Search results for " Gerontology"
showing 10 items of 1351 documents
Prognostic value of IL-6 and IL-10 serum levels and immunonutritional assessment in determining postoperative complications after geriatric surgery
2009
The onset of postoperative septic complications has recently been associated to serum levels of interleukin (IL) IL-6 and IL-10. Patients with complications have higher serum levels than patients without complication after surgery. IL-6 has been recognized as early marker of postoperative septic events. Furthermore IL-6 increases with age, expecially if there are associated diseases. It is a sign of functional deterioration of different organs. The disregulation in interleukin production, anesthetic drugs, hemorrhage and transfusions may lead to the onset of postoperative complications. The latter are more frequent in oncologic patients. The aim of our study is to evaluate pre- and postoper…
Apolipoprotein A1 in Cerebrospinal Fluid Is Insufficient to Distinguish Alzheimer's Disease from Other Dementias in a Naturalistic, Clinical Setting.
2020
Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) is the major protein component of the high-density lipoprotein and involved in cholesterol transport. Disruption of cholesterol homeostasis has been identified as a contributing factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Moreover, polymorphisms of ApoA1 have been associated with higher risk of disease onset and cognitive decline. Therefore, ApoA1 has been suggested as a biomarker in AD. Here, we tested a small cohort of AD and non-AD dementia patients and measured levels of ApoA1 in cerebrospinal fluid. Our results indicate that ApoA1 might not be applicable to distinguish AD from other forms of dementia.
Fiat lux: the light became therapy. An overview on the Bright Light Therapy in Alzheimer’s Disease sleep disorders
2020
Background: A system of photosensitive retinal ganglion cells provides ‘non-visual’ information on the circadian sequences of light to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which, as the ‘master clock’, synchronizes the chronobiological mechanisms of all the biological clocks. Damage to SCN structure alters circadian behavioral and hormonal rhythms and interferes with a regular sleep-wake pattern. Several studies have shown that, in aging and in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), circadian rhythms change their synchronization with the environment and behavior loses sync with light. Objective: The current overview aims to examine research studies showing the effect of bright light therapy (BLT) on sleep…
Rethinking age in athletic retirement: An existential-narrative perspective
2015
The aim of this paper is to examine theoretical understandings of athletic career and career termination from an existential-narrative perspective. Our critical analysis suggests that career models and many research texts have an implicit understanding of sport as a profession and propose a normative end to the career when athletes no longer improve their results. Being framed by Western cultural narratives of ageing as decline, the aforementioned career models disregard athletes’ subjective careers and their agency in bringing meaning to experiences of ageing and decline in athletic performance. While the main focus of this paper is on theoretical analysis, some empirical findings from our…
The organizational use of online stock photos: The impact of representing senior citizens as eternally youthful
2018
The digital divide due to age is declining quickly. But this does not necessarily mean that the willingness to use stock photos depicting older people accompanying digital information is the same among all senior citizens. Three research questions are at the core of this paper: (1) To which extent can various senior citizens (women and men, younger old and older old, living alone or together, full of vitality or fragile) identify with online stock photos of older people accompanying information about pensions, income, health and housing?, (2) Which are the connotations of the visual signs used in such stock photos? and (3) What are the policy implications for organizations aiming at offerin…
Prognostic significance of surrogate measures for forced vital capacity in an elderly population.
2009
Objectives To evaluate whether measures easier to obtain than the FVC can substitute it as a prognostic marker in elderly people. Design Prospective, observational study. Setting Community. Participants Outpatients (n = 1485) aged 73.4 years (SD: 6.2 range 65–98) enrolled in the Salute Respiratoria nell'Anziano (SaRA) study. Measurements We calculated the risk for mortality associated with a reduction below 80% of the predicted FVC, of the forced expiratory volume at 6 seconds (FEV6), and of a surrogate measure for forced vital capacity (SFVC), defined as the largest volume exhaled in 2 forced maneuvers regardless of its duration and of the presence of plateau. Results Among the 907 partici…
Effects of Hypericum Extract on the Expression of Serotonin Receptors
1994
The influence of hypericum extract LI 160 on the expression of serotonin receptors was investigated using a neuroblastoma cell line to establish a model for the regulation of neurotransmitters by immunologically active compounds such as cytokines. The cells were incubated with hypericum extract LI 160 in kinetic form for 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 hours, then washed. The serotonin receptor expression analysis was compared to that of a placebo control solution. The neuroblastoma cells showed a clearly reduced expression of the serotonin receptors under treatment with hypericum extract. First stimulation experiments with interleukin-1 (IL-1) and hypericum extract suggest that a further reduction of …
Health system reforms and the needs of the ageing population : an analysis of recent policy paths and reform trends in Finland and Sweden
2022
AbstractPopulation ageing with an increasing number of people experiencing complex health and social care needs challenges health systems. We explore whether andhow health system reforms and policy measures adopted during the past two decades in Finland and Sweden reflect and address the needs of the older people. We discuss health system characteristics that are important to meet the care needs of older people and analyse how health policy agendas have highlighted these aspects in Finland and Sweden. The analysis is based on “most similar cases”. The two countries have rather similar health systems and are facing similar challenges. However, the policy paths to address these challenges are…
Knowledge-based modelling applied to synucleinopathies
2015
International audience; The adoption of telemedicine technologies has enabled collaborative programs involving a variety of links among distributed medical structures and health officials and professionals. The use for telemedicine for transmission of medical data and the possibility for several distant physicians to share their knowledge on given medical cases provides clear benefits, but also raises several unsolved conceptual and technical challenges. The seamless exchange and access of medical information between medical structures, health professionals, and patients is a prerequisite for the harmonious development of this new medical practice. This paper proposes a new approach of sema…
Differential evolution of PSA-NCAM expression during aging of the rat telencephalon
2007
Changes in the ability of neuronal networks to undergo structural remodeling may be involved in the age-associated cognitive decline. The polysialylated form of the neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) declines dramatically during postnatal development, but persists in several regions of the young-adult rat telencephalon, where it participates, through its anti-adhesive properties, in neuronal structural plasticity. However, PSA-NCAM expression during aging has only been studied in the dentate gyrus and the piriform cortex layer II, where it is strongly downregulated in adult (middle-aged) individuals. Using immunohistochemistry, we have observed that in most of the telencephalic areas …