OBJECTIVE: Recently, handgrip, knee extensor and respiratory muscle strength were proposed as candidate biomarkers to assess the neuromuscular function of vitality capacity in older persons. This umbrella review aims to provide an overview of the available instruments and their measurement properties to assess these biomarkers.
METHODS: The databases PubMed, Web of Science and Embase were systematically screened for systematic reviews and meta-analyses reporting on handgrip, knee extensor or respiratory muscle strength assessments, resulting in 7,555 articles. The COSMIN checklist was used to appraise psychometric properties and the AMSTAR for assessing methodological quality.
RESULTS: Twenty-seven systematic reviews were included in this study. Some of the identified reviews described the psychometric properties of the assessment tools. We found five assessment tools that can be used to measure neuromuscular function in the context of healthy ageing. Those are the handheld dynamometer for handgrip strength, the dynamometer for knee extensor strength and regarding respiratory muscle strength, the sniff nasal inspiratory pressure, maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP).
CONCLUSIONS: The handheld dynamometer for hand grip strength, the dynamometer for knee extensor strength, sniff nasal inspiratory pressure, MIP and MEP were identified. Therefore, these assessments could be used to identify community-dwelling older adults at risk for a declined neuromuscular function in the context of vitality capacity.

BACKGROUND: Handgrip strength (HGS) is an indicator of muscular strength, used in the diagnosis of sarcopenia, undernutrition, and physical frailty as well as recovery. Typically, the maximum HGS value is used; however, recent evidence suggests the exploration of new indicators provided based on the force-time curve to achieve a more comprehensive assessment of muscle function. Therefore, the objective was to identify indicators of the HGS profile beyond maximum HGS, based on force-time curves, and to systematize knowledge about their applications to various types of samples, health issues, and physical performance.
METHODS: A systematic review was performed including studies whose participants\' HGS was assessed with a digital or adapted dynamometer. The outcome measures were HGS profile indicators calculated from the force-time curve.
RESULTS: a total of 15 studies were included, and the following indicators were identified: grip fatigue, fatigability index, fatigue rate, fatigue resistance, time to 80% maximal voluntary contraction, plateau coefficient of variability, time to maximum value, T-90%, release rate, power factor, grip work, average integrated area, endurance, cycle duration, time between cycles, maximum and minimum force-velocity, rate of grip force, final force, inflection point, integrated area, submaximal control, and response time.
CONCLUSIONS: Various indicators based on the force-time curve can be assessed through digital or adapted dynamometers. Future research should analyze these indicators to understand their implications for muscle function assessment, to standardize evaluation procedures, to identify clinically relevant measures, and to clarify their implications in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE: This network meta-analysis aims to compare functional outcomes and complications between conservative treatment and surgery for distal radius fractures in patients aged 60 years and over.
METHODS: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of conservative treatment and surgery for distal radius fractures in patients aged 60 years and over. Primary outcomes included grip strength and overall complications. Secondary outcomes included Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores, Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) scores, wrist range of motion and forearm rotation, and radiographic assessment. All continuous outcomes were assessed using standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and binary outcomes were assessed using odds ratio (OR) with 95% CIs. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was used to determine a hierarchy of treatments. Cluster analysis was performed for grouping treatments based on the SUCRA values of primary outcomes.
RESULTS: Fourteen RCTs were included to compare conservative treatment, volar lockedplate (VLP), K-wires fixation, and external-fixation. VLP outperformed conservative treatment for 1-year and minimum 2-year grip strength (SMD; 0.28 [0.07 to 0.48] and 0.27 [0.02 to 0.53], respectively). VLP yielded the optimal grip strength at 1-year and minimum 2-year follow-up (SUCRA; 89.8% and 86.7%, respectively). In a subgroup analysis of patients aged 60 to 80 years old, VLP outperformed conservative treatment in DASH and PRWE scores (SMD, 0.33 [0.10, 0.56] and 0.23 [0.01, 0.45], respectively). In addition, VLP had the fewest complications (SUCRA = 84.3%). Cluster analysis suggested that VLP and K-wire fixation were more effective treatment groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Evidence to date demonstrates that VLP provides measurable benefits in grip strength and fewer complications to those 60 years of age and over, and that benefit is not reflected in current practice guidelines. There is a subgroup of patients where K-wire fixation outcomes are similar to those of VLP; defining this subgroup may yield substantial societal benefits.

There is minimal data regarding the long-term effects of targeted daily protein intake and its role in nutritional restoration. This study aims to evaluate the effect of protein supplementation among upper gastrointestinal (GI) surgical patients, reviewing the effect on muscle mass and hand grip strength.
The records of 223 upper GI surgical patients from September 2017 to June 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Protein intake was categorised based on average daily protein intake (0.8g-1.2 g/kg/day vs. more than 1.2 g/kg/day), depending on compliance to the institution target of 1.2g-1.5 g/kg/day. Hand grip strength and body composition including weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Fat-Free Mass (FFM), and Fat Mass (FM) were measured. Paired t-tests and independent t-tests were used to analyse the effects of different levels of protein intake on hand grip strength and body composition.
Among the 223 patients included, 84 subjects had benign upper GI pathology and 139 subjects had malignant upper GI pathology, with mean follow-up duration of 52.3 (SD,42.10) weeks and 39.3 (SD,35.11) respectively. Patients with malignant pathology who consumed more than 1.2 g/kg/day of protein had increased hand-grip strength and preservation of FFM, while those who consumed 0.8g-1.2 g/kg/day of protein had deteriorating hand grip strength and significant FFM reduction (p = 0.004). Patients with benign pathology showed significant improvement in hand-grip strength (p < 0.001) and increase in FFM (p < 0.001) with higher protein intake.
Protein supplementation is paramount in nutrition recovery and muscle mass restoration among upper gastrointestinal surgical patients. Protein intake of at least 1.2 g/kg/day was especially important among patients with malignancy to preserve muscle mass and strength.

Early recognized manifestations of GSD III include hypoglycemia, hepatomegaly, and elevated liver enzymes. Motor symptoms such as fatigue, muscle weakness, functional impairments, and muscle wasting are typically reported in the 3rd to 4th decade of life.
In this study, we investigated the early musculoskeletal findings in children with GSD IIIa, compared to a cohort of adults with GSD IIIa.
We utilized a comprehensive number of physical therapy outcome measures to cross-sectionally assess strength and gross motor function including the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, grip and lateral/key pinch, Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), Gait, Stairs, Gowers, Chair (GSGC) test, 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Ed. 2 (BOT-2). We also assessed laboratory biomarkers (AST, ALT, CK and urine Glc4) and conducted whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WBMRI) to evaluate for proton density fat fraction (PDFF) in children with GSD IIIa. Nerve Conduction Studies and Electromyography results were analyzed where available and a thorough literature review was conducted.
There were a total of 22 individuals with GSD IIIa evaluated in our study, 17 pediatric patients and 5 adult patients. These pediatric patients demonstrated weakness on manual muscle testing, decreased grip and lateral/key pinch strength, and decreased functional ability compared to non-disease peers on the GMFM, 6MWT, BOT-2, and GSGC. Additionally, all laboratory biomarkers analyzed and PDFF obtained from WBMRI were increased in comparison to non-diseased peers. In comparison to the pediatric cohort, adults demonstrated worse overall performance on functional assessments demonstrating the expected progression of disease phenotype with age.
These results demonstrate the presence of early musculoskeletal involvement in children with GSD IIIa, most evident on physical therapy assessments, in addition to the more commonly reported hepatic symptoms. Muscular weakness in both children and adults was most significant in proximal and trunk musculature, and intrinsic musculature of the hands. These findings indicate the importance of early assessment of patients with GSD IIIa for detection of muscular weakness and development of treatment approaches that target both the liver and muscle.

Hip fractures are a global concern, resulting in poor outcomes and high health care costs. They mostly affect people >80 years. Hip fractures are influenced by various (modifiable) risk factors. Emerging evidence suggests hand grip strength (HGS) to be one of several useful tools to identify hip fracture risk. This is the first systematic review that aims to assess the evidence underlying the relationship between hip fracture incidence and HGS. Eleven studies were selected for this review (six case-control and five cohort studies), comprising 21,197 participants. Where reported, HGS was significantly decreased in individuals with a hip fracture near the time of injury as compared to controls (p < 0.001); HGS was associated with increased hip fracture risk in all included studies. Meta-analysis was not possible. All studies included in this systematic review confirmed a relationship between decreased HGS and hip fracture incidence. We were not able to quantify the strength of this relationship, due to the heterogeneity of the included studies. HGS merits further investigation as a useful tool for identifying individuals that might be at elevated risk for sustaining a hip fracture.