Estrogen depletion modulates aortic prothrombotic signaling in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive female rats.

Aim: In this study, we investigated how platelets and aorta contribute to the creation and maintenance of a prothrombotic state in an experimental model of postmenopausal hypertension in ovariectomized rats.

Methods: Bilateral ovariectomy was performed in both 14-week-old female spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. The animals were kept in phytoestrogen free diet.

Urine proteomic analysis reveals alterations in heme/hemoglobin and aminopeptidase metabolism during Lonomia obliqua venom-induced acute kidney injury.

Aims: Accidental contact with the Lonomia obliqua caterpillar is a common event in southern Brazil. Envenomed victims present consumption coagulopathy, which can evolve to acute kidney injury (AKI). In the present study, we searched for AKI biomarkers and changes in molecular pathway signatures through urine proteomic analysis.

Identification of asymptomatic frailty vertebral fractures in post-menopausal women.

Purpose: Vertebral fractures are associated with persistent pain, disability and mortality. However, around two thirds of women with vertebral fractures are unaware of them. We aimed to analyze which factors could mostly be associated to the presence of vertebral fractures in post-menopausal women, and evaluate the effectiveness of current screening criteria for the detection of vertebral fractures in an outpatient setting.

Adipose-derived stem cells improve full-thickness skin grafts in a rat model.

To investigate the effects of heterologous adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on autologous full-thickness skin grafts, we designed a first-intention healing model using Wistar rats. We harvested and sutured two full-thickness skin grafts in the dorsal recipient beds of 15 rats, randomized into three groups. In the treatment group, 1 × 10 ADSCs resuspended in saline solution (200 μL) were administered subcutaneously to the skin graft.

Comparison of the characteristics of canine adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells extracted from different sites and at different passage numbers.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have desirable characteristics for use in therapy in animal models and veterinary medicine, due to their capacity of inducing tissue regeneration and immunomodulation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences between canine adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) extracted from subcutaneous (Sc) and visceral (Vs) sites. Surface antigenic markers, differentiation, and mineralized matrix quantification of AD-MSCs at different passages (P, P, and P) were studied.

Effects of acetyl-L-carnitine in diabetic neuropathy and other geriatric disorders.

A long history of diabetes mellitus and increasing age are associated with the onset of diabetic neuropathy, a painful and highly disabling complication with a prevalence peaking at 50% among elderly diabetic patients. Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) is a molecule derived from the acetylation of carnitine in the mitochondria that has an essential role in energy production. It has recently been proposed as a therapy to improve the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy.

Cell therapy in the treatment of bipolar mania in an animal model: a proof of concept study.

Introduction: The rationale of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a novel therapeutic approach in certain neurodegenerative diseases is based on their ability to promote neurogenesis. Hippocampal atrophy has been related to bipolar disorder (BD) in preclinical, imaging and postmortem studies. Therefore, the development of new strategies to stimulate the neurogenesis process in BD is crucial.

The Association Between Bone Mineral Density and Airflow Limitation in a Cohort of Fit Elderly Women.

Purpose: As studies examining the association between bone mineral density (BMD) and airflow limitation (AL) have produced conflicting results, the current one set out to analyze if and to what degree there are any correlations between these variables in a population of fit elderly women.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-one non-smoking, fit and healthy women (age ≥ 65 years) underwent anthropometric assessment, laboratory testing (serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D, parathormone, and cytokine levels), pulmonary function testing (PFT), and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to evaluate BMD values of the lumbar and femoral regions.

Results: A significant positive association was found between FEV/FVC ratio (Tiffeneau index), a sensitive index of AL, and lumbar and femoral BMD; a 10 % increase in the FEV/FVC ratio resulted in a significant increase of 0.

Nephrolithiasis, bone mineral density, osteoporosis, and fractures: a systematic review and comparative meta-analysis.

Unlabelled: Our meta-analysis demonstrates that people with nephrolithiasis have decreased bone mineral density, an increased odds of osteoporosis, and potentially an elevated risk of fractures.

Introduction: People with nephrolithiasis might be at risk of reduced bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures, but the data is equivocal. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate if patients with nephrolithiasis have worse bone health outcomes (BMD), osteoporosis, and fractures versus healthy controls (HCs).

Validation of bioelectrical impedance analysis for estimating limb lean mass in free-living Caucasian elderly people.

Background & Aims: Aging is characterized by a loss of limb lean mass (LLM) that can lead to physical disability and death. Regional bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) may be a reliable method for estimating LLM, but no prediction equations are available for elderly Caucasian subjects. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a BIA-based equation for predicting LLM in healthy elderly Caucasians, taking dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as the reference method.

Taste loss in the elderly: Possible implications for dietary habits.

Aging may coincide with a declining gustatory function that can affect dietary intake and ultimately have negative health consequences. Taste loss is caused by physiological changes and worsened by events often associated with aging, such as polypharmacy and chronic disease. The most pronounced increase in elderly people's detection threshold has been observed for sour and bitter tastes, but their perception of salty, sweet, and umami tastes also seems to decline with age.

Effect of Oral Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate (HMB) Supplementation on Physical Performance in Healthy Old Women Over 65 Years: An Open Label Randomized Controlled Trial.

Unlabelled: Although older people are particularly liable to sarcopenia, limited research is available on beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation in this population, particularly in healthy subjects. In this parallel-group, randomized, controlled, open-label trial, we aimed to evaluate whether an oral supplement containing 1.5 g of calcium HMB for 8 weeks could improve physical performance and muscle strength parameters in a group of community-dwelling healthy older women.

Effect of weight loss on mortality in overweight and obese nursing home residents during a 5-year follow-up.

Background/objectives: The objective of this study was to ascertain the effect of weight loss over the course of 1 year on 5-year mortality in old nursing home (NH) residents in different classes of body mass index (BMI).

Subjects/methods: A longitudinal study was conducted on 161 NH residents aged ⩾ 70 years at the Istituto di Riposo per Anziani, Padova, Italy. Data were collected using a comprehensive geriatric assessment at baseline and at a 1-year follow-up visit.

Duration of breastfeeding as a risk factor for vertebral fractures.

Purpose: Among the risk factors for osteoporosis and fractures, gynecological history (fertile period, parity and breastfeeding) play an important part. Changes in calcium metabolism to enable an adequate mineral transfer to the milk have a prominent role in bone loss during breastfeeding. Data on the influence of breastfeeding in postmenopausal osteoporosis are inconsistent.

Effect of oral magnesium supplementation on physical performance in healthy elderly women involved in a weekly exercise program: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Magnesium deficiency is associated with poor physical performance, but no trials are available on how magnesium supplementation affects elderly people's physical performance.

Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate whether 12 wk of oral magnesium supplementation can improve physical performance in healthy elderly women.

Design: In a parallel-group, randomized controlled trial, 139 healthy women (mean ± SD age: 71.

Soybean ureases, but not that of Bradyrhizobium japonicum, are involved in the process of soybean root nodulation.

Ureases are abundant in plants, bacteria, and in the soil, but their role in signaling between soybean and soil microorganisms has not been investigated. The bacterium Bradyrhizobium japonicum forms nitrogen-fixing nodules on soybean roots. Here, we evaluated the role(s) of ureases in the process of soybean nodulation.

Association between dietary folate intake and serum insulin-like growth factor-1 levels in healthy old women.

Objective: High serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) seem to coincide with higher rates of some types of cancer and the risk of all-cause mortality in old people. Eating vegetables seems to reduce IGF-1 levels because they are rich in micronutrients such as vitamins. This study investigates the possible association between vitamin intake and IGF-1 levels in a representative group of healthy elderly women with Mediterranean dietary habits.

Production of arrays of cardiac and skeletal muscle myofibers by micropatterning techniques on a soft substrate.

Micropatterning and microfabrication techniques have been widely used to pattern cells on surfaces and to have a deeper insight into many processes in cell biology such as cell adhesion and interactions with the surrounding environment. The aim of this study was the development of an easy and versatile technique for the in vitro production of arrays of functional cardiac and skeletal muscle myofibers using micropatterning techniques on soft substrates. Cardiomyocytes were used for the production of oriented cardiac myofibers whereas mouse muscle satellite cells for that of differentiated parallel myotubes.