Effect of electroacupuncture combined with sulforaphane in the treatment of sarcopenia in SAMP8 mice.

Objectives: Skeletal muscles mitochondrial dysfunction is the main cause of sarcopenia. Both electroacupuncture (EA) and sulforaphane (SFN) have been shown to improve oxidative stress and inflammation levels to maintain mitochondrial function, but the effects and mechanisms of their combination on sarcopenia are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory effects of EA combined with SFN on sarcopenia. Materials and Methods: SAMP8 mice were used and intervened with EA or SFN, respectively, and Masson and HE staining were used to observe pathological changes in skeletal muscle tissue. Transmission electron microscopy was used to detect tissue mitochondrial changes. TUNEL staining was used to assess apoptosis. The biochemical and molecular content was tested by ELISA, western blot, and qRT-PCR. Results: The results showed that oxidative stress, apoptosis, and IL-6, TNF-α, Atrogin-1, and MuRF1 levels in skeletal muscles cells were suppressed and mitochondrial damage was repaired after EA or SFN intervention. In addition, we found that the above changes were associated with the activation of the AMPK/Sirt1/PGC-1α pathway in skeletal muscle tissues, and the promotion effect of combined EA and SFN intervention was more significant. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study found that EA combined with SFN mediated the repair of mitochondrial damage through activation of the AMPK/Sirt1/PGC-1α pathway, thereby alleviating skeletal muscles morphology and function in sarcopenia. This study combines EA with SFN, which not only broadens the use of electroacupuncture and SFN but also provides a scientific experimental basis for the treatment of sarcopenia.

Association of serum uric acid with Pro12Ala polymorphism in PPAR-γ2 among Chinese nonagenarians/centenarians.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In previous studies, Pro12Ala polymorphism in peroxisome proliferator- activated receptors gamma 2 (PPAR-γ2) was shown to be associated with both longevity and metabolic syndrome, which was closely related with hyperuricemia. We examined long-lived subjects (≥90 years), to ascertain whether the polymorphism is associated with the level of serum uric acid (SUA). METHODS: The present study analysed data from a survey conducted in 2005 on all residents aged 90 years or more in a district with 2,311,709 inhabitants. RESULTS: The sample comprised 669 unrelated Chinese participants (aged 90-108 years, mean: 93.54±3.53 years; 67.2% women). The genotype frequencies of the Pro12Ala polymorphism were 0% Ala12Ala and 9.0% Pro12Ala, 91.0% Pro12Pro. Between men or women, and between subjects who were or were not 12Ala carriers, neither in SUA levels nor the prevalence of hyperuricemia were significant. Between subjects with and without hyperuricemia, the difference in prevalence of 12Ala carriers was also non-significant. Unadjusted and adjusted multiple logistic regressions showed that the odds ratios (OR) for hyperuricemia were not associated with Pro12Ala polymorphism in PPAR-γ2. CONCLUSIONS: In Chinese nonagenarians and centenarians, SUA levels are not associated with polymorphism in PPAR-γ2.

Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections.

BACKGROUND: Probiotics may improve a person's health by regulating their immune function. Some studies show that probiotic strains can prevent respiratory infections. However, no evidence of the benefits of probiotics for acute upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and related potential adverse effects has been published. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness and safety of probiotics for preventing acute URTIs. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2011, Issue 2), which includes the Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group's Specialised Register, MEDLINE (Ovid) (1950 to May week 1, 2011), EMBASE (1974 to May 2011), Web of Science which includes Science Citation Index (from 1900 to May 2011) and Conference Proceedings Citation Index (from 1991 to May 2011), the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, which includes the China Biological Medicine Database (from 1978 to May 2011), the Chinese Medicine Popular Science Literature Database (from 2000 to May 2011) and the Masters Degree Dissertation of Beijing Union Medical College Database (from 1981 to May 2011). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing probiotics with placebo to prevent acute URTIs. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed eligibility, quality of trials and extracted data. MAIN RESULTS: We included 14 RCTs, although we could only extract available data to meta-analyse in 10 trials which involved 3451 participants. We found that probiotics were better than placebo when measuring the number of participants experiencing episodes of acute URTI: at least one episode: odds ratio (OR) 0.58; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36 to 0.92; at least three episodes: OR 0.53; 95% CI 0.36 to 0.80; rate ratio of episodes of acute URTI: rate ratio 0.88; 95% CI 0.81 to 0.96; and reduced antibiotic prescription rates for acute URTIs: OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.98. Probiotics and placebo were similar when measuring the mean duration (MD) of an episode of acute URTI: MD -0.29; 95% CI -3.71 to 3.13 and adverse events: OR 0.92; 95% CI 0.37 to 2.28. Side effects of probiotics were minor and gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common. We found that some subgroups had a high level of heterogeneity when conducting pooled analyses. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Probiotics were better than placebo in reducing the number of participants experiencing episodes of acute URTIs, the rate ratio of episodes of acute URTI and reducing antibiotic use. This indicates that probiotics may be more beneficial than placebo for preventing acute URTIs. However, the results have some limitations and there were no data for older people.

A functional single nucleotide polymorphism in promoter of ATM is associated with longevity.

Although the 'ataxia telangiectasia mutated' (ATM) gene plays an important role in physiological processes, such as sensing DNA damage, reducing oxidative stress and protecting telomeres length, little information about ATM and longevity is available. Therefore, we aim to examine the association between genetic variants in promoter of ATM and longevity in Chinese Nonagenarians/Centenarians. Genotyping was performed in 789 long-lived individuals (LLIs) and 886 ethnically matched control subjects. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, rs189037) in the promoter region of ATM gene was identified, and significant association between CT genotype and longevity was observed. Meanwhile, the SNP was able to affect expression of ATM mRNA by differentially binding to AP-2α. The CC genotype strongly bound to AP-2α, and the TT genotype showed less binding affinity to AP-2α. The AP-2α strongly repressed the reporter expression in the CC genotype and showed less repression of the TT genotype driving expression in vitro assay. Accordingly, TT genotype individuals had highest ATM mRNA expression, CT genotype individuals had moderate ATM mRNA expression, and the CC genotype individuals had the lowest ATM mRNA.

Pro12Ala polymorphism in PPAR-gamma2 and dementia in Chinese nonagenarians/centenarians.

We examined the existence of a relationship between polymorphism and dementia in subjects aged 90 years and above. The sample included 732 unrelated Chinese nonagenarians/centenarians (aged 90-108 years, mean age 93.68 years; 67.5% women). The Pro12Ala variant was examined using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism. Cognitive function was measured with 30-item mini-mental state examination. The genotype frequencies of the Pro12Ala polymorphism were 0% Ala12Ala, 9.1% Pro12Ala, and 90.9% Pro12Pro. The prevalence rates of dementia were 64.9% in the whole sample (45.0% for men and 74.5% for women). In both men and women, between subjects with and without 12Ala carriers, there was no significant difference in cognitive function scores and also no significant difference in prevalence of dementia; there was no significant difference in frequency of 12Ala carriers between subjects with and without dementia. Multiple logistic regression was performed by adjusting clinical factors that are thought to be associated with cognitive function or with 12Ala carriers. We found that 12Ala is not a risk factor for dementia. We found that Pro12Ala polymorphism in PPAR-gamma2 was not directly correlated with dementia among Chinese nonagenarians and centenarians.

Chronic diseases and risk for depression in old age: a meta-analysis of published literature.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the relationship between chronic diseases and risk for depression in old age. METHOD: MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library database were used to identify potential studies. All of the clinical studies that obtained data on the association between chronic diseases and risk of depression among individuals aged 55 years or older were identified and included in this review. The studies were classified into cross-sectional and longitudinal subsets. The quantitative meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies and that of longitudinal studies were preformed, respectively. For prevalence and incidence rates of depression, odds risk (OR) and relative risk (RR) were calculated, respectively. RESULTS: Since all but one study found in the search was for individuals 60 years of age or over, we assessed and report on results for this larger group only. 24 cross-sectional and 7 prospective longitudinal studies were included in this review. The quantitative meta-analysis showed that, among chronic diseases, stroke, loss of hearing, loss of vision, cardiac disease or chronic lung disease had both a significant OR and RR for increased depression in old age; arthritis, hypertension or diabetes had a significant OR but an un-significant RR for increased depression in old age; and gastrointestinal disease had neither a significant OR nor a significant RR for increased depression in old age. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded here that in old age, the associations of depression with some chronic diseases were definite; among these chronic diseases, stroke, loss of hearing, loss of vision, cardiac disease and chronic lung disease were risk factors for increased depression, but it should be further investigated whether arthritis, hypertension and diabetes were risk factors for increased depression or not.

Association between body mass index and cognitive function among Chinese nonagenarians/centenarians.

AIMS: We examined the individual association between body mass index (BMI) and cognitive function among the very elderly. METHODS: The present study analyzed data from a survey that was conducted on all residents aged 90 years or more from a district which had 2,311,709 inhabitants in 2005. The subjects were divided into 4 groups according to quartiles of BMI (<16.6, 16.6-18.9, 18.9-21.1 and >21.1), and according to classification criteria of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity in BMI (<18.5, 18.5-23.0, 23.0-27.5 and >27.5), respectively. RESULTS: The subjects included in the statistical analysis were 211 men and 427 women. Those in the 3rd quartile of BMI (18.9-21.1) had higher cognitive function scores (p < 0.001) and were less likely to present possible dementia (p = 0.016) than the others. However, there was no difference in cognitive function scores (p = 0.350) or prevalence of possible dementia (p = 0.263) among obesity, overweight, normal weight and underweight groups. CONCLUSIONS: Concerning longevity in Chinese, there is an association between BMI and cognitive function. BMI of around 20 (18.9-21.1) is associated with the lowest risk of prevalence of possible dementia and the highest cognitive function scores.

Association of cognitive impairment with serum lipid/lipoprotein among Chinese nonagenarians and centenarians.

The association of cognitive impairment with abnormal levels of serum lipid/lipoprotein in the elderly, in whom there are differences between the old aged 65-84 years and the oldest old aged 85 years or above, has been confirmed by previous studies. However, there are no relevant data from a Chinese oldest old population. In the present study, we observed an association of cognitive impairment with abnormal levels of serum lipid/lipoprotein among very old people using a Chinese cohort aged 90-108 years. The population included 709 unrelated Chinese nonagenarians and centenarians (67.8% women, mean age 93.8 years). The mean score of cognitive function (measured with the 30-item Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE) was 14.9 (SD 6.0). Comparing abnormal with normal levels of serum lipid/lipoprotein (including triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein), in both genders, the odds ratio of cognitive impairment was statistically insignificant. There were no significant differences in levels of lipid/lipoprotein between subjects with and without cognitive impairment. Pearson correlation showed that MMSE scores were not significantly correlated with levels of lipid/lipoprotein. In summary, we found that levels of serum lipid/lipoprotein were not directly correlated with cognitive impairment among Chinese nonagenarians and centenarians.

Pro12Ala polymorphism in PPAR gamma 2 associated with essential hypertension in Chinese nonagenarians/centenarians.

The Pro12Ala polymorphism of PPAR gamma 2 has been shown to influence hypertension and the benefit of longevity in previous studies. We examined whether the polymorphism was related to essential hypertension among long-lived subjects (is greater than 90 years). The Pro12Ala variant was examined using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism in a population-based sample of 839 long-lived subjects (mean 94 years SD 4 years, aged 90-108 years). The genotype frequencies of the Pro12Ala polymorphism were 0.2% Ala12Ala, 9.4% Pro12Ala and 90.4% Pro12Pro in all participants. The frequency of the Ala12 allele was 3.45% in the hypertension group and 6.92% among the normotension group (P=0.001). Moreover, in the total study population, Ala12 allele carriers had lower levels of triglycerides (1.03+/-0.5 mmol/L (means+/-SD) vs. 1.25+/-0.61 mmol/L; P<0.001). In conclusion, these results suggest that the Pro12Ala polymorphism of the PPAR gamma 2 gene is associated with hypertension and triglycerides levels in Chinese nonagenarians/centenarians.