The links between health-related behaviors and life satisfaction in elderly individuals who prefer institutional living

BACKGROUND: Life satisfaction among residents of institutions is becoming an important issue in a rapidly aging population. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the links between life satisfaction and health-related behaviors amongst functionally independent elderly people who prefer institutional living in İstanbul, Turkey. METHODS: The socio-demographic characteristics, health-related behaviors, leisure-time activities and fall histories of 133 residents of an institution in Istanbul were assessed by a structured questionnaire during face-to-face interviews. A validated life-satisfaction index questionnaire (LSI-A) was completed. RESULTS: The mean age of the study group was 73.9 ± 8.0 (range 60–90 years). Within the group, 22.6% had never married and 14.3% had university degrees. The majority (71.4%) were in the low income bracket. The overall mean LSI-A score was 20.3 ± 5.9. Participants who declared moderate/high income levels had a significantly higher mean LSI-A score than those in the low-income bracket (p = 0.009). Multivariate analysis of the data suggested that leisure-time activities and participation in regular physical activities are significant predictors of LSI-A scores (R(2): 0.112; p = 0.005 and p = 0.02, respectively). CONCLUSION: The findings imply that regular physical activity and leisure-time activities are significantly related to life satisfaction among residents in institutions. Participation in physical activity and leisure-time activity programs may help to improve the life satisfaction of elderly people living in institutions

Participation of metallothionein and superoxide dismutase in the blood of smoking smelters

Objectives: Metallothionein (MT) and two forms of superoxide dismutase (SOD), which are dependent on zinc and copper ions, are involved in defense against the same superoxide anion radicals and are present in extra- and intracellular compartments. The aim of our study was to investigate MT concentration and Cu/Zn SOD activity in the plasma and erythrocyte lysate of the non-smoking and smoking smelters. Material and Methods: The investigations were performed in the blood of 300 male smelters and 100 non-exposed male subjects. We have measured zinc, copper, malondialdehyde (MDA) and MT concentrations as well as SOD activity. Results: We have observed an increase of Cu/Zn coefficient and decrease of Zn/Cu coefficient in the serum of smelters in comparison with the non-smoking control group. Concentration of MDA in the plasma of smelters was higher in comparison with its concentration in the non-smoking control group. The plasma and the erythrocyte lysate MT concentration increased significantly in the whole group of smelters as compared to the non-smoking control group. The mean value of MT concentration in plasma of the smoking smelters was above 2-fold higher than in the non-smoking control group. The activity of Cu/Zn SOD in plasma of the smoking and non-smoking smelters was decreased in comparison with the smoking and non-smoking control groups, respectively. The lowest activity of Cu/Zn SOD, about 2-3‑fold decreased in comparison with the smoking and non-smoking control groups, was detected in plasma of the smelters. An inverse relationship was observed in the erythrocyte lysate. The highest activity of Cu/Zn SOD was reported in the erythrocyte lysate of the smoking smelters and it was about 2-fold higher than in the non-smoking control group. Conclusions: In extracellular environment MT plays a crucial role in comparison with the SOD, while in the intracellular compartment Cu/Zn SOD and MT cooperate with each other

Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases

The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs) can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e. iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018): a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points

Age-Dependent Changes in Glutathione-S-Transferase: Correlation with Total Plasma Antioxidant Potential and Red Cell Intracellular Glutathione

The correlation between antioxidant capacity and oxidative damage during aging has been reported in several tissues in different species. Glutathione-S-transferases (GST) can metabolise endogenous and exogenous toxins and carcinogens by catalysing the conjugation of diverse electrophiles with reduced glutathione (GSH). We observe a significant (P < 0.001) increase in plasma GST activity as a function of human age (r = 0.5675). A significant (P < 0.001) positive correlation (r = 0.8979) is observed between GST activity and total plasma antioxidant potential measured as ferric reducing ability of the plasma (FRAP). GST activity and red cell intracellular GSH also show a significant positive correlation (r = 0.7014). We hypothesize that the increased activity of plasma GST is a manifestation of increased generation of ROS and a concomitant decrease in the level of plasma antioxidant capacity during aging