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Plasma zinc alpha2-glycoprotein levels correlate positively with frailty severity in female elders.
Lee, YP, Chang, CH, Liu, HH, Chen, CY, Chen, CY, Hsu, CC, Chang, CI, Lin, YT, Lee, CS, Tsai, JS
Medicine. 2016;(35):e4753
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Abstract
Frailty is a geriatric syndrome associated with adiposity. Zinc alpha2-glycoprotein (ZAG), a novel adipokine, is a modulator of body fat mass and positively correlates with age. This observational study aims to investigate the relationship between plasma ZAG levels and frailty in the elderly.We enrolled 189 elder participants from a hospital-based comprehensive geriatric assessment program in Taiwan from January 2007 to June 2008. The demographic data, body weight, body mass index, appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), body fat mass percentage, metabolic and inflammatory parameters including plasma tumor-necrosis factor alpha, C-reactive protein and ZAG levels, were assessed. The frailty score was assessed by Fried Frailty Index.The mean age of all participants (91 [48.1%] men and 98 [51.9%] women) was 77.19 ± 6.12 years. Judged by the FFI score, 46 (24.34%) elders were robust, 106 (56.08%) were pre-frail, and 37 (19.58%) were frail. Older men showed greater ASMI and lower fat mass percentage in comparison to older women (P < 0.0001). The log-transformed mean plasma ZAG (μg/mL) level of overall was 1.82 ± 0.11, and it was higher in men than in women (1.85 ± 0.12 vs 1.79 ± 0.1, P = 0.0006). Plasma ZAG levels were different among the robust, pre-frail and frail subgroups (1.78 ± 0.09, 1.83 ± 0.12, 1.83 ± 1.10, respectively, P = 0.028), and the differences were more significant in woman elders (P = 0.005). Further multiple linear regression analysis showed plasma ZAG levels positively correlated with frailty severity in women (P for trend = 0.0435).Plasma ZAG levels positively correlated with frailty severity in woman elders. The difference between sexes suggests certain sex-specific mechanisms may exist to affect the association between plasma ZAG levels and frailty.
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Is the MNA valid in different populations and across practice settings?
Chumlea, WC
The journal of nutrition, health & aging. 2006;(6):524-7; discussion 527-33
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The MNA is a successful screening tool in geriatric medicine, but this success is in Europe or countries with Western health care practice settings. The MNA is not directly applicable in many ethnic groups or countries or those with non-Western cultural and dietary habits or health care systems. There is an increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome and obesity among the elderly; however, the MNA does not include questions or measures related to these or other important health conditions affected by nutritional status. This paper addresses the relevance of anthropometry and the impact of different clinical practice settings on the MNA and discusses the development of the Chinese Nutritional Screen (CNS) in China. CONCLUSIONS If the MNA is to continue to be successful among groups of elderly around the world, then the MNA, CNS or similar instruments should be as country or culturally and ethnically specific as possible. The development of the CNS maintained the underlying assumptions and concept of the MNA but modified them for a country with diverse food and cultural habits and health care settings.