title: The physical ability of Japanese female elderly with cerebrovascular disease correlates with the telomere length and subtelomeric methylation status in their peripheral blood leukocytes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The telomere length and subtelomeric methylated status of peripheral blood leukocytes have been reported to be correlated with many kinds of pathophysiological conditions. However, the correlation between the telomeric parameters and patients' physical ability is not known.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to study how telomeric parameters, including telomere length and the subtelomeric methylation status of peripheral blood leukocytes, are associated with the physical inability of patients with cerebrovascular disease and its improvement by inpatient rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The physical ability of female patients with cerebrovascular disease admitted in the chronic disease ward of Kyushu University Hospital was assessed using the Barthel index, and the telomeric parameters in their peripheral blood leukocytes were determined by Southern blotting with methylation-sensitive and -insensitive isoschizomers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients revealed a significant correlation between Barthel score and the mean telomere length and expression of long telomeres (> 9.4 kb). Improvement of the Barthel index of patients during admission was correlated not to telomere length, but to subtelomeric hypermethylation of long telomeres.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The physical ability of patients was positively correlated with the lengths of their somatic telomeres, and the recovery potential of physical ability was associated with the subtelomeric hypermethylated status stabilizing long telomeric structure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular and Clinical Gerontology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kyushu University, Oita, Japan. maedat@tsurumi.beppu.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toyoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Jun-Ichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamori
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakazono
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arima
authors.forename: Koshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mimori
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Makino
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000502:physiology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000235:genetics*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*