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Longevity
Kinds of Longevity Selected AbstractsLEARNING ABILITY AND LONGEVITY: A SYMMETRICAL EVOLUTIONARY TRADE-OFF IN DROSOPHILAEVOLUTION, Issue 6 2008Joep M. S. Burger Learning ability can be substantially improved by artificial selection in animals ranging from Drosophila to rats. Thus these species have not used their evolutionary potential with respect to learning ability, despite intuitively expected and experimentally demonstrated adaptive advantages of learning. This suggests that learning is costly, but this notion has rarely been tested. Here we report correlated responses of life-history traits to selection for improved learning in Drosophila melanogaster. Replicate populations selected for improved learning lived on average 15% shorter than the corresponding unselected control populations. They also showed a minor reduction in fecundity late in life and possibly a minor increase in dry adult mass. Selection for improved learning had no effect on egg-to-adult viability, development rate, or desiccation resistance. Because shortened longevity was the strongest correlated response to selection for improved learning, we also measured learning ability in another set of replicate populations that had been selected for extended longevity. In a classical olfactory conditioning assay, these long-lived flies showed an almost 40% reduction in learning ability early in life. This effect disappeared with age. Our results suggest a symmetrical evolutionary trade-off between learning ability and longevity in Drosophila. [source] COSTS OF AN INDUCED IMMUNE RESPONSE ON SEXUAL DISPLAY AND LONGEVITY IN FIELD CRICKETSEVOLUTION, Issue 10 2004Alain Jacot Abstract Immune system activation may benefit hosts by generating resistance to parasites. However, natural resources are usually limited, causing a trade-off between the investment in immunity and that in other life-history or sexually selected traits. Despite its importance for the evolution of host defense, state-dependent fitness costs of immunity received little attention under natural conditions. In a field experiment we manipulated the nutritional condition of male field crickets Gryllus campestris and subsequently investigated the effect of an induced immune response through inoculation of bacterial lipopolysaccharides. Immune system activation caused a condition-dependent reduction in body condition, which was proportional to the condition-gain during the preceding food-supplementation period. Independent of nutritional condition, the immune insult induced an enduring reduction in daily calling rate, whereas control-injected males fully regained their baseline level of sexual signaling following a temporary decline. Since daily calling rate affects female mate choice under natural conditions, this suggests a decline in male mating success as a cost of induced immunity. Food supplementation enhanced male life span, whereas the immune insult reduced longevity, independent of nutritional status. Thus, immune system activation ultimately curtails male fitness due to a combined decline in sexual display and life span. Our field study thus indicates a key role for fitness costs of induced immunity in the evolution of host defense. In particular, costs expressed in sexually selected traits might warrant the honest advertisement of male health status, thus representing an important mechanism in parasite-mediated sexual selection. [source] COMPOSITE RESIN RESTORATION LONGEVITYJOURNAL OF ESTHETIC AND RESTORATIVE DENTISTRY, Issue 4 2007FDS (RCS Edin.) Guest Experts, Trevor Burke DDS No abstract is available for this article. [source] LONGEVITY OF POSTERIOR COMPOSITE RESTORATIONSJOURNAL OF ESTHETIC AND RESTORATIVE DENTISTRY, Issue 1 2007Vishnu Raj BDS Guest Experts [source] LONGEVITY OF ANTERIOR COMPOSITE RESTORATIONSJOURNAL OF ESTHETIC AND RESTORATIVE DENTISTRY, Issue 6 2006Georgia Macedo DDS Guest Experts [source] Susceptibility of Common and Rare Plant Species to the Genetic Consequences of Habitat FragmentationCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2007OLIVIER HONNAY diversidad genética; endogamia; fragmentación de hábitat; sistema reproductivo; tamaño poblacional Abstract:,Small plant populations are more prone to extinction due to the loss of genetic variation through random genetic drift, increased selfing, and mating among related individuals. To date, most researchers dealing with genetic erosion in fragmented plant populations have focused on threatened or rare species. We raise the question whether common plant species are as susceptible to habitat fragmentation as rare species. We conducted a formal meta-analysis of habitat fragmentation studies that reported both population size and population genetic diversity. We estimated the overall weighted mean and variance of the correlation coefficients among four different measures of genetic diversity and plant population size. We then tested whether rarity, mating system, and plant longevity are potential moderators of the relationship between population size and genetic diversity. Mean gene diversity, percent polymorphic loci, and allelic richness across studies were positively and highly significantly correlated with population size, whereas no significant relationship was found between population size and the inbreeding coefficient. Genetic diversity of self-compatible species was less affected by decreasing population size than that of obligate outcrossing and self-compatible but mainly outcrossing species. Longevity did not affect the population genetic response to fragmentation. Our most important finding, however, was that common species were as, or more, susceptible to the population genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation than rare species, even when historically or naturally rare species were excluded from the analysis. These results are dramatic in that many more plant species than previously assumed may be vulnerable to genetic erosion and loss of genetic diversity as a result of ongoing fragmentation processes. This implies that many fragmented habitats have become unable to support plant populations that are large enough to maintain a mutation-drift balance and that occupied habitat fragments have become too isolated to allow sufficient gene flow to enable replenishment of lost alleles. Resumen:,Las poblaciones pequeñas de plantas son más propensas a la extinción debido a la pérdida de variación genética por medio de la deriva génica aleatoria, el incremento de autogamia y la reproducción entre individuos emparentados. A la fecha, la mayoría de los investigadores que trabajan con erosión genética en poblaciones fragmentadas de plantas se han enfocado en las especies amenazadas o raras. Cuestionamos si las especies de plantas comunes son tan susceptibles a la fragmentación del hábitat como las especies raras. Realizamos un meta análisis formal de estudios de fragmentación que reportaron tanto tamaño poblacional como diversidad genética. Estimamos la media general ponderada y la varianza de los coeficientes de correlación entre cuatro medidas de diversidad genética y de tamaño poblacional de las plantas. Posteriormente probamos si la rareza, el sistema reproductivo y la longevidad de la planta son moderadores potenciales de la relación entre el tamaño poblacional y la diversidad genética. La diversidad genética promedio, el porcentaje de loci polimórficos y la riqueza alélica en los estudios tuvieron una correlación positiva y altamente significativa con el tamaño poblacional, mientras que no encontramos relación significativa entre el tamaño poblacional y el coeficiente de endogamia. La diversidad genética de especies auto compatibles fue menos afectada por la reducción en el tamaño poblacional que la de especies exogámicas obligadas y especies auto compatibles, pero principalmente exogámicas. La longevidad no afectó la respuesta genética de la población a la fragmentación. Sin embargo, nuestro hallazgo más importante fue que las especies comunes fueron tan, o más, susceptibles a las consecuencias genéticas de la fragmentación del hábitat que las especies raras, aun cuando las especies histórica o naturalmente raras fueron excluidas del análisis. Estos resultados son dramáticos porque muchas especies más pueden ser vulnerables a la erosión genética y a la pérdida de diversidad genética como consecuencia de los procesos de fragmentación que lo se asumía previamente. Esto implica que muchos hábitats fragmentados han perdido la capacidad para soportar poblaciones de plantas lo suficientemente grandes para mantener un equilibrio mutación-deriva y que los fragmentos de hábitat ocupados están tan aislados que el flujo génico es insuficiente para permitir la reposición de alelos perdidos. [source] Biological and biochemical differences between in vitro- and in vivo-reared Exorista larvarumENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 3 2006Maria Luisa Dindo Abstract Quantitative and qualitative parameters of Exorista larvarum (L.) (Diptera: Tachinidae) reared on two insect-material-free artificial media and in the factitious host Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) were compared. Significantly higher puparial yields and weights were obtained in both a milk-based and a veal homogenate-based medium than in the factitious host. Longevity and parasitization rates were not different between the in vitro- and in vivo-reared flies. Despite the greater puparial weight of the veal medium-reared E. larvarum females, the number of eggs laid by these females on host larvae was not higher than that of females reared under the other two rearing conditions. Moreover, in a complementary experiment, with homogeneous puparial weights of milk medium- and host-reared females, the former oviposited fewer eggs. Hence, puparial weight alone is not a reliable quality parameter for E. larvarum reared on artificial media. Lower amino acid content, with a deficiency in aromatic amino acids and an excess in proline, was found for in vitro third instar parasitoid larvae reared on both media compared to the in vivo-reared ones. These results suggest a correlation between the amino acid deficiency and imbalance of medium-reared larvae and the lower number of eggs laid by the females obtained. [source] Abnormal radiographic findings in 865 French Standardbred trotters and their relationship to racing performanceEQUINE VETERINARY JOURNAL, Issue S36 2006A. COUROUCÉ-MALBLANC Summary Reason for performing study: Developmental orthopaedic lesions are commonly found in French Standardbred horses. One of the main questions asked by trainers, owners and veterinarians is what impact these lesions have on the racing career and racing performances of horses. Objectives: To study the prevalence and distribution of developmental orthopaedic lesions in young French Standardbred trotters and to relate them to racing performance. Methods: Feet, fetlock, tarsus and stifle regions were radiographed in 865 two-year-old French Standardbred trotters. Abnormal radiographic findings (ARF) were evaluated for 12 anatomical sites identified in these areas, and a severity index given. Performance criteria were: success in qualification for racing, maximal and mean index of trot (ITR), an annual index calculated on the basis of the logarithm of earnings per starts, total earnings at 5 years, placed races compared to starts and longevity of the racing career. Analysis of variance were calculated to study the relationships between racing performance and the number of ARF or the severity index. Results: A total of 363 horses (42.0%) showed ARF. Prevalence of ARF was 18.3% in the plantar aspect of the hind fetlock and 10.6% in the proximal tarsus. Among the total population, 833 horses were considered for performance evaluation, 478 of them were qualified for racing. The number of ARF significantly affected racing longevity. However, the number of ARF did not affect performance categories according to maximal ITR. Concerning distribution of ARF, the number of plantar lesions in the fetlock significantly affected mean ITR. The index of severity did not provide more information for prognosis than the number of ARF. Conclusion: Longevity is the only criteria affected by ARF. When evaluating different sites, only the plantar fetlock region showed a significant relationship with mean ITR. Potential relevance: Number of ARF and radiographic score (RS) affect mean ITR and longevity but do not affect maximal ITR. A horse with a good racing ability will be a good performer but might have a racing career shortened because of orthopaedic problems in relation to developmental orthopaedic lesions. [source] Population dynamics and stock status of cobia, Rachycentron canadum, caught in Australian recreational and commercial coastal fisheriesFISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2010G. C. FRY Abstract, Age and growth of Rachycentron canadum (L.) was studied in northern and eastern Australia to provide data for a preliminary assessment of the stock and to explore possible fisheries management strategies using minimum legal lengths. Fish collected from commercial and recreational fisheries ranged in size and weight from 125 to 1633 mm fork length (FL) and 0.031 to 55 kg respectively. Annual growth increments in sectioned otoliths formed by November,December. Estimated ages ranged from 0 to 7 yr for both genders. Longevity was estimated to be at least 13 yr. Von Bertalanffy growth function parameters were L = 1160 mm FL, K = 0.63 yr,1 and t0 = ,0.21 yr,1. Rachycentron canadum reach 600 mm FL in their first year and over 1000 mm FL in 3 years. Natural and total mortalities were estimated at 0.35 yr,1 and 0.85 yr,1, respectively. Populations of R. canadum may be vulnerable to growth overfishing under the current minimum legal length of 750 mm total length (TL) in Queensland waters. An increase in minimum legal length to 850 mm TL is recommended. [source] EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON CERTAIN POPULATION PARAMETERS OF LIRIOMYZA SATIVAE BLAN-CHARD (DIPTERA: AGROMYZIDAE)INSECT SCIENCE, Issue 2 2000ZHANG Run-jie Abstract, Effects of temperature on population parameters and the intrinsic rate of natural increase of the leafminer, Liriomyza sativae Blanchard, were studied at constant temperatures, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 3593 80% RH and a photoperiod of 12:12 (L:D) in the laboratory with Phaseolus vulgaris as the host plant. Developmental time of the immature stage decreased from 38 d at 15C to lld at 3593 Regression equations relating temperature (t) to development rates (y) for egg, larval and pupal stages, were y = 1.7862t - 13.841, y = 1.162t - 4.946 and y= 0.634t - 5.146, respectively. Longevity of female adult decreased from 20 d at 15°C to 9 d with temperature up to 35C The most favorable temperature range for reproduction was 20°C - 30oC in which the fecundity ranged from 158 to 282 eggs per female. The lowest total mortality was 9% at 25oC and the highest was 49% at 35 93 High intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) was 0.27 and high net reproductive rate (R0) was 116.8 at temperature range between 25 t and 30 t indicating that this range was optimal for population growth and that population density might increase 117 times per generation under this temperature condition. Mean generation time (T) and time for population to double (t) decreased as temperature increased, showing a negative linear trend with temperature. The relationship between finite rate of increase (A) and temperature, however, was a positive linear regression. [source] What Heterogeneity Among Centenarians Can Teach Us About Genetics, Aging, and LongevityJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 11 2001William R. Hazzard MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] Factors influencing the evolution of clutch size in a gregarious insect parasitoidJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2000Tania Zaviezo Summary 1.,In this study we examined the clutch size of Hyssopus pallidus (Askew) (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae), a gregarious ectoparasitoid of codling moth (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) larvae that is characterized by a host handling time of 2 days approximately. 2.,Clutch size increased asymptotically with host larval size (fresh weight) to a maximum of 32 eggs. A single male developed from each clutch, brood survival was 83% and pupal size of female offspring was 0·45 mg, all independent of clutch size. 3.,A comparison of the response of both experienced and naïve adult parasitoids to varying host larval size, indicated that experience was not necessary for H. pallidus to be able to accurately estimate host size. 4.,Clutch size increased by 50% for medium size host larvae (30,40 mg) and 83% for large host larvae (60,76 mg) when the encounter rate was reduced from one host every second day to one every seventh day. A significantly lower clutch size was produced on the last day at the highest encounter rate for large host larvae, suggesting exhaustion of the egg supply for H. pallidus. 5.,Manipulation of parasitoid clutch size on constant size host larvae did not influence sex ratio (single male) or brood survival (93%), but produced a linear trade-off between clutch size and the size (fresh weight) of female pupae. Longevity, lifetime fecundity, total number of hosts attacked, and clutch size all increased linearly with the adult size (female pupal weight). 6.,The observed clutch size in newly emerged H. pallidus is consistent with a strategy of maximizing lifetime fitness gain rather than the gain from individual hosts (Lack clutch size) despite a significant investment in the time required to attack each host. [source] Longevity is not influenced by prenatal programming of body sizeAGING CELL, Issue 4 2010Cheryl A. Conover Summary Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling is essential for achieving optimal body size during fetal development, whereas, in the adult, IGFs are associated with aging and age-related diseases. However, it is unclear as to what extent lifespan is influenced by events that occur during development. Here, we provide direct evidence that the exceptional longevity of mice with altered IGF signaling is not linked to prenatal programming of body size. Mice null for pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), an IGF-binding protein proteinase that increases local IGF bioavailability, are 60,70% the size of their wild-type littermates at birth and have extended median and maximum lifespan of 30,40%. In this study, PAPP-A,/, mice whose body size was normalized during fetal development through disruption of IgfII imprinting did not lose their longevity advantage. Adult-specific moderation of IGF signaling through PAPP-A inhibition may present a unique opportunity to improve lifespan without affecting important aspects of early life physiology. [source] Two modes of mitochondrial dysfunction lead independently to lifespan extension in Caenorhabditis elegansAGING CELL, Issue 3 2010Wen Yang Summary In Caenorhabditis elegans, longevity is increased by a partial loss-of-function mutation in the mitochondrial complex III subunit gene isp-1. Longevity is also increased by RNAi against the expression of a variety of mitochondrial respiratory chain genes, including isp-1, but it is unknown whether the isp-1(qm150) mutation and the RNAi treatments trigger the same underlying mechanisms of longevity. We have identified nuo-6(qm200), a mutation in a conserved subunit of mitochondrial complex I (NUDFB4). The mutation reduces the function of complex I and, like isp-1(qm150), results in low oxygen consumption, slow growth, slow behavior, and increased lifespan. We have compared the phenotypes of nuo-6(qm200) to those of nuo-6(RNAi) and found them to be distinct in crucial ways, including patterns of growth and fertility, behavioral rates, oxygen consumption, ATP levels, autophagy, and resistance to paraquat, as well as expression of superoxide dismutases, mitochondrial heat-shock proteins, and other gene expression markers. RNAi treatments appear to generate a stress and autophagy response, while the genomic mutation alters electron transport and reactive oxygen species metabolism. For many phenotypes, we also compared isp-1(qm150) to isp-1(RNAi) and found the same pattern of differences. Most importantly, we found that, while the lifespan of nuo-6, isp-1 double mutants is not greater than that of the single mutants, the lifespan increase induced by nuo-6(RNAi) is fully additive to that induced by isp-1(qm150), and the increase induced by isp-1(RNAi) is fully additive to that induced by nuo-6(qm200). Our results demonstrate that distinct and separable aspects of mitochondrial biology affect lifespan independently. [source] Longevity and resistance to cold stress in cold-stress selected lines and their controls in Drosophila melanogasterJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2002F. M. Norry Abstract Thermal environments can influence many fitness-related traits including life span. Here, we assess whether longevity in Drosophila melanogaster can experimentally evolve as a correlated response to cold-stress selection, and whether genotype-by-temperature and sex-by-temperature interactions are significant components of variation in life span. Three replicated S lines were cold-stress selected and compared with their respective unselected controls (Clines) in the 16th generation of thermal selection. Cold-stress resistance exhibited a substantial direct response to selection, and also showed a significant interaction between sex and type of line. Mean longevity exhibited a significant interaction between adult test temperature (14 and 25 °C) and line (with suggestive evidence for increased longevity of S lines when tested at 14 °C), but there was no evidence for increased longevity in S lines at normal temperatures (i.e. 25 °C). Another temperature-dependent effect was sex-specific, with males being the longer lived sex at 25 °C but the less long-lived sex at 14 °C. Additionally, we tested in an exploratory way the relationship between longevity and cold-stress resistance by also measuring resistance to a prefreezing temperature before and after one generation of longevity selection at 14 °C (selection intensity, i = 1.47 for S lines, and 1.42 for C lines). In this longevity selection, we found that cold-stress resistance increased by about 6% in S lines and 18% in C lines. However, taken together, the results indicate no simple relationship between longevity and cold-stress resistance, with genotype-by-sex interactions in both traits. Temperature dependent interaction in longevity is apparent between S and C lines, and sex-specific variation in mean longevity also depends on temperature. [source] Longevity and fecundity of Eulophus pennicornis, an ectoparasitoid of the tomato moth Lacanobia oleracea, is affected by nutritional state and diet qualityAGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Maureen E. Wakefield 1Adult female Eulophus pennicornis require a source of nutrition, provided by sources such as pollen, nectar and honeydew or by host feeding, to promote longevity and facilitate egg production. There is potential for parasitoids to be exposed directly to contaminants, including gene products in transgenic crops, through feeding on plant materials, honeydew or hosts. Among such potential contaminants are lectins such as Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) and concanavalin agglutinin (Con A). 2The effect of direct exposure to honey diets containing GNA and Con A on the longevity and fecundity of E. pennicornis was examined. These lectins have been expressed in a number of plant species for the control for various insect pests. Both GNA and Con A significantly reduced longevity and fecundity at the highest concentration used (0.5% w/v). The effect on fecundity was shown to be related to a reduction in longevity. 3Examination of the gustatory response of adult female E. pennicornis to honey diet containing 1% w/v GNA or Con A revealed no significant differences in consumption rate on first exposure. A significant reduction in the time spent feeding on diet containing 1% Con A was found on the second exposure to the diet. This could have been the result of either a conditioned aversion response or the intoxication of the insect. The effect of Con A on longevity and fecundity could have been, in part, a result of reduced food intake. 4Studies on nutrition and egg resorption demonstrated that the availability of honey solution prolongs the longevity of E. pennicornis and the lack of a source of nutrition promotes oosorption. 5A greater understanding of feeding behaviour and ovigeny is required to understand fully the potential ecological consequence of transgenic crops on parasitoid species through routes of direct exposure to transgene products. [source] The Aging Dilemma: Is Increasing Longevity Among People With Intellectual Disabilities Creating a New Population Challenge in the Asia-Pacific Region?JOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 2 2009Matthew P. Janicki Abstract The Macau Declaration on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific and the Plan of Action on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific provide a framework for defining the needs of the aging population in the Asia-Pacific region. It also served as a stimulus for planning and public commitment to addressing the needs of the region's elderly population, including the needs of each of the nation's adult and aging populations of persons with intellectual disabilities. Within the Asia-Pacific region, the diversity of cultural and economic interests often combines to define how services are provided to their aging populations and both how disabilities are perceived and how national policies reflect these interests in serving people with disabilities. Reports issued by the World Health Organization on improving longevity and promoting healthy aging among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the Tampa Scientific Conference on Aging and Intellectual Disabilities on defining health factors help provide the structure for both the consideration of the impact of aging on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and how national social and public welfare policies can be framed to respond to aging and lifelong disability. [source] Effect of Net Fiber Reinforcement Surface Treatment on Soft Denture Liner Retention and LongevityJOURNAL OF PROSTHODONTICS, Issue 4 2010MPhil, Muhanad M. Hatamleh BSc Abstract Purpose: To evaluate shear bond strength of Molloplast-B soft liner attached to different acrylic surfaces (smooth, rough, and Sticktech net fiber-reinforced interfaces) after 3000 thermal cycles. Materials and Methods: Sixty-nine specimens were fabricated by attaching Molloplast-B soft liner to acrylic bases of three interfaces (n= 23); smooth (Group 1, control), rough (Group 2), and Sticktech net fiber-reinforced interface (Group 3). The specimens underwent 3000 thermocycles (5 and 55°C) before being subject to a shear bond test at 2 mm/min crosshead speed. Debonding sites were investigated using an optical microscope at 40× magnification. Bond failures were categorized as adhesive, cohesive, or mixed. Results: Mean (SD) bond strength values (MPa) were: 0.71 (0.15); 0.63 (0.07); and 0.83 (0.12) for smooth, rough, and fiber-reinforced acrylic interfaces, respectively. The mean values were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test for pairwise comparisons (p, 0.05). The net fiber-reinforced acrylic interface exhibited a statistically significantly higher bond strength value when compared to smooth and rough acrylic interfaces (P= 0.003 and P= 0.000, respectively). Modes of failure were mainly cohesive (91%), followed by mixed failures (9%). Conclusions: Molloplast-B exhibited a stronger bond to StickTech Net fiber-reinforced surfaces when compared to smooth and rough acrylic interfaces after thermocycling. This may enhance prosthesis serviceability during clinical use. [source] Irving Fisher and the Contribution of Improved Longevity to Living StandardsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Article first published online: 22 MAR 200, William D. Nordhaus The present study discusses the theory of the measurement of national income, proposes a new concept called "health income" that can be used to incorporate improvements in health status, and applies the theory to data for the United States over the 20th century. It concludes that accounting for improvements in the health status would, over the twentieth century in the United States, make a substantial difference to our measures of economic welfare. [source] Comments on William D. Nordhaus's, "Irving Fisher and the Contribution of Improved Longevity to Living Standards"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY, Issue 1 2005Robert W. Dimand [source] Variability in Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Pulse Generator Longevity Between ManufacturersPACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1p1 2003PATRICK T. ELLINOR ELLINOR, P.T., et al.: Variability in Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Pulse Generator Longevity Between Manufacturers.ICDs are used frequently to treat malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Despite the expanding role of these devices, little is known about the manufacturer variability in the performance of ICD generators. The purpose of this study is to explore the indications for ICD pulse generator replacement and to examine performance differences between the three major manufacturers of ICDs in the United States. The authors performed a retrospective review of ICD pulse generators that were implanted and replaced at Massachusetts General Hospital between February 1998 and March 2002. During the study period, 50 (7%) of the 707 devices in the study cohort were replaced. The most common indication for pulse generator replacement was related to battery performance followed by device recall, upgrade to a dual chamber device, and pulse generator malfunction. After exclusion of the recalled devices, a significantly higher number of pulse generators manufactured by St. Jude Medical (14/229) required replacement for battery depletion or prolonged charge times during the study period compared with devices from Guidant (2/220) or Medtronic (0/273),P = 0.003andP < 0.0001, respectively. This difference was attributable to reduced longevity in the Angstrom series of defibrillators. (PACE 2003; 26[Pt. I]:71,75) [source] Sleep health and lifestyle of elderly people in Ogimi, a village of longevityPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 3 2002KAZUHIKO TAIRA phd Abstract The study was conducted in the Prefecture of Longevity, Okinawa, on the elderly living in the village of Ogimi. It was revealed that those in the good sleep health group took short naps, a significantly fewer number fell into dozes, and a significantly greater number exercised regularly or walked. A significantly greater number of this group maintained regular eating habits over a 10-year span, and consumed more seaweed and fish. Participation in senior citizens' clubs was higher, reflecting high emotional adaptability. The study's results indicates a relationship between lifestyle and sleep health among the elderly, and suggest that deterioration of sleep health is related to physical and mental health. [source] Post-thaw Survival and Longevity of Bull Spermatozoa Frozen with an Egg Yolk-based or Two Egg Yolk-free Extenders after an Equilibration Period of 18 hREPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 3 2007R Muiño Contents The aim of the present study was to determine the suitability of using two egg yolk-free commercial extenders, Andromed® and Biociphos Plus®, as compared with the Tris-egg yolk based diluent Biladyl®, for the cryopreservation of bull spermatozoa when the freezing protocol involved holding the extended semen at 4°C for 18 h before the freezing. Six ejaculates from each of 10 Holstein bulls were collected by using artificial vagina. The ejaculates were evaluated for volume, sperm concentration and motility, divided in to three equal volumes, and diluted, respectively, with the three extenders as specified above. Extended semen was equilibrated for 18 h at 4°C and frozen in 0.25-ml straws. After thawing, 100- ,l aliquots of semen were labelled with SYBR-14, PI and PE-PNA (Phycoerythrin-conjugated Peanut agglutinin) and analysed by flow cytometry at 0, 3, 6 and 9 h after incubation at 37°C. A General Lineal Model procedure for repeated measures was used to determine the effects of extender, bull, replicate and the interaction between them, on sperm viability and acrosomal integrity. Semen samples frozen with Biladyl® showed higher (p < 0.001) sperm survival after 0 h (47.9%) and 9 h (30.3%) of incubation than those frozen with Andromed® (38.5% and 17.3%, after 0 and 9 h respectively) or Biociphos Plus® (34.9% and 21.6%, after 0 and 9 h respectively). The bull and replicate had significant effects (p < 0.001) on both sperm viability and acrosomal integrity, but the interactions between bull and extender and between replicate and extender were not significant. It was concluded that, when holding the semen overnight before freezing, the use of Biladyl® results in higher sperm survival and longevity than the use of Andromed® or Biociphos Plus®. [source] Logistic Regression Models for Polymorphic and Antagonistic Pleiotropic Gene Action on Human Aging and LongevityANNALS OF HUMAN GENETICS, Issue 6 2003Qihua Tan Summary In this paper, we apply logistic regression models to measure genetic association with human survival for highly polymorphic and pleiotropic genes. By modelling genotype frequency as a function of age, we introduce a logistic regression model with polytomous responses to handle the polymorphic situation. Genotype and allele-based parameterization can be used to investigate the modes of gene action and to reduce the number of parameters, so that the power is increased while the amount of multiple testing minimized. A binomial logistic regression model with fractional polynomials is used to capture the age-dependent or antagonistic pleiotropic effects. The models are applied to HFE genotype data to assess the effects on human longevity by different alleles and to detect if an age-dependent effect exists. Application has shown that these methods can serve as useful tools in searching for important gene variations that contribute to human aging and longevity. [source] Longevity Has Its Place and I'm Concerned About That NowACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 1 2009James E. Olson PhD No abstract is available for this article. [source] Longevity differs among sexes but is not affected by repeated immune activation in voles (Microtus arvalis)BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 2 2009GODEFROY DEVEVEY Investment of resources in immune defences, despite obvious short-term benefits, may be detrimental to long-term maintenance and thus decrease longevity in absence of parasites. In addition, females and males may differ in immune investment and intrinsic longevity because they are subjected to different degrees of sexual competition and extrinsic mortality. In order to test if sex-specific investment in mounting an immune response reduced longevity, we compared the longevity of captive male and female common voles Microtus arvalis regularly challenged with keyhole limpet haemocyanin, an antigen which elicits the production of antibodies, to the longevity of voles injected with the corresponding antigen-free buffer (phosphate-buffered saline). Injections were repeated every 28 days to mimic a chronic infection. The magnitude of immune response did not vary between males and females and did not affect longevity. Overall, females lived longer than males, independently of the immune challenge. Thus, the long-term costs of immunity seem small in voles. The longevity pattern is consistent with the prediction that male-biased predation or parasitism in the wild causes reduced intrinsic lifespan, but this reduction is not mediated by a decrease in male immunity. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 97, 328,333. [source] Comparative life-history traits in a fig wasp community: implications for community structureECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2 2010MAHUA GHARA 1. Whether life-history traits can determine community composition and structure is an important question that has been well explored theoretically, but has received scant empirical attention. Life-history traits of a seven-member community of galler and parasitoid fig wasp species (Chalcidoidea), developing within the inflorescences (syconia) of Ficus racemosa (Moraceae) in India, were determined and used to examine community structure and ecology. 2. Gallers were pro-ovigenic (all eggs are mature upon adult emergence) whereas parasitoids were synovigenic (eggs mature progressively during adult lifespan). Initial egg load was correlated with body size for some species, and there was a trade-off between egg number and egg size across all species. Although all species completed their development and left the syconium concurrently, they differed in their adult and pre-adult lifespans. Providing sucrose solutions increased parasitoid lifespan but had no effect on the longevity of some galler species. While feeding regimes and body size affected longevity in most species, an interaction effect between these variables was detected for only one species. 3. Life-history traits of wasp species exhibited a continuum in relation to their arrival sequence at syconia for oviposition during syconium development, and therefore reflected their ecology. The largest number of eggs, smallest egg sizes, and shortest longevities were characteristic of the earliest-arriving galling wasps at the smallest, immature syconia; the converse characterised the later-arriving parasitoids at the larger, already parasitised syconia. Thus life history is an important correlate of community resource partitioning and can be used to understand community structure. 4. This is the first comprehensive study of life-history traits in a fig wasp community. The comparative approach revealed constraints and flexibility in trait evolution. [source] Population ecology of cave armoured catfish, Ancistrus cryptophthalmus Reis 1987, from central Brazil (Siluriformes: Loricariidae)ECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER FISH, Issue 2 2007E. Trajano Abstract,,, The population ecology of Ancistrus cryptophthalmus (Reis 1987) was studied by mark,recapture technique in caves from the São Domingos karst area, State of Goiás, northeastern Brazil. Total population sizes estimated for Angélica and Passa Três Caves were 20,000 and 1000 individuals, respectively. Densities around 1.0 individuals per m2 in Angélica, Bezerra and São Vicente I Streams, and 0.6 individuals per m2 in the smaller Passa Três Stream may be considered high for cavefish standards, as well as for epigean loricariids. As expected for benthic grazers, cave catfish are highly sedentary. The distribution of size classes did not differ among caves and within the same cave throughout the studied dry seasons; on the contrary, the condition factor decreased throughout this period probably because of the progressive depletion of organic matter available as food. Low proportions of mature individuals, low growth rates (average = 0.5 mm month,1) with cases of negative growth and high longevities (8,10 years) point to a precocial lifestyle, typical of troglobitic species. [source] Does versatility as measured by geographic range, bathymetric range and morphological variability contribute to taxon longevity?GLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Lee Hsiang Liow ABSTRACT Aim, This paper aims to examine the relationship between versatility as measured by geographic range, bathymetric range and morphological variability (species and subspecies richness and the occurrence of morphologically highly variable populations), and the geologic longevities of trachyleberidid ostracode species and genera, while accounting for sampling biases and other confounding factors. Location, Global. Methods, A large database of occurrence records of species of the family Trachyleberididae s.l. was analysed. The relationships between genus and species longevity and the above mentioned variables were examined singly and in concert. Re-analyses of subsets of data and rarefaction techniques were employed to account for sampling biases, while randomization was used to account for autocorrelation of variables. Results, The mean number of occurrence records, and latitudinal and longitudinal ranges, were strongly and positively correlated with genus and species longevities. The number of bathymetric zones occupied by genera had no consistent bearing on their longevities, but species data subsets tended to indicate significant positive relationships between bathymetric range and longevities. Species richness was significantly and positively correlated with genus longevities. Species and genera with subspecies and species with high morphological variability all had significantly greater longevities. Genus-level characteristics can be explained largely by species-level characteristics, including longevity, latitudinal ranges and bathymetric ranges to a lesser degree. However, genus longevity was best explained by species richness and genus age, even for extinct genera, while species longevity was best explained by species latitudinal range. Main conclusions, In spite of the incompleteness of the fossil record, we can control for biasing factors and still confidently draw the conclusion that both ecological and evolutionary versatility contribute to lineage longevity, beyond the shorter temporal observation windows available to most ecological studies. [source] Expanding radiation quarantine treatments beyond fruit fliesAGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2 2000Guy J. Hallman Abstract 1 The potential of ionizing radiation as a disinfestation treatment for insects other than tephritid fruit flies is discussed. Radiation quarantine treatments are unique in that insects are not killed immediately but rendered sterile or incapable of completing development. 2 The most tolerant insect stage to radiation is that which is most developed. Female insects, but not always mites, are sterilized with equal or lower doses than males. 3 Insects irradiated with sterilizing doses usually have shorter longevities than non-irradiated ones. Low oxygen conditions often increase tolerance to radiation. 4 Insects in diapause are not more tolerant of radiation than non-diapausing ones. 5 Some pests of several groups, such as aphids, whiteflies, weevils, scarab beetles, and fruit flies, may be controlled with doses ,,100 Gy. Some lepidopterous pests and most mites require about 300 Gy. Stored product moths may require as much as 1 kGy to sterilize, and nematodes could need >,4 kGy. 6 Even though application of irradiation to pallet-loads of produce could mean that up to three times the minimum required dose is applied to the perimeter of the pallet, many fresh commodities tolerate doses required for quarantine security against many quarantined pests. Irradiation is arguably the most widely applicable quarantine treatment from the standpoint of commodity quality. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||