title: Aging and energetics' 'Top 40' future research opportunities 2010-2013.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As part of a coordinated effort to expand our research activity at the interface of Aging and Energetics a team of investigators at The University of Alabama at Birmingham systematically assayed and catalogued the top research priorities identified in leading publications in that domain, believing the result would be useful to the scientific community at large.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify research priorities and opportunities in the domain of aging and energetics as advocated in the 40 most cited papers related to aging and energetics in the last 4 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  The investigators conducted a search for papers on aging and energetics in Scopus, ranked the resulting papers by number of times they were cited, and selected the ten most-cited papers in each of the four years that include 2010 to 2013, inclusive.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten research categories were identified from the 40 papers.  These included: (1) Calorie restriction (CR) longevity response, (2) role of mTOR (mechanistic target of Rapamycin) and related factors in lifespan extension, (3) nutrient effects beyond energy (especially resveratrol, omega-3 fatty acids, and selected amino acids), 4) autophagy and increased longevity and health, (5) aging-associated predictors of chronic disease, (6) use and effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), (7) telomeres relative to aging and energetics, (8) accretion and effects of body fat, (9) the aging heart,  and (10) mitochondria, reactive oxygen species, and cellular energetics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The field is rich with exciting opportunities to build upon our existing knowledge about the relations among aspects of aging and aspects of energetics and to better understand the mechanisms which connect them.
authors.affiliation: Office of Energetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; UAB Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.affiliation: Office of Energetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Antoine
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; UAB Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Scott W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Ballinger
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Cell, Developmental, & Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; UAB Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Marcas M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bamman
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Peggy
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Biga
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Center for Free Radical Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Victor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Darley-Usmar
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Human Studies, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; UAB Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Julia M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gohlke
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Medicine - Cardiovascular Disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Ganesh V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Halade
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hartman
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Human Studies, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; UAB Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Gary R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; UAB Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Messina
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; UAB Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Tim R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Human Studies, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; UAB Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Eric P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Plaisance
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Mickie L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Sandel
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Tonia S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: UAB Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: J David
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Sweatt
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Trygve O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Tollefsbol
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Yongbin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Center for Free Radical Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA ; UAB Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Steven N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Austad