Vitamin D Deficiency and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Aging Men.

The elderly population is rapidly increasing; hence, the disability due to age-related diseases has become an important socioeconomic burden. Amongst age-related diseases cardiovascular ones (CVD) have a huge impact on morbidity and mortality and are associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Several studies investigated the role of hypovitaminosis D in the pathogenesis of MetS and of CVD, this review unravels the relationship between aging/senescence, vitamin D, gender, and pathogenesis of MetS

Frequency and determinants for hemorrhagic transformation of posterior cerebral stroke : Posterior ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic transformation.

BACKGROUND: hemorrhagic transformation is a threatening ischemic stroke complication. Frequency of hemorrhagic transformation differs greatly among studies, and its risk factors have been usually studied in patients with anterior ischemic stroke who received thrombolytic therapy. We evaluated, in a hospital-based series of patients with posterior ischemic stroke not treated with thrombolysis, frequency and risk factors of hemorrhagic transformation. Patients with posterior circulation stroke were seen in our Department during the period January 2004 to December 2009. Demographic and clinical information were collected. We estimated risk for spontaneous hemorrhagic transformation by means of uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: 119 consecutive patients were included (73 males, 61.3%). Hemorrhagic transformation was observed in 7 patients (5.9%). Only clinical worsening was significantly associated with hemorrhagic transformation (OR 6.8, 95% CI 1.3-34.5). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that patients with posterior have a low risk of spontaneous hemorrhagic transformation, suggesting that these patients might have greater advantage from intravenous thrombolysis

Dopamine neuronal loss contributes to memory and reward dysfunction in a model of Alzheimer's disease

Alterations of the dopaminergic (DAergic) system are frequently reported in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and are commonly linked to cognitive and non-cognitive symptoms. However, the cause of DAergic system dysfunction in AD remains to be elucidated. We investigated alterations of the midbrain DAergic system in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD, overexpressing a mutated human amyloid precursor protein (APPswe). Here, we found an age-dependent DAergic neuron loss in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) at pre-plaque stages, although substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) DAergic neurons were intact. The selective VTA DAergic neuron degeneration results in lower DA outflow in the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell. The progression of DAergic cell death correlates with impairments in CA1 synaptic plasticity, memory performance and food reward processing. We conclude that in this mouse model of AD, degeneration of VTA DAergic neurons at pre-plaque stages contributes to memory deficits and dysfunction of reward processing

Hypovitaminosis D and Aging: Is There a Role in Muscle and Brain Health?

The older-adult population is constantly increasing, hence aging and mechanisms leading to aging are a topic raising increasing interest. Hypovitaminosis D is common amongst old patients and has been proposed as causative of several chronic diseases. Here we review the role of hypovitaminosis D and vitamin D supplementation in sarcopenia and dementia, from bench to bedside

Advancing care: optimizing osteoporosis treatment in the older and oldest old population.

Osteoporosis is a critical public health issue, particularly in the "older" (those aged over 75) and "oldest old" population (those aged 85 and above), who are at a heightened risk for fractures and related complications. This article reviews current osteoporosis treatments tailored for these age groups, emphasizing the balance between efficacy and safety, while considering cost/benefit aspects. We discuss pharmacological therapies available nowadays and their respective benefits and risks in the old population, based on the available literature on the subject. Special attention is given to specific features of this age category, like challenges of polypharmacy, physiological changes associated with age, comorbidities and patient adherence. This paper highlights the need for individualised treatment plans that consider the patient's overall health status, life expectancy and quality of life and the importance of continued innovation and personalized care in managing osteoporosis especially among the "older" population

Herbivorous turtle ants obtain essential nutrients from a conserved nitrogen-recycling gut microbiome.

Nitrogen acquisition is a major challenge for herbivorous animals, and the repeated origins of herbivory across the ants have raised expectations that nutritional symbionts have shaped their diversification. Direct evidence for N provisioning by internally housed symbionts is rare in animals; among the ants, it has been documented for just one lineage. In this study we dissect functional contributions by bacteria from a conserved, multi-partite gut symbiosis in herbivorous Cephalotes ants through in vivo experiments, metagenomics, and in vitro assays. Gut bacteria recycle urea, and likely uric acid, using recycled N to synthesize essential amino acids that are acquired by hosts in substantial quantities. Specialized core symbionts of 17 studied Cephalotes species encode the pathways directing these activities, and several recycle N in vitro. These findings point to a highly efficient N economy, and a nutritional mutualism preserved for millions of years through the derived behaviors and gut anatomy of Cephalotes ants

Treatment failure in osteoporosis: who will experience a new Fracture? TAILOR a retrospective study.

Osteoporosis treatments reduce fracture risk but cannot fully eliminate it, and the concept of treatment failure (TF) or inadequate clinical response (ICR) remains debated. The TAILOR study aims to assess the prevalence of ICR and TF in osteoporotic women undergoing active drug treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis. TAILOR is a retrospective study conducted in an Italian outpatient service. We included 415 patients with at least 12 months of treatment and up to 10 years, examining clinical characteristics predicting TF and ICR. TF was defined as the occurrence of two fragility fractures while on treatment or one fracture plus lack of variation BMD and ICR as the occurrence of a new osteoporotic fracture in treated patients according to previous literature. Seventy-two patients experienced fractures during the follow-up, of those, 26 (36%) were classified as TF. The clinical characteristics of patients with fractures were similar to those without, except for a longer postmenopausal period and lower lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD). Postmenopausal period was significantly longer in TF compared to ICR patients. However, no significant differences were found in baseline fractures, prescribed treatments, or fracture-free survival curves with age, postmenopausal period, BMD, and previous treatments. The clinical follow-up was longer in ICR and TF patients. TAILOR shows a higher prevalence of ICR and TF (17.3%) compared to randomized controlled trials and real-world data, with 36% of fractures during follow-up classified as TF. Clinician decisions often led to changes in antiosteoporosis treatment, particularly in TF cases, though TF diagnosis was rarely cited explicitly in medical records. TAILOR emphasizes that common clinical factors do not reliably predict ICR and TF. The findings highlight the complexity of determining an algorithm for the best treatment approach to prevent TF and ICR

Editorial: Updates on Osteoimmunology: What's New on the Crosstalk Between Bone and Immune Cells.

Osteoimmunology is an important field of bone research, it deepens the crosstalk between bone, and immune cells in both physiological and pathological conditions (1). The relative mechanisms were reported in the papers of this special issue, grouped into different categories: general mechanisms, pathological conditions, and potential therapeutics