Many factors contribute to the decline of skeletal muscle that occurs as we age. This is a reality that we may combat, but not prevent because it is written into our genome. The series of records from World Master Athletes reveals that skeletal muscle power begins to decline at the age of 30 years and continues, almost linearly, to zero at the age of 110 years. Here we discuss evidence that denervation contributes to the atrophy and slowness of aged muscle. We compared muscle from lifelong active seniors to that of sedentary elderly people and found that the sportsmen have more muscle bulk and slow fiber type groupings, providing evidence that physical activity maintains slow motoneurons which reinnervate muscle fibers. Further, accelerated muscle atrophy/degeneration occurs with irreversible Conus and Cauda Equina syndrome, a spinal cord injury in which the human leg muscles may be permanently disconnected from the nervous system with complete loss of muscle fibers within 5-8 years. We used histological morphometry and Muscle Color Computed Tomography to evaluate muscle from these peculiar persons and reveal that contraction produced by home-based Functional Electrical Stimulation (h-bFES) recovers muscle size and function which is reversed if h-bFES is discontinued. FES also reverses muscle atrophy in sedentary seniors and modulates mitochondria in horse muscles. All together these observations indicate that FES modifies muscle fibers by increasing contractions per day. Thus, FES should be considered in critical care units, rehabilitation centers and nursing facilities when patients are unable or reluctant to exercise.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0619-1 | DOI Listing |
JAMA Dermatol
December 2024
Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
Sports Med Open
December 2024
Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia.
Background: Handgrip strength (HGS) is an excellent marker of general strength capacity and health among adults. We aimed to calculate temporal trends in HGS for adults from Shanghai between 2000 and 2020.
Methods: Adults aged 20-59 years from Shanghai, China, were included.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int
December 2024
Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy.
Sewage sludge applications as soil amendment call for a proper ecological risk assessment due to unexpected delivery of toxic chemicals and materials. Standardized acute toxicity assays have proven to provide limited information in terms of potential hazard for soil organisms. Here, sublethal endpoints as physiological and tissue alterations were proposed as suitable tools for sewage sludge ecological risk assessment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethods Mol Biol
December 2024
Department of Experimental Medicine, Biotechnology, and Molecular Biology Section, Luigi Vanvitelli Campania University, Naples, Italy.
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a heterogeneous population of non-hematopoietic adult stem cells derived from the embryonic mesoderm. They possess self-renewal and multipotent differentiation capabilities, allowing them to give rise to mesodermal cell types, such as osteoblasts, chondroblasts, and adipocytes, as well as non-mesodermal cells, including neuron-like cells and endothelial cells. MSCs play a vital role in maintaining homeostasis across various tissues by facilitating tissue repair, immune regulation, and inflammatory response balance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurg Radiol Anat
December 2024
Department of Anatomy, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, India.
Purpose: Anatomical research on fetal liver venous systems is scarce. This study presents variations, morphometric, and histogenesis data through cadaveric study which can aid prenatal radiological analysis.
Materials And Methods: 10% formalin embalmed 16 fetuses (8-second trimester, 8-third trimester) were utilized.
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