Vol 6, No 3 (2016)

Research results obtained at the junction of geophysics, astronomy, and biology that pointing to the existing association between indicators of living objects and cosmophysical factors may be of specific interest for future gerontological research. This paper presents data on basic astronomical factors potentially capable on a regular basis of causing changes in gravitational effects on the biosphere as a human habitat. Among these factors are the motion of the Earth and Moon as described by equations known in astronomy (equation of equinoxes, equation of time), as well as major perturbations from the Sun (evection, variation, and annual inequality) inferred from the theory of lunar motion. Based on the amount of major perturbations from the Sun, the so-called λ_D-functions, it was possible to study associations of fluctuations of the so-called computer time, solar radiation energy in the range of 605–607 nm, as well as concentrations of hemoglobin and red blood cells with major perturbations from the Sun. A conclusion is drawn about the universal nature of the impact of the movements of the Earth and the Moon on the biosphere. The tables for the period from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2016 with the calculated values of the λ_D-functions, which are potentially important for analyzing their association with temporal changes in various indicators of the body, are provided. The patterns revealed by comparison of the changes in various biomarkers with the course of values of the λ_D-function from the tables can be predictive in the study of the functioning of the human body and the biosphere in astronomical periods. The research was carried out in Antarctica, at stations Vostok (1998–1999) and Novolazarevskaya (2003–2004), to exclude the influence of artificial electromagnetic fields.

The five-phase structure of annuity curves for fruit flies of the Canton-S line detected earlier has been observed at different cohort sizes, which is indicative of the stability of the feature in question. However, variability in the duration of each of the five phases and a related variability in the cohort lifespan was observed in five experimental replicates. The five-phase structure is assumed to be under rigid genetic control, whereas the certain variability in the phase duration (which determines lifespan variability) implemented in the program of fruit fly development is presumably affected by weak uncontrollable signals.

Posttraumatic knee osteoarthritis patients (n = 117) and healthy individuals (n = 94) were investigated to determine the genotype and allelic frequency distribution of polymorphic loci Т-31С, С + 3953Т IL-1β and G-308A TNF-α. The plasma and synovial fluid levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α were also measured in 31 patients. The study demonstrated that the plasma and synovial fluid levels of IL-1β but not TNF-α were increased in patients with posttraumatic knee osteoarthritis. Also, the linkage between TNF-α levels and polymorphic locus G-308A TNF-α was shown: the presence of allele–308А was associated with decreased TNF-α levels. It was found that polymorphic loci Т-31С, С+3953Т IL-1β, and G-308A TNF-α are not markers of predisposition to posttraumatic knee osteoarthritis in Russian population of Rostov Oblast.

Surgical treatment remains the only way to restore vision in patients with cataract; this disorder is the most common cause of vision decline and vision loss in people older than 65. It is estimated that a 10-year delay in the development of a cataract will enable a twofold reduction in the need for surgery. In 2012 Nagai et al. reported an anticataract effect of the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor disulfiram (DSF) (which is widely used as an antialcoholism drug) in ICR/f rats with hereditary cataracts. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the effect of DSF on cataract in OXYS rats. These rats develop lens alterations similar to senile cataract in humans. Administration of DSF from the age of 1.5 to 3.5 months did not prevent but significantly slowed cataract development in OXYS rats. At concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5%, DSF reduced the severity of pathological alterations in the lens by a factor of 1.8; at these concentrations, it was more effective than at a concentration of 1%. These data were in accordance with the results of ophthalmoscopic histomorphological examination, which showed that pharmacotherapy strongly reduced the structural damage (typical for cataracts) to the capsule of the lens epithelium and to the organization of its fibers. Thus, disulfiram is a promising drug for the prevention of senile cataract in humans.

A study that involved 253 men (age 22–74 years) revealed an increase in the intensity of fat tissue accumulation at the beginning of the first period of middle age already; the increase was associated with the transition from the predominance of the gynoid type of obesity to that of the android type. The increase in the incidence of both individual components of metabolic syndrome and the syndrome as a whole was most pronounced in men in the second period of middle age, whereas the frequency of occurrence of such syndrome components as hypertriglyceridemia, low level of HDL cholesterol, and hyperglycemia was lower in the elderly. The value of the index of visceral obesity was significantly higher in men with the android type of obesity in all of the studied age groups. Thus, the risk of metabolic syndrome development in men with the gynoid type of obesity is lower than in men with the android type of obesity, regardless of the age of the subjects.

The article discusses the results of preclinical tests of the possibility to optimize reparative osteogenesis in postoperative bone cavities of jaws in old rats by the application of Kartalaks, a peptide bioregulator. According to histological and morphometric assessments, the use of Kartalaks has a positive effect on the course of reparative osteogenesis in the mandible of old rats. Reparative osteogenesis of a standard defect in the mandible has been shown to occur in old animals at early stages (within 30 days), as in to the control group, if the application of Kartalaks in old animals was started 30 days before the planned surgical intervention. The formation of regenerated complex tissue containing a smaller proportion of connective and cartilage tissues, which is also characterized by a more advanced remodeling processes in the newly formed bone tissue, was observed on the 60th–120th day after the start of the experiment in the test variation with preliminary application of the peptide bioregulator (Kartalaks) as compared with the control group and the group of animals beginning administration on the day of surgery completion.

This article considers the structure of the criteria of the severity of emotional sphere disorders in older people, as well as recommendations for their diagnosis. An algorithm for diagnosing emotional sphere disorders is proposed. It includes four phases: screening and diagnostic, clinical and pathopsychological, laboratory and instrumental diagnostic, and psychodiagnostic phases; it can be applied both for estimation of the prevalence of different forms of emotional disorders and for their early correction and prevention at the individual level. Criteria to assess the levels of severity of anxiety and asthenic disorders are presented. The developed recommendations can be applied in the activities of general somatic practice doctors (therapists, general practitioners, and neurologists).