Active clinical trials for "Sarcopenia"

Skeletal muscle mass declines with inactivity (casting is a good example) and increases with activity (such as weightlifting). Whether muscle mass increases or decreases, is determined by whether more new proteins within muscle are made than are broken down. The investigators know that feeding protein increases the synthesis of new proteins but that the response of older muscles to protein feeding is blunted compared with the young. This resistance of the elderly to muscle building stimuli may be the primary reason that muscle mass is lost in aging. The investigators also know that periods of muscle disuse such as casting result in a person's muscle shrinking due, the investigators believe, to a lower rate of synthesis of new muscle proteins. Age-related muscle loss begins around 50 years old and proceeds at approximately 1% for every year after. Elderly persons would likely fare well with advancing age if their muscle loss were simply linear; however, a rate of muscle loss of 1% annually is a 'population view' and does not represent what occurs during short periods of muscle disuse (i.e. during hospitalization or illness), which occur with increasing frequency in elderly persons. During periods of disuse, the resistance of elderly muscles to protein nutrition may be worsened. The investigators will measure how quickly new proteins are made at rest and after protein feeding in elderly men, before and after a 14 day period of reduced activity brought on by having people reduce their daily step count.

The purpose of this research study is to investigate how and why the loss of muscle mass occurs with aging. Tissue collected from young subjects will be compared to previously collected tissue from elderly subjects, as well as previously collected data on muscle function/mass to further investigate cellular and molecular pathways that have recently been shown to be important for the aging process in muscle. The Principal Investigator (PI) and the study team will look for specific proteins (called biomarkers) that can be present in the muscle tissue in various amounts in different individuals. This study will increase the investigators understanding of the processes of muscle atrophy (loss of mass) and functional loss at older age and will help to find new treatments and interventions aimed at improving the quality of life and independence of America's rapidly expanding elderly population.

Aging is typically associated with a decrease in skeletal muscle mass and muscle function, which contributes decisively to disability in old age and to the loss of quality of life.Resistance exercise can increase muscle strength, function and mass in older adults. The primary aim of this study is to determine whether the combination of resistance training with a supplementation of a cysteine- rich whey protein isolate (Immunocal) compared to combination of resistance training with casein used as control (casein contains little cysteine) could have the potential to provide a synergic beneficial impact on muscle mass and function which could translate to an improved quality of life in elderly persons.

To reach the goals of living longer in better medical conditions, many countries reach the same conclusion: new strategies have to be developed to avoid, or at least limit, the effects of age; this requires a better knowledge of the mechanisms of aging. Our project focuses on the loss of muscle mass associated with aging, called sarcopenia. Sarcopenia unavoidably leads to impaired mobility and poor balance, which contributes to loss of functional autonomy and to increased prevalence for severe falls. Skeletal muscle also plays a central role as a reserve for energy and amino acids. Hence, sarcopenia further triggers severe side metabolic effects such as frailty among elderly persons. The precise mechanisms of muscle aging are still mostly unknown, although many theories have been proposed. The present study aims at better understanding the mechanisms of skeletal muscle loss associated with aging. Using muscle biopsies from young and old subjects, the differential expression profiles of mRNA will be obtained through chips that will evaluate more than 39000 transcripts. On the same samples, proteomic analyses will involve two complementary approaches: (1) bidimensional electrophoresis (2DGE) coupled to mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF) for dominant proteins; (2) Western-blot (more than 800 antibodies) targeting regulating proteins not detectable using 2DGE. Complementary histological studies (immunohisto-fluorescence, confocal microscopy) will specify the localisation of the major biomarkers in the muscle biopsies. The results of that research will have applications in the medium term and will lead to nutritional interventions to modulate specific metabolic pathways and improve the quality of life in the elderly.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of dietary cholesterol administered as whole egg or egg white (control)on muscle mass gain with resistance training in a young old population of men and women (age 50-69). It is hypothesized that dietary cholesterol will be significantly associated to muscle mass gain.

The primary aim of this research proposal is to examine whether this novel training program approach is capable to tackle excessive loss in muscle mass, function and contractile capacity with aging. Previous investigations have universally shown a dramatic loss in type II muscle fibers, while certain countermeasures in their follow-up studies were generally ineffective and limited to attenuate this phenomenon. Probably, they failed to meet recruitment threshold of larger motor units and subsequently innervate type II muscle fibers. Furthermore, previous investigations also failed to provide any data on specific blood markers that may provide additional insight into muscle fiber loss with aging. Muscle fibers type II play a crucial role in the human ability to produce as much as force as possible over a limited time-frame (e.g. 100-200 ms) to counteract unexpected perturbations during stair climbing for example and thus avoiding falls. Therefore, this data collection would be noteworthy in particular, especially for this population due to health-related outcomes and healthy aging process. Since age-related decline is accelerated already after short bouts of physical inactivity, with small recovery potential, any attempt to counteract age-related and disuse-related decline have high clinical significance. Based on the findings, data collected may aid in development of safety guidelines and protocols aimed at reducing health risks in this specific population. Importantly, in case the aforementioned hypotheses are confirmed, present findings may offer important information to the healthcare system, especially for reducing economic burden.

Falls and fractures are serious and costly events for elderly individuals: they cause functional impairments, increase mortality and contribute to huge healthcare costs for the society. The number of falls, and following consequences, are expected to increase in society as the proportion of the elderly population will increase, therefore it is crucial to be able to detect and prevent falls and fractures in the population. The investigators have previously published results that objective measurements of postural balance can predict fall risk in 70-year-olds in Umeå and subsequently investigated whether balance can be improved through 4-week balance exercise program. However, preliminary results suggest that the frequency and duration of exercise should be longer than 3 times a week for 4 weeks to produce effects. Furthermore, there is also evidence indicating a link between muscle weakness and fall risk in elderly subjects, while research findings show that it is possible for older individuals to influence muscle strength and muscle mass with resistance exercise. Functional strength training can also positively influence the balance. In this context, the investigators aim to investigate whether a 10-week resistance exercise program may positively affect balance, muscle strength, muscle mass and physical function, with the aim of preventing future falls and fractures in the population.

The age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass (i.e. sarcopenia)and muscle performance (i.e. strength and power), decreases functionality and the ability to perform activities of daily living. Therefore, lifestyle interventions which may improve aging muscle health are important (i.e. resistance training and creatine supplementation). High-velocity resistance training (HVRT) has been shown to increase muscle mass and muscle performance in aging adults. Creatine (CR), a compound naturally found in red meat and seafood, has also been shown to increase muscle mass and muscle performance in aging adults. No study has examined the combined effects of HVRT and CR supplementation in aging adults. This study may determine whether this lifestyle intervention is effective to combat sarcopenia.

This is a observational study, that aimed to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia using European Wording Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) algorithm in a general elderly population in Algarve region (Portugal). Because muscle is metabolically active tissue, sarcopenia may also contribute to the development of some of the metabolic disorders associated with aging. However, the risk factors associated with sarcopenia are poorly understood. Thus, a cross-sectional survey of a sample of 274 elderly adults aged 60 or over, were included in the study. Correlations of sarcopenia with functional level, lipid and glycemic profile, nutritional and physical activity level, fall risk, quality of life, and self-reported comorbidities will be studied.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is more prevalent and has more impact on health status because of progressive air pollution, tobacco smoking and aging society. The COPD prevalence investigation in 2013 by phone call showed at least 6% of the population with more than 40 years-old in Taiwan. It also was the 7th ranking of death causes in Taiwan then. Apart from chronic inflammation in lung and deteriorated lung function, it had extrapulmonary complications, such as cardiovascular problems, osteoporosis and muscle wasting. The concept of sarcopenia was proposed at first in 1989. It increases the risk of falls, disability and lowering life quality. Besides, it increased the mortality risk after admission from acute ward. Thereafter, sarcopenia is one of COPD co-morbidities, which should have great impacts of COPD. The studies showed sarcopenia reduced exercise capacities and worsening dyspnea scores. On the other hand, COPD exacerbation brings significant health burden. But there is limited data about the effect on sarcopenia on COPD exacerbation. We conducted a prospective observational study. We measured skeletal muscle mass and the strength of the used hand grip within 3 days of admission and before discharge. Mortality and exacerbation in one year are the primary end-points