Gender-specific association of body composition with inflammatory and adipose-related markers in healthy elderly Europeans from the NU-AGE study

Objectives: The aim of this work was to examine the cross-sectional relationship between body composition (BC) markers for adipose and lean tissue and bone mass, and a wide range of specific inflammatory and adipose-related markers in healthy elderly Europeans. Methods: A whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan was made in 1121 healthy (65–79 years) women and men from five European countries of the “New dietary strategies addressing the specific needs of elderly population for a healthy aging in Europe” project (NCT01754012) cohort to measure markers of adipose and lean tissue and bone mass. Pro-inflammatory (IL-6, IL-6Rα, TNF-α, TNF-R1, TNF-R2, pentraxin 3, CRP, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, albumin) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10, TGF-β1) molecules as well as adipose-related markers such as leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin, and resistin were measured by magnetic bead-based multiplex-specific immunoassays and biochemical assays. Results: BC characteristics were different in elderly women and men, and more favorable BC markers were associated with a better adipose-related inflammatory profile, with the exception of skeletal muscle mass index. No correlation was found with the body composition markers and circulating levels of some standard pro- and anti-inflammatory markers like IL-6, pentraxin 3, IL-10, TGF-β1, TNF-α, IL-6Rα, glycoprotein 130, TNF-α-R1, and TNF-α-R2. Conclusions: The association between BC and inflammatory and adipose-related biomarkers is crucial in decoding aging and pathophysiological processes, such as sarcopenia. DXA can help in understanding how the measurement of fat and muscle is important, making the way from research to clinical practice. Key Points: • Body composition markers concordantly associated positively or negatively with adipose-related and inflammatory markers, with the exception of skeletal muscle mass index. • No correlation was found with the body composition markers and circulating levels of some standard pro- and anti-inflammatory markers like IL-6, pentraxin 3, IL-10, TGF-β1, TNF-α, IL-6Rα, gp130, TNF-α-R1, and TNF-α-R2. • Skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) shows a good correlation with inflammatory profile in age-related sarcopenia

Detection of a novel, integrative aging process suggests complex physiological integration

Abstract: Many studies of aging examine biomarkers one at a time, but complex systems theory and network theory suggest that interpretations of individual markers may be context-dependent. Here, we attempted to detect underlying processes governing the levels ofmany biomarkers simultaneously by applying principal components analysis to 43 common clinical biomarkers measured longitudinally in 3694 humans from three longitudinal cohort studies on two continents (Women’s Health and Aging I & II, InCHIANTI, and the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging). The first axis was associated with anemia, inflammation, and low levels of calcium and albumin. The axis structure was precisely reproduced in all three populations and in all demographic sub-populations (by sex, race, etc.); we call the process represented by the axis “integrated albunemia.” Integrated albunemia increases and accelerates with age in all populations, and predicts mortality and frailty – but not chronic disease – even after controlling for age. This suggests a role in the aging process, though causality is not yet clear. Integrated albunemia behaves more stably across populations than its component biomarkers, and thus appears to represent a higher-order physiological process emerging from the structure of underlying regulatory networks. If this is correct, detection of this process has substantial implications for physiological organizationmore generally

Long-term evaluation of clinical success and safety of omadacycline in nontuberculous mycobacteria infections: a retrospective, multicenter cohort of real-world health outcomes.

Infections due to nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) continue to increase in prevalence, leading to problematic clinical outcomes. Omadacycline (OMC) is an aminomethylcycline antibiotic with FDA orphan drug and fast-track designations for pulmonary NTM infections, including Mycobacteroides abscessus (MAB). This multicenter retrospective study across 16 U.S. medical institutions from January 2020 to March 2023 examined the long-term clinical success, safety, and tolerability of OMC for NTM infections. The cohort included patients aged ≥18 yr, who were clinically evaluable, and` had been treated with OMC for ≥3 mo without a previous diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. The primary outcome was 3 mo clinical success, with secondary outcomes including clinical improvement and mortality at 6- and 12 mo, persistence or reemergence of infection, adverse effects, and reasons for OMC utilization. Seventy-five patients were included in this analysis. Most patients were female (48/75, 64.0%) or Caucasian (58/75, 77.3%), with a median (IQR) age of 59 yr (49–67). Most had NTM pulmonary disease (33/75, 44.0%), skin and soft tissue disease (19/75, 25.3%), or osteomyelitis (10/75, 13.3%), and Mycobacterium abscessus (60/75, 80%) was the most commonly isolated NTM pathogen. The median (IQR) treatment duration was 6 mo (4–14), and the most commonly co-administered antibiotic was azithromycin (33/70, 47.1%). Three-month clinical success was observed in 80.0% (60/75) of patients, and AEs attributable to OMC occurred in 32.0% (24/75) of patients, leading to drug discontinuation in 9.3% (7/75)

Phenotypic Aspects of Longevity

Centenarians are individuals who live over the average life span characteristic of their population. The growing number of old people worldwide makes it necessary to identify a good strategy to reach healthy ageing and avoid or delay age-related diseases. The longevity phenotype is the result of a positive combination between genetic, epigenetic, stochastic and lifestyle factors. So, the analysis of all the known parameters that can influence these single elements or their interaction can give new possible elements to delineate a sort of longevity signature. Starting from the easiest biomarkers as the haematochemical values and reaching the study of molecular and cellular components, as the pool of immune cells and their role in immunosenescence, it is possible to understand potential common elements between centenarians, so possible strategy to attain longevity or healthy life span. The mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, as the pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways or the pro- and antioxidant systems and their contribution, are crucial to this aim. Moreover, the psychological and cognitive aspects must be taken into account. In this chapter, to understand the phenotypic aspects of longevity, some aspects of centenarian phenotype, as example of positive biology, will be summarized