MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'daily'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:48:34 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181721&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F09%2Fthe-effects-of-exercise-on-bone-marrow.php An interesting discovery, and one more benefit of exercise: "researchers have found one more reason to exercise: working out triggers influential stem cells to become bone instead of fat, improving overall health by boosting the body's capacity to make blood. The body's mesenchymal stem cells are most likely to become fat or bone, depending on which path they follow. ... The exercising mice ran less than an hour, three times a week, enough time to have a significant impact on their blood production ... In sedentary mice, the same stem cells were more likely to become fat, impairing blood production in the marrow cavities of bones. ... The composition of cells in the bone marrow cavity has an important influence on the productivity of blood stem cells. In ideal conditions, blood stem cells ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181721 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5181721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181720&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F09%2Fepigenetics-of-calorie-restriction.php An open access review paper in PDF format that discusses some of the fine details of current research into the mechanisms by which calorie restriction slows aging. This work is aimed at establishing a level of understanding sufficient to produce calorie restriction mimetic drugs that also slow aging: "The molecular mechanisms of aging are the subject of much research and have facilitated potential interventions to delay aging and aging-related degenerative diseases in humans. The aging process is frequently affected by environmental factors and caloric restriction is by far the most effective and established environmental manipulation for extending the lifespan of various animal models. However, the precise mechanisms by which caloric restriction affects lifespan are still not clear. Epige... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181720 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5181720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181724&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F09%2Fstem-cell-trials-slowly-progressing.php News of another step towards the availability of autologous stem cell therapies in US clinics: "Using a patient's own bone marrow stem cells to treat acute stroke is feasible and safe ... The trial was the first ever to harvest an acute stroke patient's own stem cells from the iliac crest of the leg, separate them and inject them back into the patient intravenously. ... In order to bring stem cells forward as a potential new treatment for stroke patients, we have to establish safety first and this study provides the first evidence in addressing that goal. Now we are conducting two other stroke cell therapy studies examining safety and efficacy, one of which can be administered up to 19 days after someone has suffered a stroke. ... Of the 10 patients enrolled in the study, there were no stu... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181724 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5181724 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181723&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F09%2Fexercise-slows-many-of-the-consequences-of-aging.php A mainstream press article on exercise and aging: "As we age, our bodies change in ways that challenge athletic ability. But exercise also can slow down - and in some cases even prevent - some of the physiological ravages of time. ... A lot of things that we thought were just inherent to the aging process and were going to happen no matter what don't really have to happen if you maintain an appropriate lifestyle. ... How much can exercise slow down the ravages of aging? Potentially a lot. It will partially, but not completely, prevent arterial stiffening with age and completely prevent the dysfunction of the arterial lining that develops with age ... Exercise, it turns out, is probably as powerful as any other kind of prevention strategy or treatment that has been assessed so far. ... . Fo... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181723 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5181723 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181727&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-digital-aging-atlas.php Researcher João Pedro de Magalhães and colleagues are working on a new online resource: "We have developed a new web portal to integrate molecular, physiological ,and pathological age-related data that may be of interest. ... The Digital Ageing Atlas is a portal of changes covering different biological levels. There are currently portals for both humans and mice. The idea is to integrate molecular, physiological and pathological age-related data and create an interactive portal that serves as the first centralised collection of ageing changes and pathologies. ... It allows users to search and retrieve age-related changes at different levels, allowing a better understanding of the interplay between such changes and obtain new insights. We also think this will be an important new resource ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181727 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5181727 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181726&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Folder-cells-lose-ability-to-mobilize-antioxidant-defenses.php Via EurekAlert!: "When the body fights oxidative damage, it calls up a reservist enzyme that protects cells - but only if those cells are relatively young, a study has found. [Biologists] discovered major declines in the availability of an enzyme, known as the Lon protease, as human cells grow older. ... Lon protects the mitochondria - tiny organisms in the cell that convert oxygen into energy. The conversion is never perfect: Some oxygen leaks and combines with other elements to create damaging oxidants. Oxidation is the process behind rust and food spoilage. In the body, oxidation can damage or destroy almost any tissue. Lon removes oxidized proteins from the mitochondria and also plays a vital role in helping to make new mitochondria. ... To fight the oxidant, young cells doubled the si... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181726 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5181726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181730&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fon-brittle-bones-and-aging.php Via EurekAlert!: "It is a well-established fact that as we grow older, our bones become more brittle and prone to fracturing. It is also well established that loss of mass is a major reason for older bones fracturing more readily than younger bones, hence medical treatments have focused on slowing down this loss. However, new research [shows] that at microscopic dimensions, the age-related loss of bone quality can be every bit as important as the loss of quantity in the susceptibility of bone to fracturing. Using a combination of x-ray and electron based analytical techniques as well as macroscopic fracture testing, the researchers showed that the advancement of age ushers in a degradation of the mechanical properties of human cortical bone over a range of different size scales. As a resul... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181730 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5181730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181729&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fcan-you-optimize-exercise-for-longevity.php Given the current state of research, I'd say that optimizing exercise for its effects on longevity is as much a fool's game as optimizing diet - if you want to take it on as a hobby, then by all means, but don't expect to beat the scientific community in terms of finding a better way, or to know how well you're doing. Obtaining significant benefits to life expectancy is easy: just exercise as recommended by physicians, the standard 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day. The tricky question is whether there is a reliable way of gaining more expected years of life than are provided by that 80/20 position. But the research keeps rolling in, so perhaps one day there will be sufficient weight of evidence to say in confidence that one way of exercising is significantly better than another: "A stu... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181729 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5181729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174583&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fbuilding-momentum-for-human-rejuvenation.php From the SENS Foundation: "The fifth biannual Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence biomedical conference is just days away. Getting ready for the trip has cast my mind back not only to previous meetings of this exciting interdisciplinary series, and also to the recent 40th meeting of the American Aging Association (AGE). Along with its international sister organization, the International Association for Biomedical Gerontology (IABG), AGE was the first, and remains the premier, professional scientific organization focused specifically on biomedical research in aging. That is, much of biogerontology research is dedicated to pursuing an ever-more-granular understanding the metabolic processes that contribute to, or fail as a result of, the degenerative aging process. But the scient... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174583 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174582&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fglue-for-joining-blood-vessels.php Small blood vessels are a great challenge in tissue engineering: both creating them in the first place in order to supply blood to constructed tissue, and then linking them into the body's existing blood supply when tissue is transplanted. The smaller the blood vessels, the harder this all becomes - so better ways of linking blood vessels together are necessary. "Reconnecting severed blood vessels is mostly done the same way today - with sutures - as it was 100 years ago ... Now, a team of researchers [has] developed a sutureless method that appears to be a faster, safer and easier alternative. In animal studies, a team [used] a poloxamer gel and bioadhesive rather than a needle and thread to join together blood vessels ... The big drawback of sutures is that they are difficult to use on b... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174582 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174582 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158900&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Finduced-pluripotency-drug-testing-and-personalized-medicine.php From the Technology Review: "I was observing an intimate demonstration of how stem-cell technologies may one day combine with personal genomics and personal medicine. I was the first journalist to undergo experiments designed to see if the four-year-old process that creates induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can yield insight into the functioning and fate of a healthy individual's heart cells. Similar tests could be run on lab-grown brain and liver cells, or eventually on any of the more than 200 cell types found in humans. ... This is the next step in personalized medicine: being able to test drugs and other factors on different cell types. ... the cardiomyocytes derived from iPS cells are a huge improvement over the cadaver cells sometimes used to test potential drug compounds. Unlike ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158900 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5158900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158899&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fa-reminder-that-genetic-contributions-to-longevity-are-complex.php In conclusion, we report that a combination of functional SNPs within ADA and TNF-α genes can influence life-expectancy in a gender-specific manner and that males and females follow different pathways to attain longevity." Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21865054 (Source: Fight Aging!) Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158899 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5158899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159490&cid=t_97137_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fwelcome-to-the-human-condition%2F Sometimes life comes at us with such force, surprise and ruthlessness, it stuns us. I don’t have any more answers than you do but I do have it whacking me in the face or elsewhere, every day of my life. I know if you’re reading this, you do, also. This week has been a good example of that as so much is going on in our little world as well as the impending danger for millions of Americans facing a hurricane in the east. Let me use yesterday as an example. Jim, my dear man, who had just returned from a trip to California on family business had missed his flight because the hotel did not give him the wake-up call he had requested. While he was in CA he went to visit an old friend many miles from where he was staying to discover that old friend’s wife had been found dead tha... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159490 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:04:24 +0100 5159490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158903&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fprogress-in-regenerating-tooth-decay.php Good news from the dental research community: scientists "have developed a revolutionary new way to treat the first signs of tooth decay. Their solution is to arm dentists with a peptide-based fluid that is literally painted onto the tooth's surface. The peptide technology is based on knowledge of how the tooth forms in the first place and stimulates regeneration of the tooth defect. ... This may sound too good to be true, but we are essentially helping acid-damaged teeth to regenerate themselves. It is a totally natural non-surgical repair process and is entirely pain-free too. ... It contains a peptide known as P 11-4 that -- under certain conditions - will assemble together into fibres. In practice, this means that when applied to the tooth, the fluid seeps into the micro-pores caused b... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158903 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5158903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158902&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Falcors-caveats.php Cryonics provider Alcor dedicates a section of their website to challenges and problems, and it is well worth reading: "When you buy a house, the seller is legally obliged to disclose any known defects. When you review a company's annual report, it tells you every problem that could affect the corporate share value. Since arrangements for cryopreservation may have a much greater impact on your life than home ownership or stock investments, we feel an ethical obligation to disclose problems that affect cryonics in general and Alcor specifically. We also believe that an organization which admits its problems is more likely to address them than an organization which pretends it has none. Thus full disclosure should encourage, rather than discourage, consumer confidence. ... As of 2011, Alcor ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158902 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5158902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158906&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fstress-dna-damage-and-p53.php Researchers here outline one possible mechanism for the known association between chronic stress and biomarkers of health: "While the human mind and body are built to respond to stress - the well-known "fight or flight" response, which lasts only a few minutes and raises heart rate and blood glucose levels - the response itself can cause significant damage if maintained over long periods of time. When stress becomes chronic, this natural response can lead to a number of disease-related symptoms, including peptic ulcers and cardiovascular disorders. To make matters worse, evidence indicates that chronic stress eventually leads to DNA damage, which in turn can result in various neuropsychiatric conditions, miscarriages, cancer, and even aging itself. ... The newly uncovered mechanism involve... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158906 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5158906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158905&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fconsidering-reprogramming-cells-in-the-body.php So far research on cellular reprogramming has largely focused on manipulation of cells outside the body. Here a researcher suggests that the future of medicine will involve achieving much the same thing inside the body: "To date, somatic cell reprogramming has been achieved in vitro. It would be of great importance to explore whether the anti-aging agents, e.g. rapamycin, could function to enhance stem cell function, protect stem cell pluripotency and even promote reprogramming in vivo. It is also very interesting to verify whether some or all adult organs/tissues do possess some significant regenerative capacity due to the suspected in vivo reprogramming. Furthermore, it has been reported that agents which effectively function for a common human disease by enhancing self-renewal could los... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158905 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5158905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158909&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-mouth-as-a-source-of-useful-stem-cells.php Researchers are engaged in a body-wide hunt for stem cells that are easy to work with and easy to obtain - low cost sources will make a big difference to the ultimate cost of therapies: "As we age, our stem cells are less pliant and less able to transform into the stem cells that science needs to find breakthrough treatments for disease. An exception to this can be found in the stem cells of oral mucosa, the membrane that lines the inside of our mouths. ... A wound that might take weeks to heal and leave a life-long scar on the skin will be healed in a matter of days inside the mouth, regardless of the patient's age. ... Prof. Pitaru set out to determine if oral mucosa could be a source for young, fetal-like stem cells with this unique healing ability. Even when obtained from an older pati... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158909 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5158909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158908&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fmetabolic-syndome-and-kidney-disease.php Metabolic syndrome is, for the vast majority of us, an avoidable lifestyle condition. If you exercise and avoid gaining excess body fat then in all likelihood you won't suffer from the condition. Here's another reason to make that effort: "Metabolic syndrome comprises a group of medical disorders that increase people's risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and premature death when they occur together. A patient is diagnosed with the syndrome when he or she exhibits three or more of the following characteristics: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat in the waist/abdomen, low good cholesterol, and higher levels of fatty acids (the building blocks of fat). People with metabolic abnormalities are at increased risk of developing kidney disease ... [researchers] searched the... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158908 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5158908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158912&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Ftension-in-growing-muscle-tissue.php Via ScienceDaily: researchers "have found a simple way to grow muscle tissue with real muscle structure in the laboratory. They found that the muscle cells automatically align themselves if they are subjected to tension in one direction - this is essential for the ability of the muscle cells to exert a force. The endothelial (blood vessel) cells in the culture also automatically grouped themselves to form new blood vessels. This finding is a step forward towards the engineering of thicker muscle tissue. ... Another important aspect of the finding is that it was not necessary to add any biochemical growth factors to initiate the process. These substances are normally required for processes of this kind, but their action is difficult to control. ... Measurements by the researchers showed tha... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158912 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5158912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158911&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Farguing-for-programmed-aging.php A proportion of the aging research community think aging to be at least partially a programmed phenomenon, rather than an accumulation of damage, and thus something to be primarily manipulated by changing the operation of our metabolism. Here is an argument for that viewpoint from researcher Michael Rose: "I should be clear that my present view is also not one generally held, at least not yet, even by most evolutionary biologists who work on aging. Like them, I spent more than thirty years thinking that William Hamilton's declining forces of natural selection, which he published in 1966, showed that evolution by natural selection would allow cumulative processes of physiological deterioration to proceed unchecked, provided they killed off their victims at sufficiently late ages. ... By 199... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158911 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5158911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140055&cid=t_97137_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fthe-public-you-versus-the-private-you-in-a-life-of-chronic-pain%2F Early on in a life of chronic pain we learn to guard ourselves against being hurt by callous comments from others. We say, “I’m fine, thanks.” What we’re really thinking is, “If only you knew, even as I stand here my knees are buckling, my rear is throbbing and I’m trying to concentrate on what you’re saying. I don’t think you could handle the truth and I don’t want to see that cold dead look come into your eyes if I dump the truth on you.” We ask the checker at the supermarket to keep our cloth bags light; which we bring with us because we’re “green” citizens and because the plastic bags will leave our fingers numb for the rest of the day. We continue to watch as the checker puts a five-pound bag of sugar and a five-pound bag of flour topped off by a half gallon ... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140055 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:15:36 +0100 5140055 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139661&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fan-update-on-the-sens-foundation-academic-initiative.php The SENS Foundation Academic Initiative is a long-term project aimed at helping to build the research community of tomorrow - one interested in the repair and reversal of aging, rather than a next generation that is only interested in slowing down aging a little via manipulation of metabolism, a simple repeat of today's research community. Here is an update from the Foundation: "The SENS Foundation Academic Initiative's new structure is actively in the process of being implemented, and involves a number of significant changes. Among these are the separation of the Initiative into branches, an updated membership system that allows students to become involved more easily and in more ways, the creation of volunteer committees, and the addition of outreach projects to the Initiative's activiti... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139661 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5139661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139660&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fon-mitochondrial-function-in-ames-dwarf-mice.php An open access paper on the biology of one of the longest-lived engineered mouse species: "The age-associated decline in tissue function has been attributed to ROS-mediated oxidative damage due to mitochondrial dysfunction. The long-lived Ames dwarf mouse exhibits resistance to oxidative stress, a physiological characteristic of longevity. It is not known, however, whether there are differences in the electron transport chain (ETC) functions in Ames tissues that are associated with their longevity. In these studies we analyzed enzyme activities of ETC complexes, CI-CV and the coupled CI-CII and CII-CIII activities of mitochondria from several tissues of young, middle aged and old Ames dwarf mice and their corresponding wild type controls to identify potential mitochondrial prolongevity fun... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139660 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5139660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139664&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-cost-of-inactivity.php Researchers find what looks to be a proxy measure for the degree to which a person is sedentary - but of course there might be other important correlations here, such as with wealth or intelligence: "Watching TV for an average of six hours a day could shorten the viewer's life expectancy by almost five years ...The impact rivals that of other well known behavioural risk factors, such as smoking and lack of exercise, the study suggests. Sedentary behaviour - as distinct from too little exercise - is associated with a higher risk of death, particularly from heart attack or stroke. Watching TV accounts for a substantial amount of sedentary activity, but its impact on life expectancy has not been assessed, say the authors. They used previously published data on the relationship between TV view... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139664 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5139664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139663&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fproposing-concurrent-manipulation-of-multiple-metabolic-pathways.php That part of the research community focused on manipulating metabolism to slow down aging has advanced to the point of considering multiple distinct simultaneous changes to achieve the desired end result: "Modern medicine is directed towards the prevention, detection and cure of individual diseases. Yet, current medical models inadequately describe aging-associated diseases. We now know that failure in longevity pathways including oxidative stress, multisystem dysregulation, inflammation, sarcopenia, protein deposition and atherosclerosis are associated with age-related diseases. Such longevity pathways are potential targets for therapeutic intervention. Interventions in specific pathways have been shown to ameliorate and postpone the aging phenotype by activation of multiple genes. The st... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139663 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5139663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139667&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fa-brief-look-at-mitochondria-in-aging.php A short piece on mitochondria and their role in aging: "Despite propaganda to the contrary, aging is rarely a pleasurable experience. A lifetime of damage to cells and tissues results in malfunction, making old age a significant risk factor for ailments such as cancers and neurologic disabilities typified by Alzheimer's disease. As a consequence, the graying of world populations has triggered a scientific frenzy to unravel the basic processes behind aging and find ways to slow down and perhaps even prevent age-related degeneration. ... Two linked ideas are at the core of our current aging theory. The first is that proteins, RNA and DNA are bombarded with and damaged by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during normal cellular respiration and this results in eventual decline and diseas... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139667 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5139667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139666&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fquantifying-the-benefits-of-modest-exercise.php Gaining a large fraction of the estimated maximum possible long-term benefits from exercising can be achieved with only modest levels of regular exercise according to researchers. This recent paper is representative of earlier, similar findings: "The health benefits of leisure-time physical activity are well known, but whether less exercise than the recommended 150 min a week can have life expectancy benefits is unclear. We assessed the health benefits of a range of volumes of physical activity in a Taiwanese population. In this prospective cohort study, 416,175 individuals (199,265 men and 216,910 women) participated in a standard medical screening programme in Taiwan between 1996 and 2008, with an average follow-up of 8.05 years. On the basis of the amount of weekly exercise indicated in... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139666 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5139666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130687&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fpopulating-a-decellularized-heart-with-embryonic-stem-cells.php A great many interesting demonstrations of tissue engineering have taken place in recent years, and here is another: "Every organ in the human body has a scaffold or a structure, which provides it with its shape, and within this scaffold are many different types of cells with different functions. Tissue engineering aims to create the organ scaffold - either through the use of synthetic materials such as polymers, or through decellularization, which uses the whole organ as a scaffold after removing its cells. Decellularization is ideal for tissue regeneration because it preserves the three-dimensional structure of the organ and the extracellular matrix (ECM) - the framework between the cells - that are complex and difficult to mimic. While current methods use specific ECM proteins to transf... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130687 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5130687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130685&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fcleaning-up-engineered-tissue.php A lesser but still important detail in tissue engineering is given some thought: "scientists are seemingly approaching a day when they will be able to make nearly any type of tissue from human embryonic stem cells. You need nerves or pancreas, bone or skin? With the right combination of growth factors, skill and patience, a laboratory tissue culture dish promises to yield therapeutic wonders. But within these batches of newly generated cells lurks a big potential problem: Any remaining embryonic stem cells - those that haven't differentiated into the desired tissue - can go on to become dangerous tumors called teratomas when transplanted into patients. Now researchers [have] developed a way to remove these pluripotent human embryonic stem cells from their progeny before the differentiated ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130685 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5130685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125705&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fhuman-uncoupling-proteins-and-longevity.php Uncoupling proteins are involved in the processes by which metabolism determines natural longevity through their effects on mitochondrial activity, and are of interest to calorie restriction researchers: "The brown fat specific UnCoupling Protein 1 (UCP1) is involved in thermogenesis, a process by which energy is dissipated as heat in response to cold stress and excess of caloric intake. Thermogenesis has potential implications for body mass control and cellular fat metabolism. In fact, in humans, the variability of the UCP1 gene is associated with obesity, fat gain and metabolism. Since regulation of metabolism is one of the key-pathways in lifespan extension, we tested the possible effects of UCP1 variability on survival. Two polymorphisms (A-3826G and C-3740A), falling in the upstream p... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125705 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5125705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125704&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-correlation-between-species-lifespan-and-mitochondrial-membrane-composition.php Damage to mitochondrial membranes is an important feature of the complex process by which mitochondrial DNA damage contributes to aging. It is known that differences in membrane composition may be an important factor in species of unusual longevity, such as naked mole rats. Here is another open access study on this topic: "The cellular energy produced by mitochondria is a fundamental currency of life. However, the extent to which mitochondrial (mt) performance (power and endurance) is adapted to habitats and life-strategies of vertebrates is not well-understood. A global analysis of mt genomes revealed that hydrophobicity (HYD) of mt membrane proteins (MMPs) is much lower in terrestrial vertebrates than in fishes and shows a strong negative correlation with serine/threonine composition (ST... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125704 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5125704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118583&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Finvestigating-the-indy-gene.php The I'm Not Dead Yet (INDY) gene is one of the earlier longevity genes discovered by researchers in course of investigating the effects of calorie restriction. Here is a recent update: "It is known that excess calorie consumption leads to obesity, insulin resistance and increased mortality, whereas calorie restriction reduces accumulation of body fat and improves cellular energy balance and insulin action - reversing obesity and type 2 diabetes, delaying the aging process, and prolonging life in primates and many other species. It has also been shown in the past that reduced expression of the so-called 'INDY' gene in D. Melanogaster flies and C. elegans worms promotes longevity in a manner similar to calorie restriction. But until now, the cellular mechanism by which this happens was unkno... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118583 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5118583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118582&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fusing-lasers-to-spur-stem-cells-into-action.php A novel way to manipulate stem cells: "Though the heart is known to contain some stem cells, they have a very limited ability to repair damage caused by a heart attack [and] researchers have had to look elsewhere. One of the first efforts to use stem cells to reduce heart scarring involved harvesting them from the bone marrow and inserting them back into the heart muscle, close to the heart's blood supply, but this had limited success. Prof. Oron, who has long used low level lasers to stimulate stem cells to encourage cell survival and the formation of blood vessels after a heart attack, was inspired to test how laser treatments could also work to heal the heart. He and his fellow researchers tried different methods, including treating the heart directly with low level lasers during surger... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118582 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5118582 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118586&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fexercise-versus-memory-loss.php Another of the many benefits of exercise: a study "shows that a small amount of physical exercise could profoundly protect the elderly from long-term memory loss that can happen suddenly following infection, illnesses or injury in old age. ... aging rats that ran just over half a kilometer each week were protected against infection-induced memory loss. ... Our research shows that a small amount of physical exercise by late middle-aged rats profoundly protects against exaggerated inflammation in the brain and long-lasting memory impairments that follow a serious bacterial infection. Strikingly, this small amount of running was sufficient to confer robust benefits for those that ran over those that did not run. This is an important finding because those of advanced age are more vulnerable to... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118586 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5118586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118585&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Funderstanding-our-non-regenerative-hearts.php Why are hearts in humans and other higher animals not able to regenerate like salamander hearts? Answering that question would be a step on the road to recreating that ability when needed: "A new study has shed light on why adult human cardiac cells lose their ability to proliferate, perhaps explaining why our heart have little regenerative capacity. The study, done in cell lines and mice, may lead to methods of reprogramming a patient's own cardiac myocytes, or muscle cells, within the heart itself to create new muscle to repair damage ... Recent research suggests that mammals do have the ability to regenerate the heart for a very brief period, about the first week of life. ... During human development, cardiac myocytes are made by progenitor stem cells and proliferate to form the heart. ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118585 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5118585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107469&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fanother-way-to-look-at-fixing-the-aging-immune-system.php The aging immune system is misconfigured, overpopulated by too many of the wrong sorts of immune cell, while having too few useful cells left to perform the important jobs - such as resisting infections, attacking cancers, and removing senescent cells, for example. One approach to dealing with this problem is to destroy the unwanted cells, and there's evidence for at least some parts of the immune system to show that this is beneficial. Another approach is to use biotechnology to expand the population of useful cells, and this recent release fits into that line of work: "Aging brings about a selective decline in the numbers and function of T cells - a type of white blood cell involved in the immune system's response to infection - and T cells that survive the longest may better protect aga... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107469 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5107469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107468&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fengineered-skin-grown-on-spider-silk.php An interesting open access paper describes one of many approaches to building skin from a scaffold material and a patient's own cells: "The ideal biomaterial should promote attachment, proliferation and growth of cells. Additionally, it should degrade in an appropriate time period without releasing harmful substances, but not exert a pathological immune response. Spider dragline silk from Nephila spp meets these demands to a large extent. ... Native spider dragline silk, harvested directly out of Nephila spp spiders, was woven on steel frames. Constructs were sterilized and seeded with fibroblasts. After two weeks of cultivating single fibroblasts, keratinocytes were added to generate a bilayered skin model, consisting of dermis and epidermis equivalents. ... Both fibroblasts and keratinoc... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107468 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5107468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107472&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-weight-of-evidence-is-against-antioxidants.php As noted in the past here at Fight Aging!, the weight of evidence suggests that presently available antioxidant supplements either do nothing or somewhat harm long term health - the fervor for them is nothing more than magical thinking based on the effects antioxidants can have on cells in culture, and on the beneficial effects of mitochondrially targeted antioxidant compounds. That, however, is a long way removed from what you eat and what happens in a complex system like a living animal. Fortunately, sense is slowly starting to emerge in the media: "Few medical remedies have a more sterling reputation than that assortment of foods, pills, and general life maneuvers known collectively as 'antioxidants.' At last, here's something that promises better heart health, improved immunity, a pell... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107472 Sun, 07 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5107472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107471&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fenhancing-lysosomal-function-in-the-brain-with-padk.php From the SENS Foundation, a look at what might be done to remove damaging cellular aggregates, such as the amyloid beta (Aβ) implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), by manipulating the function of lysosomes, the cellular recycling machinery: "Dr. Ben Bahr and his colleagues with the Neurosciences Program and Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Connecticut have for some time now been investigating the effects of elevating lysosomal activity using the lysosomal modulator Z-Phe-Ala-diazomethylketone (PADK). ... In a new study, Dr. Bahr's group has extended this work into a transgenic mouse model of AD, testing PADK's ability to retard, and to reverse, AD neuropathology and cognitive dysfunction in two models of transgenic AD mice ... . Systemic PADK injection of PADK in ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107471 Sun, 07 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5107471 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096132&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fan-interview-with-laura-deming.php An interview with one of the Thiel Fellows: "The goal is to extend the healthy human lifespan. In the past couple of decades, we've learned a lot about the basic science of aging. Now it's time to start translating the basic science into marketable therapies. I want to find and fund the projects creating those therapies. ... When I was eight, my mom told me about death and I couldn't stop crying for days. What a tragedy! Life is incredible, but death is inevitable. I already knew biology was fantastic fun. But that moment, for me, made science more than fun. It made it into a power that could save lives. And I couldn't imagine doing something more fascinating or important. ... When I was twelve, I was lucky enough to meet Cynthia Kenyon (biogerontologist and molecular biologist), who is a ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096132 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5096132 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096131&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fskin-cells-turned-into-brain-cells.php Another step forward for the field of regenerative medicine: researchers have "discovered a novel way to convert human skin cells into brain cells ... Rather than using models made in yeast, flies or mice for disease research, all cell-reprogramming technology allows human brain, heart and other cells to be created from the skin cells of patients with a specific disease. The new cells created from the skin cells contain a complete set of the genes that resulted in that disease - representing the potential of a far-superior human model for studying illnesses, drugs and other treatments. In the future, such reprogrammed skin cells could be used to test both drug safety and efficacy for an individual patient with, for example, Alzheimer's disease. ... This technology should allow us to very ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096131 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5096131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096135&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fon-the-way-to-blood-on-demand.php Singularity Hub here looks at some of the research work that will lead to the ability to generate blood as needed: "Researchers [have] found a way to hunt down and isolate the stem cells from which your entire blood supply is derived. Until now, these hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) have been remarkably hard to track and isolate ... researchers were able to identify the CD49f protein as a key surface marker for hemotopoietic stem cells. Single CD49f HSCs were placed inside immunosupressed mice, and monitored to see how they developed. The entire spectrum of blood cells were produced, and just as important: they were self-renewing. The CD49f HSC wasn't just creating blood, it was creating an expanding and sustaining blood supply that should theoretically survive long term in the body." This ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096135 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5096135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096134&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fcalcium-channels-and-aging-muscles.php Via EurekAlert!: "There is a reason exercise becomes more difficult with age. [Research] ties the weakness of aging to leaky calcium channels inside muscle cells. But there is some good news: the researchers say a drug already in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of heart failure might plug those leaks. Earlier studies [showed] the same leaks underlie the weakness and fatigue that come with heart failure and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. ... It's interesting, normal people essentially acquire a form of muscular dystrophy with age. The basis for muscle weakness is the same. ... Extreme exercise like that done by marathon runners also springs the same sort of leaks, [but] in that case damaged muscles return to normal after a few days of rest. ... The leaks occur in a calcium release ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096134 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5096134 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096138&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fosteoporosis-and-age-related-stem-cell-alterations.php Changes in stem cell biology and capabilities are considered important in age-related degeneration. For example: "A decline in cellular homeostasis in older individuals underlies age-related pathologies like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. [Researchers] report key differences in the patterns of expressed mRNAs in bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs) of young donors compared with old human donors. The distinct subsets of expressed genes associated with glycobiology are consistent with the underlying age-related decline in bone marrow function. ... It is now well established that in older individuals stem cells can become 'aged' and thus incapable of renewing surrounding tissues and organs as efficiently as young individuals. Experimental and clinical evidence has revealed the import... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096138 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5096138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096137&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-double-standard.php Depressed Metabolism here notes the existence of a double standard when it comes to the science and practice of cryonics - actually one you'll find exists for all serious endeavors in life extension, such as SENS research: "One of the most predictable features of public debates about cryonics is that those arguing in favor of cryonics are held to more rigorous standards than those seeking conventional medical treatment. Advocates of cryonics do not just have to prove that cryonics will work, they are also supposed to solve problems like overpopulation and the presumed boredom arising from expended lifespans. To some, people who make cryonics arrangements have an inflated perception of their own importance and should just forgo such selfish attempts to extend their lives. The default positi... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096137 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5096137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096141&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fnanofibers-to-spur-blood-vessel-regeneration.php From the MIT Technology Review: researchers "developed a liquid that, when injected into patients, forms a matrix of loosely tangled nanofibers. Each of these fibers is covered in microscopic protuberances that mimic vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF - a protein that occurs naturally in the body and causes chemical reactions that result in the growth of new blood vessels. By mimicking VEGF, the nanofiber has the same biological effect. ... Tissue engineers have tried using VEGF itself to stimulate the growth of blood vessels, but clinical trials with the protein were unsuccessful ... This is because VEGF tends to diffuse out of the target tissue before it can do its job. Maintaining a therapeutic concentration in the target tissue would require a series of expensive, invasive inj... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096141 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5096141 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096140&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fmore-tinkering-with-igf-1.php This study investigated whether specific deficiency of liver-derived, endocrine IGF-I is of importance for life span. ... Liver-specific inactivation of the IGF-I gene was induced in mice at one month of age in most experiments. However, food intake, body composition, oxygen consumption at rest, and activity level were measured in mice that underwent inactivation of liver-derived IGF-I at 12 months of age. ... Serum IGF-I was reduced by approximately 80% in mice with adult, liver-specific IGF-I inactivation (LI-IGF-I-/- mice), and body weight decreased due to reduced body fat. The mean life span of LI-IGF-I-/- mice increased 10% vs. control mice ... Body weight and body fat decreased in LI-IGF-I-/- mice, possibly due to increased energy expenditure during exercise. Genes earlier reported t... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096140 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5096140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086129&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fexercise-and-sarcopenia.php Sarcopenia is the name given to age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. Here is a review paper on the current state of knowledge regarding exercise as a way to slow the onset of sarcopenia: "Numerous studies have demonstrated that the etiology of sarcopenia is multi-causal and very complex process. The degradation of muscle mass leads to a loss of strength, later on to a decreased functional status, impaired mobility, a higher risk of falls, and eventually an increased risk of mortality. Present guidelines state that physical inactivity or a decreased physical activity level is a part of the underlying mechanisms of sarcopenia and therefore physical activity can be seen as an important factor to reverse or modify the development of sarcopenia. ... Results in the area of physical acti... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086129 Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5086129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086128&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-international-aging-research-portfolio-outlined.php An open access paper on the goals and structure of the International Aging Research Portfolio: "Aging and age-related disease represents a substantial quantity of current natural, social and behavioral science research efforts. Presently, no centralized system exists for tracking aging research projects across numerous research disciplines. The multidisciplinary nature of this research complicates the understanding of underlying project categories, the establishment of project relations, and the development of a unified project classification scheme. We have developed a highly visual database, the International Aging Research Portfolio (IARP), available at AgingPortfolio.org to address this issue. The database integrates information on research grants, peer-reviewed publications, and issue... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086128 Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5086128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077635&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fcryonics-in-the-uk-press.php The recent cryosuspension of Robert Ettinger has led to a flurry of press articles; this is one of the better ones: "British photojournalist Murray Ballard, who has documented every aspect of cryonics there is to see (beyond the currently unachievable final stage, of course). Ballard's project began while he was studying photography at the University of Brighton, when he was inspired by the story of a French couple who had held hopes of being revived after their death; unfortunately the freezer storing their bodies broke down. Intrigued, the photographer's research led him first to a group of enthusiasts based just along the Sussex coast in Peacehaven, and before long he and his camera made their first trip to the three main cryonic storage sites in the US and Russia. There are around 1,00... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077635 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5077635 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077634&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fsevere-calorie-restriction-in-rats-leads-to-50-life-extension.php Here is a repetition of the sort of research from the last century that initially drew interest to calorie restriction, in which researchers are trying to pin down the point at which beneficial calorie restriction becomes harmful malnutrition: "It has been firmly established that the longevity of 20- to 60 %-calorie-restricted rodents, with malnutrition (essential nutrients deficiency) being avoided, is increased when compared to ad libitum fed rodents. However, the effects on life span of severe dietary restriction (i. e. malnutrition), with limited weight loss, remained unknown. The purpose of this 4-year study was to investigate the effects on longevity of a severe form of dietary restriction, with limited and controlled weight loss. To this end, a group of male Long-Evans rats severely... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077634 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5077634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077770&cid=t_97137_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F28%2Fcbs-news-others-get-nose-job-story-wrong%2F In one of the worst examples of health reporting I’ve seen today, a bunch of news outlets have equated “symptoms of a disorder” with having the disorder itself. It may seem like a subtle difference, but in the world of mental health diagnosis, having a symptom of a disorder is not the same as having the disorder itself. The study in question was conducted on people seeking treatment for a nose job. To assess patients’ psychopathology, the researchers administered a bunch of psychological tests to the patients before their rhinoplasty. One of those tests was the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for body dysmorphic disorder. Now, the researchers only found a 2 percent rate of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) among the 226 patients they tested. That rate is... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077770 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:58:34 +0100 5077770 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077638&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fworking-on-kidney-regeneration.php VIa EurekAlert!: "Approximately 60 million people across the globe have chronic kidney disease, and many will need dialysis or a transplant. [Research] indicates that patients' own kidney cells can be gathered and reprogrammed. Reprogramming patients' kidney cells could mean that in the future, fewer patients with kidney disease would require complicated, expensive procedures that affect their quality of life. In the first study, [researchers] took cells from an individual's kidney and coaxed them to become progenitor cells, allowing the immature cells to form any type in the kidney. Specifically, they inserted several key reprogramming genes into the renal cells that made them capable of forming other cells. In a second study, [researchers] found that kidney cells collected from a patient... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077638 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5077638 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077637&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fthe-mechanisms-of-reversing-working-memory-decline-in-monkeys.php The Technology Review looks at the work of researchers attempting to restore youthful function in brain cells associated with memory: "By delivering a certain chemical to the brain, researchers could make neurons in old monkeys behave like those in young monkeys. Clinical trials of a generic drug that mimics this effect are already underway. The findings support the idea that some of the brain changes that occur with aging are very specific - rather than being caused by a general decay throughout the brain - and can potentially be prevented. [Researchers] recorded electrical activity from neurons in a part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex, a region especially vulnerable to aging in both humans and [other] primates. It is vital for our most high-level cognitive functions, such as w... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077637 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5077637 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069416&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Faerobic-fitness-improves-the-aging-immune-system.php Another reason to exercise: "Senescent T-cells accumulate with age, lowering the naive T-cell repertoire and increasing host infection risk. As this response is likely to be influenced by certain lifestyle factors, we examined the association between aerobic fitness (VO(2max)) and the age-related accumulation of senescent T-cells. Blood lymphocytes from 102 healthy males (18-61yr) were analyzed for [marker] surface expression on CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells ... Advancing age (yr) was positively associated with the proportion (%) of senescent [and] CD8+ T-cells and inversely associated with naive CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. VO(2max) was inversely associated with senescent CD4+ and CD8+. Strikingly, age was no longer associated with the proportions of senescent or naive T-cells after adjusting for VO(2m... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069416 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5069416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069415&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Funiversal-donor-immune-cells-in-cancer-immunotherapy.php Via ScienceDaily: "One of the latest attempts to boost the body's defenses against cancer is called adoptive cell transfer, in which patients receive a therapeutic injection of their own immune cells. This therapy, currently tested in early clinical trials for melanoma and neuroblastoma, has its limitations: Removing immune cells from a patient and growing them outside the body for future re-injection is extremely expensive and not always technically feasible. ... scientists have now tested in mice a new form of adoptive cell transfer, which overcomes these limitations while enhancing the tumor-fighting ability of the transferred cells. ... The new approach should be more readily applicable than existing adoptive cell transfer treatments because it relies on a donor pool of immune T cells ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069415 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5069415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069419&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fvascular-changes-and-dementia-go-hand-in-hand.php Via ScienceDaily: "The same artery-clogging process (atherosclerosis) that causes heart disease can also result in age-related vascular cognitive impairments (VCI) ... Cognitive impairment, also known as dementia, includes difficulty with thinking, reasoning and memory, and can be caused by vascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, a combination of both and other causes. Atherosclerosis is a build- up of plaque in the arteries associated with elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and other risk factors. When it restricts or blocks blood flow to the brain, it is called cerebrovascular disease, which can result in vascular cognitive impairment. ... We have learned that cerebrovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease may work together to cause cognitive impairment and the mixed disorder ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069419 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5069419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069418&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fthe-complexities-of-p53-in-aging-and-longevity.php An open access paper: "p53 plays a critical role in tumor suppression. As a transcription factor, in response to stress signals, p53 regulates its target genes and initiates stress responses, including cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and/or senescence, to exert its function in tumor suppression. Emerging evidence has suggested that p53 is also an important but complex player in the regulation of aging and longevity in worms, flies, mice, and humans. Whereas p53 accelerates the aging process and shortens life span in some contexts, p53 can also extend life span in some other contexts. Thus, p53 appears to regulate aging and longevity in a context-dependent manner. Here, the authors review some recent advances in the study of the role of p53 in the regulation of aging and longevity in both inv... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069418 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5069418 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062210&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Frobert-ettinger-cryopreserved.php From the Washington Post: "Robert C. W. Ettinger, a physics teacher and science fiction writer who believed death is only for the unprepared and unimaginative, died July 23 at his home in Clinton Township, Mich. He was 92 and had suffered declining health in recent weeks, said his son David, who could not specify a cause. 'We're obviously sad,' said the younger Ettinger. But 'we were able to freeze him under optimum conditions, so he's got another chance.' Mr. Ettinger is widely considered the father of the cryonics movement, whose adherents believe they can achieve immortality through quick-freezing their bodies at death in anticipation of future resurrection. Mr. Ettinger's frozen body is being stored in a vat of liquid nitrogen at a nondescript building outside Detroit, home to more tha... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062210 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5062210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062209&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fattention-and-white-matter-pathology-in-aging.php The mind decays in characteristic ways, and researchers are making inroads in linking the symptoms to the specific physical causes: "Advanced aging is associated with reduced attentional control and less flexible information processing. ... Older adults often perform poorly in situations where multiple goals and response rules must be maintained and coordinated ... Here, we explored age differences in recruitment of brain systems associated with attentional control and their relationship to behavior and markers of neuropathology. ... Examining 2 markers of preclinical pathology in older adults revealed that white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), but not high amyloid burden, were associated with failure to modulate activity in response to changing task demands. In contrast, high amyloid burd... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062209 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5062209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050480&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fcalorie-restriction-slows-dna-methylation-in-the-hippocampus.php DNA methylation is proposed to be a good biomarker of aging, and here researchers show that calorie restriction slows the progression of DNA methylation in the hippocampus - continuing the expected trend of calorie restriction slowing near every identified biological change that occurs with aging: "Aberrant DNA methylation patterns have been linked to molecular and cellular alterations in the aging brain. Caloric restriction (CR) and upregulation of antioxidants have been proposed as interventions to prevent or delay age-related brain pathology. Previously, we have shown in large cohorts of aging mice, that age-related increases in DNA methyltransferase 3a (Dnmt3a) immunoreactivity in the mouse hippocampus were attenuated by CR, but not by overexpression of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). H... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050480 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5050480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050479&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Floco-and-fly-longevity.php Here is another piece in the exceedingly complicated puzzle of metabolism and longevity, touching on some other pieces that have shown up here before, such as adenylate cyclase: "Despite the various roles of regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) protein in the G protein signaling pathway that have been defined, the function of RGS has not been characterized in longevity signaling pathways. We found that reduced expression of Loco, a Drosophila RGS protein, resulted in a longer lifespan of flies with stronger resistance to stress, higher MnSOD activity and increased fat content. In contrast, overexpression of the loco gene shortened the fly lifespan significantly, lowered stress resistance and reduced fat content, also indicating that the RGS domain containing GTPase-activating protein (GA... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050479 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5050479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050578&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-rise-in-cancer-rates-may-not-mean-more-cancer%2F2011.07.21 Several newspapers in the UK reported this week that cancer rates have risen over the past two decades. That set into motion an analysis by the excellent “Behind the Headlines” service offered by the NHS Choices website. They found this in newspapers: “Cancer rates in the middle-aged “have jumped by almost a fifth in a generation”, according to The Daily Telegraph, which says that the increase “is thought to be mainly due to better detection of cancers rather than people adopting more unhealthy lifestyles”. The Sun takes the alternate view, saying that doctors are “blaming the rise on obesity and home boozing”. The Daily Mail similarly suggests that lifestyle changes are to blame.” You don’t have to live in the UK to learn f... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050578 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:00:13 +0100 5050578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050483&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fsnapping-out-of-the-pro-death-trance.php From TechNewsWorld: "In America, a large part of funding for regenerative medicine comes from the Department of Defense, whose goal is to repair soldiers who come home wounded. That is an effort everyone recognizes as important. Yet, when it comes to repairing older people whose hearts and lungs are failing, society seems at peace accepting their demise because that is all humanity has ever known - a state of mind that some call the 'pro-death trance.' ... A Swedish hospital recently announced that a cancer patient was saved after doctors grew him a new windpipe in the lab using a synthetic structure and the man's own stem cells. That might have sounded like science fiction just a few years ago, but today it is landmark news. Regenerative medicine has the ability to usher in radically long... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050483 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5050483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050482&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fan-example-of-lifespan-extension-through-induced-hormesis.php Hormesis is the name given to the processes by which a little damage at the cellular level can actually be beneficial, as it spurs repair and maintenance systems to greater efforts - the result is a net gain. Here researchers demonstrate one method of inducing hormesis in nematode worms: "As organisms age, cellular proteins, lipids and nucleic acids sustain damage that can lead to functional deficits in tissues and, ultimately, death. The free radical theory of aging proposes that aging results, at least in part, from damage to cellular components by reactive oxygen species (ROS) ... Indeed, oxidative modification is a major form of damage detected in aging tissues ... Here, we report that hormetic chemicals can be modified to optimize beneficial effects and minimize toxicity in C. elegans... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050482 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5050482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050486&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fgene-therapy-versus-atherosclerosis-1.php Via EurekAlert!, news of a promising study in rabbits: "A one-dose method for delivering gene therapy into an arterial wall effectively protects the artery from developing atherosclerosis despite ongoing high blood cholesterol. ... As applied in our study, the introduced genes can produce proteins that counteract the fundamental processes that drive atherosclerosis, including preventing lipid accumulation inside the artery wall and decreasing recruitment of inflammatory cells. We found both of these effects. ... Gene transfer would move the production of the therapeutic 'drug' (in this case a therapeutic gene) directly to the site of atherosclerosis development: the blood vessel wall. The approach maximizes delivery of the drug to the artery wall and minimizes side effects in the rest of t... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050486 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5050486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050485&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Farguing-against-a-correlation-between-blood-type-and-aging.php Does blood type in any way affect longevity? A resounding "maybe" from what little work exists on the topic, which suggests that if there is any effect then it is small in comparison to other factors. But we'll never know unless the research community looks into the matter, and so here is another batch of evidence to add to the pile: "Centenarians are the best example of extreme human longevity, and they represent a selected population in which the appearance of major age-related diseases, such as cancer, and cardiovascular diseases among others, has been consistently delayed or escaped. The study of the long-lived individual genetic profile has the purpose to possibly identify the genes and the allelic variations influencing extended life expectancy, hence considering them as biomarkers o... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050485 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5050485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050489&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fon-increasing-your-chances-of-avoiding-alzheimers.php In many ways, Alzheimer's disease looks a lot like type 2 diabetes - it can be argued that there are some biochemical similarities in the underlying mechanisms, Alzheimer's appears to be a lifestyle disease to some degree, and the two conditions have many of the same risk factors, such as obesity and being sedentary. So: "Over half of all Alzheimer's disease cases could potentially be prevented through lifestyle changes and treatment or prevention of chronic medical conditions. ... Analyzing data from studies around the world involving hundreds of thousands of participants, [researchers] concluded that worldwide, the biggest modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease are, in descending order of magnitude, low education, smoking, physical inactivity, depression, mid-life hypertension, ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050489 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5050489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050488&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fwhat-is-the-limiting-factor-on-the-lifespans-of-the-oldest-old.php Slate here ponders the consistency of the upper limits of the human lifespan: "Last month, a 114-year-old former schoolteacher from Georgia named Besse Cooper became the world's oldest living person. Her predecessor, Brazil's Maria Gomes Valentim, was 114 when she died. So was the oldest living person before her, and the one before her. In fact, eight of the last nine 'world's oldest' titleholders were 114 when they achieved the distinction. Here's the morbid part: All but two were still 114 when they passed it on. Those two? They died at 115. The celebration surrounding Cooper when she assumed the title, then, might as well have been accompanied by condolences. If historical trends hold, she will likely be dead within a year. It's no surprise that it's hard to stay the 'world's oldest' f... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050488 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5050488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050492&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fmaria-konovalenko-presents-at-singularity-university.php Longevity science advocate Maria Konovalenko recently presented at Singularity University; you'll find a link to the presentation materials in the post: "Last week I gave a talk at the Singularity University about how we can extend life. Those who have never heard about the Singularity University, should definitely check out what the SU is all about. I talked about the current records in life extension achieved in model animals, overviewed the main scientific approaches to fighting aging and looked at why activation of stress resistance genes may be a very good idea for extending our longevity. I wrapped up by noting the potential profitable business side of life extension, which is creation of geroprotective drugs. You can find the presentation "The Best Strategy for 5,000,000,000 people"... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050492 Sun, 17 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5050492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050491&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Ffour-scenarios-to-link-progeria-to-aging.php In light of recent research demonstrating that the longevity-inducing drug rapamycin may treat the accelerated aging condition progeria, a researcher here offers up a fairly comprehensive commentary on what this might mean for work on "normal" aging. It is educational, but should be read with the caveat that the author has a strong conviction that the TOR gene is central in the aging process: "Here I discuss four potential scenarios, comparing progeria with both normal and accelerated aging. This reveals further indications of rapamycin both for accelerated aging in obese and for progeria. ... Scenario 1. Progerin is detectable in normal cells from normal elderly humans. In normal human fibroblasts, telomere damage during replicative senescence activates progerin production. In theory, pro... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050491 Sun, 17 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5050491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028095&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fa-stem-cell-trial-for-macular-degeneration.php From the Technology Review: "In a bid to harness the potential of embryonic stem cells, surgeons in California have implanted lab-grown retinal cells into the eyes of two patients going blind from macular degeneration. ... The two patients, whose names weren't released, are among the first volunteers ever to receive a treatment created using embryonic stem cells. ... We are excited about this treatment, because we think this has the potential to slow the disease progression. This company has had their ups and downs, and I am really happy to see they got into the clinic. We've had our fingers crossed. ... During a recent visit to Advanced Cell's laboratories, a research technician adjusted a microscope to show off the company's lead product: cube-shaped retinal pigment epithelial cells grow... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028095 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5028095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028094&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fcontinued-investigations-of-rasgrf1-and-longevity.php RasGrf1 is the gene associated with longevity in engineered mice with two female parents, and a deficiency in the gene achieved through other means boosts life span as well. Here is more theorizing on what it all means: "Interestingly, RasGrf1 is one of parentally imprinted genes transcribed from paternally-derived chromosome. Erasure of its imprinting results in RasGrf1 downregulation and has been demonstrated in a population of pluripotent adult tissues-derived very small embryonic like stem cells (VSELs), stem cells involved in tissue organ rejuvenation. ... downregulation of RasGrf1 in VSELs [protects] from premature depletion from adult tissues. Thus, the studies in RasGrf1-/- mice indicate that some of the imprinted genes may play a role in ontogenetic longevity and suggest that ther... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028094 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5028094 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028098&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fan-update-on-organovo.php Organovo is the bioprinting startup whose investors include the Methuselah Foundation: "Organovo has been generating enough revenue from a series of new partnerships that [the company] put off an expected Series A venture round. ... the company has raised just over $2 million from private investors to develop 'bio-printing' technology that operates much like an inkjet printer. Instead of laying down ink, however, Organovo's bio-printer lays down a pattern of cultured cells and a jello-like hydrogel that supports the cells in a 3-D structure. In this way, Organovo already has been able to grow bio-engineered blood vessels, and to lay more ambitious plans to create kidneys, livers, and other vital organs in the same way. ... the work is still highly experimental, so getting regulatory approv... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028098 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5028098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028097&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fa-popular-science-article-on-centenarian-studies.php At the Wall Street Journal: "At his lab in the Bronx, geneticist Nir Barzilai has spent more than a decade trying to unlock the biology of aging. His secret weapon: some of the New York area's oldest Jews. One of his major studies analyzes the genetic make-up and life habits of the oldest of the old: 500 physically and cognitively healthy individuals living well past the century mark. ... Research that began with some of the oldest New Yorkers is now set to spread throughout the U.S. Barzilai's work is the template for a ambitious national study to create a full sequencing of the genomes of 100 ethnically and geographically diverse centenarians. ... Barzilai's work seeks to improve the quality of life for the elderly. His research has found, to his surprise, that the 100-plus crowd has les... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028097 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5028097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028101&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fnewt-regenerative-capacities-do-not-diminish-with-age.php Another good reason for researchers to better understand the biochemical roots of regeneration in lower animals such as newts and salamanders: "Goro Eguchi has shown that a newt's healing powers don't diminish with age. As long as they live, they retain the ability to efficiently regrow their body parts (or at least, the lenses of their eyes), even if they have to do so over and over again. We've known about the abilities of newts and other salamanders for over 200 years, thanks initially to Lazzarro Spallanzini, an Italian biologist and Catholic priest. But the limits of this ability have been unclear. Spallanzani once amputated limbs from a salamander six times over three months, and watched them grow back. ... The salamanders could repeatedly regrow their limbs, but eventually, abnormal... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028101 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5028101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028100&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fon-theories-of-aging.php An introductory open access review paper looks briefly at some of the theories of aging: "Ageing and senescence are related words and are often used interchangeably as both processes are characterized by progressive changes in the tissue of the body, eventually leading to a decline in function and death of the organism. Senescence refers to a post-maturational process that leads to diminished homeostasis and increased vulnerability of the organism to death. Ageing, in contrast, refers to any time-related process and is a continuous process that starts at conception and continues until death. The mechanisms involved in ageing are partially intrinsic to the organism, like genetic and epigenetic factors, and partially to the external origin, such as nutrition, radiation, temperature and stres... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028100 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5028100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028104&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fconsidering-the-naked-mole-rat.php In light of the recent sequencing of the naked mole rat genome, here's a paper on why the species is of interest: "Reactive oxygen species (ROS), by-products of aerobic metabolism, cause oxidative damage to cells and tissue and not surprisingly many theories have arisen to link ROS-induced oxidative stress to aging and health. While studies clearly link ROS to a plethora of divergent diseases, their role in aging is still debatable. Genetic knock-down manipulations of antioxidants alter the levels of accrued oxidative damage, however, the resultant effect of increased oxidative stress on lifespan are equivocal. Similarly the impact of elevating antioxidant levels through transgenic manipulations yield inconsistent effects on longevity. Furthermore, comparative data from a wide range of end... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028104 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5028104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028103&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fmore-transdifferentiation-brain-cells-to-heart-cells.php Demonstrations of transdifferentiation, converting one cell type directly into another, have been picking up of late. Like research into creating stem cells, it has the potential to enable a new generation of regenerative therapies, or make existing therapies more effective and less costly. Here is an example of the present state of research: "For the past decade, researchers have tried to reprogram the identity of all kinds of cell types. Heart cells are one of the most sought-after cells in regenerative medicine because researchers anticipate that they may help to repair injured hearts by replacing lost tissue. Now, [researchers] are the first to demonstrate the direct conversion of a non-heart cell type into a heart cell by RNA transfer. Working on the idea that the signature of a cell ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028103 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5028103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028108&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fregenerative-medicines-promising-future.php A commentary by researcher Anthony Atala: "Is it possible for humans to regenerate a damaged body part the way starfish and salamanders can? Will doctors one day be able to replace cancer-ridden organs with healthy ones engineered in a lab? Will lengthy waiting times for organ transplants eventually become a thing of the past? Whenever lecturing about the field of regenerative medicine, I always enjoy hearing questions like these from audience members as they excitedly imagine the future applications of regenerative medicine. In fact, scenarios like these aren't outside the realm of possibility. Regenerative medicine therapies are already helping small groups of patients through clinical trials; and scientists around the world are working both to expand the applications of these therapies ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028108 Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5028108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028107&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fbetter-understanding-pluripotent-stem-cells.php This study showed that pluripotent cells are not all equal. They are all pluripotent. You can force a cell that normally would love to become a neural cell to turn into blood, just like you can force the vacationer to go Alaska instead of Jamaica. They'll do it, but not very well and not happily. ... For the study, [the] research team found stem cells with roadmaps and specifically packed suitcases for the blood and neural destinations. The researchers discovered when they isolated these stem cells by new protein markers on the surface of cells, they were able produce a greater number of specialized cells - nearly five times as many blood cells and twelve times as many neural cells compared to when the stem cells had to be forced into those cell types." Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/r... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028107 Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5028107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008098&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fcalorie-restriction-slows-fertility-decline.php Another example of calorie restriction slowing a specific aspect of the damage of aging: "restricting the caloric intake of adult female mice prevents a spectrum of abnormalities, such as extra or missing copies of chromosomes, which arise more frequently in egg cells of aging female mammals. ... We found that we could completely prevent, in a mouse model, essentially every aspect of the declining egg quality typical of older females. We also identified a gene that can be manipulated to reproduce the effects of dietary caloric restriction and improve egg quality in aging animals fed a normal diet, which gives us clues that we may be able to alter this highly regulated process with compounds now being developed to mimic the effects of caloric restriction. ... The long-term effects of a calo... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008098 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5008098 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008097&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fautologous-stem-cells-versus-angina.php The objective of the trial was to determine whether delivery of autologous (meaning one's own) CD34+ stem cells directly into multiple targeted sites in the heart might reduce the frequency of angina episodes in patients suffering from chronic severe refractory angina, under the hypothesis that CD34+ stem cells may be involved in the creation of new blood vessels and increase tissue perfusion. ... While we need to validate these results in phase III studies before definitive conclusions can be drawn, we believe this is an important milestone in considering whether the body's own stem cells may one day be used to treat chronic cardiovascular conditions. ... At six months after treatment, patients in the low-dose treatment group reported significantly fewer episodes of angina than patients i... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008097 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5008097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008101&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fexploring-ifg-1-and-longevity.php Some work here on IFG-1, not to be confused with IGF-1, which is also of interest in longevity: "When researchers at the Buck Institute dialed back activity of a specific mRNA translation factor in adult nematode worms they saw an unexpected genome-wide response that effectively increased activity in specific stress response genes that could help explain why the worms lived 40 percent longer under this condition. ... Scientists have identified a number of so-called 'longevity' genes active in many species. However, the mechanisms by which those genes impact lifespan remain poorly understood. ... the majority of research involving those genes has focused on transcription, the first level of cellular activity whereby DNA produces RNA. This research focuses on translation, whereby RNA specifi... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008101 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5008101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008100&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Faging-and-the-genetics-of-the-immune-system.php The quality of the immune system in later years has a strong impact on mortality rates and frailty - and that quality varies with different genetic profiles. Thus it follows that among the genetic variants known to affect human longevity, some are involved with the immune system: "The ageing process is very complex. Human longevity is a multifactorial trait which is determined by genetic and environmental factors. Twin and family studies imply that up to 25% of human lifespan is heritable. The longevity gene candidates have generally fallen into the following categories: inflammatory and immune-related factors, stress response elements, mediators of glucose and lipid metabolism, components of DNA repair and cellular proliferation and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups. Because of the central ro... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008100 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5008100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008104&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fmaking-better-cells-for-tissue-engineering.php Altering cells used in tissue engineering so as to obtain a better result is a very viable prospect, as demonstrated in a recent investigation of tendon regeneration: "The basic function of tendon is to transmit force from muscle to bone, which makes limb and joint movement possible. Therefore tendons must be capable of resisting high tensile forces with limited elongation. ... the mechanical properties of tendons are related to the fibril diameter distribution, large fibrils could withstand higher tensile forces. ... In the healing tendon, a uniform distribution of small diameter collagen fibrils has been found with poorer mechanical properties than native tissue and shows no improvement of mechanical properties with time ... The present study for the first time demonstrated the use of a ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008104 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5008104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008103&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fshorter-telomeres-higher-cancer-risk.php A confirming review of studies: "Telomeres play a key role in the maintenance of chromosome integrity and stability, and telomere shortening is involved in initiation and progression of malignancies. A series of epidemiological studies have examined the association between shortened telomeres and risk of cancers, but the findings remain conflicting. ... A dataset composed of 11,255 cases and 13,101 controls from 21 publications was included in a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between overall cancer risk or cancer-specific risk and the relative telomere length. ... The results showed that shorter telomeres were significantly associated with cancer risk compared with longer telomeres. ... Studies have showed that telomeres are critical for maintaining genomic integrity and that te... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008103 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5008103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008107&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fmore-on-stem-cell-aging-and-environmental-cues.php Researchers are making inroads into showing that stem cell decline with aging is a function of the surrounding environment - you might recall the experiments in which old mice were given young blood, for example. Here is another research report: "Increasing studies have demonstrated the importance of extrinsic cellular factors on the aging of adult stem cells. Aged mouse spermatogonial stem cells have been transplanted into young recipient hosts for over three years without any decline in function. Serum from old mice markedly induces embryonic stem cell dysfunction. However, the effects of the aged environment on [mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)] senescence and function have not yet been reported. In the present study, the young and the old systemic milieu were mimicked by adding 20% [young r... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008107 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5008107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008106&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fcycles-of-interest-in-cryonics.php A long and interesting post at Chronosphere: "I think that most who seriously study the history of cryonics will conclude that there appear to be cycles of activism and interest. There is nothing remarkable in this: the same is true in almost any area of human undertaking. ... . What can be learned from a careful analysis of [Alcor membership from 1972 to 2010]? Is there a discernible reason why growth in membership became nearly exponential, briefly, during the early 1980s? ... there is now nearly 50 years of cryonics history. That's a substantial baseline, and if you chart the progress of cryonics over that time by almost any measure, and you look at the primary historical record, you'll immediately notice that in no way has cryonics behaved as it was predicted to do by the first generat... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008106 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5008106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997510&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fthe-goal-bring-aging-under-medical-control.php Reuters reports on a recent presentation by Aubrey de Grey of the SENS Foundation: "'I'd say we have a 50/50 chance of bringing aging under what I'd call a decisive level of medical control within the next 25 years or so,' de Grey said in an interview before delivering a lecture at Britain's Royal Institution academy of science. .... And what I mean by decisive is the same sort of medical control that we have over most infectious diseases today. ... De Grey sees a time when people will go to their doctors for regular 'maintenance,' which by then will include gene therapies, stem cell therapies, immune stimulation and a range of other advanced medical techniques to keep them in good shape. ... The idea is to engage in what you might call preventative geriatrics, where you go in to periodica... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997510 Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4997510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997509&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fthe-search-for-ways-to-spur-stem-cells-into-action.php Based on work to date, it should be expected that there are effective ways to provoke existing stem cell populations in the body into greater feats of healing than normally take place. This research is an example of the type: "Injecting proteins similar to insulin directly into the heart can cause damaged cells to repair themselves and begin regenerating again, researchers said. Tests on pigs showed that the dormant cells could begin regrowth following a 'regenerative medicine' treatment using certain growth factors - naturally occurring proteins which cells use to communicate with their environment. Experts from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) said the four-year study presented a 'significantly different' therapy to those currently being developed by scientists. The findings, prod... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997509 Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4997509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992642&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fon-longevity-insurance-1.php It is worth watching the prevalence of longevity insurance offerings, as this is a measure of the degree to which the actuarial community and insurance industry believes that increases in human life span will happen in the near future, but that they will not be large. For the insurer, longevity insurance is a bet on earlier than anticipated death: "Most people buy life insurance to protect against the risks of dying too soon. Now, there are new products offering the same protection if you live too long. It's known as longevity insurance, and there's clearly a huge market for it: Life expectancies are on the rise, cushy pensions are on the decline, and most people don't have enough savings to carry them through two decades or more of retirement. This is not lost on insurance companies, whic... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992642 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4992642 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992641&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fa-novel-view-of-stem-cell-decline.php An open access paper: "One of the most important and complex diseases of modern society is metabolic syndrome. This syndrome has not been completely understood, and therefore an effective treatment is not available yet. We propose a possible stem cell mechanism involved in the development of metabolic syndrome. This way of thinking lets us consider also other significant pathologies that could have similar [or shared biological pathways], like lipodystrophic syndromes, progeria, and aging. All these clinical situations could be the consequence of a progressive and persistent stem cell exhaustion syndrome (SCES). The main outcome of this SCES would be an irreversible loss of the effective regenerative mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) pools. In this way, the normal repairing capacities of the o... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992641 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4992641 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984402&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Frapamycin-versus-progeria.php From the Technology Review: "The drug rapamycin has been found to reverse the effects of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, a fatal genetic disease that resembles rapid aging, in cells taken from patients with the disease. Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant drug used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs, has already been shown to extend life span in healthy mice. Researchers hope the findings will provide new insight into treating progeria as well as other age-related diseases. Skin cells from patients with progeria show a slew of defects: deformities in their membranes, decreased growth, and early death. [Researchers] found that rapamycin could reverse these defects by enhancing the cells' ability to degrade the protein progerin, which accumulates in abnormal amounts in progeria pa... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984402 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4984402 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984401&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fstepping-in-the-direction-of-artificial-cells.php Artificial cells are one possible line of future biotechnology; devices built to resemble the body's building blocks, essentially nanomachines constructed of proteins. Here researchers take a modest step in that direction, by developing "a novel method of disguising nanoparticles as red blood cells, which will enable them to evade the body's immune system and deliver cancer-fighting drugs straight to a tumor. ... The method involves collecting the membrane from a red blood cell and wrapping it like a powerful camouflaging cloak around a biodegradable polymer nanoparticle stuffed with a cocktail of small molecule drugs. Nanoparticles are less than 100 nanometers in size, about the same size as a virus. ... This is the first work that combines the natural cell membrane with a synthetic nanop... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984401 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4984401 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984405&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Felectrophilic-stress-membranes-and-aging.php You may recall that composition of cell membranes is strongly correlated to species longevity - the idea being that some membranes are more resistant to the damage of reactive oxygen species than others, and that damage resistance at the cellular level ultimately translates into a longer-lived animal. Here is more on that topic: "This review begins with the premise that an organism's life span is determined by the balance between two countervailing forces: (i) the sum of destabilizing effects and (ii) the sum of protective longevity-assurance processes. Against this backdrop, the role of electrophiles is discussed, both as destabilizing factors and as signals that induce protective responses. Because most biological macromolecules contain nucleophilic centers, electrophiles are particularl... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984405 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4984405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984404&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fmore-than-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-pre-cryopreservation-transport.php A long and fascinating post from Chronosphere details the extensive preparations that go into transporting the body of a cryonics patient for cryopreservation: "Many patients will be remote from the facility where cryoprotective perfusion will be carried out and will be transported by common carrier or private carrier over considerable geographical distances. In some cases it will be possible to move the patient using a specialized transport vehicle with on-going extracorporeal support. In other cases the distances will be sufficiently great that the only realistic option is iced-shipment in the absence of perfusion. It is often necessary to use a commercial air freight service to move the patient from one area of the United States to another (or from one country to another). ... Because o... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984404 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4984404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975805&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fnew-lung-related-stem-cell-population-discovered.php Via EurekAlert!: researchers "have identified a new stem cell that participates in the repair of the large airways of the lungs, which play a vital role in protecting the body from infectious agents and toxins in the environment. The airways protect the body by producing and clearing mucus from the airways. The mucus is largely produced by specialized mucus glands in the airway and the mechanisms of normal and excessive mucus production are not well understood. However, this newly discovered lung stem cell for the mucus glands will likely yield new insights into this critical process. ... The study [represents] the first time anyone has found the cell of origin for the many types of cells that make up the mucus glands and that can also repair the surface epithelium. The finding, the study ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975805 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4975805 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975804&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Flithium-as-treatment-for-parkinsons-disease.php A number of interesting studies on lithium have turned up in recent years, such as its possible association with longevity in humans. Here researchers are testing it against Parkinson's disease: "A two-year study of the effects of lithium treatment on Parkinson's disease in mice has given researchers at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging hope that the drug may halt brain damage in humans with the degenerative disorder. The research found that lithium, the Food and Drug Administration-approved drug most commonly used to treat bipolar disorder, 'profoundly prevents the aggregation of toxic proteins and cell loss associated with Parkinson's disease' in mice. ... In the last couple of years, there's been kind of a growing body of data that suggests that lithium could have some neuroprote... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975804 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4975804 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975808&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fimmunotherapy-to-clear-tau-aggregrates-in-alzheimers-disease.php From the SENS Foundation: "Neurofibrillary tangles (NFT -- cytoplasmic inclusions composed of phosphorylated and abnormally-cleaved species of tau protein) accumulate in the aging brain, and at higher levels in Alzheimer's disease and in vulnerable regions in a range of other neurodegenerative diseases. ... [Researchers] have tested immunotherapies targeting tau aggregates in preclinical models of neurodegeneration caused by pathological tau species. .... Vaccination with human phosphorylated tau led to the clearance of tau pathology from the brains of immunized mice [and] In turn, these reductions in abnormal tau species were clearly linked to substantial improvements in cognitive deficits. This is an impressive advance. The authors have used vaccination with a human phosphorylated tau im... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975808 Sun, 26 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4975808 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975807&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Flarge-multivitamin-study-shows-no-benefit.php In conclusion, there was no clear decrease or increase in mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer and in morbidity from overall or major cancers among multivitamin supplement users." Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21343248 (Source: Fight Aging!) Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975807 Sun, 26 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4975807 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968438&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fmeiosis-and-longevity-in-yeast.php Lower forms of life have stages that don't exist in higher animals - such as meiosis in yeast, or the dauer stage in nematodes. Researchers have found they can manipulate longevity by manipulating the molecular machinery associated with these states, but it's generally felt that this is of lesser relevance to mammals. Here is an example of the type: "Human cells have a finite lifespan: They can only divide a certain number of times before they die. However, that lifespan is reset when reproductive cells are formed, which is why the children of a 20-year-old man have the same life expectancy as those of an 80-year-old man. How that resetting occurs in human cells is not known, but MIT biologists have now found a gene that appears to control this process in yeast. Furthermore, by turning on ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968438 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4968438 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968437&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Freversing-type-2-diabetes.php Type 2 diabetes is as close to a disease of choice as you're likely to find: provided that you adopt a sensible lifestyle of good diet and exercise then you are never going to suffer the condition, barring extremely bad luck in your genes. Similarly, if you are headed down the path towards diabetes, you can turn back by changing the way you live your life. Here's evidence that the turn can be made quite late if made aggressively enough: "An extreme eight-week diet of 600 calories a day can reverse Type 2 diabetes in people newly diagnosed with the disease .... the low-calorie diet reduced fat levels in the pancreas and liver, which helped insulin production return to normal. Seven out of 11 people studied were free of diabetes three months later. ... More research is needed to see whether ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968437 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4968437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968441&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fnotes-on-the-40th-annual-meeting-of-the-american-aging-association.php From the IEET: "The focus of the 40th annual meeting of the American Aging Association, held a few weeks ago in North Carolina, was emerging concepts in the mechanisms of aging. Most of the usual topics in aging were covered, such as dietary restriction, inflammation, stress resistance, homeostasis and proteasome activity, sarcopenia, and neural degeneration. Newer methods like microRNAs and genome sequencing were employed to investigate gene expression variance with aging and genetic signatures of longevity. Aging as a field continues to mature including by using a systems approach to tracing conserved pathways across organisms, sharpening definitions of sarcopenia, frailty, and healthspan, and distinguishing interventions by age tier (early-onset versus late-onset). A pre-conference sess... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968441 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4968441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968440&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Feat-less-live-longer-1.php A cautious popular science article on calorie restriction: "Caloric restriction as a research discipline has actually been around for ages. The first demonstration of extending lifespan and improving health in rats by cutting calories was back in 1934, and since then the finding has been repeated in numerous species up to and including non-human primates. Animals subjected to caloric restriction while maintaining adequate vitamin, mineral, and protein intakes not only live longer, healthier lives, they also maintain vitality to an older age and have fewer visible signs of aging - such as white fur - compared to better-fed siblings. It is worth noting that we are not just talking about shedding a few pounds here. Animal studies show that, almost up to the point of frank starvation, the more... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968440 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4968440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960011&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fa-profile-of-laura-deming-thiel-foundation-fellowship-recipient.php At Forbes, a profile of one of the Thiel Fellowship recipients who focuses on longevity science: "Deming started working in a research lab when she was 12, enrolled at MIT at age 14 and last month, the now 17 year-old was awarded one of 24 $100,000 Thiel Foundation Fellowships for her work in the realm of anti-aging, specifically efforts to identify the genes that control aging and to use discoveries about age-defying therapies effective in worms to unlock the key to extending the human lifespan ... I had a fantastic childhood. Growing up, I had complete freedom to investigate whatever I was interested in, so I puzzled around with math and science, and got hooked on biology. When I was 12, Cynthia Kenyon, one of the coolest people I know, let me come to her lab. She works with a wonderful ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960011 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4960011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960010&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fmore-on-financial-planning-and-cryonics.php It is good to see that cryonics is now sufficiently widely known that business magazines are willing to write articles on the financial engineering and legal explorations associated with establishing a successful cryopreservation: "Financial planning, like most disciplines, generally relies on the assumption that the dead will remain that way. Some people, however, are not as willing to accept this premise. Cryonicists believe science will eventually give us the ability to reanimate the dead. In preparation for this possibility, they elect to have their bodies, or sometimes merely their heads, stored in extreme low temperatures so that, when the time comes, they can be restored to life. Some anticipate a future in which their bodies will be thawed and cured of their ailments, while others ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960010 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4960010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952764&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fspurring-muscle-regrowth.php A possible strategy for regrowing muscle lost to injury: "Cpl. Isaias Hernandez was 19 when he lost 70 percent of the muscles in his right thigh, and doctors initially recommended amputation ... But Hernandez worked with researchers at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, who were able to seed his remaining muscles with a cocktail of proteins and growth factors derived from pig bladders. ... [Researchers are working to] develop an implantable extracellular matrix that can re-grow tissue. The matrix is a biological scaffold, enriched with proteins and growth factors, which recruits stem cells and other cell precursors to the site of the injury. ... The therapy stimulates further tissue regeneration, essentially rebuilding the lost muscle. Skeletal... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952764 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4952764 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952763&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fmore-on-leucine-intake-and-muscle-mass.php Conclusions: In cancer patients, conventional nutritional supplementation is ineffective in stimulating muscle protein synthesis. This anabolic resistance can be overcome with a specially formulated nutritional supplement." Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21683485 (Source: Fight Aging!) Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952763 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4952763 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952767&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fimmunotherapy-cures-prostate-cancer-in-mice.php A good demonstrations of the promise of immune therapies, training the immune system to destroy very specific types of cell: researchers "cured well-established prostate tumors in mice using a human vaccine with no apparent side effects. This novel cancer treatment approach encourages the immune system to rid itself of prostate tumors without assistance from toxic chemotherapies and radiation treatments. Such a treatment model could some day help people to live tumor free with fewer side effects than those experienced from current therapies. ... We are hopeful that this will overcome some of the major hurdles which we have seen with immunotherapy cancer research ... Among the team's findings: no trace of autoimmune diseases in the mice. The murine T-cells attacked only cancerous prostate c... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952767 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4952767 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952766&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fwall-street-journal-on-immune-therapies.php A general interest article on immunotherapy from the Wall Street Journal: "Scientists are scrambling to develop medications that fight cancer by spurring the body's immune system, a form of treatment that some cancer specialists believe may hold the key to keeping a patient permanently disease-free. ... immunotherapy drugs are being developed for a number of other cancers, including lung, brain and kidney cancers. Unlike most traditional therapies that attack a cancer directly, immunotherapy uses the body's own internal defenses to ward off the disease, with the ultimate hope of building up a long-term resistance to the cancer. ... The growing interest in immunotherapy comes even as traditional cancer-targeting drugs have become more effective. Still, such drugs often just delay the ultima... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952766 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4952766 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952771&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fa-cortical-neural-prosthesis-for-restoring-and-enhancing-memory.php Researchers are making the first inroads into implanted machinery that can adjust the workings of memory, potentially leading in the years ahead to ways to restore memory function in the old: "Scientists have developed a way to turn memories on and off - literally with the flip of a switch. Using an electronic system that duplicates the neural signals associated with memory, they managed to replicate the brain function in rats associated with long-term learned behavior, even when the rats had been drugged to forget. ... Using embedded electrical probes, [scientists] recorded changes in the rat's brain activity between the two major internal divisions of the hippocampus, known as subregions CA3 and CA1. During the learning process, [CA3 and CA1] interact to create long-term memory ... exper... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952771 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4952771 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952770&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fthe-brain-preservation-technology-prize.php From Cryonics Magazine: "As a neuroscientist whose day job is to map neural circuits, I know exactly what type of evidence is needed to convince the scientific community that cryonics preserves the neural circuits encoding our unique memories and personality. What is required is a systematic whole-brain survey with an electron microscope. Recently I, along with my colleagues John Smart and Jacob DiMare, formed the Brain Preservation Foundation (BPF) to promote new scientific research in the field of whole brain preservation for long-term static storage. The BPF has announced the Brain Preservation Technology Prize (purse currently at $106,000) for the first team to demonstrate that an entire large mammalian brain can be preserved for long-term storage such that the connectivity between neu... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952770 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4952770 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934055&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fdiscussing-cartilage-regeneration.php An interview from the Scientist: "Cartilage is a firm, yet elastic, connective tissue that cushions joints and minimizes friction between bones. It is made up mostly of a matrix of collagen and proteoglycans and lacks nerve cells or blood vessels. In fact, cartilage contains only one cell type, the chondrocyte. A joint injury is often followed by progressive degeneration of cartilage, but there is hope that stem cells injected into damaged cartilage can help repair it. University Hospital Basel tissue engineer Ivan Martin discusses a recent study that sheds light on the mysterious process of cartilage regeneration by tracking labeled, implanted cells using a conventional MRI scanner ... [For treating cartilage injury] there is a very promising, relatively new technique - the use of autolog... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934055 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4934055 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934054&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fwound-healing-as-a-biomarker-of-longevity.php Researchers are very interested in establishing biomarkers of aging and longevity, as at present the only truly reliable way to distinguish between long-lived and not so long-lived individuals is to wait and see what happens - which isn't an efficient way to run studies of potential therapies for aging. Here's an example of one line of investigation: "Wound healing (WH) is a fundamental biological process. Is it associated with a longevity or aging phenotype? In an attempt to answer this question, we compared the established mouse models with genetically modified life span and also an altered rate of WH in the skin. Our analysis showed that the rate of skin WH in advanced ages (but not in the young animals) may be used as a marker for biological age, i.e., to be indicative of the longevity... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934054 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4934054 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934058&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Finvestigating-the-graying-of-hair.php If the level of interest the public has in their gray hair could only be transferred to an interest in practical work to repair aging, how much better off we'd be. Here is more research into the biological causes of loss of hair pigmentation with aging: "Wnt signaling, already known to control many biological processes, between hair follicles and melanocyte stem cells can dictate hair pigmentation. ... We have known for decades that hair follicle stem cells and pigment-producing melanocycte cells collaborate to produce colored hair, but the underlying reasons were unknown. We discovered Wnt signaling is essential for coordinated actions of these two stem cell lineages and critical for hair pigmentation. ... The study suggests the manipulation of Wnt signaling may be a novel strategy for ta... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934058 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4934058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934057&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fartificial-hearts-without-heartbeats.php The interesting question regarding the removal of the human heartbeat is the impact it will have on other bodily systems. Will it extend life by reducing stress on, for example, vulnerable blood vessels in the brain, or will it shorten life by also eliminating the beneficial response to that stress? Researchers are making progress in artificial hearts, so this question will likely be answered at some point over the next few decades: "The search for the perfect artificial heart seems never-ending. After decades of trial and error, surgeons remain stymied in their quest for a machine that does not wear out, break down or cause clots and infections. But Dr. Billy Cohn and Dr. Bud Frazier at the Texas Heart Institute say they have developed a machine that could avoid all that with simple whirl... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934057 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4934057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934061&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Flinking-telomeres-and-progerin.php This study highlights that valuable biological insights are gained by studying rare genetic disorders such as progeria. Our sense from the start was that progeria had a lot to teach us about the normal aging process and clues about more general biochemical and molecular mechanisms. ... the mutation that causes progeria strongly activates the splicing of lamin A [or LMNA] to produce the toxic progerin protein, leading to all of the features of premature aging suffered by children with this disease. But modifications in the splicing of LMNA are also at play in the presence of the normal gene. The research suggests that the shortening of telomeres during normal cell division in individuals with normal LMNA genes somehow alters the way a normal cell processes genetic information when turning i... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934061 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4934061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934060&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fcreating-dopamine-neurons-via-transdifferentiation.php Researchers are making progress in changing cells directly from one type to another: "A research breakthrough has proven that it is possible to reprogram mature cells from human skin directly into brain cells, without passing through the stem cell stage. The unexpectedly simple technique involves activating three genes in the skin cells; genes which are already known to be active in the formation of brain cells at the fetal stage. ... By reprogramming connective tissue cells, called fibroblasts, directly into nerve cells, a new field has been opened up with the potential to take research on cell transplants to the next level. ... We didn't really believe this would work, to begin with it was mostly just an interesting experiment to try. However, we soon saw that the cells were surprisingly... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934060 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4934060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934064&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fon-cryonics-trusts.php An op-ed on perpetual trusts aimed at preserving wealth for cryopreserved individuals can be found at h+ Magazine: "Rudi Hoffman is an insurance salesman specializing in cryonics-related insurance policies. He's also a deep thinker about cryonics and life extension, and an incredibly funny guy. So, we thought it would be interesting to have Rudi tell our readership about cryonics trusts - the notion of setting up a trust to fund your own revival and post-resuscitation life. He put together a few words on some of the misconceptions he encounters when talking to people about the concept of cryonics trusts. ... Cryonics trusts and planning for wealth upon revival is not a new idea. Questions about cryonics estate and trust planning were being asked and explored by pioneers as early as the 198... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934064 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4934064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934063&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fa-demonstration-of-exercise-versus-inflammation.php More reasons to be exercising - many aspects of the biology of an exercising older mammal are improved over one that is sedentary, and the bugbear of inflammation is one of them: "We tested the hypothesis that regular aerobic exercise reverses arterial inflammation with aging. Compared with young controls, old male B6D2F1 cage-restricted mice demonstrated increased arterial activation of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor, nuclear factor κB (NFκB) ... Similarly, aortic expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines [were] greater in the old mice. Macrophage and T lymphocyte abundance was unchanged with age in the aortic intima and media, but was markedly increased in the adventitia and perivascular fat tissue of old mice. This pro-inflammatory arterial phenotype with aging was assoc... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934063 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4934063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921362&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fpredictors-of-extraordinary-survival.php Conclusion: ESs had fewer 'classical' risk factors and were in better health than their contemporaneous controls. Possibly genetic factors such as parental longevity and birth order appear to be less predictive in men than in women." Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21649635 (Source: Fight Aging!) Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921362 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4921362 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921361&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fincreased-median-lifespan-in-hyposulfatemic-nas1-null-mice.php In this study, hyposulfatemic NaS1 null (Nas1-/-) mice were used to investigate the consequences of perturbed SO(4)(2-) homeostasis on longevity. Median life spans were increased (by ≈25%) in male and female Nas1-/- mice when compared with Nas1+/+ mice on identical food intakes. At 1yr of age, serum SO(4)(2-) levels remained low in Nas1-/- mice (≈0.16mM) when compared to Nas1+/+ mice (≈0.96mM). RT-PCR revealed increased hepatic mRNA levels of Sirt1 (by ≈60%), Cat (by ≈48%), Hdac3 (by ≈22%), Trp53 and Cd55 (by ≈36%) in Nas1-/- mice, genes linked to ageing. Histological analyses of livers from 2yr old mice revealed neoplasms in >50% of Nas1+/+ mice but not in Nas1-/- mice. This is the first study to report increased lifespan, decreased hepatic tumours and increased hepatic expr... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921361 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4921361 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911544&cid=t_97137_106_f&fid=34805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAwfulPlasticSurgery%2F%7E3%2FWjFbcdZJYoE%2F In England, Poppy Burge got... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit MyWebsite.com for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Awful Plastic Surgery) Awful Plastic Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911544 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 01:28:30 +0100 4911544 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921365&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fmany-possibilities-for-mitochondrial-repair.php A review paper notes a number of lines of research aimed at introducing new DNA into mitochondria or new mitochondria into cells. Although discussed in the context of introducing specific types of damage to study, the much more important prospect is for repairing mitochondria - and thus the possibility of removing the significant contribution to aging caused by damaged mitochondria: "Maintenance of the mitochondrial genome is a major challenge for cells, particularly as they begin to age. Although it is established that organelles possess regular DNA repair pathways, many aspects of these complex processes and of their regulation remain to be investigated. Mitochondrial transfection of isolated organelles and in whole cells with customized DNA synthesized to contain defined lesions has wid... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921365 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4921365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921364&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Ftranshumanism-starts-with-health.php Transhumanism is in many ways the urge to self-improvement taken to its logical conclusion - that in addition to improving in ways that are presently possible, we should carry out the foundational work in technology that creates new ways for us to improve ourselves. So it all starts with simple, available tools to improve health, per this post at Sentient Developments: "there are a number of things we can do to extend our capacities and optimize our health in a way that's consistent with transhumanist ideals - even if it doesn't appear to be technologically sophisticated. While the effects of these interventions are admittedly low impact from a future-relativistic perspective, the quest for bodily and cognitive enhancement is part of the broader transhumanist aesthetic which places an emph... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921364 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4921364 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911431&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fmeasuring-the-better-immune-system-of-centenarians.php It is known that centenarians - and their immediate families - tend to have better immune systems, a capability that is increasingly important in old age as people become more vulnerable to infections. Here is more research to illustrate this fact: "Aging is characterized by a progressive alteration of homeostatic mechanisms modulated by environmental and genetic factors. It is associated with a pro-inflammatory status. In centenarians, an increase of pro-inflammatory cytokine production balanced by anti-inflammatory immune response that would promote longevity is observed. Cytokine dysregulation is believed to play a key role in the proposed remodeling of the immune-inflammatory responses accompanying old age. IL-22 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine belonging to the IL-10 family and represen... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911431 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4911431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911430&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Freactive-oxygen-species-a-matter-of-degree-and-context.php In a self-repairing system, a little damage is actually a good thing - it wakes up the repair mechanisms and sets them to work, producing an overall net benefit. Thus a given form of damage may be good or bad for system longevity, depending on its degree, where it happens, and whether it is noticed by the repair mechanisms. This is why you'll see superficially contradictory research papers on reactive oxygen species, the damaging oxidant molecules emitted by mitochondria, and their impact on aging. See this, for example: "researchers have identified a pathway by which reactive oxygen species (ROS) molecules, which are usually implicated in the aging process due to their damage to DNA, can also act as cellular signaling molecules that extend lifespan. ... Increased ROS, and their effects at... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911430 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4911430 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911434&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fthoughts-on-aging-timelines-for-medical-development-and-patient-advocacy.php A long piece from Chronosphere covers a fair amount of ground, and holds up the AIDS patient advocacy of the 80s and 90s as a model of success that could be and should be emulated for longevity science advocacy: "[It is plausible that] maturation of the technologies required to extend lifespan indefinitely for most people now living who are aged 30 or older will not be developed with sufficient rapidity to prevent their being cryopreserved. ... [For example], mature, clinically available, and FDA-approved therapies to slow or halt brain cell loss are a decade, and likely closer to two decades, away. And when clinical application does come, it will likely be only for the most serious disease states, such as [Alzheimer's disease], Huntington's Disease (HD), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911434 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4911434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911433&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fthe-struggle-to-make-a-gdnf-therapy-for-parkinsons.php The nature of medical research is that it is an uncertain business - sometimes the practical applications just don't work: "GDNF first showed promise as a treatment for Parkinson's patients when scientists discovered that it could boost the survival of dopamine-producing neurons - cells that degenerate in the disease - back in 1993. But so far, the results in humans have not borne out those hopes. Early trials involving injecting the protein directly into the brain showed some promise, but a second, more comprehensive trial subsequently showed no benefit. Another recent trial that used a gene therapy approach to deliver a similar compound, neurturin, showed some signs of benefit but failed in its primary goal of improving symptoms after one year. [Researchers] believe that other attempts f... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911433 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4911433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902392&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fa-stem-cell-bandage-to-heal-torn-cartilage.php Via EurekAlert!: "The world's first clinical trial for the treatment of patients with torn meniscal cartilage has received approval from the UK regulatory agency, the MHRA, to commence. The current treatment for the majority of tears is the removal of the meniscus, a procedure that often results in the early onset of osteoarthritis. The Phase I trial, one of the first in the UK to be approved using stem cells, will treat meniscal tear patients with a cell bandage product, seeded with the patient's own, expanded, stem cells. The cell bandage, produced by Azellon Ltd, a University of Bristol spin-out company, is focused on the research, development and commercialisation of an adult autologous (patient's own) stem cell technology which in vitro (tissue culture) has shown great promise for the... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902392 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4902392 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902391&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fstem-cells-to-improve-bone-healing.php From EurekAlert!: "transplantation of adult stem cells enriched with a bone-regenerating hormone can help mend bone fractures that are not healing properly. ... stem cells manufactured with the regenerative hormone insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) become bone cells and also help the cells within broken bones repair the fracture, thereby speeding the healing. ... A deficiency of fracture healing is a common problem affecting an estimated 600,000 people annually in North America. ... This problem is even more serious in children with osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, and in elderly adults with osteoporosis, because their fragile bones can easily and repeatedly break, and bone graft surgical treatment is often not successful or feasible. ... Fractures that do not mend within... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902391 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4902391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902487&cid=t_97137_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F04%2Fa-look-inside-the-mind-of-schizophrenia%2F Schizophrenia is one of the more debilitating types of mental illness. Over a year ago, I wrote an article for Psych Central about living with schizophrenia. In the beginning, I featured an excerpt from E. Fuller Torrey’s, M.D., excellent book Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Patients and Providers, because it captures the confusion and misinformation about this disorder. “Your daughter has schizophrenia,” I told the woman. “Oh, my God, anything but that,” she replied. “Why couldn’t she have leukemia or some other disease instead?” “But if she had leukemia she might die,” I pointed out. “Schizophrenia is a much more treatable disease.” The woman looked sadly at me, then down at the floor. She spoke softly. “I would still prefer that my daughter had ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902487 Sat, 04 Jun 2011 18:04:57 +0100 4902487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893356&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fa-new-approach-to-autoimmune-disease.php In this report, the researchers describe an approach which does just that." Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-06/hms-apn060211.php (Source: Fight Aging!) Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893356 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4893356 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893355&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fglancing-at-the-comparative-study-of-aging.php The BBC here looks briefly at the study of aging in varying animal species - it mangles the scientific details in the usual fashion, but covers much of the territory: "From the moment they are born into the dense jungle of Central Africa, the biological clock is ticking for baby bonobos. A recent study, published in the journal Science, revealed that all primates - from men to monkeys - roughly age in the same way, with a high risk of dying in infancy, a low risk of dying as juveniles and then an increasing risk of dying as they aged. Some species though, have found a few tricks to help them play the aging game and extend their natural lifespans. By doing so, they can live for hundreds of years. While a select few, by some definitions, may already have become immortal. ... some species of ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893355 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4893355 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893359&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Flongevity-promoting-compounds-enhance-pluripotent-stem-cell-generation.php An interesting discovery: "Reprogramming of somatic cells to a pluripotent state was first accomplished using retroviral vectors for transient expression of pluripotency-associated transcription factors. This seminal work was followed by numerous studies reporting alternative (non-insertional) reprogramming methods, and various conditions to improve the efficiency of reprogramming. These studies have contributed little to an understanding of global mechanisms underlying reprogramming efficiency. Here we report that inhibition of the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway by rapamycin or PP242 enhances the efficiency of reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Inhibition of the insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway, which like mTOR is involved in control of longevity, also e... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893359 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4893359 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893358&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fan-inspiring-story.php From the SENS Foundation: "For Max, working at the [SENS Foundation Research Center (SENSF-RC)] has been the culmination of years of dedicated study and preparation. Before he first heard about SENS in early 2005, he wasn't a scientist at all; in fact, he was a 23-year-old cost accountant. When he wasn't studying for his MBA, he was counting other people's money. He knew that he wanted more out of life, though: specifically, he wanted to change the world in a way that would benefit society. As soon as he found and read Aubrey de Grey's Ending Aging, he settled on human health as the area he would strive to impact - and on SENS as the way to make that impact. Over the next few years he committed himself to working in finance, at one point teaching at a local community college, always with t... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893358 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4893358 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893362&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fthe-effects-of-exercise-on-aging.php A review paper: "Aging is a gradual process during which molecular and cellular processes deteriorate progressively, often leading to such pathological conditions as vascular and metabolic disorders and cognitive decline. Although the mechanisms of aging are not yet fully understood, inflammation, oxidative damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, functional alterations in specific neuronal circuits and a restricted degree of apoptosis are involved. Physical exercise improves the efficiency of the capillary system and increases the oxygen supply to the brain, thus enhancing metabolic activity and oxygen intake in neurons, and increases neurotrophin levels and resistance to stress. Regular exercise and an active lifestyle during adulthood have been associated with reduced risk and protective effe... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893362 Tue, 31 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4893362 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893361&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fthe-implications-of-hormesis.php Hormesis is the process by which a little damage or stress to our biology can lead to a longer life span, as it wakes up the repair mechanisms and makes them do a better job than they otherwise would - a net gain in resiliency. Here is a review that summarizes the implications for much of mainstream research into aging and longevity: "Various nutritional, behavioral, and pharmacological interventions have been previously shown to extend life span in diverse model organisms, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, mice, and rats, as well as possibly monkeys and humans. This review aims to summarize published evidence that several longevity-promoting interventions may converge by causing an activation of mitochondrial oxygen consumption to promote... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893361 Tue, 31 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4893361 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883540&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fmore-on-rasgrf1-and-aging.php As you might recall, manipulation of RasGrf1 extends life in mice: "The most intriguing finding was that the complete elimination of normal RasGrf1 increased both average and maximal longevity independent of a role in cancer. We found this to be surprising ... The effect of RasGrf1 deletion on aging, which is also accompanied by lower frailty and retention of motor control, appears to be mediated by greater protection against oxidative damage as observed by lower brain lipid peroxidation, liver protein oxidation and maintenance of the brain and liver glutathione redox potential. We must note that the use of malondialdehyde levels as a measure of overall lipid peroxidation in whole tissues is rather suspect and subject to numerous artifacts; nevertheless, the approximate 25% lower MDA level... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883540 Mon, 30 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4883540 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883539&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fthe-potential-of-embryonic-stem-cells-to-treat-age-related-disease.php An open access review of work on regenerative medicine based on embryonic stem cells: "The prospect of repairing or replacing damaged, dysfunctional or missing cells with new functional cells has shifted the therapeutic paradigm toward restoring tissue function in individuals affected with aging-associated diseases. The primary candidate for the development of these therapies is stem cells, particularly human embryonic stem cells (hESC), which have the capacity to self-renew indefinitely and differentiate into all tissue-specific cell types... In this review, we will describe the derivation, maintenance, and properties of pluripotent hESCs. We will also outline the methods used to induce the generation of specific cell types from hESCs, with primary focus on cell types that are applicable ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883539 Mon, 30 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4883539 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883543&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fthe-irish-times-on-the-sens-foundation.php Some mainstream media attention for the work of the SENS Foundation: "Rather than simply slowing ageing down, which is what most people have been focused on, we are interested in reversing ageing. So taking people who are already in middle age or older and [getting them back to] the same state of health as a young adult. ... [SENS Foundation co-founder Aubrey de Grey was in Dublin] to talk about how he thinks science will achieve that. ... So how do you reverse ageing? The basis of de Grey's argument is that our metabolism, that complex biochemical orchestra that keeps our bodies running, has side effects that cause damage in the long term. ... The big insight that governs our work is that we can classify these many different types of damage into just seven major categories. And within eac... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883543 Sun, 29 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4883543 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883542&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fputting-upper-bounds-on-longevity-derived-from-exercise.php Here's an interesting study that might place some upper bounds on the benefits of exercise accruing to longevity by looking at a cohort of the most highly trained and fit athletes. There are potential selection effects here, however - it's possible that only those already predisposed towards longevity on the grounds of general resiliency tend to become highly trained and fit athletes: "It is widely held among the general population and even among health professionals that moderate exercise is a healthy practice but long term high intensity exercise is not. The specific amount of physical activity necessary for good health remains unclear. To date, longevity studies of elite athletes have been relatively sparse and the results are somewhat conflicting. The Tour de France is among the most g... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883542 Sun, 29 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4883542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872040&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fmore-transdifferentiation-skin-cells-to-neurons.php Transdifferentiation is the act of changing a cell directly from one type to another, without having to first go through the process of producing induced pluripotent stem cells and then differentiating them into the desired final product. This shows some promise as a yet more effective way of producing cells to order for research and therapies: "Human skin cells can be converted directly into functional neurons in a period of four to five weeks with the addition of just four proteins ... The finding is significant because it bypasses the need to first create induced pluripotent stem cells, and may make it much easier to generate patient- or disease-specific neurons for study in a laboratory dish. It may also circumvent a recently reported potential problem with iPS cells, in which laborato... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872040 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4872040 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872039&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fconscientiousness-and-longevity.php This study replicates previous research showing that conscientious individuals tend to lead longer lives, and provides further insight into why this effect occurs." Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21604882 (Source: Fight Aging!) Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872039 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4872039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872062&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUybl8BQy8rI%2F By Caleb O. Brown If Senate leaders believed that expiring portions of the Patriot Act constituted an immediate increase in the risk of terrorism, it’s amazing that they waited until now to even nod toward debating the law’s renewal. A few thoughts from Cato Research Fellow Julian Sanchez on the current Patriot Act debate ripped from today’s podcast: … Democrats have had no interest in pointing out how closely President Obama has followed the playbook written by George (W.) Bush. And of course Republicans are the ones who helped write that playbook, so they don’t have much interest in revisiting it. On Section 215 of the Patriot Act: It seems extremely likely from what we know so far that this business records authority has been transformed into a large-scale ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872062 Thu, 26 May 2011 21:32:50 +0100 4872062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872043&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fcalorie-restriction-and-nitric-oxide.php An open access paper in which researchers delve into the mechanisms of longevity induced through calorie restriction in yeast: "Calorie restriction (CR) induces a metabolic shift towards mitochondrial respiration; however, molecular mechanisms underlying CR remain unclear. Recent studies suggest that CR-induced mitochondrial activity is associated with nitric oxide (NO) production. To understand the role of mitochondria in CR, we identify and study Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants with increased NO levels as potential CR mimics. Analysis of the top 17 mutants demonstrates a correlation between increased NO, mitochondrial respiration, and longevity. Interestingly, treating yeast with NO donors such as GSNO (S-nitrosoglutathione) is sufficient to partially mimic CR to extend lifespan. ... . ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872043 Wed, 25 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4872043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872042&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fdamage-lifespan-and-its-measurement-in-nematode-worms.php This open access work looks like a solid way to measure accumulated biochemical damage in nematode worms, and link it to both its causes and its resulting effects on life span: "A common property of aging in all animals is that chronologically and genetically identical individuals age at different rates. To unveil mechanisms that influence aging variability, we identified markers of remaining lifespan for Caenorhabditis elegans. In transgenic lines, we expressed fluorescent reporter constructs from promoters of C. elegans genes whose expression change with age. The expression levels of aging markers in individual worms from a young synchronous population correlated with their remaining lifespan. We identified eight aging markers, with the superoxide dismutase gene sod-3 expression being th... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872042 Wed, 25 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4872042 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872041&cid=t_97137_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fsenescent-cells-make-lungs-more-susceptible-to-infection.php Senescent cells build up in our tissues with age. They have left the cell cycle, damaged and dysfunctional, fail to self-destruct through one of the many systems for cell suicide, and linger on to cause all sorts of problems for their neighbors. Tissue riddled with senescent cells is less effective, less resilient, and more prone to developing further damage. One of the roles of the immune system is to clear out these problem cells, but the immune system itself progressively fails in all its tasks with age, a victim of its own issues. So the senescent cell population grows, promoted by increasing levels of damage caused by the other processes of aging, and the immune system fails to rein it in. Here, researchers demonstrate one specific result of an increased population of senescent cel... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872041 Wed, 25 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4872041