0000000000073797
AUTHOR
G. Frada
Centenarians in Western Sicily
Progressive aging of general population recorded in Italy has caused an increase of the number of centenarians. Such high age is often associated with failure of many psychic and physical functions, and centenarians are therefore often not independent (partially or completely) and require particular care.
Prevalence of organ-specific and non organ-specific autoantibodies in healthy centenarians.
In the present study we have investigated the prevalence of organ-specific and non organ-specific autoantibodies in 26 healthy centenarians (6 men, 20 women; age range 101-106 years), using as controls 54 healthy old (33 men and 21 women, age range 71-93) and 56 young subjects (29 men and 27 women, age range 26-60). We assayed sera of each group for the following organ-specific autoantibodies, anti-gastric mucosa (anti-PCA), anti-thyroglobulin (anti-Tg) and non organ-specific autoantibodies, anti-cardiolipin (anti-APA IgG and IgM), anti-nuclear antigens (anti-ANA), anti-double strand DNA (anti-ds-DNA), anti-extractable nuclear antigens (anti-ENA). Finally, natural anti-alpha-galactosyl (ant…
Interdigestive Plasma Motilin Concentrations in Aged Adults
The interdigestive plasma motilin concentrations were evaluated in 13 over-65 healthy adults with no evidence of significant disease and in 19 younger individuals. Plasma motilin levels were determined every 15 min during a 3-hr fasting period, using a radioimmunological method. The individual median values of plasma motilin concentrations during the entire study period were significantly higher in aged than younger adults. The individual median coefficients of variation of motilin concentrations and the percentage increases of plasma motilin above baseline at each peak were significantly lower in the aged than in the young group. The results of this study indicate that during the interdige…
Diuretic Therapy in Old Patients
The administration of diuretics is indicated in several clinical conditions characterized by more or less severe water and salt retention (congestive heart failure, non-compensated liver cirrhosis, renal syndromes etc.), or in cases in which water and sodium depletion is supposed to improve some pathophysiological aspects of clinical symptoms (e. g. as background treatment in arterial hypertension, or as emergency treatment in left ventricular failure.
Plasma lipid, apolipoprotein and Lp(a) levels in elderly normolipidemic women: Relationships with coronary heart disease and longevity
The relation between plasma lipids and coronary heart disease (CHD) in the elderly is still debated, as well as the proposed role of lipoproteins as markers of longevity. In this study both normolipidemic elderly and middle-aged women with CHD showed higher triglycerides and apolipoprotein B levels and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I levels in comparison with age-matched subjects without CHD. In the middle-aged group, hypertension and HDL-cholesterol levels and, in the elderly group, only HDL-cholesterol levels were independently associated with CHD. No significant difference was found between a group of healthy centenarians and elderly and middle-age…
C4, BF, C3 Allele Distribution and Complement Activity in Healthy Aged People and Centenarians
The aim of this study was to examine the complement system and the distribution of some human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class III alleles (C4, BF) in healthy aged people (77 centenarians and 89 elderly subjects). We have also studied the alleles of C3, a complement component genetically unrelated to HLA, the immunochemical levels of C4 and C3 and serum functional hemolytic activity for classical (CH50) and alternative (AP50) complement pathway. The levels of C3 and C4 and the CH50 and AP50 were found to be within the normal range. The frequencies of C3, BF, and C4A alleles were similar in the cohorts that have been studied. For C4B null allele (C4BQ0) a trend toward an increase in the older c…