Change in Quadriceps volume and cross-sectional area
Quadriceps volume and cross-sectional area (CSA) will be measured by using ultrasound method. All ultrasound images will be acquired by an expert operator with the same ultrasound device throughout the whole study using a linear 50 mm transducer.
Participants will be asked to lie prone on a bed and rest with extended knee, and to relax completely during image acquisition. Five minutes of rest in this position will be provided for body fluid shift stabilization.
For the panoramic ultrasound scans, the region of interest (ROI) will be determined and marked.
The transducer will be kept in contact with the guide throughout the whole acquisition of CSAs, thus we ensured that the right CSA path was followed while keeping the transducer perpendicular to the skin.
Change in the torque (Nm) and rate of torque development (Nm/s) of quadriceps during Maximal Voluntary Activation and electrically evoked potential
Maximal voluntary and electrically evoked muscle contractions of the quadriceps muscle of the dominant leg will be measured utilizing a custom-made setup.
The torque (Nm) and rate of torque development (Nm/s) during a maximum voluntary contraction and a tetanic stimulation will be compared in order to estimate the role of central command flow to the muscle in changing the efficiency of the tension development at the tendon.
Change in the one repetition maximum load (kg)
Maximal strength will be obtained as 1- repetition maximum (1RM) in the squat exercise machine (Leg press) 1RM will be recorded as the heaviest lifted load, in kilograms, achieved within 4-8 lifts, applying rest periods of ~4 min and increments of 5 kg between each trial until failure
Change in the Rate of Force Development (N/s)
Immediately after the 1RM test, using the same apparatus, the Rate of force development (N/s) and peak force (N) will be assessed using a force platform and applying a load corresponding to 75% of the participant's pre-test 1RM. Analyses of early and late phase RFD may provide useful information on the relative neural and muscular contribution, respectively, to the muscle force development
Change in submaximal and maximal oxygen consumption (ml/kg/min)
Individuals will perform a 3-speed walking test, on a treadmill. First, the subjects will be asked to stand in resting condition for 2 minutes meanwhile the resting oxygen uptake will be recorded. Then they will be asked to walk three 5-minute bouts of walking at 80%, 100%, and 120% self-selected speed respectively. Oxygen consumption (ml/kg/min) at these three speeds will be considered for the analysis.
Continuously progressing from the submaximal test, maximal oxygen consumption (ml/kg/min) will be measured during a ramped protocol exercise test employing increments every minute to exhaustion.
Change in Mini-Mental State Examination score (points)
The global cognitive functioning will be assessed by means of Mini-Mental State Examination by an expert Neuropsychologist
Change in the Flow-mediated dilation (%)
The brachial artery will be imaged using a high-resolution ultrasound Doppler system. After baseline brachial artery imaging (basal measurement), a blood pressure cuff will be placed around the forearm and inflated to 250 mmHg for 5 min. Brachial artery images and blood velocity will be obtained continuously 30s before and 2 min after cuff release. Flow-mediated dilation will be calculated as a percentage change of the peak diameter in response to reactive hyperemia in relation to the baseline diameter.
Change in the Blood flow delta peak (ml/min) during a Single Passive-Leg Movement test
The Single Passive-Leg Movement protocol consists of 30s of resting baseline femoral blood flow data collection, followed by 1 single passive knee flexion and extension with the same measure for the following 60s. Blood mean velocity (Vmean) will be analyzed with 1Hz resolution on the Doppler ultrasound system for 30s at rest and second by second for the 60s following the single passive movement.
Change in the Pulse Wave Velocity (m/s)
Ultrasound Doppler measurements will be taken at the carotid, common femoral artery and brachial artery, to assess peripheral arterial stiffness. PWV will be calculated.
Change in distance (meters) during the 6-minute walking test
During the 6-minute walking test, a person has to walk as fast as possible over 6 minutes. The distance (meters) covered in 6 minutes will be recorded.
Change in time (min) during the Time-up and go test (TUG)
The individual will be asked to sit on a chair and at the word "Go" they have to stand up, walk to a 3-meter away marker, turn around it and walk back to the chair and sit down again. This trial will be repeated 3 times and the best score (time) will be recorded.
Change in score (number of raises) during the 30 seconds Chair-stand test
The individual will be asked to sit on a chair, to keep each hand on the opposite shoulder crossed at the wrists. When the test will start, individuals will be asked to rise to a full standing position and then sit back down again, repeating this movement for 30 seconds. The score will be the number of rises done in 30 seconds.
Changes in Circadian Cortisol curve (levels at 4 specific time throughout a day, ng/mL)
Salivary cortisol will be measured using plain Sarstedt Salivette collection devices (Nürmbrecht, Germany). Immediately after sample collection, the Salivette tubes will be centrifuged for 2 minutes at 1000 rpm and stored at -80°C until analysis. Cortisol levels will be determined by a time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay.
To assess the circadian cortisol curve the samples will be taken at 7 am, 11 am, 3 pm and 8 pm.
Acute Cortisol response to the exercise (delta percentage between before and after a training session, %)
Cortisol acute response to exercise will be derived from salivary cortisol collected right before and right after a single exercise session. Salivary cortisol will be measured using plain Sarstedt Salivette collection devices (Nürmbrecht, Germany). Immediately after sample collection, the Salivette tubes will be centrifuged for 2 minutes at 1000 rpm and stored at -80°C until analysis. Cortisol levels will be determined by a time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay.
Change in IL-6 (pg/mL) and IGF-1 (ng/mL) concentrations.
From a blood sample, 100 microlitres of plasma will be obtained with EDTA as anticoagulant, and will be stored at -80ºC until analysis. IL-6 and IGF1 concentration will be measured by a specific Elisa kit.
Change in malondialdehyde (MDA, μM)
For the determination of lipid peroxidation (measured as malondialdehyde) by HPLC, we will use the method described by Wong et al. (1987). The thiobarbiturate-MDA adduct will be quantified and this gives an estimation of lipid peroxidation.
Change in mRNA expression
RNA samples will be processed by following the specific platform protocols and the final results will be bioinformatically analysed. Expression analysis software and pipelines will be used to analyse the differential expression profiles of the selected genes. We will also analyse SUB-NETWORKS, this is to see the relationships that exist between the different transcripts to try and find common molecular pathways
Change in the microbiota composition
Bacterial DNA will be extracted from faecal samples and then amplified and sequenced using a high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform able to generate million short sequences (reads) per single run. Sequences will be then processed using a bioinformatic pipeline whose steps that can be summarized as follows: raw data collection, data cleaning, assembly, gene prediction, taxonomic annotation, gene and protein abundance estimation.
Change in the muscle histology and fibre typing
After the biopsy, a portion of the muscle will be orientated transversely and immersed in an isopentane solution dipped in liquid nitrogen, and subsequently stored at - 80°C., For analysis they will be cut into 10 μm thick cryosections with a cryostat maintained at - 20°C and mounted on glass slides.
Change in the muscle mitochondrial respiration
After the biopsy, the muscle fibre bundles will be transferred immediately into respirometer. Biopsy samples of 2-5 mg will be run in duplicate in the two chambers system calibrated. Respirometry will be performed at a chamber temperature of 37°C applying a substrate uncoupler-inhibitor titration (SUIT) protocol optimized for skeletal muscle fibers
Change in the muscle In vitro force characteristics
After the biopsy, fibre bundles of 4-6 mm in length and 0.5 mm in diameter will be dissected from the samples and immersed in skinning solution to which the non-ionic detergent Brij 58 had been added. Fiber bundles will then be placed in storage solution and maintained for 24h at 4°C, followed by storage and transport at -20°C.
Change in the muscle single fibre measurements
A bundle of permeabilized fibers will be removed from storage solution and placed in relaxing solution on ice. One end of the fibre will be secured to a force transducer, the other end attached to the lever arm of a servomotor. The length of the fibre will be adjusted to obtain an average sarcomere length of 2.5- 2.6 um. Fibre crosssectional area will be measured and relaxed single fibers activated by first immersing them in a chamber containing a low- Ca2+ concentration pre-activating solution for 3 min and then immersing them in a chamber containing high-[Ca2+] activating solution.
Change in the muscle cytokine mRNA
A portion of the frozen muscle sample will be thawed on ice. mRNA for a panel of pro-inflammatory cytokines will be examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). RNA will be isolated using standard Trizol® extraction method and purified using RNeasy clean-up kit; cDNA will be synthesised using iScript first strand kit from 1 μg of isolated RNA. The panel of cytokines to be examined will include CCL2, CCL5, CXCL1 and IL-6, and S29. Targets will be amplified from 1 μg of cDNA using SYBR Green master mix reagent and amplified using a Bio-Rad thermocycler. The threshold cycle for target genes of interest will be normalised to s29 and expressed as fold-change using the delta-delta ct (2-ΔΔct) method.
Change in the muscle redox status
Assessment of muscle redox status will be undertaken by analysis of the reduced and oxidised glutathione contents of the biopsy together with analysis of the redox status of mitochondria through analysis of the proportion of peroxiredoxin 3 in the oxidised form, and cytosol by analysis of the proportion of peroxiredoxin 2 in the oxidised form.
Change in the muscle proteomics
A portion of the frozen muscle will be thawed on ice and prepared for proteomic analysis as previously described. A global label-free proteomic approach will be used using an Ultimate 3000 RSLC nano system coupled to a QExactive mass spectrometer. Data analysis will be performed using Proteome Discover and Peaks7 software.