Sarcopenia, obesity and sarcopenic obesity are associated with many negative health outcomes, such as high fall risk and low health-related quality of life in geriatric population.

The predictors for the development of cardiovascular diseases and peripheral arterial diseases in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) were not clearly established, and there is no specific study conducted to investigate the mean platelet volume (MPV) levels in SSc patients. Therefore, this study evaluates the MPV levels in SSc and possible relationship between SSc, its clinical features and activity/severity scores, and MPV. In total, 76 SSc patients (67 women and 9 men, mean age 50.44 ± 13.21 years) diagnosed according to the classification criteria of the American College of Rheumatology and 45 healthy volunteers were enrolled into study. Data relating to anamnesis, physical examination, MPV, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein levels, electrocardiography, echocardiography, high-resolution computerized tomography findings, complaints, and treatment processes were recorded into the database. Of the total cases, 17 had (22.3 %) cardiac involvement, 45 had gastrointestinal involvement (59.2 %), 47 had (61.8 %) lung involvement, 31 (32 %) had finger flexion deformity, and 27 (35.5 %) had digital ulcers at the fingertips. The mean MPV levels of SSc patients were significantly higher than those of the control group (p = 0.008). The mean MPV levels of SSc patients with cardiac involvement, digital ulcers, and gangrene presence were significantly high, and lower in Ilomedin-receiving patients than in the Ilomedin naives (p < 0.05). A negative relationship was discovered between the mean MPV levels, Valentini score, and Disease Severity Index of the patients with systemic sclerosis (p = 0.006, r = -0.310; p = 0.047, r = -0.229). MPV levels were significantly elevated in SSc patients and they were negatively correlated with disease activity scores. Increased MPV levels would be a predictive marker in the diagnosis of macrovascular and microvascular disease involvement in SSc patients.

Background: Hyperkyphosis is one of the commonly seen disabling problems in the elderly. Loss of muscle mass and function is supposed to be related to age-related hyperkyphosis. We aimed to explain the relationship between sarcopenia and hyperkyphosis in old patients in this study. Methods: 142 patients who were applied to polyclinic of geriatrics of Gaziantep University Hospital were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Hyperkyphotic patients were included in the study group, and non-hyperkyphotic patients were included in the control group by experienced staff. Their mean age was 72±6.9. Thirty-six of them were male, and 106 of them were female. The EWGSOP 2 criteria were used for the diagnosis of sarcopenia[1]. SARC-F (sluggishness, assistance in walking, rise from a chair, climb stairs, falls) test were done to all patients. The handgrip test was applied to patients that had a score ≥4 from SARC-F. We did bioimpedance analysis to the probable sarcopenic patients who diagnosed with handgrip assessment. Four-meter gait speed test, Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) and Tinetti Test was applied to all patients to evaluate gait speed. Hyperkyphosis was evaluated with the bloc method in the Rancho Bernardo Study[2]. Numbers of the blocks used for keeping patients in neutral position were recorded. We defined hyperkyphosis as the state that one or more blocks needed to maintain the patient's neutral position on the radiology table. Results: Hyperkyphosis was positively related to lower extremity dysfunction which was assessed by 4-m-gait speed test (p=0.018) and TUG (p=0.042). A significant relationship between gait speed and hyperkyphosis was revealed when evaluated with one-way MANOVA (F [5,92] =2.588, p=0.031, Wilk's Λ=0.877, partial η2=0.123). We found a significant relationship between TUG and the number of blocks needed to restore neutral position by linear regression analyses (r2 =0.059, p=0.044). We found a cut-off value of gait speed as 0.65 m/s for presence of hyperkyphosis (sensitivity:60%, specificity:70%, CI=95%, p<0.001, AUC=0.710). Tinetti balance, gait and total test scores were also negatively related to hyperkyphosis (p=0.006; 0,027; 0.031). Conclusions: In previous studies, vertebral compression fractures, degenerative disc disease, weakness of back extensor muscles and genetic predisposition were suggested as predisposing factors for age related kyperkyphosis[3]. Different from these in our study, lower extremity muscle function was found to be related to age-related hyperkyphosis. More studies on this subject could be helpful. Hyperkifosis prognosis in severe sarcopenic groups might be a new research topic.