摘要:

Age-related sclerosis of human renocortical arteries is associated with essential hypertension and limitation of the life span by cardiovascular mortality. Arteries in the kidneys of nonprimate species, examined here, showed near absence of arteriosclerosis when the average life span was less than 12 years and small amounts of sclerosis in longer-lived species. The fastest progression of arteriosclerosis was, paradoxically, in the longest-lived species, the human and the macaque. Results are incompatible with theories of aging that include arteriosclerosis within the framework of mechanisms that are proposed to explain the life spans of species.

ISSN:0304-324X    

DOI:10.1159/000213602

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1994

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The aim of this investigation was to determine, utilising an electromyographic (EMG) technique, the influence of the ageing process on the neuromotor control of the stoop-lift. Seven elderly (60-75 years) and seven young (18-25 years) subjects completed a series of ten unresisted (no weight) stoop-lifts. EMG potentials were recorded with 4-mm bipolar surface electrodes from the erector spinae and medial hamstring muscle groups. The temporal features of the stoop-lift itself were recorded with an electrogoniometer. The results of this investigation showed that the elderly subjects had a significantly (p < 0.05) earlier onset of the erector spinae muscle during the up-phase of the stoop-lift compared to the younger subjects. In addition, reactivation of the erector spinae muscle in the up-phase occurred at hand positions significantly (p < 0.05) closer to the floor in the elderly group indicating more stooped postures. Thus the EMG profiles of the erector spinae within the elderly subjects performing unresisted stoop-lifts approximated those previously reported in younger subjects performing resisted (with a weight) lifting. The earlier onset of the erector spinae in the up-phase of the stoop-lift was partially explained by a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in flexibility (sit and reach test) associated with the elderly subjects. The results further stress the potential for injury associated with the utilisation of the stoop-lift, particularly by elderly populations.

ISSN:0304-324X    

DOI:10.1159/000213603

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1994

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Acquisition of immunologic self-tolerance by clonal deletion in the thymus is concluded to be a critical process in immune aging and is found to be transiently protected from genetic instability by means of a feedback surveillance which functions at the expense of chronic thymic involution. In the immune control of mammalian aging, principles of Darwinian natural selection are suggested to work at the cellular level. During life, an immune-mediated stabilizing cell selection is displaced by a destabilizing one, thus changing physiological to pathological aging. In consequence, mammalian aging may be approached from an evolutionary point of view by both genetic cell variation and immune selection and be revealed correspondingly both as a stochastic and programmed process. Age-dependent diseases may be characterized as the consequence of localized pathological aging.

ISSN:0304-324X    

DOI:10.1159/000213604

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1994

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

We monitored antidepressant prescriptions to elderly patients over the age of 60 years admitted to a teaching hospital over a 3-months period. During this time we identified 48 patients taking antidepressant medication of whom 18 were started in hospital, the other 30 patients having had their therapy initiated before admission. In the hospital group, 1 in 3 was probably not depressed, as judged by using (Brief Assessment Scale Depression Cards), despite this screening having been made within 1 week of starting treatment. In the second group, i.e., those in whom treatment had been initiated before admission, 50% were still depressed in spite of prolonged treatment. We conclude that elderly patients should only be started on antidepressant therapy after careful assessment, and when prolonged treatment is considered necessary, it should be regularly evaluated for efficacy and psychiatric advice sought for those who fail to respond.

ISSN:0304-324X    

DOI:10.1159/000213605

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1994

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Health and social services across the more developed countries in the world are facing the problem of providing care and support for an ever increasing elderly population. It has been suggested that this challenge would best be met by performing frequent ‘assessment’ of the total elderly population in a country. This would be very difficult and time consuming in a large country with a high number of elderly people. Screening using a broad coarse instrument aimed at identifying variations in dependency over time would be simpler, effective and more likely to be actually performed in the greatest majority of the target population. In developing firstly the Winchester Disability Rating Scale (WDRS) and then the WDRS-2, which includes a subscale for depression, we believe to have found an effective instrument to measure dependency and with it the means to limit hospitalization. We validated the WDRS-2 on a large sample of elderly people living in local authority housing schemes, and were able to demonstrate that our instrument has both high specificity and high sensitivity for the identification of depression in elderly people living in the community. This new instrument offers primary care physicians the opportunity to rapidly and successfully assess their elderly patients living in the community.

ISSN:0304-324X    

DOI:10.1159/000213606

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1994

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Forty-four patients aged 65 years and over who fell whilst in an acute hospital and 44 patients who did not fall during their hospital stay underwent structured medical examinations to identify factors associated with falling. The control subjects were matched for age ( ± 3 years), sex, patient type, and primary diagnosis. The examination was based on established assessments of posture, balance and gait, the musculoskeletal system, vision, cardiovascular status, and neurological function. Bivariate analyses revealed seven assessment measures that were significantly associated with falls: cognitive impairment, particularly impaired orientation; evidence of previous cerebrovascular accident; incoordination as measured clinically; inability to perform the ‘Get-up-and-go’ test, especially an inability to turn around after a 5-metre walk, and the use of psycho-active medications. Of these variables, impaired orientation, psycho-active drug use, evidence of stroke, and impaired performance in the ‘Get-up-and-go’ test were included in a stepwise logistic regression which correctly classified 80% of the patients into faller and non-faller groups. Falling was also related to the number of these identified risk factors. These findings suggest that a simple screening protocol, taking about 5 min to complete, can assist in the identification of patients at risk of falls whilst in

ISSN:0304-324X    

DOI:10.1159/000213607

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1994

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Body composition of both younger and older subjects was estimated using several different methods in order to evaluate their use with elderly subjects. Estimates were obtained by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, underwater weighing, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and skinfold measurement in 48 younger subjects (26–40 years) and 44 older subjects (65–85 years). In older men and women the underwater weighing percent fat estimates were significantly higher than all other methods. Bone mineral explained a significant proportion of the variance in the difference between the dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and underwater weighing estimates of percent fat (R2 = 0.442-0.627). Because of its insensitivity to variability in bone mineral, we recommend that the underwater weighing method be not used to estimate percent fat in older men and women. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry provides an alternative which accounts for the age-related decrease in bone mineral dens

ISSN:0304-324X    

DOI:10.1159/000213608

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1994

数据来源: Karger

ISSN:0304-324X    

DOI:10.1159/000213609

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1994

数据来源: Karger

ISSN:0304-324X    

DOI:10.1159/000213610

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1994

数据来源: Karger

ISSN:0304-324X    

DOI:10.1159/000213611

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1994

数据来源: Karger