ArticleArthritis research & therapy2013
Revisiting spatial distribution and biochemical composition of calcium-containing crystals in human osteoarthritic articular cartilage.
Article in Arthritis research & therapy, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- Which are the most frequently involved peripheral joints in calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition at imaging? A systematic literature review and meta-analysis by the OMERACT ultrasound - CPPD subgroup.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Characterization of calcifications in posterior horn of human meniscus using micro-computed tomography.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2026Article
- Chondrocalcinosis and incident knee osteoarthritis: findings from 2 large prospective cohorts with 20 years of follow-up.Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2025Observational
- Predictive Modeling of Osteoarthritis Using Biochemical Markers: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.Journal of orthopaedic case reports · 2024Article
- Calcium Pyrophosphate Crystal Formation and Deposition: Where Do we Stand and What Does the Future hold?Current rheumatology reports · 2024Review
- Intra-Articular Mineralization on Computerized Tomography of the Knee and Risk of Cartilage Damage: The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study.Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2024Article
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Calcium Deposit in the Surgically Transacted Transverse Carpal Ligament.TheScientificWorldJournal · 2022Article
- Optical Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Osteoarthritis through Raman Spectroscopy: Radiological and Biochemical Validation Using Ex Vivo Human Cartilage Samples.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- The role of the gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide in pathological calcification.British journal of pharmacology · 2020Review
- Dual-energy computed-tomography-based discrimination between basic calcium phosphate and calcium pyrophosphate crystal depositionTherapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2020Article
- Calcification of the acetabular labrum of the hip: prevalence in the general population and relation to hip articular cartilage and fibrocartilage degeneration.Arthritis research & therapy · 2018Article
- Cartilage calcification of the ankle joint is associated with osteoarthritis in the general population.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2018Article
- Recent Insights into the Contribution of the Changing Hypertrophic Chondrocyte Phenotype in the Development and Progression of Osteoarthritis.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2018Review
- Dose-response relationship between lower serum magnesium level and higher prevalence of knee chondrocalcinosis.Arthritis research & therapy · 2017Article
- Hyaline cartilage calcification of the first metatarsophalangeal joint is associated with osteoarthritis but independent of age and BMI.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2016Article
- Systematic review and quality analysis of emerging diagnostic measures for calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition disease.RMD open · 2016Article
- Disease-modifying effects of phosphocitrate and phosphocitrate-β-ethyl ester on partial meniscectomy-induced osteoarthritis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2015Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionCalcium-containing (CaC) crystals, including basic calcium phosphate (BCP) and calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPP), are associated with destructive forms of osteoarthritis (OA). We assessed their distribution and biochemical and morphologic features in human knee OA cartilage.
methodsWe prospectively included 20 patients who underwent total knee replacement (TKR) for primary OA. CaC crystal characterization and identification involved Fourier-transform infra-red spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy of 8 to 10 cartilage zones of each knee, including medial and lateral femoral condyles and tibial plateaux and the intercondyle zone. Differential expression of genes involved in the mineralization process between cartilage with and without calcification was assessed in samples from 8 different patients by RT-PCR. Immunohistochemistry and histology studies were performed in 6 different patients.
resultsMean (SEM) age and body mass index of patients at the time of TKR was 74.6 (1.7) years and 28.1 (1.6) kg/m², respectively. Preoperative X-rays showed joint calcifications (chondrocalcinosis) in 4 cases only. The medial femoro-tibial compartment was the most severely affected in all cases, and mean (SEM) Kellgren-Lawrence score was 3.8 (0.1). All 20 OA cartilages showed CaC crystals. The mineral content represented 7.7% (8.1%) of the cartilage weight. All patients showed BCP crystals, which were associated with CPP crystals for 8 joints. CaC crystals were present in all knee joint compartments and in a mean of 4.6 (1.7) of the 8 studied areas. Crystal content was similar between superficial and deep layers and between medial and femoral compartments. BCP samples showed spherical structures, typical of biological apatite, and CPP samples showed rod-shaped or cubic structures. The expression of several genes involved in mineralization, including human homolog of progressive ankylosis, plasma-cell-membrane glycoprotein 1 and tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase, was upregulated in OA chondrocytes isolated from CaC crystal-containing cartilages.
conclusionsCaC crystal deposition is a widespread phenomenon in human OA articular cartilage involving the entire knee cartilage including macroscopically normal and less weight-bearing zones. Cartilage calcification is associated with altered expression of genes involved in the mineralisation process.
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