Muscle to bone relationship in the forearm at midlife

Larger and stronger muscles are positively associated with bone strength in the growing skeleton; however, less is known about the role of muscle properties on bone strength later in life. The primary objective of this study was to examine the relationship between muscle cross sectional area (MCSA), muscle force and rate of torque development (RTD) with bone strength indices (bone strength index (BSI) and strength strain index (SSI)) in the radius of healthy middle-aged adults. All bone and muscle measurements were determined in the non-dominant forearm in a sample of 40 healthy adults (23 men, 17 women: mean age 49.5, SD 2.3 yrs). Peripheral quantitative computer tomography (pQCT) was used to scan the distal and shaft sites of the radius bone in the forearm. MCSA was determined from the forearm shaft scan. Forearm muscle force was measured by hand grip dynamometry and RTD was obtained from isometric wrist flexion from an isokinetic dynamometry protocol. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to identify whether muscle properties (MCSA, grip force, and RTD) independently predicted radius bone strength indices (BSI and SSI), after adjusting for the confounders of sex, height and weight. Steps of the regression models that included sex, height, weight and a muscle property explained between 66% and 71% of variance in distal radius BSI and between 74% and 78% variance of estimated bone strength (SSI) at the shaft site (all steps

Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines for adults aged 18-64 years and adults aged 65 years or older: an integration of physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology assembled a Consensus Panel representing national organizations, content experts, methodologists, stakeholders, and end-users and followed an established guideline development procedure to create the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 18-64 years and Adults aged 65 years or older: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep. These guidelines underscore the importance of movement behaviours across the whole 24-h day. The development process followed the strategy outlined in the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. A large body of evidence was used to inform the guidelines including 2 de novo systematic reviews and 4 overviews of reviews examining the relationships among movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, and all behaviours together) and several health outcomes. Draft guideline recommendations were discussed at a 4-day in-person Consensus Panel meeting. Feedback from stakeholders was obtained by survey (n = 877) and the draft guidelines were revised accordingly. The final guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for a healthy day (24-h), comprising a combination of sleep, sedentary behaviours, and light-intensity and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity. Dissemination and implementation efforts with corresponding evaluation plans are in place to help ensure that guideline awareness and use are optimized. Novelty First ever 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 18-64 years and Adults aged 65 years or older with consideration of a balanced approach to physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep Finalizes the suite of 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Canadians across the lifespa

Heritability of Thoracic Spine Curvature and Genetic Correlations With Other Spine Traits: The Framingham Study

Hyperkyphosis is a common spinal disorder in older adults, characterized by excessive forward curvature of the thoracic spine and adverse health outcomes. The etiology of hyperkyphosis has not been firmly established, but may be related to changes that occur with aging in the vertebrae, discs, joints, and muscles, which function as a unit to support the spine. Determining the contribution of genetics to thoracic spine curvature and the degree of genetic sharing among co-occurring measures of spine health may provide insight into the etiology of hyperkyphosis. The purpose of our study was to estimate heritability of thoracic spine curvature using T4–T12 kyphosis (Cobb) angle and genetic correlations between thoracic spine curvature and vertebral fracture, intervertebral disc height narrowing, facet joint osteoarthritis (OA), lumbar spine volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), and paraspinal muscle area and density, which were all assessed from computed tomography (CT) images. Participants included 2063 women and men in the second and third generation offspring of the original cohort of the Framingham Study. Heritability of kyphosis angle, adjusted for age, sex, and weight, was 54% (95% confidence interval [CI], 43% to 64%). We found moderate genetic correlations between kyphosis angle and paraspinal muscle area (math formulaG, –0.46; 95% CI, –0.67 to –0.26), vertebral fracture (math formulaG, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.61), vBMD (math formulaG, –0.23; 95% CI, –0.41 to –0.04), and paraspinal muscle density (math formulaG, –0.22; 95% CI, –0.48 to 0.03). Genetic correlations between kyphosis angle and disc height narrowing (math formulaG, 0.17; 95% CI, –0.05 to 0.38) and facet joint OA (math formulaG, 0.05; 95% CI, –0.15 to 0.24) were low. Thoracic spine curvature may be heritable and share genetic factors with other age-related spine traits including trunk muscle size, vertebral fracture, and bone mineral density

Problems of insurance fraud qualification

Darba mērķis ir aplūkot apdrošināšanas krāpšanas tiesisko regulējumu, noskaidrojot tā trūkumus un nepilnības, kas rada (var radīt) problēmas attiecīgā noziedzīgā nodarījuma kvalifikācijā, kā arī piedāvāt risinājumu konstatētajiem problēmjautājumiem. Sekmīgai uzstādīta mērķa sasniegšanai autors darbā izvirzījis vairākus uzdevumus: 1) noskaidrot krāpšanas jēdzienu un pazīmes, aplūkojot aspektus, kas krāpšanu kā noziedzīgu nodarījumu nošķir no civiltiesiska kaitējuma nodarīšanas; 2) aplūkot krāpšanas noziedzīga nodarījuma sastāva sastāvdaļas, norādot uz nepilnībām uz kļūdām tiesu prakses veiktajā kvalifikācijā; 3) noskaidrot apdrošināšanas krāpšanas sastāvu, īpaši pievēršot uzmanību apdrošināšanas krāpšanas noziedzīga nodarījuma pabeigšanas brīdim; 4) noskaidrot apdrošināšanas krāpšanas kvalificējošās pazīmes. Analīzes rezultātā autors izdarījis vairākus secinājumus, no kuriem svarīgākie ir šādi: 1)ļaunprātīga uzticības izmantošana un viltus kā alternatīvi krāpšanas izpausmes veidi ir nodalāmi tikai teorijas līmenī, jo praksē nav konstatējams neviens krāpšanas gadījums, kad krāpšana būtu izdarīta bez viltus, izmantojot tikai apkrāptās personas uzticēšanos; 2)saskaņā ar spēkā esošo Krimināllikuma redakciju, krāpšanas priekšmets nevar būt tiesības uz pakalpojumu. Autors uzskata, ka Krimināllikumā būtu lietderīgi precizēt krāpšanas sastāvu, nosakot, ka izkrāpt var ne tikai mantu vai tiesības uz mantu, bet arī mantiska rakstura pakalpojumu. Par šādu nepieciešamību liecina arī tiesu praksē skatītās lietas, kurās nereti krāpšanas priekšmets ir tiesības uz pakalpojumu; 3)ja manta pieder vainīgajai personai kopīpašumā ar citām personām un vainīgā persona to iznīcina, bojā vai slēpj nolūkā saņemt apdrošināšanas atlīdzību, ignorējot pārējo kopīpašnieku tiesības, manta attiecībā pret ieguvēju ir uzskatāma par svešu un attiecīgais noziedzīgais nodarījums kvalificējamas pēc Krimināllikuma 185.panta; 4)gadījumā, ja mantas kopīpašnieki ir veikuši Krimināllikuma 178.pantā norādītās darbības nolūkā saņemt apdrošināšanas atlīdzību, viņu darbībās ir saskatāma augsta organizētības un saskaņotības pakāpe, kas palielina izdarītā kaitīgumu. Ievērojot minēto, Krimināllikuma 178.pantā papildus trešajā daļā paredzētajai kvalifikācijas pazīmei – „liels apmērs”, vajadzētu paredzēt vēl vienu attiecīgā noziedzīgā nodarījuma kvalificējošo pazīmi – personu grupa pēc iepriekšējas vienošanās.Main goal of the Paper is to deal with insurance fraud in the legal framework by identifying its weaknesses and failures that create or can possibly create problems in the particular field of the crime, as well as offering solutions to identified problem areas. To successfully achieve the goal, the author of the work has raised a number of objectives: 1) to clarify the concept of fraud and its characteristics, looking at the aspects of the fraud as a crime distinct from the civil damage; 2) to view components of the criminal offense fraud, pointing out the weaknesses and the errors of the court practice's characterization; 3) determine the components of the insurance fraud, paying special attention to insurance fraud offense completion date; 4) clarify the qualifying elements of the insurance fraud. In the analytical part of the Paper, the author has come to a series of conclusions and the most important of which are as follows: 1) Abuse of trust and fraudulent as alternative ways can be separated only theoretically. In practice there are no fraud cases, when the fraud is committed without false intentions using personal trust; 2) Under the existing Criminal Code fraud object cannot have right for the service. The author believes that it would be useful to adjust the contents of the fraud in the Criminal Code, stating that it is not only possible to defraud the property or rights to property, but also an illiquid nature of the service. The necessity to adjust appears when court looks at cases where subject of the fraud often has rights to the services; 3) if the property belongs to a guilty person owned together with other people and the guilty party destroys, damages or hides it in order to obtain insurance reimbursement, ignoring the other joint holder, the property in relation to the beneficiaries is regarded as alien and the offense is qualified in Criminal Law, article 185; 4) In cases when the property is jointly owned and the owners have committed the activities which are represented in Criminal Code article 178, following these steps in order to obtain insurance pay, their actions are perceived as high degree of organization and coherence, which have made an increased risk. Taking into account the Criminal Code article 178 in addition to the third paragraph of qualifying feature - "large scale" there should be added another offense of the qualifying element: a group of people by previous arrangemen

Higher Hand Grip Strength Is Associated With Greater Radius Bone Size and Strength in Older Men and Women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study

ABSTRACT Mechanical loading by muscles elicits anabolic responses from bone, thus age‐related declines in muscle strength may contribute to bone fragility in older adults. We used high‐resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR‐pQCT) to determine the association between grip strength and distal radius bone density, size, morphology, and microarchitecture, as well as bone strength estimated by micro–finite element analysis (μFEA), among older men and women. Participants included 508 men and 651 women participating in the Framingham Offspring Study with grip strength measured in 2011–2014 and HR‐pQCT scanning in 2012–2015. Separately for men and women, analysis of covariance was used to compare HR‐pQCT measures among grip strength quartiles and to test for linear trends, adjusting for age, height, weight, smoking, and physical activity. Mean age was 70 years (range, 50–95 years), and men had higher mean grip strength than the women (37 kg vs. 21 kg). Bone strength estimated by μFEA‐calculated failure load was higher with greater grip strength in both men (p < 0.01) and women (p = 0.04). Higher grip strength was associated with larger cross‐sectional area in both men and women (p < 0.01), with differences in area of 6% and 11% between the lowest to highest grip strength quartiles in men and women, respectively. Cortical thickness was positively associated with grip strength among men only (p = 0.03). Grip strength was not associated with volumetric BMD (vBMD) in men. Conversely, there was a trend for lower total vBMD with higher grip strength among women (p = 0.02), though pairwise comparisons did not reveal any statistically significant differences in total vBMD among grip strength quartiles. Bone microarchitecture (cortical porosity, trabecular thickness, trabecular number) was not associated with grip strength in either men or women. Our findings suggest that the positive association between hand grip strength and distal radius bone strength may be driven primarily by bone size. © 2021 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research