Volume 10, Issue 3, September 2025

Objective

Exercise reduces fall risk, sarcopenia and frailty in Parkinson’s disease, but motor and non-motor symptoms hinder adherence. This study aimed to feasibility test an exercise intervention with behaviour change techniques, examining recruitment, procedures, and measure responsiveness.

Methods

A mixed-methods parallel-arm, single-blinded, randomized feasibility study. Participants (Hoehn and Yahr 1–3) were randomly allocated to intervention or control groups. Both received 12-weeks of education, supervised exercise, and home exercises. The intervention group received additional behaviour change techniques. Enrolment, attendance, adherence, and adverse events were recorded. Outcomes included walking activity, balance, falls, strength, and exercise self-efficacy. Surveys and interviews explored acceptability.

Results

Twenty-six people were screened; sixteen randomized, fourteen completed. Exercise class attendance in both groups was high. Adherence to home exercises was higher in the intervention group (70% vs 63%). No serious adverse events. Time resources were acceptable. Walking activity and aerobic endurance reached minimally important differences. Interviews indicated participants enjoyed the group dynamic and gained skills. Feedback will improve acceptability

Conclusion

The intervention is feasible and well-accepted. While not designed to measure frailty, sarcopenia, or fall risk directly, enhancing adherence through behaviour change techniques and tailoring interventions to individual preferences maybe a promising strategy to support long-term exercise engagement.

ClinicalTrials.gov ID

NCT06192628

Objectives

The impact of sarcopenic obesity (SO) on frailty, cognition, and function compared to sarcopenia and obesity alone remains unclear. This study examined SO’s effects on these domains in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods

We assessed 202 older adults (mean age 80.4±7.3 years) attending a community frailty screening clinic. Obesity was defined as BMI≥25, and sarcopenia was assessed using Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia guidelines. SO was defined as the presence of both conditions. Assessments included the Clinical Frailty Scale, Modified Barthel Index, Singapore-modified Mini-Mental State Examination, and mobility aid use.

Results

Multivariate regression showed SO was significantly associated with frailty (OR 4.71), impaired function (ß: -16.53), and mobility limitations (OR 5.73). SO was also linked to cognitive impairment (OR 3.56). Sarcopenia alone was associated with frailty (OR 3.39), impaired function (ß -11.46), and mobility limitations (OR 3.32), but not cognition. Obesity alone showed no associations. SO posed higher risks for frailty, cognitive impairment, functional decline, and mobility limitations compared to sarcopenia or obesity alone.

Conclusions

SO is associated with greater risks of frailty, cognitive impairment, functional decline, and mobility limitations than sarcopenia or obesity alone.

Objectives

Few studies have examined whether older adults requiring care who have hypertension have lower muscle mass, muscle strength, physical function, and activities of daily living (ADL) capacity than those without hypertension.

Methods

This study included 163 participants aged ≥65 years who required care. The appendicular muscle mass was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Handgrip and leg muscle strength (LMS) were used to assess muscle strength, and short physical performance batteries were used to assess physical function. The ADL capacity was evaluated using the Barthel Index. Participants were divided into two groups based on the absence or presence of hypertension (non-HY and HY groups, respectively).

Results

LMS and ADL capacity were significantly lower in HY group than that in non-HY group. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that LMS and ADL capacity were significantly associated with the absence or presence of hypertension, even after adjusting for confounding factors (p < 0.05). Moreover, LMS was a significant independent predictor of ADL capacity (bathing and ascending and descending stairs, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

These results suggest that maintaining or improving LMS may help preserve ADL capacity in older adults requiring care who have hypertension.

Cancer is a common disease with significant impact on patients and society. Cancer and oncological treatment can negatively affect muscle, and muscle health impacts oncologic outcomes. This review studied the effect of different muscle parameters on oncologic outcomes. A systematic search was performed until April 2023. Parameters included were muscle thickness, cross-sectional area, skeletal muscle index, skeletal muscle mass, pennation angle, fascicle length, muscle density, echo intensity and elastography. Imaging methods included were computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Outcome parameters assessed were survival, chemotoxicity, surgical outcome, treatment response, duration of hospitalization, and quality of life. This review included 117 articles. Individuals with reduced skeletal muscle index or muscle density had lower survival rates, higher chemotoxicity and surgical complications, more hospitalizations, less treatment response and lower quality of life. Reduced muscle quantity and quality can impact oncological outcomes, either through primary or secondary sarcopenia. These findings warrant the need for holistic assessment by using comprehensive geriatric assessment to establish a correct treatment dosage. These results also suggest a beneficial effect of exercise and nutritional support. Further research can be useful to better understand the underlying mechanisms and optimize specific treatments for muscle in oncological patients.

Phase Angle (PA), derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis, reflects cellular health and may indicate physiological resilience in ageing. We examined the relationship between PA and blood pressure (BP) recovery following an orthostatic challenge in 107 older adults attending a specialist falls clinic. Participants underwent active stand testing with continuous, beat-to-beat BP monitoring over 180 seconds. PA was categorised into tertiles (low, medium, high), and changes in systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were analysed using linear mixed-effects models, adjusted for age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular and psychotropic medication use. Compared to the low PA tertile, individuals in the medium and high PA tertiles demonstrated faster recovery in both SBP and DBP during the 10–20 second post-stand period (all p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in recovery between the 20–30 and 30–40 second intervals. Furthermore, participants in the high PA tertile showed, in contrast to the low PA tertile, full mean BP recovery at 40 seconds, with no further upward trend thereafter (p = 0.001 for SBP, p = 0.005 for DBP). PA could be a simple, non-invasive biomarker of dynamic physiological resilience, potentially identifying older adults at increased risk of early orthostatic haemodynamic instability.