Various environmental factors such as smoking and dietary habits are known to increase the risk for many diseases associated with aging. These factors link oxidative stress, cellular senescence, and microbial assault to the host. Oxidative stress has been associated with many aging disorders including atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Increasing evidence in both experimental and clinical studies demonstrated that a variety of antioxidant agents ameliorated atherosclerosis, diabetes, and AMD, indicating that oxidative stress plays an important role in the initiation and progression of these diseases. However, the mechanism and pathways through which oxidative stress affects these diseases are not yet clear.

For example, under systemic exposure to oxidative stress, the phospholipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are highly prone to oxidation which induces chemical modifications and gives rise to a variety of oxidized phospholipids (oxPLs). It has been established that oxPLs are strong stimulants of inflammation and can serve as reliable biomarkers for cardiovascular disease. Such oxPLs on cellular membranes and lipoproteins also turn ubiquitous molecular structures into damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which are dominant targets for innate immunity. The innate immune system not only protects the host from pathogenic microbial assaults but also maintains homeostasis by turnover of oxidatively damaged cells and macromolecules. The genetic variants of each individual impact the body's immunity, which over the years results in accumulation of oxidative damage, chronic inflammation, and eventually age-related diseases.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate continuing efforts to understand the impact of oxidative stress, genetic variants, and methylation profiles on aging-related diseases and their underlying molecular mechanisms. We are also interested in developing genetic and molecular diagnostic strategies for therapeutic treatment of these conditions. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Oxidative stress biomarkers
• Advances in genetics/epigenetics of aging-related diseases
• Role of innate/adaptive immunity and inflammation in oxidative stress
• Relationship between oxidative stress, disease status, and clinical evaluation
• Advances in viral and nonviral drug delivery
• Stem cells for treating aging-related diseases
• Lipid metabolism, lipid peroxidation, and oxidized lipoproteins in tissues and disease settings

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/oximed/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/oximed/osad/ according to the following timetable: