Main description:

In the classic sense, immunity is the ability of an organism to resist disease. On the one hand, we must distinguish between age and disease; on the other hand, the interaction between them is of considerable theoretical and practical interest. To the gerontologic research community, therefore, immunity also becomes the ability of an organism to resist age. Were the immune and other protective systems of the body able to maintain themselves over the course of time, and if there were no degradation related to age, the everyday loss of energy and vitality that occurs in the lives of older people as a consequence of viruses, arthritis, and other debilitating circumstances would be greatly lessened. The objective of gerontologists is not just to extend the life span but rather to improve the vigor, health, and quality oflife. To date, we have not developed a single index to measure immunity that is of use clinically in the evaluation of older people and of their immunologic compe tence. It may not be surprising that just such a clinical index may be available in the not-too-distant future. We can also look forward to the assembling of a greater body of information explaining how and why the immune system fails with age while, paradoxically, the incidence of autoimmune diseases increases with age. It is this latter phenomenon that may playa part in a wide range of chronic diseases from rheumatoid arthritis to senile dementia.

Contents:

1 Biology of Aging: Retrospect and Prospect.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Past Research Activities.- 3. Theories on Mechanisms of Aging.- 4. Present Research Activities.- 5. The Immune System, a Cellular and Molecular Aging Model par Excellence.- 6. Conclusion 6 References.- 2 Cellular Basis of Immunosenescence.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Cellular Environmental Changes.- 3. Cellular Changes.- 4. Concluding Remarks.- References.- 3 The Pathogenic Role of Age-Related Immune Dysfunctions.- 1. The Normal Immune System.- 2. Age-Dependent Immune Dysfunctions.- 3. Age-Related Pathology Due to Immune Dysfunctions.- 4. Summary and Conclusions.- References.- 4 The Immunoepidemiology of Aging.- 1. Summary.- 2. Introduction.- 3. Age-Associated Changes in Primary Lymphoid Organs.- 4. Age-Associated Changes in Indices of Immunity.- 5. Autoantibodies.- 6. Conclusions.- References.- 5 The Thymus and Aging.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Thymus and Endocrine Organs.- 3. Morphology of the Aging Thymus.- 4. The Differentiation Potential of Thymus of Aging Individuals.- 5. The Thymus, Bone Marrow, and Humoral Factors in Aging.- 6. Summary.- References.- 6 Hormones and Aging.- 1. Life Expectancy and Hormonal Environment.- 2. Hormones and the Lymphoid System.- 3. The Impact of Hormones on Aging of the Immune System.- 4. The Impact of Hormone-Lymphocyte Relationship on the Aging Processes.- 5. Conclusions.- References.- 7 Genetic, Developmental, and Evolutionary Aspects of Life Span.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Evolutionary Aspects of Longevity.- 3. Morphogenesis, Cell Program, and Life Span.- 4. Life Shortening Disease States.- 5. Immunogenetic Aspects of Aging.- 6. Summary.- References.- 8 Suppressor Cells in Aging.- 1. Immunological Tolerance.- 2. Antigen Competition.- 3. Effects of Mitogens.- 4. Response to "Thymus Independent Antigens".- 5. Delayed Type Hypersensitivity.- 6. Esoteria.- 7. Immunoregulation.- 8. The NZB Paradox.- 9. Defining T Cell Subsets Using Antisera Directed Against Ly Differentiation Antigens.- 10. Conclusion.- References.- 9 Attempts to Correct Age-Related Immunodeficiency and Autoimmunity by Cellular and Dietary Manipulation in Inbred Mice.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Histopathology of Autoimmunity Susceptible Mice and Neonatally Thymectomized Mice and Rabbits.- 3. Cellular Engineering to Correct Immunodeficiency, Wasting Disease, and Autoimmunity in Neonatally Thymectomized Mice.- 4. Prevention of Immunodeficiency by Thymus Transplants.- 5. Reversal of Autoimmunity Disease by Cellular Engineering.- 6. Prevention or Delay of Age-Associated Autoimmunity by Genetic Manipulation.- 7. The Decline of Immunologic Vigor with Aging in NZB Mice.- 8. Analysis of Age-Related Immunodeficiencies by Cell Transfer to Irradiated Hosts.- 9. Host Environmental Factors and Aging.- 10. Ecotaxopathy with Aging.- 11. Influence of Nutrition on Decline of Immunity with Aging in NZB Mice.- 12. Increased Longevity of (NZB x NZW)F1 Mice with Calorie Restriction 128 References.- 10 High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy and Its Application to Research on Immunity and Aging.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Sem Techniques.- 3. Cell-Cell Interactions.- 4. Distribution of Specific Receptors on the Surfaces of Young and Senescent Cells.- 5. Membrane Events Following Ligand-Receptor Interaction.- 6. Concluding Remarks.- References.- 11 Immunological Responsiveness and Aging Phenomena in Germfree Mice.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Immune Response in Germfree Mice.- 3. Aging in Germfree Mice.- 4. Aging in Immune Deficient Germfree Mice.- 5. Summary and Conclusions.- References.- 12 Congenitally Athymic (Nude) Mice and Their Application to the Study of Immunity and Aging.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Nature of the Primary Defect.- 3. Natural History of the Nude Mouse.- 4. Immunology of the Nude Mouse.- 5. Diseases Associated with Aging.- 6. Application of the Knowledge of the Nude Mouse to the Aging Problem.- References.- 13 Immunoengineering: Prospects for Correction of Age-Related Immunodeficiency States.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Nutritional Manipulation, Life Span, and Immune Function.- 3. Internal Body Temperature, Aging, and Immune Function.- 4. Reconstitution Experiments with Injected or Grafted Lymphoid Cells.- 5. Thymic Humoral Factors.- 6. Polynucleotides.- References.- Abbreviations.