objective: The influence of the open University of the Third Age (São Carlos Educational Foundation) (UATI-FESC) and the geriatric Revitalization program (REVT) on the quality of life of middle-aged and elderly adults was evaluated. method: Seventy individuals in their first year at UATI and REVT participated in this study. The inclusion criteria were that the subjects had to be at least 50 years old and be capable of filling out questionnaires. UATI had an interdisciplinary program comprising six lectures (once a week each). Three were on physical activities: Tai Chi Chi Kung, Body Expression and physical Therapy and health promotion; three on social and cultural promotion: musical Education, Art and Citizenship in the Third Age; and there were also commemorative activities and cultural tourism. REVT had 48 physical activity sessions, three times a week, lasting 50-55 minutes each. All the participants were evaluated using the World health organization Quality-of-Life (WhoQoL-bref) and Short-Form 36 medical outcomes Study (SF36) questionnaires at baseline and at the end of the 16-week intervention. The data were analyzed using ANoVA with repeated measurements. Results: There were no differences between the groups. Both groups showed significant improvement in quality of life according to the overall result from WhoQoL-bref and also in the psychological and Environmental domains and the initial questions: "how would you rate your quality of life?" and "how satisfied are you with your health?", in WhoQoL-bref. There was also a significant improvement in the general health domain of SF36. For the physical and Social Relations domains of WhoQoL-bref and other domains of SF36, there was no significant improvement. Conclusions: These programs improved quality of life according to WhoQoL-bref and the general health domain of SF36.

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associated with autophagic degradation dysfunction), by confocal and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits and cytokine magnetic milliplex were used to measure CRP and PGE 2 and IL-1b in serum samples, respectively. Results: At the end of the study, resveratrol significantly reduced the serum levels of IL-1 b, CRP and PGE 2 (p0.01 for IL-1b and PCR, and p0.05 for PGE 2 ). In relation to autophagy proteins, results showed that the expression of LC3 was greater in the AIA synovial membranes than in control synovial samples, in which the presence of vesicles was easily observed. Interestingly, the synovial tissues from the resveratrol group showed a significatively (p0.001) higher signal for LC3, compared with the AIA samples. As compared with healthy controls, AIA synovial membranes showed increased p62 expression, which was markedly inhibited by resveratrol treatment (p0.01). The protein level of Beclin 1 was higher in AIA synovial membranes than in healthy samples; however, resveratrol did not increase the signal of Beclin 1. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between p62 expression and serum IL-1b levels (p0.05 and r¼0.617), PGE 2 (p0.01 and r¼0. 604), and PCR (p0.001 and r¼0.692). Conclusions: These data suggest that resveratrol is capable of inducing the non-canonical (Beclin1 independent) autophagy pathway, and in consequence, modulates the cross-talk existence with inflammation in an acute AIA model, which could also ameliorate the severity of rheumatoid arthritis. KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS INDUCES ATROPHY AND NEUROMUSCULAR JUNCTION REMODELING IN THE QUADRICEPS AND TIBIALIS ANTERIOR MUSCLES OF RATS