Telomeres shorten with age, the major risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (aCVD). The observation of shorter telomeres in aCVD patients thus suggested that critical telomere ...shortening may contribute to premature biological aging and aCVD. Therefore, telomere length often is suggested as a causal aCVD risk factor, a proposal supported by recent Mendelian randomization studies; however, epidemiological research has shown disappointingly low effect sizes. It therefore remains uncertain whether telomere shortening is a cause of aCVD or merely a consequence. The authors argue that elucidating the mechanistic foundation of these findings is essential for any possible translation of telomere biology to the clinic. Here, they critically evaluate evidence for causality in animal models and human studies, and review popular hypotheses and discuss their clinical implications. The authors identify 4 key questions that any successful mechanistic theory should address, and they discuss how atherosclerosis-associated local telomere attrition may provide the answers.
SIRT6, a member of the Sirtuin family of NAD+ -dependent enzymes, has established roles in chromatin signaling and genome maintenance. Through these functions, SIRT6 protects against aging-associated ...pathologies including metabolic disease and cancer, and can promote longevity in mice. Research from the past few years revealed that SIRT6 is a complex enzyme with multiple substrates and catalytic activities, and uncovered novel SIRT6 functions in the maintenance of organismal health span. Here, we review these new discoveries and models of SIRT6 biology in four areas: heterochromatin stabilization and silencing; stem cell biology; cancer initiation and progression; and regulation of metabolic homeostasis. We discuss the possible implications of these findings for therapeutic interventions in aging and aging-related disease processes.
This qualitative phenomenological study explored the existence of ageism within senior living communities through the lens of senior living professionals’ lived experiences. With a sample of eight ...participants from a senior living community in Berks County, PA, both direct and indirect care professionals described their experiences through 1:1 interviews regarding ageism and age stereotypes and their impact on the treatment of residents as well as the influence of significant intergenerational relationships on resident interactions. Through a robust analysis of the data, significant themes emerged which described senior living professionals’ experiences relative to ageism. Although the absence of explicit ageism coupled with a great passion for working with residents was evident, there was an unconscious presence of implicit ageism among participants’ described experiences. The lack of a thorough understanding of ageism was also a notable subtheme as well as the emergence of burnout as a trigger for increased potential for ageism and negative age stereotypes which impacted the treatment of residents, especially in memory care. Lastly, significant intergenerational relationships positively impacted interactions with residents and influenced the pursuit of careers in senior living. Culture was also noted as an influential factor in cultivating meaningful intergenerational relationships. Practical implications derived from these themes included the great need for ageism education and training initiatives to recognize and minimize the propensity for ageism. Additionally, providing opportunities for unique and meaningful intergenerational exposure, as early as possible, to help cultivate positive feelings about older adults and the aging process and eliminate negative stigma and bias is necessary. This study aimed to recognize the potential for ageism within the unique setting of senior living through a deeper understanding of the experiences of individuals committed to the care and wellbeing of older adults.
According to the U.S. Census, about 5.3 million older adults in the U.S. are food insecure despite the availability of multiple federally supported supplemental food programs. The reality is that ...this number likely underestimates the number of food-insecure older adults due to inadequate measurement methods. Food insecurity for older adults is a highly complex issue that goes beyond the financial resource constraints captured in the census to include factors at all levels of the Social-Ecological Model. COVID-19 made the problem even worse due to increased demand and reduced accessibility for older adults. Public/non-profit partnerships are a proven way to address this kind of complex social issue. However, there are no published studies that systematically investigated the success of this type of coalition approach in addressing older adult food insecurity. The Kūpuna Food Security Coalition (Coalition) is a community partnership formed in 2020 to address the complex issue of food insecurity among older adults in Honolulu County. This dissertation evaluated the Coalition's approach to addressing food insecurity for older adults and assessed whether their work could be replicated in other communities and whether the approach was scalable to meet demand across broad, diverse geographies. Study 1 evaluated the operating model of the Coalition, which was based on Collective Impact framework. Looking at the successes and lesson learned in the Coalition's strategy and structure, the study found that their approach worked well in addressing food insecurity among older adults in the short term and that this framework could be replicated by other public/non-profit partnerships. Study 2 developed a model, called the Older Adult Food Insecurity Index, to predict the number of food-insecure older adults at a local and national level, addressing a significant gap in available tools. Multiple factors associated with food insecurity for older adults across all levels of the Social-Ecological Model were identified, weighted by relative impact, and combined with publicly available data at a local level to create the predictive model. Using this model to predict the number of older adults in Honolulu County, which was the geographic focus of the Coalition, resulted in the likely number of food insecure older adults being 2.5 times higher than identified in the most recent census. Study 3 leveraged an adequacy performance evaluation approach to assess the scalability of the Coalition's approach, incorporating both cross-sectional and longitudinal assessments relative to the number of food insecure older adults identified in Study 2. This study found that there were no barriers to the scalability of the Coalition's approach to address food insecurity for older adults across geographies, demographics, or changes in market demand. This multi-faceted assessment of the Coalition’s approach, while identifying several opportunities, confirmed that the model was replicable and scalable for other communities and coalitions that want to address the issue of food insecurity for older adults.
While aging is typically associated with cognitive decline, some individuals are able to diverge from the characteristic downward slope and maintain very high levels of cognitive performance. By ...examining morphological characteristics of the brain using structural neuroimaging, several studies have attempted to understand these trajectories and elucidate what neurobiological factors contribute to preserved cognition throughout advanced aging. Using data from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), I examined individuals aged 60 and above who demonstrated a combined performance at or above the top 50th percentile in memory and executive function, deemed as Top Cognitive Performers (TCP). In this thesis, we aimed to understand how well structural (cortical thickness, cortical volume, and white matter hyperintensity volume) and pathological (amyloid and tau burden) characteristics can be used to model TCP. As these relationships are sparsely studied in the oldest segment of our population, those 90 and above, we also utilized existing structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychological assessment data collected by The 90+ Study. Results showed that regional network-style cortical thickness both outperformed localist cingulate models and was sufficient in predicting TCP. Additionally, we were able to show that while both cortical thickness and volume models preformed similarly, cortical thickness did slightly better at predicting TCP. Though we were able to see group differences in white matter intensities in some age groups, this measure did not independently perform as well as cortical thickness. Lastly, unlike differences seen in structural correlates, TCP individuals did not exhibit group differences in PET measures of amyloid or tau. Taken together, this shows that neuroimaging biomarkers are useful in the identification of successfully aging cohorts, particularly when examining structural correlates of aging. These relationships were seen in younger and older datasets, further suggesting that MRI biomarkers are useful across the full adult lifespan.
Deterioration of the innate immune system is generally accepted as a hallmark of aging. As a consequence of immune dysregulation, the host is not able to reliably fight infection or retain a ...symbiotic relationship with gut microbes. Individuals diagnosed with immune-related pathologies demonstrate gut microbial imbalances, or dysbiosis, as well as a decline in immune cell function. Additionally, aging significantly contributes to immune cell decline. Studies in adult Drosophila melanogaster have reported age-related dysbiosis as a primary driver of immune dysfunction. The objective of this thesis is to better understand how specific physiological changes, namely microbial imbalance, and immune dysfunction, along the aging intestine affect gut and host health. Here, my data demonstrates that the consequences of chronic immune activation, in particular microbial imbalance and changes in immune cell number and function, are closely associated with immune-induced intestinal permeability. This adds weight to recently published work across multiple model organisms that highlights the key role of intestinal barrier loss as a driver of age-related decline. Detailed insight into the immune factors that drive intestinal barrier loss and how this drives age-associated decline in immune function, for example, changes in macrophages, could lead to the development of immune-targeted antiaging therapies.
This thesis offers the first examination of the Life Course in the late Byzantine period (1204-1453). The past decade of scholarship has demonstrated that representations of every stage of life - ...infancy, childhood, adolescence, maturity, and old age - can be found in Byzantine texts and visual culture. However, few scholars have examined representations of ageing across the Life Course, though social scientists have demonstrated that it is the transitions from one life-stage to the next that essentially define the process of growing up and growing old. By examining Byzantine authors' and artisans' portrayals of ageing across the Life Course, we may come to understand the importance of age as a component of both identity and of the structure of Byzantine society at large. This study takes as its chronological point of departure the year of the Latin conquest of Constantinople in 1204 and ends with the Ottoman conquest of 1453. This late period of Byzantine history, due in part to the altered nature of the source material after 1204, remains underrepresented in existing scholarship of ageing and the family. Nevertheless, in this thesis I demonstrate that the late Byzantine period offers a rich array of evidence, including biographical literature, visual portrayals of the life-stages, and burial archaeology, from which we can understand how the Byzantines constructed the Life Course during a rapidly fluctuating and dynamic period of the empire's history.
A intervenção psicomotora tem conhecido um interesse crescente ao nível da investigação para práticas baseadas na evidência. O Qigong é uma arte corporal que integrando atividades posturais e ...respiratórias exigindo a imersão do sujeito no ato, pode ser aplicada no âmbito da intervenção psicomotora. O nosso objetivo é analisar os efeitos de um programa de Qigong no perfil psicomotor e qualidade de vida (QdV) de pessoas idosas com demência. O Exame Gerontopsicomotor e o Quality of Life Instrument for People with Dementia foram aplicados a 10 participantes, entre os 69 e 94 anos (83.10±9.49), 6 do género feminino e 4 do género masculino, a viver num lar residencial, distribuídos por dois grupos: experimental (n=5) e grupo controlo (N=5). Os efeitos do programa de 6 semanas, com 3 sessões semanais de 30 min, foram analisados pelo Wilcoxon test (p<.05), cujos resultados apontam a inexistência de diferenças entre as avaliações pré-pós, no perfil psicomotor e QdV, apesar de uma tendência de melhoria, visível pelo aumento da mediana, no conhecimento das partes do corpo e memória percetiva com repercussões no índice global, e da memóriano âmbito da QdV. O Qigong parece ter potencial de aplicação no âmbito da intervenção psicomotora com pessoas idosas.
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