BACKGROUND & AIMS: :We investigated the ability of systolic and diastolic carotid artery longitudinal wall motion (CALM) to delineate expected differences in arterial health in individuals representing a range of both age and health status. We recruited 161 younger healthy adults (aged 24 ± 5 y), 51 older healthy adults (aged 70 ± 5 y) and 14 adults with coronary artery disease (aged 67 ± 8 y) for resting assessment of CALM and arterial stiffness. All CALM parameters were reduced in the old healthy adults and adults with coronary artery disease compared with the young healthy adults (p < 0.01), with diastolic velocity and maximum diastolic acceleration being further reduced in the adults with coronary artery disease than in the older healthy adults (p < 0.01). Diastolic CALM parameters were more strongly related to age (β range: -0.46 to -0.53) than systolic CALM parameters (β range: -0.24 to -0.44). In contrast to previous examinations of a variety of CALM parameters, diastolic CALM may provide superior promise in terms of characterizing arterial wall properties, with additional sensitivity to cardiovascular disease status.

背景与目标： : 我们研究了收缩期和舒张期颈动脉纵向壁运动 (CALM) 描绘代表年龄和健康状况范围的个体的动脉健康预期差异的能力。我们招募了161名年轻的健康成年人 (24 ± 5岁)，51名老年健康成年人 (70 ± 5岁) 和14名患有冠状动脉疾病的成年人 (67 ± 8岁) 进行静息评估平静和动脉僵硬度。与年轻健康成年人相比，老年健康成年人和患有冠状动脉疾病的成年人的所有CALM参数均降低 (p <0.01)，与老年健康成年人相比，患有冠状动脉疾病的成年人的舒张速度和最大舒张加速度进一步降低 (p <0.01)。舒张期平静参数与年龄 (β 范围: -0.46至-0.53) 的相关性高于收缩期平静参数 (β 范围: -0.24至-0.44)。与以前对各种平静参数的检查相比，舒张期平静在表征动脉壁特性方面可能具有出色的前景，并且对心血管疾病状态具有额外的敏感性。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:During hospitalization, stroke patients are bedridden due to neurologic impairment, leading to loss of muscle mass, weakness, and functional limitation. There have been few studies examining respiratory muscle strength (RMS) in the acute phase of stroke. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to evaluate the RMS of patients with acute stroke compared with predicted values and to relate this to anthropometric variables, risk factors, and neurologic severity. METHODS:This is a cross-sectional study in the acute phase of stroke. After admission, RMS was evaluated by maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP); anthropometric data were collected; and neurologic severity was evaluated by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. The analysis of MIP and MEP with predicted values was performed by chi-square test, and the relationship between anthropometric variables, risk factors, and neurologic severity was determined through multiple linear regression followed by residue analysis by the Shapiro-Wilk test; P < .05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS:In the 32 patients studied, MIP and MEP were reduced when compared with the predicted values. MIP declined significantly by 4.39 points for each 1 kg/m2 increase in body mass index (BMI), and MEP declined significantly by an average of 3.89 points for each 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI. There was no statistically significant relationship between MIP or MEP and risk factors, and between MIP or MIP and neurologic severity in acute phase of stroke. CONCLUSION:There is a reduction of RMS in the acute phase of stroke, and RMS was lower in individuals with increased age and BMI.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Walking outdoors is often difficult or impossible for many seniors and people with disabilities during winter. We present a novel approach for conducting winter accessibility evaluations of commonly used pedestrian facilities, including sidewalks, street crossings, curb ramps (curb cuts and dropped curbs), outdoor stairs and ramps, building and transit entrances, bus stops, and driveways. A total of 183 individuals, aged 18-85 completed our survey. The results show that cold weather itself had little impact on the frequency of outdoor excursions among middle-aged and older adults while the presence of snow and/or ice on the ground noticeably kept people, especially older adults at home. The survey found that the key elements decreasing winter accessibility were icy sidewalks and puddles at street crossings and curb ramps. While communities have recognized the need to improve snow and ice removal, little attention has been paid to curb ramp design which is especially ineffective in winter when the bottom of the ramps pool with rain, snow, and ice, making it hazardous and inaccessible to nearly all users. We conclude that investigations of alternative designs of curb ramp are needed.

背景与目标： : 在冬季，对于许多老年人和残疾人来说，在户外散步通常是困难的或不可能的。我们提出了一种新颖的方法，用于对常用的行人设施进行冬季无障碍评估，包括人行道，街道交叉口，路缘坡道 (路缘切口和掉落路缘)，室外楼梯和坡道，建筑物和公交入口，公交车站和车道。共有183名年龄在18-85岁之间的人完成了我们的调查。结果表明，寒冷的天气本身对中老年人户外旅行的频率影响不大，而地面上的雪和/或冰的存在明显地使人们，尤其是老年人在家中。调查发现，降低冬季通行能力的关键因素是街道交叉口和路边坡道上结冰的人行道和水坑。尽管社区已经意识到需要改善除雪和除冰的需求，但很少关注遏制坡道设计，这在冬季特别无效，因为坡道的底部充满雨，雪和冰，这使其变得危险且无法接近几乎所有用户。我们得出的结论是，需要对路缘坡道的替代设计进行研究。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Aging predisposes to hepatic dysfunction and inflammation that can contribute to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Spirulina, a cyanobacterium used as a food additive or food supplement, has been shown to impact immune function. We have tested the potential hepatoprotective effect of a Spirulina in aged mice and to determine whether these effects can be related to a modulation of the gut microbiota. Old mice have been fed a standard diet supplemented with or without 5% Spirulina for six weeks. Among several changes of gut microbiota composition, an increase in Roseburia and Lactobacillus proportions occurs upon Spirulina treatment. Interestingly, parameters related to the innate immunity are upregulated in the small intestine of Spirulina-treated mice. Furthermore, the supplementation with Spirulina reduces several hepatic inflammatory and oxidative stress markers that are upregulated in old mice versus young mice. We conclude that the oral administration of a Spirulina is able to modulate the gut microbiota and to activate the immune system in the gut, a mechanism that may be involved in the improvement of the hepatic inflammation in aged mice. Those data open the way to new therapeutic tools in the management of immune alterations in aging, based on gut microbe-host interactions.

背景与目标： : 衰老易导致肝功能障碍和炎症，可能导致非酒精性脂肪肝的发展。螺旋藻是一种用作食品添加剂或食品补充剂的蓝细菌，已被证明会影响免疫功能。我们已经测试了螺旋藻对老年小鼠的潜在肝保护作用，并确定这些作用是否与肠道菌群的调节有关。已经给老年小鼠喂食标准饮食，补充或不补充5% 螺旋藻六周。在肠道菌群组成的几种变化中，螺旋藻处理后，玫瑰花和乳酸菌的比例增加。有趣的是，在螺旋藻治疗的小鼠的小肠中，与先天免疫有关的参数上调。此外，补充螺旋藻可减少老年小鼠与年轻小鼠中上调的几种肝脏炎症和氧化应激标志物。我们得出的结论是，螺旋藻的口服施用能够调节肠道菌群并激活肠道中的免疫系统，这种机制可能与改善老年小鼠的肝脏炎症有关。这些数据为基于肠道微生物与宿主相互作用的衰老免疫改变管理的新治疗工具开辟了道路。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :We used functional MRI (fMRI) to study the aging influence on functional connectivity of the motor network in the resting state. A network model based on graph theory was used to measure functional connectivity. The total connectivity degree of each region within the motor network was calculated and compared between aged and young groups. We found that the pattern of functional connectivity was changed in aged subjects, including a significant decrease in the functional connectivity degree of the right cingulate motor area and left premotor area compared to young subjects. Our study demonstrates that normal aging modulates the functional connectivity of motor network in the resting state. We postulate that this abnormal functional connectivity of motor network in the baseline state is an important reason contributing to the deteriorated motor ability in aged subjects.

背景与目标： : 我们使用功能MRI (fMRI) 研究了静息状态下对运动网络功能连通性的老化影响。基于图论的网络模型用于测量功能连通性。计算并比较了老年人和年轻人之间的运动网络中每个区域的总连通性。我们发现，老年受试者的功能连通性模式发生了变化，包括与年轻受试者相比，右扣带回运动区和左运动前区的功能连通性显着降低。我们的研究表明，正常老化会调节静止状态下运动网络的功能连通性。我们假设，在基线状态下，运动网络的这种异常功能连接是导致老年受试者运动能力下降的重要原因。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The accumulation of non-enzymatic modifications on both DNA and protein molecules under the attack of reactive oxygen species (ROS), is one of the most possible factors responsible for the functional deterioration in aged cells. Direct protein modifications as well as DNA damages may be detectable, in part, by proteome analysis if the gene expression is affected by the damages on DNA. The novel term "proteome", which is a compound of "protein" and "genome", means a whole set of proteins expressed in a tissue or a cell strain to be investigated. Proteomics is a methodology for analyzing proteomes. In proteomics, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis is performed primarily to separate constitutive proteins, followed by mass spectrometry to identify each protein of interest and to determine a possible post-translational modification. Proteomics has offered us an innovative tool for investigating the molecular mechanisms of cellular aging.

背景与目标： : 在活性氧 (ROS) 的攻击下，DNA和蛋白质分子上非酶修饰的积累是导致老化细胞功能恶化的最可能因素之一。如果基因表达受到DNA损伤的影响，则蛋白质组分析可以部分检测到直接的蛋白质修饰以及DNA损伤。术语 “蛋白质组” 是 “蛋白质” 和 “基因组” 的化合物，是指在要研究的组织或细胞株中表达的一整套蛋白质。蛋白质组学是一种分析蛋白质组的方法论。在蛋白质组学中，主要进行二维凝胶电泳以分离组成型蛋白质，然后进行质谱法以鉴定每种感兴趣的蛋白质并确定可能的翻译后修饰。蛋白质组学为我们提供了研究细胞衰老分子机制的创新工具。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Despite recent advances in the cellular and molecular analysis of induction and regulation of mucosal immune responses, little is yet known about differences which occur in aging. To address this important issue, we have compared the mucosal and systemic immune responses of aged (12- to 14-mo- or 2-year-old) and young adult (6- to 8-wk-old) C57BL/6 mice. Both aged and young mice were immunized weekly with three oral doses of 1 mg of OVA and 10 microg of cholera toxin (CT) as mucosal adjuvant. Both groups of mice over 1 or 2 years of age showed reduced levels of Ag-specific mucosal or systemic immune responses at day 21. An Ag-specific B cell enzyme-linked immunospot assay confirmed these results at the cellular level. When the Ag-induced cytokine responses were examined at both protein and mRNA levels, CD4(+) T cells from spleen and Peyer's patches of young adult mice revealed elevated levels of IL-4 production; however, these cytokine responses were significantly diminished in aged mice. In contrast to mucosal immunization, mice s. c. immunized with OVA plus CT resulted in impaired OVA-specific but intact CT B subunit-specific immune responses in 12- to 14-mo-old mice although the responses to both Ags were depressed in 2-year-old mice. These results provide the first evidence that the development of age-associated alterations possibly occurs earlier in the mucosal immune system than in the systemic immune compartment.

背景与目标： : 尽管在诱导和调节粘膜免疫反应的细胞和分子分析方面取得了最新进展，但对衰老中发生的差异知之甚少。为了解决这个重要问题，我们比较了年龄 (12至14岁或2岁) 和年轻 (6至8周龄) C57BL/6小鼠的粘膜和全身免疫反应。每周用三种口服剂量的1 mg OVA和10 microg霍乱毒素 (CT) 作为粘膜佐剂对老年和年轻小鼠进行免疫。在第21天，两组1或2岁以上的小鼠均显示Ag特异性粘膜或全身免疫反应水平降低。Ag特异性b细胞酶联免疫斑点测定法在细胞水平上证实了这些结果。当在蛋白质和mRNA水平上检查Ag诱导的细胞因子反应时，来自成年小鼠脾脏和Peyer斑块的CD4 () T细胞显示出IL-4产生水平升高; 然而，这些细胞因子反应在老年小鼠中显着减弱。与粘膜预防接种相反，用OVA加CT免疫的小鼠s. c.在12至14个月大的小鼠中导致OVA特异性但完整的CT B亚基特异性免疫反应受损，尽管对两种Ags的反应均在2岁小鼠中被抑制。这些结果提供了第一个证据，表明与年龄相关的改变的发展可能在粘膜免疫系统中比在全身免疫室中更早发生。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The main objective of the present work was to determine whether the regulation of ACh release by nicotinic and muscarinic autoreceptors is compromised in the aged rat brain. For this, the effects of the nicotinic agonist N-methylcarbamylcholine (MCC) and the muscarinic-M2 antagonist AF-DX 116 on ACh release from brain slices of young (3-month-old), adult (9-month-old), and aged (27-month-old) rats were tested. The ability of MCC to enhance spontaneous ACh release in hippocampal, cerebral cortical, and cerebellar slices was only modestly altered with age. In contrast, the sensitivity of muscarinic autoreceptors in the aged hippocampus and cerebral cortex, but not the striatum, to blockade by the muscarinic-M2 antagonist AF-DX 116 was severely attenuated. To assess whether the age-related changes in cholinergic autoreceptor function may be due to deficits in presynaptic cholinergic markers, we tested whether choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity, basal and evoked ACh release, and nicotinic and muscarinic binding sites are altered in the aged rats. ChAT activity in forebrain regions was decreased in the aged compared to the young and mature adult rats. Furthermore, the potassium-evoked, but not the spontaneous, release of ACh was markedly depressed in striatal, hippocampal, and cortical slices of aged rats. The densities of nicotinic and muscarinic-M2 binding sites, assessed using 3H-MCC and 3H-AF-DX 116 as selective ligands, respectively, were markedly reduced in homogenates of the striatum, hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and thalamus of aged rats. In contrast, muscarinic-M1 sites, selectively labeled with 3H-pirenzepine, were not affected. Therefore, it appears that age-related decrements in ChAT activity and in muscarinic-M2, but not nicotinic, binding sites in the rat brain are reflected in a decreased function of muscarinic-M2 autoreceptors. However, the positive correlation between loss of ChAT activity, decreased muscarinic-M2 binding sites, and impaired muscarinic autoreceptor function is clearly tissue dependent.

背景与目标： : 当前工作的主要目的是确定在老年大鼠大脑中烟碱和毒蕈碱自身受体对ACh释放的调节是否受到损害。为此，烟碱激动剂N-甲基氨基甲酰胆碱 (MCC) 和muscarinic-M2拮抗剂af-dx 116对从年轻 (3个月大)，成人 (9个月大) 的大脑切片中释放ACh的影响，并测试了年龄 (27个月大) 的大鼠。MCC增强海马，大脑皮层和小脑切片中自发性ACh释放的能力仅随年龄而略有变化。相反，老年海马和大脑皮层 (而不是纹状体) 中毒蕈碱自身受体对muscarinic-M2拮抗剂af-dx 116阻断的敏感性严重减弱。为了评估胆碱能自身受体功能的年龄相关变化是否可能是由于突触前胆碱能标志物的缺陷引起的，我们测试了胆碱乙酰转移酶 (ChAT) 活性，基础和诱发的ACh释放以及烟碱和毒蕈碱结合位点是否在老年大鼠中改变。与年轻和成年大鼠相比，老年人的前脑区域聊天活性降低。此外，在老年大鼠的纹状体，海马和皮质切片中，钾诱发的ACh释放 (而不是自发释放) 明显抑制。分别使用3H-MCC和3H-AF-DX 116作为选择性配体评估的烟碱和muscarinic-M2结合位点的密度在老年大鼠的纹状体，海马，大脑皮层和丘脑的匀浆中显着降低。相反，用3h-哌仑西平选择性标记的muscarinic-M1位点不受影响。因此，似乎与年龄相关的ChAT活动和muscarinic-M2 (而不是烟碱) 结合位点的衰老反映在muscarinic-M2自身受体的功能降低中。然而，ChAT活性丧失，muscarinic-M2结合位点降低和毒蕈碱自身受体功能受损之间的正相关显然是组织依赖性的。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Lysosomal and cytoplasmic fractions were prepared from rat submandibular glands for investigation of the release of lysosomal acid DNase in relation to aging. It was found that the acid DNase activity ratio for cytoplasmic/lysosomal fractions in rats aged 27 months was higher than that in three-month-old rats. The release of acid DNase from the lysosomal fraction by shaking was markedly increased in the fraction from the older animals.

背景与目标： : 从大鼠下颌下腺制备溶酶体和细胞质组分，以研究溶酶体酸DNase的释放与衰老的关系。发现27个月大的大鼠的细胞质/溶酶体组分的酸性DNase活性比高于3个月大的大鼠。在老年动物的部分中，通过摇动从溶酶体部分释放的酸性DNase显着增加。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:Frailty is the leading prognosticator for poor outcomes and palliative care among older adults. Delivery of negative prognostic information entails potentially difficult conversations about decline and death. OBJECTIVE:The study aims were to: 1) examine hospitalized older adults' and family caregivers' receptivity to general (vs. individualized) prognostic information about frailty, injury, and one-year outcomes; and 2) determine information needs based on prognostic information. DESIGN:Provision of general prognostic information followed by semi-structured interview questions. We deductively analyzed qualitative data within the context of problematic integration theory. SETTING:An academic medical center in the Southeast region of the U.S. PARTICIPANTS:Purposive sampling was utilized to obtain a distribution of patients across the frailty continuum (non-frail [N=10], pre-frail [N=9], frail [9=6]). Twenty-five older adults (≥ age 65) hospitalized for a primary injury (e.g. fall) and 15 family caregivers of hospitalized patients were enrolled. METHODS:Hospitalized older patients and family caregivers were shown prognostic information about one-year outcomes of injured older adults in the form of simple pictographs. Semi-structured interview questions were administered immediately afterwards. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Demographic and medical information data were used to contextualize the responses during analysis. RESULTS:Overall, participants (patients [56%], caregivers [73%]) were open to receiving prognostic information. A small number of family caregivers (N=3) expressed reservations about the frankness of the information and suggested delivery through a softer approach or not at all. Qualitative data was coded using categories and constructs of problematic integration theory. Four codes (personalizing the evidence, vivid understanding, downhill spiral, realities of aging) reflected probabilistic and evaluative orientation categories of problematic integration theory. One code (fatalism vs. hope) represented manifestations of ambivalence and ambiguity in the theory; and another code (exceptionalism) represented divergence and impossibility. Two codes (role of thought processes, importance of faith) reflected forms of resolutions as described in problematic integration theory. Information needs based on prognostic information revealed four additional codes: give it to me straight, what can I do? what can I expect? and how can I prevent decline? A consistently reported desire of both patients and caregivers was for honesty and hope from providers. CONCLUSION:This study supports the use of general prognostic information in conversations about aging, injury, frailty and patient outcomes. Incorporating prognostic information into communication aids can facilitate shared decision making before end-of-life is imminent.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) results in dysregulated glucose homeostasis and adiposity in the adult. We hypothesized that with aging, these perturbations will wane, and superimposition of postnatal growth restriction (PNGR) on IUGR [intrauterine and postnatal growth restriction (IPGR)] will reverse the residual IUGR phenotype. We therefore undertook hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, energy balance, and physical activity studies during fed, fasted, and refed states, in light and dark cycles, on postweaned chow diet-fed more than 17-month aging male IUGR, PNGR, and IPGR vs. control (CON) rat offspring. Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp revealed similar whole-body insulin sensitivity and physical activity in the nonobese IUGR vs. CON, despite reduced heat production and energy expenditure. Compared with CON and IUGR, IPGR mimicking PNGR was lean and growth restricted with increased physical activity, O(2) consumption (VO(2)), energy intake, and expenditure. Although insulin sensitivity was no different in IPGR and PNGR, skeletal muscle insulin-induced glucose uptake was enhanced. This presentation proved protective against the chronologically earlier (5.5 months) development of obesity and dysregulated energy homeostasis after 19 wk on a postweaned high-fat diet. This protective role of PNGR on the metabolic IUGR phenotype needs future fine tuning aimed at minimizing unintended consequences.

背景与目标： : 宫内生长受限 (IUGR) 导致成人葡萄糖稳态失调和肥胖。我们假设随着年龄的增长，这些扰动将减弱，并且产后生长限制 (PNGR) 对IUGR [宫内和产后生长限制 (IPGR)] 的叠加将逆转残留的IUGR表型。因此，我们对断奶后饮食喂养超过17个月的雄性IUGR，PNGR和IPGR与对照 (CON) 大鼠后代进行了高胰岛素血症-正常血糖钳夹，能量平衡和体力活动研究。尽管热量产生和能量消耗减少，但高胰岛素-正常血糖钳夹在非肥胖IUGR与CON中显示出相似的全身胰岛素敏感性和身体活动。与CON和IUGR相比，模仿PNGR的IPGR是瘦弱的，并且生长受到体力活动，O(2) 消耗 (VO(2))，能量摄入和支出增加的限制。尽管IPGR和PNGR的胰岛素敏感性没有不同，但骨骼肌胰岛素诱导的葡萄糖摄取增强。该报告证明对断奶后高脂饮食19周后肥胖的时间较早 (5.5个月) 和能量稳态失调具有保护作用。PNGR对代谢IUGR表型的这种保护作用需要未来的微调，以最大程度地减少意外后果。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Ageing is thought to participate to the pathogenesis of sporadic inclusion-body myositis (s-IBM). Although the regenerative potential of s-IBM muscle is reduced in vivo, age-related abnormalities of satellite cells possibly accounting for the decline of muscle repair have not been demonstrated. Here we show that proliferation rate and clonogenicity of s-IBM myoblasts are significantly lower and doubling time is longer than normal age-matched controls, indicating that proliferative capacity of s-IBM muscles becomes exhausted earlier. Telomere shortening is detected in s-IBM cells suggesting premature senescence. Differently from controls, s-IBM myoblasts show increased active beta-catenin mainly localized within myonuclei, indicating active Wnt stimulation. After many rounds of muscle growth, only s-IBM myoblasts accumulate congophilic inclusions and immunoreactive Abeta(1-40) deposits. Therefore, s-IBM myoblasts seem to have a constitutively impaired regenerative capacity and the intrinsic property, upon sufficient aging in vitro, to accumulate Abeta. Our results might be valuable in understanding molecular mechanisms associated with muscle aging underlying the defective regeneration of s-IBM muscle and provide new clues for future therapeutic strategies.

背景与目标： : 衰老被认为参与了散发性包涵体肌炎 (s-IBM) 的发病机理。尽管体内s-IBM肌肉的再生潜力降低，但尚未证明与年龄相关的卫星细胞异常可能导致肌肉修复下降。在这里，我们显示s-IBM成肌细胞的增殖率和克隆性明显低于正常年龄匹配的对照组，并且倍增时间更长，这表明s-IBM肌肉的增殖能力更早耗尽。在s-IBM细胞中检测到端粒缩短，提示过早衰老。与对照组不同，s-IBM成肌细胞显示主要位于肌核内的活性 β-catenin增加，表明Wnt刺激活跃。经过多轮肌肉生长后，只有s-IBM成肌细胞积累了嗜血包涵体和免疫反应性Abeta(1-40) 沉积物。因此，在体外充分老化后，s-IBM成肌细胞似乎具有组成性受损的再生能力和内在特性，以积累Abeta。我们的结果可能对理解与s-IBM肌肉再生缺陷相关的肌肉老化相关的分子机制有价值，并为未来的治疗策略提供新的线索。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The aging process directly impacts bodily functions on multiple levels, including a reduced ability to resist stress, damage and disease. Besides changes in metabolic control, the aging process coincides with the altered long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) expression, which are ≥200nt long class of non-protein coding RNAs. The majority of non-coding transcripts of mammalian organs and tissues are expressed in developmentally regulated and cell-type specific manners. Specific altered lncRNA level has been involved in induction and maintenance of the whole human body aging with highly specific spatial andtemporal expression patterns. Furthermore, many lncRNAs are transcribed in sense, antisense and bidirectional manners in the mammalian genome. They play a vital role in regulating organ or tissue differentiation during aging by binding with miRNA or proteins to act as a decoy. Recently, the correlation between lncRNAs and aging has been studied intensely. Here, we have summarized some examples of known and novel lncRNAs that have been implicated in the aging process in the whole mammalian body and we discuss these patterns, conservation and characters during aging. This may further promote the development of research on lncRNAs and the aging process.

背景与目标： : 衰老过程在多个层面上直接影响身体功能，包括抵抗压力、损伤和疾病的能力降低。除了代谢控制的变化外，衰老过程还与长非编码rna (lncRNAs) 表达的改变相吻合，长非编码rna是 ≥ 200nt长的非蛋白质编码rna。哺乳动物器官和组织的大多数非编码转录本以发育调节和细胞类型特定的方式表达。特定改变的lncRNA水平已参与诱导和维持具有高度特异性的时空表达模式的整个人体衰老。此外，许多lncrna在哺乳动物基因组中以有义，反义和双向方式转录。它们通过与miRNA或蛋白质结合作为诱饵，在衰老过程中调节器官或组织的分化中起着至关重要的作用。最近，人们对lncRNAs与衰老之间的相关性进行了深入研究。在这里，我们总结了一些已知和新型lncrna的例子，这些例子与整个哺乳动物体内的衰老过程有关，我们讨论了衰老过程中的这些模式，保存和特征。这可能会进一步促进lncRNAs和衰老过程研究的发展。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Aging is a continuous process that induces many alterations in the cytoarchitecture of different organs and systems both in humans and animals. Moreover, it is associated with increased susceptibility to infectious, autoimmune, and neoplastic processes. The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ responsible for the production of immunocompetent T cells and, with aging, it atrophies and declines in functions. Universality of thymic involution in all species possessing thymus, including human, indicates it as a long-standing evolutionary event. Although it is accepted that many factors contribute to age-associated thymic involution, little is known about the mechanisms involved in the process. The exact time point of the initiation is not well defined. To address the issue, we report the exact age of thymus throughout the review so that readers can have a nicely pictured synoptic view of the process. Focusing our attention on the different stages of the development of the thymus gland (natal, postnatal, adult, and old), we describe chronologically the morphological changes of the gland. We report that the thymic morphology and cell types are evolutionarily preserved in several vertebrate species. This finding is important in understanding the similar problems caused by senescence and other diseases. Another point that we considered very important is to indicate the assessment of the thymus through radiological images to highlight its variability in shape, size, and anatomical conformation.

背景与目标： : 衰老是一个连续的过程，会导致人类和动物不同器官和系统的细胞结构发生许多变化。此外，它与感染，自身免疫和肿瘤过程的易感性增加有关。胸腺是负责产生免疫活性T细胞的主要淋巴器官，并且随着年龄的增长，它会萎缩和功能下降。胸腺内卷在所有拥有胸腺的物种 (包括人类) 中的普遍性表明这是一个长期的进化事件。尽管人们公认许多因素会导致与年龄相关的胸腺内卷，但对该过程中涉及的机制知之甚少。启动的确切时间点没有很好的定义。为了解决这个问题，我们在整个评论中报告了胸腺的确切年龄，以便读者可以对该过程有很好的了解。我们将注意力集中在胸腺发育的不同阶段 (出生，出生后，成年和老年)，我们按时间顺序描述了腺体的形态变化。我们报告说，在几种脊椎动物物种中，胸腺形态和细胞类型在进化上得以保留。这一发现对于理解衰老和其他疾病引起的类似问题非常重要。我们认为非常重要的另一点是通过放射学图像指示对胸腺的评估，以突出其形状，大小和解剖构象的可变性。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Emerging studies have emphasized the importance of the fidelity of cortical representation in forming enduring episodic memory. No study, however, has examined whether there are age-related reductions in representation fidelity that can explain memory declines in normal aging. Using functional MRI and multivariate pattern analysis, we found that older adults showed reduced representation fidelity in the visual cortex, which accounted for their decreased memory performance even after controlling for the contribution of reduced activation level. This reduced fidelity was specifically due to older adults' poorer item-specific representation, not due to their lower activation level and variance, greater variability in neuro-vascular coupling, or decreased selectivity of categorical representation (i.e., dedifferentiation). Older adults also showed an enhanced subsequent memory effect in the prefrontal cortex based on activation level, and their prefrontal activation was associated with greater fidelity of representation in the visual cortex and better memory performance. The fidelity of cortical representation thus may serve as a promising neural index for better mechanistic understanding of the memory declines and its compensation in normal aging.

背景与目标： : 新兴研究强调了皮质表示的保真度在形成持久的情景记忆中的重要性。然而，没有研究检查是否存在与年龄相关的代表保真度降低，可以解释正常衰老时的记忆力下降。使用功能MRI和多变量模式分析，我们发现老年人在视觉皮层中的表现保真度降低，即使在控制了激活水平降低的贡献后，他们的记忆表现也会降低。保真度的降低是特别由于老年人的项目特异性表现较差，而不是由于其激活水平和差异较低，神经-血管偶联的变异性较大或分类表现的选择性降低 (即去分化)。老年人还显示出基于激活水平的前额叶皮层增强的后续记忆效应，并且他们的前额叶激活与视觉皮层中更大的表现保真度和更好的记忆性能相关。因此，皮质表示的保真度可以作为一种有前途的神经指标，以更好地从机械上理解记忆力下降及其在正常衰老中的补偿。