Croatian medical journal
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Croatian medical journal · Apr 2020
ReviewDysfunction and toxicity of damaged proteins in the etiology of aging and age-related degenerative and malignant diseases.
Health can be defined as a harmony, or homeostasis, of the activities of thousands of different proteins, whereas aging and diseases result from their disharmony manifested at the levels of cells and tissues. Such disharmony is caused primarily by dysfunction and toxicity of misfolded proteins damaged by oxidation. This is an overview of key data that inspired new concepts allowing interpretation and integration of the scientific literature on aging and age-related diseases. These concepts suggest strategies for prevention and attenuation of age-related degenerative and malignant diseases mimicking the life of super-centenarians.
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Croatian medical journal · Apr 2020
ReviewUse of pharmacogenomics in elderly patients treated for cardiovascular diseases.
Older people are increasingly susceptible to adverse drug reactions (ADRs) or therapeutic failure. This could be mediated by considerable polypharmacy, which increases the possibility of drug-drug and drug-gene interactions. Precision medicine, based on individual genetic variations, enables the screening of patients at risk for ADRs and the implementation of personalized treatment regimens. ⋯ Pharmacogenetics consortia have issued guidelines for oral anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, statins, and some beta-blockers. Since the majority of pharmacogenetics recommendations are based on the assessment of single drug-gene interactions, it is imperative to develop tools for the prediction of multiple drug-drug-gene interactions, which are common in the elderly with comorbidity. The availability of genomic testing has grown, but its clinical application is still insufficient.
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Croatian medical journal · Apr 2020
ReviewMitochondrial unfolded protein response, mitophagy and other mitochondrial quality control mechanisms in heart disease and aged heart.
Mitochondria are involved in crucial homeostatic processes in the cell: the production of adenosine triphosphate and reactive oxygen species, and the release of pro-apoptotic molecules. Thus, cell survival depends on the maintenance of proper mitochondrial function by mitochondrial quality control. ⋯ Some previous studies have demonstrated that the activation of mitochondrial quality control mechanisms may be beneficial for the heart, while others have shown that it may lead to heart damage. Our aim was to describe the mechanisms by which mitochondrial quality control contributes to heart protection or damage and to provide evidence that may resolve the seemingly contradictory results from the previous studies.
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Croatian medical journal · Apr 2020
ReviewHow to face the aging world - lessons from dementia research.
A continuous rise in life expectancy has led to an increase in the number of senior citizens, now amounting to a fifth of the global population, and to a dramatic increase in the prevalence of diseases of the elderly. This review discusses the threat of dementia, a disease that imposes enormous financial burden on health systems and warrants efficient therapeutic solutions. What we learned from numerous failed clinical trials is that we have to immediately take into account two major elements: early detection of dementia, much before the onset of symptoms, and personalized (precision) medicine treatment approach. We also discuss some of the most promising therapeutic directions, including stem cells, exosomes, electromagnetic fields, and ozone.
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Croatian medical journal · Apr 2020
Application of a system dynamics model in forecasting the supply and age distribution of physicians.
To predict the future supply and age distribution of physicians with a simulation model, which can be used as an advising tool for policymakers who decide on enrollment and specialization training (ST) quotas at the national level. ⋯ There is no need to increase the enrollment into the medical schools to ensure sufficient number of physicians per capita in Croatia, but it is necessary to keep the recently reached level of 550 licenses for ST per year. The developed dynamic model is available online and can be adapted to the analysis of different scenarios in different health care systems.