Objective To determine the age-specific reference ranges of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the older men in the city of Amirkola. Methods This cross-sectional study is a part of Amirkola Health and Ageing Project (AHAP) which has been conducted as a cohort study since 2011 in Amirkola, a city in northern Iran. The demographic information of all men aged 60 and older were collected through questionnaires and interviews and the PSA measurements were performed using ELISA and Diametra kit. The acquired data were analyzed afterwards. Results A number of 837 elderly men with a mean age of 69.99±7.72 years participated in this study. The serum PSA level (95th percentile) was determined to be 0.9 (0–4.89) ng/mL in the age group of 60–64 years, 1.1 (0–4.88) ng/mL in the age group of 65–69 years, 0.93 (0–9.01) ng/mL in the age group of 70–74 years, 1.3 (0–7.95) ng/mL in the age group of 75–79 years, 1.9 (0–11.98 ng/mL) in the age group of 80–84 years, and 1.45 (0–33.17) ng/mL in the 85 and older group. The serum PSA level was significantly correlated with age ( p =0.000). Conclusion This study indicated that there is a direct correlation between the age and serum PSA levels. The use of age-specific reference range could guide clinicians on the incidence of prostate cancer in this population and perhaps reduce the number of unnecessary tests in this population group.

Co-Hydrotalcite-like compounds (Co-HTlcs), as precursors of mixed oxides, were synthesized by coprecipitation technique from Mg(NO 3 ) 2 •6H 2 O, Al(NO 3 ) 3 •9H 2 O and Co(NO 3 ) 2 •6H 2 O, with a constant molar ratio Mg/Al of 1.6 and a variable molar ratio Co/Mg from 0.01 to 0.1. The pH was controlled around 10. It is shown by XRD results, processed with the Winplotr software, that the "c" lattice parameter increases with an increasing of Co/Mg ratio and there is no change on the "a" lattice parameter. This behaviour is discussed and it was attributed to the substitution between the Mg and Co atoms in the hydrotalcite structure. Moreover, the microstructural parameters (crystallite size and strain) were analyzed by XRD, using the Williamson-Hall plot and the Two Stages Approach. It was observed that the crystal perfection is increased as the Co content increases. The morphology and layers size were studied by SEM and it was observed that the particles are stacked and formed by several layers, which causes porosity into the particles.

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