Non-pharmacological interventions for possible sarcopenia or sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults: a scoping review protocol

Introduction
Early prevention of sarcopenia is a recommendation to reduce morbidity, mortality and improve quality of life. Several non-pharmacological interventions to reduce the risk of sarcopenia in community-dwelling older people have been proposed. Therefore, there is a need to identify the scope and differences of these interventions. This scoping review will summarise the nature and extent of the existing literature that describes and examines non-pharmacological interventions for community-dwelling older adults with possible sarcopenia or sarcopenia.

Methods and analysis
The seven-stage review methodology framework will be used. Searches will be conducted in the following databases: Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, All EBM Reviews, Web of Science, Scopus, CBM, CNKI, WANFANG and VIP. Grey literature will also be identified from Google scholar. Search dates will be restricted to January 2010 to December 2022, in English and Chinese language only. Screening will be focused on published research, including both quantitative and qualitative study designs, and prospectively registered trials. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews will be followed when delineating the search decision process. Findings will be synthesised quantitatively and qualitatively as appropriate and classified using key conceptual categories. We will identify whether studies identified have been included in systematic reviews or meta-analyses, and research gaps and opportunities will be identified and summarised.

Ethics and dissemination
As this is a review, ethical approval will not be sought. The results will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and also disseminated in relevant disease support groups and conferences. The planned scoping review will help us identify the current status of research and gaps in the literature, so as to develop a future research agenda.

Leggi
Febbraio 2023

Association of sarcopenia with liver fibrosis and steatohepatitis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common chronic liver disorder over the last four decades, more evidence shows a high prevalence of sarcopenia in NAFLD that may influence disease severity. This meta-analysis aims to determine the association of sarcopenia with liver fibrosis and steatohepatitis in NAFLD.

Methods and analysis
We will conduct the literature search using Medline (via PubMed), Web of Science databases, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (from the date of inception to 1 May 2022). There will be no restriction to the publication year. Two reviewers will independently screen the articles and abstract key study characteristics. The outcome of this meta-analysis is the strength of association of sarcopenia with liver fibrosis and steatohepatitis in NAFLD. The STATA (V.14, StataCorp, 2015) will be used to carry out the statistical analysis. Comprehensive evaluation of bias risk and heterogeneity will be performed before data synthesis. Also, consistency and evidence quality will be assessed.

Ethics and dissemination
There will be no need of ethics approval as this systematic review is summary and analysis of existing literature. Final results may be presented in international conferences or a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO registration number
CRD42022322685.

Leggi
Febbraio 2023

Sarcopenia and coexistent risk factors detected using the 'Yubi-wakka (finger-ring) test in adults aged over 65 years in the public annual health check-up in Tama City, Tokyo: a cross-sectional study

Objectives
To examine the positive rate of sarcopenia using the ‘Yubi-wakka’ (finger-ring) test and associated risk factors among adults aged 65 years and older.

Design
Cross-sectional study.

Setting
We used the Yubi-wakka test, which has been developed and validated as a predictor of sarcopenia, frailty, disability and mortality. A positive test result is indicated by a smaller calf circumference than the finger-ring. The test was administered during annual health check-ups among residents of Tama City, Japan.

Participants
During the 2019 fiscal year, 12 894 individuals aged 65 years and older underwent the Yubi-wakka test at primary care clinics.

Interventions
Examinees conducted the test themselves in a seated position. They formed a ring around their calf using both thumbs and index fingers and judged whether their calf was larger, the same or smaller than their finger-ring.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
We compared anthropometric and serological data between the positive (smaller calf) and negative (larger calf) test result groups.

Results
The positive rate was 15.4% among men and 18.5% among women. The prevalence of a positive result was higher in those aged ≥80 years than in younger age groups in both sexes (men: 22.8%; women: 28.8%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was a risk factor for detecting a positive test result in women aged 65–74 years (OR 3.445; 95% CI 1.44 to 8.29) and ≥75 years (OR 3.37; 95% CI 1.97 to 5.78).

Conclusions
Because the Japanese population is healthy and lives long, interventions against sarcopenia are important, especially for older adults aged >75 years. The presence of metabolic syndrome may be a risk factor for sarcopenia (as detected by the Yubi-wakka test) and future frailty, and requires closer attention, especially among women.

Leggi
Dicembre 2022

Prevalence of possible sarcopenia in community-dwelling older Chinese adults: a cross-sectional study

Objectives
To determine the prevalence of possible sarcopenia and its association with other conditions in older adults in Bengbu, China.

Design, setting and participants
A cross-sectional study of 1082 community-dwelling Chinese people aged at least 60 years from March to June 2022.

Methods
Handgrip strength and information regarding associated conditions were collected. Possible sarcopenia was estimated based on handgrip strength with cut-off values (

Leggi
Dicembre 2022

Impact of resistance exercise rehabilitation and whey protein supplementation in elderly patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction with sarcopenia: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Introduction
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) affects more than half of the patients with heart failure. HFpEF and sarcopenia can interact with each other and contribute to reduced physiological function and increased mortality in elderly patients. Resistance training (RT) or resistance exercise rehabilitation (RER) may have benefits for elderly HFpEF patients with sarcopenia. Whey protein supplementation (WPS) may increase the effects of exercise on strength and muscle mass, in addition to promoting heart function and quality of life (QoL). However, studies are needed to evaluate effects of RER and WPS in patients with HFpEF with sarcopenia.

Methods and analysis
This is a prospective, randomised, controlled clinical trial in which patients with HFpEF with sarcopenia will be randomly allocated to three groups, control, RT and RT+WP. Participants in all groups will receive basic intervention including standard medicine treatment, home-based aerobic exercise and basic nutritional intervention. The RT group will undergo resistance exercise programmes, and the RT+WP group will receive daily WPS apart from resistance exercise. The study variables will be evaluated at baseline and 12 weeks. Primary outcome measure is the change of 6 min walking distance. Secondary outcomes include parameters of muscle status, cardiac function, nutritional status, QoL and major adverse cardiovascular events. The primary efficacy analysis will follow the intention-to-treat principle.

Ethics and dissemination
This study was approved by Ethics Committee of China-Japan Friendship Hospital for Clinical Research (No. 2022-KY-003). The results of this study will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and presentations at conferences.

Trial registration number
ChiCTR2200061069.

Leggi
Dicembre 2022

Sarcopenia as a predictor of outcome after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction
Sarcopenia represents a central biological substratum of frailty, which increases the incidence of adverse events and mortality after surgery for oesophageal cancer, gastrectomy and pancreatic surgery. Recently, sarcopenia has been suggested as a predictor of outcomes in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). However, since relevant data were variable, we aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the current literature to evaluate sarcopenia as a predictor of post-TAVI outcomes.

Methods and analysis
Two investigators will conduct independent searches in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library, from database inception to October 2022. The search will not be limited by language or region. Eligible studies will include reports investigating post-TAVI outcomes in patients with sarcopenia, who are aged >18 years and diagnosed using a CT scan. The primary outcome is short-term mortality (30-day mortality), while the secondary outcomes include long-term mortality ( >30 days), length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, need for ICU admission (the number of patients in the sarcopenia or non-sarcopenia group requiring ICU admission), length of hospital stay and overall complications. Included studies will be assessed for risk of bias according to the Quality in Prognosis Studies critical assessment tool and certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation. The analysis will be done with Review Manager (V.5.4) software. If testing reveals little or no statistical heterogeneity, a fixed-effect model will be used for data synthesis; otherwise, a random-effect model may be employed. On encountering substantial heterogeneity, subgroup analysis and leave-one-out jackknife sensitivity analysis will be used to verify the robustness of the results. The obtained results will be presented as forest plots while Cochran’s Q test and I2 test will be used to calculate the heterogeneity ( >50% indicating strong heterogeneity).

Ethics and dissemination
No ethical approval is needed for this study since we will be using data from previously published studies. The results will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO registration number
CRD42022349525.

Leggi
Novembre 2022

Abstract 11454: Sarcopenia Evaluated by Thoracic Computed Tomography is Associated With Higher Mortality in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A11454-A11454, November 8, 2022. Introduction:Sarcopenia is associated with worse outcomes in various clinical situations. Traditional markers of strength and frailty have been used for pre-operative risk stratification in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, the availability of computed tomography (CT) scans provides an opportunity to obtain direct skeletal muscle measurements.Hypothesis:We hypothesized that sarcopenia would lead to worse outcomes in patients following TAVR.Methods:Patients undergoing TAVR between January to July 2018 with pre-procedural chest CT were included. Semi-automatic measurements of skeletal muscle area (SMA) were made at the twelfth thoracic vertebra. SMA was normalized by height to obtain skeletal muscle index (SMI, cm2/m2). Sarcopenia was defined as the lowest sex-stratified SMI tertile. Strength and functional testing data had been collected as part of the routine pre-TAVR evaluation. The primary outcome of interest was all-cause mortality.Results:A total of 76 patients were included, 26 sarcopenic based on SMI. Table 1 shows comparisons between the groups. During a median follow-up of 1496 (1401-1562) days, 10 (38.5%) deaths occurred in the sarcopenic group and 9 (18.0%) in the non-sarcopenic group. Figure 1 demonstrates this significant difference by Log-Rank testing (p=0.042). The secondary outcomes of length of stay and 30-day readmission did not differ between the groups on unadjusted comparison.Conclusions:Sarcopenia was associated with increased mortality in patients who underwent TAVR. A larger study is underway to assess the potential of muscle measurements serving as an additional pre-operative risk stratification tool.

Leggi
Ottobre 2022

Abstract 12725: Sarcopenia With Low Serum Albumin is Associated With Worse Prognosis in Patients Hospitalized for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Circulation, Volume 146, Issue Suppl_1, Page A12725-A12725, November 8, 2022. Introduction:Low serum albumin is a marker of protein malnutrition and is commonly associated with worse outcomes in various clinical settings. Furthermore, significant overlap exists between malnutrition and sarcopenia, which can be an independent predictor of worse outcomes.Hypothesis:We assessed the hypothesis that the presence of sarcopenia with low albumin (SLA) would lead to synergistically worse outcomes in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).Methods:Patients hospitalized for ADHF from 2017 to 2019 with computed tomography of the abdomen/pelvis within 30 days and albumin level within 24 hours before discharge were studied (n=181). Given the high prevalence of hypoalbuminemia, low albumin was defined as the lower fiftieth percentile. Semi-automatic measurements of skeletal muscle area were made at L3 (Figure 1A) and adjusted using height squared to obtain skeletal muscle index (SMI). Sarcopenia was defined as the lowest sex-stratified SMI tertile.Results:The prevalence of sarcopenia alone was 11.6%, low albumin alone 28.7%, and SLA 20.4%. The groups had similar demographics but differed in BMI (lowest in sarcopenia alone, p

Leggi
Ottobre 2022

Association of sarcopenia with ideal cardiovascular health metrics among US adults: a cross-sectional study of NHANES data from 2011 to 2018

Objective
The American Heart Association (AHA) proposed the concept of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality. We attempted to broaden the impact of CVH and further contribute to AHA 2030 goals by identifying the relationship between CVH and non-cardiovascular diseases such as sarcopenia.

Design
Cross-sectional survey

Setting
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in the USA from 2011 to 2018.

Participants
This study included participants with reliable first 24-hour dietary recall and ≥20 years of age and excluded those who could not diagnose sarcopenia or insufficient data to calculate the CVH scores.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
The prevalence of sarcopenia as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Results
This cohort study involving 9326 adults≥20 years comprised 4733 females (50.0%). The number of intermediate or ideal and poor CVH participants was 5654 and 3672 with mean CVH score of 9.70±0.03 and 5.66±0.04, respectively. After adjusting for related confounding factors, intermediate or ideal CVH was associated with an odds reduction of sarcopenia than poor CVH (adjusted OR (aOR): 0.36, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.50, p

Leggi
Settembre 2022

MET-PREVENT: metformin to improve physical performance in older people with sarcopenia and physical prefrailty/frailty – protocol for a double-blind, randomised controlled proof-of-concept trial

Introduction
Skeletal muscle dysfunction is central to both sarcopenia and physical frailty, which are associated with a wide range of adverse outcomes including falls and fractures, longer hospital stays, dependency and the need for care. Resistance training may prevent and treat sarcopenia and physical frailty, but not everyone can or wants to exercise. Finding alternatives is critical to alleviate the burden of adverse outcomes associated with sarcopenia and physical frailty. This trial will provide proof-of-concept evidence as to whether metformin can improve physical performance in older people with sarcopenia and physical prefrailty or frailty.

Methods and analysis
MET-PREVENT is a parallel group, double-blind, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept trial. Trial participants can participate from their own homes, including completing informed consent and screening assessments. Eligible participants with low grip strength or prolonged sit-to-stand time together with slow walk speed will be randomised to either oral metformin hydrochloride 500 mg tablets or matched placebo, taken three times a day for 4 months. The recruitment target is 80 participants from two secondary care hospitals in Newcastle and Gateshead, UK. Local primary care practices will act as participant identification centres. Randomisation will be performed using a web-based minimisation system with a random element, balancing on sex and baseline walk speed. Participants will be followed up for 4 months post-randomisation, with outcomes collected at baseline and 4 months. The primary outcome measure is the four metre walk speed at the 4-month follow-up visit.

Ethics and dissemination
The trial has been approved by the Liverpool NHS Research Ethics Committee (20/NW/0470), the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (EudraCT 2020-004023-16) and the UK Health Research Authority (IRAS 275219). Results will be made available to participants, their families, patients with sarcopenia, the public, regional and national clinical teams, and the international scientific community.

Trial registration number
ISRCTN29932357.

Leggi
Luglio 2022