PTGS2 identified as a biomarker of glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head and an enhancer of osteogenesis

Due to the use of more adjuvant therapies and the increasing prevalence of associated diseases,nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head(ONFH)has become a substantial worldwide health issue;while glucocorticoid administration was the highest-ranked risk factor,with a proportion ranging from 26.35 to 55.75%.1 Albeit with similar radiological features,glucocorticoid-induced ONFH(GONFH)manifested a greater probability for advance-tolate-stage(post-collapse)lesions in comparison with its non-glucocorticoid-induced counterparts.i1 Therefore,an accurate and timely diagnosis of osteonecrosis following glucocorticoid therapy is of great significance to initiate nonoperative treatment regimens or joint-preserving procedures,slow disease progression,and defer or avert joint arthroplasty.