In the present study, we examined the sex-related differences and cross-sectional age-related changes in the cross-sectional area of the psoas major muscle. The cross-sectional area was corrected for fat-free mass (FFM-corrected), which was calculated as the 2/3rd power of the total fat-free mass. A total of 240 adults (114 men, 126 women, age: 20-81 years) were included in the study. The cross-sectional area of the psoas major muscle was measured by 0.2T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the total fat-free mass was measured by air displacement plethysmography. We demonstrated that the FFM-corrected cross-sectional area of the psoas major muscle was greater in males than females across all age groups. Furthermore, we examined the mean FFM-corrected cross-sectional area of the psoas major muscle across different age groups and demonstrated that it decreased with age. Our findings, when combined with previous results, show a peak in the 20s, which declined with age. Our study revealed sex-related differences and cross-sectional age-related changes in the FFM-corrected cross-sectional area of the psoas major muscle. Our findings also suggest that it is important to define reference values and ranges that take into account age- and sex-related differences when assessing the psoas major muscle by FFM-corrected cross-sectional area.

Objective : Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a disease treated by polytherapy. This time, the authors report the role of pharmacists in one of the few Parkinson’s disease facilities in Japan (https://sunwels.jp/pdhouse/; abbreviated as PD House), which was born from the voices of PD patients. Methods : The backgrounds of 52 patients admitted to the PD House and prescriptions for them were analyzed to mainly clarify: the percentages of patients aged 75 or over and those using 7 or more prescribed drugs; and frequently used drugs to be carefully administered to the elderly. The approaches provided by pharmacists through interprofessional collaboration were also analyzed. Results : The percentages of patients aged 75 or over and those receiving benefits for individuals requiring care were 71.2 and 92.3%, respectively. Those using 7 or more prescribed drugs accounted for 75.0%. In multidisciplinary collaboration, pharmacists were involved in not only pharmacotherapy but also nutritional evaluation of patients with severe nutritional disorders, proposal of appropriate nutritional therapy, understanding of swallowing function, and appropriate medication teaching. Conclusion : The actual situation of PD patients, where they used multiple drugs, and their backgrounds suggest that interprofessional collaboration is indispensable for PD treatment, and the roles of pharmacists were shown to be important.