Aging & Longevity

Although mitochondrial function is essential for life in multicellular organisms, work from multiple model organisms has demonstrated that a mild impairment of mitochondrial function can increase lifespan. In C. elegans, a mutation in the isp-1 gene, which encodes the Rieske iron sulfur protein in Complex III of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, results in increased lifespan, enhanced resistance to stress and slow physiologic rates. While the molecular mechanisms involved are...

Advanced age is a well-known risk factor for severe complications in surgical patients with critical illnesses, partly due to declined intestinal mucosal defense, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Our study provided direct evidence from older human and mouse small intestines of the adverse impact of aging on Paneth cell functionality by impaired mitochondrial metabolism. Mechanistic investigation revealed a specific elevation of Paneth cell enriched microRNA-152 (miR-152) in...

Almost a century ago, calorie restriction (CR) was identified as a robust intervention for extending lifespan and healthspan, a discovery that captured the imagination of both scientists and the public. If the powerful mechanisms engaged by CR can be uncovered and harnessed through a pill, humans might be able to live longer and healthier lives. Here, we will discuss the evolution of rapamycin, an inhibitor of the mTOR (mechanistic Target Of Rapamycin) protein kinase, from an immunosuppressant...

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition of ageing dogs, sharing pathological and clinical features with Alzheimer's disease. Despite the growing prevalence of CCD, non-pharmacological interventions for affected companion animals remain underexplored. This study evaluated the effects of structured group training classes on signs of CCD, sleep, daily activity, and caregiver burden. Forty-two dogs (≥ 8 years) with mild to moderate CCD were enrolled in either...

Elderly patients exhibit heightened susceptibility to postoperative complications following general anesthesia and surgery, yet the molecular mechanisms driving this age-dependent vulnerability remain poorly defined. We performed RNA sequencing on olfactory bulb (OB), hippocampus (HI), lung, and spleen from young (3-month, m), late middle-aged (17 m), and geriatric (27 m) male C57BL/6 mice 24 h after 2 h of exposure to isoflurane anesthesia and laparotomy (ISO/OP). Short-term ISO/OP elicited...

CONCLUSION: These findings highlight ongoing uncertainties and cultural variations in antibiotic prescribing practices at the end of life, highlighting the need for clinical decision-support tools and educational resources directed not only at physicians, but also at nursing teams, families, and caregivers. In the context of an aging population and rising antimicrobial resistance, a deeper understanding of the factors influencing antibiotic use in palliative care is essential to inform the...

CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the critical role of age-friendly urban environments in supporting the mental health of older adults. Urban planning should prioritise accessible green spaces, elderly-friendly housing, inclusive leisure opportunities, and improved access to life information. Promoting social respect and volunteer engagement can further enhance emotional well-being. These findings provide empirical support for implementing the WHO Age-Friendly Cities Framework as a strategic...

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study highlight central ADL and IADL items within the functional network of older adults living alone. These results provide insights into the interrelationships among functional abilities and may guide future research on strategies to support or prevent functional decline in this population.

CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that considering healthy ageing from the perspective of functional ability rather than focusing on chronological age has the potential to more precisely address those community-dwelling older people living with functional decline, frailty or disability who are most vulnerable in heat situations. The measurement of functional ability by screening community-dwelling older people with a self-administered questionnaire on functional resources and risks proved to be a...

CONCLUSION: Adverse trajectories of depressive symptoms, particularly persistent and increasing patterns, are consistently associated with elevated osteoarthritis risk across diverse populations. These findings underscore the importance of longitudinal mental health monitoring and suggest that early intervention for depressive symptoms may represent a modifiable pathway for osteoarthritis prevention. The observed effect modification patterns highlight the need for population-specific and...

CONCLUSION: The interpretable machine learning framework based on dietary antioxidant profiles can robustly predict accelerated biological aging. XGBoost demonstrated the best performance in predicting accelerated aging risk. Daidzein, apigenin, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin E are core dietary antioxidants closely associated with a reduced risk of accelerated biological aging. This study provides analytical reference at the large population level for the development of nutritional intervention...

CONCLUSION: Although 1-RM estimates derived from the corrected V(1RM) showed minimal average bias, interindividual variability persisted across both estimation methods, limiting the accuracy of 1-RM predictions at the individual level.

CONCLUSION: In addition to the vitality, cognition and psychology IC domains, environmental factors including sufficiency of care, housing prices and PM(10) showed important direct associations with FA. Interactions between IC and the environment primarily involved social environmental factors. Further longitudinal research is needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying these direct and interactive associations.

CONCLUSION: Hearing loss is consistently associated with increased depression risk in varied cultural contexts, underscoring the need for early screening and intervention in aging populations.

CONCLUSION: Greater degrees of ACEs exposure are associated with a heightened risk of IC impairment in middle-aged and older adults aged 45 and above in China. These findings highlight the importance of targeted screening and life-course trauma-informed care for individuals with high ACEs exposure in effectively identifying those at high risk of IC impairment and promoting healthy aging.

Cellular senescence, a complex multifactorial process, is involved in the pathophysiology of various age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders. Traditional interventions targeting single mechanisms yield limited efficacy. As a core hallmark and driver of aging, immunosenescence provides a critical target for precision interventions. This systematic review examines the hallmarks of aging, including cellular damage, epigenetic abnormalities, and...

The duration and dynamic evolution of surface water on Mars are key to understanding its past habitability. Utopia Planitia, Mars' largest northern basin, preserves mineralogical signatures of ancient aqueous activity that remains chronologically unconstrained. Here, we present the quantitative reconstruction of the Hesperian Ocean's lifecycle using spectral analysis of manganese (Mn) (hydr)oxides as paleohydrological markers. Our innovative Spectral Contrastive-Aware Network, a deep learning...

Major advances over the past few decades have highlighted the complex regulation of RNA from transcription to nuclear export and from translation to decay. Despite the emerging cellular landscape of malleable and multifunctional RNA molecules, the role of RNA dysregulation in ageing, one of the most fundamental processes of human biology, is underappreciated. Here we focus on ageing-linked dysregulation of the mRNA life cycle. We summarize how RNA metabolism steadily deviates throughout ageing...

Spatial transcriptomics has emerged as a transformative approach for in situ mapping of cellular heterogeneity and interactions, yet existing methods often compromise throughput, cost and tissue coverage. Here we introduce Imaging Reconstruction using Indexed Sequencing (IRISeq): an optics-free, cost-effective platform that leverages spatial interaction mapping by indexed sequencing to profile tissues at adjustable sizes and resolutions (5-50 µm). We applied IRISeq to map gene expression across...

Reducing activity of the mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) with rapamycin extends lifespan and healthspan in many species. The mechanisms by which mTOR regulates lifespan and healthspan, however, are still unknown. Understanding how mTOR signaling in different cell types regulates lifespan and aspects of healthspan is urgently needed if we are to harness the potential individual and societal benefits of healthspan extension by mTOR attenuation. mTOR kinase can form two complexes,...