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Background: This study aimed to validate the effectiveness of the Osteoporosis Self-assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA) in identifying postmenopausal women at increased risk of primary osteoporosis and painful new osteoporotic vertebral fractures in a large selected Han Chinese population in Beijing. Methods: We assessed the performance of the OSTA in 1201 women. Subjects with an OSTA index > -1 were classified as the low risk group, and those with an index ⩽ -1 were classified as the increased risk group. Osteoporosis is defined by a T-score ⩽ 2.5 standard deviations according to the WHO criteria. All painful, new vertebral fractures were identified by X-ray and MRI scans with correlating clinical signs and symptoms. We determined the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for correctly selecting women with osteoporosis and painful new vertebral fractures. Results: Of the study subjects, 29.3% had osteoporosis, and the prevalence of osteoporosis increased progressively with age. The areas under the ROC curves of the OSTA index (cutoff = -1) to identify osteoporosis in the femoral neck, total hip, and lumbar spine were 0.824, 0.824, and 0.776, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the OSTA index (cutoff = -1) to identify osteoporosis in healthy women were 66% and 76%, respectively. With regard to painful new vertebral fractures, the area under the ROC curve relating the OSTA index (cutoff = -1) to new vertebral fractures was 0.812. Conclusions: The OSTA may be a simple and effective tool for identifying the risk of osteoporosis and new painful osteoporotic vertebral fractures in Han Chinese women [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to discuss the change in groundwater level and quantity supplemented to Mihuaishun area from South to North Water Division Project. In this study, the method of numerical simulation was adopted to predict and analysis of the trend of groundwater level in the study area within 20 years. The survey concluded that the cumulative loss of groundwater resources in Mihuaishun area in 2007 ~ 2016 reaches -1.784 × 109 m³. According to the forecast, after the water source of South-to-North Water Division continues to recharge the aquifers at the rate of 0.12 billion m³/a for ten years, the local groundwater equilibrium changes from negative to positive, and the water level in the central funnel area increases by 25m. In addition, the artificial recharge of multiple water sources is also related to local hydrology geological conditions. The impacts of the obtained results are analyzing comprehensively the influence of South to North Water Division supplement on groundwater and providing reference for underground regulation and unified regulation of water resources after the water source of South-to-North Water Division transferred into Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]