Showing papers in "Aktuelle Gerontologie in 1978"

Age dependence of mechanical parameters in rat skin following repeated strain.

Abstract: The mechanical parameters of rat skin repeatedly strained with increasing elongation or repeatedly strained with a constant elongation was studied and the hysteresis behaviour was analyzed depending on age. Male Sprague Dawlely rats of an age of 1,2,4, 12, and 24 months were used. Ultimate strain of skin showed a maximum at early adulthood (2 months) whereas the other ultimate values (ultimate load, tensile strength and ultimate modulus of elasticity) exhibited their maxima in late adulthood (4 months). All these ultimate values increased due to maturation and decreased due to senescence. At medium extensions the stress uptake and the elasticity modulus showed a minimum in adulthood. Likewise, in hysteresis experiments both energy dissipation and energy loss at medium extensions exhibited a minimum in adulthood. The ratio between these two parameters, i.e. the relative energy loss was almost independent from age. Residual extension had a minimum at 2 months of age. Therefore, in rat skin the reversibility of deformations had a maximum at early adulthood, stiffness at late adulthood. All those parameters were reversed due to the senescence process.

The influence of aging on the myosin type of the rabbit soleus and longissimus dorsi muscles.

Abstract: The influence of aging on the myosin type, and on the fibre composition of both the slowly contracting ("red") M. soleus and the fast ("white") M. longissimus dorsi was examined in the rabbit. For myosin characterization isolated myofibrils were electrophoresed on SDS-polyacrylamide gels, and the fibre pattern within the respective muscles was analyzed with an immunocytochemical method. Antisera against either fast or slow rabbit myosin were collected from guinea pigs after longterm immunization. After incubation of the paraformaldehyde-fixed muscle thin sections the fibres containing either fast or slow myosin could be distinguished from each other by indirect immunofluorescence. The soleus muscles of 1 day old rabbits were composed of 25% slow and 75% fast fibres. In young-adult (5--8 mo.) rabbits the fibres were mostly slow (over 90%), while in old age (4--7 y.) again up to 50% of the soleus fibres contained fast myosin. In contrast, in the longissimus dorsi muscle constantly around 95% of the fibres contained fast myosin. In accordance with the immunocytochemical finding of an increase of fast fibres in the aging soleus muscle, the presence of fast myosin could also be demonstrated electrophoretically. With this method, soleus myofibrils from young-adult animals were observed to contain virtually slow myosin only. No slow, but only fast myosin was identified in SDS-gels of longissimus dorsi myofibrils at all ages. These results are discussed in relation to the well known metabolic alterations occurring in the mammalian skeletal muscle during aging.

Changes of glycosaminoglycan synthesis during in vitro ageing of human fibroblasts (WI-38).

Abstract: Synthesis rates of glycosaminoglycans by WI-38 cultures (diploid, human fibroblasts exhibiting a limited number of population doublings in vitro) were determined by incorporation of 35S-sulfate of 14C-glucosamine into cellular and extracellular glycosaminoglycans at different passage levels before phase out. A progressive decline in the synthesis of cellular and extracellular glycosaminoglycans occured during the last (about 4) population doublings. 35S-sulfate incorporation into extracellular glycosaminoglycans appeared to be somewhat more reduced than 14-C-glucosamine incorporation during the last passages. Analysis of the distribution pattern of incorporated label into various glycosaminoglycan types (hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate and possibly heparan sulfate) revealed an age-related relatively stonger decline of 14C-glucosamine incorporation into cellular and extracellular hyaluronic acid and of 35S-sulfate into extracellular chondroitin sulfate in comparison with the other glycosaminoglycan types. Addition of exogenous glycosaminoglycans (chondroitin-4-sulfate, chondroitin-6-sulfate, dermatan sulfate, hyaluronic acid, heparan sulfate, heparin) at 100 microgram/ml to the culture media during the last 7 to 10 population doublings before phase out did not increase the total number of population-doublings. Heparin exhibited a significant growth inhibitory effect at 100 or 500 microgram/ml. The changes in glycosaminoglycan metabolism are interpreted as an expression of cellular ageing, and such an in vitro system offers a model for analyzing the factors involved in or causing the induction respectively prevention of this functional change.

Age-related change of the absolute number of IgG-, and IgM-bearing B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes in human peripheral blood following influenza vaccination

Abstract: The absolute number of IgG-, and IgM-bearing B lymphocytes and of T lymphocytes was determined in the peripheral blood of 12 old (over 60 years) and 11 young (20 to 40 years) healthy persons before vaccination and 6 days and 6 weeks, respectively after vaccination It has been found that as opposed to an approximately fivefold increase of IgG bearing cells in young persons, the increase did hardly reach double of the original value in old individuals The absolute number of T lymphocytes participating in the immune reaction showed a transitory increase in young persons, while a gradual decrease has been observed in old individuals In healthy elderly persons the administration of 10 U Honkong 5/72-B killed influenza virus as in vivo antigen stimulus resulted in a reduced proliferation of IgG carrier lymphocytes participating in antibody production

Experimental evidence for a unifying concept of the molecular mechanisms of the cellular aging and the cellular neoplastic transformation.

Abstract: Experimental data supporting a Unifying Concept of the molecular mechanisms of cellular aging and cellular neoplastic transformation of dividing cells in mass culture and clonal culture systems will be described. The Unifying Concept combines the hitherto antithetically presented Differentiation Theory, the Mutation Theory, the Error Catastrophy Theory and the Degradation Deficiency Theory with a newly worked out Virus Theory of the cellular aging and the cellular neoplastic transformation. Quantitative in vitro studies of embryonic fibroblast cell systems of two closely related inbred rat strains L.BN and Lewis were undertaken. The data obtained from the experimental analysis of the molecular mechanisms of the cellular aging and the cellular neoplastic transformation demonstrate, that the cellular aging of dividing cells is a Three-Stage-Differentiation Sequence under the control of three different genetic programs. The genetic constitution of the senescent cell regulates the expression of virogenes and oncogenes of the endogenous RNA tumor viruses of the C-type, resulting either in the cellular degeneration of the senescent cell under the control of the virogenes or in the cellular neoplastic transformation regulated by the oncogenes.

Bone mineral content of the healthy aged.

Abstract: Using Norland-Cameron photon-absorption technique, bone mineral content of 436 healthy aged was measured and compared with that of 198 healthy, aged 21-50. Bone mineral content of postmenopausal females decreased continuously with age and bone mineral content of males began to decrease at age over 70. Bone width and menopausal age seemed to be important factors influencing bone mineral content, but previous physical activity seemed to have no effect on the bone mineral content of the aged.

Age-dependent structural changes in human neuronal chromatin.

Abstract: After partial digestion with micrococcal nuclease, DNA was extracted from nuclei of cerebral cortex neurons from young (23--36 y.) and old (78--85 y.) humans. The DNA fragments were subjected to gel electrophoresis, and their base-pair content determined. The nucleosomal DNA repeat length was found to increase from 170 (+/- 18) base-pairs in the young group to 199 (+/- 8) base-pairs in the old group. This increase of 29 base-pairs appears to be confined to the linker region of the nucleosomal DNA, since the core-DNA was always found to contain approx. 140 base-pairs. In addition, the amount of nuclear DNA digested by the micrococcal nuclease was observed to vary with age: after 30 min. of incubation at 37 degrees C hydrolysis of up to 80% of the nuclear DNA in the young but only up to 60% in the old neuronal nuclei was achieved. The age-dependent increase in chromosomal DNA repeat length is a direct proof of alterations in the basic chromatin structure with aging. It cannot be decided, however, whether the change in DNA digestibility is dependent on alterations of the chromatin basic structure, its superstructure, or both.

Autoantibodies in aged individuals.

Abstract: Authors determined in 282 individuals autoantibodies in 132 T and B lymphozytes. Theirs results were as follows: 1. The frequency of the presence of autoantibodies increases with age. 2. In the presence of autoantibodies the absolute T and B lymphocyte counts of aged persons markedly decrease; the absolute T and B lymphozyte counts of young adult people do not change by existing autoantibodies. 3. There is a significant difference between the absolute T cell counts of aged and young adult age groups, both age-groups having autoantibodies. 4. Comparing the frequency of occurence of autoantibodies in aged healthy persons and in aged ones with cardiovascular changes and being in the habit of smoking and consuming alcohole, respectively, a significant difference could be demonstrated; in the latter group the frequency was much higher.

[Age-dependent enzymatic changes in human cerebral cortex (author's transl)].

Abstract: Little information about the possible neurochemical-enzymatic changes occuring during aging of human brain is available. We, therefore, investigated the activity of various enzymes of human brains obtained at autopsy and covering a range from 19 to 91 years. Protein kinase, which mediates the information carried by the second messenger cAMP, does not show age-related changes of basal activity. Cyclic AMP-dependent activation of protein kinase remains nearly constant up to 60 years of life, but undergoes a distinct and progressive decline between 60 and 90 years. In corpus striatum no age-related changes of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity were observed. The activity of carbonic anhydrase demonstrates in both human cortex and corpus striatum an age-dependent decrease which also begins after the 6th decade of life. These neurochemical changes are similar to morphological and physiological changes occuring in the aging brain. They begin after the 60th year of life.

The motor activity as an age parameter of the rat (authors transl)

Abstract: The motor activity as an behavioural parameter provides information about the functional state of the organism as a whole. Therefore it is an important age parameter. The results of activity measurements, however, depend strongly on the method of registration. Using 3 groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 9, 15 and 29 months two methods have been tested: 1) An electronic recording: the rats were registrated in their normal cages on the Animex-Activity-Meter during the dark-phase in complete darkness. The activity measured by this method has been regarded as spontaneous activity. 2) A kinematographic method: the rats were registrated in a changed environment at constant light during the dark-phase. The activity assessed by this method has been regarded as reactive activity. Spontaneous and reactive activity show a different age dependence. For the use of the motor activity as an age parameter, both, spontaneous and reactive activity, should be assessed to get a better information about the ageing of the different functional levels of the systems governing the animal's behaviour.

Natural antibody level in old age.

Abstract: Antibacterial antibodies were determined with a passive hemagglutination micromethod using the Boivin extract of eight different strains of bacteria. Correlation between antibody values of different specificities and between the summarized titer values and individual antibody titers were found. A significant decrease in the average of the summarized titer values was observed especially for persons over 70. The possibility of genetic regulation of normal antibody levels is suggested. The question whether the decrease in agglutinating antibody level in old age is due to the decreased activity of the corresponding immunocompetent cells or is secondary to other changes occuring in old age, is discussed.

Glucose absorption from the small intestine in rats of different ages (authors transl)

Abstract: Glucose absorption from the ageing rat's small intestine was studied "in vivo" using the recirculation-perfusion method of Sheff and Smyth. Different initial concentrations were used and animals of various ages (6 mo., 12 mo. and more than 27 mo. old) tested for their glucose uptake from the total small intestine (including duodenum) in the course of a twenty-minute period. Glucose was estimated by the modified o-toluidine method of Hultman. The (reciprocal) absorption data, reduced on dried intestine weight units were plotted by the Lineweaver -- Burk (regression) equations and the Km and Vmax indices derived. The results show that there is an apparent increase of the Km value in case of the old rats. Regarding the Km as an apparent affinity constant of the glucose for the carrier transport, ageing induces a considerable loss in affinity and a concomitant increase of the maximum absorptive capacity (Vmax) possible by the transfer capacity of the ageing small gut. The interpretation of the data suggest that the role of the probable age-dependent changes of diffusion-components cannot be ruled out.

Treatment of painful osteoporosis with fluoride, calcium, and calciferol.

Abstract: Fourteen women averaging 69.5 years of age with painful osteoporosis of the spine were treated with sodium fluoride, calcium salts and calciferol. At assessment after 5-19 months of therapy 8 patients were free of pains while in 5 women pains had decreased and mobility improved. One patient had unaltered pains. Side effects were few and mild.

The age-dependent effect of caffeine on the plasma noradrenaline content in white mice.

Abstract: The level of noradrenaline (NA) in the plasma of white mice, determined radioenzymatically as described by Henry et al. changes with age. In 45 days old animals NA in plasma is 10.3 +/- 4.4 ng/ml, whereas in 220 days old animals it was found to be 22.7 +/- 8.8 ng/ml. In 45 days old animals NA in plasma is increased 30 min after caffeine (45 microgram/g) significantly to 109% of control level, whereas in the older animals it is raised insignificantly (14%). The observed NA increase in plasma with increasing age might be a compensatory reaction due to diminished sensibility of the postsynaptic adrenergic receptors to NA. The explanation for the missing raise in NA plasma level after caffeine in adult mice might be the following: Calcium ions are indispensable for the release of NA by nerve impulses and the stimulation of presynaptic beta-receptors of noradrenergic neurons by NA contributes to facilitations of NA release. As in older animals under physiological conditions the release of NA is higher than in young animals it can be assumed that in the older ones the NA release from sympathetic neurons stimulated by caffeine cannot be further enhanced since the calcium receptors are fully occupied by released calcium ions and the presynaptic beta-receptors by released NA molecules.

Infectious mononucleosis in the case of two elderly (80 and 57 years old age) patients.

Abstract: There are reported two cases of infectious mononucleosis in elderly. In the first case (80 years; probably the oldest in the geriatric literature) the infection provoked a very serious illness and the patient deceased three months after dimission, because of diminished resistance. In the second case the mononucleosis induced an autoimmune haemolytic anemia. The patient's daughter and granddaughter must be treated for complications of an infectious mononucleosis too.

[Medical check-ups and selection of subjects: some results from a gerontological field-study (author's transl)].

Abstract: In a gerontological field-study in Cologne, West-Germany, 1114 subjects of a random sample of elderlies were successively offered three modalities for a medical check-up, which covered a physical examination and a psychiatric interview: 1. in the out-patient department of a psychiatric hospital (Rheinische Landesklinik Koln) (38% of the subjects); 2. in the subjects' home by a psychiatrist of the hospital (13%); 3. by having the general practitioner fill out a questionnaire (21%). There remained a fourth group of subjects who refused any medical check-up (28%). Data on social and economic problems had been obtained for all subjects in a preceding interview. These data were used to find out to what extent selection mechanisms were effective. Results indicate that to a certain extent the modality of the medical check-up chosen by the subject is related to some of the variables analyzed.

Immuno-electronmicroscopic studies after influenza vaccination of young and old individuals.

Abstract: Authors examined the lymphocytes of young and old individuals after influenza vaccination. They stated that membrane bound surface IgG and IgM were detectable on the lymphocytes and occasionally on lymphoblasts in both the old and young age groups. In both age-groups intracytoplasmic tubulo-reticular structures (TRS) were seen in the lymphocytes and lymphoblasts. In young individuals TRS was present in the peroxidase positive cells, in the contrary in old persons TRS was never found in cells with surface immunoglobulins. In the TRS themselves peroxidase positive IgG and IgM could be detected.

[Linguistics of ageing, linguistic Gerontology--Why? (author's transl)].

Abstract: Intercourse between the young and the old is accompanied by difficulties in finding the right word. Authentic observations will be presented. These every-day experiences have prompted the search for the felicity conditions of verbal interaction between members of different age groups. This concern is called linguistics of ageing (or, etatolinguistics). It is called linguistic gerontology (or, gerontolinguistics) if older people are involved in the verbal interactions to be investigated. Papers from the fields of intelligence psychology, language psychology, and language sociology have indeed reported differences in verbal scores between groups of different ages. What has not been answered as yet, however, is the question whether these differences are, or may be, responsible for the difficulties arising in verbal interaction between different age groups. A review of hypotheses as to why verbal scores differ between different age groups in the way they do will reveal that this problem has not as yet been solved either. In conclusion, a programme for further research will be outlined.

Gerontological investigations of the nucleic acid metabolism in the rat. II. DNA repair capacity in different ages (authors transl)

Abstract: We tried to develop a model of in-vivo investigations into the DNA repair capacity of rats and, by means of this model, to determine the effect of age. To this end the DNA repair capacity was determined after gamma-irradiation with 3 groups of male white Sprague-Dawley rats aged 6, 18-20 and 32-34 months. The organs liver, kidney, heart and spleen were used for this investigation. The relative repair (RR) showed a discontinuous course both in the 4 organs, and in the 3 different age groups. We define "relative repair" as the relationship between the specific activity of DNA decomposition products and the specific activity of DNA in an irradiated test group, as compared with an unirradiated control group. In all age groups the course was similar in the liver and the spleen, especially in the young rats, as well as in the heart and the kidney. Age differences were seen to be significant in all 4 organs at particular intervals after the irradiation, which means that the maximum relative repair occurs at different times. The integration over the whole course of the investigation shows a distinct reduction in the relative repair with increasing age in all the investigated organs except the spleen, where we could not see a difference between the 2 older groups.

[A meaningful antibiotic therapy of diseases of the ear, nose and throat in old age (author's transl)].

Abstract: Each stage of life is characterized by the prevalence of certain affections; among others, inflammatory diseases of the ear, nose and throat are frequent in old age. Therefore, specific problems of chemotherapy in old age are dealt with in general terms in the introduction, with special stress being placed on the functions of individual organs, mainly of the kidneys, and on questions of disturbed absorption. Inflammations caused by streptococci, requiring at least ten days of antibiotic treatment, always deserve particular attention, and so do staphyloccocal diseases, requiring the selective administration of semi-synthetic pencillines (sioxazol preparations). Penicillin is still the first choice among all antibiotics, penicillin substitutes, to be used in case of allergies, are listed according to their order of value. As anaerobic germs may also be present in the ENT area, the effective modern therapy by means of special antibiotics is also referred to. Finally, due consideration is given to local antibiotic therapy, with an emphasis on the ototoxicity of chemotherapeutical agents, such as amino-glycosides.

[Stereological investigation in the cerebral cortex of aging subjects (author's transl)].

Abstract: Involving cortical regions, capillaries of the human cerebrum of two 19 and 27 years old men, a 69 years old woman and a 72 years old man were stereologically investigated by optical-electronic image-analysis. The cortical capillary net work was demonstrated by the alkaline phosphatase activity. Each cortex region comprised a determination of the stereological parameters diameter, projected area, specific surface area, capillary distances in linear direction of TV-lines and total length per unit cortex volume. A comparison between different cortex regions revealed a good correlation between increased values of the diameter and the projected area, a decreased specific surface area and diminished capillary distances, which entail a shortened distance of oxygen diffusion through the cortical tissue. During aging a diminished capillary surface area, which results from increased values of diameter and projected area is compensated by shortened capillary distances. Presumably an augmented capillary length is due to a condensation of the capillary net per unit cortex tissue. The behaviour of the registered stereological parameters seems to be an accommodation of the capillary net in the human cerebrum to metabolic and circulatory changes during aging.

Gerontological aspects of hyperostosis frontalis interna.

Abstract: Authors discuss hyperostosis frontalis interna observed in a large number of aged persons, on the basis of age and sex distribution as well as its clinical and roentgenomorphological analysis. In various forms of the ossification of the frontal bone no significant difference was found between the localisation of hyperostosis and the clinical symptoms. On other hand, there is a direct correlation between the extension and severity of hyperostosis and the frequency of occurence of the associated symptoms (obesity, hypertension). They found the aetiological classification more adequate than the morphological categorization of Moore. Their cases are discussed 1. as partial phenomenon of the Morgagni's syndrome; 2. as independent alteration, showing no other symptoms; 3. as transitionary forms inserted between the two groups mentioned above. They discuss also the question of senile, compensatory hyperostosis frontalis interna. On the basis of the study of a large autopsy material they support the opinion that there is a direct connection of this form with old age.