Search

This study investigated features of skeletal muscle ageing in elderly individuals having previously undergone unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and whether markers of sarcopenia could be mitigated by a 12-week alpine skiing intervention. Novel biomarkers agrin, indicative of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) degeneration, tumor suppressor protein p53, associated with muscle atrophy, and a new ultrasound-based muscle architecture biomarker were used to characterize sarcopenia. Participant details and study design are presented by Kösters et al. (2015). The results of this study show that NMJ degeneration is widespread among active septuagenarians previously subjected to TKA: all participants showed elevated agrin levels upon recruitment. At least 50% of individuals were identified as sarcopenic based on their muscle architecture, supporting the hypothesis that NMJ alterations precede sarcopenia. Notably, sarcopenia was strongly associated with the expression of p53, which seems to confirm its validity as a biomarker of muscle atrophy. Training did not significantly modify any of these biomarkers. In view of the lack of accretion of muscle mass in response to the alpine skiing intervention, we hypothesize that local muscle inflammation and oxidative stress may have blunted the anabolic response to training and promoted muscle breakdown in this elderly post-TKA population., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Musculoskeletal health is paramount in an ageing population susceptible to conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis and fractures. Age-related changes in bone, muscle, and joint function result in declining musculoskeletal health, reduced mobility, increased risk of falls, and persistent discomfort. Preserving musculoskeletal wellbeing is essential for maintaining independence and enhancing the overall quality of life for the elderly. The global burden of musculoskeletal disorders is significant, impacting 1.71 billion individuals worldwide, with age-related muscle atrophy being a well-established phenomenon. Tocotrienols, a unique type of vitamin E found in various sources, demonstrate exceptional antioxidant capabilities compared to tocopherols. This characteristic positions them as promising candidates for addressing musculoskeletal challenges, particularly in mitigating inflammation and oxidative stress underlying musculoskeletal disorders. This review paper comprehensively examines existing research into the preventive and therapeutic potential of tocotrienols in addressing age-related musculoskeletal issues. It sheds light on the promising role of tocotrienols in enhancing musculoskeletal health and overall wellbeing, emphasizing their significance within the broader context of age-related health concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muscle quality concept can be analyzed from a morphological and functional perspectives that include relation between these properties. Morphological muscle quality considers muscle composition, architectural and structural properties. Functional muscle quality has been defined as a ratio between muscle strength or power per unit of muscle mass or area. Biological and adaptative changes to ageing must be considered when interpretation of muscle quality assessment is done in a clinical or research context. One of the conditions that requires an adequate homologation in terminology is sarcopenia, to establish definition and cut-off points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musculoskeletal health is paramount in an ageing population susceptible to conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis and fractures. Age-related changes in bone, muscle, and joint function result in declining musculoskeletal health, reduced mobility, increased risk of falls, and persistent discomfort. Preserving musculoskeletal wellbeing is essential for maintaining independence and enhancing the overall quality of life for the elderly. The global burden of musculoskeletal disorders is significant, impacting 1.71 billion individuals worldwide, with age-related muscle atrophy being a well-established phenomenon. Tocotrienols, a unique type of vitamin E found in various sources, demonstrate exceptional antioxidant capabilities compared to tocopherols. This characteristic positions them as promising candidates for addressing musculoskeletal challenges, particularly in mitigating inflammation and oxidative stress underlying musculoskeletal disorders. This review paper comprehensively examines existing research into the preventive and therapeutic potential of tocotrienols in addressing age-related musculoskeletal issues. It sheds light on the promising role of tocotrienols in enhancing musculoskeletal health and overall wellbeing, emphasizing their significance within the broader context of age-related health concerns.

The objective of the proposed study is to exploit the technology of high-density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG), in order to evaluate the muscle activation in young and elderly subjects during a daily life gesture, namely, Sit To Stand (STS), using wireless connected ambulatory equipment (TMSi©) and Blind Source Separation (BSS) approach with Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA). Sixteen subjects participated (50% females) divided into two categories ('H1': young (30.62 yrs ±5.92, 23.95 kg/m2 ±3.08), versus 'H2': old (61.87 yrs ±7.98, 23.4 kg/m2 ±3.38)), in the recording of HD-sEMG signals, using 32-electrodes square grids (4×8), during Sit To Stand (STS) motion, three times at spontaneous speed. The studied muscle is the Rectus Femoris (RF) muscle. The recorded HD-sEMG signals were analyzed with CCA approach to extract correlation coefficient sets according to two age categories (young versus old), in order to evaluate its discriminating power with ageing. Statistical tests (t-test) were used to evaluate the discrimination for these two categories. The calculation of CCA correlation coefficients showed a significant difference between young and old category concerning the mean CCA correlation coefficient (P<0.001***) and also the standard deviation of the CCA correlation coefficients (P<0.0001****). The obtained results are promising and indicate a clear difference between the obtained source variability using CCA method between the young and the old tested subjects during daily life motion. Furthermore, these estimated sources seem to be impacted by both anatomical and functional modifications with ageing. • Unhealthy ageing of the population generates very important costs. • Clinical examinations are not accurate to assess functional muscle ageing. • HD-sEMG technique has good potential for assessing muscle ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a global epidemic and coupled with the unprecedented growth of the world’s older adult population, a growing number of individuals are both old and obese. Whilst both ageing and obesity are associated with an increased prevalence of chronic health conditions and a substantial economic burden, evidence suggests that the coincident effects exacerbate negative health outcomes. A significant contributor to such detrimental effects may be the reduction in the contractile performance of skeletal muscle, given that poor muscle function is related to chronic disease, poor quality of life and all-cause mortality. Whilst the effects of ageing and obesity independently on skeletal muscle function have been investigated, the combined effects are yet to be thoroughly explored. Given the importance of skeletal muscle to whole-body health and physical function, the present study sought to provide a review of the literature to: (1) summarise the effect of obesity on the age-induced reduction in skeletal muscle contractile function; (2) understand whether obesity effects on skeletal muscle are similar in young and old muscle; (3) consider the consequences of these changes to whole-body functional performance; (4) outline important future work along with the potential for targeted intervention strategies to mitigate potential detrimental effects.

Adult muscle stem cells, originally called satellite cells, are essential for muscle repair and regeneration throughout life. Besides a gradual loss of mass and function, muscle aging is characterized by a decline in the repair capacity, which blunts muscle recovery after injury in elderly individuals. A major effort has been dedicated in recent years to deciphering the causes of satellite cell dysfunction in aging animals, with the ultimate goal of rejuvenating old satellite cells and improving muscle function in elderly people. This review focuses on the recently identified network of cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic factors and processes contributing to the decline of satellite cells in old animals. Some studies suggest that aging-related satellite-cell decay is mostly caused by age-associated extrinsic environmental changes that could be reversed by a “youthful environment”. Others propose a central role for cell-intrinsic mechanisms, some of which are not reversed by environmental changes. We believe that these proposals, far from being antagonistic, are complementary and that both extrinsic and intrinsic factors contribute to muscle stem cell dysfunction during aging-related regenerative decline. The low regenerative potential of old satellite cells may reflect the accumulation of deleterious changes during the life of the cell; some of these changes may be inherent (intrinsic) while others result from the systemic and local environment (extrinsic). The present challenge is to rejuvenate aged satellite cells that have undergone reversible changes to provide a possible approach to improving muscle repair in the elderly.

Obesity is a global epidemic and coupled with the unprecedented growth of the world's older adult population, a growing number of individuals are both old and obese. Whilst both ageing and obesity are associated with an increased prevalence of chronic health conditions and a substantial economic burden, evidence suggests that the coincident effects exacerbate negative health outcomes. A significant contributor to such detrimental effects may be the reduction in the contractile performance of skeletal muscle, given that poor muscle function is related to chronic disease, poor quality of life and all-cause mortality. Whilst the effects of ageing and obesity independently on skeletal muscle function have been investigated, the combined effects are yet to be thoroughly explored. Given the importance of skeletal muscle to whole-body health and physical function, the present study sought to provide a review of the literature to: (1) summarise the effect of obesity on the age-induced reduction in skeletal muscle contractile function; (2) understand whether obesity effects on skeletal muscle are similar in young and old muscle; (3) consider the consequences of these changes to whole-body functional performance; (4) outline important future work along with the potential for targeted intervention strategies to mitigate potential detrimental effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]