Creation of acoustic parameter for skeletal muscle abnormality: Technology development for extension of healthy life expectancy

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K12676
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 90130:Medical systems-related
• Research Institution: Juntendo University
• Principal Investigator: Maruyama Hitoshi 順天堂大学, 医学部, 准教授 (90375642)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 吉田 憲司 千葉大学, フロンティア医工学センター, 准教授 (10572985) ; 山口 匡 千葉大学, フロンティア医工学センター, 教授 (40334172)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 筋肉 / サルコペニア / 代謝異常 / 音響特性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Experiments using cell and animal models have revealed that the impedance is a parameter that can be stably measured in the muscle cell and muscle tissue. Impedance in the muscle was lower in sarcopenia compared to controls, indicating that 1.75 Mrayl is a useful cut-off value for the detection of sarcopenia. In addition, impedance was found to be correlated with HOMA-IR, triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels, and was thought to play a role as a new marker reflecting glucose and lipid metabolic abnormalities. On the other hand, it was suggested that raw data from extracorporeal ultrasound images contain parameters that may reflect the abnormality of muscles. It was considered necessary to conduct a more detailed examination to clarify the relationship between the degree of pathological condition of muscle and changes in acoustic parameters.

Free Research Field

消化器内科

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本課題の成果によって、超音波診断装置によるサルコペニアや糖・脂質代謝疾患の診断やリスク例の拾い上げが可能となる。これは、検診レベルから病院での精密検査まで幅広い領域・分野で応用可能な技術である。最大の特徴は低負担で多くの生体情報を得ることができる超音波を基盤としていることにあり、コスト・普及の面でのアドバンテージは高い。疾患や高リスク群を効率的に拾い上げ個別化医療へ展開することで臨床プロセスの簡略・迅速化を実現し、医療経済上でも多大な貢献を示す。さらに予防医学の観点で具体的な生活指導指針の作成にも寄与したい。