Background: Axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic, inflammatory rheumatic disease that affects the axial skeleton, causing pain, stiffness, and fatigue. Genetics and environmental factors such as microbiota and microtrauma are known causes of disease susceptibility and progression. Murine models of axSpA found a decisive role for biomechanical stress as an inducer of enthesitis and new bone formation. Here, we hypothesize that muscle properties in axSpA patients are compromised and influenced by genetic background.
Objectives: To improve our current knowledge of axSpA physiopathology, we aim to characterize axial and peripheral muscle properties and identify genetic and protein biomarker that might explain such properties.
Methods: A cross-sectional study will be conducted on 48 participants aged 18-50 years old, involving patients with axSpA (according to ASAS classification criteria, symptoms duration < 10 years) and healthy controls matched by gender, age, and levels of physical activity. We will collect epidemiological and clinical data and perform a detailed, whole body and segmental, myofascial characterization (focusing on multifidus, brachioradialis and the gastrocnemius lateralis) concerning: a) Physical Properties (stiffness, tone and elasticity), assessed by MyotonPRO®; b) Strength, by a dynamometer; c) Mass, by bioimpedance; d) Performance through gait speed and 60-second sit-to-stand test; e) Histological and cellular/ molecular characterization through ultrasound-guided biopsies of multifidus muscle; f) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) characterization of paravertebral muscles. Furthermore, we will perform an integrated transcriptomics and proteomics analysis of peripheral blood samples.
Discussion: The innovative and multidisciplinary approaches of this project rely on the elucidation of myofascial physical properties in axSpA and also on the establishment of a biological signature that relates to specific muscle properties. This hitherto unstudied link between gene/protein signatures and muscle properties may enhance our understanding of axSpA physiopathology and reveal new and useful diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
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Global Spine J
January 2025
Spine Surgery Program, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Study Design: Systematic review and clinimetric analysis.
Objectives: Frailty and sarcopenia predict worse surgical outcomes among spinal degenerative and deformity-related populations; this association is less clear in the context of spinal oncology. Here, we sought to identify frailty and sarcopenia tools applied in spinal oncology and appraise their clinimetric properties.
J Orthop Res
January 2025
Graduate School of Health, Medicine, and Welfare, Saitama Prefectural University, Koshigaya, Saitama, Japan.
Incomplete tendon healing and postponed muscle weakness after Achilles tendon rupture and surgical repair lead to poor performance in patient activities. Although the effectiveness of postoperative early functional rehabilitation has been proven, the priority and each effect of specific methods in early rehabilitation remain unclear. We hypothesized early muscle contraction exercises without joint motion would promote tendon healing and prevent calf muscle atrophy; in contrast, early static stretching after surgical repair would not contribute to tendon healing and induce calf muscle atrophy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Transl Med
January 2025
Department of Joint Surgery, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Rotator cuff injury (RCI), characterized by shoulder pain and restricted mobility, represents a subset of tendon-bone insertion injuries (TBI). In the majority of cases, surgical reconstruction of the affected tendons or ligaments is required to address the damage. However, numerous clinical failures have underscored the suboptimal outcomes associated with such procedures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Nutr
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Meat Quality Control and Cultured Meat Development, MOST; Key Laboratory of Meat Processing, MARA; Jiangsu Innovative Center of Meat Production, Processing and Quality Control; College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China. Electronic address:
Cultured meat technology represents an innovative food production approach that enables the large-scale cultivation of animal cells to obtain muscle, fat, and other tissues, which are then processed into meat products. Compared to traditional meat production methods, cell-cultured meat may significantly reduce energy consumption by 7% to 45%, greenhouse gas emissions by 78% to 96%, land use by 99%, and water use by 82% to 96%. This technology offers several advantages, including a shorter production cycle and enhanced environmental sustainability, resource efficiency, and overall sustainability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Pharmacol
January 2025
Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Korea. Electronic address:
Andrographis paniculata (AGPA) is known for its wide-ranging biological activities, including antiviral, antipyretic, and anticancer properties. However, its effects on muscle atrophy have not been well understood. This study investigates the impact of andrographolide (AD) and dehydroandrographolide succinate (DAS), key components of AGPA, on skeletal muscle atrophy using in vitro and in vivo models.
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