DNA Methylation as a Biomarker of Aging in Epidemiologic Studies

Objective assessment of the association between telomere length, a biomarker of aging, and health screening indicators: A cross-sectional study

Physical examination data are used to indicate individual health status and organ health, and understanding which physical examination data are indicative of physiological aging is critical for health management and early intervention. There is a lack of research on physical examination data and telomere length. Therefore, the present study analyzed the association between blood telomere length and physical examination indices in healthy people of different ages to investigate the role and association of various organs/systems with physiological aging in the human body. The present study was a cross-sectional study. Sixteen physical examination indicators of different tissue and organ health status were selected and analyzed for trends in relation to actual age and telomere length (TL). The study included 632 individuals with a total of 11,766 data for 16 physical examination indicators. Age was linearly correlated with 11 indicators. Interestingly, telomere length was strongly correlated only with the renal indicators eGFR (P < .001), CYS-C (P < .001), and SCR (P < .001). The study established that renal aging or injury is a risk factor for Physical aging of the human body. Early identification and management are essential to healthcare.

DNA Methylation Profiles Are Stable in H3 K27M-Mutant Diffuse Midline Glioma Neurosphere Cell Lines

Diffuse midline gliomas are among the deadliest human cancers and have had little progress in treatment in the last 50 years. Cell cultures of these tumors have been developed recently, but the degree to which such cultures retain the characteristics of the source tumors is unknown. DNA methylation profiling offers a powerful tool to look at genome-wide epigenetic changes that are biologically meaningful and can help assess the similarity of cultured tumor cells to their in vivo progenitors. Paraffinized diagnostic tissue from three diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas with H3 K27M mutations was compared with subsequent passages of neurosphere cell cultures from those tumors. Each cell line was passaged 3-4 times and analyzed with DNA methylation arrays and standard algorithms that provided a comparison of diagnostic classification and cluster analysis. All samples tested maintained high classifier scores and clustered within the reference group of H3 K27M-mutant diffuse midline gliomas. There was a gain of 1q in all cell lines, with two cell lines initially manifesting the gain of 1q only during culture. In vitro cell cultures of H3 K27M-mutant gliomas maintain high degrees of similarity in DNA methylation profiles to their source tumor, confirming their fidelity even with some chromosomal changes.

Biomarkers selection and mathematical modeling in biological age estimation

Biological age (BA) is important for clinical monitoring and preventing aging-related disorders and disabilities. Clinical and/or cellular biomarkers are measured and integrated in years using mathematical models to display an individual's BA. To date, there is not yet a single or set of biomarker(s) and technique(s) that is validated as providing the BA that reflects the best real aging status of individuals. Herein, a comprehensive overview of aging biomarkers is provided and the potential of genetic variations as proxy indicators of the aging state is highlighted. A comprehensive overview of BA estimation methods is also provided as well as a discussion of their performances, advantages, limitations, and potential approaches to overcome these limitations.

Age, Education, and Stress Affect Ageing Males' Symptoms More than Lifestyle Does: The Wroclaw Male Study

An increasing number of subjects are affected by health problems related to the advanced involutional processes. It is extremely important to identify the determinants of the rate of occurrence of physiological, psychological, and social manifestations of aging. The aim was to determine how factors such as lifestyle, level of education, or severity of stressful life events indicate the appearance of aging symptoms in adult men. The material consisted of data of ethnically homogeneous group of 355 men (32−87 years), invited to the study as a part of the Wroclaw Male Study research project. The analyzed features included (1) socioeconomic status: age, educational level, marital status, and having children; (2) elements of lifestyle: alcohol drinking, cigarette smoking, and physical activity; (3) major and most important stressful life events—the Social Readjustment Rating Scale; (4) symptoms related to male aging—the Aging Males’ Symptoms. The backward stepwise regression models, the Kruskal−Wallis test, and multiple comparisons of mean ranks were used. Noncentrality parameter δ (delta), two-tailed critical values of the test, and test power with α = 0.05 were calculated. Among the analyzed variables, age was most strongly associated with the intensity of almost all groups of andropausal symptoms in men (p = 0.0001), followed by the level of education (p = 0.0001) and the intensity of stressful life events (p = 0.0108). Selected lifestyle elements turned out to be much less important (p > 0.01). Preventive actions aimed at slowing down the intensification of involutional processes, including teaching strategies for coping with stressful life events, should be implemented in groups of men with specific risk factors from an early age.

Olive Oil Improves While Trans Fatty Acids Further Aggravate the Hypomethylation of LINE-1 Retrotransposon DNA in an Environmental Carcinogen Model

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that is crucial for mammalian development and genomic stability. Aberrant DNA methylation changes have been detected not only in malignant tumor tissues; the decrease of global DNA methylation levels is also characteristic for aging. The consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) as part of a balanced diet shows preventive effects against age-related diseases and cancer. On the other hand, consuming trans fatty acids (TFA) increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as cancer. The aim of the study was to investigate the LINE-1 retrotransposon (L1-RTP) DNA methylation pattern in liver, kidney, and spleen of mice as a marker of genetic instability. For that, mice were fed with EVOO or TFA and were pretreated with environmental carcinogen 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-a harmful substance known to cause L1-RTP DNA hypomethylation. Our results show that DMBA and its combination with TFA caused significant L1-RTP DNA hypomethylation compared to the control group via inhibition of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) enzymes. EVOO had the opposite effect by significantly decreasing DMBA and DMBA + TFA-induced hypomethylation, thereby counteracting their effects.

Common Pathogenetic Mechanisms Underlying Aging and Tumor and Means of Interventions

Recently, there has been an increase in the incidence of malignant tumors among the older population. Moreover, there is an association between aging and cancer. During the process of senescence, the human body suffers from a series of imbalances, which have been shown to further accelerate aging, trigger tumorigenesis, and facilitate cancer progression. Therefore, exploring the junctions of aging and cancer and searching for novel methods to restore the junctions is of great importance to intervene against aging-related cancers. In this review, we have identified the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms of aging-related cancers by comparing alterations in the human body caused by aging and the factors that trigger cancers. We found that the common mechanisms of aging and cancer include cellular senescence, alterations in proteostasis, microbiota disorders (decreased probiotics and increased pernicious bacteria), persistent chronic inflammation, extensive immunosenescence, inordinate energy metabolism, altered material metabolism, endocrine disorders, altered genetic expression, and epigenetic modification. Furthermore, we have proposed that aging and cancer have common means of intervention, including novel uses of common medicine (metformin, resveratrol, and rapamycin), dietary restriction, and artificial microbiota intervention or selectively replenishing scarce metabolites. In addition, we have summarized the research progress of each intervention and revealed their bidirectional effects on cancer progression to compare their reliability and feasibility. Therefore, the study findings provide vital information for advanced research studies on age-related cancers. However, there is a need for further optimization of the described methods and more suitable methods for complicated clinical practices. In conclusion, targeting aging may have potential therapeutic effects on aging-related cancers.

Maternal adverse childhood experiences before pregnancy are associated with epigenetic aging changes in their children

Emerging research suggests associations of physical and psychosocial stressors with epigenetic aging. Although this work has included early-life exposures, data on maternal exposures and epigenetic aging of their children remain sparse. Using longitudinally collected data from the California, Salinas Valley CHAMACOS study, we examined relationships between maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) reported up to 18 years of life, prior to pregnancy, with eight measures (Horvath, Hannum, SkinBloodClock, Intrinsic, Extrinsic, PhenoAge, GrimAge, and DNAm telomere length) of blood leukocyte epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) in their children at ages 7, 9, and 14 years (N = 238 participants with 483 observations). After adjusting for maternal chronological age at delivery, pregnancy smoking/alcohol use, parity, child gestational age, and estimated leukocyte proportions, higher maternal ACEs were significantly associated with at least a 0.76-year increase in child Horvath and Intrinsic EAA. Higher maternal ACEs were also associated with a 0.04 kb greater DNAm estimate of telomere length of children. Overall, our data suggests that maternal preconception ACEs are associated with biological aging in their offspring in childhood and that preconception ACEs have differential relationships with EAA measures, suggesting different physiologic utilities of EEA measures. Studies are necessary to confirm these findings and to elucidate potential pathways to explain these relationships, which may include intergenerational epigenetic inheritance and persistent physical and social exposomes.

How Are Epigenetic Modifications Related to Cardiovascular Disease in Older Adults?

The rate of aging has increased globally during recent decades and has led to a rising burden of age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). At the molecular level, epigenetic modifications have been shown recently to alter gene expression during the life course and impair cellular function. In this regard, several CVD risk factors, such as lifestyle and environmental factors, have emerged as key factors in epigenetic modifications within the cardiovascular system. In this study, we attempted to summarized recent evidence related to epigenetic modification, inflammation response, and CVD in older adults as well as the effect of lifestyle modification as a preventive strategy in this age group. Recent evidence showed that lifestyle and environmental factors may affect epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and miRNA expression. Several substances or nutrients such as selenium, magnesium, curcumin, and caffeine (present in coffee and some teas) could regulate epigenetics. Similarly, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, air pollutants, psychological stress, and shift working are well-known modifiers of epigenetic patterns. Understanding the exact ways that lifestyle and environmental factors could affect the expression of genes could help to influence the time of incidence and severity of aging-associated diseases. This review highlighted that a healthy lifestyle throughout the life course, such as a healthy diet rich in fibers, vitamins, and essential elements, and specific fatty acids, adequate physical activity and sleep, smoking cessation, and stress control, could be useful tools in preventing epigenetic changes that lead to impaired cardiovascular function.

DNA methylation plays important roles in retinal development and diseases

DNA methylation is important in developing and post-mitotic cells in various tissues. Recent studies have shown that DNA methylation is highly dynamic, and plays important roles during retinal development and aging. In addition, the dynamic regulation of DNA methylation is involved in the occurrence and development of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy and shows potential in disease diagnoses and prognoses. This review introduces the epigenetic concepts of DNA methylation and demethylation with an emphasis on their regulatory roles in retinal development and related diseases. Moreover, we propose exciting ideas such as its crosstalk with other epigenetic modifications and retinal regeneration, to provide a potential direction for understanding retinal diseases from the epigenetic perspective.

Observational study of risk factors associated with clinical outcome among elderly kidney transplant recipients in Sweden - a decade of follow-up

BACKGROUND

Kidney transplantation (Ktx) in elderly has become increasingly accepted worldwide despite their higher burden of comorbidities. We investigated important risk factors affecting long-term patient and graft survival.

METHODS

We included all (n=747) Ktx patients >60 years from 2000 to 2012 in Sweden. Patients were age-stratified; 60-64, 65-69 and >70 years. Follow-up time was up to 10 years (median 7.9 years, 75% percentile >10 years). Primary outcome was 10-year patient survival in age-stratified groups. Secondary outcomes were 5- year patient and graft-survival in age-stratified groups and the impact of risk factors including Charlson comorbidity index on patient and graft-survival.

RESULTS

Mortality was higher in patients >70 years, after 10 years (HR 1.94; 95% CI 1.24-3.04; p=0.004). Males had a higher 10-year risk of death (HR 1.39; CI 95% 1.04-1.86; p=0.024). Five-year patient survival did not differ between age-groups. In multivariate Cox analysis (n=500) hazard ratio for 10-year mortality was 4.6 in patients with Charlson comorbidity index ≥7 vs <4 (95% CI 2.42-8.62; p=0.0001) CONCLUSION: Higher Charlson comorbidity index identified ESKD patients with 4.6 times higher risk of death after Ktx. We suggest that this index should be used as a part of the pre-operative evaluation in elderly.

The Impact of Stress Within and Across Generations: Neuroscientific and Epigenetic Considerations

The impact of stress and trauma on biological systems in humans can be substantial. They can result in epigenetic changes, accelerated brain development and sexual maturation, and predisposition to psychopathology. Such modifications may be accompanied by behavioral, emotional, and cognitive overtones during one's lifetime. Exposure during sensitive periods of neural development may lead to long-lasting effects that may not be affected by subsequent environmental interventions. The cumulative effects of life stressors in an individual may affect offspring's methylome makeup and epigenetic clocks, neurohormonal modulation and stress reactivity, and physiological and reproductive development. While offspring may suffer deleterious effects from parental stress and their own early-life adversity, these factors may also confer traits that prove beneficial and enhance fitness to their own environment. This article synthesizes the data on how stress shapes biological and behavioral dimensions, drawing from preclinical and human models. Advances in this field of knowledge should potentially allow for an improved understanding of how interventions may be increasingly tailored according to individual biomarkers and developmental history.

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Arising in Young and Old Patients Displays Similar Molecular Features

Pancreatic ducal adenocarcinoma is classically diagnosed in the 7th decade, but approximately 10% of patients are diagnosed under 55 years (y.o.). While the genomic and transcriptomic landscapes of late-onset tumors (LOT) have been described, little is known about early-onset tumors (EOT). Ageing is known to impact DNA methylation and proteome integrity through carbonylation-related oxidative damages. We therefore aimed to assess the global molecular features of EOT. We compared 176 EOT (≤55 y.o.) and 316 LOT (≥70 y.o.) from three distinct surgical cohorts at the clinical/genomic/epigenomic/transcriptomic level. Furthermore, we assessed oxidative stress responses and oxidative proteome damages using 2D gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry protein identification. There was no consistent clinical difference between EOT and LOT across the three cohorts. The mutational landscape of key driver genes and the global methylation profile were similar in the two groups. LOT did display age-related features such as enriched DNA repair gene signatures and upregulation of oxidative stress defenses together with increased proteome carbonylation. However, these age-related differences were more preeminent in non-tumor tissues while tumor proteome and proteome damages were fairly comparable. In conclusion, this multi-omics comparison showed that EOT harbor a comparable molecular profile to that of LOT.

Application of Multiplex Bisulfite PCR-Ligase Detection Reaction-Real-Time Quantitative PCR Assay in Interrogating Bioinformatically Identified, Blood-Based Methylation Markers for Colorectal Cancer

The analysis of CpG methylation in circulating tumor DNA fragments has emerged as a promising approach for the noninvasive early detection of solid tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC). The most commonly employed assay involves bisulfite conversion of circulating tumor DNA, followed by targeted PCR, then real-time quantitative PCR (alias methylation-specific PCR). This report demonstrates the ability of a multiplex bisulfite PCR-ligase detection reaction-real-time quantitative PCR assay to detect seven methylated CpG markers (CRC or colon specific), in both simulated (approximately 30 copies of fragmented CRC cell line DNA mixed with approximately 3000 copies of fragmented peripheral blood DNA) and CRC patient-derived cell-free DNAs. This scalable assay is designed for multiplexing and incorporates steps for improved sensitivity and specificity, including the enrichment of methylated CpG fragments, ligase detection reaction, the incorporation of ribose bases in primers, and use of uracil DNA glycosylase. Six of the seven CpG markers (located in promoter regions of PPP1R16B, KCNA3, CLIP4, GDF6, SEPT9, and GSG1L) were identified through integrated analyses of genome-wide methylation data sets for 31 different types of cancer. These markers were mapped to CpG sites at the promoter region of VIM; VIM and SEPT9 are established epigenetic markers of CRC. Additional bioinformatics analyses show that the methylation at these CpG sites negatively correlates with the transcription of their corresponding genes.

Cardiomyocyte ageing and cardioprotection: consensus document from the ESC working groups cell biology of the heart and myocardial function

Advanced age is a major predisposing risk factor for the incidence of coronary syndromes and comorbid conditions which impact the heart response to cardioprotective interventions. Advanced age also significantly increases the risk of developing post-ischaemic adverse remodelling and heart failure after ischaemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. Some of the signalling pathways become defective or attenuated during ageing, whereas others with well-known detrimental consequences, such as glycoxidation or proinflammatory pathways, are exacerbated. The causative mechanisms responsible for all these changes are yet to be elucidated and are a matter of active research. Here, we review the current knowledge about the pathophysiology of cardiac ageing that eventually impacts on the increased susceptibility of cells to IR injury and can affect the efficiency of cardioprotective strategies.

A Biopsychosocial Model of Chronic Pain for Older Adults

Population

Comprehensive evaluation of chronic pain in older adults is multifaceted.

Objective and Methods

Research on chronic pain in older adults needs to be guided by sound conceptual models. The purpose of this paper is to describe an adaptation of the Biopsychosocial Model (BPS) of Chronic Pain for older adults. The extant literature was reviewed, and selected research findings that provide the empiric foundation for this adaptation of the BPS model of chronic pain are summarized. The paper concludes with a discussion of specific recommendations for how this adapted model can be used to guide future research.

Conclusions

This adaptation of the BPS model of chronic pain for older adults provides a comprehensive framework to guide future research in this vulnerable population.

Synchrony and asynchrony between an epigenetic clock and developmental timing

Epigenetic changes have been used to estimate chronological age across the lifespan, and some studies suggest that epigenetic "aging" clocks may already operate in developing tissue. To better understand the relationship between developmental stage and epigenetic age, we utilized the highly regular sequence of development found in the mammalian neural retina and a well-established epigenetic aging clock based on DNA methylation. Our results demonstrate that the epigenetic age of fetal retina is highly correlated with chronological age. We further establish that epigenetic aging progresses normally in vitro, suggesting that epigenetic aging is a property of individual tissues. This correlation is also retained in stem cell-derived retinal organoids, but is accelerated in individuals with Down syndrome, a progeroid-like condition. Overall, our results suggest that epigenetic aging begins as early as a few weeks post-conception, in fetal tissues, and the mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of epigenetic aging might be studied in developing organs.