Advances in Gerontology最新文献

Older adults are disproportionately vulnerable to physical, mental, and social health challenges, particularly during times of crisis. Understanding the factors that enhance their resilience is essential for developing supportive interventions. This study aimed to explore perceived contributors to resilience among Iranian older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, using qualitative methods to capture the depth of lived experience. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 37 older adults. A purposive sampling strategy with maximum variation was employed to ensure a diverse range of participants, followed by theoretical sampling to achieve conceptual saturation. Thematic analysis was used to code and interpret the data. The findings revealed that access to various forms of capital—economic, cultural, spiritual, and familial (filial support)—plays a pivotal role in strengthening resilience among older adults. These multidimensional resources go beyond material wealth, highlighting the significance of intangible assets such as cultural heritage, spiritual beliefs, and intergenerational support. Additionally, formal social support systems were identified as critical contributors to resilience. The presence or absence of these resources significantly shaped individuals’ capacity to cope with crises. Participants described access to economic, cultural, familial and spiritual resources, and formal social support, as contributors to their capacity to cope. These findings describe associations and lived experience; they are hypothesis-generating and do not establish causal relationships. Future quantitative or longitudinal research is required to test causal mechanisms.

Background. Healthy, good quality sleep is one of the necessary conditions for achieving longevity and improving survival. Numerous general population studies have revealed a relationship between some sleep-related habits and mortality, but the results of similar studies conducted in older age groups are not so unambiguous. Aim. To study the impact of sleep-related habits on 5-year survival in subjects aged ≥75 years. Materials and methods. The study included 223 subjects (24% men) aged 75–98 years (median 87 years) who lived in Moscow and Moscow region and were undergoing preplanned inpatient treatment at the Russian Gerontology Research and Clinical Center in 2011–2013. Upon admission to hospital, the patients were surveyed using a specially developed questionnaire in order to assess social and behavioral factors such as lifestyle, habits, diet, and physical activity. The sleep-related questionnaire included the following: (i) bedtime; (ii) wake-up time; (iii) nighttime sleep duration; (iv) daytime napping. After discharge, the patients were under follow-up for 5 years. Deaths from all causes were recorded. Results. During the 5 years of follow-up (median 3.63 years), 88 (39.5%) people died. Accordingly, the 5-year survival rate was 60.5%, and the mean survival time was 4.44 [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.19–4.71] years. The study demonstrates that most of the subjects went to bed at 22:00–00:00 (65%), woke up 6:00–8:00 (58%), had a daytime nap (61%), and 68% of the participants had a nighttime sleep duration of between 7 and 9 h. Univariate regression analysis shows that a late (after midnight) bedtime, waking up after 8:00, and a long (≥10 h) nighttime sleep are associated with a 1.7–2.1-fold increased risk of death over 5 years. On the contrary, an early (before midnight) bedtime, waking up between 4:00 and 8:00, and nighttime sleep of 5–9 h, are associated with a 43–52% decreased risk of death over this period. Daytime napping had no effect on 5-year survival. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrates that age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.09; 95% CI: 1.02–1.17; p = 0.019), early (before midnight) bedtimes (HR 0.55; 95% CI: 0.31–0.97; p = 0.040), and 5–9 h nighttime sleep duration (HR 0.44; 95% CI: 0.26–0.76; p = 0.003) are independent predictors of 5-year survival. Conclusions. In subjects aged ≥75 years who lived in Moscow and Moscow region, early (before midnight) bedtime and moderate (5–9 h) nighttime sleep duration are independent predictors of 5-year survival and are associated with a 45 and 56% reduction in the risk of mortality, respectively, which indicates that sleep may be a geroprotective factor.

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a self-perceived deterioration in cognitive function and has been linked to both cognitive and physical decline. This study aimed to examine whether persistent SCD is associated with frailty after 3 years. A longitudinal cohort study using mailed questionnaires was conducted among community-dwelling older adults in Japan. Questionnaires were distributed at baseline, 6 months, and 3 years, assessing subjective cognitive complaints and frailty using validated screening tool. Sociodemographic and health related data were also collected. Participants who responded at all three time points and remained traceable throughout the study were included. Participants were divided into persistent SCD (consistently complaining of SCD for six months) and non-persistent SCD (had no complaint or complained intermittently) groups. Multiple regression analysis was employed to examine the association between frailty three years later and persistent SCD. In total, 268 participants were included in the analysis: 38 (14.2%) and 230 (85.8%) in the persistent and non-persistent (180 (67.2%) had no complaint and 50 (18.6%) complained intermittently) SCD groups, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that persistent SCD was associated with frailty after 3 years, even after adjusting for age, sex, comorbidity, cohabitants, and frailty status at baseline (OR = 3.13, 95% CI: 1.25–7.79). Persistence of SCD over 6 months was significantly associated with frailty after 3 years. Our findings suggest that persistent SCD may contribute to frailty progression through psychological factors, particularly depression or anxiety, thereby highlighting the importance of early intervention and targeted support for individuals with SCD.

The signaling cascade “NO → soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) → cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) → protein kinase G (PKG)” plays a significant role in vascular dilation, and its dysfunction can cause the development of cerebrovascular diseases. The key element in the NO → PKG signaling system is cGMP. Intracellular cGMP levels are largely regulated by cGMP-hydrolyzing phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes that break down cGMP. Aging is accompanied by a decrease in NO synthesis and cGMP levels and an increase in PDE activity. Under these conditions, it is possible to increase the contribution of compensatory mechanisms of the activation of individual sections of the NO → PKG signaling pathway, in particular with the participation of intermediaries that change the cGMP level. Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is currently considered one of the activators of the NO → PKG pathway, which can increase cGMP levels in cells by inhibiting PDE or its direct interaction with cGMP to form biologically active compounds that are less susceptible to enzymatic breakdown. H₂S-mediated cGMP activation has been shown in cardiomyocytes and smooth muscle cells of the mesenteric and aortic vessels, but this mechanism has not been studied in cerebral vessels. The aim of the work is to study the contribution of H₂S to the regulation of cGMP-induced vasodilation in cerebral vessels and how this mechanism of regulation changes with aging. In Sprague-Dawley 4 (young) and 18-month-old (aging) rats, a comparative study of the dilatation of pial arteries to the effect of 8-Br-cGMP (8-bromine-cyclic guanosine monophosphate), which is a cell-permeable analog of cGMP, is performed using intravital microphotography, and an assessment of the effect of exogenous (donor is NaHS) and endogenous H₂S on the cGMP-induced vasodilation is carried out. Propargylglycine is used as a blocker of endogenous H₂S. It is shown that in 4-month-old rats, the H₂S-mediated regulation of cGMP-induced dilation of pial arteries is expressed only at the level of large arteries with a diameter of more than 40 μm. Aging leads to an increased contribution of endogenous H₂S to the cGMP-induced dilation of pial arteries of all calibers and an increased sensitivity of cGMP-mediated reactions of small pial arteries to exogenous H₂S.

This study investigates how overexpression of circadian clock genes affects longevity and stress resistance in male Drosophila melanogaster. Through analysis of transgenic strains containing UAS-controlled cryptochrome (cry) and period (per) genes with gut-specific GAL4 driver, we demonstrate that circadian gene overexpression produces temporally dependent physiological outcomes. Chronic overexpression throughout lifespan resulted in reduced median lifespan by 9–17% for cryptochrome genes and 4% for period genes (p < 0.05), while transient activation in young-imago ages of cry12, cry24, and per2.4 enhanced thermotolerance, increasing median survival under hyperthermic conditions by 18–25% (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that circadian genes act as bidirectional regulators of organismal physiology. The duration of overactivation determines whether the effects are beneficial or detrimental. Future studies are needed to distinguish the effects of stress tolerance from the costs of lifespan in order to enhance stress resistance without compromising longevity.

Editor-in-Chief of ‘Advances in Gerontology,’ who took over the journal in 2023, analyzes the path the journal has taken over the past 1.5 years and reflects on the prospects for its further development. It is emphasized that the initial idea, according to which the edition was to focus exclusively on articles on fundamental (molecular, biochemical, cellular, etc.) mechanisms of aging and longevity, apparently turned out to be untenable. It had to admit the importance of publishing articles in the journal that touch upon other areas of gerontological research, in particular—psychology, sociology, demography, and medicine. It is now becoming quite clear that such work is no less important for understanding the essence of aging, as well as for prolonging healthy life, than so-called fundamental research. And perhaps even more important. In this regard, the corresponding specialists were introduced to the Editorial Board. Gerontological works devoted to the problem of falls in the elderly are specially considered, their undoubted importance for the whole society is emphasized. It is noted that over the past time, the journal’s scientometric indicators have increased significantly, and the geography of the authors of the published articles has greatly expanded—including due to the increase in the number of research areas covered. It is emphasized that recently published works on the psychology and sociology of aging have become among the most viewed and downloaded articles of the edition. The author of this Editorial hopes that the growing interest in the journal will attract new researchers involved in both theoretical and experimental, as well as clinical or social gerontology.

The study is aimed at determining tissue antioxidant levels in juvenile and adult northern birch mice (Sicista betulina Pallas, 1779) at the northern periphery of its range (Republic of Karelia). Our results indicate a mixed pattern of age-related changes in the antioxidant defense system: aging is accompanied by a decrease in catalase activity in the kidneys as well as an increase in heart catalase activity and kidney, cardiac, and skeletal muscle superoxide dismutase activity. The levels of low-molecular antioxidants, i.e., reduced glutathione (GSH) (kidneys and heart) and α-tocopherol (heart and skeletal muscle), are lower in juvenile northern birch mice compared to adults animals, which is probably associated not only with the active growth and high mobility of juvenile mice during the dispersal period, but also with the stress of physiological systems due to living in northern conditions and preparing for hibernation. Higher levels of GSH and α-tocopherol are found in the hearts of adult northern birch mice compared to other small mammal species of the order Rodentia living in the Republic of Karelia, which indicates the important role of low-molecular weight antioxidants in protecting tissues against oxidative damage in this species.

There are mixed results on the correlation between body mass index and depressive symptoms among older adults. This observational research was carried-out as part of a prospective cohort study on older adults (aged 60 years and over) living in an urban region, north of Iran. Age, gender, marital status, the number of comorbid disorders, self-satisfaction with the household’s monthly income, and physical activity were assessed. The presence of depressive symptoms was examined and recorded by trained personnel using Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). A total of 1000 older adults, including 544 (54.4%) men with a mean age of 69.82 ± 7.35 years were included. Findings showed that 747 (74.7%) of the participants had overweight or obesity; and 635 people (63.5%) had no depressive symptoms. A significant positive correlation was observed between GDS score and body mass index (BMI); although, the correlation was not strong (r = 0.077; p = 0.01). The correlation between GDS score and BMI was not statistically significant with two genders (r = –0.041, p = 0.38 for women, and r = 0.038, p = 0.37 for men). The multivariable linear regression model revealed the significant effect of gender (B = 0.56; p = 0.02) and the number of comorbidities (B = 0.49: p < 0.001) on GDS score. This large-scale population-based study demonstrated the positive correlation of BMI and depressive symptoms in old age. The effect of gender and comorbidities seems to be more significant on depression than that of BMI.

Calorie restriction (CR: ∼20–40% below AL: ad libitum intake) can increase insulin sensitivity in various species. We reported that CR did not induce an increase in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (ISGU) by skeletal muscle from female Akt substrate of 160 kDa knockout (AS160-KO) rats. It seemed possible that the marked decline in muscle GLUT4 abundance, a characteristic of AS160-KO animals, played a role in our observation. We used an adeno-associated virus (AAV) approach to increase muscle GLUT4 abundance in female AS160-KO rats. We injected an AAV-GLUT4 vector into one epitrochlearis muscle. The contralateral epitrochlearis underwent sham injection and served as the control. Rats were randomly assigned to AL or CR (consuming 65% of AL intake) groups for 8-weeks. ISGU was determined in isolated muscles incubated ± insulin. Akt phosphorylation on regulatory sites (Threonine-308, pAkt^Thr308 and Serine-473, pAkt^Ser473) was determined to evaluate a key insulin signaling protein. The abundance of proteins that regulate ISGU (GLUT4 glucose transporter and hexokinase II) was determined by immunoblotting. We found: (1) AAV-delivery of GLUT4 to muscles successfully increased GLUT4 expression compared to sham-treated contralateral muscles in both diet groups; (2) this elevation in muscle GLUT4 did not result in a CR-induced increase in ISGU; (3) no significant diet-related differences were detected for pAkt^Thr308, pAkt^Ser473 or abundance of GLUT4 and hexokinase II in the muscles with either sham treatment or AAV-GLUT4. These observations revealed that the absence of a CR-induced increase in muscle ISGU of female AS160-KO rats was not attributable to low muscle GLUT4 abundance.

We previously described a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in an elderly, large urban obese population. Blood levels of vitamin D in other elderly, obese populations are not well defined. The hypothesis of this study is that elderly individuals develop lower vitamin D levels in a non-large urban, obese population. The aim of this study is to compare the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in an obese population ≤64 years-old to an obese population ≥65 years-old. Obese individuals (n = 400) were seen in gastrointestinal clinic where determination of vitamin D was suggested. Study exclusions included an absent blood level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D or use of vitamin D supplementation at the time of their clinic visit. There are 170 eligible individuals: 97 are ≤64 years-old (mean 49.9 years) while 73 are ≥65 years old (mean 72.8 years). Mean body mass index (SD) of individuals ≤ age 64 years is 35.3 (3.7) kg/m² and mean body mass index (SD) of individuals ≥ age 65 years is 34.7 (3.6) kg/m² (p > 0.05). The overall prevalence of hypovitaminosis D is 64.1%. Chi-square analysis rejected the hypothesis that hypovitaminosis D is dependent upon age (p = 0.12). While there is a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in this study population, this study did not identify elderly patients developing a higher prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in this non-large urban obese population, perhaps due to dietary and/or environmental factors.