Certain aspects of balance control change with age, resulting in a slight postural instability. We examined healthy subjects between 20-82 years of age during the quiet stance under static conditions: at stance on a firm surface and/or on a compliant surface with eyes either open or closed. Body sway was evaluated from centre of foot pressure (CoP) positions during a 50 sec interval. The seven CoP parameters were evaluated to assess quiet stance and were analyzed in three age groups: juniors, middle-aged and seniors. The regression analysis showed evident increase of body sway over 60 years of age. We found that CoP parameters were significantly different when comparing juniors and seniors in all static conditions. The most sensitive view on postural steadiness during quiet stance was provided by CoP amplitude and velocity in AP direction and root mean square (RMS) of statokinesigram. New physiological ranges of RMS parameter in each condition for each age group of healthy subjects were determined. Our results showed that CoP data from force platform in quiet stance may indicate small balance impairment due to age. The determined physiological ranges of RMS will be useful for better distinguishing between small postural instability due to aging in contrast to pathological processes in the human postural control., D. Abrahamová, F. Hlavačka., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Concentrations of numerous hormones decrease with age. Some authors imply that a syndrome of partial endocrine deficiency may occur in the aging men. Among many lifestyle factors that influence hormonal status is physical activity. Especially interesting are relations between physical activity and the androgenic/estrogenic status of men. The aim of this study was to evaluate age-related changes of serum androgens, estradiol and SHBG in men presenting different levels of physical activity. Hormonal parameters were measured in a cohort of 387 healthy Caucasian men (aged from 24 to 72 years) from one administrative region of Poland. Their level of physical activity was determined by means of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). We have found that contrary to SHBG concentration, total testosterone, free testosterone, bioavailable testosterone, calculated free testosterone and estradiol were negatively associated with age in the investigated subjects. Apart from estradiol, physical activity did not influence concentrations of the studied parameters. In younger (24-48 years), physically active males estradiol was significantly higher than in subjects characterized by a low level of physical activity. The situation was opposite in older males (48-72 years). In this age group low level of physical activity was associated with lower concentration of estradiol. Undertaking physical effort increased the decline of estradiol level with age., M. Slowinska-Lisowska, P. Jozkow, M. Medras., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Quercetin, a polyphenolic compound present in various types of food, has been shown to exert beneficial effects in different cardiac as well as non-cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) models in adult animals. However, there is no evidence about the effects of quercetin on I/R injury in non-mature animals, despite the fact that efficiency of some interventions against I/R is agedependent. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of chronic quercetin treatment on I/R injury in juvenile and adult rat hearts. Juvenile (4-week-old) as well as adult (12-week-old) rats were treated with quercetin (20 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks, hearts were excised and exposed to 25-min global ischemia followed by 40-min reperfusion. Functional parameters of hearts and occurrence of reperfusion arrhythmias were registered to assess the cardiac function. Our results have shown that quercetin improved post-ischemic recovery of LVDP, as well as recovery of markers of contraction and relaxation, +(dP/dt)max and -(dP/dt)max, respectively, in juvenile hearts, but not in adult hearts. Quercetin had no impact on incidence as well as duration of reperfusion arrhythmias in animals of both ages. We conclude that the age of rats plays an important role in heart response to quercetin treatment in the particular dose and duration of the treatment. Therefore, the age of the treated subjects should be taken into consideration when choosing the dose of quercetin and duration of its application in prevention and/or treatment of cardiovascular diseases., M. Bartekova, J. Radosinska, D. Pancza, M. Barancik, T. Ravingerova., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Damage of molecules as a consequence of oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenes is of chronic diseases related to aging. Diet is a key environmental factor affecting the incidence of many chronic diseases. Antioxidant substances in diet enhance the DNA, lipid and protein protection by increasing the scavenging of free radicals. Products of oxidative damage of DNA (DNA strand breaks with oxidized purines or oxidized pyrimidines), lipids (conjugated dienes of fatty acids) and proteins (carbonyls) in relation to nutrition (vegetarian diet vs. non-vegetarian, traditional mixed diet) were measured in young women aged 20-30 years (46 vegetarians, 48 non-vegetarians) vs. older women aged 60-70 years (33 vegetarians, 34 non-vegetarians). In young subjects, no differences in values of oxidative damage as well as plasma values of antioxidative vitamins (C, β-carotene) were observed between vegetarian and non-vegetarian groups. In older vegetarian group significantly reduced values of DNA breaks with oxidized purines, DNA breaks with oxidized pyrimidines and lipid peroxidation and on the other hand, significantly increased plasma values of vitamin C and β-carotene were found compared to the respective non-vegetarian group. Significant age dependences of measured parameters (increase in all oxidative damage products and decrease in plasma vitamin concentrations in older women) were noted only in non-vegetarians. Vegetarian values of older women vs. young women were similar or non-significantly changed. The results suggest that increase of oxidative damage in aging may be prevented by vegetarian nutrition., M. Krajčovičová-Kudláčková, M. Valachovičová, V. Pauková, M. Dušinská., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
In this paper a comparison is made between the Czech Republic and other European countries regarding attitudes toward the ideal timing for childbirth. In 1990s there was a sharp increase in the postponement of the transition to parenthood in the Czech Republic. This development raises the question: Are normative beliefs in the Czech Republic regarding the timing of childbirth changing, and if so, are they becoming similar to the attitudes present in Western Europe? After a brief outline of the concept of age norms, beliefs regarding the ideal age of when to become a parent in European countries are explored using data from the European Social Survey 2006. In the final part of this paper there is a detailed analysis of Czech attitudes toward the ideal timing of the birth of the first child, using CVVM survey data from 2006, with a specific focus on cohort and educational differences. This research reveals that Czech attitudes toward the ideal age for mothers having a first child is intermediate between the patterns observed in (a) East European countries where the ideal is for a younger age, and (b) West European states where an older age preference is prevalent. In contrast, the ideal age for becoming a father for the first time in the Czech Republic is one of the oldest in Europe. Significantly, the proportion of the population that rejects age norms for reproduction exhibits little systematic pattern across Europe. Within the Czech Republic the survey evidence indicates that those who are less than 35 years old, and those who are most educated have a significantly older ideal age for having a first child than all others., Jana Chaloupková., 2 grafy, 6 tabulek, Obsahuje bibliografii, and Anglické resumé
The influence of female mating status on ovarian development of the ladybird, Propylea dissecta (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), was investigated under laboratory conditions. We assessed the extent to which ovariole development was affected by mating and for that we initially created a base line by observing age specific ovariole development. Results show that the number of follicles in each ovariole increased with the age of both virgin and mated females up to the age of 3 days, thereafter, no increase in number of follicles was recorded. Ovariole width also increased with age in both virgin and mated females up to 4 days, thereafter, no increase in ovariole width was recorded. The ovariole width of mated females was significantly greater than that of virgin females. Egg maturation and the egg load started to increase at the age of 8 days in virgin females. Thereafter, it increased with increase in female age. While in mated females, immature eggs were recorded in their ovarioles from the age of 1 to 2 days. In mated females, however, the increase in the number of mature eggs per ovariole and egg load started when they were 3 days old. Egg load continuously increased with increasing female age., Mhd Shahid, Arshi Siddiqui, Omkar, Geetanjali Mishra., and Obsahuje bibliografii
V práci autor předkládá hypotézy, podle nichž mají pocity životního štěstí a spokojenosti zpětné vlivy na percepci a hodnocení objektivních podmínek života. Pro výklad těchto účinků na percepci objektivních podmínek předkládá hypotézu kognitivní konzistence (halo efektu), pro výklad účinků kvality života na interpretaci a hodnocení vstupních informací předkládá autor hypotézu kauzálních atribucí. Podle první hypotézy je při percepci podmínek života ve hře jev podobný halo efektu. Ten vede k tomu, že šťastní lidé nahlíží řadu podmínek svého života v lepším světle než lidé nešťastní. Podle druhé hypotézy používáme odlišná kauzální schémata pro výklad nespokojenosti a spokojenosti se životem.
Tyto hypotézy – především hypotézu týkající se účinku kauzálních atribucí – autor specifikoval zvlášť pro úroveň jedinců a států a testoval na datech ze tří šetření ESS (z let 2002, 2004 a 2006). Zaměřil se na účinky vzdělání, zdraví a politicko-ekonomické situace státu. Tyto tři faktory mají na pocity životního štěstí a spokojenosti významné nezávislé vlivy. Jejich účinky jsou však současně moderovány kvalitou života. U jedinců, kteří jsou v rámci státu nadprůměrně šťastní a spokojení se svými životy, neexistují téměř žádné souvislosti mezi jejich pocity životního štěstí a jejich vzděláním, subjektivním zdravím a spokojeností s politicko-ekonomickou situací. Avšak u jedinců, kteří jsou v rámci státu relativně nešťastní a jsou se svými životy nespokojení, existují mezi těmito proměnnými velmi silné souvislosti. Na úrovni států se analogicky ukázalo, že čím jsou v určitém státě jedinci v průměru šťastnější a spokojenější, tím nižší jsou v tomto státě souvislosti (korelace) mezi těmito třemi proměnnými a kvalitou života.
The relationship between baroreflex sensitivity expressed in ms/mm Hg (BRS) or in Hz/mm Hg (BRSf) in hypertensives with stroke in comparison with a group of stroke-free patients was evaluated. Twenty-six patients (aged 66±10 years, 11 females/ 15 males) with a history of the first ever ischemic stroke (6 months and more after stroke onset), which was neuroradiologically confirmed, were studied. These were compared to 30 hypertensive patients without history of any cardiovascular event, being of similar age and sex. BRS and BRSf were determined by the sequence and spectral methods (fiveminute non-invasive beat-to-beat recording of blood pressure and inter-beat interval, controlled breathing at a frequency of 0.1 Hz). A significant negative correlation between spontaneous BRS and blood pressure (BP) represented by the grade of hypertension was present (r = -0.52, p<0.001). Differences between hypertensives with and without stroke were detected in BRS obtained by the spectral method (BRS spect p=0.0237, BRSf spect p=0.0285) or BRS obtained by sequence method (BRS seq p=0.0532, BRSf seq p=0.0273). The greatest decline in BRS values was in hypertensive stroke patients with metabolic syndrome, who had BRS values below 3 ms/mm Hg. We found out that BRS and BRSf were more impaired in stroke patients with essential hypertension even 6 months and more after stroke onset than in stroke-free hypertensive patients. This finding was independent of age-dependent decrease of BRS. Examination of baroreflex sensitivity as a marker of autonomic dysfunction along with global cardiovascular risk stratification of individuals seems to be a method for identifying patients at high residual cardiovascular risk., D. Čelovská ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy