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Aging profoundly remodels the immune system, impairing defense, repair and homeostatic function across tissues. Because the immune system operates in every organ, its deterioration has been proposed to drive or exacerbate systemic dysfunction and accelerate overall biological aging, making it an attractive biomarker and target for geroscience-guided trials. Despite this central role, there is no consensus on how to quantify immune aging, especially in clinical trials. Here, we establish a...

Liver aging is characterized by chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction that drive progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Necroptosis, a pro-inflammatory form of cell death via the Receptor-Interacting serine/threonine-Protein Kinase 1 (RIPK1)-RIPK3-Mixed Lineage kinase domain Like pseudokinase (MLKL) pathway, is activated in aging livers, and systemic inhibition of this pathway reduces hepatic inflammation and pathology. The cell type-specific...

CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that nutritional status is independently associated with quality of life in older adults, independent of strong psychosocial determinants. Although depression, frailty, and loneliness were dominant predictors, the independent contribution of nutritional status suggests that nutritional assessment and interventions could be considered as an integral part of geriatric care. The findings highlight the potential role of comprehensive care models that combine...

CONCLUSIONS: Mutual aid among older residents was neither uniform across districts nor fixed over time. Rather, it was shaped by district-specific relational infrastructures and reconfigured through age-related changes in health, mobility, and everyday routines. Community interventions should therefore be tailored to the relational infrastructure already present in each district and should support modest, repeatable opportunities for reciprocal contact and gentle monitoring.

CONCLUSION: The present study highlights the substantial burden of malnutrition among older individuals. Two-thirds of the individuals were either at risk of developing malnutrition or had already developed malnutrition. As none of the sociodemographic factors were found to be associated, qualitative studies are needed to explore the various other reasons for developing malnutrition.

All animals age. However, aging is a heterogeneous process, and individual organisms age differently. Moreover, within the same organism, cells or organs do not age at the same speed. For instance, neurodegeneration, a hallmark of aging, generally manifests later than other peripheral aging signs. The genetic determinants of aging are not completely understood. Gain-of-function (GoF) mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2^(GoF)) are major genetic risk factors for Parkinson's disease...

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a prominent target for deep-brain stimulation (DBS) in the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID), a common motor complication of Parkinson's disease. However, the precise impact of STN-DBS on LID remains unclear. Here, we investigated the functional roles of two distinct neuronal populations within the STN in regulating LID. In a mouse model of LID, STN neurons projecting to the entopeduncular nucleus (EP) exhibited a U-shaped activation pattern, whereas...

ObjectivesSocial security benefits are associated with better psychological health among older adults in resource-limited settings, yet the mechanisms underlying this association remain underexplored. We examined the role of healthcare accessibility in the relation between social security benefits and psychological health among older adults in Tanzania.MethodsWe analyzed cross-sectional data from a 2024 survey of Tanzanian adults aged 60 and above (n = 2,012) in four geographic zones. We...

All animals age. However, aging is a heterogeneous process, and individual organisms age differently. Moreover, within the same organism, cells or organs do not age at the same speed. For instance, neurodegeneration, a hallmark of aging, generally manifests later than other peripheral aging signs. The genetic determinants of aging are not completely understood. Gain-of-function (GoF) mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2^(GoF)) are major genetic risk factors for Parkinson's disease...

The RAD18 (E3) ubiquitin ligase, a key DNA damage tolerance regulator that also functions in DNA double-strand break repair, is overexpressed in the brain cancer glioblastoma. Here, we show that RAD18 promotes glioblastoma cell proliferation in the absence of exogenous damage, independently of its catalytic activity. RAD18 downregulation arrests glioblastoma cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, leading to senescence onset, with no apparent increase in DNA damage. We also show that RAD18...

Innate immune memory (trained immunity) is mediated by epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming of innate immune cells and hematopoietic progenitors, enabling altered responses to subsequent challenges. Mechanistically conserved across eukaryotes, trained immunity in mammals operates as a dynamically regulated, life-phase-specific system. The demands and constraints on innate immune memory shift across the life span: from tolerogenic programming and maternal immune transfer in fetal and neonatal...

Postovulatory oocyte aging (POA) is a key factor contributing to the decline in female fertility and the success rate of assisted reproductive technology. Currently, most studies on POA have focused on downstream phenotypes such as mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, while little is known about its key upstream regulatory factors. Here, we show that the downregulation of transcription factor Early Growth Response 1 (EGR1) is a key upstream event driving porcine oocyte aging....

CONCLUSIONS: Our study offers a new understanding of how the community environment may influence older people's support behaviors. Findings suggest that social cohesion and social belonging play distinct roles in relation to support provision among older people. Practices aimed at facilitating mutual support and well-being may need to take specific roles of different dimensions of community environment into account.

The intestine is one of the first organs to show signs of aging, including cellular changes, microbiota shifts, and reduced regenerative capacity. The different components of the gut-such as the epithelium (which is directly exposed to a diverse array of host-microbe interactions), the microbiota itself, and the underlying enteric nervous system-likely contribute to aging in distinct ways. Understanding their individual and interactive roles is key to elucidating the mechanisms of intestinal...

CONCLUSIONS: Heterogeneity among the homebound older adult population shapes care needs that in turn influence utilization patterns. Understanding these dynamics is crucial to targeting interventions like home-based primary care to the highest risk groups while tailoring care to individual needs.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1476909.].

Sexuality in older age remains a taboo subject. Little is known about the perceptions and experiences of healthcare professionals when addressing this topic with older adults. This systematic review, registered in PROSPERO, aims to understand the perceptions, practices, and recommendations of healthcare professionals in primary and hospital care regarding the approach to sexuality and sexual health in older people. The 17 selected studies, conducted in six countries, show that physicians and...

Scientists at UCLA discovered a surprising reason aging muscles heal more slowly. In older muscle stem cells, a protein called NDRG1 builds up and acts like a brake, slowing the cells’ ability to jump into repair mode after injury. But there’s a twist: that same protein helps the cells survive the stresses of aging, allowing them to stick around longer.

Scientists have discovered that a common type of stroke may have a very different cause than doctors once thought. Instead of fatty plaque clogging arteries, the strongest link was found with enlarged and damaged blood vessels deep within the brain. The finding helps explain why standard treatments like aspirin are often less effective and is driving the search for new therapies that target the brain’s tiny blood vessels directly.