Category | Category and Type of Markers | Measure | Findings or Significance |
Frailty | Serological markers | General etabolism | Adiponectin |
Mitochondrial dysfunction | Mitochondrial transcription factor A | ||
DNA degradation | |||
Oxidative stress | Malondialdehyde | ||
Carbonyl | |||
Systemic inflammation | C-reactive protein | ||
IL-6 | |||
TNF-α | |||
Clinical tests | SPPB | Standing balance on both feet, gait speed in a 4-m walk, and chair-stand repeated 5 times | |
Gait speed | Total distance/time | ||
Timed up-and-go test | Rise from a standard armchair, walk to a marker 3 m away, turn, walk back, and sit down again | ||
Aging and senescence | Serological markers | Epigenetic clocks | Complex mathematical modeling including DNA methylation and laboratory values that reflect organ function and inflammatory state including albumin, creatinine, glucose, and C-reactive protein |
Telomere length | Telomere length is regulated by an enzyme called telomerase, and the degree of shortening is proportional to the risk of common diseases of aging and mortality. | ||
-Omics | Transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics analysis among other. Complex bioinformatics and advanced computing algorithms are required to perform the analysis of over 10,000 different protein expressions and circulating and excreted metabolites as well as oxidative stress | ||
Sarcopenia | Radiological | MRI/CT | Fatty acid infiltration of paravertebral and psoas muscles |
MRI/ultrasonography | Femoral quadriceps area and volume | ||
DXA | Appendicular lean mass index | ||
Clinical tests | Muscle grip | Grip of dominant hand measured with a dynamometer | |
SPPB | |||
Timed up-and-go test | |||
Gait speed | |||
Body mass index | |||
Immunohistological | Glycoprotein Dickkopf 3 (Dkk3) | Marker of age-related muscle atrophy | |
Pax7 | Transcription factor regulating the myogenic potential and function of satellite cells in muscle repair and regeneration, marker of proper cell function | ||
Sca-1 and PDGFRα | Markers of fibroadipogenic progenitor cells that are readily converted into adipocytes and lead to muscle fatty infiltrates | ||
Gross examination | Muscle fibers | Atrophic muscle fibers have smaller cytoplasmic volumes but intact cellular machinery | |
Degenerated fibers have altered characteristics such as myophagocytosis and cellular infiltration, fiber splitting, and cytoplasmic disruptions. | |||
Bone quality | Radiological markers | CT | Hounsfield units; high-resolution peripheral quantitative CT |
DXA | Bone density; trabecular bone score; hip-axis length, hip-strength analysis, and finite element analysis | ||
Ultrasound | Radiofrequency echographic multispectrometry | ||
Serological markers | Micro-RNA and long-noncoding RNA, especially miRNA-103a | Novel markers and targets for new therapies or interventions | |
Immunohistological | Expression levels of runt-related transcription factor 2, osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin, and the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand. | Bone remodeling and preservation |
Abbreviations: CT, computed tomography; DXA, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry; IL-6, interleukin 6; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; SPPB, short physical performance battery; TNF-alpha, tumour necrosis factor alpha.