Role of Oxytocin in Post-menopausal Osteoporosis: Evaluation on the Population of the OPUS Cohort
Condition: Osteoporosis
MeSH terms: Osteoporosis
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Oxytocin is a neurohypophysial hormone involved in several central and peripheral functions
      including parturition, milk let-down reflex and social behaviour. In vitro and animals
      studies have shown growing evidence that oxytocin plays a role in bone remodeling and
      osteoporosis. The investigators have previously show in a small sample of post-menopausal
      women with severe osteoporosis (n=20) compare to healthy control (n=16) that oxytocin serum
      level is significantly decreased, independently of leptin and estradiol, that are known to
      modulate oxytocin secretion. Thus, oxytocin appears as a new interesting factor in the
      osteoporosis pathophysiology. The aim of the present study is to confirm the relationships
      between bone status, evaluated by bone mineral density and prevalent fragility fractures,
      body composition and oxytocin serum levels on a large population. The investigators will also
      determine if the relationship between bone mineral density and oxytocin is independent of
      estradiol and leptin in this population and evaluate the relationships between oxytocin serum
      level and co-morbidities such as cardiovascular diseases, depression and dementia. Theses
      analysis will be done on the serum already available of 1000 women of the international OPUS
      cohort. Bone mineral density, body composition analysis by Dual energy X-ray Absorptiometry
      (DXA), estradiol and clinical data are already available. The investigators will select
      women, aged from 55 to 79 y at the time of inclusion.
    


Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Retrospective
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        OPUS is a prospective study of postmenopausal women recruited in the general population
        between April 1999 and April 2001 from five European centers (Aberdeen (UK), Berlin
        (Germany), Kiel (Germany), Paris (Hôpital Cochin, France), and Sheffield (UK)).
        Investigations were approved at each institution according to the Declaration of Helsinki.
        Written consent was obtained from all subjects. Each center recruited approximately 500
        postmenopausal women comprising 100 individuals in each 5-yr age band between 55 and 79.
        Ninety-nine percent of subjects were of white ethnicity.
      
Biospecimen description: 
      OPUS is a prospective study of postmenopausal women recruited in the general population
      between April 1999 and April 2001 from five European centers (Aberdeen (UK), Berlin
      (Germany), Kiel (Germany), Paris (Hôpital Cochin, France), and Sheffield (UK)).
      Investigations were approved at each institution according to the Declaration of Helsinki.
      Written consent was obtained from all subjects. Each center recruited approximately 500
      postmenopausal women comprising 100 individuals in each 5-yr age band between 55 and 79.
      Ninety-nine percent of subjects were of white ethnicity.