Recently, it has been shown that the capacity of the innate immune system to produce cytokines relates to skeletal muscle mass and strength in older persons. The interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene regulates the production capacities of IL-10 and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). In rural Ghana, IL-10 gene variants associated with different production capacities of IL-10 and TNF-α are enriched compared...

Undernutrition is common among smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB+) patients. Micronutrient supplementation may improve treatment outcomes, but it is unclear whether additional energy-protein would be beneficial. The present study aimed to assess the effect of energy-protein supplementation on weight, body composition and handgrip strength against a background of high micronutrient inta...

This study aimed to verify the effect of judo matches on handgrip strength and perceptual responses during an official tournament in medalists and nonmedalists. Thirty-four male judo athletes participated in an official judo tournament. Before the first match and immediately after each match, maximum isometric handgrip strength and rate of perceived exertion overall and in specific areas were a...

BACKGROUND Impairment of physical function and abnormal body composition are the major presentations in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between body composition and physical function in CKD patients. METHODS This cross-sectional study enrolled 172 of CKD stages 1-5 from February 2013 to September 2013. Handgrip strength (upp...

Age-related disruption of microvascular endothelium exacerbates hypertension and sarcopenia; and atherosclerosis is a well-known biological response to vascular endothelial injury. Therefore, prevalence of atherosclerosis among hypertensive elderly subjects may partly indicate the presence of an appropriate response to endothelial injury. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 795 elderly hype...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between handgrip strength (HS) and physical activity in physical frailty elderly. METHOD Cross-sectional quantitative study with a sample of 203 elderly calculated based on the population estimated proportion. Tests were applied to detect cognitive impairment and assessment of physical frailty. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis by binary...

BACKGROUND The role of Vitamin D in musculoskeletal functionality among elderly people is still controversial. We investigated the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels and physical performance in older adults. METHODS 2694 community-dwelling elderly women and men from the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.V.A.) were included. Physical performances were assessed by: tandem t...

BACKGROUND Resistance training of peripheral muscles has been recommended in order to increase muscle strength in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). However, whether peripheral muscle strength is associated with exercise performance (EP) and physical activity in daily life (PADL) in these patients needs to be investigated. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether st...

To prevent or remedy musculoskeletal conditions, the relationship between obesity and the characteristics of muscle mass and strength need to be clarified. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 259 Japanese males aged 30-64 years were classified into 4 groups according to the Japanese obesity criteria. Body composition was evaluated, and handgrip strength and knee extensor strength were measured fo...

Background: The laborers constitute an important workforce in the society. Their working efficiency very much depends on their muscle strength. Hand grip strength (HGS) determines the muscular strength of an individual. Nutritional deficiency can affect the muscle strength in laborers. The current study was carried out to assess whether HGS can be useful as an indicator of nutritional status. A...