The incidence of ischemic stroke in humans increases exponentially above 70 years both in men and women. Comorbidities like diabetes, arterial hypertension or co-morbidity factors such as hypercholesterolemia, obesity and body fat distribution as well as fat-rich diet and physical inactivity are common in elderly persons and are associated with higher risk of stroke, increased mortality and disability. Obesity could represent a state of chronic inflammation that can be prevented to some extent by non-pharmaceutical interventions such as calorie restriction and hypothermia. Indeed, recent results suggest that H2S-induced hypothermia in aged, overweight rats could have a higher probability of success in treating stroke as compared to other monotherapies, by reducing post-stroke brain inflammation. Likewise, it was recently reported that weight reduction prior to stroke, in aged, overweight rats induced by caloric restriction, led to an early re-gain of weight and a significant improvement in recovery of complex sensorimotor skills, cutaneous sensitivity, or spatial memory. Conclusion: animal models of stroke done in young animals ignore age-associated comorbidities and may explain, at least in part, the unsuccessful bench-to-bedside translation of neuroprotective strategies for ischemic stroke in aged subjects.

The aging process, comorbidities, and age-associated diseases are closely dependent on each other. Cerebral ischemia impacts a wide range of systems in an age-dependent manner. However, the aging process has many facets which are influenced by the genetic background and epigenetic or environmental factors, which can explain why some people age differently than others. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify age-related changes in body functions or structures that increase the risk for stroke and which are associated with a poor outcome. Multimodal imaging, electrophysiology, cell biology, proteomics, and transcriptomics, offer a useful approach to link structural and functional changes in the aging brain, with or without comorbidities, to post-stroke rehabilitation. This can help us to improve our knowledge about senescence firstly, and in this context, aids in elucidating the pathophysiology of age-related diseases that allows us to develop therapeutic strategies or prevent diseases. These processes, including potential therapeutical interventions, need to be studied first in relevant preclinical models using aged animals, with and without comorbidities. Therefore, preclinical research on ischemic stroke should consider age as the most important risk factor for cerebral ischemia. Furthermore, the identification of effective therapeutic strategies, corroborated with successful translational studies, will have a dramatic impact on the lives of millions of people with cerebrovascular diseases.

The aim of this study was to evaluate possible correlation between routes of administration of levodopa in patients diagnosed with Parkinson�s disease and the presence of digestive symptoms. We included in this study 31 patients diagnosed with Parkinson�s disease:14 patients were on oral levodopa and 17 patients were on intrajejunal administration of levodopa/carbidopa. Each patient was assessed using Non-motor Symptoms Questionnaire for Parkinson�s Disease regarding the dysfunction of gastrointestinal tract. The results of our study indicated that there is a different distribution of the digestive dysfunction between the two groups of patients. The study indicate that the constipation was more frequent in those patients with oral medication.

As a part of non-motor symptoms in Parkinson�s disease (PD), the dysfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract are frequent, being a major complain in the majority of the patients. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of digestive dysfunctions on quality of life in Parkinson�s disease. We included in this study 60 patients with PD, with a disease severity which varied between 2 and 5 on Hoehn and Yahr Scale. Our results showed a low correlation between digestive dysfunctions and the severity of the disease, but a statistically significant correlation between quality of life and the stage of the disease. Also, we observed a statistically significant correlation between digestive dysfunctions and quality of life. Our study revealed that the frequency of digestive dysfunction has correlated with a poor quality of life in any stage of the disease.