Experimental gerontology最新文献

{"title":"Exploring age-related iron dysregulation: effects on longevity, body size, and behavior in C. elegans","authors":"Rola S. Zeidan ,&nbsp;Pearl Ebea-Ugwuanyi ,&nbsp;Shannon Sykes ,&nbsp;Natalia Evripidou ,&nbsp;Evelyn Pan ,&nbsp;Zachary Markovich ,&nbsp;Yi Sheng ,&nbsp;Sung Min Han ,&nbsp;Christiaan Leeuwenburgh ,&nbsp;Rui Xiao","doi":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112826","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112826","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Age-related iron accumulation is widely observed in various species and significantly impacts physiological processes. However, systematic investigation into how age-related iron dysregulation affects different life traits is still limited. This study utilizes the model organism <em>C. elegans</em> to examine the roles of iron regulatory genes throughout different life stages, focusing on their effects on iron homeostasis, longevity, mobility, size, and mechanosensation. Our expression analysis indicated that most iron-related genes are generally upregulated by day 15, with some peaking earlier, suggesting their crucial role in mid-life iron regulation. Lifespan assays revealed that certain mutants of non-transferrin bound iron (NTBI) uptake regulators, such as <em>smf-1</em> and <em>smf-3</em>, are linked to extended lifespans, while <em>zipt-17</em> mutants showed slightly reduced longevity. Mobility assessments indicated significant declines in speed among several mutant strains by day 7, pointing to mobility issues related to altered iron metabolism. Body size measurements varied considerably among mutant strains, with some demonstrating significant changes over time. Behavioral analyses found that most strains exhibited mechanosensory responses similar to wild-type worms at day 1; however, certain mutants displayed different rates of response reduction by day 7. FerroOrange staining confirmed increased iron accumulation with age in most mutant strains, except for <em>zipt-16</em> and <em>zipt-17</em>, highlighting the connection between iron regulation and aging. Collectively, our current findings demonstrate that iron regulatory genes in <em>C. elegans</em> play diverse and critical roles in maintaining iron homeostasis, influencing lifespan, mobility, body size, and behavioral responses throughout the organism's life. These findings deepen our understanding of iron regulation's impact on health and aging in <em>C. elegans</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94003,"journal":{"name":"Experimental gerontology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 112826"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multimodal LLM for enhanced Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis: Interpretable feature extraction from Mini-Mental State Examination data","authors":"Meiwei Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuwei Pan ,&nbsp;Qiushi Cui ,&nbsp;Yang Lü ,&nbsp;Weihua Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112812","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112812","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) poses a considerable global health challenge, necessitating early and accurate diagnostics. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is widely used for initial screening, but its traditional application often underutilizes the rich multimodal data it generates, such as videos, images, and speech. Integrating these modalities with modern Large Language Models (LLMs) offers untapped potential for improved diagnostics. In this study, we propose a multimodal LLM framework fundamentally reinterprets MMSE data. Instead of relying on conventional, often limited MMSE features, proposed LLM acts as a sophisticated cognitive analyst, directly processing MMSE modalities. This deep multimodal understanding allows for the extraction of novel, high-level features that transcend traditional metrics. These are not merely visual or acoustic signals, but rich semantic representations imbued with cognitive insights gleaned by the LLM. We then construct an interpretable decision tree classifier and derive a succinct rule list, yielding transparent diagnostic pathways readily understandable by clinicians. Finally, framework integrates a counterfactual explanation module to provide individualized “what-if” analyses, illuminating how minimal feature changes could alter model outputs. Our empirical study on real-world clinical data achieves a diagnostic accuracy of approximately 6% percentage points improvements with diagnosing explanation, reinforcing the viability of our framework as a promising, interpretable, and scalable solution for early AD detection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94003,"journal":{"name":"Experimental gerontology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 112812"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Associations between thyroid function, thyroid hormone sensitivity indices, and frailty: Insights from a large cross-sectional study","authors":"Yusheng Zhang ,&nbsp;Daowen Zhang ,&nbsp;Chenwen Yuan ,&nbsp;Yiming Wang ,&nbsp;Hao Zhu ,&nbsp;Yu Duan","doi":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112822","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112822","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>This research aims to assess the relationships of thyroid hormones and thyroid hormone sensitivity with frailty among adults in the United States.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study assessed frailty through a 49-item Frailty Index based on the inclusion of 4011 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; 2007–2012). Furthermore, this study employed logistic regression, sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, restricted cubic splines (RCS), and threshold effect analysis to compare and analyze relation between frailty and thyroid hormone levels as well as sensitivity indices across all ages, particularly in the middle-aged and elderly populations.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 4011 participants were included, with 63.65 % classified as frail based on the Frailty Index (FI). Frail individuals had higher thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), and total thyroxine (TT4), but lower free triiodothyronine (FT3) and total triiodothyronine (TT3) levels. Thyroid hormone sensitivity indices revealed disparities in FT3/FT4 and thyrotropin thyroxine resistance index (TT4RI). Logistic regression models indicated a negative association between FT3, TT3 and frailty, even after adjusting for all covariates (OR = 0.58, 95 % CI: 0.41–0.84 for FT3; OR = 0.99, 95 % CI: 0.99–0.99 for TT3). Sensitivity analysis increases the robustness of the correlation. Subgroup analyses showed that FT3 had a statistically significant inverse correlation in younger (20–44) and middle-aged (45–59) groups (<em>P</em> = 0.042 and <em>P</em> = 0.034). While, TT3 showed a negative association with frailty in younger (20–44) and older (60+) groups (<em>P</em> = 0.037 and <em>P</em> = 0.028). In RCS analysis, significant nonlinear relationships were observed between frailty and all thyroid hormones as well as thyroid hormone sensitivity indices except for TSH and TSHI in the older age group. In the middle-aged group, significant nonlinear relationships were also found between frailty and FT4, FT3/FT4, and Thyroid Feedback Quantile-based Index (TFQI(FT4)) (P nonlinear &lt;0.05). Threshold effect analysis revealed consistent inflection points for FT3 (K = 3.5) across age groups, while FT4 and TFQI(FT4) had different inflection points in middle-aged and older individuals.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Thyroid hormone changes exhibit intimate association with frailty development, highlighting the importance of monitoring thyroid function and thyroid sensitivity indices for both early identification and intervention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94003,"journal":{"name":"Experimental gerontology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 112822"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144565568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of early age-related hearing loss on working memory capacity and speech recognition in noise in middle-aged and older adults","authors":"Chen-Wei Chang ,&nbsp;Yu-chun Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112823","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112823","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>This study aimed to investigate the impact of age-related hearing loss (ARHL) on working memory capacity (WMC) and speech recognition in noise and their relationship in middle-aged and older adults.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Participants were divided into three groups: young adults with normal hearing, middle-aged and older adults with normal hearing, and middle-aged and older adults with high-frequency hearing loss. Assessments included standard and extended high-frequency (EHF) audiometry, the Wechsler Memory Scale, and the Taiwanese Mandarin Quick Speech-in-Noise test.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Sixty-two participants were recruited. Early ARHL were evident as elevated thresholds &gt;1 kHz and in the EHF range. Conventional high-frequency hearing loss primarily impaired word recognition in quiet, whereas EHF loss significantly affected speech-in-noise recognition. Furthermore, ARHL was associated with reduced WMC, potentially accelerating cognitive decline. After controlling for age and hearing status, no significant associations were found between signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) loss and hearing measures, including EHF hearing thresholds. However, WMC remained moderately and negatively correlated with SNR loss in middle-aged and older adults (<em>r</em> = −0.554, <em>p</em> = .002) but not in younger adults.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Adults aged ≥50 years showed declines in EHF hearing sensitivity, WMC, and speech-in-noise recognition despite clinically normal hearing or well-preserved hearing. Speech-in-noise testing proved more sensitive than pure-tone audiometry or word recognition in detecting auditory and cognitive decline. To comprehensively evaluate the impact of ARHL on communication in middle-aged and older adults, it is recommended to incorporate assessments of EHF hearing sensitivity, cognitive function (e.g., WMC), and speech-in-noise perception.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94003,"journal":{"name":"Experimental gerontology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 112823"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144565569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of acute morning versus evening high-intensity interval training on circulating irisin levels and metabolic parameters in overweight postmenopausal women","authors":"Akram Jafari,&nbsp;Fariba Kazemi","doi":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112821","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112821","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose of the research</h3><div>Exercise is considered beneficial for postmenopausal women to manage weight and improve metabolism, but research on the impact of exercise timing on irisin levels and metabolic health in overweight postmenopausal women is inconclusive. This study aims to compare the effects of acute morning and evening high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on irisin levels and metabolic parameters in overweight postmenopausal women.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Fifty-two overweight postmenopausal women aged 53.91 ± 2.71 years were randomly assigned to HIIT (n = 28) and control (n = 24) groups. The HIIT group performed 20 min of repeated 8-second cycling sprints interspersed with 12-second rest intervals at 08:00 and 18:00, with at least 36 h of recovery between sessions, in a randomized order. Blood samples were collected 5 min before, and 5 and 120 min after exercise.</div></div><div><h3>Result</h3><div>Significant within-group increases in irisin (p &lt; 0.01), insulin (p &lt; 0.01), and glucose (p &lt; 0.05) were observed following HIIT. A main effect of time of day revealed higher irisin concentrations in the evening (p &lt; 0.01), although no significant interaction was found between exercise timing and group. No between-group differences in area under the curve (AUC) for irisin or insulin were detected.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Acute HIIT elicited favorable changes in irisin and metabolic markers regardless of time of day. Irisin levels increased significantly after HIIT in both morning and evening sessions, with higher baseline concentrations observed in the evening, suggesting a potential circadian influence on irisin secretion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94003,"journal":{"name":"Experimental gerontology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 112821"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144549611","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of the green view index on anxiety reduction and perceived exertion during cycling in older adults","authors":"Tsai-Chiao Wang ,&nbsp;Ta-Wei Tang ,&nbsp;Shang-Min Ma ,&nbsp;Tsu-Kung Lin ,&nbsp;Chia-Liang Tsai","doi":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112820","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112820","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anxiety is associated with significant functional impairments and diminished mental health and quality of life in older adults. According to stress reduction theory, engaging in physical activity in natural settings may play a critical role in alleviating anxiety among older populations. This study aimed to examine the effects of green exercise under different levels of green view index (GVI) on older adults' psychophysiological responses, including pupil size, anxiety, perceived exertion, and environmental preference. A total of 90 older adults aged 50–75 years were recruited and successfully completed the experiment. Participants were assigned to one of three natural cycling environments, each defined by a different level of GVI: high (60 %), medium (35 %), and low (0 %, control group). The selected environment was a tree-lined path within an urban park featuring lawns, vegetation, and shaded areas. The control group cycled while facing gray urban buildings. All participants completed a single, 20-min moderate-intensity cycling session as the intervention. Pupil size was measured using Tobii Pro Glasses 2, a wearable eye-tracking device operating at 100 Hz. The results showed that the HGVI and MGVI received the smaller pupil size and higher favorable preferences from older adult participants than those from control group. Both excessively high and low levels of GVI in natural environments tend to produce a trade-off between reductions in anxiety and increases in perceived physical exertion. Furthermore, environments with medium to high levels of visible greenery (GVI ≥ 35 %) significantly enhance the psychophysiological benefits of exercise in older adults. Exercise environments with MGVI are considered optimal in balancing anxiety reduction with adequate physical exertion, making them ideal targets for age-friendly urban design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94003,"journal":{"name":"Experimental gerontology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 112820"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Construction of a novel online calculator for prediction of osteoporosis risk in Chinese type 2 diabetes patients","authors":"Xing Yu ,&nbsp;Wenchi Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaojun Chen ,&nbsp;Yicheng Wang ,&nbsp;Huibin Tang ,&nbsp;Yunyun Su ,&nbsp;Liangdi Xie ,&nbsp;Li Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112819","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112819","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been established as an independent risk factor for osteoporosis, often resulting in a poor prognosis. Thus, it is crucial for clinicians to diagnose osteoporosis in diabetic patients. This study aimed to develop a prediction model for osteoporosis in people with T2D from China.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A clinical analysis was retrospectively carried out using our hospital database for patients with definite T2D diagnosed between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2020. All patients were randomly divided into a training set (70 %) and a test set (30 %). Then, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to screen independent risk factors for osteoporosis. Machine learning(ML) models were developed to predict osteoporosis risk using different methods such as logistic regression (LR), naive Bayes (NB), neural network (NNET), support vector machine (SVM), gradient boosting machine (GBM), and k-nearest neighbor (KNN). In addition, Shapley additivity explanations (SHAP) were employed to determine the significance of selected features and interpret the ML models.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 2029 patients were enrolled in the study, of which 457 suffered from osteoporosis. Based on the analysis, five characteristic variables were selected to construct the predictive model for osteoporosis in diabetics, comprising gender, age, BMI, heart rate, and alkaline phosphatase. The GBM model revealed an AUC of 0.79 in the test set and 0.89 in the external validation set. Furthermore, the calibration curves, decision curve analysis, and precision-recall curves highlighted the satisfactory clinical applicability of the GBM model. According to this model, an online calculator was built for clinicians to diagnose diabetes-related osteoporosis patients.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Age, sex, BMI, heart rate, and ALP are significantly associated with osteoporosis in people with T2D. The screening model provides an accurate, user-friendly, and low-cost tool for the early diagnosis of osteoporosis in people with T2D from China.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94003,"journal":{"name":"Experimental gerontology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 112819"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144502651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reliability and validity of the Clinical pHysical rEsilience assEssment Scale (CHEES) in community-dwelling older adults","authors":"Yiwen Xing ,&nbsp;Pan Liu ,&nbsp;Wenhua Yu ,&nbsp;Yiwei Zhao ,&nbsp;Zhibin Wang ,&nbsp;Yue Wu ,&nbsp;Xue Gao ,&nbsp;Yu Wang ,&nbsp;Yansu Guo ,&nbsp;Yumin Wang ,&nbsp;Yi Tang ,&nbsp;Lina Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112818","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112818","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Physical resilience is closely related to healthy aging and refers to the ability of an individual to recover or maintain function after a stressor. However, tools for assessing physical resilience among community-dwelling older adults in China are lacking. We previously developed a 14-item Clinical pHysical rEsilience assEssment Scale (CHEES) in Chinese older adults.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To determine the reliability and validity of the CHEES among community-dwelling older adults.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A total of 1934 older adults from the Beijing community were included. The acceptability of the scale was evaluated by scale acceptance rate, scale qualification rate, and scale completion time. The reliability of the scale was evaluated from the aspects of internal consistency, split-half, and test-retest reliability. The validity of the scale was evaluated in terms of content, construct, and criterion validity.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The average age of the 1934 older adults was 69.73 ± 5.95 years, of whom 1219 were female (63.03 %). The CHEES scale acceptance and qualification rate were both 100 %, and the scale completion time was 2–3 min. The Cronbach's alpha, Spearman–Brown, and Guttman's split-half coefficients for the total scale were 0.733, 0.508, and 0.507, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha, Spearman–Brown, and Guttman's split-half coefficients were 0.567, 0.252, and 0.195 for the intrinsic capacity dimension; 0.768, 0.826, and 0.759 for the adapt to change dimension; and 0.646, 0.554, and 0.554 for the external support dimension, respectively. In the test-retest reliability analysis, the intraclass correlation coefficient for the total scores of the two assessments was 0.915. Further exploratory factor analysis showed that the cumulative variance contribution rate of the common factor was 59.91 %, with factor loadings for each item ranging from 0.472 to 0.858. The Spearman correlation coefficient between CHEES and the Barthel index was 0.110.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The CHEES exhibits good reliability and validity; therefore, it can be used as a reliable tool for evaluating physical resilience of older adults in community settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94003,"journal":{"name":"Experimental gerontology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 112818"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144510054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mendelian randomization study of lipid metabolites reveals causal associations with age-related macular degeneration","authors":"Miao Shui ,&nbsp;Guoke Yang ,&nbsp;Jiang Jiang ,&nbsp;Sibo Wang ,&nbsp;Rongfeng Liao","doi":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112817","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112817","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly, affecting approximately 8.7 % of individuals over 55 years old. Increasing evidence suggests that lipid metabolism plays a significant role in AMD pathogenesis, yet the causal relationships remain unclear. This study aims to elucidate the causal relationship between lipid metabolites and AMD using Mendelian randomization (MR) methodology.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A two-sample MR analysis was conducted to explore the associations between specific lipid metabolites (such as bile acids, fatty acids, sphingolipids, and steroid hormones) and the incidence of AMD, as well as the potential causal effect of AMD on these lipid metabolites. Genetic variants significantly associated with these lipid metabolites were selected as instrumental variables (IVs). Data for AMD and lipid metabolites were sourced from the IEU GWAS database, covering over 209,000 cases and &gt;16 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The MR analysis employed inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger regression, and weighted median methods to estimate causal relationships and address potential pleiotropy and heterogeneity.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>IVW analysis revealed significant associations between several lipid metabolites and AMD. Specifically, higher levels of laurate were found to increase the risk of AMD by 3.532 times (OR = 3.532, 95%CI 1.498–8.328, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.010). In contrast, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) (OR = 0.551, 95%CI 0.311–0.977, <em>P</em> = 0.042) and palmitoyl sphingomyelin (OR = 0.213, 95%CI 0.053–0.863, <em>P</em> = 0.030) were protective, with DHEA-S and palmitoyl sphingomyelin levels reducing the risk of AMD by 44.9 % and 78.7 %, respectively. Sensitivity analyses using MR-Egger and weighted median methods supported these findings, highlighting consistent trends across different analytical approaches.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>By clarifying these causal relationships, this research aims to provide insights that could inform the development of therapeutic strategies targeting lipid metabolism, ultimately improving outcomes for individuals at risk of AMD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94003,"journal":{"name":"Experimental gerontology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 112817"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144478329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Task difficulty modulates motor learning benefits of balance exercises in community-dwelling older adults","authors":"Kazunori Akizuki ,&nbsp;Kosuke Takeuchi ,&nbsp;Kazuto Yamaguchi ,&nbsp;Ryohei Yamamoto ,&nbsp;Wataru Nakano ,&nbsp;Jun Yabuki","doi":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112816","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.exger.2025.112816","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Balance disorders are a major modifiable risk factor for falls, and balance exercises reduce fall rates. However, the effectiveness of balance exercises may depend on the relationship between the task difficulty and individual skill levels. This study aimed to explore the impact of task difficulty on the motor learning benefits of balance exercises.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A sex-stratified, randomized, and non-blinded study was conducted among 40 community-dwelling older adults assigned to either a low- or high-difficulty balance exercise group. The task difficulty was manipulated by altering the support component affixed to an unstable board. Balance performance was measured using a stability index, and functional task difficulty was assessed using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). The experiment included a pre-test, practice trials, and post-test conducted 24 h later. Statistical analyses included analysis of variance and regression analyses to examine the impact of task difficulty on motor learning and the relationship between motor learning benefits and task difficulty.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>While both groups showed improved balance performance with practice, the low-difficulty group demonstrated greater motor learning benefits at the 24-h post-test (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). Regression analysis showed a curvilinear relationship between the performance dimension score of the NASA-TLX and motor learning benefits (y = -0.017x² + 1.843x - 26.711, adjusted <em>R</em>^<em>2</em> = 0.380, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>In balance exercises for community-dwelling older adults, task difficulty significantly influences exercise intervention effectiveness. Our findings contribute to the development of personalized fall prevention programs that adjust task difficulty according to individual skill levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94003,"journal":{"name":"Experimental gerontology","volume":"208 ","pages":"Article 112816"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144340778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}