Objective To explore the variation tendency of serum thyroid hormone level in the elderly aged over 80 years.Methods The 602 healthy volunteers were divided into 3 groups by age:young group (20-59 years of age,n= 226),elderly group (60-79 years of age,n= 195),and advanced age group (80-102 years of age,n=181).Fasting blood of all persons was harvested,then the levels of serum total triiodothyroxine (TT3),total thyroxine (TT4),free tri-iodothyronine (FT3),free thyroxine (FT4),thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and reverse tri-iodothyronine (rT3) were determined by chemistry luminescence technique and radioimmunoassay.Statistical analysis was made by the software SPSS 13.0.Results The levels of serum FT3 and TT3 were lower in elderly group than in young group (t=2.793,3.627,P=0.005,0.000).There were significant differences in the levels of serum TT3,TT4,FT3,TSH and rT3 between young group and advanced-age group (t =10.930,6.065,15.398,- 2.933,- 5.643,all P = 0.000),also between elderly group and advanced-age group (t= 8.382,4.298,11.573,-3.383,-5.148,all P＜0.001).The levels of serum FT3,TT3 and TT4 were negatively correlated with age (r=- 0.51,-0.39 and -0.25,respectively,all P＜0.01).And the levels of serum rT3 and TSH showed positive relationships with age (r=0.32,0.12,all P＜0.01).There were no relationships between the level of serum FT4 and age.The positive rate of serum TT3,TT4,FT3,FT4,TSH and rT3 concentration beyond the reference value was 0,0,13.8%,0,6.6% and 21% in advanced-age group,respectively.Conclusions The levels of serum thyroid hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone change with age.The levels of FT3,rT3 and TSH change obviously in the elderly aged over 80 years.It could reduce the false positive rate in clinical practice if normal reference range for serum thyroid hormone levels in different aged elderly is established.

Objective　The relationship between DNA methylation and the overexpression of cell cycle negative regulator p16MTS1/INK4a in senescent cells was studied. 　Methods　PCR amplification of p16 exon I following digestion with Sma I , a methylation sensitive DNA endonuclease, was adapted to determine the methylation status at specific site. 　Results　 T-he increased expression of p16 in the aging process of human fetal lung diploid fibroblasts (2BS) was observed. In middle-aged and old cells, the p16 level was about 3 folds and 10 folds respectively as that in young cells. The methylation level of the Sma I site in p16 exon I tended to decline with aging, being about 64% and 41% in young and middle-aged cells respectively, but still maintain relatively as high as about 24% in senescent cells. 　Conclusions　 The overexpression of p16 in senescent human fibroblasts might be related to the alteration of methylation level of exon I, its mechanisms need to be defined further.

Age is an important risk factor for osteoporosis.With its high rates of osteoporosis prevalence and fracture incidence,bone fracture results in increment of mortality rate,reduction of function,rising long—term care requirements,drop of life quality and increased medical resource consumption,especially in the advanced elderly.The current article introduces the prevalence and key points of prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and bone fracture in the elderly.

Objectives To study the clinical effects of percutaneous kyphoplasty on senile osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures.Methods The 87 elderly patients with osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures were randomly grouped into control group (n=42) treated with percutaneous vertebroplasty and observation group (n=45) treated with percutaneous kyphoplasty in our hospital from June 2013-March 2016.And the clinical curative effect before and after treatment was compared and analyzed.Results The visual analog scale (VAS) pain score in observation group versus control group was (8.49±2.86) vs.(8.56±2.98),(t=0.11,P>0.05) before treatment,and[(2.58±1.34) vs.(3.34±2.01),t=2.09,P< 0.05],[(2.06±0.97) vs (3.87±1.96),t=5.51,P<0.05]and[(1.09±0.89) vs (2.37±1.29)],t=5.42,P<0.05]at 1 week,4 weeks,and 12 weeks after treatment respectively,showing statistically significant improvement after treatment.The data of kyphosis angle by using Cobb angle,Oswestry lumbar dysfunction index (ODI),mean time of postoperative ambulation,and mean postoperative hospital stay were similar to that of the visual analog scale (VAS) pain score,showing statistically significant improvement after treatment (all P<0.05).The incidence[cases (%)]of bone cement leakage was lower in observation group[3(6.7)]than in control[9(21.4)](χ2=3.98,P<0.05).Conclusions Clinical treatment effects of percutaneous kyphoplasty on the elderly patients with osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures are superior to that of percutaneous vertebroplasty.Percutaneous kyphoplasty can effectively relieve pain,and improve body function disorders and the quality of life.

Objectives To study the effect of bone mineral density measurement on the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in patients with fragility hip fracture.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 560 cases of elderly patients with fragility hip fracture in our hospital from January 2010 to December 2012.They were divided into two groups with and without the bone mineral density measurement,and compared to study the bone turnover markers detection and osteoporosis treatment.Results Among the 80 cases with the DXA bone mineral density detection,36 cases received the bone turnover markers detection(45.0%),and the rate of osteoporosis treatment in hospital was 70.0%,while the rate of osteoporosis treatment after discharge was 57.5%.Among the 480 cases without DXA bone mineral density detection,none received bone turnover markers detection,and the rate of osteoporosis treatment in hospital was 42.1%,while the rate of osteoporosis treatment after discharge was 36.7%.Conclusions The detection rate of bone mineral density and the diagnosis and treatment rate of osteoporosis are low in patients with fragility hip fracture.DXA bone mineral density measurement is helpful to improve the detection rate of bone turnover markers and the treatment rate of osteoporosis.

Objective To investigate the correlation between hemoglobin level and health status of the elderly living in communities in Beijing.Methods A random cluster sampling method was used to select residents living in communities of Beijing city,and a cross-sectional study was carried out by questionnaires,scene testing and blood sample collection.WHO-formulated criteria were applied for diagnosing anemia.The health indicators in questionnaires included visual impairment,physical disability,decreased health,self-care,fatigue,anorexia,independent walking distance,exercise frequency,intelligence status and computing power.Results Complete information was obtained in a total of 1 948 elderly people,including 790 cases of male and 1 158 cases of female,with an average age of(73.9±6.1)years and a median age of 74 years(65-100).The mean level of hemoglobin in the 1 948 people was(135.65 ± 14.48) g/L,with (142.56 ± 15.56) g/L in male and (130.95 ± 11.53) g/L in female.Hemoglobin level was significantly lower in female than in men (t =54.739,P＜ 0.01).Hemoglobin level was decreased with aging,and negatively associated with appetite,physical strength,walk assistance,visual acuity and physical ability(r=-0.055,-0.067,-0.071,-0.114,-0.095;P =0.022,0.005,0.004,0.000,0.000),while positively associated with health status,activities in daily life,athletic ability,exercise frequency and intelligence (r =0.073,0.126,0.122,0.066,0.124;P =0.002,0.000,0.000,0.006,0.000).Conclusions The hemoglobin level of the elderly decreases with aging and is associated with health status and quality of life in the elderly,which should be taken care seriously.

Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the initial amount of total RNA input,adapter dilution and PCR amplification cycles on the results of small RNA library preparation and high-throughput sequencing.Methods Based on the sequencing reads number,the number of detected miRNAs and the accuracy of quantitative detection,we explored the effects of initial Total RNA,dilution ratio and PCR cycles on the quality of microRNA library preparation and high-throughput sequencing,respectively.Results For libraries preparation of the normal RNA input(1 μg),the adapter dilution combined with 22 PCR cycles could gain the best quality of sequencing.In the low-input libraries(10 ng),adapter dilution and increased PCR cycles would also improve the quality of sequencing,but as compared with the 1 μg library,there was lower correlation with microarray quantitative results in general.Conclusions The initial amount of RNAs input has the biggest effects on the quality of sequencing,and the quantity accuracy rate of low-input libraries is lower than the normal libraries generally.Increasing the PCR amplification cycles properly is indispensable to low-input libraries.

Objective To analyze the frail status and influencing factors of inpatients in geriatrics department.Methods A total of 170 patients aged ≥ 65 years in Geriatrics Department in our hospital were selected.Frailty was defined according to the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS),and patients were divided into non-frail group and frail group.The differences in comorbidity,physical function,nutrition,cognitive,psychological,geriatrics syndromes,medication,social support and other aspects were analyzed between the two groups by using Comprehensive Geriatrics Assessment(CGA),and correlationof the factors with frailty was evaluated.Results There were 83 (49.0％)patients in frail group and 87 (51.0％)in non-frail group.In frail group versus non-frail group,Charlson comorbidity index was(2.7±2.0)vs.(1.9±1.1),and cumulative illness rating scale was(10.8±3.7) vs.(8.0±2.6) (all P＜0.05);mini-nutrition assessment was(11.2±2.3)vs.(13.0±1.3),and simple cognitive score was(2.7±1.3)vs.(4.1±0.9)(all P＜0.05).Grip,five chair rising,timed get-up and go test,walking speed,SPPB showed statistically significant differences (all P＜ 0.05) between frail group and non-frail group:(20.7±6.6)kg vs.(27.96.7)kg,(30.4±17.5)vs.(12.9±4.1),(23.7± 9.9)vs.(11.7± 3.3),(0.5 ± 0.2)m/s vs.(0.9± 0.2)m/s,(5.6 ± 2.3) vs.(10.3±1.8)respectively.The incidences of incontinence,visual impairment,hearing impairment,sleeping disorder,oral problems,chronic pain,anxiety or depression and fall history were higher in frail patients than in non-frail patients.Living alone,the widowed,nursing staff employment proportion were higher in frail group than in non-frail group.Level of education was lower in frail group than non-frail group.Logistic regression analysis showed that BMI,the walking speed and the number of geriatrics syndromes had a significant impact on frailty(OR=0.789,0.000,2.745,all P＜0.05).Conclusions Incidence rate of frailty in elderly hospitalized patients is high.To identify frailty of hospitalized patients,comprehensive geriatric assessment can be used for understanding frail characteristics and its influencing factors for hospitalized old patients,so as to provide evidence for the reasonable treatment programs.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of ranibizumab in the treatment of corneal neovascularization(CNV)in elderly patients.Methods A total of 40 elderly patients(50 eyes)with conceal neovascularization were enrolled in this study at our hospital.Among them,20 patients(22 eyes)in observation group enrolled from January 2015 to December 2015,received subconjunctival injection of ranibizumab,and 20 patients(28 eyes)in control group enrolled from June 2014 to December 2014,receivedlaser photocoagulation.The visual acuity,the area of corneal neovascularization,intraocular pressure and therapeutic response rate were measured and compared between two groups before and 1 month,6 months and 12 months after treatment.All patients were followed up for 12 months to record the recurrence and complications.Results In the observation group,20 eyes(90.9％),19 eyes(86.3 ％)and 19 eyes(86.3％)got an improved eyesight at 1 month,6 months and 12 months of ranibizumab treatment,respectively,which were significantly higher than those in the control group(16/57.1％,14/50.0％,12/42.9％,x2 =6.910,5.866,8.010;P=0.031,0.020,0.016,respectively).The area of corneal neovascularization was decreased in both groups after treatment in the comparison of pretreatment.What is more important:at 1 month,6 months and 12 months of treatment,the areas of CNV were all significantly smaller in the observation group than in the control group (t =6.109,5.291,8.330;P =0.019,0.033,0.009,respectively).There was no significant difference in intraocular pressure before versus after treatment in both groups(both P＞ 0.05).The therapeutic response rate was 90.9% (20/22)in observation group,and 75.0% (21/28)in control group(x2 =6.109,P =0.006).During the 12-month follow-up after operation,the recurrence rate of CNV was significantly higher in control group(7 eyes,25.0％)than in observation group(2 eyes,9.1%) (x2 =8.668,P =0.003).Conclusions Subconjunctival injection of ranibizumab is effective and safe with a fewer complications in the treatment of corneal neovascularization in elderly patients,which is worthy of generalizing in clinical treatments.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of compound matrine injection combined with fentanyl transdermal patch in the treatment of elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer.Methods A total of 100 elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer were enrolled in this study.All patients were randomly divided into the observation group (n =50) given compound matrine injection plus Fentanyl transdermal patch and the control group given fentanyl transdermal patch alone(n=50).The analgesic efficacy,quality of life and adverse reaction were evaluated and compared between the two groups.Results The analgesic efficacy was significantly higher in the observation group[76％(38/50)]than in the control group[(44％),(x2=4.46,P＜0.05)].Before treatment,the life quality scores were similar between two groups.After treatment,the life quality score of the two groups was significantly improved as compared with pre-treatment.In addition,life quality score was significantly higher in the observation group than in control group(t=8.61,P＜0.05).After treatment,only mild adverse events were observed in two groups,with no significant difference in adverse events between the two groups(x2 =0.00,P＞0.05).Conclusions Compound matrine injection plus Fentanyl transdermal patch are safe and effective in the treatment of carcinoma pain in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer.