Category: Ageing

Categories : AgeingTags :

Why Knee Osteoarthritis Risk is Higher in Women

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By using a bioreactor aboard a flight that simulated zero gravity, researchers have found that the reason why women have a greater risk of developing knee osteoarthritis is down to genetic differences in knee meniscus tissue.

Better tests, prevention and treatments could be developed for knee osteoarthritis in women here on Earth, based on this research.

Though knee osteoarthritis is more common in females than in males, the difference cannot be explained solely by hormones. The researchers have pinpointed a genetic difference in the meniscus that makes about 50% of females more vulnerable to developing osteoarthritis than males or other females. Exposure to zero gravity is known to mimic the ageing process, as muscles atrophy and bones lose density. The zero gravity environment of space has greatly contributed to medical research.

Researchers ran the experiment aboard an aircraft flying in parabolic arcs to specially simulate zero gravity conditions, to mimic the damage that can happen to the meniscus due to lack of exercise.

“Some of the genes that were found in the females that responded more to simulated space microgravity were also associated with the development of knee osteoarthritis,” said principal investigator Adetola Adesida, professor of surgery in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.

The results suggest that a blood test could screen for the high-risk gene, allowing for early interventions such as physiotherapy, and eventually even drug therapy. It might also allow women to stay in space longer.

“We’ve uncovered the mechanisms that lead to this higher response, and we are hoping to develop drugs to target those pathways and block those responses,” Adesida said.

Previously thought to be rather unimportant, meniscus acts as a load distributor for the body’s full weight. However, it is now known that just a small tear in the meniscus, often from a sports injury, increases the risk of later osteoarthritis, even if the damaged tissue has been removed. On the other hand, lack of use can also lead to deconditioning of the meniscus and increase arthritis risk.

Knee osteoarthritis is the most common joint problem, affecting an estimated 250 million people worldwide, including 14% of females older than 60 and 10% of males in the same age group.

Prof Adesida’s team has developed bioengineered meniscus tissue grown from cells that have been removed from the damaged menisci of otherwise healthy individuals. The hope is one day to be able to replace damaged tissue through transplant, preventing the development of knee osteoarthritis.

For their experiment on sex differences, the team studied how the bioengineered tissue functioned while at rest and under mechanical loading and unloading conditions. For the loading, they used a device that exerted hydrostatic pressure on the cells. For the unloading, they put the cells into a bioreactor designed by NASA to fly aboard the zero-gravity aircraft.

“Our loading and unloading experiment mimics what we actually see in a clinical situation where the development of spaceflight microgravity-induced knee osteoarthritic changes is possible,” he said.

“This will help us to have human relevant models to study knee osteoarthritis in the future. And our research has both Earth benefits and space benefits.”

The study findings were published in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology.

Source: University of Alberta

Categories : AgeingTags :

Factors that Affect Disability after Surgery in Older Adults

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old man walking with canes
Source: Miika Luotio on Unsplash

In an analysis of older adults who underwent surgery, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, more who had non-elective surgery were found to experience disabilities than those who had elective surgery, and factors such as age increased this vulnerability.

The study included 247 adults aged 70 years or older who were discharged from the hospital after major surgery from 1997 to 2017, patients who had non-elective surgery had more disabilities in daily activities over the following 6 months than those who had elective surgery.  

Researchers identified 10 factors that were associated with greater disability burden: age 85 years or older, female sex, Black race or Hispanic ethnicity, neighbourhood disadvantage, multimorbidity, frailty, one or more disabilities, low functional self-efficacy, smoking, and obesity. The burden of disability increased with each additional “vulnerability” factor.

“The results from this study can be used by clinicians to identify older adults who are particularly susceptible to poor functional outcomes after major surgery, and a subset of the factors identified could serve as the basis for new interventions to improve functional outcomes in vulnerable older surgical patients,” said lead author Thomas M. Gill, MD, of the Yale School of Medicine.

Source: Wiley

Categories : Ageing Diet and NutritionTags :

Soluble Fibre is Associated with Lower Dementia Risk

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Drawing on a decades-long cohort study, researchers in Japan have found that higher levels of dietary fibre, particularly soluble fibre, are associated with a lower risk of dementia.

Fibre is known to have vital importance for a healthy digestive system and also has cardiovascular benefits like reduced cholesterol. In a new study published in Nutritional Neuroscience, researchers have shown that a high-fibre diet is also associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia, adding to evidence that fibre is also important for a healthy brain.

“Dementia is a devastating disease that usually requires long-term care,” says lead author of the study Professor Kazumasa Yamagishi. “We were interested in some recent research which suggested that dietary fibre may play a preventative role. We investigated this using data that were collected from thousands of adults in Japan for a large study that started in the 1980s.”

Between 1985 and 1999, 3739 participants who were generally healthy and aged between 40–64 completed dietary information surveys. They were then followed up from 1999 until 2020, and it was noted whether they developed dementia that required care.

Participants were assigned into four groups according to the amount of fibre in their diets. They found that the groups who ate higher levels of fibre had a lower risk of developing dementia.

The team also examined whether there were differences for the two main types of fibre: soluble and insoluble fibres. Soluble fibres, found in foods such as oats and legumes, are important for the beneficial bacteria that live in the gut as well as providing other health benefits. Insoluble fibres, found in whole grains, vegetables, and some other foods, are known to be important for bowel health. The researchers found that the link between fibre intake and dementia was more pronounced for soluble fibres.

The team has some ideas as to what might underlie the link between dietary fibre and the risk of dementia.

“The mechanisms are currently unknown but might involve the interactions that take place between the gut and the brain,” said Professor Yamagishi. “One possibility is that soluble fibre regulates the composition of gut bacteria. This composition may affect neuroinflammation, which plays a role in the onset of dementia. It’s also possible that dietary fibre may reduce other risk factors for dementia, such as body weight, blood pressure, lipids, and glucose levels. The work is still at an early stage, and it’s important to confirm the association in other populations.”

Source: University of Tsukuba

Categories : Ageing COVIDTags :

Higher Oestrogen Levels Protect Older Women Against Severe COVID

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An older woman’s oestrogen levels may be linked to her chances of dying from COVID, with higher levels of the hormone seemingly protective against severe infection, according to a study published in BMJ Open.

Supplemental hormone treatment to curb the severity of COVID infection in post-menopausal women could be investigated, the researchers suggested.

Even after accounting for other factors, women seem to have a lower risk of severe COVID infection than men. This holds true for other serious recent viral infections, such as MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).

Oestrogen may have a role in this gender discrepancy, so to invesitgate the researchers compared the potential effects of boosting and reducing oestrogen levels on COVID infection severity.

They drew on Swedish national data, and the study sample included 14 685 women in total: 227 (2%) had been previously diagnosed with breast cancer and were on oestrogen blocker drugs (adjuvant therapy) to curb the risk of cancer recurrence; and 2535 (17%) were taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to boost their oestrogen levels in a bid to relieve menopausal symptoms.

Some 11,923 (81%) women acted as the comparison group as they weren’t on any type of treatment, either to enhance or reduce their systemic oestrogen levels.

Analysis of all the data showed that compared with no oestrogen treatment, the crude odds of dying from COVID were twice as high among women on oestrogen blockers but 54% lower among women on HRT.

After accounting for potentially influential factors, COVID mortality risk remained significantly lower (53%) for women on HRT.

Unsurprisingly, age was significantly associated with COVID mortality risk, with each extra year associated with 15% greater odds, while every additional coexisting condition increased the odds of death by 13%.

And those with the lowest household incomes were nearly 3 times as likely to die as those with the highest.

As an observational study, it cannot establish cause. There were no data on the precise doses of HRT or oestrogen blocker drugs, or their duration, nor on weight or smoking, while the number of women on adjuvant therapy was relatively small.

These factors may have been influential. But the researchers conclude: “This study shows an association between oestrogen levels and COVID death. Consequently, drugs increasing oestrogen levels may have a role in therapeutic efforts to alleviate COVID severity in postmenopausal women and could be studied in randomised control trials.”

Source: EurekAlert!

Categories : AgeingTags :

Improving Attitudes to Ageing Measurably Improves Health

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Helping people feel better about how they are ageing could result in real improvements in health and well-being later on, according to research from the University of British Columbia which was published in JAMA Network Open.

Over a four-year period, researchers tracked changes in how participants felt about their own ageing, then looked for measurable changes in health and well-being after another four years had passed. Those participants whose attitudes had improved over the first four years were more likely to have measurable health improvements in the next four years.

“Prior research has looked at how psychological risk factors like depression and stress might adversely influence health and well-being outcomes, but we are interested in factors that might positively influence health and well-being outcomes,” said Julia Nakamura, a graduate student in UBC’s department of psychology and first author of the study. “With further research, our findings suggest that interventions to increase aging satisfaction might improve the health and well-being of our rapidly growing older adult population.”

Health and well-being are gaining favor as indicators of societal progress, over pure economic indicators. Governments and intergovernmental organisations have recognised that using gross domestic product as the primary measure of success can lead to policies that devalue environmental, psychological and social health. Increasingly, they are looking for more holistic ways to measure societal well-being.

In this study, more than 13 000 adults over age 50 contributed data through the Health and Retirement Study in the U.S. between 2008 and 2018. The research team analysed participants’ data at three separate intervals, four years apart.

At the first interval, the researchers recorded initial measures of health and well-being. They also captured aging satisfaction through participants’ responses to statements such as:

  • Things keep getting worse as I get older.
  • I am as happy now as I was when I was younger.
  • The older I get, the more useless I feel.

At the second interval, they assessed ageing satisfaction again.

At the third and final interval, they measured how health and well-being measures had changed four years after the second measurement of aging satisfaction.

Of the 35 outcomes they measured, 27 had improved in association with improved aging satisfaction four years earlier. Decreases in ageing satisfaction from the first to second interval were associated with worsening health and well-being outcomes by the third interval.

The order in which these measurements were taken is important. People in better health could be expected to have more positive attitudes about ageing than those with health problems, but this analysis in fact showed that increases in ageing satisfaction clearly preceded improvements in health and well-being.

“Interventions that make people feel better about aging could potentially produce concrete benefits,” said Nakamura. “Those interventions could come at both the individual level and the broader, societal level. At the societal level, combating ageism and reducing harmful stereotypes about aging are potential paths to improving individual aging satisfaction. If a person thinks ageing is destined to be a negative experience, that might become a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Source: University of British Columbia

Categories : Ageing Pain ManagementTags :

Body Mass Index Impacts Pain in People with Hand Osteoarthritis

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In a study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, people with hand osteoarthritis, higher body mass index was associated with greater pain severity in the hands, feet, knees, and hips.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most debilitating joint disorders worldwide, affecting up to 10% of men and 13% of women.  Osteoarthritis is characterised by a progressive onset of joint damage, commonly associated with pain. Joints commonly affected include the knee, hip and hand. Various stressors, risk factors and genetics may predispose an individual to developing osteoarthritis in a particular joint.

In a study of 281 patients, researchers noted that observed associations of body mass index with hand pain and total body joint pain seemed to involve certain inflammatory markers (leptin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, respectively).  

The researchers suggest that systemic effects of obesity, measured by leptin, could have a larger mediating role for pain in hands than in lower extremities. Low-grade inflammation, measured by hs-CRP, may contribute to generalised pain in overweight or obese individuals.

“Our results highlight the complexity of pain in hand osteoarthritis. Obesity is not only leading to pain through increased loading of joints in the lower extremities, but seems to have systemic effects leading to pain in the hands and overall body,” said lead author Marthe Gløersen, MD, of Diakonhjemmet Hospital, in Norway.

Source: Wiley

Categories : Ageing Cardiovascular DiseaseTags :

Reduced Heart Failure Risk in Postmenopausal Women Who Walk Faster

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A study of postmenopausal women, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that those who reported a faster walking pace had a lower risk of developing heart failure. 

Among 25 183 women aged 50 to 79 years, there were 1455 cases of hospitalisation for heart failure during a median follow-up of 16.9 years. Compared with women who walked at a casual pace, those who walked at an average pace or fast pace had 27% and 34% lower risks of heart failure, respectively.

Fast walking for less than 1 hour per week was associated with the same risk reduction of heart failure as average or casual walking for more than 2 hours per week.

“This study confirms other studies demonstrating the importance of walking speed on mortality and other cardiovascular outcomes,” said senior author Charles B. Eaton, MD, MS, of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. “Given that limited time for exercise is frequently given as a barrier to regular physical activity, walking faster but for less time might provide similar health benefits as the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity.”

Further study is warranted to determine whether interventions to increase the walking pace in older adults will reduce heart failure risk and whether fast pace will compensate for the short duration of walking.

Source: Wiley

Categories : AgeingTags :

Two Key Proteins with a Major Role in Ageing

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In the largest genetic study of ageing to date, two key proteins have been identified that play a significant role in the ageing process. Developing drugs that target these proteins could be one way of slowing down ageing.

Genetics, lifestyle, environment and chance influence ageing. The study sheds light on the part proteins play in this process. Some people have higher or lower levels of certain proteins according to their individual DNA, which in turn affect a person’s health.

In a study published in Nature Aging, researchers from the University of Edinburgh combined the results of six large genetic studies into human ageing – each containing genetic information on hundreds of thousands of people.

Among 857 proteins studied, researchers identified two that had significant negative effects across various ageing measures.

People who inherited DNA that causes raised levels of these proteins were frailer, had poorer self-rated health and were less likely to live an exceptionally long life than those who did not.

The first protein, apolipoprotein(a) (LPA), is made in the liver and thought to play a role in clotting. High levels of LPA can increase the risk of atherosclerosis – a condition in which arteries become clogged with fatty substances. Heart disease and stroke is a possible outcome.

The second protein, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1), is primarily found on the surfaces of endothelial cells lining blood vessels. The protein controls the vessels’ expansion and retraction – and have a function in blood clotting and the immune response.

Levels of VCAM1 increase in response to signals indicating an infection, and the protein then allows immune cells to cross the endothelial layer.

The researchers say that drugs used to treat diseases by reducing levels of LPA and VCAM1 could have the added benefit of improving quality and length of life.  

One such example is a clinical trial that is testing a drug to lower LPA as a way of reducing the risk of heart disease. No clinical trials with VCAM1 are underway, but studies in mice have shown how antibodies lowering this protein’s level improved cognition during old age.

The identification of these two key proteins could help extend the healthy years of life. Drugs that reduce these protein levels in the blood could allow the average person to live as healthy and as long as individuals who have won the genetic lottery and are born with genetically low LPA and VCAM1 levels.

Source: University of Edinburgh

Categories : AgeingTags :

Muscles may Stay Younger at an Epigenetic Level through Exercise

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While the benefits of exercise in ageing have been well established, such as lowering risk of cardiovascular disease, a new study that used mice demonstrated that exercise in aged individuals could help muscles stay younger at an epigenetic level.

Despite generating a wealth of data, the study, which was published in Aging Cell, made use of a relatively straightforward experiment. Lab mice nearing the end of their natural lifespan, at 22 months, were allowed access to a weighted exercise wheel. Mice generally run voluntarily, without any coercion. Older mice will run anywhere from six to eight kilometres a day, mostly in spurts, while younger mice may run up to 10 to 12 kilometres. The weighted wheel ensured they built muscle. While there isn’t a direct analogue to most human exercise routines, first author Kevin Murach, assistant professor at the University of Arkansas, likened it to “a soldier carrying a heavy backpack many miles.”

When the mice were examined after two months of progressive weighted wheel running, it was determined that they were the epigenetic age of mice eight weeks younger than sedentary mice of the same age – 24 months. Murach noted that while the specific strain of mice and their housing conditions can impact lifespans, “historically, they start dropping off after 24 months at a significant rate.” Needless to say, when your lifespan is measured in months, an extra eight weeks – roughly 10 percent of that lifespan – is a noteworthy gain.

The science behind this hinges largely on DNA methylation, where methyl groups attach to DNA, altering their function. As the body ages, there tends to be increased DNA methylation, or even hypermethylation, at promoter sites on genes in muscle. “DNA methylation changes in a lifespan tend to happen in a somewhat systematic fashion,” Murach explained, “to the point you can look at someone’s DNA from a given tissue sample and with a fair degree of accuracy predict their chronological age.” Due to this, researchers can use one of a number of “methylation clocks” to determine the age of a DNA sample.

While the paper strengthens the case for exercise, much work remains to be done. Though there is a clear connection between methylation and ageing, the relationship between methylation and muscle function is less clear. Murach is not yet prepared to say that the reversal of methylation with exercise causes improved muscle health. “That’s not what the study was set up to do,” he explained. However, he intends to pursue future studies to determine if “changes in methylation result in altered muscle function.”

Source: University of Arkansas

Categories : Ageing Neurodegenerative DiseasesTags :

How Many Intervention Sessions to Prevent Cognitive Decline?

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Physical activity, diet and cognitive stimulation are all known to be good interventions for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Now an international team of researchers has determined that only about a dozen intervention sessions are all that were needed to observe an improvement in cognition.

Until now, the number of sessions or “doses” needed for optimal effect has been unknown. Published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, the study led by Université de Montréal psychology professor Sylvie Belleville showed that between 12 and 14 sessions were all that were needed to boost cognitive ability, though the gain observed levelled off with more sessions.

“In pharmacological studies, every effort is made to define an optimal treatment dose needed to observe the expected effects, “ said Prof Belleville,  a neuropsychologist and researcher at the research centre of the UdeM-affiliated Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal. “This is rarely done in non-pharmacological studies, especially those on the prevention of cognitive decline, where little information is available to identify this dose.

“Defining an optimal number of treatment sessions is therefore crucial.,” she continued. “Indeed, proposing too few sessions will produce no noticeable improvement effects, but too many sessions is also undesirable as these interventions are costly. They are costly both for the individual who follows the treatments, in terms of time and involvement, and for the organisation offering these treatments.”

The study is based on a secondary analysis of data from the three-year Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial (MAPT) and examined 749 participants who received a range of interventions aimed at preventing cognitive decline. These interventions included dietary advice, physical activity and cognitive stimulation.

In their research, Prof Belleville’s team noted that people’s individuality should be considered when determining the optimal treatment dose.

In their study, the researchers gauged the effects of the sessions in terms of each participant’s age, gender, education level, and cognitive and physical condition. The relationship between the “dose” each received and their cognitive improvement was then analysed.

The findings revealed an increase with dose followed by a plateau effect after 12 to 14 sessions. However, participants with lower levels of education or more risk factors for frailty did benefit from more sessions.

The researchers concluded that it’s important to pinpoint an optimal dose and to customise the treatment for each individual. Not only is “dosage” an important component of behavioural interventions, it can also provide valuable information in resource-constrained settings, helping public-health agencies develop effective prevention programs and offer guidance to older adults and clinicians.

Source: University of Montreal