Research highlights Osteoclasts are not only bone-resorbing cells. They are also monocytic cells with innate immune functions. Osteoclasts participate in immune suppression to promote the development of bone cancer. Osteoclasts display phenotypic and functional diversity and some osteoclast subsets are…
Introduction Osteocytes are terminally differentiated cells of the osteoblast lineage. They are the most abundant cell type of the bone, representing 95% of all bone cells in skeletally mature adult bone tissue [ ]. Osteocytes are considered permanent residents of…
Introduction Osteocyte biology and their role in regulating bone homeostasis Osteocytes are the most abundant cells in the bone, playing an essential role in mechanosensation, mechanotransduction, and communication with other bone cells. They originated from osteoblasts and are surrounded by…
Introduction to the mesenchymal stem cell Multipotent stem cells are of great interest in biomedical research, since they have the potential to produce all kinds of tissues that can be used to repair damaged organs. In a time when human…
Research highlights Bone is the primary target tissue for metastases in patients affected by breast and prostate cancers. Bone metastases represent the paradigm of the “seed and soil theory.” Osteomimicry refers to the capacity of CTCs to acquire a molecular…
Abbreviations (BMP) Bone morphogenic protein (CXCL) C-X-C motif ligand (CXCL12) C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (CXCR4) C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (DKK1) Dickkopf Wnt signaling pathway inhibitor 1 (FGFs) Fibroblast growth factors (HSC) Hematopoietic stem cell (IFNγ) Interferon γ (IGF) Insulin-like…
Introduction Breast cancer is a worldwide public health threat and the most common type of female malignancy. Bone metastasis is the primary cause of mortality of breast cancer patients [ ]. Metastasis to any organ is a life-threatening and commonly…
Introduction Histological analysis of bone is a critical step for the diagnosis of malignancies. It allows direct identification of malignant cells inside marrow spaces in case of bone metastases or hematological disorders. Bone biopsy is superior to marrow aspiration because…
Research highlights AI can integrate clinical information to stratify patients to personalized imaging procedures. AI can aid radiologists in the detection of tumors in other organ systems. Due to sparse data, the characterization of bone tumors is limited to date.…
Introduction The medical field, including medical imaging, is amassing data at an increasingly higher rate. Computer-based software, developed to automatically find patterns and infer unknown information from recorded data, is becoming a key component in both medical research and clinical…