Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026
Decellularization-Based Quantification of Skeletal Muscle Fatty Infiltration
Published on: June 9, 2023
The relationship between regional body composition and quantitative strength in facioscapulohumeral muscular
Andrew J Skalsky1, Richard T Abresch, Jay J Han
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of California, Davis, 4860 Y Street, Suite 3850, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. andrew.skalsky@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Abstract:
This study determines in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and able-bodied controls (1) the regional body composition and (2) the correlation between regional lean tissue mass and the corresponding regional strength. This is a cross-sectional, criterion standard, case-control study at a university based neuromuscular disease clinic. A dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanner was used to obtain regional body composition measurements in 14 FSHD and anthropometrically matched control pairs. A dynamometer determined peak isometric strength for the elbow and knee. Compared to controls, FSHD subjects showed increased regional fat tissue mass (p < 0.001-0.017), decreased regional lean tissue mass (p < 0.001-0.010), and decreased strength (p < 0.001-0.020). There was a correlation between quantitative strength and lean tissue mass for both FSHD and controls (r = 0.791-0.906; p < 0.001). FSHD subjects have higher regional fat tissue mass and lower regional lean tissue mass despite similar BMI and anthropometrics. Regional lean tissue mass correlates with strength.
