Trabecular bone score (TBS), which has been proposed to be used in complementary with bone mineral density (BMD) to improve the assessment of fracture risk, is negatively associated with body mass index (BMI). The effect of soft tissue, which is expected to be thicker in subjects with high BMI, on TBS was studied using three scan types: Hologic with fast array mode (Hfa), Hologic with high definition mode (Hhd), and GE-Lunar iDXA. A spine phantom provided by Hologic for routine quality control procedure was scanned using three scan types: Hfa, Hhd, and iDXA. The phantom was scanned with an overlying soft tissue equivalent material (bolus used in radiotherapy) of 0 (without), 1, 2.5, 3.5, 5 and 7.5 cm thick. For each setting, 30 acquisitions were performed in the same way as for the quality control procedure. TBS was calculated using TBS iNsight® software version 2.1 on the same regions of interest as those used for lumbar spine BMD. Mean ± SD TBS of the phantom (without overlying soft tissue) were 1.379 ± 0.018, 1.430 ± 0.009, and 1.423 ± 0.005 using Hfa, Hhd, and iDXA, respectively. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA showed that there were statistically differences in TBS due to different thicknesses of soft tissue equivalent materials for all three scan types (p < 0.001). A Tukey post-hoc test revealed that the decrease in TBS was statistically significant (p < 0.001) when the soft tissue thickness was 1 cm (−0.0246 ± 0.0044, −0.0319 ± 0.0036, and −0.0552 ± 0.0015 for Hfa, Hhd, and iDXA, respectively). Although to a lesser degree, the effects were also statistically significant for BMD (p < 0.05): an increase for Hfa and Hhd but a decrease for iDXA. However, these changes did not exceed the least significant change (LSC) derived from patients. Increased soft tissue thickness results in lower TBS value. Although BMD is also affected, it is unlikely to pose a clinical problem because the change is unlikely to exceed the patient-derived LSC.

Background. Body composition measurement is very important for early nutritional care in hemodialysis patients. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a gold standard test, but clinically limited. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) with multifrequency technique is a practical and reliable tool. Objective. This cross-sectional study was aimed to compare the agreement of BIA with DXA in measurement of body composition in hemodialysis patients and to evaluate their associated factors. Methods. Body composition was measured by 2 BIA methods (InBody S10 and InBody 720) and DXA after a hemodialysis session. A total of 69 measurements were included. Pearson’s correlation and Bland and Altman analysis were used to determine the correlation of body composition between methods and to compare the methods agreement, respectively. Results. The correlation coefficients of body compositions were strong between DXA and InBody S10 (fat mass index (FMI): r=0.95, fat-free mass index (FFMI): r=0.78) and also between DXA and InBody 720 (FMI: r=0.96, FFMI: r=0.81). Comparing to DXA, the means of each body composition measured by InBody S10 method were not significantly different in each gender, but differences were found in FM, %FM, and FMI measured by InBody 720. Conclusions. In maintenance hemodialysis patients, the measurement of body composition with DXA and both BIA methods had highly significant correlations; practically, BIA method could be used as an instrument to follow FM and FFM and to measure the edematous stage. Further studies with large populations are warranted.

The adjusted incidence rate of hip fracture in Thailand has increased more than 31% from 1997 to 2006. Mortality and morbidity after hip fracture are also high. One year mortality after a hip fracture has increased from 18% in 1999 to 21% in 2007. The Thai Osteoporosis Foundation (TOPF) developed the first Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) in 2002 and keeps updating the CPG since then. This latest version of the CPG is our attempt to provide comprehensive positional statement on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in Thailand. The study group who revised this position statement contains experts from the TOPF, Four Royal Colleges of Thailand, includes the Orthopaedic Surgeons, Gynecologists and Obstetricians, Physiatrists, Radiologists and 2 Associations of Endocrinologists and Rheumatologists which have involved in the management of patients with osteoporosis.

Trabecular bone score (TBS), which has been shown to discriminate patients with fractures from healthy individuals, decreases with age. This study was conducted to derive an age-adjusted normative TBS curve for each gender aged 30-80 + years to serve as reference data for Thai males and females. A cross-sectional study was conducted among employees from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand cohorts, after excluding those with conditions potentially affecting bone metabolism and analysis. The values of TBS at L1-L4 vertebrae were analyzed using a commercial software. Age-adjusted TBS curves were constructed using segmental linear regression analysis for each gender. Additional analysis was also performed on TBS with age, body mass index, and body mineral density (BMD) at L1-L4 vertebrae as covariates. A database of 848 healthy subjects (341 females and 507 males) aged 30-80+ years was created. The BMDs of both male and female subjects in the youngest decade were not statistically different from previous reports (p = 0.31 and 0.22 for females and males, respectively). In this age group, the mean TBS was higher in females, albeit not statistically significant (p = 0.12). Between the ages of 30-80+ years, female and male TBS dropped by 19.8% (0.40% per year) and 10.1% (0.20% per year), respectively. The association with TBS was weak for body mass index and moderate for BMD (coefficients of about -0.01 and 0.4-0.5, respectively). The age-adjusted reference curves for healthy Thai females and males aged 30-80+ years have been established.

The Thai Osteoporosis Foundation (TOPF) is an academic organization that consists of a multidisciplinary group of healthcare professionals managing osteoporosis. The first clinical practice guideline for diagnosing and managing osteoporosis in Thailand was published by the TOPF in 2010, then updated in 2016 and 2021. This paper presents important updates of the guideline for the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis in Thailand. A panel of experts in the field of osteoporosis was recruited by the TOPF to review and update the TOPF position statement from 2016. Evidence was searched using the MEDLINE database through PubMed. Primary writers submitted their first drafts, which were reviewed, discussed, and integrated into the final document. Recommendations are based on reviews of the clinical evidence and experts' opinions. The recommendations are classified using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation classification system. The updated guideline comprises 90 recommendations divided into 12 main topics. This paper summarizes the recommendations focused on 4 main topics: the diagnosis and evaluation of osteoporosis, fracture risk assessment and indications for bone mineral density measurement, fracture risk categorization, management according to fracture risk, and pharmacological management of osteoporosis. This updated clinical practice guideline is a practical tool to assist healthcare professionals in diagnosing, evaluating, and managing osteoporosis in Thailand.

The breast cancer treatment paradigm has shifted to neoadjuvant treatment. There are many advantages to neoadjuvant treatment, such as tumor downsizing, in vivo tumor biology testing, treating micrometastasis, and achieving complete pathological response (a surrogate marker for overall survival). However, in the post neoadjuvant settings, sentinel lymph node biopsy can be done using a dual staining technique to decrease the false-negative rate (FNR) and increase the detection rate. However, many hospitals are not equipped to use radioisotopes. Here we investigate the detection rate and accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy in post neoadjuvant treatment breast cancer, comparing radioisotope, isosulfan blue, and indocyanine green (ICG) approaches. This prospective study includes breast cancer patients (T2–4, N1–2) who had received neoadjuvant treatment. Carcinomas were confirmed by tissue pathology. Patients who had previous surgical biopsy or surgery involving the axillary regions, and those with a history of allergy to ICG, isosulfan blue, or radioisotope were excluded from the study. The study was done between July 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020. The mean age of participants was 53 years. Fourteen (60.87%) were post-menopause, two (8.7%) were perimenopause, and seven (30.43%) were premenopause. The clinical-stage distribution of the participants was: 2A (8.7%), 2B (34.78%), 3A (43.48%), and 3B (13.04%). The primary tumor size was 4.82 ± 2.73 cm. The lymph node size was 1.8 ± 0.96 cm. The detection rates at the individual level were 95.23% with ICG, 85.71% with isosulfan blue, and 85.71% with a radioisotope. The detection rate increased up to 100% when the ICG and blue dye methods were combined. The FNRs of sentinel lymph node biopsy at the individual level were: 10% using ICG, 30% using isosulfan blue, and 40% using radioisotope. At the lymph node level, the detection rates were 93.22% using ICG, 81.78% using isosulfan blue, and 53.87% using a radioisotope. The FNRs of sentinel lymph node biopsy at the lymph node level were 19.05% with ICG, 21.43% with isosulfan blue, and 18.03% with a radioisotope. However, the FNR was less than 10% when ICG, isosulfan blue, and a radioisotope were combined. We can perform sentinel lymph node biopsy by combining blue dye with ICG as an optional modality and achieve a comparable outcome with combine radioisotope in locally advanced breast cancer after neoadjuvant treatment.