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Cell therapy has the potential to treat gastrointestinal motility disorders caused by diseases of the enteric nervous system. Many studies have demonstrated that various stem/progenitor cells can give rise to functional neurons in the embryonic gut; however, it is not yet known whether transplanted neural progenitor cells can migrate, proliferate, and generate functional neurons in the postnatal bowel in vivo. We transplanted neurospheres generated from fetal and postnatal intestinal neural crest-derived cells into the colon of postnatal mice. The neurosphere-derived cells migrated, proliferated, and generated neurons and glial cells that formed ganglion-like clusters within the recipient colon. Graft-derived neurons exhibited morphological, neurochemical, and electrophysiological characteristics similar to those of enteric neurons; they received synaptic inputs; and their neurites projected to muscle layers and the enteric ganglia of the recipient mice. These findings show that transplanted enteric neural progenitor cells can generate functional enteric neurons in the postnatal bowel and advances the notion that cell therapy is a promising strategy for enteric neuropathies.

Using the NCGG-SGS frailty criteria, we found more participants with physical frailty than with cognitive frailty. The individuals with cognitive frailty had the highest risks of IADL limitations. Future investigation is necessary to determine whether this population is at increased risk for incidence of disability or mortality.

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Social frailty domains may play an important role in preventing physical decline and disability. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of social frailty as a risk factor for the future development of physical frailty among community-dwelling older adults who are not yet physically frail. A total of 1226 physically non-frail older adults were analyzed to provide a baseline. Participants completed a longitudinal assessment of their physical frailty 48 months later. Their baseline social frailty was determined based on their responses to five questions, which identified participants who went out less frequently, rarely visited friends, felt less like helping friends or family, lived alone and did not talk to another person every day. Participants with none of these characteristics were considered not to be socially frail; those with one characteristic were considered socially pre-frail; and those with two or more characteristics were considered socially frail. At the four-year follow-up assessment, 24 participants (2.0%) had developed physical frailty and 440 (35.9%) had developed physical pre-frailty. The rates of developing physical frailty and pre-frailty were 1.6% and 34.2%, respectively, in the socially non-frail group; 2.4% and 38.8%, respectively, in the socially pre-frail group; and 6.8% and 54.5%, respectively, in the socially frail group. Participants classified as socially frail at the baseline had an increased risk of developing physical frailty, compared with participants who were not socially frail (OR = 3.93, 95% CI = 1.02–15.15). Participants who were socially frail at the baseline also had an increased risk of developing physical pre-frailty (OR = 2.50, 95% CI = 1.30–4.80). Among independent community-dwelling older adults who are not physically frail, those who are socially frail may be at greater risk of developing physical frailty in the near future. Social frailty may precede (and lead to the development of) physical frailty.

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BackgroundThe aim of this study was to describe the age‐dependent changes in the parameters of physical performance and body composition in Japanese older adults who are independently dwelling in the community. We also examined whether the age‐dependent changes differ among physical performance and body composition parameters.MethodsCross‐sectional data from 10 092 community‐dwelling older adults (mean age 73.6 years; 5296 women) were analyzed. The measures of physical performance included hand‐grip strength, the five‐times‐sit‐to‐stand test, and walking speed. Body composition parameters (body weight, fat mass, and appendicular skeletal muscle mass) were measured with a bioelectrical impedance analyser. Correlations between age and the physical performance and body composition parameters were tested. The T‐scores of physical performance and body composition measurements were calculated and presented according to 5‐year age groups to examine the differences in age‐dependent changes in physical performance and body composition parameters.ResultsAll physical performance measures significantly decreased with aging. The cumulative mean T‐scores according to age group showed different age‐dependent changes between body mass index (BMI) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) (cumulative mean T‐score change of BMI and ASMI of −5.7 to −2.9 and −12.7 to −12.1, respectively). The slope declines in age‐associated changes were greater in grip strength (β = −0.77, 95% confidence interval = −0.82 to −0.76) for men and in walking speed (β = −0.95, 95% confidence interval = −0.99 to −0.90) for women.ConclusionsThe patterns of age‐dependent decreases in physical performance measures differed among parameters and between sexes. There is a possibility of a difference in the age‐related slope patterns among parameters; decreases in grip strength in men and walking speed in women may be more prominent with advancing age. Furthermore, the decrease in ASMI with age is more striking than that of BMI.

These results show that colitis promotes enteric neurogenesis in the adult colon through a serotonin-dependent mechanism that drives glial cells to transdifferentiate into neurons.