Associations of immunological factors with metabolic syndrome and its characteristic elements in Chinese centenarians

Abstract Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has an increased prevalence (approximately 20–25% of the adult population) all over the world. Immunological function is significantly associated with the development of MetS, and MetS is beginning to be considered as a chronic immune-related disease. The present study addressed on the associations of immunological factors with MetS and its characteristic elements in Chinese centenarians. Methods Hainan is a longevity region with the highest population density of centenarians in China. The China Hainan Centenarian Cohort Study has a considerable sample size, and provides a significant population-based sample of centenarians. Home interview, physical examination and blood analysis were conducted following standard procedures. Results All centenarians had a median age of 102 (100–115) years, and the proportion of females was 80.8%. The proportion of centenarians with MetS was 16.0% (135 centenarians). Abdominal obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus had a prevalence of 26.4% (223 centenarians), 73.7% (623 centenarians), 40.4% (341 centenarians) and 10.7% (90 centenarians), respectively. In Logistic regression analyses, MetS was significantly associated with immunoglobulin E and complement C3 levels (P < 0.05 for all). Abdominal obesity was significantly associated with immunoglobulin E and complement C3 levels (P < 0.05 for all). Conclusions The present study provides epidemiological evidence that MetS has significant associations with immunoglobulin E and complement C3 levels, and demonstrates that abdominal obesity is significantly associated with immunoglobulin E and complement C3 levels in Chinese centenarians

Methylation of the genes ROD1, NLRC5, and HKR1 is associated with aging in Hainan centenarians

Abstract Background Human aging is a hot topic in biology, and it has been associated with DNA methylation changes at specific genomic sites. We aimed to study the changes of DNA methylation at a single-CpG-site resolution using peripheral blood samples from centenarians. Methods Using Illumina 450 K Methylation BeadChip microarray assays, we carried out a pool-based, epigenome-wide investigation of DNA methylation of blood samples from 12 centenarians and 12 healthy controls. Differentially methylated cytosine-phosphate-guanosine (CpG) sites were selected for further pyrosequencing analysis of blood samples from 30 centenarians and 30 healthy controls. Result We identified a total of 31 high-confidence CpG sites with differential methylation profiles between the groups: 9 (29%) were hypermethylated and 22 (71%) were hypomethylated in centenarians. It was also found that hypermethylation of HKR1 and hypomethylation of ROD1 and NLRC5 genes strongly correlated with age in centenarians. Conclusion Our results indicate that the methylation profile combination of HKR1, ROD1, and NLRC5 could be a promising biomarker for aging in Hainan centenarians

A survey on hearing acuity of centenarians in Hainan Province

Objective: This study aimed to investigate hearing acuity of centenarians in Hainan Province and provide basis for interventional considerations. Method: Door-to-door follow-up was conducted to investigate hearing acuity of centenarians (aged 100 years or above) in Hainan Province. Physical examination, pure tone audiometry and acoustic impedance test were performed, and the results were analyzed. Result: A total of 460 centenarians (920 ears) were tested by pure tone audiometry. The rate of normal hearing was 0.2%, the rate of mild hearing loss was 1.5%, 12% for moderate hearing loss, 33.9% for moderate to severe hearing loss, 37.4% for severe hearing loss is and 15% for profound hearing loss. Acoustic impedance test was performed in 340 centenarians (668 ears). Tympanogram was type A in 41.2% of the ears, type As in 34.1% ears, type Ad in 6.4%, type B in 11.8%, and type C in 4.9% of the ears, while no response was elicited in 1.5% of the ears. Conclusion: Age related sensorineural hearing loss is prevalent among centenarians in Hainan Province. A probably beneficial intervention may be the use of hearing aids for effective communication. Keywords: Centenarians, Hearing acuity, Hearing los

The prevalence of depressive symptoms in Chinese longevous persons and its correlation with vitamin D status

Abstract Background Hypovitaminosis D and depressive syndromes are common conditions in old adults. However, little is known about the relationship between vitamin D and depression in exceptional aged people. The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D levels and depressive symptoms in Chinese longevous persons. Methods We used a dataset from a cross-sectional survey of a sample of Chinese longevous people with self-reported age 100 or older, including 175 men and 765 women, was conducted from June 2014 to December 2016 in Hainan Province, China. Data on demographics, lifestyle characteristics and health conditions were collected using a structured questionnaire. Anthropometrics and blood samples were obtained following the standard procedure. Depressive symptoms of the participants were assessed using a shortened version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). Serum vitamin D levels were measured using an automated radioimmunoassay. Results The prevalence of longevous persons with depressive symptoms among the sample was 32.2% (95% confidence interval: 29.7–34.7%). Serum vitamin D levels were lower in participants with depressive symptoms than in those without (20.8 ± 8.7 vs. 23.7 ± 9.7, ng/mL). Vitamin D deficiency was an independent risk factor for depression after controlling for the potential covariates (Odds ratio = 1.47, 95% Confidence interval = 1.08–2.00; p = 0.014). A negative relationship between serum vitamin D levels and depressive symptoms was also detected, and the relationship remained significant after adjusting for a wide range of other covariates. The multivariate adjusted odds ratio of depressive symptoms for the lowest versus highest quartiles of vitamin D levels was 1.73 (95% confidence interval: 1.10–2.72), and the adjusted odds ratio with a 5 ng/mL decrement of serum 25OHD levels was 1.10 (95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.19). Conclusions This study showed an inverse association between vitamin D levels and depressive symptoms among Chinese longevous persons. Depressive symptoms should be screened in longevous persons who had vitamin D deficiency. Further studies on vitamin D supplement and prevention along with treatment of depression are needed among very old population

Additional file 1: of Methylation of the genes ROD1, NLRC5, and HKR1 is associated with aging in Hainan centenarians

“Pyrosequencing primer sequences of three sites”. This file contains detailed description of pyrosequencing primer sequences. (DOCX 12 kb