Search results for "Age Factor"
showing 10 items of 1186 documents
Heterozygosity-fitness correlations in adult and juvenile Zenaida Dove, Zenaida aurita.
2013
10 pages; International audience; Understanding how fitness is related to genetic variation is of crucial importance in both evolutionary ecology and conservation biology. We report a study of heterozygosity-fitness correlations in a wild, noninbred population of Zenaida Doves, Zenaida aurita, based on a sample comprising 489 individuals (382 adults and 107 juveniles) typed at 13 microsatellite loci, resulting in a data set comprising 5793 genotypes. In both adults and juveniles, and irrespective of sex, no evidence was found for an effect of either multilocus or single-locus heterozygosity on traits potentially related to fitness such as foraging tactic, competitive ability, and fluctuatin…
Rapid induction of immune density-dependent prophylaxis in adult social insects.
2009
The innate immune system provides defence against parasites and pathogens. This defence comes at a cost, suggesting that immune function should exhibit plasticity in response to variation in environmental threats. Density-dependent prophylaxis (DDP) has been demonstrated mostly in phase-polyphenic insects, where larval group size determines levels of immune function in either adults or later larval instars. Social insects exhibit extreme sociality, but DDP has been suggested to be absent from these ecologically dominant taxa. Here we show that adult bumble-bee workers ( Bombus terrestris ) exhibit rapid plasticity in their immune function in response to social context. These results sugges…
Sex- and age patterns in incidence of infectious diseases in Germany: analyses of surveillance records over a 13-year period (2001–2013)
2018
AbstractSex differences in the incidence of infections may indicate different risk factors and behaviour but have not been analysed across pathogens. Based on 3.96 million records of 33 pathogens in Germany, notified from 2001 to 2013, we applied Poisson regression to generate age-standardised incidence rate ratios and assessed their distribution across age and sex. The following trends became apparent: (a) pathogens with male incidence preponderance at infant and child age (meningococcal disease (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.19, 95% CI 1.03–1.38, age = 0–4); influenza (IRR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.06–1.13, age = 0–4)), (b) pathogens with sex-switch in incidence preponderance at puberty (e.g. nor…
Coffee consumption and total mortality in a Mediterranean prospective cohort
2018
Background The relation of coffee consumption with total mortality is controversial, because the available evidence is still inconsistent. Objective This study aimed to assess this association in a highly educated, middle-aged Mediterranean cohort. Design We analyzed data from 201,055 person-years of follow-up arising from 19,888 participants. Coffee consumption was obtained at baseline with the use of a previously validated semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Information on mortality was ascertained by permanent contact with the "Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra" (SUN) participants and their families, postal authorities, and consultation of the National Death Index. We used Co…
Rescuing Over-activated Microglia Restores Cognitive Performance in Juvenile Animals of the Dp(16) Mouse Model of Down Syndrome.
2020
Microglia are brain-resident immune cells and regulate mechanisms essential for cognitive functions. Down syndrome (DS), the most frequent cause of genetic intellectual disability, is caused by a supernumerary chromosome 21, containing also genes related to the immune system. In the hippocampus of the Dp(16) mouse model of DS and DS individuals, we found activated microglia, as assessed by their morphology; activation markers; and, for DS mice, electrophysiological profile. Accordingly, we found increased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and altered interferon signaling in Dp(16) hippocampi. DS mice also showed decreased spine density and activity of hippocampal neurons and hippocampus-depe…
Centenarians Overexpress Pluripotency-Related Genes.
2018
Abstract Human mesenchymal cells can become pluripotent by the addition of Yamanaka factors OCT3/4, SOX2, c-MYC, KLF4. We have recently reported that centenarians overexpress BCL-xL, which has been shown to improve pluripotency; thus, we aimed to determine the expression of pluripotency-related genes in centenarians. We recruited 22 young, 32 octogenarian, and 47 centenarian individuals and determined the mRNA expression of Yamanaka factors and other stemness-related cell surface marker genes (VIM, BMP4, NCAM, BMPR2) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. We found that centenarians overexpress OCT3/4, SOX2, c-MYC, VIM, BMP4, NCAM, and BMPR2…
Functional microbiome deficits associated with ageing: chronological age-threshold
2019
Composition of the gut microbiota changes during ageing, but questions remain about whether age is also associated with deficits in microbiome function and whether these changes occur sharply or progressively. The ability to define these deficits in populations of different ages may help determine a chronological age threshold at which deficits occur and subsequently identify innovative dietary strategies for active and healthy ageing. Here, active gut microbiota and associated metabolic functions were evaluated using shotgun proteomics in three well‐defined age groups consisting of 30 healthy volunteers, namely, ten infants, ten adults and ten elderly individuals. Samples from each volunte…
Effect of Occupational Exposure on A(H1N1)pdm09 Infection and Hospitalization.
2016
OBJECTIVE To analyze relationships between occupational exposure and influenza infection and hospitalization during the 2009-2010 pandemic wave and the 2010-2011 influenza seasonal epidemic in Spain. METHODS Occupations were classified as high, medium, or low risk of influenza exposure. To assess the risk of infection, 588 outpatient cases of influenza confirmed by reverse-transcription polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) were compared with 588 outpatients without influenza symptoms. To assess the risk of hospitalization, 337 outpatient influenza cases were compared with 337 inpatient influenza cases. RESULTS The high risk of occupational exposure group was composed only of health care worke…
Mediterranean diet and sars-cov-2 infection: Is there any association? a proof-of-concept study
2021
The aim of this observational study was investigating the possible correlation between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MeD) and SARS-COV-2 infection rates and severity among healthcare professionals (HCPs). An online self-administrated questionnaire (evaluating both MeD adherence and dietary habits) was filled out by HCPs working in Piedmont (Northern Italy) from 15 January to 28 February 2021. Out of the 1206 questionnaires collected, 900 were considered reliable and analyzed. Individuals who reported the SARS-COV-2 infection (n = 148) showed a significantly lower MeD score, with a lower adherence in fruit, vegetables, cereals, and olive oil consumption. In a logistic regression model…
Prevalence and Potential Risk Factors of Helicobacter pylori Infection among Asymptomatic Individuals in Kazakhstan
2021
Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with several risk factors such as demographic, socioeconomic status and personal habits, which vary in different populations. This is the most up-to-date data on H. pylori prevalence and potential risk factors for H. pylori infection among asymptomatic middle-aged individuals in Kazakhstan. Methods: Apparently healthy individuals aged 40 to 64, who took part in the health control in the outpatient clinic, were invited to participate in the study; answered a questionnaire, donated a blood sample. The antibodies to H. pylori were analysed by latex agglutination method. The baseline characteristics of study subjects with or wi…