title: Skeletal muscle morphology in sarcopenia defined using the EWGSOP criteria: findings from the Hertfordshire Sarcopenia Study (HSS).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sarcopenia is defined as the loss of muscle mass and function with age and is associated with decline in mobility, frailty, falls and mortality. There is considerable interest in understanding the underlying mechanisms. Our aim was to characterise muscle morphology changes associated with sarcopenia among community dwelling older men.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and five men aged 68-76 years were recruited to the Hertfordshire Sarcopenia Study (HSS) for detailed characterisation of muscle including measures of muscle mass, strength and function. Muscle tissue was obtained from a biopsy of the vastus lateralis for 99 men and was processed for immunohistochemical studies to determine myofibre distribution and area, capillarisation and satellite cell (SC) density.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six (6 %) men had sarcopenia as defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria. These men had lower SC density (1.7 cells/mm(2) vs 3.8 cells/mm(2), p = 0.06) and lower SC/fibre ratio (0.02 vs 0.06, p = 0.06) than men without sarcopenia. Although men with sarcopenia tended to have smaller myofibres and lower capillary to fibre ratio, these relationships were not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have shown that there may be altered muscle morphology parameters in older men with sarcopenia. These results have the potential to help identify cell and molecular targets for therapeutic intervention. This work now requires extension to larger studies which also include women.
authors.affiliation: Academic Geriatric Medicine, University of Southampton, University Hospital Southampton FoundationTrust (UHSFT), Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK. hp@mrc.soton.ac.uk.|Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, UHSFT, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK. hp@mrc.soton.ac.uk.|National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and UHSFT, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK. hp@mrc.soton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Academic Geriatric Medicine, University of Southampton, University Hospital Southampton FoundationTrust (UHSFT), Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, UHSFT, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Westbury
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, UHSFT, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Syddall
authors.affiliation: Academic Geriatric Medicine, University of Southampton, University Hospital Southampton FoundationTrust (UHSFT), Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Stephens
authors.affiliation: Institute for Developmental Sciences, University of Southampton, UHSFT, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Clough
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, UHSFT, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.|National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and UHSFT, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.|National Institute for Health Research Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: Academic Geriatric Medicine, University of Southampton, University Hospital Southampton FoundationTrust (UHSFT), Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.|Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, UHSFT, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.|National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and UHSFT, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.|National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care: Wessex, Academic Geriatric Medicine, University of Southampton, UHSFT, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.|Newcastle University Institute for Ageing and Institute of Health & Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Sayer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D015992:Body Mass Index; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D057187:Independent Living; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D009210:Myofibrils / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D032496:Satellite Cells, Skeletal Muscle / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology