Cockayne syndrome is caused by the inheritance of genes that are thought to be of special importance in the repair of DNA within genes that are active in transcribing their information from DNA to RNA. The clinical syndrome has been associated with at least two such genes, one on chromosome 5 and the other on chromosome 10. Other genes that are important for transcription-coupled repair cause different progeroid syndromes, one of which (a form of xeroderma pigmentosum) is discussed later. (more…)

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Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria syndrome (HGPS) is also known as progeria or progeria of childhood. Unlike Werner Syndrome, which has an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, it is caused by a dominant mutation of a type known as a gain of function or a dominant negative. The affected gene is known as Lamin A/C. It codes for a protein that coats the inner lining of the nuclei of cells. There is evidence that defective forms of the protein result in two broad classes of abnormalities – a mechanical weakness of nuclei, with herniations of nuclear material, and defects in the regulation of gene expression. There is also evidence of accelerated replicative senescence of cultured somatic cells, but this is not as striking as in Werner Syndrome. (more…)

There are endogenous and external sources of ‘natural’ oxygen free radicals and other ROS. Thus, under normal conditions endogenous Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are generated in living cells as a by-product of normal metabolism and during cellular/physiological signalling and in connection with inflammatory responses. (more…)

Adipose tissue fat is not simply a reservoir for excess nutrients, but rather an active and dynamic organ capable of expressing biologically active fat-derived peptides (FDPs). At times of acute injury, macrophages contribute to the release of these peptides and the term inflammatory markers is often applied, but in the basal state, adipose tissue is the predominant source of production. Some of these FDPs may have a role in the development of the obesity metabolic syndrome of aging and other obesity-related diseases. (more…)

Not all body fat is equally bad for your health. It is widely known that body fat distribution is extremely important. There is increasing evidence for the deleterious effects of Visceral Fat on aging. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is an epidemiological tool that demonstrates a correlation between Visceral Fat and development of diabetes mellitus, stroke, coronary artery disease, and mortality. This ratio is easily determined by dividing the measurement of waist circumference by hip circumference. (more…)

Early studies of fibromyalgia patients failed to consistently show abnormalities in the fibromyalgia peripheral neuropathy and tissues. However, reexamination of this issue has uncovered differences between muscle samples from fibromyalgia subjects and healthy controls. One difference is higher levels of nitric oxide in muscles of fibromyalgia patients (more…)

Fibromyalgia and myofascial pain (MP) are among the most common musculoskeletal disorders from which older adults suffer. These disorders represent opposite ends of the pain spectrum with the discrete character of myofascial pain at one extreme and the widespread symptoms of fibromyalgia at the other. Myofascial pain may be acute or chronic, and is associated with taut muscle bands and hypersensitive areas called trigger points. Fibromyalgia fatigue syndrome includes symptoms of fibromyalgia sleep disruption, fatigue, (more…)

Mounting evidence points to fibromyalgia as a heritable disorder. This evidence includes familial aggregation of fibromyalgia as well as a reduced pain threshold in the first-degree female relatives of fibromyalgia patients, even in those without overt clinical symptoms. Gene polymorphisms in the serotonergic dopaminergic neurons systems and a higher prevalence of polymorphisms in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5HTT) in fibromyalgia patients as compared to healthy controls also have been identified. (more…)

Antidepressants are among the most widely studied medications for the treatment of fibromyalgia. The analgesic effect of antidepressants of the earliest placebo-controlled clinical trials demonstrated modest effectiveness of amitriptyline at doses of 25 to 50 mg nightly. Cyclobenzaprine, a muscle relaxant with structural similarity to the tricyclics, has shown efficacy in several short-term clinical trials. A recent meta-analysis of the literature on fibromyalgia cyclobenzaprine flexeril has shown effectiveness in treating some symptoms and providing overall improvement but did not show reduction of fibromyalgia fatigue or tender points (see Goldenberg reference). (more…)

Cancer occurrence rates in a period of time for a given population is expressed in various ways. The incidence rate is a direct measure of the probability of developing cancer and is usually expressed per year. Incidence rates may be crude (all ages) or age specific. Since cancer is very age dependent, age specific rates are usually more informative. Cancer in elderly is more prevalent compare to cancer in younger age. When comparing population groups with different age distributions (such as the United States vs. China), the incidence rate should be age adjusted by multiplying each age-specific rate by the percent of individuals in a population with the same ages and then summing these to produce a single value. For etiological studies, incidence rates tend to be more informative than mortality rates, as they identify all diagnosed cases. (more…)