Diminishing motor function is commonly observed in the elderly population and is associated with a wide range of adverse health consequences. Advanced Glycation End products (AGE’s) may contribute to age-related decline in the function of cells and tissues in normal ageing. Although the negative effect …

Background: The ability to generate muscle strength is a pre-requisite for all human movement. Decreased quadriceps muscle strength is frequently observed in older adults and is associated with a decreased performance and activity limitations. To quantify the quadriceps muscle strength and to monitor …

BACKGROUND: Cervical dystonia (CD) is characterized by involuntary muscle contractions causing abnormal postures and/or twisting movements of the head and neck. These motor symptoms can have a major impact on disability. Treatment with botulinum toxin injections aims to reduce motor symptoms, and therefore …

Patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) comprise of a heterogeneous population with substantial differences in admission diagnosis, length of stay and co-morbidity. Therefore, very often the prognosis for each patient differs. In the Netherlands, over 20% of the more than 80,000 patients treated …

BACKGROUND: Muscle quantity at intensive care unit (ICU) admission has been independently associated with mortality. In addition to quantity, muscle quality may be important for survival. Muscle quality is influenced by fatty infiltration or myosteatosis, which can be assessed on computed tomography …

BACKGROUND: In critically ill patients, muscle loss is associated with adverse outcomes. Raw bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) parameters (eg, phase angle [PA] and impedance ratio [IR]) have received attention as potential markers of muscularity, nutrition status, and clinical outcomes. Our objective …

BACKGROUND: The current literature on the value of clinical evaluation for predicting time to return to sport (RTS) after acute hamstring injuries has not been systematically summarised. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature on the prognostic value of clinical …

Purpose / objective: Head and neck cancer patients treated with chemoradiation are at risk for developing trismus (reduced mouth opening). Trismus is often a persisting side-effect and difficult to manage. It impairs eating, speech and oral hygiene, affecting quality of life. Although several studies …

BACKGROUND: It is generally unknown to what extent organ transplant recipients can be physically challenged. During an expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro, the tolerance for strenuous physical activity and high-altitude of organ transplant recipients after various types of transplantation was compared to …

Malnutrition, frailty and disability & nutritional assessment. Clinical signs of malnutrition, starvation, cachexia and sarcopenia overlap, as they all imply muscle wasting to a various extent, however the underlying mechanisms differ fundamentally and therefore distinction between these phenomena has …