Physiology Of Ageing

Question 1

What happened to life expectancy in the 20th century and why

Answer 1

It increased due to medical intervention and an improved standard of living

Question 2

Ageing increases the risk

Answer 2

Of disease

Question 3

What is the most common cause of death

Answer 3

Ischaemic heart disease

Question 4

What deprived areas have a lower

Answer 4

Life expectancy

Question 5

Disability free life expectancy is approximately 20 years lower than

Answer 5

Life expectancy

Question 6

What is ageing

Answer 6

A progressive and deleterious process – causes a gradual decline, less reproductive capacity

Question 7

Does genetic have an influence on life span

Answer 7

Yes heritable lifespan is likely to be 16%

Question 8

Habitable age related diseases

Answer 8

Increase with age

Question 9

Parental lifespan is an important precursor of

Answer 9

Your life span

Question 10

Characteristics of ageing

Answer 10

Decrease force and elasticity of skeletal muscular system (wrinkles)
Decrease filtration rates in the kidneys
Decrease pulmonary ventilation
Decrease maximal bloodflow through the heart
Glucose intolerance
Atrophy/degeneration of most organs

Question 11

In ageing what happens to skeletal muscles

Answer 11

They lose mass and show reduced function (sarcopenia) 

Question 12

What happens in Sarcopenia

Answer 12

This disease is mainly in the elderly, it causes a loss of strength, and increased likelihood of falls and decrease in autonomy

Question 13

What happens to the lungs in ageing

Answer 13

Loss of elastic recoil, dilation of the alveoli, loss of supporting structures for the peripheral airways which causes an increase in residual volume and age related falls in the forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume

Question 14

Cellular characteristics of ageing

Answer 14

Stem cell exhaustion
Decrease in energy output due to mitochondrial dysfunction
High levels of oxidative stress
Altered intercellular communications
Deregulated nutrients sensing

Question 15

Molecular characteristics of ageing

Answer 15

Genome instability
Telomere attrition 
Epigenetic alterations
Changes in gene expression
Loss of protein homoeostasis

Question 16

What is cellular senescence

Answer 16

Normal cells can only divide a limited number of times

Question 17

Why does cellular senescence occur

Answer 17

Chromosomes have telomeres which shortens every time to cell replicates- this can only happen a few times

Question 18

Increase telomere length causes an increase risk of

Answer 18

Cancer

Question 19

Cellular senescence

Answer 19

Absence of proliferative markers, expression of tumour suppresses and cell cycle inhibitors, secretion of a range of signalling molecules

Question 20

Molecular senescence

Answer 20

Epigenetic modifications to DNA, DNA methylation and histone modification change with age

Question 21

Gene expression shows an increase in

Answer 21

Cell to cell variation and noise with age

Question 22

Treatment of ageing

Answer 22

It is difficult and unknown, pharmacologic difficult due to systemic effects and the removal of senescence cells in theory should work but carries a lot of risk