Contrasting expression patterns of coding and noncoding parts of the human genome upon oxidative stress

10.1038/srep09737Scientific Reports5973

Smoking and the compression of morbidity

OBJECTIVE—To examine whether eliminating smoking will lead to a reduction in the number of years lived with disability (that is, absolute compression of morbidity).
DESIGN—Multistate life table calculations based on the longitudinal GLOBE study (the Netherlands) combined with the Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA, United States of America).
SETTING—the Netherlands.
SUBJECTS—Dutch nationals aged 30-74 years living in the city of Eindhoven and surrounding municipalities (GLOBE) and United States citizens age 70 and over (LSOA).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES—Life expectancy with and without disability and total life expectancy at ages 30 and 70.
RESULTS—A non-smoking population on balance spends fewer years with disability than a mixed smoking-non-smoking population. Although non-smokers have lower mortality risks and thus are exposed to disability over a longer period of time, their lower incidence of disability and higher recovery from disability yield a net reduction of the length of time spent with disability (at age 30: −0.9 years in men and −1.1 years in women) and increases the length of time lived without disability (2.5 and 1.9 years, for men and women, respectively). These outcomes indicate that elimination of smoking will extend life and the period of disability free life, and will compress disability into a shorter period.
CONCLUSIONS—Eliminating smoking will not only extend life and result in an increase in the number of years lived without disability, but will also compress disability into a shorter period. This implies that the commonly found trade off between longer life and a longer period with disability does not apply. Interventions to discourage smoking should receive high priority.


Keywords: smoking; morbidit

Do disease specific characteristics add to the explanation of mobility limitations in patients with different chronic diseases? A study in The Netherlands.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine whether disease specific characteristics, reflecting clinical disease severity, add to the explanation of mobility limitations in patients with specific chronic diseases. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross sectional study of survey data from community dwelling elderly people, aged 55-85 years, in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The additional explanation of mobility limitations by disease specific characteristics was examined by logistic regression analyses on data from 2830 community dwelling elderly people. MAIN RESULTS: In the total sample, chronic non-specific lung disease, cardiac disease, peripheral atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, stroke, arthritis and cancer (the index diseases), were all independently associated with mobility limitations. Adjusted for age, sex, comorbidity, and medical treatment disease specific characteristics that explain the association between disease and mobility mostly reflect decreased endurance capacity (shortness of breath and disturbed night rest in chronic non-specific lung disease, angina pectoris and congestive heart failure in cardiac disease), or are directly related to mobility function (stiffness and lower body complaints in arthritis). For atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus, disease specific characteristics did not add to the explanation of mobility limitations. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide evidence that, to obtain more detailed information about the differential impact of chronic diseases on mobility, disease specific characteristics are important to take into account

Avaliação dos benefícios da ginástica localizada sobre a postura e a flexibilidade de mulheres na terceira idade Evaluation of the benefits of gymnastic in the posture and flexibility of old women

Desvios posturais e redução na flexibilidade são alterações observadas com o avançar da idade, podendo desencadear dor e dificuldades de movimentação. Este estudo buscou avaliar a influência de um programa de ginástica, de dois meses de duração, sobre a postura e flexibilidade de idosas institucionalizadas (n = 10, 60-75 anos). A postura foi avaliada através do uso de simetrógrafo, fotografias e do teste de equilíbrio sagital pélvico, e a flexibilidade através do teste de sentar e alcançar. Cinco participantes modificaram a postura. Verificamos ainda redução da retroversão pélvica e aumento significativo (p < 0,001) de flexibilidade. Concluímos que um programa de ginástica é capaz de melhorar as alterações posturais de idosas, assim como resgatar a flexibilidade.<br>Ageing is associated with postural alterations and a decrease in flexibility, which results in pain and functional impairment among elders. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an exercise program, conducted during two months, in the posture and flexibility of old women (n = 10, age = 60-75). The posture was evaluated by symetrographic techniques, digital photography and the sagital pelvic balance test, and the flexibility through the sit-and-reach test. Five participants showed alterations in their postures. We verify the reduction of the pelvic retroversion and a significant increase (p < 0.001) in flexibility. We conclude that a gymnastics program is capable of correct some postural alterations of old women due to flexibility improvements