Association Between the Length of Leukocyte Telomeres and Functional Performance of Older Adults: Observational Study.

Despite current literature pointing to a link between shortened telomeres and aging, chronic diseases, and geriatric syndromes, the precise implications of this connection remain unclear. The aim of this exploratory, cross-sectional, observational study was to investigate the association between the relative telomere length (RTL) of peripheral blood leukocyte subtypes (mononuclear cells and granulocytes) and physical performance using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) in older adults. A cohort of 95 participants was recruited, which included men and women aged over 60 years (70.48 ± 5.5 years). It was found that mononuclear cell RTL was significantly lower than that of granulocytes (p < 0.0001). Moreover, individuals with good SPPB performance exhibited lower mononuclear cell RTL compared with those with moderate or poor performance. However, no significant differences were observed in granulocyte RTL between different SPPB performance groups. The global SPPB score showed an inverse correlation with mononuclear cell RTL, but this correlation was not present with granulocyte RTL. Similarly, the SPPB sit-to-stand domain correlated with mononuclear cell RTL, but no such correlation was found with granulocyte RTL. Our findings challenge conventional expectations, suggesting that shorter mononuclear cell RTL may be associated with favorable functional capacity. The variations in RTL between mononuclear cells and granulocytes highlight their distinct biological roles and turnover rates. A history of immune responses may influence mononuclear cell RTL dynamics, while telomerase activity may protect granulocyte RTL from significant shortening. The unexpected associations observed in mononuclear cell RTL emphasize the complex interplay between immune responses, cellular aging, and functional capacity in older adults.

Inflammatory biomarkers at different stages of Sarcopenia in older women.

In recent years, studies have found that Sarcopenia alters inflammatory biomarkers. However, the behavior of inflammatory biomarkers at different stages of Sarcopenia is not well understood. This study aimed to compare a broad panel of inflammatory biomarkers in older women at different stages of Sarcopenia. The study included 71 Brazilian community-dwelling older women. Muscle Strength was assessed by using handgrip strength (Jamar dynamometer). The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) was performed to assess the physical performance, and body composition was assessed by DEXA. Sarcopenia was diagnosed and classified according to the EWGSOP2 criteria. Blood was drawn, and inflammatory biomarkers associated with Sarcopenia (IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF, adiponectin, leptin, resistin, BDNF, sTNFr-1 and sTNFr-2) was analysed. After diagnosis and classification of sarcopenia, 45% of women did not present Sarcopenia (NS, N = 32), 23.9% were diagnosed with Sarcopenia Probable (SP, N = 17), 19,7% with Sarcopenia Confirmed (SC, N = 14), and 11.3% with Severe Sarcopenia (SS, N = 8). The analysis of inflammatory biomarkers revealed that the more advanced the stage of Sarcopenia, the higher the levels of BDNF, IL-8, sTNFr-1, and sTNFr-2. The assessment of BDNF, IL-8, sTNFr-1, and sTNFr-2 levels may be an adjuvant tool in diagnosis and severity classification of Sarcopenia in older Brazilian women.

Accuracy of handgrip and respiratory muscle strength in identifying sarcopenia in older, community-dwelling, Brazilian women.

Certain cut-off points for sarcopenia screening and diagnosis are arbitrary and based on European populations, with normative references often obtained from healthy young adults. Although respiratory skeletal muscle strength tests represent low-cost clinical measures commonly performed in clinical practice by health professionals, a gap remains regarding whether respiratory skeletal muscle strength tests are adequate and sensitive measures for sarcopenia screening. This study aimed to verify the value of handgrip and respiratory muscle strength as possible discriminators to identify sarcopenia and to establish cut-off points for sarcopenia screening in community-dwelling, Brazilian women. In a cross-sectional study, 154 community-dwelling, Brazilian women (65-96 years) were assessed for appendicular skeletal muscle mass, handgrip (HGS), and respiratory muscular strength, including maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP). The data were analyzed using the ROC curve and the Youden Index determined cut-off points. Statistical significance was set at 5%. 88 participants (57%) were sarcopenic. MEP (OR 0.98 [95%CI 0.97, 1.00], p = 0.023) and HGS (OR 0.82 [95% CI 0.75, 0.90], p < 0.001) were independent factors for sarcopenia in older. The optimal cut-off points for identifying sarcopenia were ≤ 77 cmH2O for MEP (AUC = 0.72), and ≤ 20 kg for HGS (AUC = 0.80). Simple muscular strength tests, including HGS and MEP, may be considered in the identification of sarcopenia in older, community-dwelling, Brazilian women. Future work is still needed to assess external validation of the proposed cut-offs before the clinical application.

Adiponectin Is a Contributing Factor of Low Appendicular Lean Mass in Older Community-Dwelling Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Inflammation is a chronic, sterile, low-grade inflammation that develops with advanced age in the absence of overt infection and may contribute to the pathophysiology of sarcopenia, a progressive and generalized skeletal muscle disorder. Furthermore, a series of biomarkers linked to sarcopenia occurrence have emerged. To aid diagnostic and treatment strategies for low muscle mass in sarcopenia and other related conditions, the objective of this work was to investigate potential biomarkers associated with appendicular lean mass in community-dwelling older women. This is a cross-sectional study with 71 older women (75 ± 7 years). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to assess body composition. Plasmatic blood levels of adipokines (i.e., adiponectin, leptin, and resistin), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and soluble receptors (sTNFr1 and sTNFr2), interferon (INF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and interleukins (IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Older women with low muscle mass showed higher plasma levels of adiponectin, sTNFr1, and IL-8 compared to the regular muscle mass group. In addition, higher adiponectin plasma levels explained 14% of the lower appendicular lean mass. High adiponectin plasmatic blood levels can contribute to lower appendicular lean mass in older, community-dwelling women.

Is the Leukocyte Telomere Length Associated with Decreased Physical Functional Capacity in the Elderly?

Leukocyte telomere length in the elderly has been positively associated with healthy living and physical activity. Factors that interfere with telomere shortening are similar to those that may be associated with decreasing functional capacity. To investigate the relationship between mean leukocyte telomere length and functional capacity in community-dwelling elderly individuals, this is an observational, cross sectional, multicentric study conducted with elderly Brazilian patients. Sample characterization was performed using a sociodemographic clinical questionnaire. Telomere length was evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and functional capacity was evaluated by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). A total of 113 elderly individuals (age 70 ± 5.4 years; 75 women and 38 men) were enrolled in this study. Unexpectedly, it was found that lower relative telomere length was associated with better physical capacity in the global SPPB score. Although telomere shortening is observed with increasing age, it is not associated with decreased functional capacity. Functionality is broad and multidimensional, involving the connection of biopsychosocial and cultural factors. While functionality may not be considered a marker of functional aging in an elderly cohort, it can still play an important role in longitudinal studies, which attempt to elucidate process theories. Future studies should use different techniques to measure telomere lengths in subpopulations of cells.

Aged-associated cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus reactivation and cytomegalovirus relationship with the frailty syndrome in older women.

Immunosenescence is an age-related reduction of immune system activity that can be associated with frailty. This study aimed to compare cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivations (based on viremias) between young and elderly women who had a chronic CMV and/or EBV infection (i.e., an IgG+ serostatus) without an acute infection (i.e., an IgM- serostatus), and among the elderly group categorized according to frailty status. DNA was extracted from plasma using standard protocols and serostatus was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses for CMV and EBV were carried out and viral loads were determined. Among elderly women (n = 71), 59% were positive for CMV, in contrast to only 8% of young women (n = 73). Elderly women classified as frail, pre-frail, and non-frail presented 82%, 56%, and 48% positivity for CMV, respectively. Frequency and viral load were significantly higher in the elderly group vs. the young group (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.01, respectively) and in elderly with frailty vs. those without frailty (p = 0.007 and p = 0.03, respectively). The frequency of CMV reactivation presented odds ratios of 11.77 for aging and 6.13 for frailty, and relative risks of 5.39 for aging and 1.93 for frailty. EBV was detected in 30% of the elderly women and 15% of the young women (p = 0.04); however, the viral load did not significantly differ between the two age groups. The frequency of EBV reactivation presented odds ratios of 2.36 for aging and 2.90 for frailty, and relative risks of 1.96 for aging and 2.12 for frailty. However, no difference in EBV viral load among the frailty status subgroups was found. In conclusion, the frequency of CMV reactivation was associated with aging and ongoing frailty, whereas the frequency of EBV reactivation was associated only with aging.