Posted by Throughout the duration of this Anatomy and Physiology course, the segment on the skeletal system stood out to me the most. This STEAM project presented the opportunity to showcase my understanding of the skeletal system. To create my project, I used watercolor paintings. I cut and pasted many small paintings onto larger papers to form a “comic book” artistic design. I chose to research how Hyperparathyroidism affects the skeletal system. My project covers the objectives: “Explain how bone development is hormonally regulated,” and “Know the stages of bone development and repair.” I broke the components of the objective down into three separate sections over three pages–the cause, the process, and the result.
The beginning portion of my project refers to the causation of hyperparathyroidism. In the human body, the parathyroid glands are responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of calcium levels within the body (Marcocci et al., 2012). The glands release a parathyroid hormone (PTH) that stimulates osteoclast activity and decreases osteoblast activity (Marcocci et al., 2012). Osteoclasts act as the bone absorption cells while osteoblasts act as the bone formation cells. In my picture, I have a side-by-side showcase of how a normally operating parathyroid gland would respond to slightly low calcium levels to how the parathyroid glands would respond to slightly low calcium levels in hyperparathyroidism. In a normal system, a small decrease in calcium would constitute a small release of PTH to stimulate the osteoclasts to release the calcium within the bone (Marcocci et al., 2012). However, in a hyperparathyroidism system, PTH is constantly being over-secreted and stimulates osteoclast activity despite current calcium levels (Marcocci et al., 2012). In short, hyperparathyroidism causes drastic changes in the bone remodeling process due to over-secretion of PTH. These changes are evident in the second segment of my project.
The following portion of my project refers to hyperparathyroidism’s impact on the process of bone remodeling. Bone remodeling is vital to overall skeletal health and occurs consistently throughout human life (Hadjidakis & Androulakis, 2006). Bone remodeling provides the opportunity for bone adaptation to meet mechanical needs and bone repair for damages in the bone matrix (Hadjidakis & Androulakis, 2006). There are three cycles of bone remodeling: reabsorption–where osteoclasts digest bone, reversal–where cells appear on the bone’s surface, and formation–where osteoblasts replace the absorbed bone with new bone tissue (Hadjidakis & Androulakis, 2006). My picture contrasts the bone remodeling process in a normal patient and one with hyperparathyroidism. For a normal bone remodeling process, the PTH signals an accurate amount of osteoclasts to respond to low calcium levels (Hadjidakis & Androulakis, 2006). When bone reabsorption is met, the PTH stops being released and osteoblasts can then lay new bone to replace the old (Marcocci et al., 2012). However, with hyperparathyroidism, the PTH is constantly secreted and is constantly increasing osteoclast activity (Marcocci et al., 2012). This allows osteoclasts to nearly always be active and not give the osteoblasts the chance to replace absorbed bone (Marcocci et al., 2012). The result is lower bone density which is modeled in my project by the drastic height difference between the starting bone levels and end bone levels (Marcocci et al., 2012). Bone remodeling is directly related to the secretion of PTH and is dramatically compromised when hyperparathyroidism interferes with normal PTH secretion. The effect of these changes in the bone remodeling process is demonstrated in the final section of my project.
The final aspect of my project refers to the result of hyperparathyroidism. The significant reduction of bone mass in individuals with hyperparathyroidism causes great risk to the skeletal system. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, “In one study, 23% and 58% of patients with hyperparathyroidism had bone-density values in the femur and radius, respectively, that were less than 80% of that among age- and sex-matched persons who did not have the condition,” (Insogna, 2018). Due to the reduced bone mass, there is an increased risk of fractures and damage to the bone (Insogna, 2018). I chose to model the high loss of bone density with a comparison of healthy bone to diseased bone. I created a much larger gap between bone tissue to demonstrate reduced bone density. This also proved to highlight the weak and brittle nature of the diseased bone. Hyperparathyroidism has a negative effect on bone density and presents health risks like fractures or damage to the affected bone.
This STEAM project offered a fun and creative way to demonstrate my understanding of the skeletal system. I thoroughly enjoyed researching hyperparathyroidism–the cause, the effect, and the result. Being able to showcase the differences in parathyroid glandular processing in normal to hyperparathyroidism scenarios was essential to the first segment of my project. Then, translating these differences into their consequential effect on bone remodeling became the second section. Finally, investigating the long-term results of bone density and health in hyperparathyroidism patients formed the final portion of my project. My STEAM project explained how bone development is hormonally regulated and outlined the stages of bone development and repair. Hopefully, this project can be used as a resource for the impact hyperparathyroidism has on the skeletal system.
References
Hadjidakis, D. J., & Androulakis, I. I. (2006, December). Bone Remodeling. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17308163/#:~:text=The%20skeleton%20is%20a%20metabolically,osteoblasts%20that%20subsequently%20become%20mineralized.
Insogna, K. L. (2018, September13). Primary hyperparathyroidism. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp1714213
Marcocci, C., Cianferottic, L., & Cetani, F. (2012, October). Bone disease in primary hyperparathyrodism.Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3458615/
This STEAM project delves into the intricate relationship between hyperparathyroidism and the skeletal system, showcasing a unique understanding of bone development and repair. The initial segment delves into the causation of hyperparathyroidism, depicting the over-secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and its disruptive impact on the normal bone remodeling process. The second portion intricately contrasts the bone remodeling process in normal and hyperparathyroidism scenarios, emphasizing the perpetual activation of osteoclasts and the resulting decline in bone density. The final aspect underscores the significant reduction in bone mass observed in individuals with hyperparathyroidism, heightening the risk of fractures and damage to the skeletal structure. Through its visually engaging narrative, the project effectively communicates the hormonal intricacies and long-term consequences associated with this medical condition.
This steam project refers to the relationship between hyperthyroidism and the skeletal system, displaying an understanding of how a bone develops and repairs itself. The main segment causing hyperthyroidism is displaying the knowledge of the oversecretion of the parathyroid hormone(PTH) and its disruptive impact on the normal bone remodeling process. The second portion displays the differences in the bone remodeling process compared to the hyperparathyroidism processes., emphasizing the activation of the osteoclasts and the decline in bone density. The last part of the project shared the significant reduction in bone mass in individuals with hyperthyroidism, heightening the risk of fractures and damage to the skeletal structure. The project communicates to the audience the long-term effect of those with the medical condition.