Metagenomic Analysis Identifies Sex-Related Gut Microbial Functions and Bacterial Taxa Associated With Skeletal Muscle Mass.

Background: This study aimed to explore the association between gut microbiota functional profiles and skeletal muscle mass, focusing on sex-specific differences in a population under 65 years of age.

Methods: Stool samples from participants were analysed using metagenomic shotgun sequencing. Skeletal muscle mass and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) were quantified (SMI [%] = total appendage muscle mass [kg]/body weight [kg] × 100) using bioelectrical impedance analysis.

Disconnection-Based Prediction of Poststroke Dysphagia.

Background And Purpose: Dysphagia is a common deficit after a stroke and is associated with serious complications. It is not yet fully clear which brain regions are directly related to swallowing. Previous lesion symptom mapping studies may have overlooked structural disconnections that could be responsible for poststroke dysphagia.

Lower skeletal muscle mass is associated with diabetes and insulin resistance: A cross-sectional study.

Aims: The association between skeletal muscle mass and diabetes incidence/insulin resistance/glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate such association in clinically apparently healthy males and females.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 372,399 Korean males and females who completed bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in a health-screening programme was performed.

Sex-Specific Associations between Serum Ferritin and Osteosarcopenic Obesity in Adults Aged over 50 Years.

We investigated the sex-specific association between ferritin and adverse body composition in adults aged over 50 years in a population-based cohort. A total of 25,546 participants (16,912 women; 8634 men) were stratified into three groups by the tertiles of ferritin. The number of adverse body compositions was categorized as 0 (without osteopenia/osteoporosis, low muscle mass, or obesity), 1 (having one of the components), 2 (two), and 3 (all three; osteosarcopenic obesity).

The effects of early exercise in traumatic brain-injured rats with changes in motor ability, brain tissue, and biomarkers.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is brain damage which is caused by the impact of external mechanical forces. TBI can lead to the temporary or permanent impairment of physical and cognitive abilities, resulting in abnormal behavior. We recently observed that a single session of early exercise in animals with TBI improved their behavioral performance in the absence of other cognitive abnormalities.

Increased Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) Level Is Highly Associated with Low Skeletal Muscle Mass in Asymptomatic Adults: A Population-Based Study.

We investigated the relationship between high carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels and low skeletal muscle mass (LMM) in asymptomatic adults in a population-based study. A total of 202,602 adults (mean age 41.7 years) without malignancy, stroke, cardiovascular disease, or chronic lung/liver disease were included.

Relationship between hyperhomocysteinemia and coexisting obesity with low skeletal muscle mass in asymptomatic adult population.

The relationship between hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) and obesity with low skeletal muscle mass (LMM) has not been established. We aim to assess the association between HHcy and the coexistence of obesity and LMM in asymptomatic adult population. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study among asymptomatic individuals who underwent measurements of plasma homocysteine and body composition analysis.

Association between Elevated Plasma Homocysteine and Low Skeletal Muscle Mass in Asymptomatic Adults.

Background: Homocysteine has been drawing attention with a closed linkage with skeletal muscle. However, the association of hyperhomocysteinemia with decreased skeletal muscle mass remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the association of hyperhomocysteinemia with low skeletal muscle mass (LMM) in asymptomatic adults.

Comparative Analysis of Relaxation Time Interval and Integrated Relaxation Pressure as Risk Factors for Aspiration in Patients With Oropharyngeal Dysphagia.

Background/aims: Integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) is an important metric for functional evaluation of the lower esophageal sphincter. However, the effectiveness of IRP for evaluation of upper esophageal sphincter (UES) function has not yet been clarified.

Methods: High-resolution manometry (HRM) was performed in 180 patients with dysphagia.

The Diagnostic Significance of Ultrasonographic Measurement of the Achilles Tendon Thickness for the Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy in Patients with Heel Pain.

No consensus exists concerning the diagnostic role or cutoff value of the Achilles tendon thickness on ultrasonography (US) for the diagnosis of insertional Achilles tendinopathy. This study sought to assess the diagnostic utility of US measurement of the thickness and echogenicity of the Achilles tendon for the insertional Achilles tendinopathy in patients with heel pain, and to compare the results with those of the plantar fascia for the plantar fasciitis. We conducted US examinations in consecutive patients who presented with unilateral or bilateral heel pain at the foot clinic of a single tertiary hospital from February 2016 to December 2020.

The prospective relationship between low muscle mass and thyroid hormones among 198 069 euthyroid men and women; comparing different definitions of low muscle mass.

Objective: The impact of thyroid hormones within normal range on muscle mass remains unknown. We examined the association between new onset of low muscle mass (LMM) and thyroid hormones among euthyroid men and women with three different definitions of LMM in prospective cohort study.

Methods: We performed a cohort study of 198 069 Korean adults (mean age of 39.

Follow-up of clinical and sonographic features after extracorporeal shock wave therapy in painful plantar fibromatosis.

Background: Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been used as a safe alternative treatment for refractory musculoskeletal diseases, such as plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinopathy and gluteal tendinopathy, and various forms of fibromatosis including palmar or penile fibromatosis. However, there is limited published data for clinical and sonographic features of plantar fibromatosis after ESWT. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term clinical outcome of ESWT in ultrasonography-confirmed plantar fibromatosis and ultrasonographic changes of plantar fibroma after ESWT.

Excessive walking exercise precipitates diabetic neuropathic foot pain: hind paw suspension treadmill exercise experiment in a rat model.

The harmful effects of excessive mechanical loading on diabetic neuropathy and the reason diabetic neuropathic symptoms are common in feet are unclear. In this study, the hind paw suspension treadmill exercise model was used in rats to investigate whether mechanical loading applied to the front paws precipitates neuropathic pain, especially in diabetic conditions. Thirty-two rats were divided into six groups according to the presence of diabetes (DM) and the intensity of mechanical loading applied to the front paws: DM-Hi (high-intensity); DM-Lo (low-intensity); DM-No (non-mechanical loading); Sham-Hi; Sham-Lo; and Sham-No.

Voxel-based Three-dimensional Segmentation of the Capsulo-synovium from Contrast-enhanced MRI Can Represent Clinical Impairments in Adhesive Capsulitis.

The purposes were to calculate total voxel volume of the entire capsulo-synovial enhanced portion on contrast-enhanced (CE) MRI in adhesive capsulitis, and to investigate its association with glenohumeral joint volume and passive range of motions (ROMs), which are a well-known diagnostic reference standard and clinical hallmark of this condition. Medical records of 169 consecutive patients who underwent ultrasound-guided intraarticular injection with adhesive capsulitis and CE-MRI to exclude other mimicking shoulder diseases were retrospectively reviewed. To calculate total voxel volume of entire capsulo-synovial enhanced portion on CE-MRI, voxel-based 3-dimensional (3D) segmentation was obtained semi-automatically using Fiji, an open-source image processing software.