The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Dec 2012
ReviewUrine concentrating and diluting ability during aging.
Urine concentrating ability is reduced during normal aging in people and rats. The abundance of many of the key transport proteins that contribute to urine concentrating ability is reduced in the kidney medulla of aged rats. The reductions in water, sodium, and urea transport protein abundances, and their reduced response to water restriction, contribute to the reduced ability of aged rats to concentrate their urine and conserve water. If similar mechanisms occur in human kidneys, it would provide a molecular explanation for the reduced urine concentrating ability in aging and may provide opportunities for novel therapeutic approaches to improve urine concentrating ability and/or nocturnal polyuria.
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Mar 2012
ReviewRespiratory impairment and the aging lung: a novel paradigm for assessing pulmonary function.
Older persons have an increased risk of developing respiratory impairment because the aging lung is likely to have experienced exposures to environmental toxins as well as reductions in physiological capacity. ⋯ Aging is associated with an increased risk of developing respiratory impairment, which is best defined by spirometric Z-scores. Alternatively, in selected cases, respiratory impairment may be defined by peak expiratory flow, also expressed as a Z-score.
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Mar 2012
ReviewRespiratory impairment and the aging lung: a novel paradigm for assessing pulmonary function.
Older persons have an increased risk of developing respiratory impairment because the aging lung is likely to have experienced exposures to environmental toxins as well as reductions in physiological capacity. ⋯ Aging is associated with an increased risk of developing respiratory impairment, which is best defined by spirometric Z-scores. Alternatively, in selected cases, respiratory impairment may be defined by peak expiratory flow, also expressed as a Z-score.
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Jul 2011
ReviewHigh yield research opportunities in geriatric emergency medicine: prehospital care, delirium, adverse drug events, and falls.
Emergency services constitute crucial and frequently used safety nets for older persons, an emergency visit by a senior very often indicates high vulnerability for functional decline and death, and interventions via the emergency system have significant opportunities to change the clinical course of older patients who require its services. However, the evidence base for widespread employment of emergency system-based interventions is lacking. In this article, we review the evidence and offer crucial research questions to capitalize on the opportunity to optimize health trajectories of older persons seeking emergency care in four areas: prehospital care, delirium, adverse drug events, and falls.
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · Oct 2010
ReviewMechanisms of vascular aging: new perspectives.
This review focuses on molecular, cellular, and functional changes that occur in the vasculature during aging; explores the links between mitochondrial oxidative stress, inflammation, and development of vascular disease in the elderly patients; and provides a landscape of molecular mechanisms involved in cellular oxidative stress resistance, which could be targeted for the prevention or amelioration of unsuccessful vascular aging. Practical interventions for prevention of age-associated vascular dysfunction and disease in old age are considered here based on emerging knowledge of the effects of anti-inflammatory treatments, regular exercise, dietary interventions, and caloric restriction mimetics.