Methods for assessing risk of bone fracture

Abstract

The invention generally relates to methods for assessing risk of bone fracture. In certain embodiments, methods of the invention involve a) conducting an assay to determine a characteristic of keratinized tissue obtained from a mammal, b) analyzing at least one bone-fracture risk factor associated with the mammal, and c) correlating results from steps (a) and (b), thereby assessing the risk of bone fracture of a bone of the mammal.

1 . A method for assessing risk of bone fracture of a bone of a mammal, the method comprising:
 a) conducting an assay to determine a characteristic of keratinized tissue obtained from a mammal;   b) analyzing at least one bone-fracture risk factor associated with the mammal; and   c) correlating results from steps (a) and (b), thereby assessing the risk of bone fracture of a bone of the mammal.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the assay is performed in situ. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein assay is measuring chemical changes in the tissue. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the chemical changes in the tissue are changes in levels of sulfur bonding. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the assay is performed by a technique selected from the group consisting of: Raman spectroscopy; nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; infrared spectroscopy; chiroptical techniques; mass spectrometry; chromatography; and reactions with Elman's reagent. 
     
     
         6 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the assay comprises measuring changes in chemical composition of the tissue by a Raman spectroscopy technique. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the measurement is obtained at a depth of least 50 microns into the tissue. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 8 , further comprising performing a spectral analysis of obtained Raman spectra by multivariate analysis. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein changes in chemical composition of the tissue are changes in levels of sulfur bonding in proteins in the tissue. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the Raman spectroscopy measures a peak or set of peaks in a 0-4000 cm −1  spectral region. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the Raman spectroscopy measures a peak selected from the group consisting of: a peak at about 510 cm −1 ; a peak at about 621 cm −1 ; and a peak at about 643 cm −1 . 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the keratinized tissue is selected from the group consisting of: nail; hair; and skin. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the nail is a clipped finger nail or toe nail. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the clipped finger nail or toe nail has been archived for a period of time. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the bone is a hip bone. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the bone-fracture risk factor is selected from the group consisting of: age, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, thyroid hormone use, diet, age at menopause, alcohol consumption, diagnosis of osteoporosis, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein prior to the conducting step, the method further comprises obtaining the keratinized tissue from the mammal. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the mammal is a human female. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein the female is post-menopausal. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the female is younger than 65 years of age. 
     
     
         23 . A method for assessing risk of bone fracture of a bone of a mammal, the method comprising:
 measuring changes in chemical composition of keratinized tissue by a Raman spectroscopy technique; and   comparing obtained Raman spectra to a set of reference spectra, thereby assessing the risk of bone fracture of a bone of the mammal.   
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the measurement is obtained at a depth of least 50 microns into the tissue. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein changes in chemical composition of the tissue are changes in levels of sulfur bonding in proteins in the tissue. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the Raman spectroscopy measures a peak or set of peaks in a 0-4000 cm −1  spectral region. 
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the Raman spectroscopy measures a peak selected from the group consisting of: a peak at about 510 cm −1 ; a peak at about 621 cm −1 ; and a peak at about 643 cm −1 . 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the keratinized tissue is selected from the group consisting of: nail; hair; and skin. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 28 , wherein the nail is a clipped finger nail or toe nail. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 29 , wherein the clipped finger nail or toe nail has been archived for a period of time. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the bone is a hip bone. 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein prior to the measuring step, the method further comprises obtaining the keratinized tissue from the mammal. 
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein the mammal is a human female. 
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 33 , wherein the female is post-menopausal. 
     
     
         35 . The method according to  claim 34 , wherein the female is younger than 65 years of age. 
     
     
         36 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein prior to the performing step, the method further comprises performing a spectral analysis of obtained Raman spectra by multivariate analysis. 
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 23 , further comprising a spectral analysis of obtained Raman spectra by multivariate analysis.