Archives of gerontology and geriatrics
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Arch Gerontol Geriatr · Jul 2019
Comparative StudyMitochondrial DNA copy number and telomere length in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in comparison with whole blood in three different age groups.
There are more and more studies on telomere length (TL) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and it has been proven that these factors play a significant role in the aging of the immune system thereby it is important to understand how it varies in different cell types for more accurate conclusions. The aim of this study was to look into dynamics of mtDNA amount in conjunction with TL in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) during aging in comparison with whole blood (WB) cells. Overall, 53 samples were divided into three age groups: 20-39 year age group, 40-59 year age group and 60-79 year age group. ⋯ TL in the elderly group was shorter in PBMC fraction than in WB cells. It also looked like that in PBMC TL shortened faster than in WB. In conclusions, it appears that during the aging process both mtDNA CN and TL were more stable in WB than in PBMC fraction where changes were more drastically pronounced, but more studies using larger sample cohorts should be performed to confirm this observation.
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Arch Gerontol Geriatr · Jul 2019
Ultrasound measurement of rectus femoris muscle thickness as a quick screening test for sarcopenia assessment.
Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome related to loss of muscle mass and function, leading to disability, frailty and higher mortality. According to European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) the diagnosis of sarcopenia requires the assessment of muscle mass, muscle force and function, that is time-consuming and not easily at hand in everyday clinical practice. We propose the B-mode ultrasound measurement of muscle thickness as a quick screening test to assess the presence of sarcopenia. ⋯ We suggest a screening test for sarcopenia based on the ultrasound measurement of RFM thickness, as a not invasive and easy to perform method even in elderly patients with functional or cognitive impairment.