Ricerc@Sapienza

Resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms reflect the fluctuation of cortical arousal and vigilance in a typical clinical setting, namely the EEG recording for few minutes with eyes closed (i.e., passive condition) and eyes open (i.e., active condition). Can this procedure be back-translated to C57 (wild type) mice for aging studies? On-going EEG rhythms were recorded from a frontoparietal bipolar channel in 85 (19 females) C57 mice.

Simultaneous resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI)-resting state electroencephalography (rsEEG) studies in healthy adults showed robust positive associations of signal power in the alpha band with BOLD signal in the thalamus, and more heterogeneous associations in cortical default mode network (DMN) regions. Negative associations were found in occipital regions. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), rsfMRI studies revealed a disruption of the DMN, while rsEEG studies consistently reported a reduced power within the alpha band.

Few studies have examined the relationship between CSF and structural biomarkers, and cognitive function in MCI. We examined the relationship between cognitive function, hippocampal volume and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) A?42 and tau in 145 patients with MCI. Patients were assessed on cognitive tasks from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Functional Activities Questionnaire. Hippocampal volume was measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and CSF markers of A?42, tau and p-tau181 were also measured.

The coupling of Thermogravimetry (TG) in conjuction with chemometrics was investigated for the first time to evaluate the capabilities of this novel test to provide the screening of thalassemia in blood samples stored at 4 °C until 15 days. Healthy donors were considered as reference subjects and a typical thermal behaviour as a function of aging was estimated and compared to thermal behaviour of thalassemia subjects. Diagnosis of thalassemia was made at the Day-Hospital Thalassemia of S.

The biosynthesis of endogenous androgenic anabolic steroids (EAAS) in males varies with age. Knowledge of the general urinary EAAS profile's dependence from aging – not reported up to now – may represents a prerequisite for its exploitation in the screening and diagnostic support for several pathologies. Extended urinary EAAS profiles were obtained from healthy and pathological individuals, using a GC–MS method which was fully validated by a stepwise, analyst-independent scheme.

Physical frailty and sarcopenia (PF&S) are hallmarks of aging that share a common pathogenic background. Perturbations in protein/amino acid metabolism may play a role in the development of PF&S. In this initial report, 68 community-dwellers aged 70 years and older, 38 with PF&S and 30 non-sarcopenic, non-frail controls (nonPF&S), were enrolled as part as the "BIOmarkers associated with Sarcopenia and Physical frailty in EldeRly pErsons" (BIOSPHERE) study. A panel of 37 serum amino acids and derivatives was assayed by UPLC-MS.

The construct of physical frailty and sarcopenia (PF&S) identifies an age-related pre-disability condition defined by reduced physical performance and low muscle mass. Whether PF&S is characterized by perturbations of the cytokine network is presently unclear. Furthermore, the existence of gender-specific inflammatory profiles of PF&S is unknown. This study was designed to explore the association between a large panel of inflammatory biomolecules and PF&S in older adults through a multivariate statistical approach.

Diabetes and frailty are highly prevalent conditions that impact the health status of older adults. Perturbations in protein/amino acid metabolism are associated with both functional impairment and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In the present study, we compared the concentrations of a panel of circulating 37 amino acids and derivatives between frail/pre-frail older adults with T2DM and robust non-diabetic controls. Sixty-six functionally impaired older persons aged 70+ with T2DM and 30 age and sex-matched controls were included in the analysis.

Physical frailty and sarcopenia (PF&S) share multisystem derangements, including variations in circulating amino acids and chronic low-grade inflammation. Gut microbiota balances inflammatory responses in several conditions and according to nutritional status. Therefore, an altered gut-muscle crosstalk has been hypothesized in PF&S. We analyzed the gut microbial taxa, systemic inflammation, and metabolic characteristics of older adults with and without PF&S.

Physical frailty (PF) and sarcopenia are major health issues in geriatric populations, given their high prevalence and association with several adverse outcomes. Nevertheless, the lack of an univocal operational definition for the two conditions has so far hampered their clinical implementation. Existing definitional ambiguities of PF and sarcopenia, together with their complex underlying pathophysiology, also account for the absence of robust biomarkers that can be used for screening, diagnostic and/or prognostication purposes.