Background Gastric emptying (GE) is measured in pharmacodynamic and diagnostic studies. Aims To assess inter- and intra-subject coefficients of variation (COV) of scintigraphic GE measurements in healthy subjects, and associations of GE with gender and BMI. Methods Data from participants with scintigraphic measurements of gastric emptying of solids were analyzed. Primary endpoints were gastric emptying T1/2 (GE T1/2) and GE at 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours. Results The patient cohort consisted of 105 males and 214 females; at least 2 studies were performed in 47 subjects [16 males (M), 32 females (F)]. Inter-subject COV (COVinter) for GE T1/2 were similar in M and F: overall 24.5% (M 26.0%, F 22.5%); COV are predictably lowest for GE at 4h (COVinter 9.6%). COVintra for T1/2 and GE4h were overall 23.8% and 12.6%, and were similar to COVinter values. Gender (but not age or body mass index [BMI]) was significantly associated with GE T1/2 [p<0.001, F 127.6 ± 28.7 (SD) min; M 109.9 ± 28.6 min] and with GE at 1h and 2h. Repeat GE T1/2 values in 47 participants were significantly correlated (r= 0.459, p<0.001) with median difference of −6 min (mean −1.6, range −56 to 72 min). Bland-Altman plots showed Δ GE T1/2 similarly distributed across mean GE T1/2 100–155 minutes, and across studies conducted 90 to 600 days apart. Conclusion Inter-subject variations in scintigraphic GE results are only slightly higher than the intra-subject measurements, which are also reproducible over time in healthy volunteers. Gender, but not BMI, is significantly associated with GE results.

ObjectiveTo establish reference values for hand grip strength (HGS) in a healthy Korean population and to identify the dependent anthropometric variables that affect HGS.MethodsBased on the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2014 to 2015, we analyzed the HGS data of 7,969 South Koreans. Individuals with specific chronic diseases and who reported poor subjective health status were excluded to ensure a healthy population sample. Means with standard deviations (SDs) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each 5-year interval starting from 10 years of age. To determine the relationship between HGS and anthropometric variables, we performed correlation analyses between HGS and height, weight, and body mass index (BMI). Additionally, based on these findings, the cut-off value for low HGS was presented by deriving -2SD values of healthy young adults as recommended by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People.ResultsThe mean age and BMI of men and women were 38.3 and 38.2 years and 23.8 and 22.4 kg/m2, respectively. Mean HGS of the dominant hand in men and women was 39.5 and 24.2 kg, respectively. The peak in HGS was at 35–39 years of age, after which HGS decreased in both sexes. HGS was significantly correlated with height, weight, and BMI. The cut-off values for weak HGS were < 28.9 and < 16.8 kg in men and women, respectively.ConclusionThese results provide useful reference values to assess HGS in patients who undergo hand surgery or who have various diseases that affect HGS. Moreover, a cut-off value for low HGS may help in defining sarcopenia among the Korean population.

Hand grip strength (HGS) is a means to assess health status and physical abilities indirectly. Various factors are known to be related to HGS, but data on the factors influencing HGS in the Korean population are lacking. Recently, the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed social status, nutrition, physical status, and other medical history including HGS. This study aimed to investigate the social, physical, and individual health behavior factors associated with low HGS in the elderly Korean population. This population-based cross-sectional study was based on the 2014–2016 KNHANES. Community-dwelling Korean elderly (aged ≥65 years) were included in this survey. The relationship between HGS and socioeconomic status, nutrition, exercise, and other clinical characteristics were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. The sample size was 3,634 (weighted: 6,006,406). Elderly men and women with low HGS showed lower body mass index, reduced physical activity and lower education level. Among elderly men, excessive carbohydrate and inadequate protein intake were observed in the low HGS group. Meanwhile, older women who did not drink alcohol and had diabetes were at higher risk of low HGS. In conclusion, various physical, nutritional, socioeconomic and comorbidity statuses were seemed to be the factors associated with HGS in Korean elderly. However, further cohort or case-control study will be necessary to determine the causal relationship of those factors and HGS.