Background: Aging is commonly accepted as a time period of declining heath. Aims: This review aimed to examine the research base concerning the use of term ‘successful aging’, a process and outcome deemed desirable, but challenging to attain. A second was to provide related information to demonstrate how health professionals as well as individuals can aim for a ‘successful aging’ process and outcome, despite the presence of disabling osteoarthritis. Methods: Information specifically focusing on ‘successful aging’ and the concept of improving opportunities for advancing ‘successful aging’ despite osteoarthritis was sought. Results: Among the many articles on ‘successful aging’, several authors highlight the need to include, a broader array of older adults into the conceptual framework. Moreover, conditions such as osteoarthritis should not necessarily preclude the individual from attaining a personally valued successful aging outcome. Conclusion: Pursuing more inclusive research and research designs, and not neglecting to include people with chronic osteoarthritis can potentially heighten the life quality of all aging individuals, while reducing pain and depression, among other adverse aging and disability correlates among those with osteoarthritis

Within the past several decades, the emergence of new viral diseases with severe health complications and mortality is evidence of an age-dependent, compromised bodily response to abrupt stress with concomitantly reduced immunity. The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2, causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It has increased morbidity and mortality in persons with underlying chronic diseases and those with a compromised immune system regardless of age and in older adults who are more likely to have these conditions. While SARS-CoV-2 is highly virulent, there is variability in the severity of the disease and its complications in humans. Severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, lung fibrosis, cardiovascular events, acute kidney injury, stroke, hospitalization, and mortality have been reported that result from pathogen–host interactions. Hallmarks of aging, interacting with one another, have been proposed to influence health span in older adults, possibly via mechanisms regulating the immune system. Here, we review the potential roles of the hallmarks of aging coupled with host–coronavirus interactions. Of these hallmarks, we focused on those that directly or indirectly interact with viral infections, including immunosenescence, inflammation and inflammasomes, adaptive immunosenescence, genomic instability, mitochondrial dysfunction, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, and impaired autophagy. These hallmarks likely contribute to the increased pathophysiological responses to SARS-CoV-2 among older adults and may play roles as an additive risk of accelerated biological aging even after recovery. We also briefly discuss the role of anti-aging drug candidates that require paramount attention in COVID-19 research.

Prior research shows that individuals who have exhibited antisocial behavior are in poorer health than their same-aged peers. A major driver of poor health is aging itself, yet research has not investigated relationships between offending trajectories and biological aging. We tested the hypothesis that individuals following a life-course persistent (LCP) antisocial trajectory show accelerated aging in midlife. Trajectories of antisocial behavior from age 7 to 26 years were studied in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative birth cohort (N=1037). Signs of aging were assessed at age 45 years using previously validated measures including biomarkers, clinical tests, and self-reports. First, we tested whether the association between antisocial behavior trajectories and midlife signs of faster aging represented a decline from initial childhood health. We then tested whether decline was attributable to tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, debilitating illnesses in adulthood, adverse exposures in childhood (maltreatment, socioeconomic disadvantage) and adulthood (incarceration), and to childhood self-control difficulties. Study members with a history of antisocial behavior had a significantly faster pace of biological aging by midlife, and this was most evident among individuals following the LCP trajectory (β, .22, 95%CI, .14, .28, p.001). This amounted to 4.3 extra years of biological aging between ages 25-45 years for Study members following the LCP trajectory compared to low-antisocial trajectory individuals. LCP offenders also experienced more midlife difficulties with hearing (β, -.14, 95%CI, -.21, -.08, p.001), balance (β, -.13, 95%CI, -.18, -.06, p.001), gait speed (β, -.18, 95%CI, -.24, -.10, p.001), and cognitive functioning (β, -.25, 95%CI, -.31, -.18, p.001). Associations represented a decline from childhood health. Associations persisted after controlling individually for tobacco smoking, antipsychotic medication use, midlife illnesses, maltreatment, socioeconomic status, incarceration, and childhood self-control difficulties. However, the cumulative effect of these lifestyle characteristics together explained why LCP offenders have a faster Pace of Aging than their peers. While older adults typically age-out of crime, LCP offenders will likely age-into the healthcare system earlier than their chronologically same-aged peers. Preventing young people from offending is likely to have substantial benefits for health, and people engaging in a LCP trajectory of antisocial behaviors might be the most in need of health promotion programs. We offer prevention and intervention strategies to reduce the financial burden of offenders on health care systems and improve their wellbeing.

Japan has the world’s largest old population ratio, and aging is an urgent societal issue. As global trends seem to be following Japan’s social changes, there is an emphasis on municipalities becoming more age-friendly. Hence, we examine the age-friendliness of 135 Japanese municipalities, selecting 240 resident architectural designers and constructors to assess their municipalities, using the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire (AFCCQ). The findings indicate that Japan lacks “outdoor spaces and buildings.” Additionally, the evaluation of “housing,” “community support and health services,” and “transportation” in populated municipalities in the past five years is significantly higher than those in depopulated ones. Age-friendliness is significantly affected in the AFCCQ total score (hereafter, Score) based on “housing,” “social participation,” “community support and health services,” “transportation” and “financial situation” evaluations. High specificity (0.939) was found when the Score was treated as a marker of depopulation and, therefore, an age-friendly approach is a necessary condition to prevent depopulation. Furthermore, a lack of “communication and information” is observed in municipalities with a higher rate of single-person households aged 65 years and above. Therefore, resident architectural designers’ and constructors’ assessments, combined with the AFCCQ can be a powerful tool in evaluating the age-friendliness of municipalities.

Dyslipidemia (Dys) is a disease characterised by abnormally high levels of lipids in the blood. It causes the deposits of lipids on the arterial wall leading to the insurgence of atherosclerosis, i.e. the increased thickness of arterial walls, which finally increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Dyslipidemia is a comorbidity of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). A set of genes has been associated with dyslipidemia, but examining the regulation of such genes in age and sex is still an open research field. In this study, we select from publicly available databases the genes associated with dyslipidemia and analyse changes in the basal level of such genes by age and sex. Moreover, we also distinct differential rewiring of the related gene association network in males and females. Our results show that there exist a set of genes whose expression changes with age in artery tibial, artery aorta and blood. Moreover, there exist significant differences between sex.

Aging rate differs greatly between species, indicating that the process of senescence is largely genetically determined. Senescence evolves in part due to antagonistic pleiotropy (AP), where selection favors gene variants that increase fitness earlier in life but promote pathology later. Identifying the biological mechanisms by which AP causes senescence is key to understanding the endogenous causes of aging and its attendant diseases. Here we argue that the frequent occurrence of AP as a property of genes reflects the presence of constraint in the biological systems that they specify. This arises particularly because the functionally interconnected nature of biological systems constrains the simultaneous optimization of coupled traits (interconnection constraints), or because individual traits cannot evolve (impossibility constraints). We present an account of aging that integrates AP and biological constraint with recent programmatic aging concepts, including costly programs, quasi-programs, hyperfunction and hypofunction. We argue that AP mechanisms of costly programs and triggered quasi-programs are consequences of constraint, in which costs resulting from hyperfunction or hypofunction cause senescent pathology. Impossibility constraint can also cause hypofunction independently of AP. We also describe how AP corresponds to Stephen Jay Gould’s constraint-based concept of evolutionary spandrels, and argue that pathologies arising from AP are bad spandrels. Biological constraint is a missing link between ultimate and proximate causes of senescence, including diseases of aging. That this was not realized previously may reflect a combination of hyperadaptationism among evolutionary biologists, and the erroneous assumption by biogerontologists that molecular damage accumulation is the principal primary cause of aging.

As the novel COVID-19 disease spreads around the world, the most affected population are those who suffer from the most common chronic diseases, such as obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, which are quite associated with the so-called age-related diseases. On the other hand, since the Spanish influenza outbreak, humanity has not experienced an infectious disease that synergizes so quickly with chronic diseases, making it mortal for those individuals with comorbidities. In this context, COVID-19 is challenging for health systems all around the world due to the high prevalence of chronic diseases. Nowadays, we are facing the beginning of a new era in which health infectious and chronic diseases meet. Therefore, epidemiologic and biomedical researchers must work together to solve further contingencies, and politicians should direct science-centered decisions on public health. In the present paper, we make an urgent call to learn from the COVID-19 lessons in order to mitigate the chronic diseases prevalence and to address the influence of the infectious diseases on the aging process; since we are about to begin the Decade of Healthy Aging.

Prefrontal cortex (PFC) is one of the brain regions with more prominent changes in human aging. The molecular processes related to the aging cognitive decline and mood changes are not completely understood. In order to improve our knowledge, we integrated transcriptomic data of four studies of human PFC from old people -58-80 years old- compared with young people -20-40 years old- using a meta-analytic approximation combined with molecular signature analysis. We identified 1816 differentially expressed genes -561 up-regulated and 1256 down-regulated. Pathway analysis revealed down-regulation of synaptic genes with conservation of gene expression of other neuronal regions. Additionally, we identified up-regulation of markers of astrogliosis with transcriptomic signature compatible with A1 neurotoxic astrocytes and A2 neuroprotective astrocytes. Response to interferon is related to A1 astrocytes and the A2 phenotype is mediated in aging by activation of SHH pathway and up-regulation of metallothioneins I and genes of the family EZR -ezrin, radixin, and moesin-. The main conclusions of our study are the confirmation that in aged PFC there is a global dysfunction of the synapses and we reported for the first time opposite phenotypes of astrogliosis because of brain aging.

The biology of aging is focused on the identification of novel pathways that regulate the underlying processes of aging to develop interventions aimed at delaying the onset and progression of chronic diseases to extend lifespan. However, the research on the aging field has been conducted mainly in animal models, yeast, Caenorhabditis elegans and cell culture. Thus, it is unclear to what extent this knowledge is transferable to humans since they might not reflect the complexity of aging in people. Organoid culture is an in vitro 3D cell-culture technology that reproduces the physiological and cellular composition of the tissues and/or organs. This technology is being used in the cancer field to predict the response of a patient-derived tumor to a certain drug or treatment serving as patient stratification and drug-guidance approaches. Modeling aging with patient-derived organoids has a tremendous potential as a preclinical model tool to discover new biomarkers of aging, to predict adverse outcomes during aging and to design personalized approaches for prevention and treatment of aging-related diseases and geriatric syndromes. This could represent a novel approach to study chronological and/or biological aging paving the way to personalized interventions targeting the biology of aging.

Age-related sarcopenia meaningfully increases the risks of functional limitations and mortality in the elderly. Although circulating microRNAs (c-miRNAs) are associated with aging-related cellular senescence and inflammation, the relationships between c-miRNAs and sarcopenia in the elderly remain unclear. This study investigates whether circulating myo-miRNAs and inflammation-related miRNAs are associated with sarcopenia in the elderly. This study recruited 77 eligible subjects (41 males and 36 females) from 597 community-dwelling older adults, and then divided into normal (n=24), dynapenic (loss of muscular function without mass, n=35), and sarcopenic groups (loss of muscular function with mass, n=18). Moreover, myo-miRNAs (c-miRNA-133a and c-miRNA-486), inflammation-related miRNAs (c-miRNA-21 and c-miRNA-146a), and inflammatory-related cytokine levels in plasma were determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and ELISA, respectively. The results demonstrated that sarcopenic group exhibited lesser skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), handgrip strength, and gait speed, as well as, lower c-miR-486 and c-miR-146a levels, compared to those of normal and dynapenic groups. Moreover, c-miR-486 level was positively related to SMI (r=0.334, P=0.003), whereas c-miR-146a level was positively associated with SMI (r=0.240, P=0.035) and handgrip strength (r=0.253, P=0.027). In the receiver operating characteristic analysis for predicting sarcopenia, the area under the curve in c-miR-486 was 0.708 (95% confidence interval: 0.561-0.855, P=0.008) and c-miR-146a was 0.676 (95% CI: 0.551-0.801, P=0.024). However, no significant relationships were observed between SMI/ handgrip strength/gait speed and plasma myeloperoxidase/interleukin-1?/interleukin-6 levels. In conclusion, myo-miRNA (c-miR-486) and inflammation-related miRNA (c-miR-146a) are superior to inflammatory peroxide/cytokines in plasma for serving as critical biomarkers of age-related sarcopenia.

We conducted a research study to create groundwork for personalized solutions within skin aging segment. This test utilises genetic and general laboratory data to predict individual susceptibility of weak skin characteristics, leveraging on the research on genetic polymorphisms related to skin functional properties. A cross-sectional study was conducted in collaboration between the Private Clinic Medicina Practica Laboratory (Vilnius, Lithuania) and the Public Institution Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (Kaunas, Lithuania). 370 participants agreed to participate in the project. The median age of respondents was 40, with a range of 19 to 74 years. After the literature search, we selected 15 polymorphisms of the genes related to skin aging subsequently distributed for different skin functions: SOD2(rs4880), GPX1(rs1050450), NQO1(rs1800566), CAT (rs1001179), TYR (rs1126809), SLC45A2 (rs26722), SLC45A2 (rs16891982), MMP1(rs1799750), ELN (rs7787362), COL1A1(rs1800012), AHR (rs2066853), IL6 (rs1800795), IL1Beta (rs1143634), TNF-α (rs1800629), AQP3(rs17553719). RT genotyping, blood count and immunochemistry results have been analysed using statistical methods. Obtained results showed significant associations among genotyping models and routine blood screens. These findings demonstrate the personalized medicine approach for aging segment and further add onto the growing field of literature. Further investigation is warranted to fully understand the complex interplay between genetic factors, environmental influences, and skin aging.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a liver metabolism-associated steatohepatitis caused by non-alcoholic factors. NAFLD is currently the most prevalent liver disease in the world, affecting one-fourth of the world's population, and its prevalence increases with age. There are no approved drugs specifically for the treatment of NAFLD, and one important reason hindering drug development is the lack of effective biomarkers. C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, has been linked to NAFLD and aging in recent studies. Coincidentally, hepatocytes are responsible for the major CRP production, and the levels of CRP increase with age. Therefore, CRP is not only a potential marker, but also acts as a key factor driving liver aging and NAFLD. Herein, we reviewed the biological function and production mechanism of CRP and the relationship between CRP and NAFLD. We also comprehensively described the potential molecular mechanisms of CRP-mediated signaling in aging-associated NAFLD. Finally, we proposed possible therapeutic approaches based on the mechanism of CRP signaling in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. We hope this study can provide new insights into the development of aging associated NAFLD biomarkers and suggest that modulation of CRP signaling is a potential therapeutic target.

Abstract: Background: Cancer and cancer treatments may affect aging processes, altering the trajectory of cognitive aging, but extant studies are limited in interval of assessment (2-5 years). We studied cognitive performance in a cohort of survivors and controls utilizing cross-sectional cognitive performance data from age 60 to 89 years as an indicator of potential aging trajectories and contrasted these trends with longitudinal data collected over two years. Methods: Female breast cancer survivors who had been diagnosed and treated at age 60 or older and were 5– to 15-year survivors (N=328) and non-cancer controls (N=158) were assessed at enrollment and at 8, 16 and 24 months with standard neuropsychological tests and comprehensive geriatric as-sessment. Results: Cross-sectional baseline analysis found the expected inverse association of age with cognition in both groups, with survivors performing lower than controls in learning and memory (LM) but not in attention, processing speed and executive function (APE). Younger survivors, i.e., those under 75 years of age, exhibited early decline in performance in both LM and APE compared to controls, with no differences between older survivors and controls, which tracked with deficit accumulation trends. Conclusion: Differences between survivors and controls were prominent in younger survivors, as was deficit accumulation, suggesting a mediating effect on cognition. Deficit accumulation may represent a modifiable risk factor in cancer survivorship that may be targeted for prevention and intervention.

Norepinephrine plays an important role in modulating memory consolidation and evocation through its beta-adrenergic receptors (Adrβ: β1, β2 and β3), which are expressed in the hippocampus (HC) and amygdala (AMY). Here we hypothesized that multisensory stimulation would reverse the memory impairment caused by the inactivation of the Adrβ3 with consequent inhibition of sustained glial-mediated inflammation and glutamatergic depuration. To test this, 21- and 86-day-old Adrβ3KO mice and respective controls underwent to (i) gustative and olfactive stimuli of positive and negative valence associated with (ii) intellectual challenges to reach the food in addition to (iii) objects in hidden places (iv) foraging for 8 weeks followed by (v) analysis of GFAP, Iba-1 and EAAT2 protein expression in the HC and AMY. While this protocol restored the memory impairment when applied to Adrβ3KO animals immediately after weaning, it had no effect when applied to adult animals. In fact, we observed that aging worsens the memory of Adrβ3KO mice. Although no significant expression of GFAP and Iba1 were observed in HC of young and old mice, Adrβ3KO increased EAAT2 expression HC of old mice, while MS didn’t change EAAT2 in young mice but enhanced it expression in older. Relative to AMY of old mice Adrβ3KO increased GFAP expression compared whit WT mice and MS sustained the GFAP expression and increased the EAAT2 expression compared with WT group. These results suggest that a richer and more diverse environment helps to correct memory impairment when applied right after weaning Adrβ3KO animals, also show that the changes in GFAP, Iba1 and EAAT2 expression levels in young and old mice indicate a functional significance in the process of learning and memory and that the control of neuroinflammation in limbic areas mediates this response. They also reinforce the idea that disruption of noradrenergic signaling could be involved in the cognitive impairment observed later in life.

There is increasing evidence that many molecular processes exhibit differences with age 1 and sex. Such differences produces also differences in the insurgence and progression of many 2 complex diseases. For instances, demographic data on insurgence of comorbidities of mellitus 3 diabetes, on lethality of COVID-19, and on some cancers, shows differences between sex and age 4 groups. Therefore, the growing interest on such area requires the management of related data as 5 well as the development of algorithms and tool for the analysis. The availability of omics data 6 annotated with metadata related to age and sex is mandatory for building pipeline of the analysis. 7 The number of databases containing data related to age and sex is hencefort growing. We here show 8 some databases and tools storing such data. Finally, future research direction are highlighte

The transcriptional coactivators YAP (Yes-associated protein) and TAZ (transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif) are the main downstream effectors of the evolutionary conserved Hippo signaling pathway. YAP/TAZ is implicated in the transcriptional regulation of target genes that are involved in a wide range of key biological processes affecting tissue homeostasis and play dual roles in the aging process depending on cellular and tissue context. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether pharmacological inhibitors of Yap/Taz may increase the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster. qRT-PCR was performed to measure the changes in the expression level of Yki (Yorkie, the Drosophila homolog of YAP/TAZ) target genes. We have revealed a lifespan increasing effect of YAP/TAZ inhibitors that was mostly associated with decreased expression level of wg and E2f1 genes. However further analysis is required to understand how YAP/TAZ pathway is linked with aging.

An intricate relationship between impaired immune functions and the age-related accumulation of tissue senescent cells (SC) is rapidly emerging. The immune system is unique as it undergoes mutually inclusive and deleterious processes of immunosenescence and cellular senescence with advancing age. While factors inducing immunosenescence and cellular senescence may be shared, however, both these processes are fundamentally different which holistically influence the aging immune system. Immunosenescence is a well-characterized phenomenon, but our understanding and biological impact of cellular senescence in immune cells, especially in the innate immune cells such as macrophages, is only beginning to be understood. Tissue-resident macrophages are long-lived, and while functioning in tissue-specific and niche-specific microenvironments, senescence in macrophages can be directly influenced by senescent host cells which may impact organismal aging. In addition, evidence of age-associated immunometabolic changes as drivers of altered macrophage phenotype and functions such as inflamm-aging is also emerging. The present review describes the emerging impact of cellular senescence vis-à-vis immunosenescence in aging macrophages, its biological relevance with other senescent non-immune cells, and known immunometabolic regulators. Gaps in our present knowledge, as well as strategies aimed at understanding cellular senescence and its therapeutics in the context of macrophages, have been reviewed.

Polyamines are nitrogen-rich polycationic ubiquitous bioactive molecules with diverse evolutionary-conserved functions. Their activity interferes with numerous genes' expression resulting in cell proliferation and signaling modulation. The intracellular levels of polyamines are precisely controlled by evolutionary-conserved machinery. Their transient synthesis is induced by heat stress, radiation, and other traumatic stimuli in a process termed the polyamine stress response (PSR). Notably, polyamine levels decline gradually with age; and external supplementation improves lifespan in model organisms. This corresponds to cytoprotective and reactive oxygen species scavenging properties of polyamines. Paradoxically, age-associated neurodegenerative disorders are characterized by an upsurge in polyamine levels, indicating polyamine pleiotropic, adaptive, and pathogenic roles. Specifically, arginase overactivation and arginine brain deprivation have been shown to play an important role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. Here, we assert that a universal short-term PSR associated with acute stimuli is beneficial for survival. However, it becomes detrimental and maladaptive following chronic noxious stimuli, especially in an aging organism. Furthermore, we regard cellular senescence as an adaptive response to stress and suggest that PSR plays a central role in age-related neurodegenerative diseases' pathogenesis. Our perspective on AD proposes an inclusive reassessment of the causal relationships between the classical hallmarks and clinical manifestation. Consequently, we offer a novel treatment strategy predicated upon this view and suggest fine-tuning of arginase activity with natural inhibitors to preclude or halt the development of AD-related dementia.

We have previously demonstrated that the acute ingestion of essential amino acids may augment net protein balance in the elderly. Using a double blind, randomized controlled trial, our objective was to compare an experimental meal replacement enriched with essential amino acids (EMR) compared to a commercial meal replacement (Optifast®) provided once/day (q.d.) for four weeks on body composition and physical function in older, obese participants. Twenty-seven individuals (69±5 yrs; body mass index of 32±4 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to EMR (n=13) or Optifast® (n=15) supplementation. Measurements of body composition, skeletal muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), intrahepatic lipid and physical function were completed pre- and post-supplementation. Body mass, fat mass, and visceral fat mass were reduced with EMR but not altered with Optifast®. Thigh muscle CSA increased ( 4.1 ± 1.9 cm2, P = 0.03) with EMR but not Optifast®. There was a significant increase in the distance covered during the six-minute walk test with EMR ( 21±26 m) but no change in Optifast® ( 22±54 m). Improvements in body composition and physical function support the efficacious use of EMR-based meal replacements in the obese elderly.

Loss of muscle mass and strength are progressing with aging. Exercise is a beneficial method to prevent physical disfunction and habitual exercise improve the muscle quality. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of a long-term habitual exercise on the senescence-accelerated mice prone8 (SAMP8). 27wk SAMP8 were used in this study. Mice were classified into 28 (28w) and 44 weeks old. The 44-week group was divided into the sedentary group (44w) and a group exercising for 16 weeks (44w+Ex). The 44w+Ex performed habitual exercise from 28 to 44 weeks. Additionally, grip strength tests were performed with mice aged 28 and 44 weeks. Mice were dissected and collected muscle samples and measured muscle weight at 44w. Gastrocnemius was decreased in 44w but were unchanged in 44w+Ex. Grip strength in 44w was lower trend, but there was no change in 44w+Ex. The phosphorylation levels of Akt and p70S6K as a protein synthesis marker were decreased in 44w. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV(COXIV) mRNA and protein levels decreased in 44w. These results suggested that long-term habitual exercise attenuated muscle mass and strength decline through improving muscle protein synthesis and mitochondrial function. In conclusion, long-term habitual exercise attenuated muscle mass and strength decline.

The last 20 years have seen a surge in scientific activity and promising results in the study of aging and longevity. Many researchers have focused on telomeres, which are composed of a series of TTAGGG repeat nucleotide sequences at the ends of each chromosome. Measurements of the length of these telomere strands show that they decrease in length with increasing age, leading many authors to propose that when the length of these telomere strands decreases sufficiently, the cells enter into a state of replicative senescence, eventually leading to disease and death. These ideas are supported by evidence that short telomere length is correlated with increased mortality. In this paper, we extend this idea to make an actual calculation of the predicted mortality rate caused by short telomere length induced senescence (STLIS). We derive a simple equation for the mathematical relationship between telomere length and mortality rate. Using only 3 parameters based on telomere length measurement data of Canadians, we have calculated both the magnitude and the age dependence of the mortality rate, for both men and women. We show that these calculated data are in good quantitative agreement with the actual number of Canadians that die. This agreement provides strong evidence (but not proof) that the mechanism of STLIS plays an important role in the major diseases of aging (e.g., cardiovascular disease, many cancers, and diabetes mellitus) which dominate human mortality. This result represents significant progress in our understanding the factors behind the cause of aging.

Fenugreek seeds are widely used in Asia and other places of the world for their nutritive and medicinal properties. In Asia, Fenugreek seeds are also widely recommended for the geriatric populations. Here, we evaluated for the first time the effect of fenugreek seed feed supplementation on the liver antioxidant defense systems in aging mice. The study was conducted on 12 months aged mice which were given fenugreek seed dietary supplement. We have evaluated the activities of various antioxidant defense enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and estimated the phenolics and free radical scavenging properties in mice liver upon fenugreek supplementation. The estimation of SOD, GPx and GR activities in aged mice liver revealed a significant (P<0.01) difference among all the liver enzymes. Overall, this study reveals that fenugreek seed dietary supplementation has a positive effect in on the activities of the hepatic antioxidant defense enzymes in the aged mice.

Background: Melatonin is a potent mitochondrial, cytoprotective and antioxidant molecule with potentially strong anti-aging properties. Topical melatonin has shown to improve the clinical signs of skin aging. Melatosphere™ is a new lipid-based delivery system able to improve stability and skin penetration of melatonin when used in topical formulations. No clinical studies, using objective instrumental data, are available so far regarding the positive effect of Melatosphere™ in improving wrinkles in women with mild-to-moderate skin aging. Study Aim: We evaluate, in an open prospective, evaluator-blinded trial, the effects on skin texture of 2 months treatment with a Melatosphere™ based cream. Subjects and Methods: 15 women aged >45 years with mild to moderate facial skin aging (Glogau score ≥2) participated in the trial, after their informed consent. An ANTERA 3D computer-assisted skin analysis evaluation for the assessment of coarse and fine wrinkles of the periorbital area and melanin content was performed at baseline and after two months of treatment. An evaluator-blinded Investigator Global assessment of skin elastosis, roughness, level of dyscromia, skin dryness and presence of actinic damage was also performed at the same time points using a 4-grade score from 0 (no sign) to 3 (severe sign). Results: At baseline the mean (SD) IGA score was 8.2(1.0). After 2 months the IGA score significantly decrease to 4.2(1.4) (49% reduction) (P=0.0007). ANTERA 3D evaluations showed a significant reduction in skin coarse and fine wrinkles volume in the target area of -31% and -18%, respectively. Melanin content was reduced significantly by -17%. Conclusion: Topical melatonin carried in Melatosphere improves in the short-term signs of skin aging evaluated clinically and by ANTERA 3D device in women with mild to moderate skin aging.

The process of senescence (aging) is largely determined by the action of wild-type genes. For most organisms, this does not reflect any adaptive function of senescence, but rather evolutionary effects of declining selection against genes with deleterious effects later in life. To understand aging requires an account of how evolutionary mechanisms give rise to pathogenic gene action and late-life disease, that integrates evolutionary (ultimate) and mechanistic (proximate) causes into a single explanation. A well-supported evolutionary explanation by G.C. Williams argues that senescence can evolve due to pleiotropic effects of alleles with antagonistic effects on fitness and late-life health (antagonistic pleiotropy, AP). What has remained unclear is how gene action gives rise to late-life disease pathophysiology. One ultimate-proximate account is T.B.L. Kirkwood’s disposable soma theory. Based on the hypothesis that stochastic molecular damage causes senescence, this reasons that aging is coupled to reproductive fitness due to preferential investment of resources into reproduction, rather than somatic maintenance. An alternative and more recent ultimate-proximate theory argues that aging is largely caused by programmatic, developmental-type mechanisms. Here ideas about AP and programmatic aging are reviewed, particularly those of M.V. Blagosklonny (the hyperfunction theory) and J.P. de Magalhães (the developmental theory), and their capacity to make sense of diverse experimental findings is described.

Abstract: Down Syndrome (DS) is a common genetic disorder characterized by an extra copy of chromosome 21, leading to dysregulation of various metabolic pathways. Oxidative stress in DS is associated with neurodevelopmental defects, neuronal dysfunction, and the onset of dementia re-sembling Alzheimer's disease. Additionally, chronic oxidative stress contributes to cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers prevalent in DS individuals. This study investigates the impact of ageing on oxidative stress and liver fibrosis using a DS murine model (Ts2Cje mice). The liver in DS mice shows increased oxidative stress and impaired antioxidant defenses, as evidenced by reduced glutathione levels and increased lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, DS liver exhibits an altered in-flammatory response as measured by the expression of cytokines and heat shock proteins. DS liver also displays dysregulated lipid metabolism, indicated by altered expression of peroxisome prolif-erator-activated receptors and fatty acid transport proteins. Consistently, these changes might contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease development, a condition characterized by liver fat accumulation. Finally, histological analysis of DS liver reveals increased fibrosis and steatosis, in-dicative of potential progression to liver cirrhosis. This finding highlights the increased risk of liver pathologies in DS individuals, particularly when combined with the higher prevalence of obesity and metabolic dysfunctions in DS patients. These results shed light on the liver's role in DS-associated pathologies and suggest potential therapeutic strategies targeting oxidative stress and lipid metabolism to prevent or mitigate liver-related complications in DS individuals.

The second external cause of death from unintentional injuries is falls in people over 60, a worldwide public health problem. Associated factors are identified early in Primary Health Care. Thus, we analyze professional narratives about older adults/old age and the organization of services in the presence of fall-inducing frailty. A structured narrative was applied under the following stages: understanding the context; setting/plot/character analysis; and interpretive synthesis. Data were collected from August to November 2022, distributing 21 health professionals in three Narrative Focus Groups. In the analyses, the collective conceptions dialogued with Bourdieu’s Epistemology of field, habitus, and capital. Among the results, technical and common sense representations of older adults were simultaneously observed, along with the belief of old age as a problematic life stage. Care is centered on the installed disease/ailment. Encouraging autonomy and self-care emerges in integrative health practices, which older adults underestimate. Professionals access the lives of older adults according to their habitus, which, in turn, is structured (structuring) in the disputes for installed capital. Thus, the care provided disregards subjectivities and symbolic systems associated with falls.

The effects of 0.4wt.% Sc addition on a typical Al-Si10-Mg alloy were systematically investigated in the present research. Samples with and without Sc produced refined dendritic arranged microstructures with sensitivity to the aging treatment after solidification, particularly in the case of the alloy without Sc. After being exposed to 300°C for 90 minutes, the dendritic spacing nearly doubled in the Al-10wt.%Si-0.45wt.%Mg samples. The rapidly solidified microstructures were constituted by the -Al dendritic phase surrounded by eutectic phases/intermetallics such as Si, Mg2Si and Al3Sc (in the case of the alloy containing Sc). 255°C and 300°C were deemed most appropriate temperatures for aging treatments, with four exposure times of up to 120 minutes tested for each alloy. The heat treatments allowed the Vickers hardness profiles to be plotted and compared. Moreover, in order to detect both Sc- and Mg- precipitates after aging, specific samples have been prepared for either SEM or TEM analyses. At first, the results pointed to a strong precipitate-related hardening effect formed as a result of the Sc addition to the alloy. All samples containing Sc showed a higher hardness value when compared to their respective treated samples without Sc. Secondly, when comparing the Al-10Si-Mg-Sc alloy samples among themselves after being treated at different conditions, high temperatures and excessive treatment times can become detrimental to the hardness. This was due to the growth of larger Sc-bearing precipitates of approximately 1 µm in size under such conditions, having less pronounced hardening effect. The best condition (255°C for 60 min) for as centrifuged samples in Cu-mold produced very fine dispersion of Mg- and Sc- intermetallics (~200 nm in size) with a peak hardness of 110 HV.

Aging is a complex biological process, with gradual and progressive decline in structure and function in many organ systems. Our objective is to determine if structural changes produced by aging, vary with sex, in a stressful situation such as dehydration. The expression of Slc12a3 mRNA in renal cortex, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and fibronectin, was evaluated in male and female rats aged 3 and 18 months submitted or not to water deprivation (WD) for 48 hours. When comparing ages, 18-month-old males showed lower expression of Slc12a3 mRNA than 3-month-old males, and control and WD 18-moth-old male and female rats exhibited higher expression of α-SMA than respective 3-month-old rats. Fibronectin was higher in both control and WD 18-month-old males than respective 3-month-old males. In females, only control 18-month-old rats showed higher fibronectin than control 3-month-old rats. When we compared sex, control and WD 3-month-old female rats had lower expression of Slc12a3 mRNA than re-spective males. WD 18-month-old male rats presented higher expression of fibronectin and α-SMA than WD 18-month-old female rats. When we compared hydric condition, WD 18-month-old males displayed lower relative expression of Slc12a3 mRNA and higher α-SMA expression than control 18-month-old males. Aging, sex, and dehydration lead to alteration in kidney structure.

We have developed a self-consistent model for predicting velocity of 1/2[111] screw dislocation in binary iron--carbon alloys gliding by a high-temperature Peierls mechanism. The methodology of modelling includes: (i) Kinetic Monte-Carlo (kMC) simulation of carbon segregation in dislocation core and determination the total carbon occupancy of the core binding sites; (ii) Determination of kink-pair formation enthalpy of a screw dislocation in iron---carbon alloy; (iii) KMC simulation of carbon drag and determination of maximal dislocation velocity at which the atmosphere of carbon atoms can follow a moving screw dislocation; (iv) Self consistent calculation of average velocity of screw dislocation in binary iron--carbon alloys gliding by a high-temperature kink-pair mechanism under constant strain rate. We conduct a quantitative analysis of the conditions of stress and temperature at which screw dislocation glide in iron--carbon alloy is accomplished by a high-temperature kink-pair mechanism. We estimate the dislocation's velocity at which screw dislocation brakes away from the carbon cloud and thermally-activated smooth dislocation propagation is interrupted by sporadic bursts controlled by athermal dislocation activity.

PSD-95 (Dlg4) is an ionotropic glutamate receptor scaffolding protein essential in synapse stability and neurotransmission. PSD-95 levels are reduced during aging and in neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s disease (HD), and it is believed to contribute to synaptic dysfunction and behavioral deficits. However, the mechanism responsible for PSD-95 dysregulation under these conditions is unknown. The Heat Shock transcription Factor 1 (HSF1), canonically known for its role in protein homeostasis, is also depleted in both aging and HD. Synaptic protein levels, including PSD-95, are influenced by alterations in HSF1 levels and activity, but the direct regulatory relationship between PSD-95 and HSF1 has yet to be determined. Here, we showed that HSF1 chronic or acute depletion in cell lines and mice decreased PSD-95 expression. Furthermore, HSF1(+/-) mice had reduced PSD-95 synaptic puncta that paralleled a loss in thalamo-striatal excitatory synapses, an important circuit disrupted early in HD. We demonstrated that HSF1 binds to regulatory elements present in the PSD-95 gene and directly regulates PSD-95 expression. HSF1 DNA-binding on the PSD-95 gene was disrupted in an age-dependent manner in WT mice and worsened in HD cells and mice, leading to reduced PSD-95 levels. These results demonstrate a direct role of HSF1 in synaptic gene regulation that has important implications in synapse maintenance in basal and pathological conditions.

The prediction of capacity degradation, and more generally of the behaviors related to battery aging, is useful in the design and use phases of a battery to help improve the efficiency and reliability of energy systems. In this paper, a stochastic model for the prediction of battery cell degradation is presented. The proposed model takes its cue from an approach based on Markov chains, although it is not comparable to a Markov process, as the transition probabilities vary as the number of cycles that the cell has performed varies. The proposed model can reproduce the abrupt decrease in the capacity that occurs near the end of life condition (80% of the nominal value of the capacity) for the cells analyzed. Furthermore, we illustrate the ability of this model to predict the capacity trend for a lithium-ion cell with nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) at the cathode and graphite at the anode subjected to a life cycle in which there are different aging factors, using the results obtained for cells subjected to single aging factors.

With the goal of representing common denominators of aging in different organisms López-Otín et al. in 2013 described nine hallmarks of aging. Since then, this representation has become a major reference point for the biogerontology field. The template for the hallmarks of aging account originated from landmark papers by Hanahan and Weinberg (2000, 2011) defining first six and later ten hallmarks of cancer. Here we assess the strengths and weaknesses of the hallmarks of aging account. As a checklist of diverse major foci of current aging research, it has provided a useful shared overview for biogerontology during a time of transition in the field. It also seems useful in applied biogerontology, to identify interventions (e.g. drugs) that impact multiple symptomatic features of aging. However, while the hallmarks of cancer provide a paradigmatic account of the causes of cancer with profound explanatory power, the hallmarks of aging do not. A worry is that as a non-paradigm the hallmarks of aging have obscured the urgent need to define a genuine paradigm, one that can provide a useful basis for understanding the mechanistic causes of the diverse aging pathologies. We argue that biogerontology must look and move beyond the hallmarks to understand the process of aging.

Background and Objectives: Blood flow restriction (BFR) has been investigated as an alternative method combined with resistance training or AT to promote different health benefits for older people. Nevertheless, no study analyzed chronic effects of BFR on muscle activation in this population, and in some investigations, the application of BFR has been employed arbitrary pressures, which can be a serious methodological error, both from the results and of the risk to the health of the older. Thus, this study analyzed the effect of 24 weeks of walking with BFR on activation and muscle strength in elderly women with osteoporosis. Materials and Methods: Thirty older women (66.0±4.6 years) performed randomly to one of three training groups: WALK (moderate-intensity walking), WALK+BFR (low-intensity walking with BFR), or BFR (BFR alone). Muscle activation (sEMG) and strength of knee flexors and extensors were measured pre-intervention and after 12 and 24 weeks. Results: Only a trivial effect size (ES) for the WALK+BFR (ES= 0.16) was observed in sEMG of the knee flexors compared to WALK. A moderate effect was observed in sEMG of the knee extensors (ES= 0.65) for the WALK+BFR compared to the WALK. However, adverse effects were found in the strength of the knee flexors for the BFR (ES= −0.86) and WALK+BFR (ES= −0.69) compared to WALK. Adverse and null effects, respectively for the BFR (ES= −0.16) and WALK+BFR (ES= 0.06) groups, were also observed on the strength gain of the knee extensors. Conclusions: Low-intensity walk combined with BFR does not provide relevant chronic effects on strength gain or even limit muscle strength gain, however, due to greater activation of knee extensors over 24 weeks, it is possible to benefit from the use of similar strategies to obtain neuromuscular gains in the long‐term for elderly women with osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Bone is a dynamic organ maintained by tightly regulated mechanisms. With old age, bone homeostasis which is maintained by an intricate balance between bone formation and bone resorption, undergoes deregulation. Oxidative stress-induced DNA damage, cellular apoptosis, and cellular senescence are all responsible for this tissue dysfunction and the imbalance in bone homeostasis. These cellular mechanisms have become a target for therapeutics to treat age-related osteoporosis. Pharmacological and genetic mouse models have shown the importance of senescent cell clearance in alleviating age-related osteoporosis. Senescent cells have an altered secretome, which may have an autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine function. The current review discusses the current and potential pathways which lead to a senescence profile in an aged skeleton. The review was written following an extensive literature survey of published studies, mostly excluding articles published on pre-print servers. The review discusses potential therapeutics targeting cellular senescence and the senescent secretome as underlying pathogenesis of an aging bone.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive impairment and different non-cognitive deficits called “Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia” (BPSD) related to neurotrophin alterations, which differ from those presented in normal aging. Mouse models, both transgenics and inbreed mice models of AD, are a useful tool in understanding the underlying mechanisms of the disease. The SAMP8 (senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8) mice line was generated from AKR/J strain by Professor Toshio Takeda at the University of Kyoto. This strain exhibited a particular early-onset and accelerated aging phenotype. The present study characterizes and provides information regarding the non-cognitive and cognitive states as well as molecular alterations and their relationship, demonstrating the AD-like symptoms presented in older SAMP8 males. The cognitive impairment presented was accompanied by a reduction in sociability and an increase in aggressive as well as anxiety behaviours. Furthermore, changes in three of the most important neurotrophins, such as NT3, BDNF, and NGF as well as their receptors TrkA and TrkB, were found. Thus, the present results reveal new insights in this useful inbred mouse model of neurodegeneration and AD, demonstrating the potential relationship between neurotrophin alterations, cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric disorders (ND).

Stress mechanisms have long been associated with neuronal loss and neurodegenerative diseases. The origin of cell stress and neuronal loss likely stems from multiple pathways. These include (but are not limited to) bioenergetic failure, neuroinflammation, and loss of proteostasis. Cells have adapted compensatory mechanisms to overcome stress and circumvent death. One mechanism is mitophagy. Recent studies have implicated mitophagy in several neurodegenerative diseases and clinical trials are underway which target mitophagy pathways. Here, we review mitophagy pathways, the role of mitophagy in neurodegeneration, potential therapeutics, and the need for further study.

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) measuring tool is a reliable and accurate technology to measure bone density and bone mineral composition. This research examined the composition and bone density (bone mineral composition and bone mineral density) of the whole body and representative body parts using DEXA. The participants were 240 healthy adult men and women who were divided into three groups based on age. The total bone mineral density (BMD) of women amounted to an average of 1.14 g/㎠ in Group A, 1.14 g/㎠ in Group B, and 0.98 g/㎠ in Group C. For men, the average BMD was 1.25 g/㎠ in Group A, 1.20 g/㎠ in Group B, and 1.17 g/㎠ in Group C. As a result, the reduction of age-specific BMD was shown to have a correlation with aging and body mass index(BMI), and it is determined that exercising on a regular basis can prevent reduction in BMD by maintaining appropriate muscle mass.

Osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO) is described by the simultaneous presence of osteopenia/osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and increased adiposity. Over time, older adults with OSO syndrome might be at greater risk for loss of physical function and bone fractures. Furthermore, a sedentary lifestyle, inadequate nutrition, pharmaceutical drugs and chronic conditions encompass the multifactorial nature of OSO syndrome. Physical activity and a healthy diet play a crucial role in management and treatment of OSO syndrome. Research has shown that even low-intensity physical activity or daily habitual activity can maintain bone mineral density, muscle strength and improve muscle quality, and reduce adiposity. However, older adults with high risk of fall and injuries require tailored exercise intensity. Also, balanced daily intake of vitamin D, calcium and protein is important in prevention and treatment of OSO syndrome in postmenopausal women. Effective measurement of bone mass, muscle mass and strength is required when detecting OSO syndrome and to evaluate the balance, strength and endurance of elder individuals and severity of the condition.

The increase in the average lifespan and the consequent proportional growth of the elderly segment of society has furthered the interest in studying ageing processes. Ageing may be considered a multifactorial process derived from the interaction between genetic and environmental factors including lifestyle. There is ample evidence in many species that the maximum age attainable (maximum lifespan potential, MLSP) is genetically determined and several mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms are associated with longevity. Many studies have shown that most of the phenotypic characteristics observed in the aging process are the result of the occurrence, with age, of a low grade chronic pro-inflammatory status called "inflammaging", partially under genetic control. The term indicate that aging is accompanied by a low degree of chronic inflammatory, an up-regulation of inflammatory response and that inflammatory changes are common to many age-related diseases. Therefore, the theory of oxidation-inflammation was proposed as the main cause of aging. Accordingly, the chronic oxidative stress, that appears with age, affects all cells and especially those of the regulatory systems, such as the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems and the communication between them. This prevents an adequate homeostasis and, therefore, the preservation of health. It was also proposed that the immune system plays a key role in the aging process, specifically in the rate of aging, since there is a relationship between the redox state and functional capacity of immune cells and longevity of individuals. Moreover, the role of the immune system in senescence could be of universal application. A confirmation of the central role of the immune system in oxi-inflamm-aging is that the administrationintake? of adequate amounts of antioxidants in the diet improves immune function, decreases their oxidative stress, and consequently increases longevity. The promotion of healthy lifestyles is one of the major goals of governments and international agencies all over the world. Human molecular processes are influenced by both physiological pathways and exogenous factors which include, for instance, those originating from diet. Dietary intake has substantive effects on molecular processes of metabolic health. Nutrients can directly regulate physiological changes in human body. In fact, in addition to have an energetic and structural value, nutritional intake provides bioactive molecules which are selectively able to modulate specific metabolic pathways, noticeably affecting cardiovascular and neoplastic diseases development or progress. Numerous bioactive nutrients are being progressively identified and their chemopreventive effects are being described at clinical and molecular mechanism levels. Systematic analyses comprise all “omics” technologies (such as transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics) and the goal is to investigate bioactive molecules effects derived from the diet. Nutrigenomic knowledge on physiologic status and disease risk will provide both developments of better diagnostic procedures and of new therapeutic strategies specifically targeted on nutritionally relevant processes. The present review was aimed to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying beneficial effects of bioactive nutrients and nutrigenomics on age-related diseases.

The activity of the mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore, mPTP, a highly regulated multi-component mega-channel, is enhanced in aging and in aging-driven degenerative diseases. mPTP activity accelerates aging by releasing large amounts of cell-damaging Reactive Oxygen Species, Ca2+ and NAD+. The various pathways that control the channel activity, directly or indirectly, can therefore either, inhibit, or accelerate aging, retards, or enhance the progression of aging-driven degenerative diseases, and determine lifespan and healthspan. Autophagy, a catabolic process that removes and digests damaged proteins and organelles protects the cell against aging and disease. However, the protective effect of autophagy depends on mTORC2/SKG1 inhibition of mPTP. Autophagy is inhibited in aging cells. Mitophagy, a specialized form of autophagy, which retards aging by removing mitochondrial fragments with activated mPTP, is also inhibited in aging cells, and this inhibition leads to increased mPTP activation, which is a major contributor to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases. The Increased activity of mPTP in aging turns autophagy/mitophagy into a destructive process leading to cell aging and death. Several drugs and lifestyle modifications that enhance healthspan and lifespan enhance autophagy and inhibit the activation of mPTP. Therefore, elucidating the intricate connections between pathways that activate and inhibit mPTP, in the context of aging and degenerative diseases, could enhance the discovery of new drugs and lifestyle modifications that slow aging and degenerative disease.

The association between depressive symptomatology and cognitive decline has been examined using the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), however, concerns have been raised about this self-report measure. Here, we examined how the CES-D total score from the 14- and 10-item versions compared to the 20-item version in predicting progression to cognitive decline from a cognitively unimpaired baseline. Data from 1,054 participants were analysed using ordinal logistic regression, alongside moderator and receiver-operating characteristics curve analyses. All baseline total scores significantly predicted progression to cognitive decline. The 14-item version was better than the 20-item version in predicting consensus diagnosis, as shown by their AICs, while also showing the highest accuracy when discriminating between participants by diagnosis at last visit. We did not find sex to moderate the relationship between CES-D score and cognitive decline. Current findings suggest the 10- and 14-item versions of the CES-D are comparable to the 20-item version, and that the 14-item version may be better at predicting longitudinal consensus diagnosis compared to the 20-item version.

Lipofuscin is indigestible garbage that accumulates in the autophagic vesicles and cytosol of post-mitotic cells with age. Drs. Brunk and Terman postulated that lipofuscin accumulation is the main or at least a major driving factor in aging. They even posited that the evolution of memory is the reason why we get lipofuscin at all, as stable synaptic connections must be maintained over time, meaning that the somas of neurons must also remain in the same locale. In other words, they cannot dilute out their garbage over time through cell division. Mechanistically, their position certainly makes sense given that rendering a large percentage of a post-mitotic cell’s lysosomes useless must almost certainly negatively affect that cell and the surrounding microenvironment. Here, I explore the possibility that the accumulation of lipofuscin may to some extent exacerbate every other kind of age-related damage. I do not think that lipofuscin removal will reverse/prevent all forms of aging, just the major component facing us currently. In this piece, I will review what is known about lipofuscin accumulation from evolutionary and mechanistic standpoints and discuss a method of removing it from single cells in vitro.

Programmed aging refers to the idea that mammals (and some other multiparous sexually reproducing organisms) evolved complex biological mechanisms that cause gradually increasing fitness deterioration and internally limit individual organism lifetimes. The rationale is that this process enhances the survival (non-extinction) of a species population. Evolvability theories propose that mammals have evolved design characteristics that aid their ability to evolve, that is, reduce the time required for a particular increment of evolutionary adaptation and/or increase the precision with which the adaptation can be performed. Because an increase in evolvability aids a population in escaping extinction, evolution selects the associated design characteristics. Both of these concepts conflict with traditional (Darwinian) theory regarding the nature of evolution. However, more recent genetics discoveries have exposed rich detail regarding the nature of the evolution process including the fact that biological inheritance involves the transmission of organism design information from parent to descendant in digital form. These discoveries have acted to support both programmed aging and evolvability theories. Acquisition traits are those that depend for their evolutionary (fitness) value on the acquisition of something that gradually accumulates during an organism’s life but is not transmitted genetically to descendants. This situation causes these traits including language, immunity, intelligence, and social status to represent a special need for evolvability and programmed aging.

The origin of cancer remains one of the most important enigmas in modern biology. This paper presents a hypothesis for the origin of carcinomas in which cellular aging and inflammation enable the recovery of cellular plasticity that may ultimately result in cancer. The process is described as the result of dedifferentiation undergone by epithelial cells in hyperplasia due to replicative senescence towards a mesenchymal cell state with potential cancerous behavior. In support of the hypothesis, the molecular, cellular, and histopathological evidence was critically reviewed and reinterpreted when necessary to postulate a plausible generic model for the origin and progression of carcinomas. In addition, the implications of this theoretical framework for the current strategies of cancer treatment are discussed against recent evidence of the molecular events underlying the epigenetic switches involved in the resistance of breast carcinomas. Subsequently, is proposed an epigenetic landscape for their progression and a potential mechanism to restrain the degree of dedifferentiation and malignant behavior. Finally, is suggested a novel understanding of the involution and carcinogenesis of tissues associated with aging as a perspective that might inspire integrative approaches in the study and management of chronic diseases.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) places a heavy burden on older patients and the global healthcare system. A large body of evidence suggests that exercise training is essential in preventing and treating cardiovascular disease, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we used the Drosophila melanogaster animal model to study the effects of early-life exercise training (ELET) on the aging heart and lifespan. We found in flies that age-induced arrhythmias are conserved across different genetic backgrounds. The fat body is the primary source of circulating lipoproteins in flies. Inhibition of fat body apoLpp (the flies apoB homolog) demonstrated that low expression of apoLpp reduced the development of arrhythmias in aged flies but did not affect average lifespan. At the same time, ELET can also reduce the expression of apoLpp mRNA in aged flies and have a protective effect on the heart, which is similar to the inhibition of apoLpp mRNA. Although treatment of apoLppRNAi and ELET alone had no significant effect on lifespan, the combination of apoLppRNAi and ELET extended the average lifespan of flies. Therefore, we conclude that apoLppRNAi and ELET are sufficient to resist age-induced arrhythmias, which may be related to the decreased expression of apoLpp mRNA, and that apoLppRNAi and ELET have a combined effect on prolonging the average lifespan.

Background: Assessment and management of pain in elderly people with cognitive impairment is particularly challenging. Physiological changes due to aging as well as comorbidities and polypharmacy are responsible for a complex clinical approach. Concomitantly, in cognitive impairment, including advanced dementia, changes in central nervous system along with changes in the peripheral nervous system due to aging have a significant impact in pain perception. Often clinicians decide to prescribe opioids in order to relief pain, also without a clear indication. Aim: This review aims to investigate the effect of opioids in elderly patients with cognitive impairment. Methods: A literature search of PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane databases was conducted using keyword searches to generate lists of articles which were screened for relevance by title and abstract to give a final list of articles for full-text review. Further articles were identified by snowballing from the reference lists of the full-text articles. Results: This review discuss the complex physiological and pharmacological changes in elderly as well as the neurological changes that affect pain perception in this population. Additionally, it focuses on cognitive impairment and pain in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, the pain assessment in the elderly with cognitive impairment as well as the safety of opioid use in elderly. Information regarding opioid prescription in nursing homes as well as recorded indications for opioids use, type and dosing of opioid and compliance of treatment in advanced dementia are also provided. Conclusions: Opioid prescription in elderly population with cognitive impairment is particularly complex. All healthcare professionals involved in the care of such patients, need to be aware of the challenges and strive to ensure analgesic use is guided by appropriate and accurate pain assessment.

This study aimed to characterize the risk of falling in low, moderate and high risk participants from two different geographical locations using a portable force-plate. A sample of 390 older adults from South and North America were matched for age, sex, height and weight. All participants performed a standardized balance assessment using a force plate. Participants were classified in low, moderate and high risk of falling. No differences were observed between South and North American men, nor comparing North American men and women. South American women showed the significantly shorter center of pressure path length compared to other groups. The majority of the sample was categorized as having low risk of falling (male: 65.69 % and female: 61.87 %), with no differences between men and women. Also, no differences were found between North vs. South Americans, nor for falls risk levels when male and female groups were compared separately. In conclusion, South American women had better balance compatible with the status of the 50-59 years’ normative age-range. The prevalence of low falls risk was ~ 61-65 % and the prevalence of moderate to high risk was ~ 16-19 %. The frequency of fall risk did not differ significantly between North and South Americans, nor between males and females.

Skin aging is one of the most common problems facing humanity. It occurs because of altering the balance between free radicals and antioxidants and increasing the amount of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in skin cells, which leads to oxidative stress especially when exposed to UV radiation. Antioxidants can neutralize the harmful effects of ROS, and secondary plant metabolites can help protect against UV radiation. In this study, punicalagin was extracted from pomegranate and concentrations of total polyphenolics and flavonoids were determined and antioxidant activities measured. Punicalagin was loaded onto niosomes and its morphology and release were studied. An in vitro study was performed on human fibroblast cell line HFB4 cells with aging induced by H2O2 and UV radiation. Cell cycle arrest was studied and different genes (MMP3, Col1A1, Timp3, and TERT) involved in the skin aging process were selected to measure punicalagin's effect. Punicalagin succeeded in reducing the growth arrest of HFB4 cells, activated production of the Col1A1 and Timp3 genes, maintained collagen level, and lowered of MMP3. Punicalagin increased human TERT concentration in skin cells. Punicalagin is promising as a natural antioxidant to protect human skin from aging.

Inhibition of mTORC1 (mechanistic Target Of Rapamycin Complex 1) signaling promotes health and longevity in diverse model organisms. Over the past decade, excitement has built over the possibility that treatment with the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin can be utilized to treat or prevent age-related disease in humans. However, concerns over the side effects of rapamycin on immunity and metabolism have precluded the routine use of rapamycin as a geroprotective therapy. Here, we discuss the evidence that these negative side effects of rapamycin are largely mediated by off-target inhibition of a second mTOR Complex (mTORC2). Further, we discuss how intermittent treatment with rapamycin, specific dietary regimens, and new molecules may provide routes to the safer and more selective inhibition of mTORC1. We conclude that the time is ripe for the development of therapies based on the safe and selective inhibition of mTORC1 for the treatment or prevention of diseases of aging.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive impairment and different non-cognitive deficits called “Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia” (BPSD) related to neurotrophin alterations, which differ from those presented in normal aging. Mouse models, both transgenics and inbreed mice models of AD, are a useful tool in understanding the underlying mechanisms of the disease. The SAMP8 (senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8) mice line was generated from AKR/J strain by Professor Toshio Takeda at the University of Kyoto. This strain exhibited a particular early-onset and accelerated aging phenotype. The present study characterizes and provides information regarding the non-cognitive, cognitive and neurotrophin alterations and their correlation, demonstrating the AD-like symptoms presented in older males SAMP8. The cognitive impairment presented was accompanied by a reduction in sociability and an increase in aggressive as well as anxiety behaviours. Furthermore, changes in two of the most important neurotrophins, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT3) were found. Thus, the present results reveal new insights in this useful inbred mouse model of neurodegeneration and AD, demonstrating the potential relationship between neurotrophin modifications, cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric disorders (ND).

A growing body of evidence indicates that aging of the brain is strictly related to the decline of energy metabolism. In particular, in older adults, the neuronal metabolism of glucose declines steadily resulting in a growing deficit of ATP production. The decline is evoked by deficient NAD recovery in the salvage pathway and subsequent impairment of the Krebs cycle. NAD deficit impairs also the activity of NAD-dependent enzymes. All these open vicious circles of neurodegeneration and neuronal death. Some brain structures are particularly prone to aging and neurodegeneration. These are pathological foci of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. This review article summarizes the impacts and mutual relationships between metabolic processes both on neuronal and brain levels. It also provides directions on how to reduce the risk of neurodegeneration and protect the elderly against neurodegenerative diseases.

The disproportionate incidences of COVID-19-related hospitalization and mortality for different age groups and various underlying health conditions is a result of a complex social predisposition to the exposure, resistance, and tolerance for the infection. Based on the observed data as well as the molecular mechanisms for viral entry and replication, cellular senescence related to aging, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes appears to be strongly correlated with the SARS-CoV-2 infections resulting in higher COVID-19 related complications and mortality. Establishing such a correlation may allow us to better explain the pathobiology as well as the differential nature of the SARS-CoV-2 infections and consider targeted control and therapeutic strategies to combat the disease.

Despite increasing research efforts, there is a lack of consensus on defining aging or health. To understand the underlying processes, and to foster the development of targeted interventions towards increasing one’s health, there is an urgent need: (1) to find a broadly acceptable and useful definition of health, based on a list of features (which may or may not be molecular); (2) to operationalize features of health so that it can be measured; (3) to identify predictive biomarkers and (molecular) pathways of health, and (4) to suggest interventions, such as nutrition and exercise, targeted at putative causal pathways and processes. Based on a survey of the literature, we propose to define health as a state of an individual characterized by the core features of (a) physiological function, (b) cognitive function and (c) physical function, amended, specifically in case of humans, by (d) lack of disease, and by (e) reproductive function. Often used concepts such as lack of frailty, allostatic load, or self-reported health (in case of human), and indices such as the Healthy Aging Index can be viewed as projections or surrogates of our definition. We further define aging as the set of all processes in an individual that reduce its “wellbeing”, that is, its health or survival or both. We define biomarkers of health by their attribute of predicting future health better than chronological age. We define healthspan pathways as molecular features of health that relate to each other, specifically by belonging to the same molecular pathway. Our conceptual framework may integrate diverse operationalizations of health and guide precision prevention efforts that are a key to reducing the need for medical and nursing care.

Irisin, a skeletal muscle-secreted myokine, produced in response to physical exercise, has protective functions in both the central and the peripheral nervous systems, including the regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factors and modification of telomere length. Such beneficial effects may inhibit or delay the emergence of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This review is based on the hypothesis that irisin produced by physical exercise helps control AD progression. Herein, we describe the physiology of irisin and its potential role in delaying or preventing AD. Although current and ongoing studies on irisin show promising results, further research is required to clarify its potential as a meaningful therapeutic target for treating human diseases.

Background: This study aimed to assess the relationship between age-related changes in Neuro-filament Light Chain (NFL), a marker of neuronal function, and various factors including muscle function, body composition, and metabolomic markers. Methods: The study included 40 partici-pants, aged 20 to 85 years. NFL levels were measured, and muscle function, body composition, and metabolomic markers were assessed. Results: NFL levels increased significantly with age, particularly in men. Negative correlations were found between NFL levels and measures of mus-cle function, such as grip strength, walking speed, and chair test performance, indicating a decline in muscle performance with increasing NFL. These associations were more pronounced in men. NFL levels also negatively correlated with muscle quality in men, as measured by 50 kHz phase angle. In terms of body composition, NFL was positively correlated with markers of fat mass and negatively correlated with markers of muscle mass, predominantly in men. Metabolomic analy-sis revealed significant associations between NFL levels and specific metabolites, with gen-der-dependent relationships observed. Conclusions: This study provides insights into the rela-tionship between circulating serum NFL, muscle function, and aging. The findings highlight gen-der differences and contribute to our understanding of age-related changes in neuronal function and their impact on muscle health.

Inotodiol, a lanostane-type triterpenoid, and many phytochemicals from Chaga mushroom have been investigated for various allergic diseases. However, antiaging and anti-inflammatory activities of inotodiol under different types of oxidative stress and impact of inotodiol on collagen and hyaluronan synthesis are not sufficiently studied. Lanostane triterpenoids-rich concentrate, which contained 10% inotodiol as major (the inotodiol concentrate), was prepared from Chaga and compared with pure inotodiol in terms of anti-inflammatory activities on a human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT cells, under various stimulation such as stimulation with ultraviolet (UV) B or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. In stimulation with TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 genes were significantly repressed by 0.44~4.0 μg/mL of pure inotodiol. UVB irradiation induced overexpressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines, but those genes were significantly suppressed by pure inotodiol or inotodiol concentrate. Moreover, pure inotodiol/inotodiol concentrate could also modulate synthesis of collagen and hyaluronic acid by controlling COL1A2 and HAS2/3 expression, which implies a crucial role of pure inotodiol/inotodiol concentrate in prevention of skin aging. These results enlighten anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effect of pure inotodiol/inotodiol concentrate, and it is highly conceivable that pure inotodiol and inotodiol concentrate could be promising natural bioactive substances to be incorporated in therapeutic and beautifying applications.

As the world's population ages and the resulting health problems become more serious, medical and health policies in developed countries are focused on how to prevent and treat the diseases of the aging population and how to maintain their quality of life. Typical age-related diseases include deafness, cataracts, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, and dementia. Although the mechanisms by which these diseases develop differ, they are all caused by the accumulation of molecular and cellular damage over time. In addition, age-related diseases can cause a decline in physical and mental functions and the ability to perform activities of daily living, as well as the loss of roles in society and a sense of fulfillment in life. Therefore, there is a need for treatment and measures to accurately grasp and maintain their quality of life.

The CuCrSn alloy is promising as high-strength and high-conductivity Cu alloy due to its relative low smelting requirement, while thus far reports on the CuCrSn alloy is still quite lacked. In this study, the microstructure and properties of Cu-0.20Cr-0.25Sn (wt%) specimens prepared under different rolling and aging combinations were comprehensively characterized, in order to reveal the effects of cold rolling and aging on the CuCrSn alloy. The results show that increasing the aging temperature from 400 ºC to 450 ºC can obviously accelerates the precipitation, and the cold rolling before aging significantly increases the initial microhardness and promotes the precipitation. Whereas, the deformation hardening will be eliminated during the aging process, making the microhardness even decrease monotonically when the aging temperature and the rolling ratio before aging are high. Performing the cold rolling after the aging can maximize the effects of precipitation strengthening and deformation strengthening, and its adverse impact on the conductivity is not serious. A tensile strength of 506.5 MPa and a conductivity of 70.33% IACS were obtained with such a treatment, only the elongation decreases. Different strength-conductivity combinations of the CuCrSn alloy can be achieved through appropriate combinations of the aging and post aging cold rolling conditions.

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is essential for sustained work ability in good health, but declines with aging as does the functionality of the immune system, the latter process commonly referred to as immunosenescence. This study aimed to compare the capacity of immunosenescence biomarkers with chronological age for predicting low CRF in a cross-sectional sample recruited from the regional working population. CRF was determined by submaximal bicycle ergometer testing in a cross-sectional sample of 597 volunteers aged 20–70 years from the ’Dortmund Vital Study’ (DVS, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05155397). Low CRF was scored, if the ergometer test was not completed due to medical reasons or if the power output projected to a heart rate of 130 bpm divided by body mass was below sex-specific reference values of 1.25 W/kg for females and 1.5 W/kg for males, respectively. In addition to established biomarkers of immunosenescence, we calibrated a comprehensive metric of immune age to our data and compared its predictive capacity for low CRF to chronological age while adjusting our analysis for the influence of sex, obesity, and level of regular physical activity by applying univariate and multiple logistic regression. While obesity, low physical activity, chronological and immune age were all associated with increased probability for low CRF in univariate analyses, multiple logistic regression revealed that obesity and physical activity together with immune age, but not chronological age, were statistically significant predictors of low CRF outcome. Sex was non-significant due to the applied sex-specific reference values. These results demonstrate that biological age assessed by our immunological metric can outperform chronological age as a predictor for CRF and indicate a potential role for immunosenescence in explaining the inter-individual variability of the age-related decline in cardiorespiratory fitness.

Calorie restriction (CR), defined as a reduction of the total calorie intake of 30% to 60% without malnutrition, is the only nutritional strategy that has proven to extend lifespan, prevent or delay the onset of age-associated diseases, and delay the functional decline in a wide range of species. However, little is known about the effects of CR when started early in life. We sought to analyze the effects of CR in the skeletal muscle of young Wistar rats. For this, 3-month-old male and female rats were subjected to 40% CR or fed ad libitum for 3 months. Gastrocnemius muscles were used to extract RNA and total protein. Western blot and RT-qPCR were performed to evaluate the expression of key markers/pathways modulated by CR and affected by aging. CR decreased body and skeletal muscle weight in both sexes. No differences were found in most senescence, antioxidant, and nutrient sensing pathways analyzed. However, we found a sexual dimorphism in markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and mitochondrial function in response to CR. Our data show that young female rats treated with CR exhibit similar expression patterns of key genes/pathways associated with healthy aging when compared to old animals treated with CR, while in male rats these effects are reduced. Additional studies are needed to understand how early or later life CR exerts positive effects on health- and lifespan.

Scientific literature shows increased interest in the aged and the aging phenomenon. The Aging Attitudes Questionnaire - AAQ was validated for the Portuguese population to understand the importance of attitudes towards old age and their impact on the subjective well-being of the elderly. A sample of 400 subjects (from 18 to 93 years) answered a socio-demographic questionnaire, and the AAQ was composed of three subscales (psychosocial losses, physical change, and psychological growth). The CFA confirmed the tri-factorial structure with very good adjustment of the model to the data with the Cronbach alpha of the total scale scoring .84 and ranging from .65 to .77 for each factor. A total of 9 items were omitted both for poor factor loadings (<0.50. Notwithstanding, 3 items below the criteria were maintained, as they conceptually fit into the factor. Of the final 15 AAQp items, 5 belong to the Psychosocial Loss factor, 6 to Physical Change, and 4 to Psychosocial Growth. This tree factor model explained 50.1 % of the total variance. In conclusion, this study supports that AAQ has acceptable validity, confirming the composite reliability and the discriminant validity, but not the convergent validity. Through multi-group analysis, the invariance of the scale was confirmed. This validation is of pivotal importance once it allows measuring the attitudes towards aging, thus facilitating the promotion of wellbeing across the lifespan.

Age-related alterations in the gut microbiome composition and its impacts on the host’s health have been well described; however, detailed analyses of the gut microbial structure defining ecological microbe-microbe interactions is limited. One of the ways to determine these interactions is by understanding microbial co-occurrence patterns. We previously showed promising abilities of Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 on the aging gut microbiome and immune system. However, the potential of the DDS-1 strain to modulate microbial co-occurrence patterns is unknown. Hence, we aimed to investigate the ability of L. acidophilus DDS-1 to modulate the fecal, mucosal and cecal-related microbial co-occurrence networks in young and aging C57BL/6J mice. Our Kendall’s tau correlation measures of co-occurrence revealed age-related changes in the gut microbiome, which were characterized by reduced number of nodes and associations across sample types when compared to younger mice. After four-week supplementation, L. acidophilus DDS-1 differentially modulated the overall microbial community structure in fecal and mucosal samples as compared to cecal samples. Beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Akkermansia acted as connectors in aging networks in response to L. acidophilus DDS-1 supplementation. Our findings provided the first evidence of the DDS-1-induced gut microbial ecological interactions revealing the complex structure of microbial ecosystems with age.

Cryptococcus neoformans causes meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals, which is treated with Fluconazole (FLC) monotherapy when resources are limited. This can lead to azole resistance, which can be mediated by overexpression of ABC transporters, a class of efflux pumps. ABC pump-mediated efflux of FLC is also augmented in 10-generation old C. neoformans cells. Here, we describe a new ABC transporter Afr3 (CNAG_06909), which is overexpressed in C. neoformans cells of advanced generational age, that accumulate during chronic infection. The delta-afr3 mutant strain showed higher FLC susceptibility by FLC E-Test strip testing and also by a killing test that measured survival after 3 h FLC exposure. Furthermore, delta-afr3 cells exhibited lower Rhodamine 6G efflux compared to the H99 wild type cells. Afr3 was expressed in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae AD-delta strain, which lacks several drug transporters, thus reducing background transport. The AD-delta + Afr3 strain demonstrated a higher efflux with both Rhodamine 6G and Nile Red, even though the FLC MICs were not changed. Characterization of the delta-afr3 mutant revealed unattenuated growth but a prolongation (22%) of the replicative life span. In addition, delta-afr3 exhibited decreased resistance to macrophage killing and attenuated virulence in the Galleria mellonella infection model. In summary, our data indicate that a novel ABC pump Afr3p, which is upregulated in C. neoformans cells of advanced age may contribute to their enhanced FLC tolerance, by promoting drug efflux. Lastly, its role in macrophage resistance may also contribute to the selection of older C. neoformans cells during chronic infection.

Epigenetics, specifically DNA methylation, allows for estimation of animal age from blood or remotely sampled skin. This multi tissue epigenetic aging clock uses 110 longitudinal samples from 34 Navy bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), identifying 195 cytosine-phosphate-guanine sites associated with chronological aging via leave-one-individual-out-cross-validation (R2=0.95). With a median absolute error of 2.5 years this clock improves age estimation capacity in wild dolphins, expanding conservation efforts, enabling better understanding of population demographics.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex, multifactorial neurodegenerative disease that constitutes the most common cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly in developed countries. Incomplete knowledge about its pathogenesis prevents the search for effective methods of prevention and treatment of AMD, primarily its “dry” type, which is by far the most common (90% of all AMD cases). In recent years, AMD became younger: late stages of the disease are now detected in relatively young people. It is known that AMD pathogenesis—according to the age-related structural and functional changes in the retina—is linked with inflammation, hypoxia, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and an impairment of neurotrophic support, but the mechanisms that trigger the conversion of normal age-related changes to the pathological process as well as the reason for early AMD development remain unclear. In the adult mammalian retina, de novo neurogenesis is very limited. Therefore, the structural and functional features that arise during its maturation and formation can exert long-term effects on further ontogenesis of this tissue. The aim of this review is to discuss possible contributions of the changes/disturbances in retinal neurogenesis to the early development of AMD.

The significance of diversity, composition, and functional attributes of the gut microbiota is recognized in human health and disease. Studies have also shown that the gut microbiota is related to human aging, and a causal relationship between gut microflora dysbiosis and chronic age-related disorders is also becoming apparent. Further, emerging evidence indicates that age-associated changes in the gut microbiome are predictors of human survival and longevity. Recent advances in our understanding of the cellular and molecular aspects of biological aging have revealed a cellular senescence-centric view of the aging process. However, the association between gut microbiome and cellular senescence is only beginning to be understood. The present review provides an integrative view of the emerging relationship between the gut microbiome and cellular senescence in aging and disease. Evidence relating to microbiome-mediated modulation of senescent cells, as well as senescent cells-mediated changes in intestinal homeostasis have been discussed. Unanswered questions and future research directions have also been deliberated to truly ascertain the relationship of the gut microbiome and cellular senescence for developing microbiome-based age-delaying and longevity promoting therapies.

The ability to express and recognize emotion via facial expressions is well known to change with age. The present study investigated the differences in the facial recognition and facial expression of the elderly (n = 57) and the young (n = 115) and measure how each group uses different facial muscles for each emotion with Facial Action Coding System (FACS). In facial recognition task, the elderly did not recognize facial expressions better than young people and reported stronger feelings of fear and sad from photographs. In making facial expression task, the elderly rated all their facial expressions as stronger than the younger, but in fact, they expressed strong expressions in fear and anger. Furthermore, the elderly used more muscles in the lower face when making facial expressions than younger people. These results help to understand better how the facial recognition and expression of the elderly change, and show that the elderly do not effectively execute the top-down processing concerning facial expression.

The recent COVID-19 outbreak in China led to a worldwide pandemic associated with a severe acute respiratory illness. A higher incidence of COVID-19 infection was demonstrated in cancer patients, including patients with lung cancer. This study was conducted to get insights into the reasons for this enhanced frequency of COVID-19 infection. Methods: Using different bioinformatic tools, the expression and methylation pattern of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 gene were analyzed in healthy and malignant tissues with a focus on lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and correlated to clinical parameters and smoking history. Results: ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were heterogeneously expressed across 36 healthy tissues with the highest expression in digestive, urinary and reproductive organs, while their expression was significantly lower in 36 cancer tissues. In LUAD, ACE2, but not TMPRSS2 was overexpressed, which inversely correlated to the promoter methylation. An age-dependent upregulation of ACE2 expression was found in LUAD compared to normal lung tissues. In a healthy lung, TMPRSS2 expression was dependent on sex and smoking history and downregulated in LUAD of smokers. Cancer progression was associated with decreased TMPRSS2, but unaltered ACE2 expression, while ACE2 expression in lung metastases of different cancers was higher than in metastasis of other sites. TMPRSS2, but not ACE2 expression, was associated with LUAD patients’ survival. Conclusions: Comprehensive molecular analyses revealed a heterogeneous, distinct expression and methylation profile of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in healthy lung vs LUAD tissues across sex, age and smoking history, which is associated with clinical parameters and might have implications for COVID-19 disease.

Collagen type I production decreases with aging, leading to wrinkles and impaired skin function. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a lipid-derived signaling molecule produced from arachidonic acid by cyclo-oxygenase, inhibits collagen production and induces matrix metallopeptidase 1 (MMP1) expression by fibroblasts in vitro. PGE2-induced collagen expression inhibition and MMP1 promotion are aging mechanisms. This study investigated the role of E-prostanoid 1 (EP1) in PGE2 signaling in normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs). When EP1 expression was inhibited by EP1 small interfering RNA (siRNA), there were no significant changes in messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of collagen, type I, alpha 1 (COL1A1)/MMP1 between siRNA-transfected NHDFs and siRNA-transfected NHDFs with PGE2. This result showed that EP1 is a PGE2 receptor. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation after PGE2 treatment significantly increased by ~2.5 times. In addition, PGE2 treatment increased the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration in NHDFs. These results indicated that PGE2 is directly associated with EP1 pathway–regulated ERK1/2 and inositol trisphosphate (IP₃) signaling in NHDFs.

Eye movements support memory encoding by binding distinct elements of the visual world into coherent representations. However, the role of eye movements in memory retrieval is less clear. We propose that eye movements play a functional role in retrieval by reinstating the encoding context. By overtly shifting attention in a manner that broadly recapitulates the spatial locations and temporal order of encoded content, eye movements facilitate access to, and reactivation of, associated details. Such mnemonic gaze reinstatement may be obligatorily recruited when task demands exceed cognitive resources, as is often observed in older adults. We review research linking gaze reinstatement to retrieval, describe the neural integration between the oculomotor and memory systems, and discuss implications for models of oculomotor control, memory, and aging.

The results of this study offer a potential to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the falls in the elderly. The results were recorded for a group of 27 women in a control group (CON) and 16 women in an experimental group (EXP), aged 60-70. Participants took part in the six-weeks Elderly Recreation Movement Program (ERMP) with the difference, that the EXP group practiced twice as often as the CON group. The measurement of variations in the index called limits of stability (LOS) was performed by application of Kistler force plate and the coactivation index (CI) was registered by means of sEMG. The results demonstrate the existence of statistically significant differences in terms of the principal outcome of the exercise time in the measurements of LOS (F (1.42) = 10.0, p = 0.003), and CI (F (1.42) = 10.5, p = 0.002). The effect of the program was associated with an increase the level of the maximum LOS, and a decrease of the CI level, especially in the experimental group. Hence, the implementation of an innovative ERMP exercise program results in the improvement of the physical capabilities of senior subjects and a reduction of the risk of falls.

There is scientific consensus that organismal aging did not evolve by natural selection (NS) because it lacks individual benefit. Nonetheless it exists, leading to much speculation about its origins, and when the diminishing force of selection begins. Both concepts are based upon two misconceptions; that aging occurs in and of itself and is caused by the declining strength of NS during the reproductive lifespan. Although lacking individual benefit, aging evolved by NS as a tradeoff of survival for reproduction. Based upon regulatory dynamics that participate in this tradeoff, aging begins once reproductive success has been achieved through offspring nurturing. Thereafter, the strength of NS wanes to exponentially accelerate aging, leading to death. Assumptions of the theory are that: (1) a life-long, “holistic” regulatory mechanism whose genic expression is modified epigenetically, originates in ontogenesis; (2) the regulatory mechanism of the last developmental stage becomes redundantly expressed during “morphostasis”, a non-aging, life interval of peak vitality to ensure completion of reproduction through nurturing, and (3) thereafter, loss of regulatory redundancy causes aging which reduces the strength of natural selection and allows accumulation of randomly occurring somatic damage.

The aim was to determine the effect of Sechium edule var. nigrum spinosum (chayote) on gene ex-pression related to antioxidant protection mechanisms and the inflammatory process in older adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS). A quasi-experimental study was carried out in a con-venience sample of 46 older adults diagnosed with MetS: (i) placebo group (PG; n=20), (ii) ex-perimental group (EG; n=26). Clinical, biochemical, and anthropometric parameters, SOD, GPx, and CAT enzyme activity, total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), oxidative stress index (OSI), cytokines (IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α) and mRNA expression of (SOD, GPx, CAT, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, Nrf2, NFkB p50 and NFkB p65), were measured at baseline and 6 months post-intervention. A statistically significant decrease was observed in TOS (baseline, 28.9 ± 3.6 vs. post, 23.7 ± 3.4, p < 0.01) and OSI (baseline, 24.1 ± 3.8 vs. post, 17.7 ± 4). As well as the increase in IL-6 (baseline, 10.7 ± 1.1 vs. post, 12.3 ± 2, p = 0.03), SOD activity (baseline, 167.1 ± 11.9 vs. post, 180.6 ± 7.6, p < 0.05), CAT activity (baseline, 1.0 ± 0.2 vs. post, 1.3 ± 0.2, p < 0.01) and TAS (baseline, 1.1 ± 0.1 vs. post, 1.4 ± 0.1, p < 0.01) in the EG compared to the PG. Regarding the expression of Nrf2, SOD and IL-6, the EG showed a significant increase vs basal levels (47%, 44% and 43%, re-spectively). Our findings suggest that Sechium edule supplementation promotes the antioxidant response and decreases oxidative stress via Nrf2.

The United Nations Organization in its agenda for 2023 approved Health and Well-being as one of the objectives of sustainable development, in this sense, Higher Education Insti-tutions contribute with interventions to improve each human process that generates a healthy life. In Latin America as well as in European countries, studies have been con-ducted to observe psychological well-being at this stage of life. The present study analyzes in a longitudinal way the psychological well-being in three times in people who attend group dynamics programs. The sample is 668 participants, with an age range between 65 and 80 years. The sample has been distributed in two analysis groups controlling for gender and age: group 1 (with group dynamics) and group 2 (without group dynamics). The Spanish adaptation of Ryff's (2006) Psychological Well-being scale α= 0.87 was ap-plied to both groups. The scale is composed of six dimensions of psychological well-being (self-acceptance, positive relationships, autonomy, mastery of the environment, purpose in life and personal growth). Statistical analyses showed significant differences between the two groups: greater psychological well-being and differences in the dimensions of positive relationships and personal growth in group 1. In addition, logistic regression analysis was carried out to test the predictive capacity of psychological well-being by the existence or not of group dynamics, with significant results in several dimensions. With the results obtained, we can conclude that group dynamics have a relevant role in con-tributing to the development of better levels of psychological well-being of the elderly with longitudinal increase in time. Future studies should be aimed at evaluating the value of group dynamics in the way of successful aging.

Seeds stored for a prolonged period are subject to aging and reduction in germination potential (GP), which will negatively affect seed sales. Rare-earth elements have a synergistic effect on the improvement of seed GP. In this study, we examined the effects of neodymium on biochemical components, the antioxidant protective system, and metabolism-related enzymes during germination of naturally and artificially aged seeds of three wheat cultivars. Seed germination indices, biochemical substance contents, and enzyme activities decreased after seed aging. Soaking seeds in neodymium nitrate solution revived aged wheat seeds at an optimal concentration of 20 µmol/L for 8 h. Soaking in neodymium nitrate solution increased the GP (by 2.25%–60.9%), germination index (by 1.69%–29.2%), and vigor index (by 3.36%–18.7%) of aged seeds. Compared with non-soaked seeds, soaking significantly changed the contents of biochemical substances, and the activities of antioxidant protective enzymes and metabolic enzymes in seedlings were increased. Soaking with neodymium may revive aged seeds by regulating the synthesis of soluble sugars, soluble proteins, chlorophyll, and carotenoids, and decomposing malondialdehyde, in the germinating seed. Root dehydrogenase and amylase showed different responses to the aging modes. The differential responses of root dehydrogenase and amylase may reflect differences in the resistance of enzymes to long-term mild seed aging and short-term severe environmental aging.

Age-related changes in behavior and sensory perception have been observed in a wide variety of animal species. In ants and other eusocial insects, workers often progress through an ordered sequence of olfactory-driven behavioral tasks. Notably, these behaviors are plastic, and workers adapt and rapidly switch tasks in response to changing environmental conditions. In the Florida carpenter ant, smaller minors typically perform most of the work needed to maintain the colony while the larger majors are specialized for nest defense and rarely engage in these routine tasks. Here, we investigate the effects of age and task group on olfactory responses to a series of odorant blends in minor and major worker castes. Consistent with their respective roles within the colony, we observed significant age-associated shifts in the olfactory responses of minors as they transitioned between behavioral states, whereas the responses of majors remained consistently low regardless of age. Furthermore, we identified a unitary compound, 3-methylindole, which elicited significantly higher responses and behavioral aversion in minor nurses than in similarly aged foragers suggesting that this compound may play an important role in brood care. Taken together, our results suggest that age- and task-associated shifts in olfactory physiology may play a critical role in the social organization of ant colonies.

It is widely reported that the mitochondrial membrane potential, ∆Ψm, is reduced in aging animals. It was recently suggested that the lower ∆Ψm in aged animals modulate mitochondrial bioenergetics and that this effect is a major cause of aging since artificially increased ∆Ψm in C. elegans increased lifespan. Here I review, critically, studies that reported reduction of ∆Ψm in aged animals, including worms, and conclude that many of these observations are best interpreted as evidence that the fraction of depolarized mitochondria is increased in aged cells because of the enhanced activation of the mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore, mPTP. Activation of the voltage-gated mPTP depolarizes the mitochondria, inhibits oxidative phosphorylation, releases large amounts of calcium and mROS, and depletes cellular NAD+, thus accelerating degenerative diseases and aging. Since the inhibition of mPTP was shown to restore ∆Ψm and retard aging, the reported lifespan extension by artificially generated ∆Ψm in C. elegans is best explained by inhibition of the voltage-gated mPTP. Similarly, the reported activation of the mitochondrial Unfolded Protein Response by reduction of ∆Ψm, and the reported preservation of ∆Ψm in dietary restriction treatment in C. elegans are best explained as a resulting from activation or inhibition of the voltage-gated mPTP, respectively.

Sarcopenia becomes more common with age, being most prevalent among elderly individuals. According to the EWGSOP, muscle mass is one of the criteria for the evaluation of sarcopenia. The main methods for evaluating muscle mass are CT, MRI, and DXA, but these methods are difficult to apply in the field due to equipment costs, radioactivity, and lack of portability. BIVA and PhA are alternative approaches for assessing somatic cell mass and volume and do not require predictive equations. These variables are clinically relevant parameters that indicate cell health, especially cell membrane integrity and cell function. This study in sarcopenic and nonsarcopenic elderly volunteers aimed to determine the BIVA distribution pattern among individual sarcopenia patients; to evaluate the relationship between PhA and muscle strength, muscle quality, and physical function; and to find any correlates of PhA. The sample comprised 134 free-living elderly individuals of both sexes aged 69–91 years. Anthropometric parameters, grip strength, DXA findings, BIA results, and physical performance (the 6-meter walk test) were measured. Impedance vector distributions were evaluated in sarcopenia patients and healthy elderly individuals using BIVA. According to the AWGS criteria, sarcopenia was diagnosed according to DXA findings, grip strength and physical performance test results. Group differences were evaluated using the t test, Mann‒Whitney U test, and Hotelling's T2 test. Correlation analysis was performed to identify variables significantly associated with PhA. Linear regression analysis was performed to determine whether PhA was associated with muscle strength, muscle quality and physical function. BIVA detected a significant difference between the sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups (both sexes) due to higher R/H values and lower phase angles in a few individuals, whereas Xc/Ht values did not differ between the two groups. The sarcopenia group had a significantly lower PhA than the non-sarcopenia group among both males (p&lt;0.01) and females (p&lt;0.05). PhA was significantly correlated with age, ASM, HGS, and muscle quality in both sexes and significantly correlated with ASM/Ht2 and physical performance in males. PhA was a significant indicator of muscle strength in both males (β = 2.6; p&lt;0.01) and females (β = 3.4; p&lt;0.01), a significant indicator of muscle quality in both males (β = 0.07; p&lt;0.05) and females (β = 0.17; p&lt;0.01), and a significant indicator of physical performance in males (β = 0.3; p&lt;0.01). BIVA can detect changes in muscle mass in individuals with sarcopenia and is a practical method for the assessment of sarcopenia in the field. PhA is a good indicator of muscle strength, muscle quality and physical performance (in males). These methods can help diagnose sarcopenia in elderly individuals with reduced mobility.

The problem of increasing life expectancy is solved with the help of many medical and social areas. It has been established that piRNAs and miRNAs can significantly modify the expression of protein-coding genes by suppressing the translation process. The aim of this work was to establish the possibility of binding piRNAs and miRNAs with mRNA of the KLOTHO and FGF23 genes, which promote health and increase life expectancy through participation in key metabolic processes. We used the MirTarget program, which determines the quantitative characteristics of complementary interactions of all piRNAs and miRNAs nucleotides with mRNA of the genes. piR-44682, piR-1940042, piR-3008660, piR-3215034, piR-6885965, piR-7980636 and one miRNA (ID00756.3p-miR) binding to the mRNA of the KLOTHO gene were found in one cluster of binding sites (BSs). piRNA-6890096 interacted with the mRNA of KLOTHO gene in a fully complementary manner using only canonical nucleotides. Among 17494 human genes, target genes interacting with five piRNAs that bind to the mRNA of KLOTHO gene were identified. mRNA of the AFF2, BCL2L11, CPT1A, DAZAP1, NDRG3, SKIDA1, WBP4, ZIC5, ZSWIM6 genes interacted with piR-3215034 and piR-6885965, which formed clusters of BSs located in 5'UTR, CDS and 3'UTR. The piR-576442, piR-1501557, piR-1845735, piR-2069834, and piR-3029987 had BSs in the mRNAs of the FGF23 gene, located only in the 3'UTR. It is proposed to use piRNAs and miRNAs as regulators of the expression of KLOTHO and FGF23 anti-aging genes.

Understanding the spatial distribution pattern and evolution characteristics of the elderly population in urban areas is of great significance for the development of urban planning and the implementation of public management policies in the context of rapid aging. Accurately identifying the spatial distribution and evolution characteristics of the elderly population in the city requires a comprehensive analysis of multiple indicators and large-scale data. Taking Wuhan city as an example, this article measures the spatial distribution characteristics and evolution trend of the elderly population from 2000 to 2020 at the street/township level, based on the fifth, sixth, and seventh census data, using methods such as kernel density hotspot detection, spatial clustering analysis, and standard deviation ellipse analysis. The results show that: ① there are significant differences in the aging spatial pattern between the central area and the suburban areas of Wuhan; ② overall, Wuhan's aging rate shows a typical "core-periphery" growth mode in space, while the density of the elderly population has significant spatial aggregation characteristics and shows an evolution trend of "centralized concentration, peripheral outliers, axial development, and near-field growth"; ③the center of gravity of the elderly population remains relatively stable over time.

Caseinolytic peptidase P (CLPP) plays a central role in mitochondrial unfolded protein response (mtUPR) by promoting the breakdown of misfolded proteins and setting in motion a cascade of reactions to re-establish protein homeostasis. Global germline deletion of Clpp in mice results in female infertility and accelerated follicular depletion. Telomeres, on the other hand, are tandem repeats of 5’-TTAGGG-3’ sequences found at the ends of the chromosomes. Telomeres are essential for maintaining chromosome stability during somatic cell division and their shortening is associated with cellular senescence and aging. In this study, we asked whether the infertility and ovarian aging phenotype caused by global germline deletion of Clpp is associated with somatic aging, and tested telomere length in tissues of young and aging mice. We found that impaired mtUPR caused by the lack of CLPP is associated with accelerated telomere shortening in both oocytes and somatic cells of aging mice. In addition, expression of several genes that maintain telomere integrity were decreased, and double strand DNA breaks were increased in telomeric regions. Our results highlight how impaired mtUPR can affect telomere integrity and demonstrate a link between loss of mitochondrial protein hemostasis, infertility, and somatic aging.

The ever deepening population aging has brought opportunities and challenges to the continued expansion of tourism consumption in China. In this article, the impact of population aging on household tourism consumption was studied from both theoretical and empirical aspects. First, the micro mechanisms of the impact of population aging on household tourism consumption were analyzed, which include economic condition mechanism, intergenerational care mechanism, health status mechanism and Internet use mechanism. Subsequently, the impact of population aging on household tourism consumption and its impact mechanisms were tested, and the heterogeneity analysis was conducted, by using the data of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2014, 2016 and 2018. The main conclusions of the article are as follows: (1) Population aging has a significant negative impact on household tourism consumption, and a series of robustness test results such as endogenous treatment support this finding. (2) The results of the impact mechanism test show that population aging has a negative mediating effect on household tourism consumption by reducing household economic conditions. The moderating effect of intergenerational care on the effect of population aging on household tourism consumption is insignificant. Health status of the elderly and Internet use have a significant positive moderating effect on the impact of population aging on household tourism consumption. (3) The results of the heterogeneity analysis show that the negative impact of population aging on household tourism consumption in urban areas is greater than that in rural areas, and the negative impact of population aging on household tourism consumption of families with the old-old elderly is greater than that of falimies with the young-old elderly. The conclusions of this article provide important references for activating tourism consumption in China in the context of population aging.

The restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic left many older adults isolated and confined. Under active aging theory, self-management is crucial for well-being among older adults coping with aging. The current study examines how (a) initial self-management, and (b) changes in self-management due to independent physical training, affect psychological outcomes in a sample of care home residents following outbreak of the pandemic. 64 older adults (53 females, 11 males), mean age is 82.23, reported on their self-management abilities, then embarked on six months of training in chair exercises (one session per week). The training exercises were halted after 22 sessions due to the pandemic, but some residents continued to practice independently. Eight weeks after the outbreak of the pandemic, residents who had continued to practice at least once per week (n = 35) and those who had not continued to practice (n = 29) were questioned again about their self-management, and about five psychological outcomes: anxiety, traumatic stress, satis-faction, general mood, and post-traumatic growth (PTG). Self-management improved among older adults who independently practiced the exercises, and declined among those who did not. Pre-pandemic self-management significantly predicted post-outbreak traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, general mood, and satisfaction with life, but not PTG. However, the difference in self-management between the pre-pandemic and post-outbreak measures was associated with PTG, and made a unique contribution to prediction of the other effects. Self-management abilities among older adults can be seen as a protective factor against adverse psychological outcomes at times of trauma. Further, the improvement in self-management among older adults who independently practiced physical excises made a unique contribution beyond initial self-management abilities.

The circadian clock regulates daily changes in behavioral, endocrine and metabolic activities in mammals. Circadian rhythms in cellular physiology are significantly affected by aging. In particular, we previously found that aging has profound impact on daily rhythms in mitochondrial functions, leading to increased oxidative stress. However, this is unlikely due to malfunction of molecular clocks in the suprachiasmatic nucleus or peripheral tissues, as robust clock oscillations are observed therein in old animals. Nonetheless, aging induces changes in gene expression levels and rhythms in various peripheral and probably central tissues. In this article, we review findings on the roles of the circadian clock and aging in regulating mitochondrial rhythms and redox homeostasis. Chronic sterile inflammation is implicated in mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress during aging. In particular, upregulation of CD38 by inflammatory response can disturb mitochondrial functions in multiple ways.

mTORC1 regulates mammalian cell metabolism and growth, in response to diverse environmental stimuli. Nutrient signals control the localization of mTORC1 onto lysosome-surface scaffolds that are critically implicated in its amino acid-dependent activation. Arginine, Leucine and S-Adenosyl-Methionine (SAM) can serve as major mTORC1-signaling activators, with SAM binding to SAMTOR (SAM + TOR), a fundamental SAM sensor, abolishing protein’s (SAMTOR’s) inhibitory action(s) against mTORC1, thereby releasing its (mTORC1) kinase activity. Given the lack of knowledge regarding the role of SAMTOR in invertebrates, we have, in silico, identified the Drosophila SAMTOR homologue (dSAMTOR) and have, herein, genetically targeted it, through utilization of the GAL4/UAS transgenic tool. Survival profiles and negative geotaxis patterns were examined both in control and dSAMTOR-downregulated adult flies, during aging. One of the two gene-targeted schemes resulted in lethal phenotypes, whereas the other one caused rather moderate pathologies in most tissues. Screening of head-specific kinase activities, via PamGene technology application, unveiled the significant upregulation of several kinases, including the dTORC1 characteristic substrate, dp70S6K, in dSAMTOR-downregulated flies, thus strongly supporting the inhibitory dSAMTOR function(s) upon dTORC1/dp70S6K signaling axis in Drosophila-brain settings. Importantly, genetic targeting of the Drosophila BHMT -bioinformatics- counterpart (dBHMT), an enzyme that catabolizes Betaine to produce Methionine (the SAM precursor), led to severe compromises in fly longevities, with glia-, motor neuron- and muscle-specific dBHMT downregulations exhibiting the strongest effects. Abnormalities in wing-vein architectures were also detected in dBHMT-targeted flies, thereby justifying their notably reduced negative geotaxis capacities, herein, observed, mainly in the brain-(mid)gut axis. In vivo adult-fly exposure to clinically relevant doses of Methionine revealed the mechanistic synergism of decreased dSAMTOR and increased Methionine levels in pathogenic longevity, thus rendering (d)SAMTOR an important component in Methionine-associated disorders, including Homocystinuria(s).

A thermal-oxidative aging test at 120°C was condutcted on Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) vulcanizates of the semi-efficient vulcanization system. The effect of thermal-oxidative aging on EPDM vulcanizates was systematically studied by curing kinetics, aging coefficient, cross-linking density, macroscopic physical properties, contact angle, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and thermal decomposition kinetics. The results show that the content of hydroxyl and carbonyl groups as well as the carbonyl index increased with increasing aging time, indicating that EPDM vulcanizates are gradually oxidized and degraded. As a result, the EPDM vulcanized rubber chains were cross-linked, and its conformational transformation was limited and its flexibility was weakened. The thermogravimetric analysis demonstrates the thermal degradation of EPDM vulcanizates had competitive reactions of cross-linking and degradation, and the thermal decomposition curve can be divided into three stages, meanwhile the thermal stability of EPDM vulcanizates gradually decreases with the increase of aging time. The introduction of antioxidant in the system can promote the cross-linking speed and reduce the cross-linking density of EPDM vulcanizates, while inhibiting the surface thermal and oxygen aging reaction. This is attributed to the fact that the antioxidant can reduce the thermal degradation reaction level, but it is not conducive to the formation of a perfect crosslinking network structure and reduce the activation energy of thermal degradation of the main chain.

Physicists have employed various approaches to solve the “paradox” and offered a consistent conclusion that the traveller twin is younger than the homebody twin. However, some authors attribute the cause of differential aging to acceleration, while others believe that acceleration should not be regarded as the source of differential aging, but frame switch is. So far there is no agreement on this issue. Actually, acceleration and frame switch should not be regarded as the source of differential aging. The author will introduce a thought experiment in which two very long spacecraft are moving in opposite directions at a speed close to the speed of light to discuss the real cause of differential aging. The author found that the real cause of differential aging in the twin “paradox” is because of the asymmetry of destination choice. People always choose their destinations in the universe rather than in spacecraft. The destinations are always stationary relative to the homebody twin and moving relative to the traveller twin. Once we choose a destination in a reference frame, the distance is the proper length in this reference frame, but the distance will contract in another moving reference frame, thus the recording time will be shorter.

Energy metabolism, including alterations in energy intake and expenditure, is closely related to aging and longevity. Metabolomics studies have recently unraveled changes in metabolite composition in plasma and tissues during aging and have provided critical information to elucidate the molecular basis of aging process. However, the metabolic changes in tissues responsible for food intake and lipid storage have remained unexplored. In this study, we aimed to investigate aging-related metabolic alterations in these tissues. To fill this gap, we employed NMR-based metabolomics in several tissues, including different parts of the intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum) and brown/white adipose tissues (BAT, WAT) of young (9-10 weeks) and old (96-104 weeks) wild-type (mixed genetic background of 129/J and C57BL/6) mice. We further included plasma and skeletal muscle of the same mice to verify previous results. Strikingly, we found that duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and WAT do not metabolically age. In contrast, plasma, skeletal muscle, and BAT show a strong metabolic aging phenotype. Overall, we provide first insights into the metabolic changes of tissues essential for nutrient uptake and lipid storage and have identified biomarkers for metabolites that could be further explored to study the molecular mechanisms of aging.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an essential molecule involved in various metabolic reactions, acting as an electron donor in the electron transport chain and as a co-factor for NAD+-dependent enzymes. In the early 2000s, reports that NAD+ declines with aging introduced the notion that NAD+ metabolism is globally and progressively impaired with time. Since then, NAD+ became an attractive target for potential pharmacological therapies aiming to boost NAD+ levels to promote vitality and protect against age-related diseases. This review summarizes and discusses a collection of studies that report the levels of NAD+ with aging in different species (i.e., yeast, C. elegans, rat, mouse, monkey, and human) to determine whether the notion that overall NAD+ levels decrease with aging stands true. We find that despite systematic claims of overall changes in NAD+ levels with aging, the evidence to support it is very limited and often restricted to a single tissue or cell type. This is particularly true in humans, where the development of NAD+ levels during aging is still poorly characterized. There is a need for much larger, preferably longitudinal, studies aimed to assess how NAD+ levels develop with aging in various tissues. This will strengthen our conclusions on NAD+ during aging and should provide a foundation for better pharmacological targeting of relevant tissues.

Many cognitive functions face a decline in the healthy elderly. Within the cognitive domains, both attentional processes and executive functions are impaired with aging. Attention includes three attentional networks, i.e., alerting, orienting, and executive control that showed a hemispheric lateralized pattern in adults. This lateralized pattern could have a role in modulating the efficiency of attentional networks. For these reasons could be relevant to analyze the age-related change of hemispheric specialization of attentional networks. This study aims to clarify this aspect with a lateralized version of the ANTI-Fruit. One hundred sixty-seven participants took part in this study. They are divided in three age groups: early adulthood (N=57; Range: 20-30); late adulthood (N=57; Range 31-64) and elderly/older people (N=57; Range: 65-87). Results confirm the previous outcomes on the efficiency and interactions among attentional networks. Moreover, an age-related generalized slowness was evidenced. These findings also support the hypothesis of a hemispheric asymmetry reduction in elderly/older adults. This pattern could partially explain the decrease in attentional functioning in elderly/older age.

Small RNAs are essential for the coordination of many cellular processes, including the regulation of gene expression patterns, the prevention of genomic instability, and the suppression of mutagenic transposon activity. These processes determine aging, longevity, and sensitivity of cells and an organism to stress factors (particularly, ionizing radiation). The biogenesis and activity of small RNAs are provided by proteins of the Argonaute family. These proteins participate in the processing of small RNA precursors and the formation of an RNA-induced silencing complex. However, the role of Argonaute proteins in the regulation of lifespan and radioresistance remains poorly explored. We studied the effect of knockdown of Argonaute genes (AGO1, AGO2, AGO3, piwi) in various tissues on the Drosophila melanogaster lifespan and survival after the γ-irradiation at a dose of 700 Gy. In most cases, these parameters were reduced or did not change significantly in flies with tissue-specific RNA interference. Surprisingly, piwi knockdown in both the fat body and the nervous system caused a lifespan increase. But changes in radioresistance depended on the tissue in which the gene was knocked out. In addition, analysis of changes in retrotransposon levels and expression of stress response genes allowed us to determine associated molecular mechanisms.

Environmental factors as maternal high-fat diet (HFD) intake can increase the risk of age-related cognitive decline in adult offspring. The epigenetic mechanisms are a possible link between diet effect and neurodegeneration across generations. Here, we found a significant decrease in triglyceride levels in a high-fat diet with resveratrol HFD+RV group and the offspring. Firstly, we obtained better cognitive performance in HFD+RV groups and their offspring. Molecularly, a significant increase in 5-mC levels, as well as increased gene expression of Dnmt1 and Dnmt3a in HFD+RV F1 group, were found. Furthermore, a significantly increased of m6A levels in HFD+RV F1 were found, and there were changes in gene expression of its enzymes (Mettl3 and Fto). Moreover, we found a decrease in gene expression levels of pro-inflammatory markers such as Il1-β, Il-6, Tnf-α, Cxcl-10, Mcp-1 and Tgf-β1 in HFD+RV and HFD+RV F1 groups. Moreover, there was increased gene expression of neurotrophins such as Ngf and Nt3 and its receptors TrkA and TrkB. Likewise, an increase in protein levels of BDNF and p-Akt in HFD+RV F1 was found. These results suggest that maternal RV supplementation under HFD intake prevents cognitive decline in SAMP8 adult offspring, promoting a reduction in triglycerides and leptin plasma levels, changes in the pro-inflammatory profile, restoring the epigenetic landscape as well as synaptic plasticity.

The extrinsic and intrinsic factors are essential in glioma initiation. Many extrinsic factors (UV, radiation, food, etc.) and intrinsic factors (proteins, hormones, ageing, DNA and RNA damages, etc.) was reported to being responsible for glioma initiation and progression. However, the cell responsible for glioma origin is still unknown. Many research papers have reported that glioma stem cells, senescent cells, injured cells, and death neurons are the cells of glioma origin. However, gene mutation and oncogene protein overexpression doesn’t occur only in cancer but during life evolution. The source of genetic mutations has become a fundamental issue in understanding its role in the initiation of glioma. The glioma is the precise coordination of several distant factors that work together in the initiation and development of glioma. However, the role and effects of the genes (GDNF and SOX1) on cancer cells are well known, but their gene mutation origin is controversial. Several models and theories have been proposed to explain the origins of GDNF and SOX1 genetic mutations and epigenetic modification related to cancer. Our aim in this review is to clear that incertitude about glioma origin (gene mutation and epigenetic modifications) and those factors involved in glioma initiation and recurrence.

The application of Virtual Reality in a driving simulation is not novel, yet little is known about the use of this technology by senior populations. The effects of age, sex, control device (joystick or handlebar), and task type on wayfinding proficiency using a virtual reality (VR) driving simulation were explored. The driving experimental model involved 96 randomly recruited participants, including 48 young people and 48 seniors (split evenly by gender in each group). The experimental results and statistical analyses indicate that in a VR driving scenario task type significantly affected VR driving performance. Navigational scores were significantly higher for the straight (easy) task than for the curved (difficult) task. The aging effect was the main reason for significant and interacting effects of sex and control device. It was found that interactions between age and sex difference indicated that the young group exhibited better wayfinding performance than the senior group, and in the young group males had better performance than females. Similarly, interactions between age and control device indicated that the handlebar control device type resulted in better performance than the joystick device in the young group, but no difference was found in the senior group due to age or learning effects. Findings provide an understanding of the evaluation of the interface designs of navigational support systems, taking into consideration any effects of age, sex, control device, and task type within three-dimensional VR games and driving systems. With a VR driving simulator, seniors can test drive inaccessible products, such as electric bicycles or cars, using a computer at home.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been extensively used for the nanoscale characterization of polymeric materials. The coupling of AFM with infrared spectroscope (AFM-IR) provides another advantage to the chemical analyses and thus helps to shed light upon the study of polymers. In this perspective paper, we review recent progress in the use of AFM-IR in polymer science. We describe first the principle of AFM-IR and the recent improvements to enhance its resolution. We discuss then the last progress in the use of AFM-IR as a super-resolution correlated scanned-probe IR spectroscopy for chemical characterization of polymer materials dealing with polymer composites, polymer blends, multilayers and biopolymers. To highlight the advantages of AFM-IR, we report here several results in studying crystallization of both miscible and immiscible blends as well as polymer aging. Then, we demonstrate how this novel technique can be used to determine phase separation, spherulitic structure and crystallization mechanisms at the nanoscale, which have never been achieved before. The review also discusses future trends in the use of AFM-IR in polymer materials, especially in polymer thin film investigation.

Cognitive impairment and sarcopenia may share common risk factors and pathophysiological pathways. This study was performed to examine the association between impairments in specific cognitive domains and sarcopenia (and its defining components) in a large group of community-dwelling older adults. Cross-sectional analysis was performed on the baseline data of 3,014 adults aged 70–84 years enrolled in the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS). The final analysis included 1,887 adults underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and cognitive function assessments. Those with disability in activities of daily living, dementia, severe cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s disease, musculoskeletal complaints, neurological disorders, or who were illiterate were excluded. Cognitive function was assessed using the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Packet, the Frontal Assessment Battery. For sarcopenia, we used the diagnostic criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 9.6% for men and 7.6% for women. Sarcopenia (odds ratio [OR] 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–2.99) and slow gait speed (OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.34–4.99) were associated with cognitive impairment in men. Only slow gait speed (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.05–3.36) was associated with cognitive impairment in women. Sarcopenia is associated with cognitive impairment mainly due to slow gait speed. Our results suggested that cognitive impairment domains, such as processing speed and executive function, are associated with sarcopenia-related slow gait speed.

During the last decade, essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) derived from marine sources have been investigated as nonpharmacological dietary supplements to improve different pathological conditions, as well as aging. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of dietary n-3 PUFA monoacylglycerides (MAG, both EPA and DHA) on the mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative stress of a short-lifespan model, Drosophila melanogaster, sampled at five different ages. Our results showed that diets supplemented with MAG-EPA and MAG-DHA increased median lifespan by 14.6% and decreased mitochondrial proton leak resulting in an increase of mitochondrial coupling. The flies fed on MAG-EPA also had higher electron transport system capacity and mitochondrial oxidative capacities. Moreover, both n-3 PUFAs delayed the occurrence of lipid peroxidation, but only flies fed the MAG-EPA diet showed maintenance of superoxide dismutase activity during aging. Our study therefore highlights the potential of n-3 PUFA monoacylglycerides as nutraceutical compounds to delay the onset of senescence by acting directly or indirectly on the mitochondrial metabolism, and suggests that Drosophila could be a relevant model for the study of the fundamental mechanisms linking the effects of n-3 PUFAs to aging.

We have experimentally analyzed multi-azimuth degradation mechanisms that govern failures of commercially-available high-power (1 Watt) phosphor-coated white (hppc-W) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) covered with peanut-shaped lens under three current-stress aging (CSA) conditions. Comprehensive analyses focus on photometric, chromatic, electrical, thermal, and packaging characteristics. At the packaging level, (a) the decrease of the phosphor-conversion efficiency, (b) the yellow-browning of the optical lens, and (c) the darkening of the silver-coated reflective layer deposited with extraneous chemical elements (e.g., C, O, Si, Mg, and Cu, respectively) contribute collectively to the integral degradation of the optical power. By contrast, Ohmic contacts, thermal properties, and angles of maximum intensity remain unchanged after 3840 h aging in three cases. Particularly at the chip level, the formation of point defects increases the number of non-radiative recombination centers, and thus decreases the optical power during aging stages. Nevertheless, in view of the change of the ideality factor, the dopant activation and the annealing effect facilitate the increase of the optical power in two specific aging stages (192 h∼384 h and 768 h∼1536 h), respectively. This work offers a systematic guidance for the development of reliable LED-based light sources in general-lighting areas.

Inadequate protein intake can impair protein balance and lead to skeletal muscle atrophy, impaired body growth, and functional decline. Foods provide both non-essential (NEAAs) and essential amino acids (EAAs) that may convey different metabolic stimuli to specific organs and tissues. In this study, we sought to evaluate the impact of six diets with various EAA/NEAA blends on body composition and the risk of developing tissue wasting in late middle-aged male mice. Mice consuming NEAA-based diets, although showing increased food and calorie intake, suffered the most severe weight loss. Interestingly, even moderate NEAAs prevalence was able to induce inflammatory catabolic stimuli, generalized body wasting and systemic metabolic alterations. Complete depletion of retroperitoneal white adipose tissue and a severe loss (>75%) of brown adipose tissue were observed together with muscle wasting. Conversely, EAA-based diets induced significant decreases in weight by reducing primarily fat reserves, but improved clinical parameters. Tissue wasting was caused by altered AA quality, independent of reduced nitrogen or caloric intake. Our results indicate that an optimized balance of AA composition is necessary for preserving overall bodily energy status. These findings are particularly relevant in the context of aging and may be exploited for contrasting its negative correlates including body wasting.

Backgrounds Linear association has widely been assumed for prediction of aging-related fractional anisotropy (FA) decline in white matter of the brain. While useful for testing significance of the aging effect, it fails to identify a threshold age before and after which the age-FA association changes. Identification of such a threshold is often of clinical interest for timely intervention. Methods We employed a sigmoidal growth function to test a threshold effect in age triggering onset of cerebral decline in 21 white matter tracts, and compared its fitting performance to those of linear, and power regression. The study sample was a normal healthy cohort of 106 participants with ages in mid-life ranging from 18 to 60 years. Results Of the 21 white matter tracts analyzed, the posterior thalamic radiation showed better fit with sigmoidal curve model, compared to a linear or power regression. The estimated threshold age in years (95% confidence interval) were 47.2 (44.1-48.4). Conclusion While available evidence regarding the presence of a specific age threshold for cerebral decline in mid-life based on FA was limited, the posterior thalamic radiation exhibited a threshold age of 47.2. Beyond this age point, we observed a significant change in the FA risk pattern.