Immunosenescence (Medical Intelligence Unit)

Human immunosenescence contributes to morbidity and mortality in later life. The age-associated increasing incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease plateaus at around 80 years of age in industrialised countries, but death due to infectious disease continues to increase up to 100 years of age and beyond. Understanding the reasons for age-associated alterations to protective immunity in the elderly would facilitate the development of interventions to reconstitute appropriate immune function, increase responsiveness to vaccination and extend healthspan. The majority of the papers collected in this volume therefore address not only the mechanisms responsible for immune ageing in humans but consider what might be accomplished to redress the erosion of immune competence with age. The first problem facing the gerontologist investigating human ageing is their longevity: most studies are conducted in a cross-sectional manner, in which parameters of interest in elderly cohorts are compared to young controls. However, the ageing trajectories of people now 80 years old, born at the beginning of the 20th century, will have been very different in mostly unidentifiable ways from those born towards the end of that century. These differences include population genetics, nutrition, stress, disease, and of course, medical treatment, all of which make these two populations hardly comparable. Immune risk phenotypes and associated parameters in very old humans : a review of findings in the Swedish NONA immune longitudinal study / Anders Wikby ... [et al.] Scoring of immunological vigor : trial assessment of immunological status as a whole for elderly people and cancer patients / Katsuiku Hirokawa ... [et al.] Remodelling of the CD8 T-cell compartment in the elderly : expression of NK associated receptors on T-cells is associated with the expansion of the effector memory subset / Inmaculada Gayoso ... [et al.] Telomeres, telomerase, and CD28 in human CD8 T-cells : effects on immunity during aging and HIV infection / Steven R. Fauce and Rita B. Effros A matter of life and death of T-lymphocytes in immunosenescence / Sudhir Gupta T-cell signalling, a complex process for T-cell activation compromised with aging : when membrane rafts can simplify everything / Tamas Fulop... [et al.] Immunosenescence, thymic involution and autoimmunity / Wayne A. Mitchell and Richard Aspinall. Autoimmune diseases, aging and the CD4+ lymphocyte : why does insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus start in youth, but rheumatoid arthritis mostly at older age? / Jacek M. Witkowski Role of chemokines and chemokine receptors in diseases of ageing / Erminia Mariani, Adriana Rita Mariani and Andrea Facchini The efficacy of vaccines to prevent infectious diseases in the elderly / Dietmar Herndler-Brandstetter and Beatrix Grubeck-Loebenstein Zinc and the altered immune system in the elderly / Hajo Haase and Lothar Rink. Zinc-binding proteins and immunosenescence : implications as biological and genetic markers / Eugenio Mocchegiani and Marco Malavolta Immunogenetics of aging / Elissaveta J. Naumova and Milena I. Ivanova The genetics of innate immunity and inflammation in ageing, age-related diseases and longevity / Calogero Caruso ... [et al.] SELDI proteomics approach to identify proteins associated with T-cell clone senescence / Dawn J. Mazzatti ... [et al.]. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Immune Risk Phenotypes and Associated Parameters in Very Old Humans: A Review of Findings in the Swedish NONA Immune Longitudinal Study....Pages 1-14 Scoring of Immunological Vigor: Trial Assessment of Immunological Status as a Whole for Elderly People and Cancer Patients....Pages 15-23 Remodelling of the CD8 T-Cell Compartment in the Elderly: Expression of NK Associated Receptors on T-Cells Is Associated with the Expansion of the Effector Memory Subset....Pages 24-33 Telomeres, Telomerase and CD28 in Human CD8 T-Cells: Effects on Immunity during Aging and HIV Infection....Pages 34-43 A Matter of Life and Death of T-Lymphocytes in Immunosenescence....Pages 44-56 T-Cell Signalling, a Complex Process for T-Cell Activation Compromised with Aging: When Membrane Rafts Can Simplify Everything....Pages 57-67 Immunosenescence, Thymic Involution and Autoimmunity....Pages 68-79 Autoimmune Diseases, Aging and the CD4 + Lymphocyte: Why Does Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus Start in Youth, but Rheumatoid Arthritis Mostly at Older Age?....Pages 80-91 Role of Chemokines and Chemokine Receptors in Diseases of Ageing....Pages 92-105 The Efficacy of Vaccines to Prevent Infectious Diseases in the Elderly....Pages 106-120 Zinc and the Altered Immune System in the Elderly....Pages 121-128 Zinc-Binding Proteins and Immunosenescence: Implications as Biological and Genetic Markers....Pages 129-136 Immunogenetics of Aging....Pages 137-153 The Genetics of Innate Immunity and Inflammation in Ageing, Age-Related Diseases and Longevity....Pages 154-173 SELDI Proteomics Approach to Identify Proteins Associated with T-Cell Clone Senescence....Pages 174-190 Back Matter....Pages 191-194 Human immunosenescence contributes to morbidity and mortality in later life. Understanding the reasons for age-associated alterations to protective immunity in the elderly would ultimately improve and extend healthspan. The majority of the papers collected in this remarkable and timely volume address the mechanisms responsible for immune ageing in humans. They also consider what might be accomplished to redress the erosion of immune competence with age. Human immunosenescence contributes to morbidity and mortality in later life. This title collects papers that address the mechanisms responsible for immune ageing in humans and considers what might be accomplished to redress the erosion of immune competence with age