title: The physical ability of elderly female Japanese patients with cerebrovascular disease correlates with telomere length in their peripheral blood leukocytes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The telomere length of peripheral blood leukocytes has been reported to be inversely correlated with many kinds of pathophysiological conditions. However, correlations between telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes and patients' physical ability are not known.
  
  
  METHODS
  To address this problem, the physical ability of patients with cerebrovascular disease admitted to the chronic disease ward of Kyushu University Hospital was assessed with the Barthel index (BI) and the telomere length of their peripheral blood leukocytes was determined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women exhibited a significant correlation between the Barthel score and the expression of long telomeres (>9.4 Kb), in contrast with men who revealed no such correlation. The physical ability of older women was positively correlated with the lengths of their somatic telomeres. Among the BI items, the scores of more difficult physical performances tended to correlate with the presence of terminal restriction fragments longer than 9.4 Kb.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Oita, 874-0838, 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: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sasaki
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: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Makino
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics*; D044466:Asian People; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D016615:Telomere