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Aim This study aims to describe the lifetime picture of vitamin D deficiency, as measured by serum 25( OH) D concentration, in Tasmania (latitude 43° S). Methods Five cross-sectional studies were used: a sample of primary schoolchildren ( n = 201, aged 7-8 years), two samples of adolescents (sample 1: n = 374, aged 15-18 years; sample 2: n = 136, aged 16-19 years), a sample of young to middle-aged adults ( n = 262, aged 19-59 years) and a sample of older adults ( n = 1092, aged 50-80 years). Results In winter/spring, approximately two-thirds of the adolescents and adults (young, middle-aged and older) had 25( OH) D levels ≤50 nmol/ L, and around 10% had 25( OH) D levels ≤25 nmol/L. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was much lower for primary schoolchildren (11.5% < 50 nmol/ L, 0.5% ≤ 25 nmol/ L). In summer/autumn, approximately one-third of the adolescents and adults had 25( OH) D levels ≤50 nmol/ L, and very few had 25( OH) D levels ≤25 nmol/L. For the adolescents and adults, even among those who reported the highest category of sun exposure, approximately 45% had 25( OH) D levels ≤50 nmol/ L in winter/spring. Conclusions Vitamin D deficiency was uncommon among our sample of primary school children but increased substantially during the teenage years and seemed to remain high throughout the rest of life, suggesting that mild vitamin D deficiency is endemic in Tasmania apart from in the very young. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is controversy about whether pain and radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA) predict subsequent cartilage loss. The aim of this study was to describe the relationship between ROA, pain and cartilage loss in the knee. Methods: We studied randomly selected subjects at baseline and approximately 2.9 years later ( n= 399). The presence of ROA was assessed at baseline with a standing anteroposterior semiflexed radiograph scored using the Osteoarthritis Research Society International atlas for osteophytes (OP) and joint space narrowing (JSN). Pain was assessed by the Western Ontario McMaster Osteoarthritis Index. Subjects' medial and lateral tibial cartilage volumes were determined by magnetic resonance imaging at both time points. Results: In cross-sectional analysis, both medial and lateral tibial cartilage volumes were lower in those with ROA. Any medial ROA predicted medial tibial cartilage loss (3.2% (standard deviation (SD) 5.6) vs 1.9% (SD 5.3) per annum) while any lateral ROA predicted both medial (4.0% (SD 6.0) vs 2.2% (SD 5.3) per annum) and lateral (3.5% (SD 5.8) vs 1.6% (SD 4.2) per annum) tibial cartilage loss (all P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, JSN and OP at both medial and lateral sites had independent dose-response associations with tibial cartilage loss at both sites. Pain was an independent predictor of lateral, but not medial, tibial cartilage loss after taking ROA into account. Conclusions: Subjects with ROA (either JSN or OP) and, to a lesser extent, pain lose cartilage faster than subjects without ROA and the more severe the ROA the greater the rate of loss. These findings have implications for the design of clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare associations between anthropometric and lifestyle factors and femoral head cartilage volume/thickness and radiographic features of osteoarthritis (OA) and to provide evidence of construct validity for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessment of femoral cartilage volume and thickness., Methods: We studied a cross-sectional sample of 151 randomly selected subjects (79 men, 72 women; mean age 63 years) from the Tasmanian Older Adult Cohort Study. A sagittal T1-weighted fat-suppression MRI scan of the right hip was performed to determine femoral head cartilage volume, cartilage thickness, and size. An anteroposterior radiograph of the pelvis with weight bearing was performed and scored for radiographic evidence of OA in the right hip. Other factors measured were height, weight, leg strength, serum vitamin D levels, and bone mineral density., Results: Hip cartilage volume was significantly associated with female sex, body mass index, and femoral head size, whereas hip cartilage thickness was significantly associated only with the size of the femoral head. Only female sex was significantly associated with the total radiographic OA score and the joint space narrowing (JSN) score, but not the osteophyte score. Radiographic JSN of the hip, especially axial JSN (but not osteophytes), was significantly correlated with hip cartilage volume and thickness., Conclusion: Femoral head cartilage volume and thickness have modest but significant construct validity when correlated with radiographic findings. Furthermore, the generally stronger associations with volume compared with radiographic OA suggest that MRI may be superior at identifying risk factors for hip OA.