scholarly journals Obesity and Medicare Expenditure: Accounting for Age-Related Height Loss

Obesity ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 204-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nneka C. Onwudiwe ◽  
Bruce Stuart ◽  
Ilene H. Zuckerman ◽  
John D. Sorkin
2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuo Ohmori

Object To evaluate the grade of lumbosacral stability, shape analysis was conducted on plain radiographs of the lumbar spine. Methods One hundred twenty-six patients were classified into 2 groups: those with a single-segment disc space narrowing at L5–S1 or at L4–5. Stability was evaluated using the discriminant function (z score) derived from the analysis of radiographic parameters—that is, relative thickness of transverse process of L-5 and the sacral table angle. Results In patients with a space narrowing at L5–S1, the author observed a significantly slender L-5 transverse process and acute obliquity of the sacral endplate; accordingly, the z score was negative. In patients with a broad transverse process and a positive z score, the segment associated with disc height loss was L4–5. Thus, a close correlation was found between the site of the disc height loss and the bony characteristics of L-5 and S-1. Furthermore, it could be expected with a high degree reliability that when young adult patients had a z score less than −2 or −3, their L-5 vertebra would develop degenerative spondylolisthesis after middle age and the L5–S1 segment could be saved from age-related alterations as long as the z score was greater than 2.5. The constitutional characteristics of the lumbosacral junction may exert a major influence on the site of disc degeneration. Conclusions Stability at the lumbosacral junction was thought to be quantitatively represented by the z score, with z being designated the lumbosacral stability score.


Author(s):  
Dr. N. B. Gawande ◽  
Dr. Ashok Tank

Measurement of body size such as height and weight are required for assessment of growth and nutritional status of person, determination of basic energy requirements, standardization of measures for physical capacity, for adjusting drug dosage and for identifying an unknown cadaver. However, in some situations it is not possible to measure the stature of a person because of deformities of the limbs, in person who have undergone amputations or in unknown cadavers where lower limb (s) and / or trunk is mutated / absent. In such cases, stature has to be estimated using other body parameters. These estimations are also of prime importance in predicting the age-related loss in stature, identifying individuals with disproportionate growth abnormalities, skeletal dysplasia, medico-legal cases or height loss during surgical procedures on the spine. These measurements also have found application in normalizing pulmonary function in scoliosis. Hence based on these findings the present study was planned for evaluation of the stature height in the Maharashtra population by using arm span using regression equation. The present study was planned in Department of Forensic Medicine, Dr. Panjabrao Alias Bhausaheb Deshmukh Memorial Medical College, Shivaji Nagar, Amravati. The total 50 cases of the age group from 20 - 45 years were enrolled in the present study. This age group was chosen because the growth of an individual ceases by this age and there is no age related loss in body height at this age. Arm span measurement can serve as one of the most reliable body parameter to determine stature of an individual. It is useful in determining related loss in stature and in identifying individuals with disproportionate growth abnormalities. The data generated from the present study concludes that arm-span and hand length can be used in estimation of the height of both males and females. The regression equations so derived can be used in cadavers or an amputee with fairly accurate results. This can be helpful in medico- legal cases as well as in study of anthropology. Keywords: Stature Height, Arm Span, Maharashtra Population, etc.


2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. A140
Author(s):  
N Onwudiwe ◽  
B Stuart ◽  
IH Zuckerman ◽  
J Sorkin

Author(s):  
W. Krebs ◽  
I. Krebs

Various inclusion bodies occur in vertebrate retinal photoreceptor cells. Most of them are membrane bound and associated with phagocytosis or they are age related residual bodies. We found an additional inclusion body in foveal cone cells of the baboon (Papio anubis) retina.The eyes of a 15 year old baboon were fixed by immersion in cacodylate buffered glutaraldehyde (2%)/formaldehyde (2%) as described in detail elsewhere . Pieces of retina from various locations, including the fovea, were embedded in epoxy resin such that radial or tangential sections could be cut.Spindle shaped inclusion bodies were found in the cytoplasm of only foveal cones. They were abundant in the inner segments, close to the external limiting membrane (Fig. 1). But they also occurred in the outer fibers, the perikarya, and the inner fibers (Henle’s fibers) of the cone cells. The bodies were between 0.5 and 2 μm long. Their central diameter was 0.2 to 0. 3 μm. They always were oriented parallel to the long axis of the cone cells. In longitudinal sections (Figs. 2,3) they seemed to have a fibrous skeleton that, in cross sections, turned out to consist of plate-like (Fig.4) and tubular profiles (Fig. 5).


2013 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 119-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernadette Carroll ◽  
Graeme Hewitt ◽  
Viktor I. Korolchuk

Autophagy is a process of lysosome-dependent intracellular degradation that participates in the liberation of resources including amino acids and energy to maintain homoeostasis. Autophagy is particularly important in stress conditions such as nutrient starvation and any perturbation in the ability of the cell to activate or regulate autophagy can lead to cellular dysfunction and disease. An area of intense research interest is the role and indeed the fate of autophagy during cellular and organismal ageing. Age-related disorders are associated with increased cellular stress and assault including DNA damage, reduced energy availability, protein aggregation and accumulation of damaged organelles. A reduction in autophagy activity has been observed in a number of ageing models and its up-regulation via pharmacological and genetic methods can alleviate age-related pathologies. In particular, autophagy induction can enhance clearance of toxic intracellular waste associated with neurodegenerative diseases and has been comprehensively demonstrated to improve lifespan in yeast, worms, flies, rodents and primates. The situation, however, has been complicated by the identification that autophagy up-regulation can also occur during ageing. Indeed, in certain situations, reduced autophagosome induction may actually provide benefits to ageing cells. Future studies will undoubtedly improve our understanding of exactly how the multiple signals that are integrated to control appropriate autophagy activity change during ageing, what affect this has on autophagy and to what extent autophagy contributes to age-associated pathologies. Identification of mechanisms that influence a healthy lifespan is of economic, medical and social importance in our ‘ageing’ world.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 864-872
Author(s):  
Fernanda Borowsky da Rosa ◽  
Adriane Schmidt Pasqualoto ◽  
Catriona M. Steele ◽  
Renata Mancopes

Introduction The oral cavity and pharynx have a rich sensory system composed of specialized receptors. The integrity of oropharyngeal sensation is thought to be fundamental for safe and efficient swallowing. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are at risk for oropharyngeal sensory impairment due to frequent use of inhaled medications and comorbidities including gastroesophageal reflux disease. Objective This study aimed to describe and compare oral and oropharyngeal sensory function measured using noninstrumental clinical methods in adults with COPD and healthy controls. Method Participants included 27 adults (18 men, nine women) with a diagnosis of COPD and a mean age of 66.56 years ( SD = 8.68). The control group comprised 11 healthy adults (five men, six women) with a mean age of 60.09 years ( SD = 11.57). Spirometry measures confirmed reduced functional expiratory volumes (% predicted) in the COPD patients compared to the control participants. All participants completed a case history interview and underwent clinical evaluation of oral and oropharyngeal sensation by a speech-language pathologist. The sensory evaluation explored the detection of tactile and temperature stimuli delivered by cotton swab to six locations in the oral cavity and two in the oropharynx as well as identification of the taste of stimuli administered in 5-ml boluses to the mouth. Analyses explored the frequencies of accurate responses regarding stimulus location, temperature and taste between groups, and between age groups (“≤ 65 years” and “> 65 years”) within the COPD cohort. Results We found significantly higher frequencies of reported use of inhaled medications ( p < .001) and xerostomia ( p = .003) in the COPD cohort. Oral cavity thermal sensation ( p = .009) was reduced in the COPD participants, and a significant age-related decline in gustatory sensation was found in the COPD group ( p = .018). Conclusion This study found that most of the measures of oral and oropharyngeal sensation remained intact in the COPD group. Oral thermal sensation was impaired in individuals with COPD, and reduced gustatory sensation was observed in the older COPD participants. Possible links between these results and the use of inhaled medication by individuals with COPD are discussed.


1992 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 892-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Allen Fox ◽  
Lida G. Wall ◽  
Jeanne Gokcen

This study examined age-related differences in the use of dynamic acoustic information (in the form of formant transitions) to identify vowel quality in CVCs. Two versions of 61 naturally produced, commonly occurring, monosyllabic English words were created: a control version (the unmodified whole word) and a silent-center version (in which approximately 62% of the medial vowel was replaced by silence). A group of normal-hearing young adults (19–25 years old) and older adults (61–75 years old) identified these tokens. The older subjects were found to be significantly worse than the younger subjects at identifying the medial vowel and the initial and final consonants in the silent-center condition. These results support the hypothesis of an age-related decrement in the ability to process dynamic perceptual cues in the perception of vowel quality.


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