Committee and Research Group Activities in 2012

1. Committee on the Development of the Guidelines on the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis (chair: Hajime Orimo; vice chair: Toshitaka Nakamura)

The 2011 Guidelines on the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis were published in December 2011, and a digest edition was published in February 2012 with the aim of promoting the guidelines. In 2012, PR activities were conducted at the 14th Annual Meeting of Japan Osteoporosis Society held in September in Niigata City as well as on other occasions.
The English version of the guidelines was published in December 2012 in Archives of Osteoporosis as a position paper (Arch. Osteoporos. 7 [1-2: 2012], 3-20).

2. Committee on the Revision of Diagnostic Criteria for Primary Osteoporosis (chair: Masao Fukunaga; acting chair: Satoshi Soen; vice chair: Toshitsugu Sugimoto)

The diagnostic criteria for primary osteoporosis were announced for the first time in 1995, and were revised in 1996 and then again in 2000. With over ten years having passed since the last revision, it was decided, in order to ensure international consistency as well as to reflect new findings that have accumulated over years, to publish the 2012 revised edition by revising the diagnostic criteria for primary osteoporosis by jointly establishing a committee with the Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
The first committee meeting was held in July 2011. The proposed 2012 revised edition was deliberated at the third (March 2012) and fourth (June 2012) meetings, and public comment was solicited on our website. Also, a symposium was jointly held with the Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Research at the 14th Annual Meeting of Japan Osteoporosis Society in Niigata City, where opinions were collected and incorporated into the revised edition. Following these processes, the 2012 revised edition was published in the journal Osteoporosis Japan in January 2013 (OpJ 21 [1: 2013]).

3. QUS Standardization Committee (chair: Yo Kosei)

The 12th committee meeting was held in June 2012, where it was decided to promote how quantitative ultrasound (QUS) can be used for bone fracture risk assessment. It was agreed that discussions based on committee reports would be summarized and translated into English.

4. Committee on Bone Metabolism Markers (chair: Yoshiki Nishizawa; vice chair: Hiroaki Ohta; vice chair: Masakazu Miura)

On February 15, 2012, the Guidelines on the Proper Use of Bone Metabolism Markers in Osteoporosis Treatment were published. In connection with this, Bone Metabolism Markers Q&A, which conforms to the 2012 guidelines, was released on August 20. In September 2012 a symposium titled “Concept and Realities of the Guidelines on the Proper Use of Bone Metabolism Markers in Osteoporosis Care (2012 Edition)” was held at the 14th Annual Meeting of Japan Osteoporosis Society in Niigata City, where use of the guidelines in actual care was promoted. Also, the English version was published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism (JBMM 31 [1: 2013], 1-15).

5. Vertebral Fracture Assessment Committee (chair: Satoshi Mori)

This committee was established with the aim of revising the current assessment criteria for vertebral fracture so the criteria would reflect the current situation and become easier to use in daily practice. The committee started working on the revision in July 2009 as a collaboration of three associations: the Japanese Society for Bone Morphometry, the Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Research, and the Japan Osteoporosis Society; it then grew to a six-association committee by welcoming the Japanese Orthopaedic Association, the Japanese Society for Spine Surgery and Related Research, and the Japan Radiological Society.
On May 18, 2012, the eighth meeting was held in Kyoto City, and opinions of the six organizations were summarized and incorporated in the guidelines. In September 2012, a symposium titled “The Frontline of Vertebral Fracture Assessment: Proposed Revised Assessment Criteria” was held at the 14th Annual Meeting of Japan Osteoporosis Society in Niigata City, where opinions were collected. Following these processes, the 2012 revised edition was published in the journal Osteoporosis Japan in January 2013 (OpJ 21 [1: 2013]).

6. Assessment Committee on the Risks of Fractures Caused by Lifestyle-Related Diseases (chair: Toshitsugu Sugimoto)

With the aim of increasing social awareness of osteoporosis and fracture risks that come with or follow lifestyle-related diseases and promoting healthy bone, this practice guidelines development committee was established. Between October 2009 and February 2011, five committee meetings were held, the culmination of which was the Practice Guidelines on the Risks of Bone Fractures Caused by Lifestyle-Related Diseases, published in March 2011. A digest edition was published.
The patient brochure “Diet for Bone Fracture Prevention” was published in 2012 to promote the use of the guidelines in actual care. It was decided that standardization of clinical cohort studies planned by this committee would be difficult to implement and instead the progress of the studies would be shared as they proceed.

7. Osteoporosis Liaison Services (OLS) Committee (chair: Toshitaka Nakamura)

The first committee meeting was held in May 2011, where it was confirmed that future deliberations would be done in the form of a working group (WG). The third meeting of the OLS-WG was held in February 2012 and the fourth was held in June 2012, where, in order to develop the OLS curriculum generally and with specifics, presentation slides were prepared on the roles and involvement of the OLS managers, dietary guidance for each of the specifics, exercise therapy, prevention of falling, drug therapy, etc. The fifth OLS-WG meeting was held on September 28, 2012, where final confirmation for holding the first Osteoporosis Manager Lecture Course was made. The first Osteoporosis Manager Lecture Course was held successfully in the afternoon of the final day at the 14th Annual Meeting of Japan Osteoporosis Society, held in Niigata City, which was attended by 146 medical practitioners. The sixth OLS-WG meeting was held on December 9, 2012, where, in response to a report pointing out general unfamiliarity with the term liaison services, it was decided that the activity would be retitled “osteoporosis care support services” and the service providers would be called “osteoporosis managers” to increase their public recognition; the names Liaison Services and OLS would be retained. Also, it was confirmed that the results of the participant questionnaires would be analyzed and incorporated into future activities. The second Osteoporosis Manager Lecture Course was held in March 2013, and it was confirmed that the third course would be held at the 15th Annual Meeting of Japan Osteoporosis Society, to be held in October 2013 in Osaka.

8. A-TOP Research Group (leader: Hajime Orimo), April 2012-March 2013

(a) With regard to JOINT-02, a thesis is currently being prepared regarding the relationship between 25(OH)D and QOL, and we aim to submit the thesis and announce the results by the end of 2013. Also, another thesis is currently being prepared regarding the prediction of bone density improvement and bone fracture prevention effects of a drug.
(b) For JOINT-03, Last Patient Out is scheduled for April 2013, and the primary endpoint results will be announced at an academic conference in 2013.
(c) For JOINT-04, a total of approximately 2,200 patients were registered by the end of 2012.
(d) Deliberations are currently being made to develop a plan for JOINT-05.
(e) The amount of data accumulated from JOINT-02 to JOINT-04 is enormous. Establishment of a data center is currently being considered to support a wide range of research.