Studies of Iliac Crest Bone from Controls and Patients with Bone Disease 77 



Summary 



1. Iliac crest bone from patients suffering from hyperparathyroidism and hyper- 

 adrenocorticism was studied chemically (phosphorus and hydroxyproline content), 

 histologically and by means of tetracyline labelling. 



2. In hyperparathyroidism a low phosphorus content, a low phosphorus-hydroxy- 

 proline ratio and a high percentage of tetracycline labelling was found; histologically 

 the bone showed the signs of a high turnover rate. 



3. In hyperadrenocorticism the bone (which was shown to be porotic) contained 

 a normal amount of phosphorus and a subnormal amount of hydroxyproline per mg 

 bone, resulting in a higher than normal phosphorus-hydroxyproline ratio. Tetra- 

 cycline labelling varied from subnormal to higher than normal. 



4. There was a negative correlation between the percentage tetracycline labelled 

 bone surface and the phosphorus-hydroxyproline ratio when the data from the 

 various groups of patients were combined. 



Acknoivledgement 



The authors are very grateful to Miss Ingeborg B. A. M. van der Brand for 

 expert technical assistance. 



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