Consensus of Official Position of IOF/ISCD FRAX Initiatives in Asia-Pacific Region.

The fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX(®)) has been developed for the identification of individuals with high risk of fracture in whom treatment to prevent fractures would be appropriate. FRAX models are not yet available for all countries or ethnicities, but surrogate models can be used within regions with similar fracture risk. The International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) and International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) are nonprofit multidisciplinary international professional organizations. Their visions are to advance the awareness, education, prevention, and treatment of osteoporosis. In November 2010, the IOF/ISCD FRAX initiative was held in Bucharest, bringing together international experts to review and create evidence-based official positions guiding clinicians for the practical use of FRAX. A consensus meeting of the Asia-Pacific (AP) Panel of the ISCD recently reviewed the most current Official Positions of the Joint Official Positions of ISCD and IOF on FRAX in view of the different population characteristics and health standards in the AP regions. The reviewed position statements included not only the key spectrum of positions but also unique concerns in AP regions.

Oceanic intraplate volcanoes exposed: Example from seamounts accreted in Panama

Two Paleogene ocean islands are exposed in the Azuero Peninsula, west Panama, within sequences accreted in the early-Middle Eocene. A multidisciplinary approach involving litho-logic mapping, paleontological age determinations, and petrological study allows reconstruction of the stratigraphy and magmatic evolution of one of these intraplate oceanic volcanoes. From base to top, the volcano's structure comprises submarine basaltic lava flows locally interlayered with hemipelagic sediments, basaltic breccias, shallow-water limestones, and subaerial basaltic lava. Gabbros and basaltic dikes were emplaced along a rift zone of the island. Geochemical trends of basaltic lavas include decreased Mg# {[Mg/(Mg + Fe)] * 100} and, with time, increased incompatible element contents thought to be representative of many poorly documented intraplate volcanoes in the Pacific. Our results show that, in addition to deep drilling, the roots of oceanic islands can be explored through studies of accreted and subaerially exhumed oceanic sequences.