Background: Sarcopenia is associated with unfavourable long-term survival in patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the impact of myosteatosis and muscle loss on patient prognosis has not been investigated.
Methods: Seven hundred fifty-six HCC patients who received LT at 3 transplant centres were included. Computed tomography (CT) images of recipients were collected to measure skeletal muscle index (SMI) and skeletal muscle radiodensity (SMRA). The impact of myosteatosis on the prognosis of sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patients was studied separately. Muscle status was evaluated based on the presence of sarcopenia and myosteatosis. The muscle loss of 342 males was calculated as the relative change of SMI between pre- and post-LT evaluations. Cox regression models were used to identify predictors of overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS).
Results: The study comprised 673 males and 83 females. The median follow-up time was 31 months (interquartile range, 19-43 months). Prior to LT, 267 (39.7%) and 187 (27.8%) males were defined as sarcopenic (low-SMI) and myosteatotic (low-SMRA), respectively. For sarcopenic recipients, the presence of myosteatosis was followed by a 23.6% decrease in 5 year OS (P < 0.001) and a 15.0% decrease in 5 year RFS (P = 0.014). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that muscle status was an independent predictor of OS [hazard ratio (HR), 1.569; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.317-1.869; P < 0.001] and RFS (HR, 1.369; 95% CI, 1.182-1.586; P < 0.001). Postoperatively, a muscle loss >14.2% was an independent risk factor for poor OS (HR, 2.286; 95% CI, 1.358-3.849; P = 0.002) and RFS (HR, 2.219; 95% CI, 1.418-3.471; P < 0.001) in non-sarcopenic recipients (N = 209).
Conclusions: Pre-transplant myosteatosis aggravated the adverse impact of sarcopenia on liver transplant outcomes in male HCC patients. Post-transplant muscle loss might assist in prognostic stratification of recipients without pre-existing sarcopenia, intriguing new insights into individualized management.
Altered gut microbiota (GM) potentially contribute to development or worsening of sarcopenia through a gut-muscle axis. This systematic review aims to compare GM between persons with sarcopenia or low sarcopenia-defining parameters (muscle mass, strength, and physical performance) to those with preserved muscle status, as well as to clarify possible associations between sarcopenia (-defining parameters) and relative abundance (RA) of GM-taxa or GM-(α- or β) diversity indices, in order to clarify whether there is robust evidence of the existence of a GM signature for sarcopenia. This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA-reporting guideline and pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021259597). PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Cochrane library were searched until 20 July 2023. Included studies reported on GM and sarcopenia or its defining parameters. Observational studies were included with populations of mean age ≥50 years. Thirty-two studies totalling 10 781 persons (58.56% ♀) were included. Thirteen studies defined sarcopenia as a construct. Nineteen studies reported at least one sarcopenia-defining parameter (muscle mass, strength or physical performance). Studies found different GM-taxa at multiple levels to be significantly associated with sarcopenia (n = 4/6), muscle mass (n = 13/14), strength (n = 7/9), and physical performance (n = 3/3); however, directions of associations were heterogeneous and also conflicting for specific GM-taxa. Regarding β-diversity, studies found GM of persons with sarcopenia, low muscle mass, or low strength to cluster differently compared with persons with preserved muscle status. α-diversity was low in persons with sarcopenia or low muscle mass as compared with those with preserved muscle status, indicating low richness and diversity. In line with this, α-diversity was significantly and positively associated with muscle mass (n = 3/4) and muscle strength (n = 2/3). All reported results were significant (P < 0.05). Persons with sarcopenia and low muscle parameters have less rich and diverse GM and can be separated from persons with preserved muscle mass and function based on GM-composition. Sarcopenia and low muscle parameters are also associated with different GM-taxa at multiple levels, but results were heterogeneous and no causal conclusions could be made due to the cross-sectional design of the studies. This emphasizes the need for uniformly designed cross-sectional and longitudinal trials with appropriate GM confounder control in large samples of persons with sarcopenia and clearly defined core outcome sets in order to further explore changes in GM-taxa and to determine a sarcopenia-specific GM-signature.
Background: Cancer-associated cachexia (CAC) is a metabolic syndrome contributing to therapy resistance and mortality in lung cancer patients (LCP). CAC is typically defined using clinical non-imaging criteria. Given the metabolic underpinnings of CAC and the ability of [18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computer tomography (CT) to provide quantitative information on glucose turnover, we evaluate the usefulness of whole-body (WB) PET/CT imaging, as part of the standard diagnostic workup of LCP, to provide additional information on the onset or presence of CAC.
Methods: This multi-centre study included 345 LCP who underwent WB [18F]FDG-PET/CT imaging for initial clinical staging. A weight loss grading system (WLGS) adjusted to body mass index was used to classify LCP into 'No CAC' (WLGS-0/1 at baseline prior treatment and at first follow-up: N = 158, 51F/107M), 'Dev CAC' (WLGS-0/1 at baseline and WLGS-3/4 at follow-up: N = 90, 34F/56M), and 'CAC' (WLGS-3/4 at baseline: N = 97, 31F/66M). For each CAC category, mean standardized uptake values (SUV) normalized to aorta uptake (
Results: The three CAC categories displayed multi-organ differences in
Conclusions: WB [18F]FDG-PET/CT imaging reveals groupwise differences in the multi-organ metabolism of LCP with and without CAC, thus highlighting systemic metabolic aberrations symptomatic of cachectic patients. Based on a retrospective cohort, our ML model identified patients
Background: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), the third gasotransmitter discovered, regulates a variety of physiological functions. Whether H2S alleviates skeletal muscle ageing by regulating autophagy has not been reported.
Methods: Mice were administered 150 mg/kg/day of D-galactose ( D-gal), and C2C12 myotubes were cultured in 20 g/L D-gal to induce ageing. Sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) was employed as an exogenous donor in the treatment group. The intracellular concentration of H2S was quantified by the 7-azido-4-methylcoumarin fluorescence probe. The proteins involved in the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of AMPKα1 were detected by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). S-sulfhydration of USP5 was tested by a biotin-switch assay. Associated proteins were analysed by western blot.
Results: NaHS was found to effectively restore the H2S content in both ageing gastrocnemius (+91.89%, P < 0.001) and C2C12 myotubes (+27.55%, P < 0.001). In comparison to the D-gal group, NaHS was observed to increase the mean cross-sectional area of muscle fibres (+44.91%, P < 0.001), to decrease the collagen volume fraction of gastrocnemius (-81.32%, P = 0.001) and to reduce the β-galactosidase-positive area of C2C12 myotubes (-28.74%, P < 0.001). NaHS was also found to reverse the expression of muscle atrophy F box protein (MAFbx), muscle-specific RING finger protein 1 (MuRF1), Cyclin D1 and p21 in the ageing gastrocnemius tissue (MAFbx: -31.73%, P = 0.008; MuRF1: -32.37%, P = 0.003; Cyclin D1: +45.34%, P = 0.010; p21: -25.53%, P = 0.022) and C2C12 myotubes (MAFbx: -16.38%, P < 0.001; MuRF1: -16.45%, P = 0.003; Cyclin D1: +40.23%, P < 0.001; p21: -35.85%, P = 0.026). The AMPKα1-ULK1 pathway was activated and autophagy was up-regulated in NaHS-treated gastrocnemius tissue (p-AMPKα1: +61.61%, P = 0.018; AMPKα1: +30.64%, P = 0.010; p-ULK1/ULK1: +85.87%, P = 0.005; p62: -29.07%, P < 0.001; Beclin1: +24.75%, P = 0.007; light chain 3 II/I [LC3 II/I]: +55.78%, P = 0.004) and C2C12 myotubes (p-AMPKα1: +77.49%, P = 0.018; AMPKα1: +26.18%, P = 0.022; p-ULK1/ULK1: +38.34%, P = 0.012; p62: -9.02%, P = 0.014; Beclin1: +13.36%, P < 0.001; LC3 II/I: +79.38%, P = 0.017; autophagy flux: +24.88%, P = 0.034) compared with the D-gal group. The effects of NaHS on autophagy were comparable to those of acadesine and LYN-1604, and chloroquine could reverse its effects on ageing. LC-MS/MS and Co-IP experiments demonstrated that USP5 is a deubiquitinating enzyme of AMPKα1. Following the knockdown of USP5, the activation of AMPKα1 was decreased (p-AMPKα1: -42.10%, P < 0.001; AMPKα1: -43.93%, P < 0.001), autophagy was inhibited (p-ULK1/ULK1: -27.51, P = 0.001; p62: +36.00, P < 0.001; Beclin1: -22.15%, P < 0.001) and NaHS lost its ability to up-regulate autophagy. NaHS was observed to restore the expression (gastrocnemius: +62.17%, P < 0.001;
Background: The Asian Working Group for Cachexia (AWGC) proposed the first consensus report on diagnostic criteria for cachexia in Asians in 2023. However, the current consensus lacks cohort evidence to validate its effectiveness and practicality. We aimed to explore the value of the AWGC2023 criteria for predicting the prognosis and medical burden of patients with cancer through a retrospective post hoc cross-sectional analysis of the Investigation on Nutrition Status and its Clinical Outcome of Common Cancers (INSCOC) project in China.
Methods: Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the independent association between cachexia and long-term survival. We utilized C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), inflammatory burden index (IBI), albumin (ALB) and Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) as diagnostic markers for cachexia, designating them as CRP-based cachexia, NLR-based cachexia, IBI-based cachexia, ALB-based cachexia and GPS-based cachexia, respectively. Additionally, we diagnosed cachexia using body mass index (BMI) cutoff values of 18.5, 20, 21 and 22 kg/m2, respectively, and subsequently compared their prognostic predictive value through Harrell's concordance index (C-index). Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between cachexia and medical burden.
Results: A total of 5426 patients with cancer were enrolled in this study. Cox regression analysis confirmed that cachexia based on the AWGC2023 criteria was an independent predictor of long-term survival in patients with cancer. Patients with cachexia had significantly poorer long-term survival than patients without cachexia (66.4% vs. 49.7%, P < 0.001). Inflammatory biomarker-based cachexia was as an independent predictor of prognosis in patients with cancer, with inflammatory burden index (IBI)-based cachexia demonstrating the optimal prognostic discriminatory ability. The C-index indicated that cachexia based on BMI cutoff values of 18.5, 20, and 22 kg/m2 did not perform as well as a BMI cutoff value of 21 kg/m2. Logistic regression models revealed that using the AWGC2023 criteria, patients with cachexia had a 16.6% higher risk of prolonged hospitalization and a 16.0% higher risk of high medical expenses than patients without cachexia.
Conclusion: The AWGC2023 criteria represent a valuable tool for predicting survival and medical burden among Chinese patients with cancer. Encouragement for further validation in other Asian populations is warranted for the AWGC2023 criteria.
Background: Age-related sarcopenia, characterized by reduced skeletal muscle mass and function, significantly affects the health of the elderly individuals. Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the development of sarcopenia. Tripartite motif containing 16 (TRIM16) is implicated in orchestrating antioxidant responses to mitigate oxidative stress, yet its regulatory role in skeletal muscle remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate the impact of TRIM16 on enhancing antioxidant response through SIRT-1, consequently mitigating age-related oxidative stress, and ameliorating muscle atrophy.
Methods: Aged mouse models were established utilizing male mice at 18 months with D-galactose (D-gal, 200 mg/kg) intervention and at 24 months with natural aging, while 3-month-old young mice served as controls. Muscle cell senescence was induced in C2C12 myoblasts using 30 g/L D-gal. TRIM16 was overexpressed in the skeletal muscle of aged mice and silenced/overexpressed in C2C12 myoblasts. The effects of TRIM16 on skeletal muscle mass, grip strength, morphological changes, myotube formation, myogenic differentiation, and muscle atrophy indicators were evaluated. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and oxidative stress-related parameters were measured. The SIRT-1 inhibitor EX-527 was employed to elucidate the protective role of TRIM16 mediated through SIRT-1.
Results: Aged mice displayed significant reductions in lean mass (-11.58%; -14.47% vs. young, P < 0.05), hindlimb lean mass (-17.38%; -15.95% vs. young, P < 0.05), and grip strength (-22.29%; -31.45% vs. young, P < 0.01). Skeletal muscle fibre cross-sectional area (CSA) decreased (-29.30%; -24.12% vs. young, P < 0.05). TRIM16 expression significantly decreased in aging skeletal muscle (-56.82%; -66.27% vs. young, P < 0.001) and senescent muscle cells (-46.53% vs. control, P < 0.001). ROS levels increased (+69.83% vs. control, P < 0.001), and myotube formation decreased in senescent muscle cells (-56.68% vs. control, P < 0.001). Expression of myogenic differentiation and antioxidant indicators decreased, while muscle atrophy markers increased in vivo and in vitro (all P < 0.05). Silencing TRIM16 in myoblasts induced oxidative stress and myotube atrophy, while TRIM16 overexpression partially mitigated aging effects on skeletal muscle. TRIM16 activation enhanced SIRT-1 expression (+75.38% vs. control, P < 0.001). SIRT-1 inhibitor EX-527 (100 μM) suppressed TRIM16's antioxidant response and mitigating muscle atrophy, offsetting the protective effect of TRIM16 on senescent muscle cells.
Conclusions: This study elucidates TRIM16's role in mitigating oxidative stress and ameliorating muscle atrophy through the activation of SIRT-1-dependent antioxidant effects. TRIM16 emerges as a potential therapeutic target for age-related sarcopenia.
Background: Body composition parameters provide relevant prognostic significance in critical care cohorts and cancer populations. Published results regarding polytrauma patients are inconclusive to date. The goal of this study was to analyse the role of body composition parameters in severely injured trauma patients.
Methods: All consecutive patients requiring emergency tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation before initial computed tomography (CT) at a level-1 trauma centre over a 12-year period (2008-2019) were reanalysed. The analysis included CT-derived body composition parameters based upon whole-body trauma CT as prognostic variables for 30-day mortality, intensive care unit length of stay (ICU LOS) and mechanical ventilation duration.
Results: Four hundred seventy-two patients (75% male) with a median age of 49 years, median injury severity score of 26 and 30-day mortality rate of 22% (104 patients) met the inclusion criteria and were analysed. Regarding body composition parameters, 231 patients (49%) had visceral obesity, 75 patients had sarcopenia (16%) and 35 patients had sarcopenic obesity (7.4%). After adjustment for statistically significant univariable predictors age, body mass index, sarcopenic obesity, visceral obesity, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification ≥3, injury severity score and Glasgow Coma Scale ≤ 8 points, the Cox proportional hazard model identified sarcopenia as significant prognostic factor of 30-day mortality (hazard ratio 2.84; 95% confidence interval 1.38-5.85; P = 0.004), which was confirmed in Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (log-rank P = 0.006). In a subanalysis of 363 survivors, linear multivariable regression analysis revealed no significant associations of body composition parameters with ICU LOS and duration of mechanical ventilation.
Conclusions: In a multivariable analysis of mechanically ventilated trauma patients, CT-defined sarcopenia was significantly associated with 30-day mortality whereas no associations of body composition parameters with ICU LOS and duration of mechanical ventilation were observed.