Factors Affecting Spine–Femur Discordance in The Percentage of Young Adult Mean On Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry in The Elderly Population: A Retrospective Study

Background Several retrospective studies have reported spine–femur discordance in bone mineral density (BMD) values. However, the average age of individuals in these studies was the mid-50s, which is younger than the typical age of individuals requiring treatment for primary osteoporosis. Therefore, we aimed to investigate factors associated with discordance in the percentage of young adult mean (YAM) between the lumbar spine and femoral neck in the elderly population. Methods We evaluated 4549 dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements obtained from 2161 patients (269 men and 1892 women) between January 2014 and December 2017 at our hospital. For individuals with more than one eligible set of measurements, the first record was used. We investigated each patient’s age, sex, body mass index, current smoking status, alcohol consumption, use of steroids, presence of diabetes mellitus, and presence of rheumatoid arthritis. Results The mean age of the patients was 76.4 ± 8.9 years. Older age (p < 0.001), male sex (p < 0.001), and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.007) were significantly associated with spine–femur discordance in the percentage of YAM. Conclusion The frequency and magnitude of spine–femur discordance in the percentage of YAM from DXA scans increased with age. Notably, more than 77.36% of patients in their 90s had spine–femur discordance > 10% of YAM. Furthermore, the frequency of spine–femur discordance was higher in men and in patients with diabetes mellitus, suggesting that the percentage of YAM at the lumbar spine may not be reliable for diagnosis of osteoporosis in patients with these factors.

Development of Inhibitory Processing During the Go/NoGo Task

The aim of the present study was to investigate behavioral and electrophysiological indices of developing response activation and inhibition processes in child, young-adult, and adult groups. Sixty subjects, with 20 in each of the child (mean age 10.8 years), young-adult (mean age 20.7 years), and older adult (mean age 36.4 years) groups, performed an auditory Go/NoGo task while task performance variables and EEG were recorded. ERPs were derived to Go (response activation) and NoGo (response inhibition) stimuli, with the amplitude and latency of the N1, P2, N2, and P3 ERP components analyzed as a function of age. Results indicate improved task performance, and a reduction in the latency of each component and the amplitude of the N2 and P3 components, with increasing age. Analyses of Go versus NoGo effects indicated differential utilization of inhibition-related processing stages in children compared to adults, with some minor differences between the two adult groups. Go/NoGo effects were evident during early stages of processing, such as those indexed by the N1 and N2 components in children, but only in later stages, as indexed by P3, in adult subjects. This study provides much-needed data on the normative development of response activation and inhibition, as operationalized by the auditory Go/NoGo task, in children and two groups of younger/older adult subjects.