Marko Korhonen

Introduction From as early as the age of 30 years, human ageing is characterized by a gradual decline in muscle mass,1 ultimately resulting in physical impairments, increased fall risk, reduced quality of life and loss of independence in older people.2 The ageing-related loss of muscle mass and strength is thought to be at least partly due to the loss of motor neurons with consequent denervation of their associated fibres and ultimately disappearance if they are not reinnervated.1...

1 INTRODUCTION The method to obtain percutaneous muscle biopsies has been invented more than 150 years ago by Duchenne (1868). The needle design and sampling technique was modified by Bergström in the 1960s (Bergström, 1962) and has remained largely unchanged (Edwards, 1971; Edwards et al., 1980). Followed by immediate snap freezing and histological processing, muscle biopsies have become an indispensable tool for medical diagnosis and research.

Toukokuu, vuoden ehkä paras kalastuskuukausi, lähestyy vääjäämätöntä 60 minuutin tuntivauhtia. Omaan touko-ohjelmaani on kuulunut jo useamman vuoden ajan pitkän viikonlopun mittainen reissu Ahvenanmaan Kasvikeniin, eikä tämäkään kevät tee säröä perinteeseen. Kyseinen paikka löytyy saarimaakunnan pohjoisosasta, Getan ja Finströmin kuntien välimailta. Pitkä, kapea, enimmäkseen matala lahti, josta löytyy suojaisia sopukoita vähän kovemmallakin tuulella.