RxPG News : Aging

South Asians more prone to knee arthritis: Expert

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:08:12 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Panaji, Sep 10 - Senior citizens in the Indian sub-continent suffer a 15 percent more severe attack of osteo-arthritis in their knee joints as compared to their counterpart Caucasians from Europe or northern America, a specialist orthopaedic surgeon said here Saturday.

Speaking to reporters while announcing the merger of Ahmedabad-based Shalby Hospitals with Goa's Vrundavan Hospital and Research Centre -, chairman and managing director of Shalby Hospitals, Vikram Shah, also said that the new post-merger entity -- Shalby Vrundavan Hospital -- would focus on knee replacement surgeries in the first phase.

'There is scientific explanation for this, but south Asian elders suffer 15 percent more severe osteo-arthritis attacks in the knee joints than their Caucasian counterparts from Europe and north America,' Shah said.

'Unlike us, Caucasians are more vulnerable to osteo-arthritis of the hip,' Shah added.

Shah further said that the merger, where Shalby Hospitals picked up a 55 percent stake in VHRC, will help the tremendous potential of medical tourism in Goa, as thousands of foreign tourists flock to the state for their summer vacations annually.

'We are certainly looking at that market,' said Shah, who has conducted over 22,000 knee replacement surgeries.

The Shalby Hospital is a 230-bed facility in Ahmedabad employing over 100 doctors and has several other medical establishments in other cities of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Kenya.

VHRC, located at Mapusa, 15 km north of here, is a 115-bed facility.

Dopamine also vital for kidney health, lifespan

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:34:35 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Washington, July 20 - Dopamine, a key neurotransmitter active in the brain, is best known for triggering feel good emotions.

Now investigators have shown how dopamine produced outside the brain, in the kidneys, is important for renal function, blood pressure regulation and lifespan.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals which help transmit signals from one neuron to another across synapses or junctions of such brain cells.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre suggest that the kidney-specific dopamine system may be a therapeutic target for treating hypertension and kidney diseases, the Journal of Clinical Investigation reports.

Previous studies had suggested a role for dopamine in regulating kidney function and total body fluid volume, 'but how that mechanism works was not clear,' said Raymond Harris, chief of nephrology and hypertension at Vanderbilt, according to its statement.

Harris and Ming-Zhi Zhang, assistant professor of medicine at Vanderbilt, eliminated kidney-specific dopamine production in mice by knocking out a dopamine-generating enzyme only in the kidney, and studied the outcome.

They found that mice lacking kidney dopamine had high blood pressure at baseline and became more hypertensive when they consumed a high-salt diet, suggesting they may be a good model of salt-sensitive - hypertension, Harris said.

Alterations in the kidney dopamine system may predispose individuals to hypertension -, he noted.

'These animals retain salt and water when they don't have sufficient dopamine production in the kidney,' Harris said.

--Indo-Asian News service

st/sak/vt

As you age, muscles get hard to build, easy to lose

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:47:15 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Why do people's arms and legs get thinner as they age?

According to a team from Nottingham University - Schools of Graduate Entry Medicine, it could be due to the body's failure to deliver nutrients and hormones to muscle because of poorer blood supply.

The researchers have already shown that older people cannot make muscle as fast as the young.

Now they've found that the suppression of muscle breakdown is blunted with age.

They believe that a 'double whammy' affects people over 65. However, the team thinks that weight training may 'rejuvenate' muscle blood flow and help retain muscle for older people.

The results may explain the loss of muscle in older people: when they eat they don't build enough muscle with the protein in food.

Besides, insulin - fails to shut down the muscle breakdown that rises between meals.

Normally, in young people, insulin acts to slow muscle breakdown.

Michael Rennie, professor of clinical physiology and Emilie Wilkes conducted the research with their colleagues at N-U.

These findings were published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

-Indo-Asian News Service

St/rn/jg

Early experience linked to chronic diseases in later life

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:01:46 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Experiences in early life stick to people into adulthood and may render them more susceptible to many of the chronic diseases of ageing, according to a new study.

A team led by University of British Columbia - researchers Gregory Miller and Michael Kobor performed genome-wide profiling in 103 healthy adults aged 25-40 years.

Participants were either low or high in early-life socioeconomic circumstances related to income, education and occupation during the first five years of life.

'It seems to be the case that if people are raised in a low socioeconomic family, their immune cells are constantly vigilant for threats from the environment,' said Miller.

'This is likely to have consequences for their risk for late-life chronic diseases.'

But the two groups were similar in socioeconomic status - at the time the genome assessment was performed and also had similar lifestyle practices like smoking and drinking habits.

Their study shows that among subjects with low early-life socioeconomic circumstances, there was evidence that genes involved with inflammation were selectively 'switched-on' at some point.

Researchers believe this is because the cells of low-SES individuals were not effectively responding to a hormone called cortisol that usually controls inflammation.

'We've identified some 'biologic residue' of people's early-life experience that sticks with them into adulthood,' says Miller, associate professor of psychology at the UBC.

'The study suggests that experiences get under the skin,' says Kobor, assistant professor in the UBC department of medical genetics, according to an UBC release.

These findings are slated for publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers revive organ function in old age

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:20:28 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Washington, Aug 11 - Age retards the ability of cells to get rid of damaged protein, which only accumulates in the body as toxin and becomes more pronounced in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

However, Yeshiva University scientists have been able to prevent this age-related decline in an entire organ, the liver, for instance, showing organs of older animals functioned as efficiently as of younger ones.

These findings suggest that therapies for boosting protein clearance might help stave off some of the decline that accompany old age, said Ana Maria Cuervo, co-author of the study, associate professor in the departments of developmental & molecular biology, medicine and anatomy & structural biology of Yeshiva's Albert Einstein College.

The cells of all organisms have several surveillance systems designed to find, digest and recycle damaged proteins. Many studies have documented that these processes become less efficient with age, allowing protein to gradually accumulate inside cells.

But researchers continue debating whether this protein build-up actually contributes to the functional losses of ageing or instead is merely associated with those losses. The Einstein College study was aimed at resolving the controversy.

One of these surveillance systems - responsible for handling 30 percent or more of damaged cellular protein - uses molecules known as chaperones to seek out damaged proteins.

After finding such a protein, the chaperone ferries it towards one of the cell's many lysosomes - membrane-bound sacs filled with enzymes. When the chaperone and its cargo 'dock' on a receptor molecule on the lysosome's surface, the damaged protein is drawn into the lysosome and rapidly digested by its enzymes.

In previous work, Cuervo found that the chaperone surveillance system, in particular, becomes less efficient as cells become older, resulting in a build-up of undigested proteins within the cells.

She also detected the primary cause for this age-related decline: a fall-off in the number of lysosomal receptors capable of binding chaperones and their damaged proteins. Could replenishing lost receptors in older animals maintain the efficiency of this protein-removal system throughout an animal's lifespan and, perhaps, maintain the function of the animal's cells and organs as well?

To find out, Cuervo created a transgenic mouse model equipped with an extra gene - one that codes for the receptor that normally declines in number with increasing age. Another genetic manipulation allowed Cuervo to turn on this extra gene only in the liver and at a time of her choosing, merely by changing the animals' diet.

To keep the level of the receptor constant throughout life, Cuervo waited until mice were six months old - before turning on the added receptor gene.

When the mice were examined at 22 to 26 months of age -, the liver cells of transgenic mice digested and recycled protein far more efficiently than in their normal counterparts of the same age - and, in fact, just as efficiently as in normal six-month old mice.

Cuervo next plans to study animal models of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative brain diseases to see whether maintaining efficient protein clearance in the brain might help in treating them.

The study has been published in the online edition of Nature Medicine.

Aging Process Reversed by Exercise

Tue, 22 May 2007 04:00:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) A recent study, co-led by Buck Institute faculty member Simon Melov, PhD, and Mark Tarnopolsky, MD, PhD, of McMaster University Medical Center in Hamilton, Ontario, involved before and after analysis of gene expression profiles in tissue samples taken from 25 healthy older men and women who underwent six months of twice weekly resistance training, compared to a similar analysis of tissue samples taken from younger healthy men and women.

The gene expression profiles involved age-specific mitochondrial function; mitochondria act as the powerhouse of cells. Multiple studies have suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in the loss of muscle mass and functional impairment commonly seen in older people.

The study also measured muscle strength. Before exercise training, the older adults were 59% weaker than the younger adults, but after the training the strength of the older adults improved by about 50%, such that they were only 38% weaker than the young adults.

We were very surprised by the results of the study, said Melov. We expected to see gene expressions that stayed fairly steady in the older adults. The fact that their 'genetic fingerprints' so dramatically reversed course gives credence to the value of exercise, not only as a means of improving health, but of reversing the aging process itself, which is an additional incentive to exercise as you get older.

Future studies are being designed to determine if resistance training has any genetic impact on other types of human tissue, such as those that comprise organs; researchers also want to determine whether endurance training (running, cycling) impacts mitochondrial function and the aging process. The most recent study also points to particular gene expressions that could be used as starting points for chemical screenings that could lead to drug therapies that would modulate the aging process.

The vast majority of aging studies are done in worms, fruit flies and mice; this study was done in humans, said Melov. It's particularly rewarding to be able to scientifically validate something practical that people can do now to improve their health and the quality of their lives, as well as knowing that they are doing something which is actually reversing aspects of the aging process.

Beauty is Indeed Skin Deep - Research

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 02:34:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Using a revolutionary imaging process, a new study is revealing that wrinkles aren't the only cue the human eye looks for to evaluate age. Scientists at the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology, Austria and the Department for Sociobiology/Anthropology at the University of Goettingen, Germany have shown that facial skin color distribution, or tone, can add, or subtract, as much as 20 years to a woman's age.

The study used 3-D imaging and morphing software technologies to remove wrinkles and bone structure from the equation to determine the true impact of facial skin color distribution on the perception of a woman's age, health and attractiveness and is currently in the edit acceptance process with the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

"Until now, skin's overall homogeneity and color saturation received little attention among behavioral scientists. This study helps us better understand that wrinkles are not the only age cue. Skin tone and luminosity may be a major signal for mate selection and attractiveness, as well as perceived age," says lead researcher Dr. Karl Grammer, Founder and Scientific Director of the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology, University of Vienna, Austria.

Taking digital photos of 169 Caucasian women aged 10-70, the researchers used specialized morphing software to "drape" each subject's facial skin over a standardized bone structure. Other potential age-defining features such as facial furrows, lines and wrinkles were removed. Tone variances can be caused by several factors including cumulative UV damage (freckles, moles, age spots) natural aging (yellowing, dullness) and skin vascularization (redness). "Whether a woman is 17 or 70, the contrast of skin tone plays a significant role in the way her age, beauty and health is perceived," says study co-author Dr. Bernhard Fink, Senior Scientist in the Department for Sociobiology/Anthropology at the University of Goettingen, Germany.

"Skin tone homogeneity can give visual clues about a person's health and reproductive capability, so an even skin tone is considered most desirable. In this study, we found cumulative UV damage influences skin tone dramatically, giving women yet another reason to prevent UV-related skin damage or try to correct past damage that is causing uneven skin tone."

The study design employed high-resolution digital images, taken under cross-polarized lighting conditions, obtained from 169 female subjects aged 10-70 years. The resulting images were then transposed to a standard 2-D template that was then fitted to a standardized virtual 3-D skull where confounding variables such as overall face shape, lighting, camera angle, eye color/form and hairstyle were eliminated, leaving composite skin pigmentation (tone) as the only variable.

These 169 standardized "stimuli" faces with skin color distribution as the only variable were then blind-rated by 430 participants (incomplete design such that each rater judged 10 randomized stimuli). Raters were asked to estimate the age of stimuli faces as well as answer questions relating to general attractiveness, health and skin attributes.

As a next step, Drs. Grammer and Fink will partner with P&G Beauty scientist and skin imaging expert, Dr. Paul Matts to look at the distribution of light reflecting molecules â called chromophores - in study subject's skin and correlate them with perceived attractiveness. A non-invasive imaging technology called the SIAscope â originally developed for early skin cancer detection â will help the scientists get under the skin's surface to study the chromophores. Chromophores directly affect how the human eye perceives qualities such as luminosity in young skin or dullness in aging skin.

The researchers already know from the previous tone study that the uneven distribution of one chromophore â melanin â is related to cumulative UV damage, and seems to increase perceived age.

"Because skin has optical depth, our eyes perceive discolorations on the surface and in underlying layers. We believe the judgment of facial skin age is influenced by the frequency of lines and wrinkles, but also by uneven chromophore distribution and a decrease in light reflection," says Grammer.

Celebrating old age by making a difference in society

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 07:10:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The new mantra for the pensioners and the ageing millions in the country is not to give in to despair but celebrate life by using acquired skills to provide a helping hand to others, say experts.

"I try not to be a burden on anyone. I want a smile on everyone's face and am prepared to support anyone as much as I can so that together we can serve others," says Justice Ranganath Misra, who has long been championing the cause of senior citizens.

At 81, the former chief justice of India and advisory board member of the Delhi-headquartered Agewell Foundation is looking forward to more years of service to society - trying to clear the backlog of court cases through the fast track.

Moving away from the stereotype image of the elderly as lonely, neglected and helpless, Misra firmly believes that age is no bar to "facing life ahead upgrading skills, using our talents to serve others and trusting younger generation to lead their own lives".

Several others share the same views and are striving in their own ways to help prepare people for old age.

"Problems of the aged are not confined to the elderly but also impact the younger generation," A.M. Sethna, president of Parzor Foundation that deals with issues of the Parsi community, told IANS.

Around 30 percent of youths in the Parsi community have not been able to get married as they have the responsibility of their elderly parents, said Sethna.

He revealed that 31 percent of the Parsi community living in India comprised people over 60 years, a higher average than in any other community or country.

The number of senior citizens in India is estimated to be around 80 million, which is larger than the entire population of Britain.

"It is estimated that the number of people above 60 in India is set to reach 137 million by 2021," said Himanshu Rath, chairman of the Agewell Foundation that has developed a chain of over 6,300 dedicated volunteers across the country in the last seven years reaching out to over 4.8 million senior citizens.

"Our message is that older people do not need charity or sympathy. They need respect, companionship and opportunities to live with their beliefs."

Rath is not too keen on the concept of old age homes, describing them as "one-way traffic" as relatives rarely visit and the elderly are left to lead a lonely existence till they die. "It is a morbid situation.

"In any case with just about 1,000 old age homes in the country with a maximum of 25,000 beds they are hardly adequate to meet the rising number of elderly."

With increasing number of people living on their own either out of choice or compulsion as their children pursue their own lives and careers in India or abroad, there are a number of issues that communities have to address, feel the experts.

The Agewell Foundation is striving to create awareness among the elderly and the young about the social, medical and legal rights of senior citizens.

The foundation has also recently started a helpline to find employment for the elderly as tutors, accountants and other tasks where their work experience and skills can be utilised with benefit to both sides.

To focus on the issue of rising violence against and abuse of elders, India too will observe the World Day for Elder Abuse on June 15 by striving to create awareness among community leaders.

"Lots of people have found their own mechanism to take care of themselves but there is still a need to remove the dependency element," said Mala Kapur Shankardass, a gerontologist and sociologist.

"As the population of elders increases, there is need to ensure that people in peril and facing abuse have some sort of protection," said Shankardass, chairperson of the Development Welfare and Research Foundation who works with the UN and others to ensure that the elderly are able to live safely on their own.

Loneliness can increase blood pressure

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 15:01:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Loneliness may up the blood pressure in older people, say scientists, leading to heart disease, stroke and many other health problems.

Loneliness is a normal human emotion that many people experience at some point in their lives.

Louise Hawkley and colleagues at the University of Chicago studied 229 people aged 50 to 68 and checked their blood pressure. They also studied their loneliness, depression and hostility, reported health portal WebMD.

Systolic blood pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) was 10 to 30 points higher in participants with the highest scores on the loneliness survey, compared to those with the lowest loneliness scores, they found.

That pattern was strongest in the oldest participants. Blood pressure naturally rises with age, and loneliness might increase it further, the researchers wrote in journal 'Psychology and Aging'.

Hawkley and colleagues had previously studied loneliness in younger people. In young adults, loneliness wasn't tied to blood pressure.

Elderly need to exercise more to keep fit

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 12:36:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) People in their 60s and 70s may need to perform more physical activities or exercise to keep themselves fit, says a study.

It is common knowledge that as people age, there is a decline in the exercise or work a person can do before becoming exhausted.

Researchers led by Wayne C. Levy at the University of Washington in Seattle suggest that this is not just a product of the aging cardiovascular system being less able to send oxygen to working muscles, but that the older body also needs more oxygen to perform the same work as a younger one i.e. the exercise efficiency declines.

The study, published in the current issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, suggests that the older we get the harder we have to work to keep fit.

Seniors it seems may have to work harder than young people to perform the same physical activity, but regular exercise may close that age gap, they said.

According to Levy it is unclear as yet how intensely people need to exercise to retain their efficiency as they age, but he suspects that any activity done regularly, including walking, would have benefits.

World Alzheimers Day to raise awareness of vascular dementia

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 19:25:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) The Alzheimers Society has launched a new initiative today World Alzheimers Day - to raise awareness of vascular dementia. It is the second most common form of dementia in the UK but many people have never heard of the condition.

One in four people who have a stroke go onto develop vascular dementia within three months. Yet health professionals often miss the link. This means many people remain undiagnosed and are unable to access the care and support they need. These concerning facts have spurred the Alzheimers Society to launch the Hearts and Brains project, the first ever project by a UK charity to focus on vascular dementia. Vascular dementia is caused by problems with supply of blood to the brain and it affects over 150,000 people in the UK.

The Society aims to raise awareness of the condition, and the risk factors associated with it. As part of the project the Society is encouraging people to love their brain highlighting simple ways to keep your heart and brain healthy and reduce the risk of vascular dementia.

There are 18 million people with dementia worldwide, however, qualitative research carried out by the Alzheimers Society in the UK showed a worrying lack of knowledge about the different types of dementia. Whilst all interviewees had heard of Alzheimers disease, none of those asked had any knowledge of vascular dementia.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimers Society, says,

Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimers disease, yet many people have never heard of it, and do not realise that there are things that they can do to reduce their risk. Leading a healthy lifestyle doesnt just keep you physically fit but can help keep your brain in good shape too. This new campaign is asking people to think ahead about dementia you can act now to reduce your risk. Its time to realise a healthy heart equals a healthy brain.

Each year thousands of people are diagnosed with vascular dementia but many do not know where to turn. This World Alzheimers Day we want to tell people that we are here for all forms of dementia.

The Alzheimers Society is launching a series of seminars across the country, with new posters and information booklets aimed at raising awareness of the condition amongst health professional and the general public. The risk factors for vascular dementia are the same as those for stroke and heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity; giving people even more reason to keep their heart in mind. Simple steps can help reduce your risk of developing the condition, you can love your brain by:

* Not smoking
* Only drinking alcohol in moderation, no more than 2 units a day
* Reducing your intake of salt and saturated fat
* Taking regular exercise, at least 30 minutes a day
* Having a GP check your blood pressure and blood fat levels at least once a year.

The international theme of World Alzheimers Day 2005 is we can make a difference. The Alzheimers Society has launched the Hearts and Brains project to encourage people to make a difference by understanding more about vascular dementia.

Gender Age Gap Narrows in US

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 16:47:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Life expectancy for Americans has reached an all-time high, according to the latest U.S. mortality statistics released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report, "Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2003," prepared by CDCs National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), shows life expectancy at 77.6 years in 2003, up from 77.3 in 2002.

The gap between male and female life expectancy closed from 5.4 years in 2002 to 5.3 years in 2003, continuing a trend toward narrowing since the peak gap of 7.8 years in 1979. Record-high life expectancies were found for white males (75.4 years) and black males (69.2 males), as well as for white females (80.5 years) and black females (76.1 years).

Other findings in the report include:

* The preliminary age-adjusted death rate in the U.S. reached an all-time low in 2003 of 831.2 deaths per 100,000 population.
* Age-adjusted death rates declined for eight of the 15 leading causes of death. Declines were seen for heart disease (down 3.6 percent) and cancer (down 2.2 percent), the two leading causes of death which account for more than half of all deaths in the United States each year. Declines were also documented for stroke (4.6 percent), suicide (3.7 percent), flu/pneumonia (3.1 percent), chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (2.1 percent), and accidents/unintentional injuries (2.2. percent).
* After the first infant mortality rate increase in 44 years in 2002, the rate for 2003 did not change significantly (6.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2003 compared to a rate of 7.0 per 1,000 in 2002.)
* Firearm mortality dropped nearly 3 percent between 2002 and 2003.
* The preliminary age-adjusted death rate for HIV declined 4.1 percent between 2002 and 2003, continuing a downward trend observed since 1994.
* Age-adjusted death rates from alcohol dropped 4.3 percent and the rate for drug-related deaths fell 3.3 percent in 2003.
* Mortality increased for the following leading causes of death: Alzheimers disease, kidney disease, hypertension, and Parkinsons disease.

Fish Oil Reverses Age-Related Ailments

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 01:36:00 PST

( from http://www.rxpgnews.com ) University of Bradford student Samantha Little has been awarded a Young Investigators Award at an international congress for her work on the effect of fish oil on the ageing brain.

Fish oil is a major dietary source of the polyunsaturated fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA is important for growth and functional development and for information processing in the brain. It has been shown to have positive effects on hypertension, arthritis, depression, heart disease, some cancers and age-related disorders such as Alzheimers.

Following her research into DHA, postgraduate student Samantha was one of just 10 young investigators to be presented with an award at the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) 2004.

Samantha, who is based in the University's School of Pharmacy, said: "Around 50 to 60 per cent of brain dry weight consists of lipids and approximately 20 per cent of the brain membrane lipids consist of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The most abundant omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid in the brain is DHA.

"With the ageing process, there is a deterioration in the central nervous system, deterioration in memory, increased inflammation and increased oxidative stress and level of cholesterol in the brain. This is accompanied by a decline in the levels of DHA in the brain.

"By increasing the dietary intake of DHA, we hoped to increase the levels of DHA in the brain, and this would hopefully have positive impact on the deficits associated with ageing."

An eight-week study revealed that having a diet supplemented with DHA resulted in the levels of DHA in the brain increasing, whilst the levels of cholesterol decreased. Researchers concluded that DHA reversed the age-related deficits associated with inflammation and stress.

Samantha was awarded a certificate and £120 for her research, under the category of Young Investigators Awards for the top 10 papers presented by young (PhD students) researchers.