Prevalence and correlates of disability among urban-rural older adults in Southwest China: a large, population-based study.

BACKGROUND: As one of the challenges of aging, older adults with disabilities are often overlooked in remote areas of many developing countries, including southwest China. Similar populations would undoubtedly benefit from a representative, high-quality survey of large samples, which would also enrich global disability data. This study aims to assess the prevalence of disability and associated factors among urban and rural older adults in a typical representative region. METHOD: A large-scale baseline survey was conducted between March and September 2020 using face-to-face interviews with a multistage stratified random sample of 16,536 participants aged ≥ 60 years. Disability was assessed using the BI scale, with a score of 100 representing normal status, 65-95 as mild disability, 45-60 as moderate disability, and 0-40 as severe disability. The prevalence of disability was estimated by demographics and health characteristics, and their associations were explored by robust Poisson regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of disability among older adults was 19.4%, and the prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe disability was 16.8%, 1.5%, and 1.1%, respectively. All variables, including older age, residence in a rural area, higher number of hospitalizations, comorbidities, poor self-rated health, falls, cognitive impairment, mental impairment, and alienation from friends and relatives, were shown to be associated with a higher adjusted prevalence of disability. Only formal education can reduce the risk of disability. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of disability among older adults is high in both urban and rural settings in southwest China, and a number of important factors associated with disability have been identified. In addition to increased attention to the health status of older adults, further research on scientific management and effective disability interventions is needed.

Effects of Exercise on Patients Important Outcomes in Older People With Sarcopenia: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Many clinical practice guidelines strongly recommend exercise as an intervention for patients with sarcopenia. However, the significance of exercise on patient-important outcomes in older adults with sarcopenia is inconsistent when considering available minimal important differences. To synthesize current systematic review and meta-analyses evidence on the efficacy of exercise on patient-important outcomes in the treatment of sarcopenia in older adults. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library (Cochrane database of systematic review, CDSR) via OvidSP and Web of science until April 2021 and reference lists. Two independent investigators performed abstracted and title screening, assessed the full text and quality of evidence. This umbrella review included systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Eligible reviews aim to evaluate the effect of exercise on patient-important sarcopenic outcomes (muscle or physical function, mortality, and quality of life) in treating sarcopenia in older people. We used the minimally important differences (MIDs) of these outcomes to assess if the effects of exercise matter to patients. RESULTS: This umbrella review provided a broad overview of the existing evidence and evaluated the systematic reviews' methodological quality and evidence for all these associations. In older patients with sarcopenia, moderate- to high-quality evidence showed that exercise intervention probably increases walking speed and improved physical performance (measured by TUG test); exercise may increase the muscle strength (grip strength, keen extension strength); but the effect size for grip strength probably too small to achieve patients important changes. Evidence for older people with sarcopenic obesity is limited, and we found the consistent effect of exercise interventions on grip strength and usual walking speed. CONCLUSION: Exercise has a positive and important effect on physical performance for older adults with sarcopenia, which supports leaving the current recommendations unchanged. New systematic reviews to summarize the effect of exercise on the quality of life are warranted to fill the current evidence gap.

miR-140 Attenuates the Progression of Early-Stage Osteoarthritis by Retarding Chondrocyte Senescence.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of joint pain and disability, and chondrocyte senescence is a key pathological process in OA and may be a target of new therapeutics. MicroRNA-140 (miR-140) plays a protective role in OA, but little is known about its epigenetic effect on chondrocyte senescence. In this study, we first validated the features of chondrocyte senescence characterized by increased cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase and the expression of senescence-associated ß-galactosidase (SA-ßGal), p16INK4a, p21, p53, and γH2AX in human knee OA. Then, we revealed in interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß)-induced OA chondrocytes in vitro that pretransfection with miR-140 effectively inhibited the expression of SA-ßGal, p16INK4a, p21, p53, and γH2AX. Furthermore, in vivo results from trauma-induced early-stage OA rats showed that intra-articularly injected miR-140 could rapidly reach the chondrocyte cytoplasm and induce molecular changes similar to the in vitro results, resulting in a noticeable alleviation of OA progression. Finally, bioinformatics analysis predicted the potential targets of miR-140 and a mechanistic network by which miR-140 regulates chondrocyte senescence. Collectively, miR-140 can effectively attenuate the progression of early-stage OA by retarding chondrocyte senescence, contributing new evidence of the involvement of miR-mediated epigenetic regulation of chondrocyte senescence in OA pathogenesis.

Microbial transformation of the anti-diabetic agent corosolic acid by Cunninghamella echinulata.

The pentacyclic triterpenoid corosolic acid was metabolized by Cunninghamella echinulata CGMCC 3.2000 to its C-24 aldehyde group metabolite and five other hydroxylated metabolites: madasiatic acid (2), 2α, 3ß, 7ß-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (3), 2α, 3ß, 15α-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (4), 2α, 3ß, 6ß, 7ß-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (5), 2α, 3ß, 7ß, 15α-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (6), and 2α, 3ß,7ß-trihydroxy-24-al-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (7); compounds 3, 5, and 7 were new compounds. The α-glucosidase inhibitory effects of the metabolites were also evaluated.

Microbial transformation of the anti-diabetic agent corosolic acid.

Biotransformation of corosolic acid (1) by Cochliobolus lunatus and Streptomyces asparaginoviolaceus afforded four metabolites, which were identified by using (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, DEPT, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY spectral data. Biotransformation of corosolic acid by C. lunatus R.R. Nelson & Haasis CGMCC 3.4381 produced three metabolites: 2α,3ß,21ß-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (2), 2α,3ß,7ß,21ß-tetrahydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (3) and 2α,3ß-dihydroxy-21-oxours-12-en-28-oic acid (4). Incubation of corosolic acid with growing cultures of S. asparaginoviolaceus CGMCC 4.0175 afforded metabolite 2α,3ß,30-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (5). All the metabolites were reported for the first time. The substrate and four metabolites, along with four products obtained previously, were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase; all the triterpenes tested showed potent inhibitory effects.

Microbial transformation of asiatic acid.

Asiatic acid (1), a major pentacyclic triterpene of Centella asiatica, was subjected to transformation by Penicillium lilacinum ACCC 31890, Fusarium equiseti CGMCC 3.3658, and Streptomyces griseus CGMCC 4.18 strains. Incubation of asiatic acid with P. lilacinum ACCC 31890 and F. equiseti CGMCC 3.3658 gave an identical product: 2α,3ß,15α,23-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (2). Biotransformation of asiatic acid by S. griseus CGMCC 4.18 resulted in three derivatives: 2α,3ß,21ß,23-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (3), 2α,3ß,23-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28, 30-dioic acid (4), and 2α,3ß,23,30-tetrahydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (5). The structures of those derivatives were deduced from their spectral data. Products (2), (3), and (4) were new compounds. In addition, the in vitro cytotoxicities of those derivatives along with 1 were evaluated with several human cancer cell lines.