Dorsal forearm adipofascial turnover flap among the elderly.

We have assessed the results of soft tissue cover on the back of the hand using an adipofascial turnover flap. From 2004 until 2007, 14 patients (mean age: 62 years) underwent reconstruction of extensive defects in the dorsum of the hand, using a forearm adipofascial turnover flap based on the perforators of the anterior interosseous artery covered with a split skin graft. The pivot point of the flap is typically 4-6 cm proximal to the level of the radial styloid process. In 93% of patients, the reconstruction healed without any problem. The adipofascial turnover flap is a useful and reliable method of reconstruction of the dorsum of the hand even in elderly patients.

Citric acid cycle: a mainstream metabolic pathway influencing life span in Drosophila melanogaster?

The role of the citric acid cycle enzyme NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH-NADP) and its allele product variants in resisting the oxidative agent paraquat, was analyzed among descendants of reciprocal crosses between fast developmental time short-lived individuals (F-) and slow developmental time long-lived ones (S+), in Drosophila melanogaster. Taking preadult developmental time into account, the data suggested that IDH-NADP differences in enzymatic activity between electrophoretically fast and slow allele product variants could play an important role in paraquat resistance and longevity, because individuals with slow developmental time bearing the fast electrophoretic variant of IDH-NADP ("fast" allele) were the most resistant. The fast electrophoretic variant of this enzyme is known to be the most active one and its activity is related to increased reduction of NADP to NADPH. This process could be very important for an effective balance between several pathways that use NADPH as precursor molecules and the oxidative stress defense system that uses it as an oxygen free radical reductor. We also reported a strong maternal effect on these traits, because survivors of a paraquat bioassay carrying cytoplasm inherited from slow developmental long-lived females (S+ cytoplasm) showed the highest frequency of the fast electrophoretical variant of IDH-NADP.

Paraquat resistance and starvation conditions in the selection of longevity extremes in Drosophila melanogaster populations previously selected for long and short developmental period.

This paper analyzes the interaction between resistance to free radicals, development under starvation conditions, sex, and its consequences to the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster populations selected for developmental time and longevity. Our data suggest that the interaction between these physiological and environmental parameters is modulated largely by the pre-imaginal developmental time, since the response to selection for longevity extremes depends strongly on the previous selection for developmental time extremes.