L-arginine for Knee Osteoarthritis Patients

Change From Baseline in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score.

WOMAC is a self-administered, disease-specific questionnaire that assesses the severity of OA symptoms. The reliability and validity of WOMAC have been confirmed in many clinical trials. WOMAC subscales consist of pain (5 items), stiffness (2 items), and physical function (17 items). Each item is rated from 0 to 4, totaling scores of 0-20, 0-8, and 0-68 for pain, stiffness, and function subscales, respectively.

Change From Baseline in WOMAC pain score.

WOMAC is a self-administered, disease-specific questionnaire that assesses the severity of OA symptoms. The reliability and validity of WOMAC have been confirmed in many clinical trials. WOMAC subscales consist of pain (5 items), stiffness (2 items), and physical function (17 items). Each item is rated from 0 to 4, totaling scores of 0-20, 0-8, and 0-68 for pain, stiffness, and function subscales, respectively.

Change From Baseline in Knee pain on a visual analogue scale (VAS).

Knee pain will be graded by a VAS from 0 to 100 mm, with 0 indicating "No pain" and 100 indicating "Worst possible pain".

Change From Baseline in WOMAC total score.

WOMAC is a self-administered, disease-specific questionnaire that assesses the severity of OA symptoms. The reliability and validity of this index have been confirmed in many clinical trials. WOMAC subscales consist of pain (5 items), stiffness (2 items), and physical function (17 items). Each item is rated from 0 to 4, totaling scores of 0-20, 0-8, and 0-68 for pain, stiffness, and function subscales, respectively.

Change From Baseline in Change From Baseline in WOMAC stiffness score.

WOMAC is a self-administered, disease-specific questionnaire that assesses the severity of OA symptoms. The reliability and validity of WOMAC have been confirmed in many clinical trials. WOMAC subscales consist of pain (5 items), stiffness (2 items), and physical function (17 items). Each item is rated from 0 to 4, totaling scores of 0-20, 0-8, and 0-68 for pain, stiffness, and function subscales, respectively.

Change From Baseline in Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) scores.

The SPPB is a standardized, reproducible measure of global physical function validated in frail older persons that predicts a wide range of clinical outcomes. It has 3 components: a standing balance test, gait speed (4-meter walk) test, and strength test (time to complete 5 chair rises). Each component is scored 0-4 for a total score ranging from 0-12, where lower scores indicate more severe physical dysfunction.

Change From Baseline in Grip strength.

The grip strength of the participants' dominant hand will be measured using a calibrated Jamar dynamometer with the participants in the sitting position (Patterson Medical, Ltd., Nottinghamshire, UK). Three grip strength measurements will be taken at 10 s intervals, and the maximum value of the three measurements will be used as the participant's final grip strength.

Change From Baseline in Bone mineral density (BMD).

A trained technician will measure the BMD of all participants. The total body BMD and multiple site-specific BMD (i.e., the lumbar spine, pelvis, trunk, femoral neck, trochanteric, and ward's triangle) will be all measured. The dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan results are reported as absolute values of BMD (g/cm2). The same DXA machine will be used for all participants. All technicians will receive training to ensure the reproducibility of the BMD measures.

Change From Baseline in DXA-based whole-body muscle mass.

Body composition assessment provides insights into the nutritional status and functional capacity. It helps understand nutrition in the developmental origins of health and disease and in monitoring therapeutic interventions. The whole body muscle mass will be measured using DXA.