Sarcopenia and Musculoskeletal System Diseases Research Team

Dr. Alice May-Kuen Wong Research Expertise: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Gerontology and Geriatrics, Pediatric Rehabilitation Center	Dr. Fang-Ping Chen Research Expertise: Menopause, Osteoporosis, Endoscopy, Gynecological Endocrionology	Dr. See-Tong Pang Research Expertise: Urinary system tumor

Prof. Chung-Chih Lin Research Expertise: Medical informatics, Data mining, Embedded system, Wireless sensor networks	Dr. Chen Jean-Lon Research Expertise: Independent component analysis (ICA), EEG and Event related potentials (ERPs), Resting state networks (RSNs) and functional connectivity, Neurofeedback training (NFT), stroke and traumatic brain injury, brain mapping and motor control, virtual reality, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation (VitalStim), gerontology and acupuncture	Dr. Huang Shu-Chun Research Expertise: cardiac rehabilitation, cardiopulmonary exercise physiology, soft tissue ultrasonography

Team members

Dr. Alice May-Kuen Wong, Dr. Chih-Ming Lin, Dr. Yin-Chou Lin, Dr. Chih-Kuang Chen, Dr. Max Jean-Lon Chen, Dr. Mei-Ling Cheng, Dr. Ming-Shi Shiao

Conceptual Framework

Research Project-1

The interaction between sarcopenia, physical fitness, maximum oxygen intake, ultrasound elasticity imaging and exercise.

General description

To discover convenient physical fitness marker for the diagnosis of Sarcopenia, and monitor the changes through exercise training.

Background

the elderly is defined as people over the age of 65 by the World Health Organization. The aging population is consisted of the percentage of the population over the age of 65 and the average age increase of the total population. Taiwan has entered an aging society since 1993. As the percentage of the elderly population continues to rise, it has reached 11.5% by the end of 2013. The aging index, which measures the degree of the aging population, was 80.5%, and it has increased by 33.9 percentage from the last 10 years. Population aging is a conundrum during the development of human civilization. It is estimated that the elderly population will reach 19.5% by 2041 when  three young men shares the living expenditure of one elderly person. By 2051, the elderly population is expected to reach 25%.

In the aging process, the gradual deterioration of the physical condition, coupled with multiple chronic diseases and physical impairment leading to decreased activity, accelerates the loss of skeletal muscle fibers in the elderly. The precise diagnosis of Sarcopenia is vital, as sarcopenia not only causes the elderly unable to work and take care of themselves, but also leads to their disability, falls, functional degradation, hospitalization, and even a risk factor for death.

Aims

The team aims to promote the health of the elderly, to find a more convenient diagnosis for Sarcopenia, and to improve the symptoms of Sarcopenia by exercise intervention. In order to achieve the goal of public health with early diagnosis and early treatment.

Methods

First, physical fitness tests will be performed on elderly person with Sarcopenia and the data together with Sarcopenia related physiological parameters will be analyzed. This aims to find physical fitness data which highly correlate with clinical parameters and will assist clinicians to diagnose Sarcopenia. In addition, the elderly will be grouped and received 12 weeks of Tai Chi and resistance exercise training.  The performance of exercise on improving symptoms of Sarcopenia and the progress of fitness data will be evaluated.

Major achievements

On-going 

      Research Project-2

    Exploration of longevity markers in aging population by metabolomics 

    General description

    According to the statistics by the Ministry of the Interior, Taiwan has entered the aging society since 1993. As the percentage of the elderly population continues to rise, it has reached 11.5% by the end of 2013. The aging index, which measures the degree of the aging population, was 80.5%, and it has increased by 33.9 percentage from the last 10 years. The aging index of Taiwan is lower than that of Canada, Europe and Japan, however, it is higher than that of the United States, New Zealand, Australia and other Asian countries. Hence, the aging population is a social issue which can not be ignored. As people ages, it is essential to maintain their daily activities with proper physical activity. Understanding aging and promoting healthy aging are important issues for the elderly.

      Aims

   Aging is a continuity of physiological changes, the function of many body parts and organs gradually declines as time goes by. The exploration of physiological indicators in aging community will shed lights on many  aging related indicators which may lead to successful and lively aging.

      Methods

    Metabolomics is a new discipline of system biology, which investigates the integrated phenomenon of the low molecular  weight (LMW) metabolites in biological systems. Metabolomics provides valuable information, including metabolic pathway,  connecting networks, inter-relationship, as well as a comprehensive view between physiological and pathological state.

   The main object of Metabolomics is to detect global metabolites and their interaction followed by identification of specific metabolites (targeted metabolites) among different groups (specific and non-specific groups). Ultimately, these bioinformatics data will lead to the discovery of biomarkers.

   Major achievements

On-going

【Patent】Alice May-Kuen Wong 健康諮詢系統

                  Taiwan Patent Number: I423054 (Issued: 2014/01/11)

                                                                      Contact: Mr. Wang        wangcw@cgmh.org.tw

                                                                                                             03-3281200#8146