Aging is not only an important biological issue but also an important social and emotional issue for the increasing number of elderly in industrialized countries. This book covers a wide range of complementary research areas, including work at the molecular and cellular levels, theories of aging, the molecular basis of the loss of homeostatic maintenance mechanisms, lower and higher model organisms, the genetics of human longevity, clinical and molecular aspects of age-related diseases, and integrated systems such as brain and immune system aging. The purspose of the research presented here is to understand the molecular mechanisms of aging and to help prevent age-related diseases. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

This volume covers the major threads in the molecular genetics of aging, including genes that regulate aging, causes of aging, evolutionary theories of aging, and the relationship between diet and aging. Among specific topics covered are calorie restriction, mitochondria, sirtuins, telomeres, stem cells, and cancer.

Using a new, integrative approach, Molecular Basis of Aging describes the aging phenomenon within mammalian organisms from the perspective of changes in information storage and coordination between hierarchical orders of structure. This unique approach provides the reader with a thorough insight into the evolution of molecular, cellular, tissue, and organ systems and processes in mammals. This informative volume contains up-to-date reviews of:

During the last 40 years, the study of the biological basis of aging has progressed tremendously, and it has now become an independent and respectable field of study and research. The essential cause of aging is molecular damage that slowly overwhelms cellular and organismic defense, repair and maintenance systems. In recent years, a wealth of highly sophisticated research has transformed this idea from a credible hypothesis not only to a major theory, but essentially to accepted knowledge. Aging at the Molecular Level examines the key elements in this transformation. Bringing together contributions from an international team of authors, this volume will be of interest to graduates and postgraduates in the fields of medicine and nursing, researchers of different aspects of biogerontology and those in the pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, nutraceutical and health-care industry.

Molecular Basis of Aging is a collection of papers that discuss the molecular aspects of aging in the light of molecular biology, biochemical gerontology, and genetics. Each chapter of the book contains a different study about the topic, which includes the effects of aging on DNA synthesis; the amplification of extrachromosomal circular copies and mitochondrial DNA during aging; and the altered actions of hormones and neurotransmitters during aging. The book also encompasses the loss of responsiveness to growth factors in cell senescence; the integration of cellular-molecular and neuroendocrine concepts of aging; changes and inactivation of enzymes during aging; and the relationship of aging with free radicals. The text is recommended for molecular biologists, biochemists, and gerontologists who wish to study further the effects of aging on the body on a molecular level.

Since the early 1960s, the study of the biological basis of aging has progressed tremendously, and is now an independent field of study and research. This volume brings together contributions to the field from an international team of authors.