Experimental gerontology
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Experimental gerontology · Sep 2019
Early impairment of epigenetic pattern in neurodegeneration: Additional mechanisms behind pyrethroid toxicity.
Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid extensively used as anti-woodworm agent and for indoor and outdoor pest control. The main route of human exposure is through fruit, vegetable and milk intake. Low dosage exposure to permethrin during neonatal brain development (from postnatal day 6 to postnatal day 21) leads to dopamine decrease in rat striatum nucleus, oxidative stress and behavioural changes linked to the development of Parkinson's like neurodegeneration later in life. ⋯ In silico studies show that permethrin competes for the same two binding sites of known NURR1 agonists, with a lower binding free energy for permethrin, suggesting an important durable association of permethrin with the orphan receptor. Moreover, alpha-synuclein shows a strong affinity for NURR1, corroborating previous experimental outcomes on the interactions between them. This study focuses on an emerging role of early-life exposure to environmental pollutants in the regulation of late onset diseases through intriguing mechanisms that change crucial epigenetic patterns starting from adolescent age.
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Experimental gerontology · Sep 2019
Multicenter Study Observational StudyMovement-evoked pain, physical function, and perceived stress: An observational study of ethnic/racial differences in aging non-Hispanic Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites with knee osteoarthritis.
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a pervasive musculoskeletal condition, often exacerbated by movement-evoked pain (MEP). Despite established research demonstrating significant racial differences in OA pain, few studies have investigated ethnic/racial group differences in MEP and lower extremity function and their association with psychosocial factors, such as perceived stress. Therefore, the primary aims were: (1) to identify ethnic/racial group differences in persons with or at risk for knee OA pain based on MEP, physical performance, and perceived stress measures, and (2) to determine if perceived stress explains the relationship between MEP and function in non-Hispanic Blacks (NHBs) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs). ⋯ Our cross-sectional study demonstrated important ethnic/racial differences in MEP and function. Also, perceived stress had a stronger effect on MEP in NHBs, suggesting that perceived stress may more strongly influence pain with physical movement among NHB adults. MEP may be a clinically important pain outcome to measure in persons with OA, and these data warrant future research on the impact of stress on pain and functional outcomes in older adults, particularly in NHBs.
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Experimental gerontology · Sep 2019
Aging-induced elevation in circulating complement C1q level is associated with arterial stiffness.
Inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) are candidate blood biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, no consensus has been reached on the relationships between aging-induced secretion of cytokines and CVD risk. Complement C1q (C1q) secretion increases with aging, and C1q induces proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. ⋯ Importantly, cfPWV gradually increased from the age of 30 years, with simultaneous increase in circulating C1q level. However, TNF-α and IL-6 levels increased after age 50 years, later than the increase in C1q. These results suggest that serum C1q level may reflect the elevation of arterial stiffness that occurs with advancing age and has a potential as a novel biomarker of arterial stiffness.
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Experimental gerontology · Jun 2019
Dual task performance and history of falls in community-dwelling older adults.
Falls are a common problem for older adults, and the identification of people at high risk of falling is a major challenge to health systems. ⋯ Dual TUG including cognitive stops and cognitive errors may be more capable than the single TUG to detect differences and accurately classify fallers and non-fallers in the elderly.
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Experimental gerontology · May 2019
Objective physical activity and physical performance in middle-aged and older adults.
Older adults may have difficulty meeting the Physical Activity (PA) Guidelines. A favorable balance between PA and sedentary time (SED) is an important determinant of physical performance in older adults. Our objective was to explore associations of PA/SED with physical performance across mid-older age in adults without overt mobility disability. ⋯ Our cross-sectional study demonstrated that, across mid-older adulthood, MVPA related to better physical performance, but in adults ≥75 years, total steps walked associated with better gait speed. These data warrant future research on the impact of PA on physical performance and health outcomes in older age.