In Memoriam Vainoe Kannisto, Jean-Marie Robine. Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction by the editors.- Section 1: Theoretical and Comparative Biological Concepts. 1: Research Issues on Human Longevity, Jean-Marie Robine. 2: Patterns in Mammalian Aging: Demography and Evolution, Steven N. Austad. 3: Life Span Extension in Humans is Self-Reinforcing: a General Theory of Longevity, James R. Carey, Debra S. Judge.- Section 2: Empirical and Analytical Studies of Ageing and Oldest-Old Populations. 4: Oldest-Old Mortality in China, Zeng Yi, James W. Vaupel. 5: Central and Dispersion Indicators of Individual Life Duration: New methods, Vainoe Kannisto. 6: Recent Trends in Life Expectancy and Rectangularisation of the Survival Curve at Advanced Ages in the Netherlands, Wilma J. Nusselder. 7: The Validation of Exceptional Male Longevity in Sardinia, Michel Poulain, Giovanni M. Pes, Ciriaco Carru, Luiggi Ferrucci, Giovanella Baggio, Claudio Franceschi, Luca Deiana. 8: Mortality at Extreme Ages and Data Quality: the Canadian Experience, Robert Bourbeau, Bertrand Desjardins.- Section 3: Causes of Death and Biological Frailty. 9: Causes of Death among the Oldest-Old: Validity and Comparability, France Mesle. 10: Causes of Death among the Oldest-Old: Age-Related Changes in the Causes-of-Death Distribution, Shiro Horiuchi. 11: Genetic Factors Associated with Individual Life Duration: Heritability, Kaare Christensen, Anne Maria Herskind. 12: Mortality among the Least Frail: Lessons from Research on the APOE Gene, Douglas C. Ewbank.- Section 4: Sex, Gender and Social Determinants and Consequences of Mortality. 13: Social Determinants of Mortality in the Oldest-Old: Social Class and the Individual Way of Life, Marja Jylha, Tiina Luukkaala. 14: Social Differences in Older Adult Mortality in the United States: Questions, Data, Methods, and Results, John R. Wilmoth, Mike Dennis. 15: Mortality Differences by Sex among the Oldest-Old, Jacques Vallin.- Section 5: Causes of the Trend in Mortality and Morbidity. 16: Explanation of the Decline in mortality Among the Oldest-0ld: the Impact of Circulatory Diseases, Bernard Jeune. 17: Explanation of the Decline in Mortality among the Oldest-Old: A Demographic Point of View, Graziella Caselli, James W. Vaupel, Anatoli I. Yashin. 18: Marital Status and Family Support for the Oldest-Old in Great Britain, Emily Grundy, Michael Murphy.- Index.
