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Elderly Volunteers (elderly + volunteer)
Selected AbstractsSimvastatin Causes Changes in Affective Processes in Elderly VolunteersJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 1 2006Knashawn Morales ScD OBJECTIVES: To test for simvastatin-induced changes in affect and affective processes in elderly volunteers. DESIGN: Randomized, clinical trial. SETTING: The Geriatric Behavioral Psychopharmacology Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty older volunteers, average age 70, with high normal/mildly elevated serum cholesterol. INTERVENTION: Simvastatin up to 20 mg/d or placebo for 15 weeks. MEASUREMENTS: Daily diary records of positive and negative affects and of events and biweekly measures of depressive symptoms. Affect ratings were obtained using the Lawton positive and negative affect scales; independent raters coded the valences of events. RESULTS: Thirty-one of 39 subjects assigned to placebo and 33 of 41 receiving simvastatin completed the study. During biweekly assessments, four subjects on simvastatin and one on placebo experienced depressive symptoms, as manifest by Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale scores greater than 16 (exact P=.36). Diary data demonstrated significant effects on affective processes. For positive affect, there was a significant medication-by-time interaction that reflected decreases in positive affect in subjects receiving simvastatin, greatest in those patients whose final total cholesterol levels were below 148 mg/dL. For negative affect, there were significant medication-by-event, and medication-by-event-by-time interactions, reflecting a time-limited increase in the apparent effect of negative events. CONCLUSION: Simvastatin has statistically significant effects on affect and affective processes in elderly volunteers. The decrease in positive affect may be significant clinically and relevant to the quality of life of many patients. [source] Clinical value of urinary kidney biomarkers for estimation of renal impairment in elderly Chinese with essential hypertensionJOURNAL OF CLINICAL LABORATORY ANALYSIS, Issue 1 2008XunHui Xu Abstract The purpose of this work was to observe the excretion of specific types of urinary proteins and urinary enzymes in elderly essential hypertension patients, for early detection and targeted treatment of hypertensive nephropathy in the elderly. A total of 120 elderly essential hypertensive patients and 38 healthy elderly volunteers were involved. The urinary excretion rate of retinal-binding protein (RBP), transferrin (Tf), albumin (Alb), and urinary enzyme N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity were determined. Patients were divided into two groups according to their creatinine clearance (Cockroft-Gault formula). There were 88 patients in group A, whose glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was ,80,mL/min, and 32 patients in group B with a GFR <80,mL/min. Among the essential hypertensive patients, urinary excretion rates of RBP, Alb, Tf, and NAG were increased in both groups compared with the healthy controls. But the amount of urinary protein differed between group A and group B. The excretion rate of specific urinary protein and urinary enzyme had a positive relationship with the duration of course of hypertension. We believe that specific types of urinary proteins and urinary enzymes may be useful markers for early diagnosis of hypertensive nephropathy; they can also be regarded as a clinical indicator of the progression of hypertensive nephropathy, serving in the assessment of therapeutic effects. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 22:86,90, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Melatonin improves oxidative stress parameters measured in the blood of elderly type 2 diabetic patientsJOURNAL OF PINEAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2009Kornelia K, dziora-Kornatowska Abstract:, An elevated oxidative status in the aging organism may be involved in the development of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Melatonin, a potent antioxidant agent, is essential for glucose homeostasis and regulation. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of melatonin supplementation on the oxidative stress parameters in elderly NIDDM patients. The malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD-1) activity in erythrocytes, the level of nitrate/nitrite in plasma and morning melatonin concentration and oxidase activity of ceruloplasmin (Cp) in serum in 15 elderly NIDDM patients at baseline and after the 30 days of melatonin supplementation (5 mg daily) in comparison with levels in 15 healthy elderly volunteers were determined. A significant increase of MDA level and decrease of SOD-1 activity and melatonin concentration were observed in NIDDM patients. Cp oxidase activity and nitrate/nitrite level were similar in both examined groups. Melatonin administration in NIDDM patients resulted in a significant increase in the morning melatonin concentration and SOD-1 activity, and a reduction in the MDA level and Cp oxidase activity. Statistically significant alterations in nitrate/nitrite levels were not observed. These results indicate an improvement of antioxidative defense after melatonin supplementation in the NIDDM individuals and suggest melatonin supplementation as an additional treatment for the control of diabetic complications. [source] Effect of selenium status and supplementation with high-selenium yeast on plasma homocysteine and B vitamin concentrations in the UK elderlyMOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue 11 2008Bram Bekaert Abstract The level of plasma total homocysteine (tHcy), long known to be B vitamin dependent, has recently been shown to be inversely associated with plasma selenium (Se) concentration in human subjects. We therefore, chose to investigate the interaction between Se, tHcy and B vitamins in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial where 501 healthy UK elderly volunteers were randomly allocated to receive 100, 200, or 300 ,g Se/day as high-Se-yeast, or placebo-yeast for 6 months. Plasma Se, tHcy, folate, vitamin B-12, pyridoxal-5,-phosphate (PLP) and its catabolite, 4-pyridoxic acid, were measured in all participants at baseline and in samples from the placebo, 100 and 300 ,g Se/day groups, at follow-up. At baseline, Se was inversely correlated with tHcy but only in males (p < 0.001). Before supplementation, tHcy concentration was significantly lower in the highest compared to the lowest Se tertile in males (p < 0.05), and in females when folate concentrations were also in the top tertile (p < 0.05). The effect of folate, PLP and vitamin B-12 concentrations on plasma tHcy correlated with Se concentration at baseline. After 6 months of Se supplementation, only Se concentration had changed significantly. Supplementation with Se does not affect tHcy concentration in the UK elderly population. [source] More pronounced inhibition of cyclooxygenase 2, increase in blood pressure, and reduction of heart rate by treatment with diclofenac compared with celecoxib and rofecoxibARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 1 2006Burkhard Hinz Objective Recent findings suggest that permanent blockade of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) is one factor contributing to the cardiovascular side effects of selective COX-2 inhibitors (coxibs) and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The present study compared the extent and time course of COX-2 inhibition and the effects on cardiovascular parameters (changes in blood pressure and heart rate) between various antirheumatic doses of diclofenac, celecoxib, and rofecoxib in healthy elderly volunteers. Methods A randomized, parallel-group study was conducted in volunteers receiving 75 mg diclofenac twice daily, 200 mg celecoxib twice daily, or 25 mg rofecoxib once daily for 8 days. Blood samples were obtained predose and at specified time points postdose, on days 1 and 8, for assay of drug plasma concentrations and COX-2 inhibition. Lipopolysaccharide-induced prostaglandin E2 synthesis was measured ex vivo as an index of COX-2 activity in human whole blood. Results COX-2 inhibition was significantly less pronounced after treatment with celecoxib and rofecoxib than with diclofenac. Maximal inhibitions after a single dose and at steady state, respectively, were as follows: 99% and 99% with diclofenac, 70% and 81% with celecoxib, and 56% and 72% with rofecoxib. At steady state, only diclofenac caused virtually complete COX-2 inhibition over the whole dose interval, and this corresponded to the highest increase in systolic blood pressure and greatest reduction in heart rate. Conclusion Diclofenac elicited the most pronounced COX-2 inhibition, blood pressure elevation, and suppression of heart rate. It is assumed that the extent and time course of intravascular COX-2 inhibition may determine the differential profile of cardiovascular side effects associated with NSAIDs and coxibs, but this has to be proven in future studies. [source] | |||||||||||||