Metabolites of Life: Phosphate.

The process of aging and escalating the failure of all body organs has become the center of interest in contemporary science and medicine. The leading role of phosphate-calcium tandem deficiency as a pacemaker of metabolic senescence has emerged recently. Most of the phosphates in the human body are stored in the bones, which seem to play a pivotal role in all metabolic and energetic processes. Bone metabolism combines physical activity with adaptive changes in the internal environment of the body, which is necessary for its survival. Phosphate-calcium signaling is the primary mechanism for controlling homeostasis and its recovery after exercise-induced disorders. Phosphates play an important role in the regulation of energy metabolism both by regulating postprandial glucose storage in the muscles and in the liver, as well as the distribution and adaptation of energy metabolites to the needs of the brain and skeletal muscles. The bone-driven energy metabolism is of decisive importance for maintaining all vital functions of the body organs, including their proper functioning and integrated interplay. The phosphate-calcium tandem contributes to the development and proper functioning of the organism, whereas energy dysmetabolism is the main cause of aging and the final termination of life.

The effect of body mass reduction on functional stability in young obese women.

Functional stability is necessary for everyday activities. The studies have indicated the deterioration of functional stability during standing in the obese adults. This study aimed to determine whether the 3-month weight-loss program that resulted in body mass reduction equal to or greater than 5% of the initial body mass would improve functional stability in young obese women. For the purpose of this study, the data of 30 females were included. Their mean age was 35.8 ± 9.2. The women performed the anterior limit of stability test on the force platform twice: before and after weight-loss program. Their BMI at two sessions was 36.1 ± 5.1 and 32.3 ± 5, respectively. After the weight loss program, the COP velocities were increased in both phases of the anterior limit of stability test: the dynamic transition from standing to maximal forward-leaning and the maintenance of maximal forward-leaning position (p < 0.05). No significant changes in the values of the COP parameters were found in the eyes-closed trial (p > 0.05). The results suggest that body mass reduction in young obese women led to improved mobility and postural control when visual cuing was available. The longer-lasting weight-loss program might be necessary to observe this effect under visual deprivation conditions. Body mass should be reduced in obese patients to improve their mobility and functional stability; it may prevent unexpected falls.

Pathogenesis of Dementia.

According to Alzheimer's Disease International, 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia. Dementia is a disorder that manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually result from the brain being damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, usually accompanied by emotional problems, difficulties with language, and decreased motivation. The most common variant of dementia is Alzheimer's disease with symptoms dominated by cognitive disorders, particularly memory loss, impaired personality, and judgmental disorders. So far, all attempts to treat dementias by removing their symptoms rather than their causes have failed. Therefore, in the presented narrative review, I will attempt to explain the etiology of dementia and Alzheimer's disease from the perspective of energy and cognitive metabolism dysfunction in an aging brain. I hope that this perspective, though perhaps too simplified, will bring us closer to the essence of aging-related neurodegenerative disorders and will soon allow us to develop new preventive/therapeutic strategies in our struggle with dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

Energy Metabolism Decline in the Aging Brain-Pathogenesis of Neurodegenerative Disorders.

There is a growing body of evidencethat indicates that the aging of the brain results from the decline of energy metabolism. In particular, the neuronal metabolism of glucose declines steadily, resulting in a growing deficit of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production-which, in turn, limits glucose access. This vicious circle of energy metabolism at the cellular level is evoked by a rising deficiency of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) in the mitochondrial salvage pathway and subsequent impairment of the Krebs cycle. A decreasing NAD level also impoverishes the activity of NAD-dependent enzymes that augments genetic errors and initiate processes of neuronal degeneration and death.This sequence of events is characteristic of several brain structures in which neurons have the highest energy metabolism. Neurons of the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia with long unmyelinated axons and these with numerous synaptic junctions are particularly prone to senescence and neurodegeneration. Unfortunately, functional deficits of neurodegeneration are initially well-compensated, therefore, clinical symptoms are recognized too late when the damages to the brain structures are already irreversible. Therefore, future treatment strategies in neurodegenerative disorders should focus on energy metabolism and compensation age-related NAD deficit in neurons. This review summarizes the complex interrelationships between metabolic processes on the systemic and cellular levels and provides directions on how to reduce the risk of neurodegeneration and protect the elderly against neurodegenerative diseases.

Posturographic characteristics of the standing posture and the effects of the treatment of obesity on obese young women.

To determine the impact of body weight on quiet standing postural sway characteristics in young women, this research compared spontaneous oscillations of the center of foot pressure (COP) between 32 obese (BMI: 36.4 ± 5.2 kg/m2), and 26 normal-weight (BMI: 21.4 ± 1.5 kg/m2) women and assessed the influence of obesity treatment and body weight reduction on postural sway. Trajectories of the COP were assessed while the subjects were standing quietly with eyes open (EO) and closed (EC). Both in the sagittal (AP) and frontal (ML) planes the sway range, average velocity, and maximal velocity of COP were calculated. Moreover, the total average and maximal velocities were computed. In the obese group, the tests were performed twice-before and after the obesity treatment. A greater (18% in EC) AP sway range and a substantial reduction of ML sway (25% in EO, 22% in EC) were observed in the obese women. The total COP velocities (average and maximal) were decreased in obese women (20% and 20% in EO) as well as the velocities in the frontal plane (EO: 33%, 41%; EC: 34%, 40%). Body weight reduction resulted in significant changes in postural sway. The following parameters increased: ML sway range (28% in EO), average (20% in EO, 16% in EC) and maximal ML (20% in EO) velocities. The results indicate that young obese women in the habitual standing position are characterized by the destabilizing influence of mass in the sagittal plane only in the absence of a visual control. This effect is dominated by the stabilizing mass effect in the frontal plane, which affects overall postural stability when standing. The reduction of body mass enables a decrease in ML static stability, likely due to natural changes in the base of support while standing.

The influence of adipose tissue location on postural control.

A growing body of evidence suggests, that excessive body weight is inseparably connected with postural instability. In none of previous studies, body weight distribution has been considered as a factor, which may affect results of a static posturography. The purpose of the present study is to quantify some center of foot pressure (COP) characteristics in 40 obese women with android type of obesity (waist-to-hip ratio - WHR≥0.85, BMI: 37.5±5.4) and 40 obese women with gynoid type of obesity (WHR<0.85, BMI: 36.9±5.1). Variables of postural sway were acquired while subjects were standing quietly on a force plate with eyes open and closed. Both in the sagittal and frontal plane sway range, average velocity, and maximal velocity of COP were calculated. Moreover, the total average velocity and total maximal velocity of the COP displacement were computed. Women with abdominal obesity showed a larger sway range in the anterior-posterior plane with eyes open (p<0.0282) and eyes closed conditions (p<0.0115) and a greater maximal COP velocity to compare with subjects with gynoidal obese type (p<0.0112) with eyes closed condition. The postural stability in obese women from the biomechanical point of view is strongly dependent on body distribution. Women with the abdominal obesity type may be exposed to a greater risk of postural instability as compare to women with gynoid fat distribution.