Standardisation of 31phosphorus-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy determinations of high energy phosphates in humans

A procedure is described for standardising the determination of adenosine 5-triphosphate and phosphocreatine concentration ([ATP] and [PC], respectively, in absolute arbitrary units) in human muscle by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The individual ³¹phosphorus (²¹P)-NMR spectra obtained on equal hemispherical tissue volumes (muscle plus skin and fat) were corrected for the thickness of the skin and of the subcutaneous fat. The volumes investigated were standardised using an external reference. The procedure described made possible the comparison of high energy phosphate concentrations among different subjects. It was applied to the assessment of [ATP] and [PC] in four groups of sedentary subjects (children, and adults aged 20–35, 35–50 and over 50 years), and in a group of athletes (volleyball players). The [ATP] and [PC] were not statistically different in the groups investigated.     

体外受精-胚胎移植患者妊娠率与年龄及多精受精关系的研究

目的探讨体外受精-胚胎移植（IVF-ET）患者的妊娠率与年龄及多精受精的关系。方法收集1234个IVF-ET治疗周期,回顾分析不同年龄组的妊娠率及其与多精受精的关系。结果随着年龄的增长,患者IVF-ET周期的妊娠率和多精受精率均降低,并且同年龄组多精受精发生周期的妊娠率高于非多精受精组。结论女性的年龄与IVF-ET周期的妊娠率和多精受精的发生呈负相关,年龄与多精受精率都可作为预测IVF-ET结果的临床指标。     

Effects of age, sex and genes on sister chromatid exchange

Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) was studied in cultured lymphocytes from a limited series of 21 like-sexed twin pairs; 11 monozygotic (MZ) and 10 dizygotic (DZ) pairs. The 18 subjects, who were between 57 and 61 years old, had an SCE mean value () of 8.0 whereas the 24 subjects between 33 and 39 years of age had a mean of 6.8. The difference was statistically significant ( P <0.001). The effect of age appeared to be present in both sexes. No significant difference was found between females (%7.3) and males (%7.5), nor between smokers (%7.3) and non-smokers (%7.4). Drug users had a slightly higher mean (%7.9) than non-users (= 7.0) ( P < 0.05). This trend was found in each age group. The within-pair variance was slightly higher in DZ than in MZ pairs. The difference was not significant. We conclude that genetic factors are probably not a major source of subject variation in SCE mean value.     

成人小脑髓母细胞瘤的临床及病理研究

目的探讨成人小脑髓母细胞瘤的临床病理特点、组织发生学及影响预后的因素。方法对我院１９７４～１９９５年间２７例成年人（≥１６岁）小脑髓母细胞瘤进行了观察。结果本组年龄１６～５５岁，平均２５．８岁，肿瘤发生于小脑蚓部２１例，小脑半球６例。随访２１例，７例已生存２．５～１７年，１４例死亡。平均生存时间４１．６个月。１年生存率为７１．４％，５年及１０年生存率均１４．３％。组织学类型：经典型１４例，促纤维增生型１３例。结论通过电镜观察及突触素、神经元特异性烯醇化酶和胶质纤维酸性蛋白免疫组化染色观察，证实髓母细胞瘤是具有向神经元及胶质细胞双向分化潜能的原始神经外胚叶肿瘤。影响预后的因素包括年龄、肿瘤部位、治疗手段以及组织学类型     

Juvenile rhesus monkeys have more colonic granulomas than adults after primary infection with<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Schistosoma mansoni</Emphasis>

Adults and children have differences in their susceptibility to schistosomiasis. Whether this age-dependent innate susceptibility influences parasite-caused granulomogenesis is difficult to assess in humans. Therefore, we exposed juvenile and adult female rhesus monkeys to primary infection with Schistosoma mansoni. Hepatic and intestinal granuloma formation was observed in both pre-pubescent and adult monkeys. Two distinct stages of granulomas were discerned, the exudative and the productive stage. In the intestine, more granulomas were generated in the colon than in the ileum. In contrast to the adult animals, the juvenile rhesus monkeys had higher numbers of colonic granulomas, these higher numbers being predominantly of the more advanced productive stage. Juvenile animals had a statistically non-significant increased worm burden. These results suggest that juvenile rhesus monkeys have a significantly more intense and advanced colonic response towards entrapped S. mansoni eggs after primary schistosome infections and, thereby, are more susceptible to parasite infection.Research protocols involving non-human primates received ethical clearance by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Biomedical Primate Research Centre (Rijswijk, The Netherlands), according to Dutch Law.     

Relationship between lipofuscin granules and polyunsaturated fatty acids in the housefly, Musca domestica

The fractional volume occupied by lipofuscin granules in epithelial cells of the midgut or oenocytes of abdominal fat body of 3-day-old and 13-day-old male houseflies was determined in two groups of flies by electron microscopic morphometry. One group had developed from larvae reared on diets containing no added polyunsaturated fatty acids and the second from larvae reared on diets containing added linoleic acid. No polyunsaturated fatty acids could be detected in the lipids of the first group of flies using a method which would have detected their presence in amounts greater than 0.1% of the total esterified fatty acids. The second group contained at least two hundred times more than this minimal level. The volume of lipofuscin granules increased significantly (p less than 0.01) (about threefold for the fat body and twofold in midgut cells) between 3 days and 13 days of age but no statistically significant difference was seen between the two groups of flies at the same age. The results show that if lipofuscin formation depends on the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the housefly, then extremely small amounts of the acids are involved which lie below the detection limit of the methods employed. The age-associated small increase of extractable fluorescence seen previously in the linoleic acid group of flies is not associated with an increase in the lipofuscin granules.     

Sex- and age-related blood pressure response to dynamic work with small muscle masses

Summary Four groups of subjects of different ages and sex (group I: 20–29 years, women; group II: 20–29 years, men; group III: 30–39 years, women; group IV: 30–39 years, men) undertook dynamic one-hand work (load range 40%–80% of maximum voluntary contraction, at 60 working cycles/min) to allow a study of cardiovascular responses as shown by the resultant changes in blood pressure and heart rate. During fatiguing dynamic one-hand work, there was a large increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressures in both sexes after a few minutes. For all load levels, the systolic blood pressure was found to be higher by about 4 kPa in men (groups II and IV) than in women (groups I and III). Other age-related differences became evident in the diastolic blood pressure changes. The values obtained for the older groups were higher than those in the two younger groups. These differences in blood pressure response are possibly due to sex-related differences in the release of catecholamines, or to age-related organic changes in the vessels.     

The effects of age and strain on aggression in male rats

Aggressive behaviors were compared for male Fischer-344 and Long-Evans rats formed into mixed-sex colonies at 100, 200, or 300 days of age. Within each strain, male aggression did not differ across these ages, nor did it differ for an additional group of 600-day old Long-Evans males: both the form and the incidence of specific aggressive and defensive behaviors remained relatively constant over an age range representing nearly the entire normal life span for this species. However, Fischer-344 males at all ages were reliably lower in aggression than the Long-Evans rats. The specific aggression components seen in the Fischer-344 rats tended to be nondamaging, resembling “play fighting” more than the tissue damaging attack behaviors typical of other strains. Despite the frequent use of this strain in gerontological research, such low levels of aggressiveness counterindicate their use in research in aging and aggression.     

The impact of hormonal therapy for infertility on the age at menopause

Objectives: To look for possible association between past history of ovulation induction and age at menopause. Design: Women attending our postmenopausal outpatient clinic were asked to fill questionnaires with demographic data, obstetrical history (including treatment for infertility), and medical details related to menopause. Patients: The study group (n=31) consisted of women with a history of ovulation induction, and a control group (n=200) included women who did not experience such intervention. Results: The age at the final menstrual bleeding was 46.4±5 in the study group, and 50±4 for the control group (P<0.001). This difference was most prominent for women who had induction of ovulation prior to age 35 years: they entered menopause at age 43.8±5 years. Smoking had a weak effect on the age at menopause (48.5±4 for current, vs. 49.9±4 for non- or past-smokers; P<0.03). Conclusions: This retrospective and preliminary study raises the question whether hormonal manipulations and ovarian over-stimulation during fertility treatments could be a risk factor for premature menopause.     

702例正常成人红细胞变形性与性别、年龄的相关性

采用激光衍射法对７０２例正常成人的红细胞变形指数ＤＩ值测定，并将测得的各个数据随年龄增长配对分不同年龄（范围）组作相关性研究。结果发现正常成人红细胞变形性随增龄呈抛物线状的改变。性别年龄与红细胞变形性关系有如下特征：（１）１８～２９岁男女组的ＤＩ值随增龄呈上升状态，达到正常成人的高峰，与增龄呈显著正相关，相关有显著意义，Ｐ＜０．０５。（２）１８～４４岁男女组随增龄ＤＩ值开始呈缓慢下降趋势，相关性由１８～２９岁的正相关逐渐过渡到负相关，相关无显著性意义，Ｐ＞０．０５。（３）１８～４９岁开始直至７９岁男女各组随增龄红细胞变形性明显下降，与增龄呈显著负相关，相关有非常显著意义，Ｐ＜０．００１。男女性的ＤＩ值，５４岁以前男女各组间比较，经ｔ检验，无显著性差异，Ｐ＞０．０５；１８～５９、１８～６４、１８～７４和１８～７９岁男女组间比较，有显著性差异，Ｐ＜０．０５。结果提示：正常成人在青年、壮年和老年前期、老年期的红细胞变形性有其不同变化特点，性别年龄与红细胞变形性相关有显著意义。