Aging Watch, January 25, 2013, Vol. 13, no. 2

Aging Watch is provided in the spirit of information and education. The opinions expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Department or its programs. The Department shall not be liable for any damages that may result from errors or omissions in information distributed in this publication. Aging Watch will be published regularly during the legislative session and monthly in the interim by the Iowa Department on Aging. “Aging Watch.” The Department is providing this update to better inform you about policy affecting older Iowans. In addition to policy updates from the statehouse and the nation’s capitol, you’ll learn about Department programs and changes affecting the landscape. As you’ll learn reading this and future editions, big changes are coming for the Iowa Aging Network. Over the next year the Department will be reducing the number of local Area Agencies on Aging, as required by legislative action. Not surprisingly, this is a major change for everyone.

Aging Watch, February 15, 2013, Vol. 13, no. 3

Aging Watch is provided in the spirit of information and education. The opinions expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Department or its programs. The Department shall not be liable for any damages that may result from errors or omissions in information distributed in this publication. Aging Watch will be published regularly during the legislative session and monthly in the interim by the Iowa Department on Aging. “Aging Watch.” The Department is providing this update to better inform you about policy affecting older Iowans. In addition to policy updates from the statehouse and the nation’s capitol, you’ll learn about Department programs and changes affecting the landscape. As you’ll learn reading this and future editions, big changes are coming for the Iowa Aging Network. Over the next year the Department will be reducing the number of local Area Agencies on Aging, as required by legislative action. Not surprisingly, this is a major change for everyone.

Aging Watch, March 1, 2013, Vol. 13, no. 4

Aging Watch is provided in the spirit of information and education. The opinions expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Department or its programs. The Department shall not be liable for any damages that may result from errors or omissions in information distributed in this publication. Aging Watch will be published regularly during the legislative session and monthly in the interim by the Iowa Department on Aging. “Aging Watch.” The Department is providing this update to better inform you about policy affecting older Iowans. In addition to policy updates from the statehouse and the nation’s capitol, you’ll learn about Department programs and changes affecting the landscape. As you’ll learn reading this and future editions, big changes are coming for the Iowa Aging Network. Over the next year the Department will be reducing the number of local Area Agencies on Aging, as required by legislative action. Not surprisingly, this is a major change for everyone.

Aging Watch, March 8, 2013, Vol. 13, no. 5

Aging Watch is provided in the spirit of information and education. The opinions expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Department or its programs. The Department is providing this update to better inform you about policy affecting older Iowans.

Aging Watch, March 15, 2013, Vol. 13, no. 6

Aging Watch is provided in the spirit of information and education. The opinions expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Department or its programs. The Department is providing this update to better inform you about policy affecting older Iowans.

Aging Watch, April 5, 2013, Vol. 13, no. 7

Aging Watch is provided in the spirit of information and education. The opinions expressed by the contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Department or its programs. The Department is providing this update to better inform you about policy affecting older Iowans.

Vieillir et devenir vulnérable [Aging and becoming vulnerable].

"The vulnerable are those whose autonomy, dignity and integrity are capable of being threatened". Based on this ethical definition of vulnerability, four risk factors of vulnerability might be identified among elderly persons, and are described in this article: the functional limitation, the loss of autonomy, the social precariousness and the restriction of access to medical care. A clinical case of elderly abuse is presented to illustrate vulnerability. Finally, some recommendations to lower the risk of vulnerability in elderly persons are proposed.

Relationship of Carbonate Aggregates to Concrete Aging, HR-116, 1967

HR-116 is concerned with the relationship of carbonate aggregate to aging of highway concrete. The ultimate purpose of the research is to provide the Materials Department with better criteria for selection of carbonate aggregates for use in highway concrete. The research stems from the problem in Iowa which relates durability of highway concrete to use of certain aggregates. Service records of certain highways have shown that concrete deterioration is related to the source of coarse carbonate aggregate. Research on this problem in projects HR-15 and HR-86 helped define three broad areas of the problem in more detail: 1. The problem of evaluation of rocks which pass current specifications but have poor service records 2. The basic problem of how rocks contribute to distress in concrete 3. The problem of how concrete ages or weathers.

Identification of Wax Esters in Latent Print Residues by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectromertry and Their Potential Use as Aging Parameters

Recent studies show that the composition of fingerprint residue varies significantly from the same donor as well as between donors. This variability is a major drawback in latent print dating issues. This study aimed, therefore, at the definition of a parameter that is less variable from print to print, using a ratio of peak area of a target compound degrading over time divided by the summed area of peaks of more stable compounds also found in latent print residues.Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of the initial lipid composition of latent prints identifies four main classes of compounds that can be used in the definition of an aging parameter: fatty acids, sterols, sterol precursors, and wax esters (WEs). Although the entities composing the first three groups are quite well known, those composing WEs are poorly reported. Therefore, the first step of the present work was to identify WE compounds present in latent print residues deposited by different donors. Of 29 WEs recorded in the chromatograms, seven were observed in the majority of samples.The identified WE compounds were subsequently used in the definition of ratios in combination with squalene and cholesterol to reduce the variability of the initial composition between latent print residues from different persons and more particularly from the same person. Finally, the influence of a latent print enhancement process on the initial composition was studied by analyzing traces after treatment with magnetic powder, 1,2-indanedione, and cyanoacrylate.

The effect of n-3 enriched nutrition therapy on post-operative cognitive dysfunction after cardiac surgery

Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) occurs frequently after cardiac surgery. Some data suggest that inflammation plays a key role in the development of POCD. N-3 fatty acids have been shown to have a beneficial effect on inflammation. We hypothesised that perioperative n-3 enriched nutrition therapy would reduce the incidence of POCD in this group of patients. Methods: Randomized, double blind placebo controlled trial in patients aged 65 or older undergoing elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. 2x 250 mL placebo (Ensure Plus™, Abbott Nutrition) or n-3 enriched nutrition therapy (ProSure™ Abbott Nutrition) were administered for ten days starting 5 days prior to surgery. Cognition was assessed preoperatively and 7 days after surgery with the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease - Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (CERAD-NAB) [1]. Results: 16 patients were included. Mean age was 72 } 5.3 for placebo and 75 } 4.8 for ProSure™ respectively. CRP and IL-6 did not differ significantly between groups preoperatively and on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7. Preoperative CERAD total scores were 86 } 10 and 81 } 9 (p = n.s.) for Placebo and ProSure™, respectively. Postoperative scores were 88 } 12, and 77 } 19 (p = n.s.) The change in score was not different between the two groups (Placebo: +3 } 5; ProSure: -5 } 11). Conclusion: In this very small sample no effect of preoperatively started n-3 enriched nutritional supplements on inflammation or cognitive functions were detected. However, there is a large likelihood of a type II error and more patients need to be included to assess possible beneficial effects of this intervention in elderly patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. 1 Chandler MJ, et al. Neurology. 2005;65:102-6.

Dietary resveratrol prevents alzheimer's markers and increases life span in SAMP8

Resveratrol is a polyphenol that is mainly found in grapes and red wine and has been reported to be a caloric restriction (CR) mimetic driven by Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) activation. Resveratrol increases metabolic rate, insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial biogenesis and physical endurance, and reduces fat accumulation in mice. In addition, resveratrol may be a powerful agent to prevent age-associated neurodegeneration and to improve cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Moreover, different findings support the view that longevity in mice could be promoted by CR. In this study, we examined the role of dietary resveratrol in SAMP8 mice, a model of age-related AD. We found that resveratrol supplements increased mean life expectancy and maximal life span in SAMP8 and in their control, the related strain SAMR1. In addition, we examined the resveratrol-mediated neuroprotective effects on several specific hallmarks of AD. We found that long-term dietary resveratrol activates AMPK pathways and pro-survival routes such as SIRT1 in vivo. It also reduces cognitive impairment and has a neuroprotective role, decreasing the amyloid burden and reducing tau hyperphosphorylation.