衰老对大鼠阴茎组织NO-cGMP通路及端粒酶活性的影响研究

目的探讨衰老对大鼠阴茎组织结构、NO(nitric oxide)-cGMP(cvclic Guanosine Monophosphate)通路及端粒酶活性的影响作用。方法本课题以不同月龄大鼠阴茎组织及培养的平滑肌细胞为研究对象,检测不同月龄大鼠阴茎组织中NO量、NOS(Nitric Oxide Synthase)活性、cGMP量、端粒酶活性及海绵体结构的变化,并比较大鼠、人阴茎组织及大鼠原代海绵体平滑肌细胞的端粒酶活性。结果(1)大鼠阴茎组织中NO量、NOS活性均先升高后降低,各月龄组间有显著差异。阴茎组织cGMP含量逐渐降低,各月龄组间差别显著；(2)随龄增加,平滑肌纤维逐渐减少,胶原纤维增多,粗大成团,窦状隙变少、变窄：(3)大鼠阴茎组织端粒酶活性以2月龄活性最高,随龄增加逐渐下降。人阴茎组织中无端粒酶活性。结论(1)衰老对大鼠阴茎组织结构、NO．cGMP通路及端粒酶活性有显著影响,提示衰老与ED关系密切；(2)大鼠阴茎组织有端粒酶活性,可作为研究细胞衰老与ED关系有关端粒酶的模型。     

Diencephalic catecholamine neurons (A-11, A-12, A-13, A-14) show divergent changes in the aged rat

The effects of aging on diencephalic (A-11, A-12, A-13, A-14) catecholamine neurons in the F344 male rat were examined with Falck-Hill?rp histofluorescence. In contrast to the age-related increase in A-12 perikaryal fluorescence intensity previously reported (Hoffman and Sladek: Neurobiol. Aging 1:27-37, '80), incertohypothalamic perikarya showed decreased (A-13) or unchanged (A-11, A-14) fluorescence intensity with age. Cell counts of fluorescent A-12 perikarya disclosed a 47% increase in the number of fluorescent A-12 neurons in 30-month-old F344 rats relative to the 3-month-old controls; numbers of A-11 and A-13 fluorescent perikarya decreased with age, but the declines were not statistically significant. It is unlikely that the age-related increase in number of fluorescent A-12 perikarya is the result of proliferation of neurons in the aged F344 rat. Rather, the greater number of fluorescent A-12 perikarya in 30-month-old F344 rats indicates that some A-12 neurons in 3-month-old F344 rats contain levels of dopamine that are subthreshold for detection with the Falck-Hill?rp fluorescence technique, whereas virtually all A-12 perikarya in 30-month-old F344 rats contain detectable quantities of dopamine. These findings suggest that diencephalic catecholamine neurons exhibit divergent changes in transmitter content and cell number that may reflect varying degrees of functional integrity during brain aging.     

Interaction of estrogen receptor‐α ligand binding domain with nuclear proteins of aging mouse brain

After the interaction of estrogen with the ligand binding domain (LBD) of mouse estrogen receptor‐α (mERα) and hormone‐responsive elements of target genes, many nuclear proteins are recruited to regulate the expression of specific genes. Because it is not known which brain proteins interact with LBD or whether these proteins vary with age and sex, we used pull‐down assay and far Western blotting to detect five nuclear proteins of 160, 140, 87, 60, and 46 kD in the mouse brain. These interacting proteins were identified as PELP1, RIP140, PGC1α, BAF60, and ADA3, respectively. The level of PELP1, RIP140, PGC1α, and BAF60 decreased drastically in old compared with adult male mice, whereas the ADA3 level showed no significant change. PELP1, PGC1α, and BAF60 levels were lower in old male compared with female mice. Thus we report the identification and interaction of five nuclear proteins with mERα‐LBD, indicating their role in estrogen signaling and brain functions during aging. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Gerontology in the developing Brazil: Achievements and challenges in public policies

Aim:   In the last three decades, the segment of population aged 60 years and older has more than doubled in Brazil. People aged 80 years and older are expected to be the fastest-growing segment in the near future. This aim of this study was to analyze the legal structures currently in place in Brazil and to provide a framework for care policies and practices towards older-adults.
Methods:   This article focuses on past and present major socioeconomic burdens on this segment of the Brazilian population as well as on public achievements to overcome inequities.
Results:   Both the public health and the social security systems have been directed to provide preferential assistance to the aged. Nonetheless, the elderly remain the most impoverished segment of Brazil and carry the burden of an overall lack of specialized services. Moreover, socioeconomic inequalities and population diversity in Brazil affects elderly care, adding complexity to this unique scenario.
Conclusion:   Brazil has adopted legal hallmarks that substantially shifted public practices towards the elderly segment from a philanthropic status to a legitimate right for care and assistance. The demographic transition that took place provides an opportunity for innovative solutions in public policies for older adults in a developing economic environment.     

Mental health in the population approaching retirement age. Preliminary findings of the TURVA project

The present paper deals with a Finnish long-term prospective study, the objective of which is to shed light on adjustment to retirement and old age. In this phase, only the preliminary findings of the initial survey carried out in 1982 are available. For the purposes of the study, a random sample of 200 individuals was drawn from among Turku inhabitants born in 1920. Another sample, consisting of 189 persons of the same age, was drawn from rural municipalities in the neighborhood of Turku. An extensive structured psychosocial interview could be conducted with a total of 339 subjects. The research methods used included e.g. the 36-item version of Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Relatively little mental disturbance was revealed in the interview, and no major differences occurred between the urban and the rural sample. Somewhat over one-third of both samples were probable psychiatric cases as defined according to the GHQ.     

Social Contexts of Mental Weil-Being in Later Life

Extending the preceding review, this commentary argues for serious attention to the social contexts of mental health of older adults in research and practice. Social gerontology research focuses primarily on summative or aggregate variables with little focus on mechanism, despite growing evidence that mechanisms as diverse as immunosuppression and expressed emotion influence mental health. Increased linkages between the macro-level and microlevel data are required to provide the theoretical models needed to shape practice. Current evidence is deemed sufficient, however, to alter the frameworks we use for both diagnosis and treatment.     

对诊断PADAM的游离睾酮指数的评估

目的 评价诊断中老年男子部分雄激素缺乏综合征（PADAM）的游离睾酮指数（FTI）.方法 对129例45岁以上健康男性的FTI进行年龄相关分析.以推算的游离睾酮（CFT）值为依据,对FTI进行有效性检验.结果 男子在中老年期FTI与增龄呈明显的负相关.FTI敏感性97.78%,特异性58.33%.结论 计算简单的FTI可用于PADAM病人的筛选和随访,尤其对70岁以上男子是血清FT较为有效的参数.     

角膜基质细胞体外长期培养过程中生物学特性的改变

目的 研究兔角膜基质细胞在体外长期培养传代过程中,细胞增殖能力和胞外基质表达水平的改变。方法 取体外培养兔角膜基质细胞,由光镜对各代细胞的形态学变化进行观测。通过对各代细胞生长曲线的绘制,得出其各自的群体倍增时间;MTT法比较各代细胞增殖能力的改变。RT-PCR和Western杂交检测各代细胞中Ⅰ、Ⅲ型胶原表达水平的改变;爱茜蓝法检测糖胺聚糖(GAG)的含量。结果 体外培养兔角膜基质细胞随着传代的进程,逐渐显现衰老的形态特征。细胞群体倍增时间由第7代起显著延长(P<0.01);MTT比色法的结果亦显示,第7代细胞的增殖能力开始大幅下降(P<0.01)。第9-11代时,Ⅰ、Ⅲ型胶原在mRNA和蛋白水平的表达都有明显减少(P<0.01),降至第1代细胞的30％左右;GAG的含量也降至40％左右。结论 兔角膜基质细胞经历长期体外培养后,细胞增殖能力和胞外基质表达水平显著下降,逐渐丧失原有的功能。但作为构建组织工程化角膜的种子细胞,在它的生物学特性未发生改变之前,经3次传代培养,获取的细胞量达到组织块消化所得细胞的240倍左右,已足以用于构建之用。     

当归对衰老小鼠脑组织细胞凋亡及胸腺指数的影响

目的：研究当归的抗衰老作用及作用机制。方法：用D—半乳糖诱导小鼠制成衰老模型，同时给予不同剂量的当归水煎剂，观察当归对脑组织细胞凋亡及胸腺指数的影响。结果：当归能明显抑制小鼠脑组织细胞凋亡，提高胸腺指数。结论：当归具有抗衰老作用。     

CHANGES IN PREJUNCTIONAL POTENCY OF B-HT 933 DURING AGING IN THE RAT VAS DEFERENS

1. Age-related changes in prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors were examined in the rat vas deferens using pharmacological techniques. 2. B-HT 933 (1 x 10(-8) - 1 x 10(-6) mol/L) caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of isometric contractions (tetrodotoxin-sensitive) induced by stimulation with single field-stimulus pulses, in both the epididymal and prostatic regions of rat vas deferens. The concentration-response curve to B-HT 933 was shifted to the right with age in the prostatic regions of the vas deferens. 3. In high concentrations (10(-6) - 3 x 10(-4) mol/L), B-HT 933 caused concentration-dependent enhancement of the contractile response to stimulation and evoked spontaneous contractile activity. No significant difference in this postjunctional activity occurred with age in either the prostatic or epididymal regions of the vas deferens. 4. Schild analysis revealed no significant differences in pA2 values for the antagonisms of the prejunctional inhibitory effect of B-HT 933 by rauwolscine in either the prostatic or epididymal regions of vas deferens between young and old rats. 5. These results could be interpreted as a decrease in alpha 2-adrenoceptor number with age. The more marked decrease in the prejunctional inhibitor potency of B-HT 933 in prostatic regions of vas deferens with aging may be due to a smaller receptor reserve in this region of the vas deferens.