1,721,028 research outputs found
Biological Pathways to Health and Longevity: Insight from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.
No full textSarcopenic obesity and inflammation in the InCHIANTI study
No full textThe aging process is often paralleled by decreases in muscle and increases in fat mass. At the extreme these two processes lead to a condition known as "sarcopenic obesity" (Roubenoff R. Ann NY Acad Sci 904: 553-557, 2000). Research suggests that inflammatory cytokines produced by adipose tissue, especially visceral fat, accelerate muscle catabolism and thus contribute to the vicious cycle that initiates and sustains sarcopenic obesity. We tested the hypothesis that obesity and poor muscle strength, hallmarks of sarcopenic obesity, are associated with high circulating levels of proinflammatory cytokines in a random sample of the residents of two municipalities in the Chianti geographic area (Tuscany, Italy). The study sample consisted of 378 men and 493 women 65 yr and older with complete data on anthropometrics, handgrip strength, and inflammatory markers. Participants were cross-classified according to sex-specific tertiles of waist circumference and grip strength and according to a cut point for obesity of body mass index >= 30 kg/m(2). After adjusting for age, sex, education, smoking history, physical activity, and history of comorbid diseases, components of sarcopenic obesity were associated with elevated levels of IL-6, C-reactive protein, IL-1 receptor antagonist, and soluble IL-6 receptor (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that global obesity and, to a greater extent, central obesity directly affect inflammation, which in turn negatively affects muscle strength, contributing to the development and progression of sarcopenic obesity. These results suggest that proinflammatory cytokines may be critical in both the development and progression of sarcopenic obesity
Glucose and insulin measurements from the oral glucose tolerance test and mortality prediction.
No full textOBJECTIVE:
To verify what information from oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) independently predicts mortality.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS:
A total of 1,401 initially nondiabetic participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging aged 17-95 years underwent one or more OGTTs (median 2, range 1-8), with insulin and glucose measurements taken every 20 min over the course of 2 h included in this study. Proportional hazards using the longitudinally collected data and Bayesian model averaging were used to examine the association of OGTT measurements individually and grouped with mortality, adjusting for covariates.
RESULTS:
Participants were followed for a median 20.3 years (range 0.5-40). The first-hour OGTT glucose and insulin levels increased only modestly with age, whereas levels during the second hour increased 4% per decade. Individually, 100- and 120-min glucose measures and fasting and 100-min insulin levels were all independent predictors of mortality. When all measures were considered together, only higher 120-min glucose was a significant independent risk factor for mortality.
CONCLUSION:
The steeper rise with age of the OGTT 2-h glucose values and the prognostic primacy of the 120-min glucose value for mortality is consistent with previous reports and suggests the value of using the OGTT in clinical practice
Psychological, physical, and sensory correlates of fear of falling and consequent activity restriction in the elderly: The InCHIANTI study
No full textObjective: To identify psychological, physical, and sensory function parameters that are specifically associated with fear of failing (FF) and fear-induced activity restriction in a population-based sample of older adults. Design: FF, fear-induced activity restriction, cognition, depression, personal mastery, chair-stand performance, standing balance, lower-limb and grip strength, visual acuity and contrast sensitivity, and vibrotactile sensitivity were evaluated in the population-based, older cohort (n = 926, age >= 65) enrolled in the InCHIANTI study. Results: Nearly 50% participants reported FF. Of these, 65% reported some activity restriction. Personal mastery (P < 0.001) and chair-standing performance (P = 0.001) were independently associated with FF. In those who did not-have depression, personal mastery, standing balance, lower-limb strength, and visual contrast sensitivity were associated with activity restriction (P < 0.001-0.011). In those who were depressed, total FF was the major factor strongly associated with activity restriction (P < 0.001), with marginal but significant associations for cognition (P = 0.027) and standing balance (P = 0.015). Conclusion: Psychological and physical factors are independently associated with FF. Presence of depression possibly modulates which factors, in addition to fear of falling, affect fear-induced activity restriction. A longitudinal study is warranted to substantiate causal relationships
Aging, androgens, and the metabolic syndrome in a longitudinal study of aging.J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
No full textEffect of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption on age-associated arterial stiffening
No full textIncreased thickness and stiffness of large arteries may contribute to why aging is the most important risk for cardiovascular diseases. Arterial stiffness, intimal medial thickness, and alcohol intake were measured in 563 subjects. A U-shaped relation was found between alcohol intake and a stiffness index, with the lowest index in moderate drinkers, which may partially explain the relation between alcohol and cardiovascular disease
Activity restriction induced by fear of falling and objective and subjective measures of physical function: A prospective cohort study
No full textOBJECTIVES: To examine whether activity restriction specifically induced by fear of falling (FF) contributes to greater risk of disability and decline in physical function. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Population-based older cohort. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred seventy-three community-living elderly (>= 65) participants in the Invecchiare in Chianti Study who reported FF. MEASUREMENTS: FF, fear-induced activity restriction, cognition, depressive symptoms, comorbidities, smoking history, and demographic factors were assessed at baseline. Disability in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and performance on the Short Performance Physical Battery (SPPB) were evaluated at baseline and at the 3-year follow-up. RESULTS: One-quarter (25.5%) of participants did not report any activity restriction, 59.6% reported moderate activity restriction (restriction or avoidance of = 3 activities). The severe restriction group reported significantly higher IADL disability and worse SPPB scores than the no restriction and moderate restriction groups. Severe activity restriction was a significant independent predictor of worsening ADL disability and accelerated decline in lower extremity performance on SPPB over the 3-year follow-up. Severe and moderate activity restriction were independent predictors of worsening IADL disability. Results were consistent even after adjusting for multiple potential confounders. CONCLUSION: In an elderly population, activity restriction associated with FF is an independent predictor of decline in physical function. Future intervention studies in geriatric preventive care should directly address risk factors associated with FF and activity restriction to substantiate long-term effects on physical abilities and autonomy of older persons
Circulating inflammatory cytokine expression in men with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy
No full textProstate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common
cancers in men. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is employed in
the treatment of patients with metastatic or recurrent PCa, resulting
in castrate levels of testosterone. Recent studies have shown that
male hypogonadism is associated with increased levels of proinflammatory
and diminished concentrations of anti-inflammatory
cytokines, which normalize upon testosterone treatment. Furthermore,
an inflammatory state is associated with osteoporosis,
sarcopenia and metabolic abnormalities. We examined 3 groups of
men: 1) 20 men with PCa undergoing ADT for at least 12 months
prior to the onset of the study (ADT group); 2) 18 age-matched men
with non-metastatic PCa who had undergone local surgery and/or
radiotherapy and had not yet received ADT and were eugonadal
(non-ADT group); and 3) 20 age-matched healthy eugonadal men
(control group). None of the subjects were suffering from any acute
or chronic inflammatory conditions. Mean age was similar in the 3
groups (P 5 .41). Men in the ADT and non-ADT groups had higher
BMI compared to the control group (P 5 .0005 and P 5 .01,
respectively). Men in the ADT group had significantly lower mean
serum total (P , .0001) and free (P , .0001) testosterone and
estradiol (P , .0001) levels compared to the other 2 groups. No
significant differences in serum levels of pro-inflammatory or
antiinflammatory
cytokines were observed between the 3 groups. These
data suggest that men with PCa undergoing long-term ADT do not
have elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines compared to age
and disease matched controls. Prospective studies are needed to
evaluate for any acute changes in these inflammatory markers that
might occur after the initiation of ADT
Espressione dei Livelli Circolanti di Citochine Infiammatorie in Soggetti con Neoplasia Prostatica sottoposti a Terapia di Deprivazione Androgenica
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