Peculiarities
The Frax Protocol is a uniquely designed community-driven stablecoin. More than 60% of FXS supply is issued over several years to liquidity providers and farmers. It is a completely decentralized protocol with blockchain governance. It is also the first and only stablecoin to implement a fractional-algorithmic hybrid design at the time of its launch in November 2020.
The Frax protocol is the first stablecoin system with a fractional algorithm. Frax is open source, permissionless, and fully on-chain - currently implemented on Ethereum (with possible cross-chain implementations in the future). The ultimate goal of the Frax protocol is to provide highly scalable, decentralized, algorithmic money instead of fixed-size digital assets like BTC.
Fractional Algorithmic - Frax is a unique stablecoin where part of the supply is backed by collateral and part of the supply algorithm. The ratio of collateralized and algorithmic transactions depends on the market price of the FRAX stablecoin. If FRAX trades above $1, the protocol reduces its collateral ratio. If FRAX trades below $1, the protocol increases the collateral ratio.
Decentralization and minimization of governance - community management and emphasis on a highly autonomous, algorithmic approach without active management.
Fully on-chain oracles - Frax v1 uses Uniswap (ETH, USDT, USDC, time-weighted average prices) and Chainlink (USD price) oracles.
Before Frax, stablecoins were divided into three different categories: fiat-backed, excess cryptocurrency-backed, and uncollateralized algorithmic. Frax is the first type of decentralized stablecoin to classify itself as fractional-algorithmic and falls into the fourth and most unique category.
Osteoporosis: what you need to know about it (+FRAX fracture scale)
Quite often, to the question “What is osteoporosis?”, I receive rather lengthy answers that “it is some kind of disease of bones and cartilage.” So, friends, this “some kind of disease” today occupies one of the leading places in the structure of morbidity and mortality of the population. Thus, almost every third woman during menopause experiences osteoporosis, and at the age of 75-80 years, osteoporosis occurs in almost every second woman (and according to some data, in 60-70% of all people of this age)!!! And what we have: an improvement in the quality of life, as a result - an increase in life expectancy, and the problem of osteoporosis, unfortunately, becomes global.
Let me remind you that insidious osteoporosis is a disease associated with a progressive decrease in bone mineral density (BMD), which increases the likelihood of fractures (especially spontaneous vertebral compression fractures and femoral neck fractures). In our country, catastrophically little time is devoted to the problem of diagnosing osteoporosis, but these are, first of all, our mothers and grandmothers...
For fractures to occur, as a rule, minimal traumatic injuries are required, and the pain syndrome can be moderately severe, which significantly increases the time for diagnosis and prescribing adequate treatment, which increases life expectancy and significantly improves the quality of life of patients (it’s no joke - after such fractures, the majority patients no longer get up, unfortunately). For this reason, rheumatologists recommend regularly undergoing a series of examinations that will allow timely diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.
Recently, the FRAX (Fracture Risk Assessment Tool) scale developed by WHO has appeared in the arsenal of rheumatologists, which allows you to calculate the likelihood of osteoporetic fractures occurring in the next 10 years. The FRAX scale is a questionnaire that includes age, gender, height and weight. In addition, the patient must indicate whether there have been previous fractures, whether the parents had fractures, whether the patient smokes, takes glucocorticoid hormones, has rheumatoid arthritis, or drinks alcohol. At the end, you need to enter densitometry data, which will indicate the value of bone density. Dear readers, I advise you to take 5 minutes of your time and calculate the likelihood of fractures in yourself and our closest and dearest relatives, because their health and well-being are also in our hands.
Website with FRAX calculator https://www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX/tool.aspx?country=13
FRAX token
- Frax Share (FXS) is a volatile ERC-20 FRAX governance token with the following use cases: Governance : Grants holders governance rights to add/adjust collateral pools, set minting/redemption fees, and change collateral ratio update frequency.
- Staking: Place bets in various pools to earn interest at your preferred APY.
- Minting & Redeeming : FXS will be burned when FRAX is minted and minted when FRAX is redeemed.
- Rewards : FXS rewards will be claimed by users who deposit Uniswap LP tokens into incentivized pairs.
The two tokens are FRAX , which is a stablecoin targeting a narrow band around $1 per coin.
Frax Shares (FXS) is a governance token that accrues fees, seigniorage income, and excess collateral value.
FRAX, a stablecoin, is available on many major exchanges and DeFi platforms such as Uniswap and DEX. Frax Shares (FXS) tokens are also available and are as liquid as stablecoins. Investors looking to acquire the growth potential and control rights to the world's first fractional stablecoin should buy Frax Shares (FXS). Users who want the stability of using the world's only fractional stablecoin should purchase FRAX.
Diagnosis of osteoporosis using the FRAX scale
Dr John A. Kanis Emeritus Professor, University of Sheffield.
To initially assess the risk of osteoporotic fractures over the next 10 years of a patient's life, the FRAX® test, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Metabolic Skeletal Diseases (University of Sheffield, UK), is used.
The results of this test assess the likelihood of clinically significant vertebral, distal forearm, proximal femoral, or humeral fractures.
Who should take the FRAX® test?
The FRAX® test is recommended for patients at risk. People at high risk for osteoporotic fractures include:
- men over 50 years old;
- postmenopausal women;
- patients who have suffered low-energy fractures (occur with minimal trauma, for example, a fall from a height no higher than one’s own height)
In addition, factors that increase the risk of osteoporotic fractures include:
- age (45+);
- weight (BMI less than 19);
- Gender Female);
- smoking (both overall experience and current habit are taken into account);
- early menopause (before 40 years of age) or amenorrhea for more than a year not associated with pregnancy
- alcohol abuse;
- medical history (previous fractures);
- heredity (maternal line)
- physical activity and physical condition;
- weight loss, anorexia or bulimia;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- taking glucocorticoids.
Benefits of the FRAX® Test
The FRAX® test does not require any special preparation and has several advantages. Among them:
- Duration of prognosis: allows you to estimate the risk of osteoporotic fractures in the next 10 years of the patient’s life.
- Taking into account the patient’s place of residence: there are test models developed for individual countries and taking into account their specific characteristics.
- Ease of use: Easy to use, even during initial outpatient visits, and can be used with or without bone mineral density (BMD) measurements.
- Practicality: the results will help the doctor select and prescribe further treatment.
- The patient can take the test independently and consult a doctor for further clarification.
Limitations of the FRAX® Test
Like any research method, the FRAX® test has its limitations. In particular, he:
- Cannot be used to assess the risk of osteoporotic fractures in young women, children and men under 50 years of age;
- Does not use other risk factors (for example, falls, biochemical markers and others), as well as their quantitative indicators (for example, the dose of glucocorticosteroids taken, smoking intensity, number of fractures);
- Takes into account only data on bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral neck, which does not replace a full clinical examination.
Below you will find a link to calculate your FRAX, you can take the test there and return to this page to assess your risk of osteoporosis
Take the test
Interpretation of FRAX® test results
The calculation results obtained after passing the FRAX® test can be assessed using the special diagrams below.
Select your age on the X axis, and on the Y axis, select the number obtained from the calculations on the website https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/FRAX/tool.aspx?lang=rs (indicated in the red square). At the intersection you will receive color-coded risk identification.
Example:
The first chart is used to evaluate the test results of patients who have not undergone densitometry (DXA) of the femoral neck. The second is to evaluate the results of a repeat test after densitometry.
When passing the test via the link, in order to evaluate the result obtained in more detail, you need to find the zone in which it fell on the diagram.
- The result is in the red zone: your doctor should consider prescribing treatment for osteoporosis to prevent fractures. Densitometry may only be needed to further monitor the effectiveness of treatment and not to diagnose osteoporosis.
- The result is in the green zone: treatment can not be started, densitometry is not required. It is necessary to engage in the prevention of osteoporosis and repeat the risk assessment after 5 years.
- Result in the yellow (uncertain) zone: clarification of the risk assessment is necessary. Densitometry of the femoral neck is required, the FRAX test is repeated and the results are checked on a second chart. If in this case the result of the repeated test is in the red zone, treatment of osteoporosis is necessary; if in the green zone, its prevention is necessary.
- With the test results, you should consult a doctor for further recommendations on prevention.
Further recommendations
The results of the FRAX® test should be discussed with your doctor. He will select the necessary treatment, give recommendations on the prevention of osteoporosis, and prescribe additional or repeat tests if required.
It is clear that some of the risk factors for osteoporosis and fractures are manageable. This means that the patient can independently get rid of them or reduce their negative impact.
Thus, to prevent the development and progression of osteoporosis, it is first recommended to review your lifestyle:
- increase physical activity;
- quit smoking;
- limit alcohol consumption;
- balance your diet.
You can also answer the questions below to determine your risk of osteoporotic fracture.
Answer the questions
Read about proper nutrition to prevent osteoporosis. >>
In addition, it is necessary to reduce the risks of falls and injuries by making your home or apartment safer. For this:
- get rid of carpets that can cause you to trip;
- install handrails where necessary;
- improve lighting at night;
- Wear shoes with non-slip soles.
Read more about therapeutic exercises for the prevention of osteoporosis. >>
To reduce the dosage of medications taken that may worsen osteoporosis (for example, glucocorticosteroids), you should consult with your doctor.
Unfortunately, the patient is unable to influence a number of negative factors that increase the risk of developing osteoporosis and fractures. In particular, these include age, heredity, and some concomitant diseases.
Therefore, it is important to carefully follow the doctor’s recommendations and prescriptions, as well as undergo all necessary examinations in a timely manner.
Indications for densitometry and the FRAX program:
- low bone mineral density (BMD) at the femoral neck
- Postmenopausal women and men aged 50 years or older with an osteoporotic fracture or one of the risk factors
- increase in the number of previous fractures
- untreated hypogonadism
- presence of inflammatory bowel disease
- long-term immobilization
- organ transplantation
Research methodology:
Initially, an initial examination is carried out to assess the likelihood of fracture based on age, gender, BMI and clinical risk factors. Next, densitometry of the proximal femur is performed, followed by BMD assessment. The FRAX computer program is then used to determine the need for drug treatment in people with osteoporosis to minimize the risk of future fractures. The following femoral neck densitometry data are entered into the FRAX model: BMD in g/cm2 or T-score.
Preparation and time of study:
Densitometry of the proximal femur (femoral neck) does not require any preliminary preparation. The procedure itself is completely painless. Study time – 5 minutes.
Eat as usual, but stop taking calcium supplements at least 24 hours before your test. Wear loose, comfortable clothing without metal fasteners, belts or buttons.
If you have recently had a barium test or computed tomography (CT) scan with contrast agent or radioisotope scan, tell your doctor; You may have to wait 7-10 days before doing the test.
If there is any chance that you are pregnant, tell your doctor.
Dose load : 0.03 mSv
BONE DENSITOMETRY IS A NON-INVASIVE AND ABSOLUTELY PAINLESS EXAMINATION, REMINDING US ALL OF THE FAMILIAR RADIOGRAPHY.
A pacemaker is not a contraindication to standard densitometry.
Contraindications for the “whole body” are: pregnancy, lactation, endoprostheses, pacemaker.
