Bone marrow adipose tissue
It increases in states of low bone density, such as osteoporosis,[1][2] anorexia nervosa/caloric restriction,[3][4] skeletal unweighting such as that which occurs in space travel,[5][6] and anti-diabetes therapies.
Visceral abdominal fat (VAT) is a distinct type of WAT that is "proportionally associated with negative metabolic and cardiovascular morbidity",[30] regenerates cortisol,[31] and recently has been tied to decreased bone formation[32][33] Both types of WAT substantially differ from brown adipose tissue (BAT) as by a group of proteins that help BAT's thermogenic role.
The study of the stem cell niche is relevant to the field of oncology in order to improve therapy for multiple hematologic cancers.
Until recently, qualitative measurements of BMAT have relied on bone histology,[51][52] which is subject to site selection bias and cannot adequately quantify the volume of fat in the marrow.
[53][54][55] Recent advances in cell surface and intracellular marker identification and single-cell analyses led to greater resolution and high-throughput ex-vivo quantification.
Although proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) has been used with success to quantify vertebral BMAT in humans,[59] it is difficult to employ in laboratory animals.
[60] Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides BMAT assessment in the vertebral skeleton[61] in conjunction with μCT-based marrow density measurements.
Recently, researchers developed and validated[16] a 9.4T MRI scanner technique that allows localization and volumetric (3D) quantification that can be compared across experiments, as in.
[65] Work to build the society began in Lille, France in 2015, when the first International Meeting on Bone Marrow Adiposity (BMA2015) was held.
Both meetings were a success in that they for the first time brought together scientists and physicians from different backgrounds (bone metabolism, cancer, obesity and diabetes) to share ideas and advance research into, and our understanding of, the patho/physiological role of BMAds.This success led to a network of researchers discussing the formation of a new society, focusing on bone marrow adiposity (BMA).
Since its foundation, BMAS working groups have published three position papers relating to nomenclature,[9] methodologies [66] and biobanking for BMA research.
[67] These working groups remain active, with other working groups also focussing on clinical and translational issues, public engagement, and young researchers (Next Generation BMAS) ASBMR has published hundreds of presentations and articles on BMAT featured in the ASBMR annual meetings, The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research ( JBMR), JBMRPlus, and the Primer on the Metabolic Bone Diseases and Disorders of Mineral Metabolism.
