per 100 000 persons per year. The average age at the time of injury was 81.4, 77.7, 75.7, and 60.2 years old for fractures of the hip, vertebra, proximal humerus, and distal radius, respectively. As the average age increased, the percentage of fractures that occurred indoors also increased; that is, a higher percentage of hip fractures occurred indoors, followed by fractures of the vertebra, proximal humerus, and distal radius. Most patients were not taking anti-osteoporosis drugs before fractures of the hip or vertebra. We determined the incidence of major osteoporotic fractures in 1 year in a defined geographic area. Our data showed that 81% of hip fracture patients also had a vertebral fracture and that the average age at the time of injury was higher for hip fractures than for vertebral fractures. Therefore, these results suggest that vertebral fracture leads to hip fracture, indicating that early fracture prevention and continuous prevention strategies through positive treatment are of importance in osteoporotic elderly people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) is a master regulator for steroidogenesis. In this study, we identified novel SF-1 target genes using a genome-wide promoter filing array and a DNA microarray. SF-1 was found t regulate human glutathione S-transferase A ( GSTA) family genes (hGSTAI-hGSTA4), a superfamily of detoxification enzymes clustered on chromosome 6p12. All hG-STA genes were up-regulated by transduction of SF-1 into human mesenchymal stem cells, while knockdown of endogenous SF-1 in H295R cells down-regulated all hGSTA genes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, however, revealed that SF-1 bound directly to the promoters of hGSTA3 and weakly of hGSTA4. Chromosome conformation capture assays revealed that the coordinated expression of the genes was based on changes in higher-order chromatin structure triggered by SF-1, which enables the formation of long-range interactions, at least between hGSTA1 and hGSTA3 gene promoters. In steroidogenesis, dehydrogenation of the 3-hydroxy group and subsequent Δ5-Δ4 isomerization are thought to be enzymatic properties of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD). Here, we demonstrated that, in steroidogenic cells, the hGSTA1 and hGSTA3 gene products catalyze Δ5-Δ4 isomerization in a coordinated fashion with 3β -HSD II to produce progesterone or Δ4-androstenedione from their AS-precursors. Thus, hGSTA1 and hGSTA3 gene products are new members of steroidogenesis working as Δ5-Δ4 isomerases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]