SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “muscle quality”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2025

Impact of Muscle Quality on Muscle Strength and Physical Performance Beyond Muscle Mass or Diabetes Status.

BACKGROUND: Muscle quality, represented by myosteatosis, is recognized as an important factor in sarcopenia. In this study, we aimed to determine the associations between myosteatosis, muscle strength and physical performance among the elderly South Korean population. METHODS: We included 1440 participants (mean age 62.7 ± 6.2 years) from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES). Based on the computed tomography attenuation of mid-thigh imaging, the total muscle area (TMA), normal-attenuation muscle area (NAMA), low-attenuation muscle area (LAMA) and inter-intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) and its indices were used to evaluate myosteatosis. Muscle strength was evaluated using hand grip strength, whereas physical performance was evaluated through 4-m gait speed, a 30-s sit-to-stand test and 2-min walking test. RESULTS: Of the 1440 patients, 51.5% were women, and 37.2% had diabetes. With aging, the LAMA index gradually increased, and the NAMA index gradually decreased in both men and women (p for trend < 0.001). The NAMA index was positively associated, whereas the LAMA and IMAT indices were negatively associated with muscle strength and physical performance after adjusting for age and sex. Higher tertiles of the NAMA index were consistently associated with improved physical performance across all appendicular skeletal muscle tertiles. The relationship between the NAMA index or LAMA index and muscle strength and physical performance did not differ according to diabetic status. Regular exercise was associated with a higher NAMA index and a lower LAMA index in the non-diabetic group; however, no significant difference in muscle quality was observed in the diabetic group in relation to exercise. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced myosteatosis was positively associated with greater muscle strength and better physical performance in both men and women, regardless of muscle mass or diabetes status; improving myosteatosis may be a therapeutic target for the prevention of sarcopenia.

Humans↗

PubMed1979

[Effect of stunning on pork muscle quality].

The following methods of insensitisation were tested for their effects on muscle pork quality: Electrocoma, 75 V, 15 sec; Electrocoma following intensive electrical stimulation and irritation of various parts of the animals's body, using the insensitising forceps; Dart gun insensitisation. Also tested was the action of muscle relaxants on pork quality. Minor deviation from proper practice of electrical insensitisation was found to cause no significant deterioration in cutlet muscle and ham muscle quality. However, intensive irritation immediately before insensitisation caused higher percentages of PSE (16.7 per cent) and DFD (16.7 per cent). Dart gun insensitisation was quite often followed by poorer quality in the form of watery and bright pork (25.0 per cent). This had detrimental consequences for boiled ham processing (higher loss rates). Sensorial assessment of boiled ham obtained from animals in various categories did not reveal any significant discrepancy between the above techniques. When muscle relaxants were used, muscle pork quality of pigs relaxed by means of succicholine dichloride was much better than that in animals to which electrical insensitisation had been applied. Characteristics of such better quality included slower decline in pH over 45 minutes after death and lower drip loss.

Abattoirs↗

PubMed2026

Effects of faba bean-based crisping culture on phenotypic characteristics, muscle quality, and serum metabolome in Nile tilapia: Screening biomarkers to assess the degree of crisping.

Feeding Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) a faba bean-based crisping diet enhances muscle hardness (crispness) and overall flesh quality. However, the underlying mechanisms and reliable biomarkers remain insufficiently defined. This study integrated phenotypic traits, muscle texture, collagen content, serum antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px), MDA levels, and serum metabolomics to understand the determinants of muscle crisping. Fish were assigned to a crisping diet or a control group for 90 days. Individuals in the crisping group were implanted with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags to enable correlation analyses among phenotypic traits (body weight/length/frame changes), serum indicators (NAM, FAD, and GSH-Px) and muscle hardness. Compared with controls, the crisping diet significantly increased muscle hardness, gumminess, and chewiness, accompanied by elevated collagen content. Antioxidant profiles were altered, with higher activities of serum SOD and CAT, together with elevated MDA levels and reduced GSH-Px activity (P < 0.05). Metabolomic analysis identified 830 differential metabolites (682 upregulated and 148 downregulated), predominantly comprising carboxylic acids and derivatives, glycerophospholipids, and benzene derivatives. Enrichment analysis indicated significant involvement in general metabolic pathways, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, amino acid biosynthesis, and glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism (P < 0.05). Notably, acetylpyruvate was upregulated in glutathione metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, and galactose metabolism; pantothenic acid was upregulated in glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism; whereas δ-tocotrienol was downregulated. Correlation analysis revealed weak negative associations between muscle hardness and phenotypic traits (body weight/length/frame changes D5-7, D5-10, D7-8) (P < 0.05). In contrast, serum NAM and FAD were weakly positively correlated with muscle hardness, whereas GSH-Px showed a weak negative correlation (P < 0.05). Collectively, these findings suggest that body weight, body length, frame measurements (D5-7, D5-10, and D7-8), and serum NAM, FAD, and GSH-Px are associated with the degree of muscle crispness in Nile tilapia fed a faba bean-based crisping diet and may serve as candidate biomarkers under these culture conditions.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

Microbiota-gut-muscle axis shapes fish muscle texture by regulating collagen synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Increasing studies have emphasized the communication network between the gut microbiome and host organs, revealing that such interactions significantly influence host physiological performances. However, whether a gut-muscle axis exists to regulate muscle quality in animal production is unknown. RESULTS: In two independent cohorts, the muscle hardness of tilapia subjected to a long-term faba bean diet exhibited significant inter-individual variation. RNA-Seq analyses of the high-hardness (H) and low-hardness (L) groups pointed to collagen-based extracellular matrix as a possible factor driving muscle hardness development. Transplantation of gut microbiota from the H donor resulted in enhanced collagen synthesis in gnotobiotic zebrafish. Muscular collagen deposition was featured with an increased abundance of gut Cetobacterium. Gnotobiotic models colonized with live C. somerae exhibited enhanced collagen synthesis. Integrated analyses of microbiome function, bacterial genome, and metabolic profiles identified acetate as a key effector of C. somerae. Acetate incubation upregulated collagen I expression in TGF-β-activated fibroblasts in an acetylation-dependent manner. Mechanistically, acetate promoted the acetylation of SMAD2/3, enhancing its nuclear transport and stability, which ultimately increased collagen expression. An acetate-supplemented feeding experiment corroborated these findings. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive results provided evidences that gut microbes regulated tilapia muscle texture through SMAD2/3 acetylation-driven collagen synthesis. This study expands our understanding of the multifaceted role of the gut-muscle axis in muscle physiology. Furthermore, our findings highlight that targeting gut microbiota and the downstream collagen synthesis pathway could be promising for manipulating muscle quality in animal production. Video Abstract.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

Intestinal content accelerates muscle protein degradation in red shrimp (Solenocera crassicornis) during refrigeration: Insights from metagenomics and metabolomics.

This study systematically explored the effects of intestinal components on muscle quality deterioration and protein degradation of red shrimp during refrigerated storage. The results demonstrated that refrigeration induced continuous quality degradation and muscle protein breakdown in red shrimp, whereas eliminating intestinal tissues effectively retarded muscle spoilage and protein degradation, and optimized muscle texture. The intestinal microorganisms could secrete extracellular proteases to promote muscle protein degradation were primarily Vibrio, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Photobacterium, and Shewanella. These microorganisms promote protein degradation by secreting zinc proteases, serine proteases, and aspartyl proteases. This study elucidates the molecular mechanisms of intestinal microbial metabolism influences the muscle protein degradation of red shrimp during refrigeration. The findings provide a theoretical foundation for precise regulation of intestinal-targeted microorganisms, thereby maintaining optimal quality of shrimps during refrigeration.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Exercise-limiting factors in respiratory distress.

Exercise performance data, circulatory function and respiratory and leg muscle quality, expressed as muscle fiber composition, are reviewed and together with our own data discussed as possible limiting factors for physical performance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is regarded as synonymous with reduced physical performance, exaggerated breathlessness or dyspnea, muscle hypotrophy and/or wasting and, frequently, malnutrition. Impaired right ventricular circulatory function seems to be essential. The observed preponderance of fast twitch (FT), 'glycogenolytic' and capillary-poor muscle fiber type in the investigated muscles might reflect endowment, a 'hypoxic vasoconstriction'-related downregulation of the other main fiber type: the slow twitch (ST), capillary-rich, fatigue-resistant fiber, and/or selective muscle trauma to ST fibers. Ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients demonstrate a similar fiber type pattern in leg muscles. Both COPD and IHD patients have low leg muscle and plasma deposits of antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and alpha-tocopherol. This could reflect a depressed resistance to radical induced cell trauma and/or malnutrition. The magnitude of the antioxidant reduction is less pronounced in patients rich in FT fibers indicating a ST fiber-related susceptibility to trauma. Treatment of other muscle disorders including heart muscle with, e.g., CoQ10 improves performance due to a causative enhanced antioxidant potential, reduced catabolism and/or an upregulated muscle anabolism, increased mitochondrial volume/function, etc. Such data are lacking in COPD.

Aged↗

PubMed2026

Exerkine dysregulation links visceral adiposity to skeletal muscle impairment in end-stage heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: proteomic evidence for a cardio-adipose-muscle axis.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is associated with profound alterations in body composition, skeletal muscle dysfunction, and impaired exercise capacity. Exerkines representing exercise-responsive signaling molecules released by skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and other organs may mediate systemic metabolic communication between tissues. However, their role in advanced HFrEF and their relationship with adiposity and skeletal muscle characteristics remain poorly understood. METHODS: We studied 73 patients with end-stage HFrEF and 16 healthy controls. Body composition was assessed using computed tomography, including visceral (VAT), subcutaneous (SAT), and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), as well as skeletal muscle quantity (psoas muscle index, PMI) and quality (psoas muscle density, PMD). Functional performance was evaluated using handgrip strength (HGT) and the 6-min walk test (6MWT). Circulating exerkines were quantified using the Olink technology. Associations between proteins and clinical variables were assessed using age- and creatinine-adjusted linear models with false discovery rate correction. RESULTS: Among patients with HFrEF, 36% were obese and 38% exhibited central obesity independent of BMI. Muscle strength and muscle quality were strongly associated with functional capacity. VAT correlated with muscle mass but not with muscle quality or performance. Compared with controls, HFrEF patients demonstrated elevated inflammatory and metabolic stress-related exerkines including CXCL8, CCL2, IL-6, TNF, IL-15, GDF15, FGF21, ANGPTL4, CTSB, DCN, and resistin. In contrast, proteins associated with muscle integrity and regenerative signaling (myostatin, BDNF, IL-7, SPARC) were significantly reduced. In HFrEF patients leptin strongly correlated with adiposity measures. Metabolic stress mediators (GDF15, IL-15, FGF21, CTSB) were inversely associated with muscle quality and functional performance, whereas myostatin positively correlated with muscle quality, strength, and exercise capacity. BDNF was inversely associated with frailty. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced HFrEF is characterized by a dysregulated exerkine network linking adiposity, skeletal muscle quality, and functional performance. Four biologically coherent axes were identified: a leptin-driven adiposity axis, a metabolic stress-muscle quality axis, a myostatin-related muscle function axis, and a neurotrophic frailty axis. These findings support the presence of a systemic cardio-adipose-muscle signaling network in end-stage HFrEF and identify candidate molecular mediators of sarcopenia and functional decline.

Humans↗

PubMed1979

[Muscle meat quality studies in swine. 6. The effect of genetic structure and sex].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Animals↗

PubMed1977

[Studies on muscle-meat quality in swine. 1. Incidence of poor quality as well as influence of slaughtering and refrigeration].

The pork quality of M. longissimus dorsi of 1,010 pigs for slaughter in one pork production unit was determined on 17 slaughter days. Measurements taken for that purpose included pH 45 minutes post mortem, pork brightness 24 hours post mortem, and drip loss 24 hours post mortem. The following results were recorded: 1. Quality gaps in terms of PSE pork were recorded from 21.9 per cent of the pork samples stored under cold store conditions. 2. The percentage of cutlet pieces was reduced considerably (10.9 per cent) by shock cooling (-10 degrees C to -18 degrees C over 1.5 to 2.5 hours). This shows the importance of cooling. 3. The differences recorded between mean values were attributable mainly to nonsystematised environmental conditions, with such variation having been effective not only on the day of slaughter. 4. Close correlations were found to exist between drip loss and pH-value as well as between drip loss and pork brightness, while the relationships were less close between pH-value and brightness.

Abattoirs↗

PubMed1977

[Muscle meat quality in swine. 4: Response of fattening pigs to removal from pigsty and transport to slaughterhouse].

Blood was sampled through indwelling catheters from pigs taken to places for slaughter by various means of transport. Sampling took place at different measuring points between removal from pig pens and actual slaughter. The blood was tested for haemoglobin, haematocrit, glucose, and lactate. The following results were obtained: Removal and transport led to strong Hb and medium Hk rises. The levels, however, returned to normal after one-and-a-half to two hours rest. Stresses caused prior to and during anaestheria led to considerable rise of Hk and Hb as well as to maximum lactate deflection. The latter excitations superimposed all the preceding reactions of the organism. The increased of Hb, Hk, and lactate recorded from animals slaughtered as little as 20 minutes after arrival were higher than those established from animals that had been allowed some rest in between. Transport losses were reduced when the animals were moved in containers due to less motoric stress. However, no mitigation of pork quality setback can be expected as long as strong excitation continues to be caused in the animals before slaughter.

Abattoirs↗

PubMed1977

[Studies on the muscle meat quality of swine. 2. Effects of various ways of transport and rest periods].

The effects of transport of pigs for slaughter in containers or in conventional ways on meat quality were studied on 17 slaughter days. The following results were obtained: 1. No differences regarding the occurrence of quality deficits were recordable from the two forms of transport, when rest periods beyond 20 minutes were allowed prior to slaughter. 2. Correlations between dates of slaughter and transport forms caused differences between individual slaughters which, however, were offset and levelled by the totality of all slaughters. 3. Excitation was widely offset within one hour from transport of 60 to 70 minutes, and additional rest allowances caused only slight reduction of quality deficits. 4. No correlations were detectable between weather factors and meat quality, since no extreme climatic situations were faced.

Abattoirs↗

PubMed1977

[Studies on the muscle meat quality of swine. 3. Significance of meat temperature with special reference to transport forms].

Pork temperatures of M. longissimus were recorded from 1,010 pigs transported in different ways 45 minutes post mortem, with the following results having been obtained: 1. Following conventional transport, pork values were significantly higher than they had been following container transport (37.8 degrees C or 36.8 degrees C). 2. Pork values were clearly influenced by driving into the slaughterhouse, high ambient temperatures, and additional environment-borne effects prevalent on the day of slaughter. Genetic configurations, transport, and rest periods, on the other hand, proved of minor importance. 3. Pork temperature was found to be unsuitable for any characterisation of pork quality, since only unimportant correlations existed with juice retention and colour brightness, and secured relationships were found to exist merely with the pH-value. 4. Changes in rectal temperature and respiratory frequency following conventional transport were slightly stronger than those following container transport. Both of them were normalised after one or two hours and are well suitable for an assessment of preceding transport stress.

Abattoirs↗

PubMed2026

Machine learning-based clinical tool for identifying factors associated with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: the Nagahama study.

BACKGROUND: A clinical tool that evaluates factors associated with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) based on modifiable factors is lacking. This study aimed to develop a machine learning-based clinical assessment tool using modifiable factors to identify factors associated with symptomatic knee OA and to determine its accuracy. METHODS: This study included 429 participants (81.8% women; age, 69.0 ± 5.3 years) from the Nagahama Study who were ≥60 years old and had radiographically confirmed knee OA. A Knee Society Knee Scoring System 2011 symptom score of <23 points defined symptomatic knee OA. Participants were randomly assigned to training (70%) and test (30%) datasets. A machine learning model was developed using Extreme Gradient Boosting with 27 variables, and the SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) values were used to assess feature importance. The top 8 features were translated into a 100-point clinical scoring tool weighted by their SHAP contributions. The cutoff value indicating symptomatic knee OA in the clinical assessment tool was determined using receiver operating characteristic analysis, and model performance was evaluated in both datasets. RESULTS: The clinical assessment tool consisted of low back pain, OA severity, depressive tendencies, knee flexion/extension range of motion, knee extension and hip abduction strength, and lower limb muscle quality. The model showed moderate discriminative performance (AUC 0.771 and 0.773 in the training and test datasets, respectively), with a cutoff point of 47. CONCLUSION: The proposed clinical assessment tool may provide a structured framework for assessing modifiable factors associated with symptomatic knee OA, reflecting their contribution to current symptom status.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Impact of creatine supplementation alone or combined with exercise on inflammatory and clinical outcomes in chronic musculoskeletal pain treated in the rheumatological field: a systematic review.

Creatine supplementation has demonstrated ergogenic and anabolic effects in healthy and clinical populations. However, its potential therapeutic role in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain treated in rheumatological contexts remains unclear. The aim was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of creatine supplementation on pain, physical function/disability, quality of life, muscle strength, skeletal muscle mass, and inflammatory markers in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain usually treated from the rheumatological field. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Searches were performed in MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, Scopus, and EMBASE up to July 2026. Eligible studies were randomized or nonrandomized clinical trials that provided creatine supplementation alone or in combination with exercise as a treatment compared to a control or placebo group. Eight studies (n = 189) were included, encompassing fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Creatine dosages varied from chronic low-dose to loading protocols (20 g/d, 2-5 g/d). Combined creatine plus resistance training may improve strength, skeletal muscle mass, and quality of life beyond exercise alone in osteoarthritis. Trials on fibromyalgia suggest an increase in muscle strength, but inconsistent effects on pain. Rheumatoid arthritis studies suggest gains in skeletal muscle mass and, in pilot studies, reduced disease activity. No major adverse events were reported. In conclusion, creatine supplementation alone may be insufficient to obtain clinical benefits, while combined with resistance exercise it could offer potential benefits for muscle strength, skeletal muscle mass and certain aspects of quality of life in these clinical conditions. However, evidence on pain and inflammation remains limited; Furthermore, the response across different clinical conditions is heterogeneous, highlighting the need for larger, high-quality trials.

Humans↗

PubMed1978

Isometric strength performance and muscle fibre type distribution in man.

Maximal isometric one-leg strength (MIS) was determined in 31 physical education students displaying a wide range in muscle fibre type distribution (21-79% fast twitch (FT) muscle fibres) in their vastus lateralis muscles. A linear positive correlation was found between MIS and the relative distribution of FT fibres (p less than 0.001). This should mean that not only muscle mass involved but also the quality of muscle will be decisive for the ability to develop high isometric strength.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Performance, plasma hormones, histochemical and biochemical muscle traits, and meat quality of pigs administered exogenous somatotropin between 30 or 60 kilograms and 100 kilograms body weight.

Forty-five Large White barrows were injected daily i.m. with either excipient from 30 to 100 kg BW (CTRL), excipient from 30 to 60 and porcine somatotropin (pST; 100 micrograms/kg BW) from 60 to 100 kg BW (pST-60), or pST (100 micrograms/kg BW) from 30 to 100 kg BW (pST-30). Somatotropin accelerated overall growth rate (+4 and +9% for pST-60 and pST-30, respectively), increased longissimus (+10.3 and +14.7%) and semitendinosus (+17 and +13%) muscle weights, and decreased backfat (-49 and -58%) and leaf fat (-49 and -53%) weights. The administration of pST resulted in a similar increase in muscle fiber size for all fiber types in both longissimus (LM) and semispinalis (SS) muscles (+21%). Somatotropin had otherwise little effect on muscle fiber types and biochemical traits of LM, whereas dramatic changes were observed in SS. The relative area occupied by Type IIB fibers was increased (+22 and +29%) and that of Type I fibers was decreased (-10 and -15%). In pST-30 animals, myosin ATPase activity (+15%) and native myosin fast isoform proportion (+10%) were augmented, and energy metabolism was more glycolytic (lactate dehydrogenase: +25%) and less oxidative (citrate synthase: -13%; beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase: -21%). Compared to CTRL animals, administration of pST increased muscle water concentration (LM: +.8 and +1.1%: SS: +3.3 and +3.3%) and decreased intramuscular fat (LM: -29 and -27%; SS: -39 and -50%). The pH measured 45 min and 24 h postmortem, glycogen content, reflectance, and index of light diffusion were mostly not affected by pST treatment. In conclusion, pST had a very favorable effect on growth performance without any important effect on meat quality traits except for the reduction in intramuscular lipid content. The results indicated that the effects of pST on muscular histochemical and biochemical characteristics were different in LM and SS muscles.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed2025

Chromosome-level haplotype-resolved genome assembly of the giant honeycomb oyster, Hyotissa hyotis.

The giant honeycomb oyster, Hyotissa hyotis, a common bivalve inhabitant of tropical and subtropical coastal waters, holds significant ecological and economic importance due to its shell characteristics, rapid growth, and high-quality adductor muscle. However, the lack of high-quality genome has impeded the genetic study and artificial breeding of this species. In this study, we provided the first chromosomal-level haplotype-resolved assembly for the H. hyotis (2n = 20) by combining PacBio HiFi long-read and Hi-C sequencing. We obtained a haplotype-resolved assembly of 3.39 Gb in size, of which 96.69% were anchored to 20 chromosomes. The haplotype A and B genome (HapA and HapB) was 1,639.90 and 1,643.23 Mb in size, respectively. Accordingly, a total of 28,720 and 29,003 protein-coding genes were annotated from HapA and HapB. Through the BUSCO evaluation, the assembly and annotation results exhibited the completeness value of 94.65% and 94.03% for HapA, while 94.13% and 92.98% for HapB. This high-quality genome assembly provides valuable resource for further genetic studies and genetic improvement of the group of oysters.

Animals↗

PubMed1977

[Fatal cardiac insufficiency in the course of an initial acute myocardial infarct. Anatomical-clinical data].

In a series of 51 clinico-pathological examinations on patients who died during the first 15 days after the onset of clinical symptoms of their first and only transmural myocardial infarction (anterior: 29 cases; posterior: 22 cases) the causes of death were divided into: heart failure -- 26 cases (53 p. 100); rupture of the heart -- 22 cases (43 p. 100); disorders of ventricular rhythm -- 2 cases (4 p. 100). The anatomical basis of fatal cardiac failure is twofold: either a very extensive area of necrosed muscle, of poor quality of the mass of muscle not involved in the infarction. In the anterior infarctions (16 cases, representing 55 p. 100 of deaths in this group) the first factor was foremost, the mean extent of necrosed muscle constituting 42 p. 100 of the total left and septal ventricular mass; stenotic coronary lesions, which were commonly found on the anterior descending artery, were confined to this artery alone in 10 cases 62 (p. 100). In posterior infarctions (11 cases, representing 50 p. 100 of deaths in this group), the mass of muscle destroyed was less (mean 36 p. 100), but the stenotic coronary lesions were diffuse, involving the three main trunks in 9 cases, which also explains the poor quality of the muscle not involved by necrosis. Thus there is a clear difference between anterior and posterior infarctions followed by deaths from cardiac failure: in the first group, the remaining muscular mass is quantitatively insufficient to maintain the haemodynamics, while in the second it is qualitatively insufficient, because of poor blood supply, to maintain an adequate cardiac output.

Acute Disease↗