Overview

The Clinical and Investigative Orthopedics Surgery Unit conducts clinical research in the field of Orthopedic Surgery with an emphasis on studying questions that are important to today’s practicing clinicians, such as the choice of nails over plates for certain fractures, or the effect of surgical volume on patient outcomes.

The overarching goal of the unit is to conduct research that improves patient care by identifying the treatments that lead to better outcomes or elucidates the pathophysiological mechanisms of disease.

The program functions on two tracks. The first takes advantage of large clinical databases to perform epidemiological studies and health services research regarding musculoskeletal conditions. The second track engages the resources of the Clinical Center to perform prospective human clinical studies.

x-ray of right foot.

Dr. Bhattacharyya is coordinating a multidisciplinary group investigating the rare bone disease melorheostosis. Research spans the spectrum from seeing patients to genetics to developing cellular models. Two somatic mutations have been identified that cause melorheostosis.

Core Research Facilities

Labs at the NIAMS are supported by the following state-of-the-art facilities and services:

Image & Media Gallery

Clinical Trials

Recruiting
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02504879

The rare disease melorheostosis causes bones to thicken. This may lead to pain, and can affect bones, joints, and muscles. Researchers want to learn more about the disease and how it progresses.

Scientific Publications

Selected Recent Publications

Better Mobility Is Associated With Higher Incomes and Longer Working Years Among Older Adults.

Pu A, Paul S, Luke B, Bhattacharyya T
Clin Orthop Relat Res.
2023 Oct 25;
482(1).
doi: 10.1097/CORR.0000000000002886
PMID: 37878467

Bone health is improving over time: data from Framingham cohorts.

Patel A, Allbritton-King JD, Paul S, Bhattacharyya T
Arch Osteoporos.
2023 Sep 16;
18(1).
doi: 10.1007/s11657-023-01327-6
PMID: 37715080

VEGF Secretion Drives Bone Formation in Classical MAP2K1+ Melorheostosis.

Allbritton-King JD, Maity J, Patel A, Colbert RA, Navid F, Bhattacharyya T
J Bone Miner Res.
2023 Dec;
38(12).
doi: 10.1002/jbmr.4915
PMID: 37737377

Reverse engineering the FRAX algorithm: Clinical insights and systematic analysis of fracture risk.

Allbritton-King JD, Elrod JK, Rosenberg PS, Bhattacharyya T
Bone.
2022 Jun;
159().
doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2022.116376
PMID: 35240349

Fibroblasts from Patients with Melorheostosis Promote Angiogenesis in Healthy Endothelial Cells through Secreted Factors.

Hurley-Novatny AC, Allbritton-King JD, Jha S, Cowen EW, Colbert RA, Navid F, Bhattacharyya T
J Invest Dermatol.
2022 Sep;
142(9).
doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2022.02.006
PMID: 35189151

Somatic activating mutations in MAP2K1 cause melorheostosis.

Kang H, Jha S, Deng Z, Fratzl-Zelman N, Cabral WA, Ivovic A, Meylan F, Hanson EP, Lange E, Katz J, Roschger P, Klaushofer K, Cowen EW, Siegel RM, Marini JC, Bhattacharyya T
Nat Commun.
2018 Apr 11;
9(1).
doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03720-z
PMID: 29643386

Somatic SMAD3-activating mutations cause melorheostosis by up-regulating the TGF-β/SMAD pathway.

Kang H, Jha S, Ivovic A, Fratzl-Zelman N, Deng Z, Mitra A, Cabral WA, Hanson EP, Lange E, Cowen EW, Katz J, Roschger P, Klaushofer K, Dale RK, Siegel RM, Bhattacharyya T, Marini JC
J Exp Med.
2020 May 4;
217(5).
doi: 10.1084/jem.20191499
PMID: 32232430

Incidence of Hip Fracture Over 4 Decades in the Framingham Heart Study.

Swayambunathan J, Dasgupta A, Rosenberg PS, Hannan MT, Kiel DP, Bhattacharyya T
JAMA Intern Med.
2020 Sep 1;
180(9).
doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.2975
PMID: 32730556

Trend Toward High-Volume Hospitals and the Influence on Complications in Knee and Hip Arthroplasty.

Laucis NC, Chowdhury M, Dasgupta A, Bhattacharyya T
J Bone Joint Surg Am.
2016 May 4;
98(9).
doi: 10.2106/JBJS.15.00399
PMID: 27147682

Trends in Media Reports, Oral Bisphosphonate Prescriptions, and Hip Fractures 1996-2012: An Ecological Analysis.

Jha S, Wang Z, Laucis N, Bhattacharyya T
J Bone Miner Res.
2015 Dec;
30(12).
doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2565
PMID: 26018247

Compliance with Surgical Care Improvement Project measures and hospital-associated infections following hip arthroplasty.

Wang Z, Chen F, Ward M, Bhattacharyya T
J Bone Joint Surg Am.
2012 Aug 1;
94(15).
doi: 10.2106/JBJS.K.00911
PMID: 22740029

News & Highlights

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