Advances in Gerontology最新文献

To understand the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP), it is necessary to establish the molecular and cellular mechanisms of myocardial aging, including those associated with programmed cell death, the molecular mechanisms of which have not been extensively studied. The aim of this work is to study markers of apoptosis in cardiomyocytes of patients with DCMP in vitro. We used the method of primary dissociated cell cultures and the method of immunofluorescence confocal laser microscopy. Cells of the 3rd and 14th passages, corresponding to “young” and “old” cultures, were used to simulate cellular senescence. At the molecular level, aging of cardiomyocyte cells was accompanied by a twofold increase in the expression of p16^INK4a compared to “young” cultures, both in the control group and in the group with DCMP. It was also found that the expression of p16^INK4a in cultures taken from patients with pathology was two times higher than in similar cultures from healthy patients. The expression of p21 was increased in the group with DCMP compared to the control; however, with aging of the culture, the expression of p21 did not change, remaining at a significant level. The most significant (3.2-fold) differences were obtained when comparing the expression of Bax in the cell culture of cardiomyocytes from the group with DCMP in the “young” culture compared with the control. Aging of myocardial cells at the molecular level was manifested in an increase in the expression of the Bax protein, which is the triggering mechanism of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. It is possible that this pathway of cell death is prevalent in DCMP.

Astragalus membranaceus (AM) was used for millennia by traditional Chinese medicine to slow down aging and extend lifespan. It has been shown that AM can affect all key hallmarks of aging including compensating telomere shortening which is recognized as one of the most reliable biomarkers of aging. The telomere shortening in peripheral blood leukocytes is viewed as a promising biomarker in predicting the risk of age-related diseases as well as a biomarker of the effectiveness of treatment. However, findings from epidemiological studies on the links between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and age-related diseases are rather contradictory. The present study is aimed to investigate the effect of AM on the LTL and the AM influence on the manifestation and development of the sings of accelerated senescence in OXYS rats. Animals were given AM root powder (100 mg/kg) from 3 to 6 months of age. Our study confirmed the ability of AM to activate telomerase, as evidenced by an increase in LTL in OXYS rats. However, LTL lengthening was not accompanied by a delay of the accelerated senescence of OXYS rats, manifested as the early development of cataract, retinopathy similar to age-related macular degeneration and accelerated brain aging. Thus, we have demonstrated a limitation of using LTL as indicator for assessing the effectiveness of anti-aging therapy.

Cellular changes in different parts of the heart of Wistar rats at the age of 18–23 months are studied using histological methods of staining with toluidine blue, hematoxylin-eosin, and immunohistochemical reactions for PGP 9.5 protein, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and Iba-1 protein. Focal inflammatory infiltrates are found in the connective tissue of the heart base, near which PGP 9.5⁺ and TH⁺ plexuses consisting of parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve fibers are detected. In the area of the valvular heart apparatus and at the border between the fibrous ring and myocardium of the right atrium, the following pathological changes in nerve structures are observed: degeneration of nerve fibers and granular destruction of varicose axons of the terminal plexus. A close relationship is established between the axons of the terminal neural network and cells of inflammatory infiltrates and blood capillaries. The features of the localization of neurocellular inflammatory complexes consisting of nerve fibers, blood capillaries, and cells participating in the local inflammatory process (mast cells, macrophages, fibroblasts, and plasma cells) are described in various parts of the myocardium in old animals. The chronic nature of neurogenic inflammation is determined for the heart during aging.

This study aimed to assess the effect of an educational intervention for preparing close-to-retirement employees for their retirement. This randomized pre/post interventional study was conducted among 140 employees of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. The 70 employees in the intervention group were educated in four 4 h sessions, including health, leisure time, and financial needs. The instrument used was the Retirement Syndrome Questionnaire. Findings show that feelings of helplessness and failure and oldness and idleness significantly decreased after the educational intervention, and feelings of effort and a new direction significantly increased. The educational intervention led to the improvement of retirement syndrome in the studied population. Therefore, to help them adjust to retirement, it is essential to consider retirees’ challenges and increase their awareness about retirement requirements by providing social support and educational courses.

With the rapid growth of aging all over the world, it was reported that the proportion of older workers in employment would increase. It was aimed to comparison of older primary healthcare workers with non-older workers in terms of working life, quality of life and health problems in Mugla, Turkey. This cross-sectional was conducted in primary healthcare workers in Mugla. In the study population of 176 workers, 171 were responded, 73 of them were older and 98 of them were non-older workers. Older and non-older healthcare workers were compared in terms of working life, quality of life and health problems. In terms of working life characteristics; the thought of difficulty in finding a new work, exposure to physical violence and to chemical solids or liquids were found to be more favorable in non-older healthcare workers, other characteristics were found to be more favorable in older healthcare workers. In terms of quality of life characteristics; older healthcare workers were generally better. In terms of health problems characteristics; the presence of chronic disease, the frequency of going to a health institution and the difficulty of urination were found to be more favorable in non-older healthcare workers, other characteristics were found to be more favorable in older healthcare workers. It was concluded that older healthcare workers were in a better condition than non-older healthcare workers in terms of many characteristics. With this study which was a pioneer in the field, researches on older workers should be supported with funding.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is becoming the leading cause of vision loss in people over 60 yr of age. The neovascular form of AMD (nAMD) is characterized by choroidal neovascularization (CNV), the main trigger of which is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the inhibition of which is the current standard of treatment. Significant variability of response to anti-VEGF therapy determines the relevance of the search for biological markers—prognostic criteria of treatment response. We analyzed the response of 110 nAMD patients to anti-VEGF therapy depending on the functional and anatomical parameters of the retina (according to optical coherence tomography, OCT) and leukocyte telomere length (LTL, was assessed by quantitative PCR). Positive dynamics of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was observed in 100% of eyes. The central retinal thickness (CRT) decreased after the 3rd injection to 265 [234–306] µm, by the end of the observation period—to 211 [190–262] µm. The retention of activity of the subretinal neovascular membrane (SNM) at the end of the observation period correlated with lower values of the initial BCVA and high values of the initial CRT. An association of LTL with response to treatment was revealed: in patients with longer LTL the active form of SNM was more often switched to inactive after three injections, while with shorter LTL, the activity of SNM was more often preserved, which determined the need for more intravitreal injections.

The aim of this work was to examine the content of p23 in fibroblasts of the human dermis from 20 weeks of gestation until 85 years old and to define the role of p23 in age-dependent changes in the number and proliferation of fibroblasts in the dermis. p23, proliferating cells nuclear antigen (PCNA), and the fibroblasts marker vimentin were detected with the indirect immunohistochemical technique. The results showed that the portion of fibroblasts with positive staining for p23 in the dermis gradually increases from 20 weeks of gestation until 85 years old. Age-related increase in the portion of fibroblasts with positive staining for p23 is significantly correlated with age-related decrease in the total number and percent of PCNA-positive fibroblasts in the human dermis. Age-related increase in the content of p23 in fibroblasts is involved in age-dependent decrease in their total number and proliferation in the dermis.

The results of the application of a new method of arterial piezopulsometry for noninvasive assessment of the functional state and physiological mechanisms of autonomous regulation of the cardiovascular system (CVS) in an elderly person with acute pain associated with unexpected physical trauma are described. Such exposure caused a negative stress response in the muscle effectors (MEs) of CVS on the first day, provoking an abnormal increase and acceleration of LV myocardial contractility. Analysis of the arterial blood pressure pulse (PP) wave graphs shows that the maximum rate of PP growth, VmaxPP, reflecting the myocardial contractility, increased from 625 ± 74 before the trauma to 2117 ± 173 mm Hg/s after the trauma, distorting the waveform of the normal graph. The cause of this increase could be the rapid total effect of transmitters of the neuroendocrine sympathoadrenal system on the adrenergic receptors (ARs) of cardiomyocytes (CMs). The results of the spectral analysis of the variability of the PP wave parameters confirm this possibility. It is shown that under stress, norepinephrine from activated sympathetic efferents is added to the already increased content of humoral catecholamines in the extracellular environment of the myocardium near ARs of CMs, which is typical for older people. At the same time, the activity of parasympathetic efferents that release acetylcholine, which inhibits the contractile reaction of the myocardium and, thereby, performs a restraining cardioprotective function, significantly increases. A personalized approach was used to study the mechanisms of autonomous regulation of CVS MEs under stress.

Reduction in ageist attitudes is crucial to resolve intergenerational conflicts between older adults and other generations. As factors related to ageist attitudes, the extent to which people perceive themselves to be young should be the focus. The perceived link between older adults and illness also has a significant relationship with ageist attitudes. This study examines the relationship between ageist attitudes and youth identity (the extent to which people feel they belong to the young population as opposed to the older population), and impressions of the physical and mental health of the general older population. The results of an online survey of Japanese participants (n = 474) showed that those with higher youth identity held stronger ageist attitudes. While impressions of the physical health of the general older population were not associated with ageist attitudes, participants with more positive impressions of older adults’ mental health had weaker ageist attitudes. Future research should extend our model by adding factors not considered in this study.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is estimated to increase further due to the aging of the world population. Since preventive strategies or effective treatment for AD have not been defined yet, studies on metabolism and nutritional approaches have gained attention. A present literature review aimed to provide a summary of current evidence on the neuroprotective roles of ketogenic diets. A literature search was conducted on the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases for clinical trials that published in English and focused ketogenic therapy in AD or mild cognitive impairment. The neuroprotective potential of ketone bodies is based on mitochondrial dysfunction, suppression of oxidative damage and inflammation, reduction of the negative effects of impaired glucose metabolism in the brain, and effects at the genomic level. Clinical studies mainly provide evidence of improved verbal memory, attention, and total cognitive function. But optimal procedures have not yet been clarified. Also, ketogenic diet practices in older adults may pose several risks in long term. Therefore, further clinical research will shed more light on the neuroprotective effect, safety, and sustainability of the ketogenic diet, which is promising in the protection or improvement of cognitive functions.