Division of Molecular and Clinical Gerontology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kyushu University, Oita, Japan.
Gerontology. 2011;57(2):137-43. doi: 10.1159/000314633. Epub 2010 May 7.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
外周血白细胞的端粒长度和亚端粒甲基化状态与许多病理生理状况相关。然而，端粒参数与患者身体能力之间的相关性尚不清楚。
本研究旨在研究端粒参数（包括外周血白细胞的端粒长度和亚端粒甲基化状态）与脑血管病患者的身体失能及其住院康复改善的关系。
采用 Barthel 指数评估九州大学医院慢性病病房女性脑血管病患者的身体能力，并采用甲基化敏感和非敏感同裂酶Southern 印迹法测定其外周血白细胞中端粒参数。
患者的 Barthel 评分与端粒平均长度和长端粒（>9.4kb）的表达呈显著相关。患者住院期间 Barthel 指数的改善与端粒长度无关，而与长端粒的亚端粒过度甲基化有关。
患者的身体能力与体细胞端粒的长度呈正相关，身体能力的恢复潜力与稳定长端粒结构的亚端粒过度甲基化状态有关。
