Aberrant Astrocytes as a Cause of Neurodegenerative Disease
Astrocytes are an important class of support cell in the brain, and one of the most common cell types in brain tissue. They carry out a wide range of tasks, most of which are absolutely essential to the functions performed by neurons. A few years ago, researchers suggested that senescent astrocytes may be responsible for a sizable portion of the progression of neurodegenerative conditions, a proposal expanded and further investigated since then, with a great deal more evidence gathered. Astrocyte behavior in the brain appears to change for the worse with age in a number of ways, not all of which may be connected to cellula...
Source: Fight Aging! - January 19, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Nrf2 Improves Clearance of Damaged Proteins Associated with Neurodegeneration
The protein Nrf2 shows up in a number of places in the study of aging and related aspects of cellular biochemistry. Higher levels of Nrf2 appear to correlate well with longer species lifespan, at least among mammals in the wild, but this is also arguably the case in the various genetically engineered lineages of mice, worms, and flies that exhibit longer lifespans. Until recently the main focus of research into the role of Nrf2 has been the regulation of antioxidants as a response to cellular stress, as occurs due to the metabolic demands of exercise, for example. Of interest here is that Nrf2 levels decline with age, whic...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 28, 2016 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Looking Back and Ahead in the Use of Pluripotent Stem Cells in Medicine
There are a few papers and commentaries that you might find interesting in the latest issue of Regenerative Medicine. The one I'll point out here offers a retrospective and a forecast for the use of pluripotent stem cells in medicine. It is authored by one of the more outspoken figures from the last decade of research and development, but is worth reading regardless of that point. All industries tend to follow what has come to be known as a hype cycle as they reach critical mass and transition into broad adoption and large scale development. Stem cell medicine as a whole had its initial peak of attention and overhyped expe...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 15, 2016 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Stem Cell Research and the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases
In this open access review paper, the authors make a case for more human trials in the development of stem cell therapies to treat neurodegenerative diseases. An abundance of caution and heavy regulatory burden drives greater use of animal studies than is perhaps merited given the safety data derived from the first of those studies, which in turn leads to high cost and a high rate of failure in development. A more rapid move to human trials after proving safety in animals is one possible solution to this problem. Another is for large improvements in the quality and cost of on-demand growth of small brain tissue sections th...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 1, 2016 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
The Decomposition of Alzheimer's Disease
The biochemistry of Alzheimer's disease is complex and varied, still incompletely mapped at the detail level. At the edges it merges into grey areas shared with other forms of neurodegeneration - a large number of Alzheimer's patients are diagnosed with other forms of dementia or cognitive impairment. That Alzheimer's is one item in the official list of diseases, that the borders between various forms of neurodegeneration are drawn as they are, is a historical accident carried across more than a century of the taxonomy of disease, not a reflection of current opinions. The age-related dysfunction of the brain is driven by n...
Source: Fight Aging! - November 10, 2016 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Hotshot. A supplement scam with a difference?
Jump to follow-up
The "supplement" industry is a scam that dwarfs all other forms of alternative medicine. Sales are worth over $100 billion a year, a staggering sum. But the claims they make are largely untrue: plain fraudulent. Although the industry’s advertisements like to claim "naturalness". in fact most of the synthetic vitamins are manufactured by big pharma companies. The pharmaceutical industry has not been slow to cash in on an industry in which unverified claims can be made with impunity.
When I saw advertised Hotshot, "a proprietary formulation of organic ingredients" that is...
Source: DC's goodscience - October 25, 2016 Category: Science Authors: David Colquhoun Tags: Academia supplements Bruce Bean cramp dietary supplements DSHEA Harvard Hotshot Muscle cramp Rockefeller university Rod MacKinnon TRP receptors Source Type: blogs
Hotshot. A supplement scam with a difference?
Jump to follow-up
The "supplement" industry is a scam that dwarfs all other forms of alternative medicine. Sales are worth over $100 billion a year, a staggering sum. But the claims they make are largely untrue: plain fraudulent. Although the industry’s advertisements like to claim "naturalness". in fact most of the synthetic vitamins are manufactured by big pharma companies. The pharmaceutical industry has not been slow to cash in on an industry in which unverified claims can be made with impunity.
When I saw advertised Hotshot, "a proprietary formulation of organic ingredients" that is...
Source: DC's goodscience - October 25, 2016 Category: Science Authors: David Colquhoun Tags: Academia supplements Bruce Bean cramp dietary supplements DSHEA Harvard Hotshot Muscle cramp Rockefeller university Rod MacKinnon TRP receptors Source Type: blogs
Theorizing on the Contribution of Gut Bacteria to Neurodegeneration
Researchers here propose a mechanism by which gut bacteria might accelerate the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain, known to be at the very least associated with various forms of neurodegenerative condition. Beyond mere corrleation, there is good evidence for the accumulation of aggregates of these broken proteins to be actively harmful, an important part of the disease process. The participation of gut bacteria doesn't mean we should focus on them, however; the right approach is to develop ways to safely and periodically remove these aggregates, classifying their presence as a form of damage to be repaired be...
Source: Fight Aging! - October 6, 2016 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, August 29th 2016
This study demonstrates that TNTs play a significant part in the intercellular transfer of α-synuclein fibrils and reveals the specific role of lysosomes in this process. This represents a major breakthrough in understanding the mechanisms underlying the progression of synucleinopathies. These compelling findings, together with previous reports from the same team, point to the general role of TNTs in the propagation of prion-like proteins in neurodegenerative diseases and identify TNTs as a new therapeutic target to combat the progression of these incurable diseases.
Shorter Period of Rapamycin Treatment in Mice...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 28, 2016 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Increased Levels of Neuregulin-1 Reduce Amyloid Plaques and Improve Memory in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease
Researchers have recently demonstrated that raised levels of neuroregulin-1 in parts of the brain can reduce the build up of amyloid plaque and improve measures of memory in a mouse lineage engineered to reproduce the features of Alzheimer's disease. This is one of a range of methods that have shown improvements of one kind or another in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, and so far most have not exhibited useful results in human studies, or otherwise failed to make it much further along the path to the clinic. The degree to which particular models steer research in a useful direction is a legitimate question: Alzheimer...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 27, 2016 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 61-year-old man with generalized weakness
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 61-year-old man is evaluated for a 10-month history of generalized weakness. He reports no pain or myalgia. History is significant for hypercholesterolemia treated with a stable dose of simvastatin for the past 3 years.
On physical examination, temperature is normal, blood pressure is 138/74 mm Hg, pulse rate is 70/min, and respiration rate is 16/min. BMI is 27. There is symmetric weakness of the arm and thigh muscles with slightly reduced grip and power of the finger flexors. No muscle tenderness is noted. Th...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - August 20, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/mksap" rel="tag" > mksap < /a > Tags: Conditions Neurology Source Type: blogs
Chip Mimics Nerve-Muscle Junctions to Study Neuromuscular Disorders
MIT scientists have developed a microfluidic chip that mimics the neuromuscular connections that exist at the junction between neurons and the muscles. These junctions are often involved in various debilitating neuromuscular conditions such as myasthenia gravies and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Studying these junctions under controlled conditions and being able to test various compounds on them may help identify therapies to treat these diseases.
The microfluidic device hosts a single muscle fiber that’s connected to a number of neurons. The three-dimensional space includes sections that separate the nerves ...
Source: Medgadget - August 8, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Editors Tags: Diagnostics Genetics Neurology News Source Type: blogs
I ’ ll pass on the blue latte, thanks
If you’ve been taken in by the hype surrounding the algal food supplement spirulina or quaffing blue lattes made with algal powder and no coffee…
Stop now.
There’s mounting evidence that the neurotoxin BMAA, beta-methylamino-L-alanine (an amino acid that is not used to make proteins) can lead to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), motor neuron disease (MND) also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinsonism. There’s also evidence that BMAA can be passed from mother to suckling infant in breast milk too.
Thanks to DrRachie for the alert on this.
Th...
Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - July 13, 2016 Category: Science Authors: David Bradley Tags: Science Source Type: blogs
I’ll pass on the blue latte, thanks
If you’ve been taken in by the hype surrounding the algal food supplement spirulina or quaffing blue lattes made with algal powder and no coffee…
Stop now.
There’s mounting evidence that the neurotoxin BMAA, beta-methylamino-L-alanine (an amino acid that is not used to make proteins) can lead to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), motor neuron disease (MND) also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinsonism. There’s also evidence that BMAA can be passed from mother to suckling infant in breast milk too.
Thanks to DrRachie for the alert on this.
Th...
Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - July 13, 2016 Category: Science Authors: David Bradley Tags: Science Source Type: blogs
AANP Meeting Presidential Symposium Speaker: Neil Cashman, MD
From the American Association of Neuropathologists front office:Neil Cashman, MDAANP is very excited to have Dr. Neil Cashman present at this year’s Presidential Symposium on Sunday, June 19. His talk will be on Seeding and Propagation of SOD1 Misfolding in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.Dr. Neil Cashman is a neurologist-neuroscientist working in neurodegeneration and neuroimmunology. His special areas of work are the motor neuron diseases, particularly amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and the amyloid encephalopathies, including prion illnesses and Alzheimer’s disease. He is Professor of Medicine at the University o...
Source: neuropathology blog - May 20, 2016 Category: Radiology Tags: meetings motor neuron disease Source Type: blogs
