Exercise protects vascular function by countering senescent cells in older adults

Chemotherapy-induced acceleration of DNA methylation-based biological age in breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women and is often treated with chemotherapy. Although previous studies have demonstrated increasing biological age in patients who receive chemotherapy, evaluation of this association with DNA methylation-based markers of biological ageing may provide novel insight into the role of chemotherapy on the ageing process. We therefore sought to investigate the association between chemotherapy and markers of biological ageing as estimated from DNA methylation in women with breast cancer. DNA methylation profiling was performed on peripheral blood collected from 18 patients before and after the first cycle of chemotherapy using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. Six markers of biological age acceleration were estimated from DNA methylation levels. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between each metric of biological age acceleration and chemotherapy. After adjusting for chronological age and race, intrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (p = 0.041), extrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (p = 0.050), PhenoAge acceleration (p = 0.001), GrimAge acceleration (p < 0.001), and DunedinPACE (p = 0.006) were significantly higher and telomere length (p = 0.027) was significantly lower following the first cycle of chemotherapy compared to before treatment initiation. These results demonstrate greater biological ageing as estimated from DNA methylation following chemotherapy in women with breast cancer. Our findings illustrate that cytotoxic therapies may modulate the ageing process among breast cancer patients and may also have implications for age-related health conditions in cancer survivors.

New Molecules in Type 2 Diabetes: Advancements, Challenges and Future Directions

Although good glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) can prevent cardiovascular complications, many diabetic patients still have poor optimal control. A new class of antidiabetic drugs (e.g., glucagon-like peptide-1-GLP-1 receptor agonists, sodium-glucose co-transporters-SGLT2 inhibitors), in addition to the low hypoglycemic effect, exert multiple beneficial effects at a metabolic and cardiovascular level, through mechanisms other than antihyperglycemic agents. This review aims to discuss the effects of these new antidiabetic drugs, highlighting cardiovascular and metabolic benefits, through the description of their action mechanisms as well as available data by preclinical and clinical studies. Moreover, new innovative tools in the T2D field will be described which may help to advance towards a better targeted T2D personalized care in future.

The senescence-associated secretory phenotype and its physiological and pathological implications

Cellular senescence is a state of terminal growth arrest associated with the upregulation of different cell cycle inhibitors, mainly p16 and p21, structural and metabolic alterations, chronic DNA damage responses, and a hypersecretory state known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). The SASP is the major mediator of the paracrine effects of senescent cells in their tissue microenvironment and of various local and systemic biological functions. In this Review, we discuss the composition, dynamics and heterogeneity of the SASP as well as the mechanisms underlying its induction and regulation. We describe the various biological properties of the SASP, its beneficial and detrimental effects in different physiological and pathological settings, and its impact on overall health span. Finally, we discuss the use of the SASP as a biomarker and of SASP inhibitors as senomorphic interventions to treat cancer and other age-related conditions.

The Heterogeneity of Post-Menopausal Disease Risk: Could the Basis for Why Only Subsets of Females Are Affected Be Due to a Reversible Epigenetic Modification System Associated with Puberty, Menstrual Cycles, Pregnancy and Lactation, and, Ultimately, Menopause?

For much of human evolution, the average lifespan was <40 years, due in part to disease, infant mortality, predators, food insecurity, and, for females, complications of childbirth. Thus, for much of evolution, many females did not reach the age of menopause (45-50 years of age) and it is mainly in the past several hundred years that the lifespan has been extended to >75 years, primarily due to public health advances, medical interventions, antibiotics, and nutrition. Therefore, the underlying biological mechanisms responsible for disease risk following menopause must have evolved during the complex processes leading to Homo sapiens to serve functions in the pre-menopausal state. Furthermore, as a primary function for the survival of the species is effective reproduction, it is likely that most of the advantages of having such post-menopausal risks relate to reproduction and the ability to address environmental stresses. This opinion/perspective will be discussed in the context of how such post-menopausal risks could enhance reproduction, with improved survival of offspring, and perhaps why such risks are preserved. Not all post-menopausal females exhibit risk for this set of diseases, and those who do develop such diseases do not have all of the conditions. The diseases of the post-menopausal state do not operate as a unified complex, but as independent variables, with the potential for some overlap. The how and why there would be such heterogeneity if the risk factors serve essential functions during the reproductive years is also discussed and the concept of sets of reversible epigenetic changes associated with puberty, pregnancy, and lactation is offered to explain the observations regarding the distribution of post-menopausal conditions and their potential roles in reproduction. While the involvement of an epigenetic system with a dynamic "modification-demodification-remodification" paradigm contributing to disease risk is a hypothesis at this point, validation of it could lead to a better understanding of post-menopausal disease risk in the context of reproduction with commonalities may also lead to future improved interventions to control such risk after menopause.

Connecting epigenetics and inflammation in vascular senescence: state of the art, biomarkers and senotherapeutics

Vascular diseases pose major health challenges, and understanding their underlying molecular mechanisms is essential to advance therapeutic interventions. Cellular senescence, a hallmark of aging, is a cellular state characterized by cell-cycle arrest, a senescence-associated secretory phenotype macromolecular damage, and metabolic dysregulation. Vascular senescence has been demonstrated to play a key role in different vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, peripheral arterial disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, chronic venous disease, and venous ulcers. Even though cellular senescence was first described in 1961, significant gaps persist in comprehending the epigenetic mechanisms driving vascular senescence and its subsequent inflammatory response. Through a comprehensive analysis, we aim to elucidate these knowledge gaps by exploring the network of epigenetic alterations that contribute to vascular senescence. In addition, we describe the consequent inflammatory cascades triggered by these epigenetic modifications. Finally, we explore translational applications involving biomarkers of vascular senescence and the emerging field of senotherapy targeting this biological process.

[Effect of Personality and Physical Activity on Bone Mineral Density in College Students: A Cross-sectional Survey]

Objective

To explore the correlation between 5 dimensions of personality, physical activity (PA), and bone mineral density (BMD) among college students.

Methods

A total of 705 undergraduates (329 males and 376 females) from a sports university were recruited. Based on their sports training experience, the participants were divided into 6 major sports groups, including ball sports, skilled sports, competitive sports, track and field, leisure sports, and no sports. Students with professional sports training (ie, athletes) were categorized into ballgame, skilled, competitive, and track and field groups, while the rest (non-athletes) were placed in leisure and no sports groups. Ten-Item Personality Inventory in China (TIPI-C), or the 5-factor model of personality, was used to measure the 5 personality dimensions of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism of the participants. Their daily level was measured with GT3X+ triaxial accelerometers over 7 continuous days. Then, parameter thresholds were established and the participants' PA was categorized as light (LPA), moderate (MPA), and vigorous (VPA). The bone mineral density (BMD) of arms, legs, and the total body was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The mediation effect of PA and that of the 5-factor model of personality were tested using PROCESS and Sobel tests. The correlation between the 5 personality dimensions, PA, and BMD was explored, with PA and the 5 personality dimensions as mediator variables. A comparison of PA and BMD was conducted across the 6 major sports groups. The correlation between PA of different intensities and BMD was also analyzed using Spearman's correlation.

Results

Although there were 90 potential relationships between PA, the 5 personality dimensions, and BMD, only 3 were significant. When conscientiousness was used as an independent variable and MPA, as a mediating variable, statistically significant differences in PROCESS results were reported (P<0.01), with MPA mediating 17.3% of arm BMD, 19.4% of leg BMD, and 19.1% of total body BMD. Among male students, there was no significant difference in LPA among the 6 groups, but significant differences in MPA and VPA (P<0.05). Among female students, significant differences in LPA, MPA, and VPA were observed in all 6 groups and the differences between MPA and VPA were especially prominent (P<0.05). For both males and females, the differences in arm, leg, and total body BMD across the 6 groups were statistically significant (P<0.05), with these differences being more pronounced in females. There was no correlation between LPA and BMD in either sex. MPA and VPA were positively correlated with BMD, with MPA correlating with arm, leg, and total body BMD (males, Spearman's correlation [rs]: 0.11-0.14, P<0.05; females, rs: 0.20-0.23, P<0.01). VPA correlated with arm, leg, and total body BMD (males, rs: 0.11-0.23, P<0.05; females, rs: 0.26-0.30, P<0.01).

Conclusion

MPA is associated with BMD in college students scoring high in the conscientiousness dimension of personality. In addition, there is a weak positive correlation between both MPA and VPA and BMD levels, with these associations being more pronounced in females.

Effects of regular exercise on vascular function with aging: Does sex matter?

Vascular aging, featuring endothelial dysfunction and large elastic artery stiffening, is a major risk factor for the development of age-associated cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Vascular aging is largely mediated by an excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increased inflammation leading to reduced bioavailability of the vasodilatory molecule nitric oxide and remodeling of the arterial wall. Other cellular mechanisms (i.e., mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired stress response, deregulated nutrient sensing, cellular senescence), termed "hallmarks" or "pillars" of aging, may also contribute to vascular aging. Gonadal aging, which largely impacts women but also impacts some men, modulates the vascular aging process. Regular physical activity, including both aerobic and resistance exercise, is a first-line strategy for reducing CVD risk with aging. Although exercise is an effective intervention to counter vascular aging, there is considerable variation in the vascular response to exercise training with aging. Aerobic exercise improves large elastic artery stiffening in both middle-aged/older men and women and enhances endothelial function in middle-aged/older men by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation and preserving nitric oxide bioavailability; however, similar aerobic exercise training improvements are not consistently observed in estrogen-deficient postmenopausal women. Sex differences in adaptations to exercise may be related to gonadal aging and declines in estrogen in women that influence cellular-molecular mechanisms, disconnecting favorable signaling in the vasculature induced by exercise training. The present review will summarize the current state of knowledge on vascular adaptations to regular aerobic and resistance exercise with aging, the underlying mechanisms involved, and the moderating role of biological sex.

Study of Morpho-Functional Characteristics of the Cardiovascular System According to Electrocardiography, Phonocardiography, Echocardiography in Masters Athletics

Background

Many authors have noted the lack of knowledge on the causal relationship between the degree of physical activity, the dynamics, and outcomes of diseases, as well as the influence of sports history on the rehabilitation potential of former athletes.

Purpose

Assessment of the functional state of the cardiovascular system according to the indicators of electrocardiography, polycardiography, echocardiography and the level of physical performance in masters athletes.

Patients and Methods

The study included a main group consisting of 100 athletes, who had undergone electrocardiography, poly-electrocardiography, ultrasound echocardiography, heart rate and blood pressure measurement to determine their level of physical performance. The subjects were then divided into 2 groups. The first group included 75 people who continue to be active in regular sports activities. The second group consisted of 25 people who completely stopped training or had only occasional, unsystematic physical activities. A control group of 31 people, consisting of people of the same age who had not been involved in sports earlier, was examined according to the same program.

Results

The data obtained by us show that sports activities do contribute to the increasing stability of the body and maximize the deployment of the capabilities of the circulatory system, including their long-term preservation in masters athletic. Athletes who have stopped training have signs of age-related changes in the heart and blood vessels, which seem to be more frequent and earlier than those who continue training. A higher degree of myocardial contractility (in 90.67% of cases) can also be seen in the main group.

Conclusion

Masters athletes and those who stopped training after completing their sports career, should have notably thorough medical supervision and undergo regular annual in-depth examination.