[Y-chromatin frequency, age (author's transl)]

Frequency of the fluorescent Y-chromatin bodies in the white blood elements of aged men was found to be significantly lower than that of young men (aged: N=35, mean frequency 68,78%; young: N=47, mean frequency 75,96%). This finding indicates that in the progressed age, the Y-chromosome tends to get lost from the cell, probably as a consequence of generalized functional im pairment of aged cell.