Progressive impairment of the immune system accompanies aging. The better preservation of function and antioxidant systems in the neutrophils of centenarians could play a key role in the longevity of these subjects.
The aging process is a universal, intrinsic, progressive accumulation of deleterious changes in cells and tissues that increases morbidity and leads to death. The heterogeneity of the age-related physiological changes is shown by the "biological age", which determines the rate of ageing experienced by each individual and therefore his life expectancy. According to the recent theory of oxidation-inflammation to explain the aging process, the immune system seems to be involved in the chronic oxidative and inflammatory stress conditions of aging. It has been proposed that several age-related changes in immune cell functions, which depend on the redox state of these cells, could be good markers of health, biological age and longevity. In order to identify parameters of the functional and redox situation of immune cells as markers of biological age and predictors of longevity, we have studied those parameters in human healthy centenarians, in extreme long-living mice, as models of successful aging, and in immune cells from murine models of premature immunosenescence. The aim of the present work is to review the results in humans and rodents on those parameters and their relationship with biological age and longevity, as well as to propose several strategies of lifestyle useful to improve the immune function and thus to increase the mean life span.
ned leukocytosis, even in the absence of classical risk factors. With a few exceptions, a single stool sample is sufficient for diagnosis, which can be sent to the laboratory with or without transportation media for enteropathogenic bacteria. In the absence of diarrhoea, rectal swabs may be valid. The microbiology laboratory should include C. difficile among the pathogens routinely searched in patients with diarrhoea. Laboratory tests in different order and sequence schemes include GDH detection, presence of toxins, molecular tests and toxigenic culture. Immediate determination of sensitivity to drugs such as vancomycin, metronidazole or fidaxomycin is not required. The evolution of toxin persistence is not a suitable test for follow up. Laboratory diagnosis of CDI should be rapid and results reported and interpreted to clinicians immediately. In addition to the basic support of all diarrheic episodes, CDI treatment requires the suppression of antiperistaltic
Several parameters of immune function, oxidative and inflammatory stresses have been proposed as markers of health and predictors of longevity and mortality. However, it is unknown if any of these parameters can be predictive of survival in centenarians. Therefore, in a group of 27 centenarians, at the time of admission to the Clinical Hospital of Madrid, a series of immune function, antioxidant, oxidant and inflammatory parameters, were studied. Some centenarians survived and others did not, establishing two groups, "survivors" (n = 9) and "non-survivors" (n = 18). The results show that surviving centenarians display higher neutrophil chemotaxis and microbicidal capacity, NK activity, lymphoproliferation, glutathione reductase activity and basal IL-10 release. Moreover, they show lower neutrophil and lymphocyte adherence, superoxide anion and malondialdehyde concentrations and basal release of TNF-α. The ODDS RATIOS (OR) for survival for these parameters were also calculated and those with the highest ORs were the lymphoproliferative capacity and the ex vivo basal and stimulated release of IL-6 from mononuclear cells (OR = 136.00). Therefore, these parameters have the potential to be used in the clinical setting as predictors of survival in centenarians. In the survivors group, the same parameters were also analyzed after three months. Since survivors showed an increase in neutrophil and lymphocyte chemotaxis capacity during the recovery period, reaching similar values to those observed in healthy centenarians, these could be proposed as indicators of recovery.
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