Search results for " aging"

Age-associated telomere shortening in mouse oocytes

2013

Abstract Background Oocytes may undergo two types of aging. The first is induced by exposure to an aged ovarian microenvironment before being ovulated, known as ‘reproductive or maternal aging’, and the second by either a prolonged stay in the oviduct before fertilization or in vitro aging prior to insemination, known as ‘postovulatory aging’. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these aging processes remain to be elucidated. As telomere shortening in cultured somatic cells triggers replicative senescence, telomere shortening in oocytes during reproductive and postovulatory aging may predict developmental competence. This study aimed to ascertain the mechanisms underlying altered te…

Polymer aging affects the bioavailability of microplastics-associated contaminants in sea urchin embryos

2022

Microplastics (MPs) in the marine environment undergo complex weathering factors that can affect their ability to interact with different coexisting environmental contaminants (termed here co-contaminants). In this study, the influence of artificially aging using UV on the sorption of a complex mixture of co-contaminants onto MPs was investigated in order to provide meaningful hypotheses on their individual and combined toxicities on sea urchin embryos. A mixture of artificially aged MPs (PS particles and PA microfibers) combined with 2,2′ ,4,4′ - tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), or Cd or Cu, both alone and in a mix, were used to expose embryos of Paracentrotus lividus. The effects of pol…

Experimental evaluation of the reliability of the adhesive joint in a 3rd-generation-solar-cell-integrated glass block

2017

Glass block is a building product that has been widely used since the mid-1800s for the construction of natural light capturing technical elements and, in the last decades, of translucent building envelopes. In a framework of increased quality requirements in terms of energy saving and environmental sustainability, innovations have been introduced to its standard configuration, including the integration of 3rd generation solar cells within the glass block, in order to improve its performance and make it capable of producing clean energy. Indeed, one of the two constituting glass shells has been integrated with a pre-assembled photovoltaic module and then bonded to a plastic “thermal belt” a…

Social networks and social activities promote cognitive functioning in both concurrent and prospective time: evidence from the SHARE survey

2018

The study aimed to investigate the role of social activities, social networks as well as socioeconomic status (SES) in influencing some aspects of cognitive functioning (immediate and delayed verbal recall tests and semantic verbal fluency) in elderly people over time. This analysis was conducted on a sample of 31,954 healthy elderly people (58% female, mean age 65.54 ± 9.74) interviewed in both the fourth and sixth waves of the Survey on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), in 2011 and 2015. A structural equation model with measurement component was used to assess the relationship between cognitive function, social life and SES over time. Multilevel ordinal logistic regression w…

B cell immunosenescence in the elderly and in centenarians.

2008

The elderly suffer from an increased susceptibility to infectious disease and cancer. Aging of the immune system contributes to this state of affairs due to immunosenescence. Because repeated intermittent or chronic antigen exposure may lead to lymphocyte clonal exhaustion, chronic antigenic stress plays a part in the compromised immunity of the elderly, who have accumulated a lifetime's exposure to infectious agents, autoantigens, and cancer antigens. Literature on immunosenescence has focused mainly on T cell impairment, but B cell compartment is also affected. The age-dependent B cell changes documented by the present review indicate that advanced age per se is a condition characterized …

Ways to become old: Role of lifestyle in modulation of the hallmarks of aging

2021

Abstract Lifestyle represents one of the most relevant aspects in aging research since it is an important modifiable factor that affects aging process. A healthy lifestyle can limit the damage caused by environmental influences that face us each day. As gerontology says, there are two ways to become old, without success (unsuccessful aging), manifested by people that develop one or more age-related diseases, and with success (successful aging), defined as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability, which enables well-being in older age. Among the lifestyle factors that may influence successful aging and longevity, physical activity and healthy dietary habits have a gre…

Immunity and Aging

2016

In the elderly, many alterations of innate and acquired immunity have been described and viewed as deleterious, hence the term immunosenescence. Immunosenescence is a complex process involving multiple reorganizational and developmentally regulated changes, rather than simple unidirectional decline of complete immune function. On the other hand, some immunological parameters are commonly notably reduced in the elderly, and reciprocally good function is tightly correlated to health status. Whereas innate immunity is relatively well preserved in elderly, acquired immunity is more susceptible due to both the functional decline associated with the passage of time, and to antigen burden to which…

Longevity hotspot in Sicily. The exploration of a new possible blu zone

We are conducting a survey in some mountainous Sicilian populations, particularly in villages sited in the Palermo province, part of the Madonie Park. To ascertain the true longevity rate, we checked the born and death registers, analyzing about 37,000 newborns between 1881 and 1917 in a sample of five small municipalities located in Madonie. About 1,700 individuals died at the age of 90 years and over, and about one hundred were centenarians. Therefore, the probability to reach 90 and 100 years old was of 4.6% and 0.22% respectively. Accordingly, we observed significant lower mortality rates for all causes of death when compared to those measured in Palermo town. Therefore, the population …

Biomarkers of aging

2010

Aging is a complex process that negatively impacts the development of the different systems and its ability to function. Moreover, the Aging rate in humans is not the same, principally due to genetic heterogeneity and environmental factors. The aging rate is measured as the decline of functional capacity and stress resistance. Therefore, several attempts have been made to analyse the individual age, ( so-called biological age) compared to chronological age. The biomarkers of aging are age-related body function or composition, these markers aim to assess the biological age and predict the onset of age-related diseases and/or residual lifetime. Such biomarkers should help in one hand to chara…

Slow-Ageing Diets

2019

Ageing is a complex, unavoidable phenomenon than cannot be exhaustively defined. However, it has been described as a process leading to death, characterized by a gradual decrease of the ability to adapt to stress, causing a decline in functional capacity. This event, marked by a progressive loss of physiological integrity of many interrelated systems, determines an increased risk of morbidity and mortality (Avery et al. 2014). With increase of the proportion of older adults worldwide (United Nations 2017), it is necessary to carry out prevention policy for a healthy ageing (HA). Good nutrition plays a significant role in determining the well-being of older people, and in delaying and reduci…