Category: Ageing

Categories : Ageing ImmunologyTags :

Chronic Inflammation Ages the Pituitary Gland in Mice

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Researchers have discovered that the pituitary gland in mice ages due to an age-related form of chronic inflammation — which raises the possibility of slowing or even partially repairing this process. 

The pituitary gland is a small, globular gland located underneath the brain that plays a major role in the hormonal system, explained Professor Hugo Vankelecom, a stem cell biologist from the Department of Development and Regeneration at KU Leuven. “My research group discovered that the pituitary gland ages as a result of a form of chronic inflammation that affects tissue and even the organism as a whole,” he said. “This natural process usually goes unnoticed and is referred to as ‘inflammaging’ — a contraction of inflammation and ageing. Inflammaging has previously been linked to the ageing of other organs.”

Because of the pituitary’s pivotal role in the body, its ageing may contribute to the reduction of hormonal processes and hormone levels in our body – such as in menopause.

The study also provides significant insight into the stem cells in the ageing pituitary gland. In 2012, Prof Vankelecom and colleagues showed that a prompt reaction of these stem cells to injury in the gland leads to repair of the tissue, even in adult animals.

“As a result of this new study, we now know that stem cells in the pituitary do not lose this regenerative capacity when the organism ages. In fact, the stem cells are only unable to do their job because, over time, the pituitary becomes an ‘inflammatory environment’ as a result of the chronic inflammation. But as soon as the stem cells are taken out of this environment, they show the same properties as stem cells from a young pituitary.”

Could damage be repaired?

This insight opens up a number of potential therapeutic avenues: would it be possible to reactivate the pituitary? This wouldn’t just involve slowing down hormonal ageing processes, but also repairing the damage caused by a tumour in the pituitary, for example. 

“No fewer than one in every 1000 people is faced with this kind of tumour — which causes damage to the surrounding tissue — at some point.

“The quality of life of many of these patients would be drastically improved if we could repair this damage. We may be able to do so by activating the stem cells already present — for which our present study also provides new indications — or even by transplanting cells. That said, these new treatment options are not quite around the corner just yet, as the step from fundamental research to an actual therapy can take years to complete. For the time being, our study sets out a potential direction for further research.”

The study also brings up another interesting approach: using anti-inflammatory drugs to slow down pituitary ageing or even rejuvenate an ageing pituitary. “Several studies have shown that anti-inflammatory drugs may have a positive impact on some ageing organs. No research has yet been performed on this effect in relation to the pituitary.”

From mice to humans

Since Prof Vankelecom and colleagues studied the pituitary of mice, further research is required to demonstrate whether their findings also apply to humans. Prof Vankelecom cautioned, however: “Mice have a much greater regeneration capacity than humans.

“They can repair damaged teeth, for instance, while humans have lost this ability over the course of their evolution. Regardless, there are plenty of signs suggesting that pituitary processes in mice and humans are similar, and we have recent evidence to hand that gene expression in the pituitaries of humans and mice is very similar. As such, it is highly likely that the insights we gained will equally apply to humans.”

Source: KU Leuven

Journal information: Vennekens, A., et al. (2021) Interleukin-6 is an activator of pituitary stem cells upon local damage, a competence quenched in the aging gland. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2100052118.

Categories : Ageing Neurodegenerative DiseasesTags :

Molecule Found to Play a Key Role in Brain Rejuvenation

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Image source: Pixabay

A new study shows that a molecule could play a key role in support cells in the brain, allowing them to repair and properly communicate.

Studies have shown that new brain cells continually formed in response to injury, physical exercise, and mental stimulation. Glial cells, and in particular oligodendrocyte progenitors, are highly responsive to external signals and injuries. They can detect changes in the nervous system and form new myelin, which forms a sheath around nerves, providing metabolic support and accurate transmission of electrical signals. However, less myelin is formed with age, and this progressive decline has been linked to the age-related cognitive and motor deficits observed in older people. Impaired myelin formation also has been reported in older individuals with neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis or Alzheimer’s and identified as one of the causes of their progressive clinical deterioration.

A new study from the Neuroscience Initiative team at the Advanced Science Research Center at The Graduate Center, CUNY (CUNY ASRC) has identified a molecule called ten-eleven-translocation 1 (TET1) as a necessary component of myelin repair. shows that TET1 modifies the DNA in specific glial cells in adult brains so they can form new myelin in response to injury. The study was published in Nature Communications.

“We designed experiments to identify molecules that could affect brain rejuvenation,” said lead author Sarah Moyon, PhD, a research assistant professor with the CUNY ASRC Neuroscience Initiative. “We found that TET1 levels progressively decline in older mice, and with that, DNA can no longer be properly modified to guarantee the formation of functional myelin.”

The authors are currently exploring whether raising levels of TET1 in older mice could rejuvenate the oligodendroglial cells, restoring their regenerative functions.

Combining whole-genome sequencing bioinformatics, the authors showed that the DNA modifications induced by TET1 in young adult mice were essential to promote healthy communication among central nervous system cells and for ensuring proper function. The authors also showed that young adult mice with a genetic modification of TET1 in the myelin-forming glial cells could not produce functional myelin, and so behaved like older mice.

“This newly identified age-related decline in TET1 may account for the inability of older individuals to form new myelin,” said Patrizia Casaccia, founding director of the CUNY ASRC Neuroscience Initiative, a professor of Biology and Biochemistry at The Graduate Center, CUNY, and the study’s primary investigator. “I believe that studying the effect of aging in glial cells in normal conditions and in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases will ultimately help us design better therapeutic strategies to slow the progression of devastating diseases like multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s.”

The findings could also hold important implications for molecular rejuvenation of ageing brains in healthy individuals, the researchers noted. Future studies aimed at increasing TET1 levels in older mice are underway to define whether the molecule could restore new myelin formation and favour proper neuro-glial communication. The long-term goal of the team is to promote recovery of cognitive and motor functions in older people and in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

Source: Advanced Science Research Center

Categories : AgeingTags :

Hearing Loss in Older People Can be Prevented While Young

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Based on a new model, researchers have proposed a way to prevent hearing loss in older people by addressing socioeconomic inequalities encountered while young.

The model developed by University of Manchester researchers could have an impact on the estimated 466 million people worldwide with disabling hearing loss, which mostly affects the elderly.

Published in Trends in Hearing, this is the first study examining the mechanisms and explaining the relationship between a lifetime of socioeconomic inequalities and hearing health.

Previous studies have shown that people with hearing loss are more likely to have poorer educational achievement, higher rates of unemployment and lower annual family income compared to those with other health conditions.

They are also more likely to have long-term health conditions and a higher overall disease burden than older people without hearing loss.

Lead researcher Dr Dalia Tsimpida said: “Hearing deterioration is a lifelong process but not an inevitable result of aging. Understanding this process is an essential step in addressing the global burden of hearing loss.”

Dr Tsimpida, a postdoctoral researcher at the University’s Institute for Health Policy and Organization (IHPO), added: “The key determinants of poor hearing health in the course of a life and their interdependency as described by this model is a powerful way to intervene in this major problem.

“Our focus is not simply on the age of older adults but on factors which impact on people earlier in life, which if modified could reduce hearing loss in older age.”

“This approach in hearing health can lead to the development of appropriate interventions and public health strategies that can have significant health policy and practice implications.”

Study co-author Dr Maria Panagioti said: “This model provides now a visual representation of the several modifiable factors of hearing loss in distinct life stages and their evolution over time, which is new thinking in hearing loss research.

“Given the burden of adult-onset hearing loss, such a conceptual tool for hearing health inequalities has the potential of improving the physical, mental and social wellbeing of individuals.”

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Dialechti Tsimpida et al, Conceptual Model of Hearing Health Inequalities (HHI Model): A Critical Interpretive Synthesis, Trends in Hearing (2021). DOI: 10.1177/23312165211002963

Categories : AgeingTags :

Tooth Loss may Decrease the Capacity to Perform Everyday Tasks

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Older adults with more natural teeth are better able to perform everyday tasks such as cooking a meal, making a telephone call or going shopping, according to a new study. 

The study, conducted by researchers from UCL and the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, was published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, The researchers analysed data from 5631 adults from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) with ages between 50 and 70 years old.

Previous research had established a link between tooth loss and various reductions in capacity, such as cognitive decline. However, such research could not tease out any kind of causal link: did the tooth loss cause the decline, or did the decline result in tooth loss?

In this study the research team wanted to investigate the causal effect of tooth loss on someone’s ability to carry out daily activities. After controlling for factors such as participants’ socioeconomic status and health status, they nevertheless found evidence of an independent link between tooth loss and the ability to carry out everyday tasks.

The participants in the study were asked how many natural teeth they had, with older adults usually having up to 32 natural teeth that are lost over time. Using data gathered in 2014-2015, the researchers measured how tooth loss affected people’s ability to carry out key instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). The activities included preparing a hot meal, shopping for groceries, making telephone calls, taking medications, doing work around the house or garden, or managing money.

Senior author Georgios Tsakos, professor at UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health, explained: “We know from previous studies that tooth loss is associated with reduced functional capacity, but this study is the first to provide evidence about the causal effect of tooth loss on the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) among older adults in England. And this effect is considerable.

“For example, older adults with 10 natural teeth are 30% more likely to have difficulties with key activities of daily living such as shopping for groceries or working around the house or garden compared to those with 20 natural teeth.

“Even after taking in factors such as participant’s education qualification, self-rated health and their parent’s education level for example, we still found a positive association between the number of natural teeth a person had and their functional ability.”

The researchers had a number of possible explanations for this relationship, noting that having more natural teeth is linked to delaying the onset of disability and death and that tooth loss can also hamper social interactions, which is also linked to poorer quality of life. Tooth loss could be linked to having a poorer diet with less nutrients, they suggested.

However the researchers cautioned that the results should be considered carefully due to the study’s complex design. Further studies are needed to investigate the causal relationship between tooth loss and functional ability.

First author, Dr Yusuke Matsuyama, at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, said: “Preventing tooth loss is important for maintaining functional capacity among older adults in England. Given the high prevalence of tooth loss, this effect is considerable and maintaining good oral health throughout the life course could be one strategy to prevent or delay loss of functional competence.

“The health gain from retaining natural teeth may not be limited to oral health outcomes but have wider relevance for promoting functional capacity and improving overall quality of life.”

Source: University College London

Journal information: Yusuke Matsuyama et al, Causal Effect of Tooth Loss on Functional Capacity in Older Adults in England: A Natural Experiment, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2021). DOI: 10.1111/jgs.17021

Categories : AgeingTags :

Lifestyle Interventions Reverse the DNA Methylation Ageing ‘Clock’

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The results of a clinical trial showed that appropriate diet and exercise are able, to some extent, to reverse the DNA methylation ageing ‘clock’.

Lead author Kara Fitzgerald, ND IFMCP, at The Institute for Functional Medicine, explained: “Advanced age is the largest risk factor for impaired mental and physical function and many non-communicable diseases including cancer, neurodegeneration, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.”

Methylation clocks are based on systematic methylation changes with age. DNAmAge clock specifically demonstrates about 60% of CpG sites losing methylation with age and 40% gaining methylation.

The researchers conducted a randomised controlled clinical trial conducted among 43 healthy adult males between the ages of 50-72. The 8-week treatment programme included diet, sleep, exercise and relaxation guidance, and supplemental probiotics and phytonutrients.

Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis was conducted on saliva samples using the Illumina Methylation Epic Array and DNAmAge was calculated using the online Horvath DNAmAge clock tool.

The researchers found that the diet and lifestyle treatment resulted in a 3.23 years decrease in DNAmAge compared with controls.

With a strong trend to significance, DNAmAge of those in the treatment group decreased by an average 1.96 years by the end of the program compared to those individuals’ baseline.

Nearly a quarter of the DNAmAge CpG sites are located in glucocorticoid response elements, indicating a likely relationship between stress and accelerated ageing. Cumulative lifetime stress has been shown to be linked to accelerated ageing of the methylome.

Other findings include that PTSD contributes to accelerated methylation age; and that greater infant distress is associated with an underdeveloped, younger epigenetic age.

The researchers tentatively accepted the hypothesis that the methylation pattern, from which the DNAmAge clock is computed, is a driver of ageing, thus they expect that attempting to directly influence the DNA methylome using diet and lifestyle to set back DNAmAge should lead to a healthier, more ‘youthful’ metabolism.

The Fitzgerald Research Team concluded, “it may be that emerging ‘omics’ approaches continue to evolve our understanding of biological age prediction and reversal beyond DNA methylation alone. Integration of our future understanding of multi-omics data should therefore be considered in the future trials of candidate age-delaying interventions.”

Source: Aging

Journal information: Fitzgerald, K. N., et al. (2021) Potential reversal of epigenetic age using a diet and lifestyle intervention: a pilot randomized clinical trial. AGING-US. doi.org/10.18632/aging.202913.

Categories : Ageing PaediatricsTags :

Telomere Length May Be Set Early in Life

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Telomeres, the protective nucleotide end caps of chromosomes which shorten with every cell division, have been found by a new study to undergo great changes in length during the first years of life.

The length of telomeres is important in a number of age-related diseases and is also an important marker of biological age. When telomeres are completely shortened, cells become senescent and unable to divide any further to repair damage.

This study, one of the first to examine telomere length (TL) in childhood, found that the initial setting of TL during prenatal development and in the first years of life may determine one’s TL throughout childhood and potentially even into adulthood or older age. The study also finds that TL decreases most rapidly from birth to age 3, then remaining unchanged into the pre-puberty period, although on some occasions it was seen to lengthen.

Researchers at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health led the study, which followed 224 children from birth to age 9. Their findings were published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.

The researchers discovered that a mother’s TL is predictive of newborn TL and tracks with her child’s TL through pre-adolescence. The reasons why some children have telomeres that shorten faster are unknown, though one explanation may be that telomeres are susceptible to environmental pollutants. It is also unknown why some children had telomeres that lengthened across the study period, a phenomenon seen in other studies.

“Given the importance of telomere length in cellular health and aging, it is critical to understand the dynamics of telomeres in childhood,” said senior author Julie Herbstman, PhD, director of CCCEH and associate professor of environmental health science at Columbia Mailman School. “The rapid rate of telomere attrition between birth and age 3 years may render telomeres particularly susceptible to environmental influences during this developmental window, potentially influencing life-long health and longevity.”

Researchers used polymerase chain reaction to measure TL in white blood cells isolated from cord blood and blood collected at ages 3, 5, 7, and 9, from 224 children. In a small group of mothers they also measured maternal TL at delivery.

The researchers said that further research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms behind the variance of TL shortening or lengthening rates in the first years of life, as well as modifiable environmental factors contributing to the shortening speed.

Source: Columbia Mailman School of Health

Categories : Ageing Cardiovascular Disease ExerciseTags :

Tailored Heart Failure Rehabilitation Improves Outcomes

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An innovative early cardiac rehabilitation intervention customised for the individual improved physical function, frailty, quality of life, and depression in hospitalised heart failure patients. 

Photo from Olivier Collett on Unsplash

These findings were published  in the New England Journal of Medicine and also presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 70th Annual Scientific Session.  

“Designing earlier and more personalised individual-specific approaches to heart failure rehab shows great promise for improving outcomes for this common but complex condition that is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation for older adults,” said National Institute on Aging (NIA) Director Richard J Hodes, MD. “These results mark encouraging progress on a path to better overall quality of life and physical function for the millions of older Americans who develop heart failure each year.”

The study team was led by Dalane W Kitzman, MD, professor of cardiovascular medicine and geriatrics/gerontology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and they followed 349 clinical trial participants with heart failure enrolled in “A Trial of Rehabilitation Therapy in Older Acute Heart Failure Patients” (REHAB-HF). On average, participants had five comorbidities that reduced of function — diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, lung disease or kidney disease.

In an earlier pilot study, Kitzman and colleagues found striking deficits in strength, mobility and balance, along with the expected loss of endurance in older patients with acute heart failure, who were mostly fail or pre-fail. The team decided to focus on improving patients’ physical function, weakened already by chronic heart failure and age, and which was worsened by the traditional cardiac hospital experience involving lots of bedrest and resulting in loss of functions often persisting after discharge.

To address this. The REHAB-HF team designed earlier and more customised exercise programs focusing on improving balance, strength, mobility and endurance. They also began REHAB-HF during a patient’s hospital stay when possible rather than the usual six weeks post-discharge. After discharge, participants shifted to outpatient sessions three times per week for three months.

Compared to a control group getting usual cardiac rehab care, REHAB-HF participants showed significant gains in measures of physical functioning and overall quality of life, including tests for lower extremity function and mobility, and a six-minute walk test. Self-perception of their health status and depression improved in surveys compared to pre-trial baselines. Over 80% of REHAB-HF participants reported they were still doing their exercises six months after study completion.

“These findings will inform choices of heart failure rehabilitation strategies that could lead to better physical and emotional outcomes,” said Evan Hadley, M.D., director of NIA’s Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology. “Tailored interventions like REHAB-HF that target heart failure’s related decline in physical abilities can result in real overall benefits for patients.”

The study did not show significant differences in related clinical events including rates of hospital readmission for any reason or for heart-failure related rehospitalizations. The research team plans to further explore that and other issues through future expansions of REHAB-HF into larger and longer-term trials with broader participant subgroups.

Source: National Institute on Aging

Journal information: Kitzman et al. Rehabilitation Intervention in Older Patients with Acute Heart Failure with Preserved versus Reduced Ejection Fraction. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021 May 16 doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2026141.

Categories : Ageing Diet and Nutrition Neurodegenerative DiseasesTags :

A Mediterranean Diet Keeps Dementia at Bay

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A dish full of vegetables which could be in a Mediterranean diet.

Researchers have reported that a Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of developing dementia and cognitive loss, helping preserve memory functions as people age.

Specifically, the diet appears to lower the level of amyloid and tau proteins that are linked with dementia. People following the Mediterranean diet, already noted for its numerous health benefits, scored better on memory tests than those who were not following the diet.

The first of these proteins, amyloid protein, forms plaques in the brain, whereas the second, tau protein, forms tangles. Both are present in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, though they are not uncommon in the brains of healthy older people, too.

“These results add to the body of evidence that shows what you eat may influence your memory skills later on,” said study author Tommaso Ballarini, PhD, of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn, Germany. He adds:

Studies have linked good health with the foods that people living in Greece, Spain, and Italy ate before the 1960s. This diet consists primarily of vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds, legumes, potatoes, whole grain foods, seafood, extra virgin olive oil, and wine in moderation. Poultry, eggs and dairy products are present to a limited extent, while red meat, added sugar, refined grains and oils, and processed foods are typically lacking in a Mediterranean diet.

Kristin Kirkpatrick, a dietitian at Cleveland Clinic told Medical News Today that the contents of a Mediterranean diet offers beneficial “omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, specific minerals, fiber, and protein” that “may support the brain’s health and protection throughout the years.”

However, Kirkpatrick cautioned that, “A diet, even one with strong clinical data on its benefit, is only as healthy as the individuals who choose its structure.”

Sensible portion sizes are important, she noted and warned against the “consumption of processed foods that are marketed as heart-healthy or contain the components seen in a traditional Mediterranean approach.”

The investigators recruited 512 individuals from the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases’ Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia StudyTrusted Source. Participant  assessments showed that 343 were at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease while the other 169 people were “cognitively normal.”

Participants filled in questionnaires regarding the food they ate the previous month and the investigators asked them to record their intake of 148 specific food items. Participants were scored on their diet’s similarity to a Mediterranean diet, the most similar receiving a 9 and the least similar a 1. Since this was a self-reported study on eating habits, errors or misrepresentations are possible.

Individuals also took cognitive tests designed to detect the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The tests assessed five areas: memory, working memory, language, executive functions, and visuospatial abilities. MRI brain scans determined each individual’s brain volume.

Finally, the researchers analyzed spinal fluid from a subsample of 226 participants who gave their consent, assessing the presence and amounts of the two biomarker proteins: amyloid and tau.

After adjusting for sex, age, and education, the scientists identified several clear links between better cognitive health and a Mediterranean diet.

The investigators  reported that:

  • Every dietary score point lower than 9 was linked to almost 1 year of the brain ageing that occurs in Alzheimer’s disease progression.
  • Participants who most closely followed the Mediterranean diet had fewer amyloid and tau protein biomarkers in their spinal fluid than those who had lower dietary scores.
  • People on the Mediterranean diet scored better on memory tests than people who were not.

Dr Ballarani concluded that, “More research is needed to show the mechanism by which a Mediterranean diet protects the brain from protein buildup and loss of brain function, but findings suggest that people may reduce their risk for developing Alzheimer’s by incorporating more elements of the Mediterranean diet into their daily diets.”

Source: Medical News Today

Categories : AgeingTags :

Older People That Feel Younger Live Longer

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A smiling elderly woman. Photo by Loren Joseph on Unsplash

A new study has found that older people who feel younger are generally more healthy. Such people have greater sense of well-being, better cognitive functioning, less inflammation, lower risk of hospitalisation and even live longer than their older-feeling peers. 

As Francis Bacon once said, “I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.” Studies have shown that feeling younger than one’s chronological age has been known to have some health benefits. A twin study in Denmark showed that perceived age, correlated significantly with physical and cognitive functioning as well as with leucocyte telomere length — which prevents cells from becoming unable to divide.

Researchers from the German Centre of Gerontology analysed three years of data from 5039 participants in the German Ageing Survey, a longitudinal survey of German residents of age 40 and older. The survey had questions about the amount of perceived stress in peoples’ lives and their functional health—how well they could conduct daily activities such as dressing and walking. Participants also indicated their subjective age by answering the question, “How old do you feel?”

Participants with more reported stress tended to have a more rapid decline in functional health over three years, and that association between stress and functional health decline was stronger for chronologically older participants.

Among people who felt younger than their chronological age, there was a weaker association between stress and functional health decline. This protective effect was strongest among the oldest participants.

“Generally, we know that functional health declines with advancing age, but we also know that these age-related functional health trajectories are remarkably varied. As a result, some individuals enter old age and very old age with quite good and intact health resources, whereas others experience a pronounced decline in functional health, which might even result in need for long-term care,” said lead author Markus Wettstein, PhD, who is now at University of Heidelberg. “Our findings support the role of stress as a risk factor for functional health decline, particularly among older individuals, as well as the health-supporting and stress-buffering role of a younger subjective age.”

The researchers said their findings suggest that helping older people feel younger could mitigate the negative effects stress and improving health—though further study is needed to help determine what kind of interventions would work best. Dr Wettstein gave examples of such efforts, such as messaging campaigns to counteract ageism and negative age stereotypes and to promote ageing in a positive light could help people feel younger. More general stress-reduction interventions and stress management training could also prevent functional health loss among older adults.

Dr Wettstein said that there needs to be further studies to find the ideal gap between subjective and chronological age, as previous research has suggested that, up to a point, it’s helpful to feel younger, but those benefits decrease as the gap between subjective and chronological age increases. “Feeling younger to some extent might be adaptive for functional health outcomes, whereas ‘feeling too young’ might be less adaptive or even maladaptive,” he said.

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Markus Wettstein et al, Feeling younger as a stress buffer: Subjective age moderates the effect of perceived stress on change in functional health., Psychology and Aging (2021). DOI: 10.1037/pag0000608

Categories : AgeingTags :

Bacteria in the Mouth Linked to Arthritis

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A dentists shows her patient some dental X-rays. Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels

Researchers found similar oral bacterial compositions among patients with early rheumatoid arthritis and those at risk of developing the disease, compared with healthy individuals who were not at risk.

The oral cavity is host to approximately 800 identified species of bacteria. The periodontum, ie the tissue surrounding the tooth, can become inflamed because of a complex interaction of bacterial infection and the body’s response, modified by behavioural factors such as smoking, result in periodontal disease. Periodontal disease has been shown to be caused by certain diseases and medical conditions, and may also cause them. Periodontitis is prevalent among rheumatoid arthritis patients. 

The researchers recruited three groups of 50 participants each: early rheumatoid arthritis patients, at‐risk individuals, and healthy controls. They were given periodontal examinations and assessed for bleeding on probing, pocket probing depth, and periodontal inflamed surface area. The microbial composition of subgingival dental plaque, saliva, and tongue coating was assessed using 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing, and compared between groups.

They found that patients and at-risk individuals had an increased relative abundance of potentially pro- inflammatory bacteria in the mouth, suggestive of a possible relationship between oral microbes and rheumatoid arthritis.

“Prevotella and Veillonella–both gram-negative anaerobes–were at higher relative abundance in saliva, and Veillonella was also at higher relative abundance in tongue coating, of both early rheumatoid arthritis patients and at-risk individuals compared to healthy controls,” the authors wrote.

The findings were published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.  

Source: News-Medical.Net

Journal information: Kroese, J. M., et al. (2021) The oral microbiome in early rheumatoid arthritis patients and individuals at risk differs from healthy controls. Arthritis & Rheumatology. doi.org/10.1002/art.41780.