Aging & Longevity

Female sex, age, and APOE4 genotype are the greatest risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. Using a translational perimenopause mouse model based on human Stages of Reproductive Aging Works (STRAW) criteria, we investigated the impact of APOE genotype on female midlife endocrine aging, peripheral metabolic indicators, brain bioenergetic pathways, mitochondrial function, neuroimmune activation, and myelination. Compared to APOE3 females, APOE4 females exhibited accelerated endocrine aging that was...

The embryonic transcription factor TBXT (brachyury) drives chordoma, a spinal neoplasm without effective drug therapies. TBXT's regulatory network is poorly understood, and strategies to disrupt its activity for therapeutic purposes are lacking. We developed designed ankyrin repeat proteins that block TBXT-DNA binding (T-DARPins). In chordoma cells, T-DARPins reduced cell cycle progression, spheroid formation, and tumor growth in mice and induced signs of senescence and differentiation....

The regulation of cellular metabolism and growth in response to nutrient availability is crucial for cell survival and can significantly impact on lifespan. Central to this regulation is a class of transporters that sense and transport specific nutrients and transduce the signal downstream to control genes responsible for growth and survival. In this study, we identified SUL1, a plasma membrane transporter responsible for regulating the entry of extracellular sulfate in Saccharomyces cerevisiae,...

The circadian rhythm is a key biological mechanism that aligns organisms' physiological processes with Earth's 24-h light-dark cycle, crucial for cellular and tissue homeostasis. Disruption of this system is linked to accelerated aging and age-related diseases. Central to circadian regulation is the CLOCK protein, which controls gene transcription related to tissue homeostasis, cellular senescence, and DNA repair. Research reveals CLOCK's dual role: in normal cells, it supports rejuvenation by...

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a lysosome-dependent protein degradation pathway, plays a pivotal yet poorly understood role in cellular senescence-related degenerative diseases. Our study sheds light on a novel mechanism whereby UCHL1 plays a crucial role in mitigating nucleus pulposus cell (NPC) senescence and intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) by activating CMA to counteract autophagy-dependent ferroptosis. Through sequencing analysis of human samples, we identified UCHL1 as a...

Osteoporosis (OP) is a metabolic bone disease, characterized by loss of bone mass and destruction of bone microstructure, which has a high incidence of disability. Identification of the key factors of pathogenesis is essential for diagnosis and therapy. In this study, we have identified the proton-sensing receptor GPR65, which is specifically expressed in osteoclasts and is significantly down-expressed in osteoclast differentiation, aging, ovariectomy (OVX)-, and tail suspension (TS)-induced...

Cellular senescence is a state of irreversible cell cycle arrest accompanied by a distinctive inflammatory secretory profile known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). While various biomarkers, such as senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-βgal), EdU incorporation, p21 and p16, are used to identify senescent cells, no single biomarker universally defines cellular senescence and current methods often fail to address heterogeneity in biomarker expression levels. This...

CONCLUSION: This study reveals that social networks and depressive symptoms jointly mediate the relationship between volunteer participation and life satisfaction among older adults in China. These findings provide empirical support for integrating social and psychological mechanisms into models of active ageing. Promoting volunteer engagement may enhance both social connectedness and mental health, ultimately improving quality of life in later life.

Cellular senescence is accompanied by extensive genomic reorganization, such as senescence-associated heterochromatin foci and expanded interchromatin compartments, to ultimately affect gene expression. Here, we demonstrate that chromatin structural changes in senescent cells drive significant alterations in the phase behavior and motility of paraspeckles, a type of interchromatin compartment condensate. We observe increased numbers, size, and elongation of paraspeckles harboring NONO and...

Age-related inflammation or 'inflammaging' increases disease burden and controls lifespan. Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) are critical regulators of inflammaging; however, the mechanisms involved are not well understood in part because the molecular identities of niche-specific ATMs are unknown. Using intravascular labeling to exclude circulating myeloid cells followed by single-cell sequencing with orthogonal validation via multiparametric flow cytometry, we define sex-specific changes and...

CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia and short sleep duration independently and jointly hinder successful aging. Community sarcopenia screening integrated into primary care and advocating adequate sleep duration may served as a cost-effective successful aging strategy.

The aim of this study was to explore and discuss efficient and effective mammalian models for Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, efficient AD models are characterized by a small body size, a short lifespan, and rapid development of the main pathology including amyloid plaque formation. Effective AD models are expected to exhibit not only the main pathology, but also co-pathology associated with other neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Lewy body dementia), systemic disturbances such as...

CONCLUSION: Older adults shortly after an ischemic stroke can quickly learn to walk with a soft robot and retain substantial clinical and mobility improvements at follow-up.

The growing aging population and rising prevalence of dementia are driving increased demand for long-term care services and supports in the United States. People with dementia require substantial support and care, often from direct care workers in private homes, assisted living communities, and nursing homes. Despite their crucial role, these workers receive highly variable training, particularly in dementia care, and face significant work-related challenges including stress, injury, and...

Purpose: Contrast sensitivity (CS), the ability to see objects against their background, is an important component of visual function. The effect of contrast sensitivity impairment (CSI) on physical functioning (PF) is not well documented. Methods: This study obtained data from the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study. Baseline CS was measured, and self-reported PF, activities of daily living (ADLs), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) were assessed biennially. Results: The...

Osteoarthritis is a prevalent joint disease in the aging population. The hallmark of osteoarthritis is the degeneration of the joint cartilage, characterized by changes in chondrocytes including mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the precise mechanisms of how this affects chondrocyte homeostasis and whether such processes can be explored as therapeutic targets for osteoarthritis remain unclear. Here, we show that impaired mitochondrial function and disrupted cartilage matrix metabolism due to...

CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the important regulatory functions and close association with complex human traits of human eG4s that are highly conserved in the mammalian lineage.

Heart failure remains one of the 21st century's greatest unmet clinical and public health challenges. Heart failure is a highly prevalent chronic condition that affects approximately 55 million people worldwide. Although heart failure can be prevented, the global burden of this condition continues to grow, fuelled by an ageing population, improved survival after myocardial infarction, and increasing prevalence of metabolic and kidney disease. Public health efforts for cardiovascular disease...

Understanding how amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques develop and lead to neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease remains a major challenge, particularly given the temporal delay and weak correlation between plaque deposition and cognitive decline. This study investigates how the evolving pathology of plaques affects the surrounding tissue, using a knock-in Aβ mouse model (App^(NL-F/NL-F)). We combined mass spectrometry imaging with stable isotope labeling to timestamp Aβ plaques from the moment of their...

Osteoporosis, primarily characterized by low bone mineral density (LBMD), is a major skeletal disorder among postmenopausal women (PMW), yet its global burden remains poorly quantified. Leveraging data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021, we assessed the LBMD burden in PMW across 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2021. Metrics included deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years of life lost (YLLs), and years lived with disability (YLDs), with temporal...