1 6187 104 THE IMPACT OF IMMUNOSENESCENCE ON PULMONARY DISEASE. THE GLOBAL POPULATION IS AGING WITH SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN LIFE EXPECTANCY PARTICULARLY IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD. CONSEQUENTLY, GREATER FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESSES THAT UNDERLIE PHYSIOLOGICAL AGING HAS OCCURRED. KEY FACETS OF ADVANCING AGE INCLUDE GENOMIC INSTABILITY, TELOMERE SHORTENING, EPIGENETIC CHANGES, AND DECLINES IN IMMUNE FUNCTION TERMED IMMUNOSENESCENCE. IMMUNOSENESCENCE AND ITS ASSOCIATED CHRONIC LOW GRADE SYSTEMIC "INFLAMM-AGING" CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF PULMONARY DISEASE IN OLDER INDIVIDUALS. THESE PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES PREDISPOSE TO PULMONARY INFECTION AND CONFER SPECIFIC AND UNIQUE CLINICAL PHENOTYPES OBSERVED IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASE INCLUDING LATE-ONSET ASTHMA, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE, AND PULMONARY FIBROSIS. EMERGING CONCEPTS OF THE GUT AND AIRWAY MICROBIOME FURTHER COMPLICATE THE INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOST AND MICROORGANISM PARTICULARLY FROM AN IMMUNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE AND ESPECIALLY SO IN THE SETTING OF IMMUNOSENESCENCE. THIS REVIEW FOCUSES ON OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF THE AGING PROCESS, IMMUNOSENESCENCE, AND HOW IT CAN POTENTIALLY IMPACT ON VARIOUS PULMONARY DISEASES AND THE HUMAN MICROBIOME. 2015 2 6880 31 [RESEARCH PROGRESS OF LUNG AGING IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES]. CELL AGING IS AN EXTREMELY COMPLEX PROCESS, WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY MITOCHONDRIAL STRUCTURAL DYSFUNCTION, TELOMERE SHORTENING, INFLAMMATORY MICROENVIRONMENT, PROTEIN HOMEOSTASIS IMBALANCE, EPIGENETIC CHANGES, ABNORMAL DNA DAMAGE AND REPAIR, ETC. AGING IS USUALLY ACCOMPANIED BY STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL DAMAGE OF TISSUES AND ORGANS WHICH FURTHER INDUCES THE OCCURRENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF AGING-RELATED DISEASES. AGING INCLUDES PHYSIOLOGICAL AGING CAUSED BY INCREASED AGE AND PATHOLOGICAL AGING INDUCED BY A VARIETY OF FACTORS. NOTEWORTHY, AS A TARGET ORGAN DIRECTLY CONTACTING WITH THE OUTSIDE AIR, LUNG IS MORE PRONE TO VARIOUS STIMULI, CAUSING PATHOLOGICAL PREMATURE AGING WHICH IS LUNG AGING. STUDIES HAVE FOUND THAT THERE IS A CERTAIN PROPORTION OF SENESCENT CELLS IN THE LUNGS OF MOST CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES. HOWEVER, THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM BY WHICH THESE SENESCENT CELLS INDUCE LUNG SENESCENCE AND THEIR ROLE IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES IS STILL OBSCURE. THIS PAPER FOCUSES ON THE CAUSES AND CLASSIFICATION OF LUNG AGING, THE INTERNAL MECHANISM OF LUNG AGING INVOLVED IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES, AND THE APPLICATION OF ANTI-AGING TREATMENTS IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES. WE HOPE TO PROVIDE NEW RESEARCH IDEAS AND THEORETICAL BASIS FOR THE CLINICAL PREVENTION AND TREATMENT IN CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES. 2022 3 4122 28 MECHANISMS OF DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIMORBIDITY IN THE ELDERLY. IN AGEING POPULATIONS MANY PATIENTS HAVE MULTIPLE DISEASES CHARACTERISED BY ACCELERATION OF THE NORMAL AGEING PROCESS. BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SIGNALLING PATHWAYS AND CELLULAR EVENTS INVOLVED IN AGEING SHOWS THAT THESE ARE CHARACTERISTIC OF MANY CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES, SUCH AS CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD), CHRONIC CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC DISEASES, AND NEURODEGENERATION. COMMON MECHANISMS HAVE NOW BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THESE DISEASES, WHICH SHOW EVIDENCE OF CELLULAR SENESCENCE WITH TELOMERE SHORTENING, ACTIVATION OF PI3K-AKT-MTOR SIGNALLING, IMPAIRED AUTOPHAGY, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, STEM CELL EXHAUSTION, EPIGENETIC CHANGES, ABNORMAL MICRORNA PROFILES, IMMUNOSENESCENCE AND LOW GRADE CHRONIC INFLAMMATION ("INFLAMMAGING"). MANY OF THESE PATHWAYS ARE DRIVEN BY CHRONIC OXIDATIVE STRESS. THERE IS ALSO A REDUCTION IN ANTI-AGEING MOLECULES, SUCH AS SIRTUINS AND KLOTHO, WHICH FURTHER ACCELERATES THE AGEING PROCESS. UNDERSTANDING THESE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS HAS IDENTIFIED SEVERAL NOVEL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS AND SEVERAL DRUGS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED THAT MAY SLOW THE AGEING PROCESS, AS WELL AS LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THIS INDICATES THAT IN THE FUTURE NEW TREATMENT APPROACHES MAY TARGET THE COMMON PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN MULTIMORBIDITY AND THIS AREA OF RESEARCH SHOULD BE GIVEN HIGH PRIORITY. THUS, COPD SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS A COMPONENT OF MULTIMORBIDITY AND COMMON DISEASE PATHWAYS, PARTICULARLY ACCELERATED AGEING, SHOULD BE TARGETED. 2015 4 4901 26 OXIDATIVE, INFLAMMATORY, GENETIC, AND EPIGENETIC BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISORDER. A LARGE BODY OF EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISORDER (COPD) IS ACCOMPANIED BY OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATORY AND GENETIC PATHWAYS. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES INDICATE THAT COPD IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY IN THE WORLD. RECENT RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT IN COPD FOCUSES ON ACCELERATED AGING AND VARIOUS OXIDATIVE STRESS BIOMARKERS. IT INVOLVES THE CLINICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE DISEASE PROCESS AND MAY ALSO CONTAIN BIOCHEMICAL, IMMUNOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL, AND GENETIC ASPECTS THAT ADD TO THE PROGRESSIVENESS OF THE DISEASE. HEREIN, WE SUMMARIZE FINDINGS THAT HIGHLIGHT THE ROLE OF DIMENSIONS OF COPD IN THE INVESTIGATION OF OXIDATIVE STRESS, INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC STUDIES, AND PHARMACOLOGICAL AND DIETARY ANTIOXIDANT INTERVENTION. 2019 5 971 27 CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE AND THE HALLMARKS OF AGING. AGING IS CHARACTERIZED BY PROGRESSIVE DETERIORATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY, DECLINE IN HOMEOSTASIS, AND DEGENERATION OF THE TISSUES THAT OCCURS AFTER THE REPRODUCTIVE PHASE OF LIFE IS COMPLETE, LEADING TO IMPAIRED FUNCTION. THIS DETERIORATION IS AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR CHRONIC LUNG PATHOLOGIES SUCH AS CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). COPD IS A DISEASE THAT DEVELOPS GRADUALLY. EMPHYSEMATOUS CHANGES IN THE LUNG TAKE YEARS TO DEVELOP AFTER EXPOSURE TO CIGARETTE SMOKE; HENCE, THE VAST MAJORITY OF PATIENTS ARE ELDERLY. THERE HAS BEEN A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF THE GENERAL POPULATION, RESULTING IN AN INCREASED BURDEN OF CHRONIC LUNG DISEASES. THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE THAT MOLECULAR MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN AGING MAY ALSO PLAY A ROLE IN COPD PATHOGENESIS. RECENTLY, THE NINE HALLMARKS OF AGING WERE IDENTIFIED. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE WILL REVIEW THE NINE HALLMARKS OF AGING AND HOW EACH HALLMARK CONTRIBUTES TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF COPD. 2018 6 3102 40 GENOMIC INSTABILITIES, CELLULAR SENESCENCE, AND AGING: IN VITRO, IN VIVO AND AGING-LIKE HUMAN SYNDROMES. AS AVERAGE LIFE SPAN AND ELDERLY PEOPLE PREVALENCE IN THE WESTERN WORLD POPULATION IS GRADUALLY INCREASING, THE INCIDENCE OF AGE-RELATED DISEASES SUCH AS CANCER, HEART DISEASES, DIABETES, AND DEMENTIA IS INCREASING, BEARING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES WORLDWIDE. UNDERSTANDING THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF AGING-RELATED PROCESSES CAN HELP EXTEND THE ORGANISM'S HEALTH SPAN, I.E., THE LIFE PERIOD IN WHICH THE ORGANISM IS FREE OF CHRONIC DISEASES OR DECREASE IN BASIC BODY FUNCTIONS. DURING THE LAST FEW DECADES, IMMENSE PROGRESS WAS MADE IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF MAJOR COMPONENTS OF AGING AND HEALTHY AGING BIOLOGY, INCLUDING GENOMIC INSTABILITY, TELOMERE ATTRITION, EPIGENETIC CHANGES, PROTEOSTASIS, NUTRIENT SENSING, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, CELLULAR SENESCENCE, STEM CELL EXHAUSTION, AND INTRACELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS. THIS PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE BY THREE SPEAR-HEADED STRATEGIES: IN VITRO (CELL AND TISSUE CULTURE FROM VARIOUS SOURCES), IN VIVO (INCLUDES DIVERSE MODEL AND NON-MODEL ORGANISMS), BOTH CAN BE MANIPULATED AND TRANSLATED TO HUMAN BIOLOGY, AND THE STUDY OF AGING-LIKE HUMAN SYNDROMES AND HUMAN POPULATIONS. HEREIN, WE WILL FOCUS ON CURRENT REPOSITORY OF GENOMIC "SENESCENCE" STAGE OF AGING, WHICH INCLUDES HEALTH DECLINE, STRUCTURAL CHANGES OF THE GENOME, FAULTY DNA DAMAGE RESPONSE AND DNA DAMAGE, TELOMERE SHORTENING, AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS. ALTHOUGH AGING IS A COMPLEX PROCESS, MANY OF THE "HALLMARKS" OF AGING ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO DNA STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION. THIS REVIEW WILL ILLUSTRATE THE VARIETY OF THESE STUDIES, DONE IN IN VITRO, IN VIVO AND HUMAN LEVELS, AND HIGHLIGHT THE UNIQUE POTENTIAL AND CONTRIBUTION OF EACH RESEARCH LEVEL AND EVENTUALLY THE LINK BETWEEN THEM. 2018 7 3421 37 HUMAN MATTERS IN ASTHMA: CONSIDERING THE MICROBIOME IN PULMONARY HEALTH. MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES FORM AN IMPORTANT SYMBIOTIC ECOSYSTEM WITHIN HUMANS AND HAVE DIRECT EFFECTS ON HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. NUMEROUS EXOGENOUS FACTORS INCLUDING AIRBORNE TRIGGERS, DIET, AND DRUGS IMPACT THESE ESTABLISHED, BUT FRAGILE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE HUMAN LIFESPAN. CROSSTALK BETWEEN THE MUCOSAL MICROBIOTA AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE GUT-LUNG AXIS HAVE DIRECT CORRELATIONS TO IMMUNE BIAS THAT MAY PROMOTE CHRONIC DISEASES LIKE ASTHMA. ASTHMA INITIATION AND PATHOGENESIS ARE MULTIFACETED AND COMPLEX WITH INPUT FROM GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENTS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE AND DISCUSS THE ROLE OF THE AIRWAY MICROBIOME IN ASTHMA, AND HOW THE ENVIRONMENT, DIET AND THERAPEUTICS IMPACT THIS LOW BIOMASS COMMUNITY OF MICROORGANISMS. WE ALSO FOCUS THIS REVIEW ON THE PEDIATRIC AND BLACK POPULATIONS AS HIGH-RISK GROUPS REQUIRING SPECIAL ATTENTION, EMPHASIZING THAT THE WHOLE PATIENT MUST BE CONSIDERED DURING TREATMENT. ALTHOUGH NEW CULTURE-INDEPENDENT TECHNIQUES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND ARE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO RESEARCHERS, THE EXACT CONTRIBUTION THE AIRWAY MICROBIOME MAKES IN ASTHMA PATHOGENESIS IS NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD. UNDERSTANDING HOW THE AIRWAY MICROBIOME, AS A LIVING ENTITY IN THE RESPIRATORY TRACT, PARTICIPATES IN LUNG IMMUNITY DURING THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF ASTHMA MAY LEAD TO CRITICAL NEW TREATMENTS FOR ASTHMA, INCLUDING POPULATION-TARGETED INTERVENTIONS, OR EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION OF CURRENTLY AVAILABLE THERAPEUTICS. 2022 8 2855 38 FROM INFLAMMAGING TO HEALTHY AGING BY DIETARY LIFESTYLE CHOICES: IS EPIGENETICS THE KEY TO PERSONALIZED NUTRITION? THE PROGRESSIVELY OLDER POPULATION IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES IS REFLECTED IN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM AGE-RELATED CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES SUCH AS METABOLIC SYNDROME, DIABETES, HEART AND LUNG DISEASES, CANCER, OSTEOPOROSIS, ARTHRITIS, AND DEMENTIA. THE HETEROGENEITY IN BIOLOGICAL AGING, CHRONOLOGICAL AGE, AND AGING-ASSOCIATED DISORDERS IN HUMANS HAVE BEEN ASCRIBED TO DIFFERENT GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS (I.E., DIET, POLLUTION, STRESS) THAT ARE CLOSELY LINKED TO SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS. THE COMMON DENOMINATOR OF THESE FACTORS IS THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. CHRONIC LOW-GRADE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION DURING PHYSIOLOGICAL AGING AND IMMUNOSENESCENCE ARE INTERTWINED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF PREMATURE AGING ALSO DEFINED AS 'INFLAMMAGING.' THE LATTER HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH FRAILTY, MORBIDITY, AND MORTALITY IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS. HOWEVER, IT IS UNKNOWN TO WHAT EXTENT INFLAMMAGING OR LONGEVITY IS CONTROLLED BY EPIGENETIC EVENTS IN EARLY LIFE. TODAY, HUMAN DIET IS BELIEVED TO HAVE A MAJOR INFLUENCE ON BOTH THE DEVELOPMENT AND PREVENTION OF AGE-RELATED DISEASES. MOST PLANT-DERIVED DIETARY PHYTOCHEMICALS AND MACRO- AND MICRONUTRIENTS MODULATE OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATORY SIGNALING AND REGULATE METABOLIC PATHWAYS AND BIOENERGETICS THAT CAN BE TRANSLATED INTO STABLE EPIGENETIC PATTERNS OF GENE EXPRESSION. THEREFORE, DIET INTERVENTIONS DESIGNED FOR HEALTHY AGING HAVE BECOME A HOT TOPIC IN NUTRITIONAL EPIGENOMIC RESEARCH. INCREASING EVIDENCE HAS REVEALED THAT COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN FOOD COMPONENTS AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, DNA METHYLATION, NON-CODING RNA EXPRESSION, AND CHROMATIN REMODELING FACTORS INFLUENCE THE INFLAMMAGING PHENOTYPE AND AS SUCH MAY PROTECT OR PREDISPOSE AN INDIVIDUAL TO MANY AGE-RELATED DISEASES. REMARKABLY, HUMANS PRESENT A BROAD RANGE OF RESPONSES TO SIMILAR DIETARY CHALLENGES DUE TO BOTH GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC MODULATIONS OF THE EXPRESSION OF TARGET PROTEINS AND KEY GENES INVOLVED IN THE METABOLISM AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE DIETARY CONSTITUENTS. HERE, WE WILL SUMMARIZE THE EPIGENETIC ACTIONS OF DIETARY COMPONENTS, INCLUDING PHYTOCHEMICALS, AND MACRO- AND MICRONUTRIENTS AS WELL AS METABOLITES, THAT CAN ATTENUATE INFLAMMAGING. WE WILL DISCUSS THE CHALLENGES FACING PERSONALIZED NUTRITION TO TRANSLATE HIGHLY VARIABLE INTERINDIVIDUAL EPIGENETIC DIET RESPONSES TO POTENTIAL INDIVIDUAL HEALTH BENEFITS/RISKS RELATED TO AGING DISEASE. 2015 9 290 27 AGING AND PULMONARY FIBROSIS. IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS IS A CHRONIC, PROGRESSIVE, AND USUALLY FATAL LUNG DISORDER OF UNKNOWN ETIOLOGY. THE DISEASE LIKELY RESULTS FROM THE INTERACTION OF GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY ARCHITECTURE, ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS SUCH AS SMOKING, AND AN ABNORMAL EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING THAT LEADS TO A COMPLEX PATHOGENESIS. IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS OCCURS IN MIDDLE-AGED AND MAINLY ELDERLY ADULTS, AND IN THIS CONTEXT AGE HAS EMERGED AS ITS STRONGEST RISK FACTOR. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISMS LINKING IT TO AGING ARE UNCERTAIN. RECENTLY, NINE MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR HALLMARKS OF AGING HAVE BEEN PROPOSED: GENOMIC INSTABILITY, TELOMERE ATTRITION, EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, LOSS OF PROTEOSTASIS, DEREGULATED NUTRIENT SENSING, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, CELLULAR SENESCENCE, STEM CELL EXHAUSTION, AND ALTERED INTERCELLULAR COMMUNICATION. IN THIS REVIEW, WE PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THESE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS, WHILE EMPHASIZING THAT THE STUDIES ON THIS DISEASE ARE FEW AND THE FINDINGS ARE NOT DEFINITIVE. 2016 10 285 37 AGING AND AGING-RELATED DISEASES: FROM MOLECULAR MECHANISMS TO INTERVENTIONS AND TREATMENTS. AGING IS A GRADUAL AND IRREVERSIBLE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESS. IT PRESENTS WITH DECLINES IN TISSUE AND CELL FUNCTIONS AND SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THE RISKS OF VARIOUS AGING-RELATED DISEASES, INCLUDING NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, METABOLIC DISEASES, MUSCULOSKELETAL DISEASES, AND IMMUNE SYSTEM DISEASES. ALTHOUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN MEDICINE HAS PROMOTED HUMAN HEALTH AND GREATLY EXTENDED LIFE EXPECTANCY, WITH THE AGING OF SOCIETY, A VARIETY OF CHRONIC DISEASES HAVE GRADUALLY BECOME THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSES OF DISABILITY AND DEATH IN ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS. CURRENT RESEARCH ON AGING FOCUSES ON ELUCIDATING HOW VARIOUS ENDOGENOUS AND EXOGENOUS STRESSES (SUCH AS GENOMIC INSTABILITY, TELOMERE DYSFUNCTION, EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, LOSS OF PROTEOSTASIS, COMPROMISE OF AUTOPHAGY, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, CELLULAR SENESCENCE, STEM CELL EXHAUSTION, ALTERED INTERCELLULAR COMMUNICATION, DEREGULATED NUTRIENT SENSING) PARTICIPATE IN THE REGULATION OF AGING. FURTHERMORE, THOROUGH RESEARCH ON THE PATHOGENESIS OF AGING TO IDENTIFY INTERVENTIONS THAT PROMOTE HEALTH AND LONGEVITY (SUCH AS CALORIC RESTRICTION, MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANTATION, AND NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTION) AND CLINICAL TREATMENT METHODS FOR AGING-RELATED DISEASES (DEPLETION OF SENESCENT CELLS, STEM CELL THERAPY, ANTIOXIDATIVE AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY TREATMENTS, AND HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY) COULD DECREASE THE INCIDENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF AGING-RELATED DISEASES AND IN TURN PROMOTE HEALTHY AGING AND LONGEVITY. 2022 11 3028 26 GENETICS OF COMPLEX AIRWAY DISEASE. THE PAST 3 YEARS HAVE SEEN HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT GENETIC EFFECTS IDENTIFIED FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF COMMON COMPLEX DISEASES, INCLUDING THE AIRWAY DISORDERS OF ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE. IT APPEARS THAT ONLY A PORTION OF THE GENETICALLY MEDIATED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO COMPLEX DISEASES HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, AND THERE IS MUCH LEFT TO BE DISCOVERED. THIS REVIEW BRIEFLY DESCRIBES THE RESULTS OF THE GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES OF ASTHMA AND GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF THE PARALLEL AND INCREASINGLY LARGE-SCALE STUDIES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE. THE FUTURE IMPACT IS DISCUSSED OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES THAT ALLOW INCREASINGLY LARGE-SCALE GENE EXPRESSION STUDIES, NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING, AND GENOME-WIDE TESTING FOR EPIGENETIC EFFECTS. THE USE OF GENETIC TECHNOLOGY TO EXAMINE THE AIRWAY MICROBIOTA THAT INTERACT WITH THE MUCOSA IN HEALTH AND DISEASE IS DESCRIBED. 2011 12 6629 22 UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN AGING PROTEOME USING EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELS. HUMAN AGING IS A COMPLEX MULTIFACTORIAL PROCESS ASSOCIATED WITH A DECLINE OF PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND HIGH SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CHRONIC DISEASES, INFLUENCED BY GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS. THIS CHAPTER WILL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW ON THE USE OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELS WITH PROTEOMICS DATA AS A METHOD THAT CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT MODULATE THE AGING PROCESS IN HUMANS. THIS IS DEMONSTRATED WITH PROTEOMICS DATA FROM HUMAN PLASMA AND SKELETAL MUSCLE, WHERE THE COMBINATION WITH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELS IDENTIFIED A SET OF MITOCHONDRIAL, SPLICEOSOME, AND SENESCENCE PROTEINS AS WELL AS THE ROLE OF ENERGETIC PATHWAYS SUCH AS GLYCOLYSIS, AND ELECTRON TRANSPORT PATHWAYS THAT REGULATE THE AGING PROCESS. 2022 13 2570 28 EPIGENETICS OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. CHRONIC, NONCOMMUNICABLE, AND INFLAMMATION-ASSOCIATED DISEASES REMAIN THE LARGEST CAUSE OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY GLOBALLY AND WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. THIS IS MAINLY DUE TO OUR LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS THAT UNDERLIE THESE COMPLEX PATHOLOGIES. THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT STUDIES OF EPIGENETICS (TRADITIONALLY DEFINED AS THE HERITABLE CHANGES TO GENE EXPRESSION THAT ARE INDEPENDENT OF CHANGES TO DNA) ARE SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCING OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THESE INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS. THIS REVIEW WILL FOCUS ON EPIGENETIC STUDIES OF THREE DISEASES, THAT ARE AMONG THE MOST BURDENSOME GLOBALLY: CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATHS WORLDWIDE, TYPE 2 DIABETES AND, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. THE CURRENT STATUS OF EPIGENETIC RESEARCH, INCLUDING THE ABILITY TO PREDICT DISEASE RISK, AND KEY PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL DEFECTS ARE DISCUSSED. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DEFINING THE CONTRIBUTION OF EPIGENETIC DEFECTS TO NONRESOLVING INFLAMMATION AND AGING, EACH ASSOCIATED WITH THESE DISEASES, IS HIGHLIGHTED, AS THESE ARE LIKELY TO PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS INTO INFLAMMATORY DISEASE PATHOGENESIS. 2019 14 4393 23 MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS IN PERIODONTITIS: AT THE INTERSECTION OF AGING AND DISEASE. CHRONIC INFLAMMATION IS A PROMINENT FEATURE OF AGING AND OF COMMON AGE-RELATED DISEASES, INCLUDING ATHEROSCLEROSIS, CANCER AND PERIODONTITIS. THIS VOLUME EXAMINES MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS FOR PERIODONTITIS AND OTHER CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. ORAL BACTERIAL COMMUNITIES AND VIRAL INFECTIONS, PARTICULARLY WITH CYTOMEGALOVIRUS AND OTHER HERPESVIRUSES, ELICIT DISTINCT IMMUNE RESPONSES AND ARE CENTRAL IN THE INITIATION OF PERIODONTAL DISEASES. RISK OF DISEASE IS DYNAMIC AND CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO COMPLEX INTERACTIONS OF GENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND STOCHASTIC FACTORS OVER THE LIFESPAN. MANY MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS, SUCH AS SMOKING AND EXCESS CALORIC INTAKE, CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASES IN SYSTEMIC MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION AND CAN MODIFY GENE REGULATION THROUGH A VARIETY OF BIOLOGIC MECHANISMS (E.G. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS). PERIODONTITIS AND OTHER COMMON CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES SHARE MULTIPLE MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS, SUCH AS TOBACCO SMOKING, PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND DEPRESSION, ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, OBESITY, DIABETES, METABOLIC SYNDROME AND OSTEOPOROSIS. INTERVENTIONS THAT TARGET MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE RISK PROFILES FOR PERIODONTITIS AS WELL AS FOR OTHER COMMON CHRONIC DISEASES. 2014 15 4273 33 MICROBIOTA AND EPIGENETICS: HEALTH IMPACT. EPIGENETIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSIONS ARE OF INCREASING IMPORTANCE BECAUSE OF THEIR POTENTIAL DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS. SEVERAL EPIGENETIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC METABOLIC DISORDERS HAVE BEEN STUDIED IN VARIOUS DISEASES. EPIGENETIC CHANGES ARE MOSTLY MODULATED BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, INCLUDING THE HUMAN MICROBIOTA LIVING IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR BODIES. THE MICROBIAL STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS AND THE MICROBIALLY DERIVED METABOLITES DIRECTLY INTERACT WITH HOST CELLS, THEREBY MAINTAINING HOMEOSTASIS. MICROBIOME DYSBIOSIS, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS KNOWN TO PRODUCE ELEVATED LEVELS OF DISEASE-LINKED METABOLITES, WHICH MAY DIRECTLY AFFECT A HOST METABOLIC PATHWAY OR INDUCE EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT CAN LEAD TO DISEASE DEVELOPMENT. DESPITE THEIR IMPORTANT ROLE IN HOST PHYSIOLOGY AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION, THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE RESEARCH INTO THE MECHANICS AND PATHWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. THIS CHAPTER FOCUSES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MICROBES AND THEIR EPIGENETIC EFFECTS IN DISEASED PATHOLOGY, AS WELL AS ON THE REGULATION AND METABOLISM OF THE DIETARY OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE MICROBES. FURTHERMORE, THIS CHAPTER ALSO PROVIDES A PROSPECTIVE LINK BETWEEN THESE TWO IMPORTANT PHENOMENA, TERMED "MICROBIOME AND EPIGENETICS." 2023 16 5633 29 SENESCENT REMODELING OF THE INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM IN THE ELDERLY MEN WITH PROSTATE CANCER. DESPITE YEARS OF INTENSIVE INVESTIGATION THAT HAS BEEN MADE IN UNDERSTANDING PROSTATE CANCER, IT REMAINS A MAJOR CAUSE OF DEATH IN MEN WORLDWIDE. PROSTATE CANCER EMERGES FROM MULTIPLE ALTERATIONS THAT INDUCE CHANGES IN EXPRESSION PATTERNS OF GENES AND PROTEINS THAT FUNCTION IN NETWORKS CONTROLLING CRITICAL CELLULAR EVENTS. BASED ON THE EXPONENTIAL AGING OF THE POPULATION AND THE INCREASING LIFE EXPECTANCY IN INDUSTRIALIZED WESTERN COUNTRIES, PROSTATE CANCER IN THE ELDERLY MEN IS BECOMING A DISEASE OF INCREASING SIGNIFICANCE. AGING IS A PROGRESSIVE DEGENERATIVE PROCESS STRICTLY INTEGRATED WITH INFLAMMATION. SEVERAL THEORIES HAVE BEEN PROPOSED THAT ATTEMPT TO DEFINE THE ROLE OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATION IN AGING INCLUDING REDOX STRESS, MITOCHONDRIAL DAMAGE, IMMUNOSENESCENCE, AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS. HERE, WE REVIEW THE INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEMS AND THEIR SENESCENT REMODELING IN ELDERLY MEN WITH PROSTATE CANCER. 2014 17 3676 31 INFLAMMATION AND NEUTROPHIL IMMUNOSENESCENCE IN HEALTH AND DISEASE: TARGETED TREATMENTS TO IMPROVE CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN THE ELDERLY. DESPITE INCREASING LONGEVITY, MANY OLD PEOPLE ARE NOT IN GOOD HEALTH. THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE PREVALENCE OF AGE-ASSOCIATED MULTI-MORBIDITY (TWO OR MORE CHRONIC CONDITIONS IN THE SAME PERSON). ALSO, SEVERE INFECTIONS, SUCH AS PNEUMONIA, REMAIN SIGNIFICANT CAUSES OF MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY IN THIS AGING GROUP. MANY CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS SHARE RISK FACTORS SUCH AS INCREASING AGE, SMOKING, A SEDENTARY LIFE STYLE AND BEING PART OF A LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC GROUP. HOWEVER, DESPITE THIS, MULTI-MORBIDITIES OFTEN CO-OCCUR MORE COMMONLY THAN WOULD BE PREDICTED. THIS HAS LED TO THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THEY SHARE COMMON UNDERLYING MECHANISMS. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT, FOR IF IT WERE TRUE, TREATMENTS COULD BE DEVISED WHICH TARGET THESE COMMON PATHWAYS AND IMPROVE A NUMBER OF AGE-ASSOCIATED HEALTH CONDITIONS. MANY CHRONIC ILLNESSES ASSOCIATED WITH MULTI-MORBIDITY AND SEVERE INFECTIONS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY AN ABNORMAL AND SUSTAINED INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE, WITH NEUTROPHILS BEING KEY EFFECTOR CELLS IN THE PATHOLOGICAL PROCESS. STUDIES HAVE DESCRIBED ABERRANT NEUTROPHIL FUNCTIONS ACROSS THESE CONDITIONS, AND SOME HAVE HIGHLIGHTED POTENTIAL MECHANISMS FOR ALTERED CELL BEHAVIOURS WHICH APPEAR SHARED ACROSS DISEASE STATES. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT ALTERED FUNCTIONS MAY REPRESENT NEUTROPHIL "SENESCENCE". THIS REVIEW CONSIDERS HOW AND WHY NEUTROPHIL FUNCTIONS CHANGE AS THE CELL AGES, AND HOW AND WHY NEUTROPHIL FUNCTIONS CHANGE AS THE HOST AGES IN HEALTH AND DISEASE AND DISCUSSES WHETHER NEUTROPHIL FUNCTIONS COULD BE TARGETED TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES IN OLDER ADULTS. 2018 18 5630 32 SENESCENCE IN PULMONARY FIBROSIS: BETWEEN AGING AND EXPOSURE. TO DATE, CHRONIC PULMONARY PATHOLOGIES REPRESENT THE THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE ELDERLY POPULATION. EVIDENCE-BASED PROJECTIONS SUGGEST THAT >65 (YEARS OLD) INDIVIDUALS WILL ACCOUNT FOR APPROXIMATELY A QUARTER OF THE WORLD POPULATION BEFORE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. GENOMIC INSTABILITY, TELOMERE ATTRITION, EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, LOSS OF PROTEOSTASIS, DEREGULATED NUTRIENT SENSING, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, CELLULAR SENESCENCE, STEM CELL EXHAUSTION, AND ALTERED INTERCELLULAR COMMUNICATION, ARE DESCRIBED AS THE NINE "HALLMARKS" THAT GOVERN CELLULAR FITNESS. ANY DEVIATION FROM THE NORMAL PATTERN INITIATES A COMPLEX CASCADE OF EVENTS CULMINATING TO A DISEASE STATE. THIS BLUEPRINT, ORIGINALLY EMPLOYED TO DESCRIBE ABERRANT CHANGES IN CANCER CELLS, CAN BE ALSO USED TO DESCRIBE AGING AND FIBROSIS. PULMONARY FIBROSIS (PF) IS THE RESULT OF A PROGRESSIVE DECLINE IN INJURY RESOLUTION PROCESSES STEMMING FROM ENDOGENOUS (PHYSIOLOGICAL DECLINE OR SOMATIC MUTATIONS) OR EXOGENOUS STRESS. ENVIRONMENTAL, DIETARY OR OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE ACCELERATES THE PATHOGENESIS OF A SENESCENT PHENOTYPE BASED ON (1) WINDOW OF EXPOSURE; (2) DOSE, DURATION, RECURRENCE; AND (3) CELLS TYPE BEING TARGETED. AS THE LUNG AGES, THE THRESHOLD TO GENERATE AN IRREVERSIBLY SENESCENT PHENOTYPE IS LOWERED. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE TO MAKE ACCURATE PREDICTIONS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE PROVIDE AN ASSESSMENT OF THE LITERATURE THAT INTERROGATES LUNG EPITHELIAL, MESENCHYMAL, AND IMMUNE SENESCENCE AT THE INTERSECTION OF AGING, ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE AND PULMONARY FIBROSIS. 2020 19 6034 33 THE CHALLENGE BY MULTIPLE ENVIRONMENTAL AND BIOLOGICAL FACTORS INDUCE INFLAMMATION IN AGING: THEIR ROLE IN THE PROMOTION OF CHRONIC DISEASE. THE AGING PROCESS IS DRIVEN BY MULTIPLE MECHANISMS THAT LEAD TO CHANGES IN ENERGY PRODUCTION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, HOMEOSTATIC DYSREGULATION AND EVENTUALLY TO LOSS OF FUNCTIONALITY AND INCREASED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY. MOST AGED INDIVIDUALS DEVELOP CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR MORBIDITY, PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, FRAILTY, AND DEATH. AT ANY AGE, CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES ARE MAJOR CAUSES OF MORBIMORTALITY, AFFECTING UP TO 5-8% OF THE POPULATION OF INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES. SEVERAL ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE FOR MODIFYING THE INFLAMMATORY STATE. GENETICS ACCOUNTS FOR ONLY A SMALL FRACTION OF CHRONIC-INFLAMMATORY DISEASES, WHEREAS ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS APPEAR TO PARTICIPATE, EITHER WITH A CAUSATIVE OR A PROMOTIONAL ROLE IN 50% TO 75% OF PATIENTS. SEVERAL OF THOSE CHANGES DEPEND ON EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT WILL FURTHER MODIFY THE INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE TO ADDITIONAL STIMULI. THE INTERACTION BETWEEN INFLAMMATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT OFFERS IMPORTANT INSIGHTS ON AGING AND HEALTH. THESE CONDITIONS, OFTEN DEPENDING ON THE INDIVIDUAL'S SEX, APPEAR TO LEAD TO DECREASED LONGEVITY AND PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE DECLINE. IN ADDITION TO BIOLOGICAL FACTORS, THE ENVIRONMENT IS ALSO INVOLVED IN THE GENERATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT LEADING TO STRESS. POOR PSYCHOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTS AND OTHER SOURCES OF STRESS ALSO RESULT IN INCREASED INFLAMMATION. HOWEVER, THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS AND NUTRITION ON THE REGULATION OF INFLAMMATION, AND HOW THE RESPONSE ELICITED FOR THOSE FACTORS INTERACT AMONG THEM, ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. WHEREAS CERTAIN DELETERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS RESULT IN THE GENERATION OF OXIDATIVE STRESS DRIVEN BY AN INCREASED PRODUCTION OF REACTIVE OXYGEN AND NITROGEN SPECIES, ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS, AND INFLAMMATION, OTHER FACTORS, INCLUDING NUTRITION (POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS) AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS (EXERCISE) CONFER PROTECTION AGAINST INFLAMMATION, OXIDATIVE AND ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS, AND THUS AMELIORATE THEIR DELETERIOUS EFFECT. HERE, WE DISCUSS PROCESSES AND MECHANISMS OF INFLAMMATION ASSOCIATED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND BEHAVIOR, THEIR LINKS TO SEX AND GENDER, AND THEIR OVERALL IMPACT ON AGING. 2020 20 6204 30 THE INFLUENCE OF EPIGENETICS AND INFLAMMATION ON CARDIOMETABOLIC RISKS. CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES INCLUDE METABOLIC SYNDROME, OBESITY, TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, AND HYPERTENSION. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS PARTICIPATE IN CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES THROUGH SEVERAL PATHWAYS, INCLUDING INFLAMMATION, VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION, AND INSULIN RESISTANCE. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, WHICH ENCOMPASS ALTERATIONS TO GENE EXPRESSION WITHOUT MUTATING THE DNA SEQUENCE, HAVE GAINED MUCH ATTENTION IN RECENT YEARS, SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN CORRELATED WITH CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES AND MAY BE TARGETED FOR THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE GREATLY INFLUENCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS DIET, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, CIGARETTE SMOKING, AND POLLUTION. SOME MODIFICATIONS ARE HERITABLE, INDICATING THAT THE BIOLOGICAL EXPRESSION OF EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS MAY BE OBSERVED ACROSS GENERATIONS. MOREOVER, MANY PATIENTS WITH CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES PRESENT WITH CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, WHICH CAN BE INFLUENCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC FACTORS. THE INFLAMMATORY ENVIRONMENT WORSENS THE PROGNOSIS OF CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES AND FURTHER INDUCES EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, PREDISPOSING PATIENTS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER METABOLISM-ASSOCIATED DISEASES AND COMPLICATIONS. A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES IS NECESSARY TO IMPROVE OUR DIAGNOSTIC CAPABILITIES, PERSONALIZED MEDICINE APPROACHES, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF TARGETED THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS. FURTHER UNDERSTANDING MAY ALSO ASSIST IN PREDICTING DISEASE OUTCOMES, ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS. THIS REVIEW DESCRIBES EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AND INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES UNDERLYING CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES, AND FURTHER DISCUSSES ADVANCES IN THE RESEARCH FIELD WITH A FOCUS ON SPECIFIC POINTS FOR INTERVENTIONAL THERAPY. 2023