scholarly journals Sex and Text: Queering Older Men’s Sexuality in Contemporary U.S. Fiction

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 826-826
Author(s):  
Josep Armengol
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Aging Men ◽  
Ernest Gaines ◽  
Richard Ford ◽  
Do So

Abstract This paper will explore the representation of men’s aging experiences in contemporary U.S. fiction. While most gender-ed approaches to aging have focused on women, which has contributed to the cultural invisibility of older men, this study focuses on men’s aging experiences as men, thus challenging the inverse correlation between masculinity and aging. To do so, the study draws on a selected number of contemporary U.S. male-authored fictional works, which question the widely-held assumption that aging is a lesser concern for men, or that men and women’s aging experiences may be simply defined as opposed. The literary corpus includes male authors from different backgrounds so as to illustrate how (self-)representations of aging men vary according not only to gender but also class (Richard Ford), race (Ernest Gaines), and sexual orientation (Edmund White), amongst other factors. The presentation will thus end up challenging the conventional equation of men’s aging processes with (sexual) decline, exemplifying their plurality as well as irreducible contradictions.

scholarly journals Exploring Aging Masculinities From Different Disciplines and Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 825-825
Author(s):  
Liat Ayalon ◽  
Josep Armengol ◽  
Michael Kimmel
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
American Literature ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Contemporary American Literature ◽  
The Social ◽  
Aging Men ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Types Of Information

Abstract Traditionally, gerontology research has been relatively genderless. When the intersection of age and gender was explored, this was done primarily by focusing on the experiences of older women. Much less is known about the experiences of older men. The present symposium brings together work from the humanities and the social sciences in order to explore societal images and personal experiences of aging men. The paper by Maierhofer and Ratzenböck provides a theoretical outlook on this intersection from the humanities perspective, followed by empirical applications from the social sciences. Next, Armengol uses contemporary American literature to challenge the traditional stereotype of decline in sexuality and masculinity. The paper by Ni Leime & O’Neill examines stereotypes of aging masculinities, but this time from the perspective of older men as the audience who react to their portrayal in visual culture. Finally, Ayalon and Gweyrtz-Meydan present ethical dilemmas faced by physicians who treat older men’s sexuality in light of active marketing campaigns of the pharmaceutical industry, which advocate for a model of successful aging and ongoing sexual intercourse. The discussant, Kimmel, will conceptualize the four papers by stressing the different types of information that can be obtained via different methods of inquiry. The complementary information provided by the different papers and the integration of methods and findings from the humanities with the social sciences will be discussed.

The role of partial androgen deficiency in aging men in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Alexander V. Pechersky
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽  
Proliferative Activity ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Prostatic Hyperplasia ◽  
Androgen Deficiency ◽  
Aging Men ◽  
Reduce Insulin Resistance

AbstractOnce people reach 35-40 years, they have a decrease in their pool of pluripotent stem cells, and show a violation of tissue renewal, a decrease in the number of cell-producers of testosterone (Leidig cells) and a reduction in testosterone circulating in the blood. Partial androgen deficiency in aging men violates division and differentiation of androgen-dependent cells and increases the risk for development of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. The recovery of testosterone production and regeneration helps make a decrease in proliferative activity, and the rehabilitation of regulation of androgen-dependent cells of the prostate and other tissues and organs, as well as reduce insulin resistance among older men.

scholarly journals Differential impact of osteoporosis, sarcopenia and obesity on physical performance in aging men

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franca Genest ◽  
Michael Schneider ◽  
Andreas Zehnder ◽  
Dominik Lieberoth-Leden ◽  
Lothar Seefried
Keyword(s):  
Physical Performance ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Skeletal Muscle Index ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Aging Men ◽  
Prevalence Of Osteoporosis

Purpose: Aging and concurrent constitutional changes as sarcopenia, osteoporosis and obesity are associated with progressive functional decline. Coincidence and mutual interference of this risk factors require further evaluation. Methods: Cross-sectional evaluation of musculoskeletal health in a community-dwelling cohort of men aged 65-90 years. Objectives included descriptive analysis of age-related decline in physical performance, prevalence of osteoporosis (FRAX-Score), sarcopenia (EWGSOP criteria) and obesity (BMI>30kg/m²) and their coincidence/interference. Results: Based on 507 participants assessed, aging was associated with progressive functional deterioration, regarding power (Chair Rise Test -1.54% per year), performance (Usual Gait Speed -1.38 % per year) and muscle force (Grip Strength -1.52 % per year) while muscle mass declined only marginally (Skeletal Muscle Index -0.29% per year). Prevalence of osteoporosis was 41.8% (n=212) while only 22.9% (n=116) of the participants met the criteria for sarcopenia and 23.7% (n=120) were obese. Osteosarcopenia was found in n=79 (15.6%), sarcopenic obesity was present in 14 men (2.8%). A combination of all three conditions could be confirmed in n=8 (1.6%). There was an inverse correlation of BMI with physical performance whereas osteoporosis and sarcopenia did not interfere with functional outcomes. Conclusion: Based on current definitions there is considerable overlap in the prevalence of osteoporosis and sarcopenia, while obesity appears to be a distinct problem. Functional decline appears to be associated with obesity rather than osteoporosis or sarcopenia. It remains to be determined to what extend obesity itself causes performance deficits or if obesity is merely an indicator of insufficient activity eventually predisposing to functional decline.

Long-term testosterone supplementation augments overnight growth hormone secretion in healthy older men

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (3) ◽  
pp. E769-E775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranganath Muniyappa ◽  
John D. Sorkin ◽  
Johannes D. Veldhuis ◽  
S. Mitchell Harman ◽  
Thomas Münzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Low Dose ◽  
Hormone Secretion ◽  
Growth Hormone Secretion ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Gh Secretion ◽  
Aging Men ◽  
Igf I ◽  
Igfbp 3

Circulating testosterone (T) and GH/IGF-I are diminished in healthy aging men. Short-term administration of high doses of T augments GH secretion in older men. However, effects of long-term, low-dose T supplementation on GH secretion are unknown. Our objective was to evaluate effects of long-term, low-dose T administration on nocturnal GH secretory dynamics and AM concentrations of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in healthy older men (65–88 yr, n = 34) with low-normal T and IGF-I. In a double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized study we assessed effects of low-dose T supplementation (100 mg im every 2 wk) for 26 wk on nocturnal GH secretory dynamics [8 PM to 8 AM, Q20 min sampling, analyzed by multiparameter deconvolution and approximate entropy (ApEn) algorithms]. The results were that T administration increased serum total T by 33% ( P = 0.004) and E2 by 31% ( P = 0.009) and decreased SHBG by 17% ( P = 0.002) vs. placebo. T supplementation increased nocturnal integrated GH concentrations by 60% ( P = 0.02) and pulsatile GH secretion by 79% ( P = 0.05), primarily due to a twofold increase in GH secretory burst mass ( P = 0.02) and a 1.9-fold increase in basal GH secretion rate ( P = 0.05) vs. placebo. There were no significant changes in GH burst frequency or orderliness of GH release (ApEn). IGF-I levels increased by 22% ( P = 0.02), with no significant change in IGFBP-3 levels after T vs. placebo. We conclude that low-dose T supplementation for 26 wk increases spontaneous nocturnal GH secretion and morning serum IGF-I concentrations in healthy older men.

Low testosterone levels in aging men may mediate the observed increase in suicide in this age group

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy R. Rice ◽  
Leo Sher
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Risk ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Aging Men ◽  
Low Testosterone ◽  
Reward Pathways ◽  
Elderly Suicide ◽  
Mixed Age

Abstract This short communication suggests that there may be biological in addition to psychosocial reasons underlying the rise in suicide among older men. Testosterone, the major male sex hormone, has attracted interest as a putative biological mediator of suicide risk, but observational data have been mixed. Age stratification may reveal that high levels of testosterone in adolescents and young adults but low levels in the elderly may mediate suicide risk. A putative age-testosterone-suicide differential may be mediated by divergent central nervous system architecture between adolescents and the elderly. Whereas the prefrontal and prefontal-limbic connectivity underdevelopment observed in adolescents may render vulnerability to testosterone-mediated increases in impulsivity as a risk factor for suicide, declining function of dopaminergic striato-thalamic reward pathways in the aging cohort may render older men vulnerable to the loss of testosterone’s protective effects against anhedonia, thereby increasing suicide risk through a different biological pathway. Further research is needed regarding the role of hypotestosteronemia in elderly suicide.

scholarly journals Long-Term Testosterone Supplementation in Older Men Attenuates Age-Related Decline in Aerobic Capacity

2018 ◽  
Vol 103 (8) ◽  
pp. 2861-2869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinna Traustadóttir ◽  
S Mitchell Harman ◽  
Panayiotis Tsitouras ◽  
Karol M Pencina ◽  
Zhuoying Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerobic Capacity ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Total Testosterone ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Testosterone Levels ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Aging Men ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Context Testosterone increases skeletal muscle mass and strength, but long-term effects of testosterone supplementation on aerobic capacity, or peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak), in healthy older men with low testosterone have not been evaluated. Objective To determine the effects of testosterone supplementation on V̇O2peak during incremental cycle ergometry. Design A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial (Testosterone’s Effects on Atherosclerosis Progression in Aging Men). Setting Exercise physiology laboratory. Participants Healthy men aged ≥ 60 years with total testosterone levels of 100 to 400 ng/dL (3.5 to 13.9 nmol/L) or free testosterone levels < 50 pg/mL (174 pmol/L). Interventions Randomization to 1% transdermal testosterone gel adjusted to achieve serum levels of 500 to 950 ng/dL or placebo applied daily for 3 years. Main Outcome Measures Change in V̇O2peak. Results Mean (±SD) baseline V̇O2peak was 24.2 ± 5.2 and 23.6 ± 5.6 mL/kg/min for testosterone and placebo, respectively. V̇O2peak did not change in men treated with testosterone but fell significantly in men receiving placebo (average 3-year decrease, 0.88 mL/kg/min; 95% CI, −1.39 to 0.38 mL/kg/min; P = 0.035); the difference in change in V̇O2peak between groups was significant (average 3-year difference, 0.91 mL/kg/min; 95% CI, 0.010 to 0.122 mL/kg/min; P = 0.008). The 1-g/dL mean increase in hemoglobin (P < 0.001) was significantly associated with changes in V̇O2peak in testosterone-treated men. Conclusion The mean 3-year change in V̇O2peak was significantly smaller in men treated with testosterone than in men receiving placebo and was associated with increases in hemoglobin. The difference in V̇O2peak change between groups may indicate attenuation of its expected age-related decline; the clinical meaningfulness of the modest treatment effect remains to be determined.

scholarly journals Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Testicular Axis Disruptions in Older Men Are Differentially Linked to Age and Modifiable Risk Factors: The European Male Aging Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 93 (7) ◽  
pp. 2737-2745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick C. W. Wu ◽  
Abdelouahid Tajar ◽  
Stephen R. Pye ◽  
Alan J. Silman ◽  
Joseph D. Finn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Reproductive Hormones ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Modifiable Risk Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Pituitary Dysfunction ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Aging Men

Abstract Context: The cause of declining testosterone (T) in aging men and their relationships with risk factors are unclear. Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the relationships between lifestyle and health with reproductive hormones in aging men. Design: This was a baseline cross-sectional survey on 3200 community-dwelling men aged 40–79 yr from a prospective cohort study in eight European countries. Results: Four predictors were associated with distinct modes of altered function: 1) age: lower free T (FT; −3.12 pmol/liter·yr, P &lt; 0.001) with raised LH, suggesting impaired testicular function; 2) obesity: lower total T (TT; −2.32 nmol/liter) and FT (−17.60 pmol/liter) for body mass index (BMI; ≥ 25 to &lt; 30 kg/m2) and lower TT (−5.09 nmol/liter) and FT (−53.72 pmol/liter) for BMI 30 kg/m2 or greater (P &lt; 0.001–0.01, referent: BMI &lt; 25 kg/m2) with unchanged/decreased LH, indicating hypothalamus/pituitary dysfunction; 3) comorbidity: lower TT (−0.80 nmol/liter, P &lt; 0.01) with unchanged LH in younger men but higher LH in older men; and 4) smoking: higher SHBG (5.96 nmol/liter, P &lt; 0.001) and LH (0.77 U/liter, P &lt; 0.01) with increased TT (1.31 nmol/liter, P &lt; 0.001) but not FT, compatible with a resetting of T-LH-negative feedback due to elevated SHBG. Conclusions: Complex multiple alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis function exist in aging men against a background of progressive age-related testicular impairment. These changes are differentially linked to specific risk factors. Some risk factors operate independently of but others interact with age, in contributing to the T decline. These potentially modifiable risk factors suggest possible preventative measures to maintain T during aging in men.

One Step Toward More Research on Aging Masculinities: Operationalizing the Hegemonic Masculinity for Older Men Scale (HMOMS)

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen W. Springer ◽  
Dawne M. Mouzon
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Hegemonic Masculinity ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Aging Men ◽  
Younger Men ◽  
One Step ◽  
Aging Adults

Extensive research has documented how hegemonic conceptions of masculinity shape men’s behaviors, beliefs, and health. However, most research focuses on younger men and most datasets of aging adults do not include measures of masculinity. This two-pronged omission renders older men relatively invisible. Part of the reason for this invisibility is the lack of reliable, validated measures of masculinity applicable to aging men. In this project, we document, describe, and validate an eight-item hegemonic masculinity measure administered to more than 1,000 older men (~65 years old). Multivariate analyses predicting gender-typed hobbies consistently validate this Hegemonic Masculinity for Older Men Scale (HMOMS), pointing to the HMOMS as an exciting new option for further exploring the nuances and correlates of masculinity ideals among aging men.

scholarly journals Recombinant Human Chorionic Gonadotropin But Not Dihydrotestosterone Alone Stimulates Osteoblastic Collagen Synthesis in Older Men with Partial Age-Related Androgen Deficiency

2004 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 3033-3041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Meier ◽  
Peter Y. Liu ◽  
Lam P. Ly ◽  
James de Winter-Modzelewski ◽  
Mark Jimenez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Resorption ◽  
Bone Turnover ◽  
Type I Collagen ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Type I ◽  
Androgen Deficiency ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Aging Men ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Androgen Supplementation

Abstract Several randomized trials of androgen supplementation in older men have been undertaken. However, the relative contributions of testosterone (T) and estrogens on bone metabolism in aging men are controversial. Within the setting of two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, we evaluated the effect of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (rhCG) on bone turnover in healthy, community-dwelling older men with partial androgen deficiency (total T ≤ 15 nmol/liter). In the first study, 35 men (age 68.3 ± 6.8 yr; baseline T, 13.9 ± 3.3 nmol/liter) were randomized to receive either daily transdermal DHT (n = 17) or placebo for 3 months. In the second study, 40 men (age 67.4 ± 5.4 yr; baseline T, 11.4 ± 2.2 nmol/liter) were randomized to receive either rhCG sc (n = 20), two injections weekly, or placebo for 3 months. The following parameters were measured before, monthly during, and 1 month after treatment: serum T, estradiol (E2), and LH; markers of bone formation, serum amino-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (S-PINP) and osteocalcin; markers of bone resorption, serum carboxyterminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen and urinary deoxypyridinoline. Compared with placebo, treatment with DHT significantly increased serum DHT and suppressed LH and T levels, whereas E2 concentrations and markers of bone turnover did not change. In contrast, rhCG therapy significantly increased both T and E2, with the increases in E2 being supraphysiological. At the same time, rhCG significantly increased S-PINP concentrations with peak levels after 1 month (Δ40%; P = 0.02 compared with placebo). In contrast, serum osteocalcin and carboxyterminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen and urinary deoxypyridinoline levels did not change. The change in S-PINP levels correlated with the change in E2 levels (r = 0.59; P = 0.02) but not with a change in T. We conclude that in older men with partial age-related androgen deficiency, rhCG treatment stimulates osteoblastic collagen formation proportionally to increased E2 concentrations but does not alter markers of mature osteoblastic function or bone resorption. In contrast, treatment with a pure, nonaromatizable androgen (DHT) has no effect on bone turnover despite a 20-fold increase in serum levels. Bone resorption was not accelerated during unchanged (DHT) or increased (rhCG) E2 levels, suggesting that minimal E2 levels are needed to maintain stable resorption, although direct androgen receptor-mediated effects cannot be excluded. If androgen supplementation is required for aging men, aromatizable androgens with sufficient endogenous estrogenic activity may have the most beneficial effects on bone.

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