DNA methylation aging and transcriptomic studies in horses

Cytosine methylation patterns have not yet been thoroughly studied in horses. Here, we profile n = 333 samples from 42 horse tissue types at loci that are highly conserved between mammalian species using a custom array (HorvathMammalMethylChip40). Using the blood and liver tissues from horses, we develop five epigenetic aging clocks: a multi-tissue clock, a blood clock, a liver clock and two dual-species clocks that apply to both horses and humans. In addition, using blood methylation data from three additional equid species (plains zebra, Grevy’s zebras and Somali asses), we develop another clock that applies across all equid species. Castration does not significantly impact the epigenetic aging rate of blood or liver samples from horses. Methylation and RNA data from the same tissues define the relationship between methylation and RNA expression across horse tissues. We expect that the multi-tissue atlas will become a valuable resource.

Associations Between Blood Pressure and Accelerated DNA Methylation Aging

Background Individuals of the same chronological age may exhibit diverse susceptibilities to death. However, few studies have investigated the associations between blood pressure and the accelerated aging. Methods and Results A cross‐sectional study was conducted in 288 adults aged ≥50 years. We assessed the DNA methylation‐based measures of biological age using CpG sites on the Illumina HumanMethylationEPIC BeadChip. Epigenetic age acceleration metrics were derived by regressing residuals (ΔAge) and ratios (aging rate) of DNA methylation age on chronological age. Dose‐response relationships between blood pressure and epigenetic age acceleration were quantified using multiple linear regression and restricted cubic regression models. We found that each 10–mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure was associated with 0.608 (95% CI, 0.231–0.984) years increase in ΔAge and 0.007 (95% CI, 0.002–0.012) increase in aging rate; meanwhile, for pulse pressure, the increase was 1.12 (95% CI, 0.625–1.61) years for ΔAge and 0.013 (95% CI, 0.007–0.020) for aging rate. Subgroup analysis showed that the significant associations of systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure with epigenetic age acceleration appeared to be limited to women, although interactions between blood pressure and sex were not significant ( P values for interaction >0.05). The combination of women and hypertension was associated with a much higher increase in ΔAge (β [95% CI], 4.05 [1.07–7.02]) and aging rate (β [95% CI], 0.047 [0.008–0.087]), compared with male participants without hypertension. Conclusions Our findings suggested that high systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were associated with the epigenetic age acceleration, providing important clues for relationships between blood pressure and epigenetic aging.

Deep learning based quantification of the accelerated brain aging rate in glioma patients after radiotherapy

Background and purpose. Changes of healthy appearing brain tissue after radiotherapy have been previously observed, however, they remain difficult to quantify. Due to these changes, patients undergoing radiotherapy may have a higher risk of cognitive decline, leading to a reduced quality of life. The experienced tissue atrophy is similar to the effects of normal aging in healthy individuals. We propose a new way to quantify tissue changes after cranial RT as accelerated brain aging using the BrainAGE framework. Materials and methods. BrainAGE was applied to longitudinal MRI scans of 32 glioma patients, who have undergone radiotherapy. Utilizing a pre-trained deep learning model, brain age is estimated for all patients' pre-radiotherapy planning and follow-up MRI scans to get a quantification of the changes occurring in the brain over time. Saliency maps were extracted from the model to spatially identify which areas of the brain the deep learning model weighs highest for predicting age. The predicted ages from the deep learning model were used in a linear mixed effects model to quantity aging and aging rates for patients after radiotherapy. Results. The linear mixed effects model resulted in an accelerated aging rate of 2.78 years per year, a significant increase over a normal aging rate of 1 (p <0.05, confidence interval (CI) = 2.54-3.02). Furthermore, the saliency maps showed numerous anatomically well-defined areas, e.g.: Heschl's gyrus among others, determined by the model as important for brain age prediction. Conclusion. We found that patients undergoing radiotherapy are affected by significant radiation- induced accelerated aging, with several anatomically well-defined areas contributing to this aging. The estimated brain age could provide a method for quantifying quality of life post-radiotherapy.

Aging Across the Lifespan: Rethinking the David Barker Hypothesis

For many years, the scope of geriatric medicine has been the care of older persons affected by multiple disease with the aim of improving their functional status and optimize quality of life. As our knowledge of the mechanisms of aging grows rapidly, it is becoming clear that accomplishing this scope requires taking a life-course perspective. Research have failed to establish a clear-cut distinction between normal aging and pathology leading to the hypothesis that aging is at the root of chronic diseases, and difference in health can be ascribed to different aging rates. Research in model organisms, suggest that aging can be modified with consequent changes on healthspan and longevity. Interventions that modulate aging may ultimately prevent most-age-associated diseases and their consequences. From this perspective, geriatric medicine is the leading and most promising branch of biomedical science. Challenges remain: first, demonstrating that certain interventions slow down the aging rate requires the valid measure of aging, and while many tools were developed, “epigenetic clocks” being the most promising, the underline mechanism that drive their changes with aging and validity in clinical applications are unclear. We do not know whether variability in the rate of biological aging assessed in old age are already detectable in younger individuals and person-specific rates remain constant during life. In 1986, David Barker stated the hypothesis that the period of gestation, characterized by a strong epigenetic imprinting, affects health and wellbeing across life, perhaps by setting the aging rate. Perhaps pediatric and geriatric medicine are more connected than previously believed.

Biomarkers of ageing in the study of occupational harm impacts (literature review)

Aging is an individual, complex biological process, modulated by internal and external factors, characterized by a progressive loss of biological / physiological integrity, which leads to body dysfunction, increases vulnerability and death. Influence of activity type on aging rate has been convincingly shown in many studies, which makes it possible assess differences in aging rate of workers, exposed various occupational factors, conditions, work nature and intensity in certain professional and seniority groups, adequately reflects health state and can predict effectiveness of human labor activity. As integral indicator, it can help identify individuals at risk of age-related disorders, serving as a measure of relative fitness and predicting later life disability and mortality, regardless of chronological age. The article provides an overview of the main measuring ageing rate methods based on biomarkers, such as functional (“Kiev model”, WAI) and molecular genetic biomarkers (determination of telomere length, β-galactosidase enzyme activity) of human ageing, applicable in occupational medicine. The review discusses the main requirements for biomarker sets compilation, methods applicability and reliability, mathematical approaches to biological age calculating, and some workers biological age calculating problems. This allows assuming the great potential for using biological age to assess the impact of working conditions and work nature on workers’ ageing rate to prevent disability and improve quality of life.

Religiosity, Spirituality and Biopsychological Age of Professionals in Russia

The challenges of modern civilization resulted in the premature biological and psychological aging of professionals of working age. This phenomenon raises both medical and psychological problems associated with personality factors that affect psychobiological maturity and the rate of aging. The influence of religiosity and spirituality on biopsychological age remains the least studied area of psychology. Progress in this area will help to identify the components of religiosity—predictors of the aging rate of professionals. The sample included 295 people (148 women) aged 24 to 54 years (average age 31.7 years) and consisted of Christians (67.12%), Muslims (5.76%), Buddhists, deists, Shintoists, etc., (7.79%) and atheists (17.29%). The average work experience was 9 years. Using correlation analysis and methods of multivariate linear regression and t-test for independent samples, we found that the religiosity of professionals increases with natural aging and deterioration of their physical condition and does not depend on gender. Religiosity to a greater extent affects psychological age, the indicator of the psychobiological maturity of a professional and, to a lesser extent, biological age. Most of the indicators of religiosity are inherent in a person who is more mature in psychobiological terms. The biological age of professionals increases due to asthenic experiences, while gaining faith in God, unusual religious experiences and the existential meaning of life can reduce it. An increase in the spirituality of professionals is associated with a slowdown in the rate of biological aging.