Yin-Fan Chang

Prevalence and associated factors of sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia in older Taiwanese living in rural community: The Tianliao Old People study 04

The aim of the present study was to show the prevalence and associated factors of sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia in rural community‐dwelling older Taiwanese.

Inverse Relationship Between Central Obesity and Osteoporosis in Osteoporotic Drug Naive Elderly Females: The Tianliao Old People (TOP) Study

To examine the relationship between central obesity and osteoporosis in elderly females in a rural community, a total of 368 ambulatory elderly women were recruited by random sampling during July 2009. Structured questionnaires were completed to survey possible osteoporosis-related risk factors. Subjects were dichotomized into either noncentral obese (waist circumference [WC]<80cm) or central obese subgroups (WC≥80cm) for further analysis. Bone mineral densities were scanned by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry installed in a mobile bus. Thoracolumbar spine X-ray examination was interpreted by the same radiologist. Of the 365 subjects with completed data, 275 (75.3%) aged women were classified as having osteoporosis based on diagnostic Model III. Compared with the nonosteoporosis subjects, the subjects with osteoporosis had relatively higher mean age, lower body mass index, and a lower percentage of central obesity. Using the binary logistic regression method, central obesity was negatively associated with osteoporosis in all 3 models (odds ratios in the 3 models were 0.348, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.130-0.927; 0.444, 95% CI: 0.218-0.905; and 0.415, 95% CI: 0.184-0.936, respectively; p<0.05). Our study suggests that the paradox between central obesity and osteoporosis in elderly women should be of concern and warrants further study.

Increased risk of severe acute pancreatitis in patients with diabetes

Aims  We prospectively assessed the age‐ and sex‐specific incidence rates and relative risks of overall and severe acute pancreatitis in Taiwanese with diabetes.

Consensus of Official Position of IOF/ISCD FRAX Initiatives in Asia-Pacific Region

The fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX(®)) has been developed for the identification of individuals with high risk of fracture in whom treatment to prevent fractures would be appropriate. FRAX models are not yet available for all countries or ethnicities, but surrogate models can be used within regions with similar fracture risk. The International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) and International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) are nonprofit multidisciplinary international professional organizations. Their visions are to advance the awareness, education, prevention, and treatment of osteoporosis. In November 2010, the IOF/ISCD FRAX initiative was held in Bucharest, bringing together international experts to review and create evidence-based official positions guiding clinicians for the practical use of FRAX. A consensus meeting of the Asia-Pacific (AP) Panel of the ISCD recently reviewed the most current Official Positions of the Joint Official Positions of ISCD and IOF on FRAX in view of the different population characteristics and health standards in the AP regions. The reviewed position statements included not only the key spectrum of positions but also unique concerns in AP regions.

Effects of Age and Body Mass Index on Thoracolumbar Spine X-Ray for Diagnosing Osteoporosis in Elderly Women: Tianliao Old People (TOP) Study 07.

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the effects of diagnostic discordance with or without a thoracolumbar spine lateral view X-ray in patients with osteoporosis. Methods We randomly enrolled 368 women over 65 years old (74.3 ± 6.0 years) from Tianliao Township in 2009 (response rate: 75.7%). A diagnosis of osteoporosis was confirmed using one of these criteria: (1) a history of non-traumatic fracture, (2) vertebral fractures based on a thoracolumbar spine lateral view X-ray, or (3) a bone mineral density T-score ≤ -2.5 for the total hip, the femoral neck, the lumbar spine, or all 3 sites. The prevalence of osteoporosis in three groups was compared based on Model I (criteria 1+2) vs. Model II (criteria 1+3) vs. Model III (criteria 1+2+3). The role of thoracolumbar X-ray reflected by the diagnostic discordance of osteoporosis between Models II and III was evaluated. Results The overall prevalence of osteoporosis was 78.3% (Model III, age-standardized 78.1%). The diagnostic discordance was 17.4% in the 368 participants. A logistic regression model showed that age was negatively associated with diagnostic discordance (odds ratio [OR] = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.88–0.98, p < 0.05), but body mass index was positively associated (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.00–1.15, p < 0.05). Conclusions A thoracolumbar spine lateral view X-ray should be added for women ≥ 65 years old or with a body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2 to minimize the diagnostic discordance in osteoporosis, especially in highly endemic regions.

Moderate, but not heavy, tea drinking decreased the associated risk of gallstones in a Taiwanese population

Background/ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between tea drinking and gallstones, specifically to evaluate the amount and time of tea consumption by gender.Subjects/MethodsA total of 14,555 eligible adults receiving health examinations were included. The participants were divided into three subgroups with tea consumption of none, <240/day and ≥240 ml/day. We defined 120 ml for each traditional Chinese teapot as a “cup,” and the variable “cup-year” was obtained by multiplying the cups per day by the years of tea consumption. Based on the findings of abdominal ultrasound examination, gallstones was defined by the presence of movable or gravity-dependent intraluminal hyperechoic foci that attenuated ultrasound transmission.ResultsAmong the participants, 1040 (7.1%) had gallstones. In multivariate analysis, the inverse relationship between tea drinking habit and gallstones was significant (OR = 0.807; 95% CI = 0.685−0.951, p = 0.010). Daily consumption of 1−240 ml (OR = 0.741; 95% CI = 0.584−0.941, p = 0.014), but not ≥240 ml, was associated with reduced risk of gallstones. In addition, the 1−19 cup-year group had significantly lower associated risk of gallstones (OR = 0.677; 95% CI = 0.534−0.857, p = 0.001), while the ≥19 cup-year group did not. By gender, subjects with tea consumption of 1−19 cup-year exhibited a low associated risk of gallstones in both males (OR = 0.678; 95% CI = 0.504−0.913, p = 0.010) and females (OR = 0.671; 95% CI = 0.453−0.994, p = 0.047), while subjects with ≥19 cup-years did not.ConclusionsAppropriate tea drinking if less than 240 ml/day or 19 cup-years was associated with a decreased risk of gallstones in both genders.

Correction to: Consensus on best practice standards for Fracture Liaison Service in the Asia-Pacific region

In this article the name of the sixth author, E. Michael Lewiecki was rendered incorrectly. The publisher regrets this error and apologizes for the inconvenience caused.

Relationship between the FRAX® score and falls in community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly people

Objectives Falls is a risk factor for fracture. The FRAX® predicts fractures. Whether the FRAX® is associated with fall in both gender is inconclusive. The aim of our study is to evaluate the association between FRAX scores and falls. Methods The cross-sectional study set from 2009 to 2010 included 1200 community-dwelling people who were systematically sampled in central Taiwan. The 1200 participants (men: 524; women: 676; ≥40 years old) completed questionnaires about socioeconomic status; lifestyle; medical and fall history were completed. FRAX scores with and without bone mineral density (BMD) were calculated by using the Taiwan calculator. Results A total of 19.8% participants fell down. Binary regression models showed that diabetes mellitus history (OR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.03–2.52), the FRAX without BMD in a continuous major score (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.03–1.09), continuous hip score (OR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.05–1.16), categorical major score ≥ 10% (OR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.25–2.61), and categorical hip score ≥ 3% (OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.30–2.50) were independent risk factors for falls. FRAX with BMD in a continuous major score (OR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.02–1.06), continuous hip score (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.02–1.09), categorical major score ≥ 10% (OR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.09–2.12), and categorical hip score ≥ 3% (OR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.13–2.09) were also independent risk factors. Conclusions We concluded that FRAX® scores with and without BMD were unanimously correlated with falls in community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly males and females.