186,257 research outputs found
Lack of association between common polymorphisms associated with successful aging and longevity in the population of Sardinian Blue Zone
No full textMore than two decades ago, in the central-eastern region of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, a mountain area was identified where the population displays exceptional longevity, especially among men (the Longevity Blue Zone, LBZ). This community was thoroughly investigated to understand the underlying causes of the phenomenon. The present study analyzed 11 genetic markers previously associated with increased survival in several long-lived populations. APOE (rs429358 and rs7412), APOE promoter (rs449647, rs769446, and rs405509), ACE1 (rs1799752), IL6 ‒174G/C (rs1800795), TNFα ‒308G/A (rs1800629), FOXO3A (rs2802292), KLOTHO (rs9536314) and G6PD (rs5030868) polymorphisms were investigated. PCR-based genotyping was performed following genomic DNA extraction from 150 nonagenarians living in the LBZ and 150 controls from a nearby area. No significant deviation in the frequency of the analyzed markers was detected between the two subgroups except for a weak association with the − 174G > C gene variant in the IL-6 gene (p = 0.040), which codes for a major modulator of the inflammatory response. Overall, the findings of this study do not support a significant association of known genetic variants on survival in the population of the Sardinian LBZ, suggesting that other genetic or epigenetic traits not yet identified might play a role
Determinants of plasma aminothiols levels in renal transplant recipients
No full textElevated homocysteine (Hcys) plasma levels is a common finding in renal transplant recipients (RTRs) and may represent a risk factor for vascular disease in these subjects. Recently, an atherogenic role has also been hypotesized for Cysteine (Cys) a thiol-containing amino acid with a structure similar to Hcys. The aim of this study was to analyze 1) Hcys and Cys plasma levels in a group of stable RTRs; 2) the relationship among total Hcys and Cys, renal function and serum vitamin B12 and folate levels; 3) the influence of the 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms on both thiols.
Methods. One hundred-eight stable RTRs already evaluated for routine follow-up during 2000 were included in the study (56 men, 52 women, mean age 46.3 ± 11.9 years;) as well as 93 healthy control subjects [1]. Plasma Hcys and Cys were measured by HPLC with fluorescent detection. Plasma folate and vitamin B12 were measured by ion capture assay and microparticle enzyme immunoassay, respectively (Abbott AxSYM automatic analyzer). MTHFR C677T and A1298C gene polymorphisms were genotyped by PCR-RFLP.
Results. Hcys levels were slightly increased in RTRs compared to controls although not significantly (11.4±8.2 vs 8.9±5.4 μmol/L; p>.05) whereas Cys levels were significantly increased (273± 49 μmol/L vs 210 ± 35, p0.05) and vitamin B12 (r=-0.18; P>0.05). A significant correlation of Cys levels with the age of the patients (r=0.31;p<0.01) was observed in RTRs. Patients carrying the MTHFR 677TT genotype had significantly higher Hcys levels than those with other genotypes, although this difference disappeared when Hcys was adjusted for glomerular filtration rate. Cys levels were unaffected by either MTHFR polymorphisms.
Conclusions. The only strong determinant of plasma Hcys in RTRs is glomerular filtration rate whereas folate, vitamin B12 and MTHFR polymorphisms have a minor effect. Cys levels were increased in older patients but no association with renal function, vitamin levels or MTHFR genotype was found
Evolution of the dietary patterns across nutrition transition in the sardinian longevity blue zone and association with health indicators in the oldest old
No full textHealth and longevity in humans are influenced by numerous factors, including lifestyle and nutrition. However, the direct relationship between lifetime eating habits and functional capacity of the elderly is poorly understood. This study investigated the dietary changes across nutrition transition (NT) in the early 1960s, in a population located in the Sardinia island known for its longevity, dubbed as “Longevity Blue Zone” (LBZ), as well as the relationship between the dietary patterns and a panel of health indicators. A total of 150 oldest-old participants (89 women and 61 men, age range 90–101 years) living in the LBZ were recruited. Participants were interviewed using validated questionnaires to assess the consumption frequency of common food items, as well as the correlation with self-rated health, comorbidity, affective and cognitive level, physical mobility, disability and anthropometric parameters. Differences between subgroups were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test for independent samples or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired samples. Correlation analysis was performed by calculating the Spearman correlation coefficient, separately in males and females. Compared to the pre-NT epoch, the consumption of meat, olive oil and fresh fruit slightly increased, while the consumption of lard, legumes and vegetables decreased. A significant association was found between increased olive oil intake across NT and self-rated health (ρ = 0.519), mobility (ρ = 0.502), improved vision (ρ = −0.227) and hearing (ρ = −0.314); increased chicken meat intake and performance in activities of daily living (basic activities of daily living: ρ = 0.351; instrumental activities of daily living: ρ = 0.333). Instead, vegetable consumption showed low correlation with health indicators. A mild increase in meat intake, mostly pastured poultry, is associated with better physical performance in the Sardinian LBZ elders, suggesting that a supply of protein may have been crucial to maintaining adequate functional capacity
Effect of traditional Sardinian bread (“pistokku”) on post-prandial glucose and insulin response in subjects with normal or impaired glucose tolerance
No full textReview of “New Thinking in Complexity for the Social Sciences and Humanities”
No full textReview of the book: "New Thinking in Complexity for the Social Sciences and Humanities" written by Ton Jörg
Leptin Levels and Insulin Dependence in Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults
No full textLatent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is an autoimmune type of diabetes accounting for up to 10% of all cases of diabetes initially diagnosed as type 2 diabetes mellitus. It has been demonstrated that LADA patients with a lower body mass index (BMI) undergo a faster depletion of beta cell function and require insulin therapy earlier. In this study, we assayed a panel of adipokines (leptin, adiponectin, omentin, resistin, visfatin) and proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin 2, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor-α) in 71 LADA patients and tested the association with a number of clinical and immunological features. Among men, leptin was positively and significantly correlated with BMI and fat mass (r = 0.487 and r = 0.664, respectively), resistin was positively and significantly correlated with total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = 0.644 and r = 0.746, P < 0.0001) and with interleukin 2 (r = 0.688, P < 0.01). Omentin showed an inverse correlation with systolic blood pressure in women (r = -0.359, P < 0.001) and a positive correlation with interleukin 2 in both genders (r = 0.395, P < 0.01). The Cox regression analysis showed that leptin levels were inversely and significantly related with the risk of early insulin dependence. Higher leptin secretion may exert a direct effect on beta cell function leading to more insulin sensitivity
Does Mini Nutritional Assessment predict disability among elderly people?
No full textIntroduction: Nutritional status has been hypotesized to be a major predictor of functional ability in elderly people. Assessment of nutritional
status in clinical practice is obtained by the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire. However, the reliability of MNA
for predicting functional decline and disability in older persons needs further evidence. The aim of this study was to assess whether MNA
(30-items) in subjects aged 80 and over correlates with functional status measured by the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) score.
Methods:We recruited 562 Sardinian subjects (227 men, 335 women, aged 80 and older). Age, ADL, Body Mass Index (BMI), MNA, Mini-
Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were collected in each participant. The association of predictors with
disability was performed by multiple linear regression analysis with ADL as dependent variable.
Results: Mean value of ADL score was 4.12 ± 2.0. Mean value of MNA score was 18.9 ± 5.6. Multiple regression analysis gave the following
coefficients: Age (r = −0.127, p = 0.043) BMI (r = −0.250. p < 0.0001); MNA (r = 0.352, p < 0.0001); MMSE (r = 0.299, p < 0.0001) and GDS
(r = −0.274, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Nutrition is a key determinant of geriatric health, and MNA is useful for nutritional assessment. Our analysis in subjects over 80 confirmed that MNA score is among the strongest predictors of disability when compared to similar indicators. However, our data do
not allow to determine whether there is a real cause-effect releationship between nutritional status and ADL, and which one is the primary determinant
Water quality and mortality from coronary artery disease in Sardinia: A geospatial analysis
No full textThe role of water hardness on human health is still debated, ranging from beneficial to harmful. Before the rise of drinking bottled water, it was a common habit to obtain supplies of drinking water directly from spring-fed public fountains. According to the geographic location, spring waters are characterized by a variable content of mineral components. In this ecological study, for the first time in Sardinia, Italy, the spatial association between spring water quality/composition and standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for coronary artery disease (CAD) in the decade from 1981 to 1991 was investigated using data retrieved from published databases. In a total of 377 municipal-ities, 9918 deaths due to CAD, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), ICD-9 code 410, and ischemic heart disease (IHD), ICD-9 code 411–414, were retrieved. A conditional autoregressive model with spatially structured random effects for each municipality was used. The average SMR for CAD in municipalities with a predominantly “soft” (<30 mg/L) or “hard” (≥30 mg/L) water was, respectively, 121.4 ± 59.1 vs. 104.7 ± 38.2 (p = 0.025). More specifically, an inverse association was found between elevated calcium content in spring water and cardiovascular mortality (AMI: r = −0.123, p = 0.032; IHD: r = −0.146, p = 0.009) and borderline significance for magnesium (AMI: r = −0.131, p = 0.054; IHD: r = −0.138, p = 0.074) and bicarbonate (IHD: r = −0.126, p = 0.058), whereas weak positive correlations were detected for sodium and chloride. The lowest CAD mortality was observed in geographic areas (North-West: SMR 0.92; South-East: SMR 0.88), where calcium-and bicarbonate-rich mineral waters were consumed. Our results, within the limitation of an ecological study, confirm the beneficial role of waters with high content in calcium and bicarbonate against coronary artery disease
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
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