Sustainable Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults as Supported by the vINCI Technology.

The vINCI technology represents an innovative instrument developed specifically but not exclusively for older adults by technology researchers together with a medical team specialized in geriatrics and gerontology. It was designed to be independently and effortlessly used by older adults in the comfort and safety of their own environment. It is a modular and flexible platform that can integrate a large array of various sensors and can easily adapt to specific healthcare needs.

Bacterial DNAemia in Older Participants and Nonagenarian Offspring and Association With Redox Biomarkers: Results From MARK-AGE Study.

Aging and age-related diseases have been linked to microbial dysbiosis with changes in blood bacterial DNA concentration. This condition may promote chronic low-grade inflammation, which can be further aggravated by antioxidant nutrient deficiency. Low plasma carotenoids are associated with an increased risk of inflammation and cellular damage and predict mortality.

Do low molecular weight antioxidants contribute to the Protection against oxidative damage? The interrelation between oxidative stress and low molecular weight antioxidants based on data from the MARK-AGE study.

A redox steady state is important in maintaining vital cellular functions and is therefore homeostatically controlled by a number of antioxidative agents, the most important of which are enzymes. Oxidative Stress (OS) is associated with (or/and caused by) excessive production of damaging reactive oxygen and/or nitrogen species (ROS, RNS), which play a role in many pathologies. Because OS is a risk factor for many diseases, much effort (and money) is devoted to early diagnosis and treatment of OS.

Zinc status, insulin resistance and glycoxidative stress in elderly subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Zinc deficiencies have been reported in numerous pathologies, such as diabetes mellitus, but also in the physiological process of ageing. Similarly, the end products of glycoxidation processes, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), are damaging compounds, a myriad of reports linking them to the development and progression of several age-associated chronic diseases. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationships between zinc status, glycoxidative stress and insulin resistance (IR) in elderly subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Distinctive Under-Expression Profile of Inflammatory and Redox Genes in the Blood of Elderly Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

Purpose: Chronic low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress are present in most of the pathologic mechanisms underlying non-communicable diseases. Inflammation and redox biomarkers might therefore have a value in disease prognosis and therapy response. In this context, we performed a case-control study for assessing in whole blood the expression profile of inflammation and redox-related genes in elderly subjects with various comorbidities.

Correlations of sialic acid with glycated hemoglobin A1c and glycemia in postmenopausal women with type-2 diabetes mellitus.

For women in the postmenopausal period, age-related changes in the hormonal status are associated with a higher risk for type-2 diabetes and its complications. The tissue injury caused by diabetic vascular complications can induce a release of sialic acid (SA) into the general circulation leading to increased levels. The present study is a cross-sectional single center study of 77 women in the postmenopausal period.

Variation of total serum sialic acid concentration in postmenopausal women.

Given its location and ubiquitous distribution, sialic acid can mediate or modulate a wide variety of physiological and pathological processes; however, there is scarce data regarding the associations between sialic acid serum levels and sex, age and menopause. The present study evaluated the age-related changes in serum sialic acid (SA) levels in 97 elderly subjects, including men and postmenopausal women. A significant increase in serum levels of sialic acid in postmenopausal women and a significant decrease in men were observed in an age-dependent manner.

The Radioprotective Effect of Procaine and Procaine-Derived Product Gerovital H3 in Lymphocytes from Young and Aged Individuals.

Ionizing radiation induces genomic instability in living organisms, and several studies reported an ageing-dependent radiosensitivity. Chemical compounds, such as scavengers, radioprotectors, and modifiers, contribute to reducing the radiation-associated toxicity. These compounds are often antioxidants, and therefore, in order to be effective, they must be present before or during exposure to radiation.

Elder abuse and associated factors in eastern romania.

Background: This article explores elder abuse in a hospitalised population. We wanted to identify details related to psychological and emotional abuse in the older population in our region and to determine the importance of the Elderly Abuse Suspicion Index (EASI ) in comprehensive geriatric assessments.

Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted between March 2015 and May 2016 included 386 consecutive hospitalised patients over 65 years of age.

Gender- and age-dependencies of oxidative stress, as detected based on the steady state concentrations of different biomarkers in the MARK-AGE study.

Recently, Weber et al. published a thorough investigation of the age-dependency of oxidative stress (OS) determined by the steady state concentrations of different compounds - oxidation products and antioxidants - that are in common use as biomarkers of OS in 2207 healthy individuals of the cross-sectional MARK-AGE Project. The correlations among biomarkers were significant but weak.

European postgraduate curriculum in geriatric medicine developed using an international modified Delphi technique.

Background: the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS-GMS) recommendations for training in Geriatric Medicine were published in 1993. The practice of Geriatric Medicine has developed considerably since then and it has therefore become necessary to update these recommendations.

Methods: under the auspices of the UEMS-GMS, the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS) and the European Academy of Medicine of Ageing (EAMA), a group of experts, representing all member states of the respective bodies developed a new framework for education and training of specialists in Geriatric Medicine using a modified Delphi technique.

Insulin-Leptin Axis, Cardiometabolic Risk and Oxidative Stress in Elderly with Metabolic Syndrome.

Insulin and leptin have an overlapping anorexigenic action as well as opposite effects on glucose and lipid metabolism. The study focuses on the biochemical and clinical relevance of new indices of insulin-leptin axis utilized in the study of the relationships between leptinemia, insulin sensitivity and oxidative stress, in elderly subjects with metabolic syndrome. We conducted clinical studies on elderly people with metabolic syndrome versus control subjects by creating new insulin-adipogenic indices, namely Insulin-to-Leptin Ratio (ILR) and Insulin-Adipogenic Resistance index (IAR-index).

Are there Different Kinds of Aging?

Background: Most syndromes of accelerated aging are caused by mutations affecting the integrity of the genetic material. Among them, the most studied is Werner's syndrome, "adult progeria", caused by a recessive autosomal mutation with a frequency of 1 in 10 million, which affects a helicase involved in DNA repair. In Werner syndrome, there is a loss of heterochromatin, though the stability of heterochromatin is also affected in "normal" aging.

Adiponectin: possible link between metabolic stress and oxidative stress in the elderly.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between the serum levels of adiponectin and systemic oxidative stress exerted on lipids, proteins, as well as endothelial function and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk markers, in elderly subjects with metabolic syndrome (MS).

Methods: The serum advanced glycation and oxidation protein products, low-density lipoprotein susceptibility to oxidation (oxLDL), nitric oxide metabolic pathway products (NOx), serum lipid peroxidation, as well as total antioxidant/oxidative capacity (TAC/TOC), were analyzed in elderly subjects with MS (n = 44), compared to aged-matched control (n = 39).

Results: We pointed out significantly lower levels of adiponectin in elderly MS subjects concomitantly with significantly higher levels of oxidative stress and CVD risk markers.

Metabolic parameters and cognitive function in a cohort of older diabetic patients.

Background: Dementia is one of the most disabling conditions associated with old age. With increasing life expectancy, prevalence of both dementia and diabetes is rising. The complex pathological relationship between diabetes mellitus (DM) and dementia has been studied, but is not yet fully understood.

Correlation between erythropoietin serum levels and erythrocyte susceptibility to lipid peroxidation in elderly with type 2 diabetes.

Erythropoietin (EPO), a key hormone involved in red blood cell formation has been recently acknowledged for its pleiotropic actions and protective role in ageing and various pathological conditions concurrent with oxidative stress, vascular diseases and metabolic abnormalities such as diabetes mellitus. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between circulating erythropoietin levels and oxidative stress biomarkers, in elderly with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The study was carried out in 67 subjects with T2DM (69 ± 5 years; n = 37) without anemia, and aged-matched controls (70 ± 6 years; n = 30).

MARK-AGE biomarkers of ageing.

Many candidate biomarkers of human ageing have been proposed in the scientific literature but in all cases their variability in cross-sectional studies is considerable, and therefore no single measurement has proven to serve a useful marker to determine, on its own, biological age. A plausible reason for this is the intrinsic multi-causal and multi-system nature of the ageing process. The recently completed MARK-AGE study was a large-scale integrated project supported by the European Commission.

Oxidized LDL and NO synthesis--Biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction and ageing.

Oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and nitric oxide (NO) exert contradictory actions within the vascular endothelium microenvironment influencing key events in atherogenesis. OxLDL and NO are so far regarded as representative parameters of oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction, new targets in prevention, diagnosis and therapy of cardiovascular diseases, and also as candidate biomarkers in evaluating the human biological age. The aim of this review is to explore recent literature on molecular mechanisms and pathophysiological relationships between LDL oxidation, NO synthesis and vascular endothelium function/dysfunction in ageing, focusing on the following aspects: (1) the impact of metabolic status on both LDL oxidation and NO synthesis in relation with oxidative stress, (2) the use of oxidized LDL and NO activity as biomarkers in human studies reporting on cardiovascular outcomes, and (3) evidences supporting the importance of oxidized LDL and NO activity as relevant biomarkers in vascular ageing and age-related diseases.

A new hypothesis of aging.

Introduction And Aims: There are over 300 hypotheses of aging, but none of them has enough predictive power to explain most experiments and observations on this process. On the basis of a critical analysis of the most relevant data on aging, especially on the factors that influences its rhythm, we present a new hypothesis, as well as the way the hypothesis' predictions explain some of the phylogenetic implications of the aging process.

Methods: The hypothesis starts from a new, biochemical view on evolution and the behavior of living matter.

Validation of protein carbonyl measurement: a multi-centre study.

Protein carbonyls are widely analysed as a measure of protein oxidation. Several different methods exist for their determination. A previous study had described orders of magnitude variance that existed when protein carbonyls were analysed in a single laboratory by ELISA using different commercial kits.

Advanced oxidative and glycoxidative protein damage markers in the elderly with type 2 diabetes.

Unlabelled: We aimed to explore the association of advanced oxidation and advanced glycation of proteins, and their interrelations with endothelial nitric oxide synthesis, oxidative stress, metabolic profile as well as other atherosclerotic risk markers in prediabetic and diabetic elderly subjects. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), low-density lipoprotein susceptibility to oxidation (oxLDL) and nitric oxide metabolic pathway products (NOx) were assessed in subjects with impaired fasting glucose (prediabetes, IFG; n=90), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, n=95) versus control subjects (n=88). Higher levels of AOPPs, AGEs, oxLDL, NOx, atherosclerosis risk markers, and insulin resistance were pointed out in IFG and T2DM groups compared with control.

Vitamin D status and oxidative stress markers in the elderly with impaired fasting glucose and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background And Aims: Vitamin D deficiency has been identified in the elderly as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease development, possibly through its association with other risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypercholesterolemia and hypertension. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the vitamin D status in elderly subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or T2DM, and to examine its relationships to systemic oxidative stress and biochemical markers of endothelial dysfunction.

Methods: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], fasting glucose, insulin, lipid profile, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), low-density lipoprotein susceptibility to oxidation (oxLDL) and nitric oxide metabolic pathway products (NOx) were analyzed in elderly subjects with IFG (n=30) and T2DM (n=35) compared with aged-matched controls (n=25).

Cell culture procedure and the optometric method to study cells in vitro.

The cells are cultivated using an original licensed procedure named "homogeneous sets". This consists of cell growth in monolayer using as holder several plates specially designed to enable the study both by use of the optometric method we elaborated and by classical techniques (microscopy). Using the suggested method, a stress can be induced under control.